Born in 1940, award-winning photographer John Margolies spent a fair bit of his youth traveling locally with his family, sparking a love for the road and all things roadside. So, at 16, he got a hold of a 1948 Oldsmobile and hit the road.
Much of his academic life and career were spent doing something that somehow connected to his work in photography—journalism, art history, and architecture. In the mid 1970s, he more or less officially started photographing vernacular architecture on long road trips across the US.
It is said that Margolies knew very little about photography, but he understood exactly what he wanted from his Canon cameras that used the stock 50mm lenses and ASA 25 film. He liked the color saturation on those things.
In his 2010 book “Roadside America,” which included a lot of Margolies’ photography, journalist and author Phil Patton elaborated about how Margolies would set out on the road. Margolies would typically rent a car and leave in late spring, or just after Labor Day, when tourist season hasn’t kicked off yet and the roads are vacant.
He’d pack coolers to keep his film cool (reduces film degradation and desaturation), while his other belongings would be put away in bags. Most times, he’d stay in motels until early morning as that was the prime time for photography—places were the least crowded at that time, and so that meant the cars wouldn’t mess up the visual vibe. Also, Margolies really loved the lighting during that time of the day, which was thanks to the clear blue skies.
Bored Panda has also gotten in touch with Mark Bobich, California-born "atypical American" who's been taking adventure-thirsty travelers around USA, Canada, Mexico and Central America for nearly two decades, to talk all things roadside attractions.
Mark has led tours in the USA visiting the most breathtaking corners of 32 states. Originally, a major in economics who ended up getting soaked in the world of tourism and has been unconventionally and authentically sharing the culture, adrenaline-filled activities, local cuisines and beauty of local people with his clients.
Now, sure, Wikipedia will do a great job in defining a roadside attraction, but it doesn’t really explain the pathos and cultural significance of the phenomenon. And now that is hard to explain. But Mark took a stab at it:
“It can be an ‘abandoned’ town on Route 66, an unusual bathroom stop, a giant concrete dinosaur, or even a national monument. Some roadside attractions are what many would describe as ‘kitsch’ and some might even be described as works of art. To be honest, it wasn’t until I was much older that I began to appreciate these uniquely American attractions.”
“I mostly traveled abroad as a young adult and it wasn’t until I was in my 40s that I began to travel more extensively in the US while leading tour groups. Foreigners on my tours seemed to be more fascinated with these attractions than many Americans. I slowly began to gain an appreciation for things like giant concrete dinosaurs, ‘ghost towns’, and waterfall toilet stops.”
“Regarding specific factors and characteristics of roadside attractions, I think they are incredibly diverse. It can be anything from what was once an ‘over the top’ advertisement, to something a local artist created, to an entire town.”