When I was about four, we vacationed at the Handerly Hotel & Resort in San Diego (formerly the Stardust Motor Hotel). That place was heaven on earth as far as I was concerned. I loved the pool. Next to the pool there was a bar, and behind the bar was an underwater theater. It was here that I saw one of the most outlandish scenes I have ever witnessed.
The door to the bar was open. I peered inside to see two scuba divers capturing a mermaid with a net! This was so weird that for years I suspected I might have just imagined it all.
Well, during my recent trip to the Design Automation Conference in San Diego, I stopped by the Handerly to check up on my memory. It was true. The staff directed me to a photograph of Reef Lounge patrons enjoying an underwater show with their drinks. Apparently the midnight show even featured topless synchronized swimmers.
Empty pool behind the bar, camouflaged by a plywood façade
I assumed that even if it once existed, the underwater theater would have been demolished long ago. In fact the structure still exists, but the bar is now the corporate office, and the pool is dry. Indeed, demolishing such a huge concrete structure would be very expensive and disruptive to the hotel’s operation.
I just wish I could remember whether the mermaid was topless.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post John! How great you actually got to see the Reef (even if the memory is a little fuzzy
If you ever make it out to Montana, you can still stay at a 1960s motor lodge complete with a mermaid show in the lounge. It’s called the Sip ‘n Dip and is located in Great Falls, Montana. Florida also has the amazing Wreck Bar in Ft. Lauderdale and Sacramento has the brand new Dive Bar.
However to our knowledge none of the above have scuba divers netting any of the mermaids!
All those mermaids in Montana, and not one get netted! You have such gentlemanly scuba divers in Great Falls.