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Cool Old Hotels


alsancle

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The inn in Herman mo  is great also..

 

I took the wife 8 years ago here 538.00 a night..

 

Not sure if the price is lower or higher.. They have sold rooms for 1200.00 a night.. Just FYI..

 

The Inn at Hermannhof.

 

https://innathermannhof.com/

 

or

 

St. Louis Union Station Hotel

 

 

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On 10/21/2023 at 9:37 AM, alsancle said:

My all time favorite hotel is the Mount Washington in New Hampshire.   Been there a bunch of times when the kids were little and the 2016 CCCA NE Caravan was based out of there.

 

Last week Ed and I were on a tour based out of Tulsa Oklahoma.   We stayed at the historic Mayo which was completely renovated and saved from demolition 20 years ago.   It was sold for a dollar I believe to the family that renovated it.

 

https://www.themayohotel.com

 

Fantastic place!    The hotel is divided in half where the room on one side are suites,  about 4 times as big as a typical hotel room with a full kitchen, with the more standard rooms being about 40% bigger than you average room.  There is a ball room located in the upper floors with a penthouse bar overlooking the city.

 

The secure "motor court" parking garage across the street was also very cool and where we parked the cars.   We had most of the lower level to ourselves. 

 

What cool hotels have you stayed at on tour or just in general?

 

 

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  Twenty five years ago, this month, we where there in Bretten Wood, NH for the 1998 Glidden Tour.  It was the   headquarters hotel and where each of the daily tours started.   We stayed in our tiny home, the GMC "Roadhouse" in a nearby campgound full of GMC's and Glidden Tourists.   Some Tourists stayed in period correct accomadations in nearby tourist cabins.   We even selected a cabin for follow-up visits.   It was an awesome tour, never to be forgotten, especially the ride & lunch on the M/S Mount Washington on Lake Winnipsaukee from Center Harbor to Wolfboro where we were welcomed by the wooden speedboat convention and a dock loaded with 1931 Chrysler Touring Cars.   We've been back tp Wolfboro, NH several times since that tour.

   

My Scans.jpg

Edited by Paul Dobbin
Less expenxsive place down the road, Photo (see edit history)
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As a kid I had relatives that always spoke highly of Hotel Robidoux in St Joseph MO. 

I always wanted to see inside of it, but it was demolished in 1976 as a result of Project Mo R-92, better known as urban renewal. 

To this day I still wish it was standing. It wasn't the most glamorous building, but it's interior authenticity was hard to ignore according to photos.

 

Joseph Robidoux was raised a fur trader born in St Louis and later settled in Blacksnake Hills in NW Missouri later named St Joseph for obvious reasons. St Joseph is also known for the place where Jesse James was shot and the beginning of the Pony Express.

 

Here is the trading post prior to the building of Hotel Robidoux

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Photos from it's glory days of the building later named after him. Imagine pulling up to this in a pre-war vehicle....

 

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Edited by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)
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Clowns. Yeeee...😬 

 

Though I'll admit one of my guilty pleasures around Halloween is watching "Killer Klowns from Outer Space". A really schlocky movie, probably not even a good "B" movie, but I'll watch it if it's on.

 

So far this year I haven't seen it on any of the satellite channels, though they have managed to desecrate "American Horror Story" by casting a Kartrashian in the newest AHS series.

 

Wonder would one of the grand hotels have it on streaming?🙂

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How 'bout the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado?  Built by F.O. Stanley of steamer fame, who had gone to Estes Park to recover from tuberculosis.  Having done so, he built the hotel so others who came would have a comfortable place to stay.  And then, to get people to the hotel from the railhead at the front of the Rockies, he commissioned the Stanley Mountain Wagon.  There's an interesting article in today's New York Times about the place.  It was the locale for the filming of the horror movie "The Shining".  It has since become a popular venue for weddings with a horror theme; some invited guests are terrified to book a room there.  This ain't my schtick, but it's interesting.

