Ah. Motel 6. What can I say? "we'll leave the light on for ya".

The one where I stayed wasn't a dump--I mean, they must be fairly consistant in quality across the board. Right? The fact that I was in West Sacramento was iffy. I found out that it is not the best part of town after I booked it. Not the area that a woman alone should be staying...
Mom freaked out, of course. She was positive that my door would be broken down and that I would be assaulted and murdered. Very likely by someone named..."Bubba".

So I arrived in the area with some concern. Once I saw that it was near a business park, a Bakers Square and a Methodist Community Center, I breathed a sigh of relief.

That is--until I checked in and noticed the sheer number of scruffy men walking around wearing various ensembles of "wife beaters" and dirty sweats. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, "wife beaters" are the white tank undershirts that some men wear. Why are men wearing them anyway? I thought the whole undershirt idea died when Clark Cable bared his naked chest in the movie "It Happened One Night".
Anyway. i still wasn't in fear for my person. Until I made my way to my room.
As I was walking along the upper balcony--a man stepped out of his room about 15 doors down from me. He was a big man in dirty jeans, a filthier "wife beater", and a big cowboy hat. He stopped when he saw me and stared. He just leaned against his door and watched me walk towards him--never turning his head or his attention to anything else. I remember thinking, "What's the matter Billy Bob? Never seen a woman in a suit before?"
But then it occured to me that it was obvious that I was alone. Now I was 5 doors down from him and in front of my room. He was still watching. I sent a glare his way as i pushed open the door. I was given a smile in return. It struck me as predatory. once I was in the room, i locked and bolted the door.
Thank God i wasn't hungry. It was easy to skip dinner,watch a cheesy romantic TV movie, and go to bed early.

Now--I'm not saying that i was in mortal danger. He may have been harmless. He could have just been curious. Perhaps he thought he was flirting! The smile may have been due to his sudden awareness that his behavior had unnerved me. I don't know.
Better safe than sorry.

I have this to say to men. Men: If you mean no harm, do not stare intently at a lone woman. ITS CREEPY.

I jumped at every bang and male voice outside my door for the rest of the night.
I've come to the conclusion that motels are only fun if you are with someone. I love staying in Hotels alone, but Motels are for road trips and romantic romps. :)



Just my opinion :)