I don’t have a brother, but if I could choose one, it would be Brother Cleve, late of one of my fave bands Combustible Edison, and recent friend of Retro Roadmap! Cleve and I caught up with each other at last Fall, and I just received this e-version of a postcard from his vintage vacation in that big ol’ state known as Texas.
Brother Cleve’s Southern Tip of Texas Tour!
Just back from a road trip in the southern tip of the great state of Texas – we stayed on South Padre Island (whose tourism slogan should be “Where the Gulf Of Mexico Meets The Rio Grande”) on the Mexican border.
(The Cortez Hotel in Westlaco TX was built in 1928 and was restored in 1998, it now has restaurants, shops, beautiful ballroom and meeting rooms. See it on the Retro Roadmap!)
A trip down the old Route 83 and TX 100 between there and McAllen (where many fly in/out of) had its share of Retro worthy places between the taquerilla and BBQ joints. Nicest town is Weslaco, which has some nice antique stores. South Padre has a few mid-century mod homes like the round pink house pictured.
The Longhorn Cattle Company Barbecue in San Benito (“Birthplace Of Freddy Fender”; he’s painted on the water tower) is some of the best I’ve had in Texas, and I’ve been to almost all the famous ones across the state. Wash your brisket down with some Shiner Bock. Yee haw!
Bobz Seven Seas is one of those weird, giant roadside places filled with more crap for sale that it makes you dizzy just being there (Mod Betty sez ooooh I looove places like that!) Who gathers all the hundreds of thousands of seashells for sale. And who polishes them? I really don’t want to know; I’m just glad the US economy hasn’t sunk so bad (yet) that I have to toil scouring Revere Beach for shells to sell.
Here are even more fab Retro Roadmap worthy shots!
The Wes Mer Drive In in Mercedes TX is still open! Added to the Retro Roadmap!
Wells of Weslaco – if that isn’t a Retro Roadmap worthy storefront, I don’t know what is!
Not sure I’d go in, but a snapshot? You bet!
Thanks Cleve and Diane Dodge, for our first Texas Retro Roadmap entry and fab photos – can’t wait to share more of your fun retro roadtrip adventures!
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