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A little off the beaten path is the Atholl Palace Hotel in Pitlochry, Scotland, about 70 miles north of Edinburgh. You can drive there in a couple of hours, but you can take a train from Edinburgh, too.  It’s a big, old stone pile, perhaps a little threadbare at the edges, but comfy and the best service.  The dining room is good, the grounds good for strolling.   a short drive or healthy walk gets you into the village.  If you drive, a good tour is to Kirkmichael where you will find Milford Vintage Engineering, a great car restoration shop.  In any direction from the hotel are great Scottish destinations including Blair Atholl Palace and the Blair Atholl distillery. 

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The front of the Atholl Palace Hotel. 

 

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The rear side of the Atholl Palace Hotel. 

 

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The distillation pots at the Blair Atholl distillery, very close to the Atholl Palace Hotel.

 

 

 

 

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www.historichotels.org

 

This is the National Trust for Historic Preservation's affiliate hotel program.

 

www.savingplaces.org

 

Like Smithsonian and National Geographic, the Trust is displaying signs of injecting an agenda into its Preservation  magazine, but not enough to make me sever ties as I did with the first two.

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This place started its life as a fancy Hotel, has been a hospital and then a high school.

I attended this school for my sophomore and junior years.

This would have been 65, and 66 school years.

I drive by the old place when I am up that way. The neighborhood is quite different, but the majestic old place brings back good memories.

After seeing this video, this tour is on my to do list.

We lived across the bay on top  of the hill that looks like a spit of land in these photos and we had the opposite view that you see in these imagines.

I remember the Stadium Bowl all lit up on across the bay on football nights. It was a chore to bus into the city to attend school and some of the activities, but since there were several in my class that lived out my way and went there too, we would share rides to and from dances and ball games etc.

Fond memories. I often wish I could remember that cute girls name that I sat behind in math class.

I remember one day there was a fairly sizeable earthquake. Stupid me, I probably set a record going down those stairs and out to the courtyard. I didn't think about hiding under a desk.

Enjoy.

 

Edited by JACK M (see edit history)
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MountainGuides-hotel-lakeohara.jpg

Lake O Hara Lodge......constructed 1925....few people know about......you cannot drive right to it on your own,the road is nearly impassable for a car and must take a rugged bus in and they run regular.........if you seriously .........want to get away from EVERYTHING ........ for the weekend,YoHo National park........one of my favorites .....and it does not get much pure and free than thisimage.jpeg.f5958d9b309f7c6167162bbb30d376c1.jpegimage.jpeg.df2651f7dc0e0a4498171d10e13acfd8.jpegYoho National Park , Canada - WorldAtlas

Edited by arcticbuicks (see edit history)
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yes .....really......and these are mostly situated on the trans Canada... Canadian Pacific rail line from east to west.........they were mostly all old CP rail hotels.......since sold off but still going.......except for a few beauties that got torn down.........I prefer the locations and settings of hotels whether it is Canada or USA and so on.

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4 minutes ago, arcticbuicks said:

yes .....really......and these are mostly situated on the trans Canada... Canadian Pacific rail line from east to west.........they were mostly all old CP rail hotels.......since sold off but still going.......except for a few beauties that got torn down.........I prefer the locations and settings of hotels whether it is Canada or USA and so on.

One of my ideas from a while ago was to do the trans Canada rail experience.  I think it is Montreal to Vancouver?  Like 5 days and it wasn't cheap.

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there is still a lot to see far east of Montreal also .......but.....yes,you would want to take VIA rail,with the dome cars.......but if you are american.....you get $1.37 for your $1.USD..........so you gain 37% on exchange.

 

Another great route few know is the Via rail to Churchill Manitoba to see polar bears and experience the Arctic.....that gets a lot of world travallers....winter is best...it is a 24 hour train ride in.......stay in Churchill ......the train runs every two days.......and that is enough.......you can be face to face with polar bears[from above in Tundra buggy],and see whales etc..........and it will be -40 if your lucky HA........it is on the route to where i was from and born.

