Entrance to the Congo Room Palm Springs - Photograph by Tim Putz
This is a Tim Putz photograph of the entrance to the Congo Room in Palm Springs. I paid for its use in Motel California but ended up not having space for it. I forgot that I even had it! The Congo Room was next door to the Tropics Motor Hotel (1963). It was operated by Sambo’s, and an experiment for the Santa Barbara-based restaurant chain. It was the first time Sambo’s managed a separate dining room and cocktail lounge in addition to its coffee shop. Today, what was once the Congo Room is home to the Reef Bar, and thankfully the Tropics is still in operation. We've stayed there before and it was both affordable and comfortable.
Entrance to the Congo Room Palm Springs - Photograph by Tim Putz
This is a Tim Putz photograph of the entrance to the Congo Room in Palm Springs. I paid for its use in Motel California but ended up not having space for it. I forgot that I even had it! The Congo Room was next door to the Tropics Motor Hotel (1963). It was operated by Sambo’s, and an experiment for the Santa Barbara-based restaurant chain. It was the first time Sambo’s managed a separate dining room and cocktail lounge in addition to its coffee shop. Today, what was once the Congo Room is home to the Reef Bar, and thankfully the Tropics is still in operation. We've stayed there before and it was both affordable and comfortable.