The Solar Motel
(Los Angeles, California, USA)
The north side of West Jefferson Boulevard, just west of 9th Avenue:
Above and adjacent to a small vacant plot of land, directly on the east side of the Solar Motel, a continuously fading and degrading smaller-sized
billboard (promoting HIV testing) contains the image of a marginal television celebrity. Day by day the billboard's image is gradually vanishing
from sight, due in most part to general wear and tear caused by the sun's powerful rays. The less-than-desirable location of this overhead display,
along with the lack of demand for any newer, more up-to-date advertisements, has made it an area fixture for a few years now.
On the south side of West Jefferson Boulevard, across from the billboard and the motel's entranceway, one finds the historic Harold & Belle's Cajun
restaurant, a fixture of the block since 1969. In the recent past, on most mornings and late afternoons, a local man (dressed in a royal-themed cape
and golden plastic crown) could also be seen, mainly strolling in the vicinity of the motel and restaurant. The daily whereabouts of the man have,
however, appeared to shift: his coordinates now being a bit more in the westerly direction. He is now seen more often in the area surrounding the
recently finalized Westside Neighborhood Park, located between South Fairfax Avenue and Clyde Avenue, underneath the massive span of high-tension
power lines passing overhead.
Upon discussion with a few of the local residents and business operators on Jefferson Boulevard, it has been learned that the royal-themed man was
once a dishwasher in the Cajun restaurant, but lost his post sometime in the early 1990s, most likely due to irregular behavior on the job. Locals
that have known the man claim that he was always a humble presence, and had considered himself to be inspired by Cajun history and the spicy cuisine
of the restaurant. He also enjoyed the name of the adjacent motel and even had a residence there for some years. After finally meeting the man himself,
who preferred to give out no name, the discussion topics (put forth by the man himself) ranged from the price of contemporary living to the possible
higher energy fields surrounding the Solar Motel. It also became clear through these talks that there was an obsession with radiation levels in the
area. His last remarks regarding his planned movement west had to do with keeping an eye out for, and testing (in some form), the effects of the
high-tension power lines on the newly designed park and playground, as well as its neighboring billboards and signage.