greg girard's american stopover captures his journey along the west coast in the 1970s

greg girard captures the west coast as a vast departure lounge

Canadian photographer Greg Girard takes us on a visual journey of his travels from the 1970s and early 1980s along the west coast of the United States to Las Vegas and Honolulu on his way to Asia. The American Stopover series serves as a nostalgic time capsule, exploring the essence of a transient experience as the photographer wanders from state to state, bound for Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and beyond. Captured on Kodachrome and Ektachrome slide film, the previously unseen photographs depict popular travel destinations from a distinct perspective — a vast departure lounge, a long drawn out stopover.

photographed during a stopover in Honolulu on the way from Los Angeles to Tokyo, 1976 | all images by Greg Girard

a nostalgic time capsule of travels from the 1970s

Along his travels, whether sailing from San Francisco on freighters or navigating multi-stopover air routes, the photographer immersed himself in the vibrant landscapes of the US west coast. ‘I stayed in cheap hotels, or half-slept in all-night cinemas and walked the streets photographing by day and by night. Lingering for days or weeks, traveling by Greyhound to other cities, and then at some point eventually boarding a plane or ship to cross the Pacific,’ Greg Girard recalls. From the palm trees of California to the glitz of Las Vegas and the laid-back charm of Honolulu, each frame encapsulates his spirit of a ‘just passing through’ mindset on a journey way to Asia.

photographed while lingering for a few days in San Francisco while waiting to board Philippine freighter, 1974

Oceanfront Motel, Seaside, Oregon, bound for San Francisco, 1978

Downtown Los Angeles, across from the Banner Theatre, 1976

Palm trees and parked cars in front of bar near the beach, Oceanside, California, 1978

Greyhound passenger somewhere in Texas, 1978

a below the street cocktail lounge in San Francisco, during a stopover on the way to Tokyo, 1982

Jukebox, Hotel Street, Honolulu

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Downtown Las Vegas, a detour while on the way to Tokyo, 1976 

San Francisco, 1976

departure gate, San Francisco Airport, 1982

American Stopover book cover, designed by Gonzalo Sanchez, published by Kominek Books

project info:

name: American Stopover
photographer: Greg Girard

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom