“Let’s keep an eye out for a mailbox,” I said to Matt as we set out for the airport. I had a few things to post. Imagine my surprise when I saw this quite large mail receptacle outside of the card store at PDX. Mail posted!
From there it was on through security and to our gate for our short flight to Las Vegas.
After the disappointment of not finding any postcards for sale when I was at Disneyland, I vowed to bring postcards with me for future trips. Thankfully, I remembered this vow with enough time to order some vintage Las Vegas postcards before heading to the airport. Here’s the spread.
Three of them were written on, and here are those three.
First up, the Riviera Hotel in 1957. (That postmark is hard to read, but I think it’s 1957 rather than 1967. The internet tells me the “Pray for Peace” cancellation was put into circulation in 1956. Also, postcards cost 5 cents in 1967. They cost 3 cents in 1957, so that stamp isn’t right, but we’re going with 1957.)
Hi, We are a long way from you. Having a swell time, seeing a lot. You would never dream of what is here. The Armo Trongs. (sp?)
The Riviera Hotel was the first skyscraper hotel on the strip (nine stories tall) and closed in 2015 to make way for the expansion of the Last Vegas Convention Center.
Next up: The Frontier in 1977 (or so I’m guessing from the stamp)
Tuesday. Hi Barb. Here we are in Vegas. Everybody else is still in bed. We left California yesterday 5 am, got here at 10 am. Have a very nice room. Love Mabel [and ?]
The Frontier closed in 2007 and today is an empty lot between Fashion Show Mall and Resorts World Las Vegas. That pool looks like it was a fun one.
Finally, the Silver Slipper from 29 June 1970.
Hi Wallie and Fam. This is the place for you. The place is jumping with people all night. Weather hot but nights beautiful. Getting some Jack-[?]. Josephine and Sue
The Silver Slipper was part of the Frontier. It closed in 1988, and it’s iconic sign is in the neon museum.
I look forward to writing my own postcards from Las Vegas.
This postcard has a very nice texture to it.
Sara reports that the weather has retreated to coastal winter after some spring-like behavior. She also laments the current state of US democracy.
I received all three postcards on the same day (amazing!), and I skipped looking at the picture on the front so I could instead read what Sara had written on the back. I read that Sara’s cousin had gotten her this lovely package of chairs (12 in total), and I wondered why the cousin would give her such a large gift. Also, did Sara want 12 chairs?
The confusion was cleared up when I looked at the front and discovered, that what I was reading as chairs was actually chai, as in tea. 12 is a much more reasonable number in that case.
Sara reports that there is an atmospheric river happening, and that she’s enjoying 50 so far.
Sara was on a 50th birthday jaunt, and I got these postcards out of the trip.
Fun quiz question. What do you think is the postmark on a card mailed from the Napa Valley? Answer below.
With this postcard, Sara had just been to the bookstore and sent a hello.
Sara reports that the London Fogs at the Retrograde Coffee Roasters are quite nice. Also that the sunny weather with temperatures in the high 50s is a good combo for a weekend celebrating the entrance into one’s fifties.
Answer: These are postmarked Oakland. Is that what you guessed?
I like the purple in this card.
Sara reports that it has been a rainy weekend in Arcata but that they still got out for a walk.
Look at this fun postcard! Post boxes are one of those things I’m not aware that are not universal. I mean, I am, because of Postcrossing and travel, but it’s one of those utilitarian things that seems to be more about function than form.
Sara reports that she ordered this set from an Etsy shop (based in Eagle, Idaho!) and that it’s was her first official day of the semester. The semester has started off well.
She also commented that she needed more postcards like she needs a hole in her toe and, looking at my 12 inches of shelf space dedicated to postcards, I can relate.
This is a fun card, and the second in a row with the word “hello.”
Sara reports that she just opened my Christmas present and loved it. She correctly observed that I probably will know this by the time I get the postcard because she sent me a Marco Polo of her opening it.
She’s also still recovering from the flu, which she caught as she came home from Coeur d’Alene.
Sara added some stickers to this postcard. It made for a fun presentation. Fun fact: I have a duplicate of this postcard (sans stickers) displayed on my wall. You can see it in this post.
The Spokane postmark tells me that this came from Coeur d’Alene. Sara reports that they are doing some cleaning and organizing and that she found some Christmas stamps back from when stamps were 37 cents. She put two on my postcard.
Sara writes from Wallace, Idaho, where the town highlights the work done in the old brothels as well as the work done in the mines.
Not learned via this postcard, but learned via text: Lana Turner was born and raised in Wallace, Idaho, at least until her family relocated to Hollywood where Turner was discovered. That was news to this Idaho native.
