A Disappearing American Original: The Roadside Rest Area
During a move from Los Angeles to Austin six years ago, photographer Ryann Ford kept coming across 20th century rest stops, each one different from the other. Humble in stature, these traditional rest areas, despite their charm, have become a relic of America's roadside past, unable to match the conveniences of modern day travel centers with their fast food restaurants, wireless internet, and large bathrooms.
On her website, Ford expresses disappointment in the nation's increasing preference for homogeneous travel centers, allowing rest areas to lose "the fight to commercial alternatives." We talked with her about her ongoing rest stop project, why they're so special to her, and the modern day travel centers that are replacing them along America's roads: