The Motel in Albuquerque

Photo by Nicolas Cool via Unsplash

Gone are the days (if they every really existed) of the open road, the giant ball of twine and the family truckster packed with Grandma, Sparky and 2.3 children asking if they are there yet from the backseat. In the '50s and '60s, the mythology of the West was largely a fictional manifestation spurred on by cheap gas, paid vacations and Baby Boomers watching “Rawhide” from Eastern suburbs, but here in Albuquerque, we were ready to receive them. Former Albuquerque Library manager Joe Sabatini speaks on the evolution of Albuquerque motels, and the role of automobiles and highway systems that brought people to them, on Monday, Aug. 19 at 1pm the Loma Colorado Main Library in Rio Rancho. For more information on this free, all-ages event, see riorancholibraries.org. (Clarke Condé)