 

Personally i would just do the west if by VIA rail...and take in so much without having to do the whole country........from Calgary west........you can see the same route as the train by driving also ......and more time to stop and see the best places.

 

not everybody realizes the size and beauty of Canada......the distances are enormous to see it all.

 

Another great place and trip is Vancouver island and travel by BC ferries up the coast to different places,$120 one way by ferry to Vancouver Island for a car with people.....the ferries are huge holding over 300 cars plus trucks.....several food courts and you can get hotel room on some routes aboard ...and very scenic...........or just let me know and meet me at my boat in Vancouver and we can sail it lol

Edited by arcticbuicks (see edit history)
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3 hours ago, arcticbuicks said:

there is still a lot to see far east of Montreal also .......but.....yes,you would want to take VIA rail,with the dome cars.......but if you are american.....you get $1.37 for your $1.USD..........so you gain 37% on exchange.

 

Another great route few know is the Via rail to Churchill Manitoba to see polar bears and experience the Arctic.....that gets a lot of world travallers....winter is best...it is a 24 hour train ride in.......stay in Churchill ......the train runs every two days.......and that is enough.......you can be face to face with polar bears[from above in Tundra buggy],and see whales etc..........and it will be -40 if your lucky HA........it is on the route to where i was from and born.

 

Personally i would just do the west if by VIA rail...and take in so much without having to do the whole country........from Calgary west........you can see the same route as the train by driving also ......and more time to stop and see the best places.

 

not everybody realizes the size and beauty of Canada......the distances are enormous to see it all.

 

Another great place and trip is Vancouver island and travel by BC ferries up the coast to different places,$120 one way by ferry to Vancouver Island for a car with people.....the ferries are huge holding over 300 cars plus trucks.....several food courts and you can get hotel room on some routes aboard ...and very scenic...........or just let me know and meet me at my boat in Vancouver and we can sail it lol

I want to see the northern lights.

On my Bucket List.

Been to BC a few times in my life, but never very far north.

Never been to Alaska.

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The northern lights "Aksarnirq" in Inuit

are a tough one to know when, I can kind of tell a day or two ahead most times when they will likely happen just from growing up.....

In  Inuit religion .....the northern lights .....are "the souls of the dead dancing in the sky" .

Of course the arctic is the most intense light shows with added colors and more possible to hear them also  ......the further south you go the colors are basically greens and blues ,far north includes reds, orange and yellows ..........some pictures are really good ....but nothing is like the experience of being there....they appear and really dance around and move constantly changing colors and feel close up north and can go on for hours late at night.

Summer is rare .....late fall is not bad and can be quite good ......extreme cold ( when it turns colder than normal suddenly -30s and -40s  on a crisp clear calm night i find) winter nights can be the best January February. .......if you are making a trip just to see them .......then I would go as far north as you can and probably more central Canada with better chance of clear skies,Jasper park Lodge is a nice winter lodge and not that far north but they get a good amount .......better yet is Churchill Manitoba .....and the town is also polar bear capital of the world ......and you could take the scenic VIA rail train to get there .........or fly.......pic is Churchill and tundra buggy .....to keep you safe from polar bears .The town is the best  set up for this with tours,tundra vehicles to take you out  ,good hotels etc in northern Canada in my opinion, and affordable .It is really worth it to go.

anybody wanting to go.....and if Churchill.....PM me and i can give you some tips as that is near the area i am originally from.

If you really want a guaranty of seeing them you could fly to Iqaluit capital of the north and big enough city .image.png.2b2a0c839556ad9a377f556d23fa0cc3.png

Edited by arcticbuicks (see edit history)
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One more to add..

 

Castle Hot Springs

Originally introduced as Arizona’s first luxury resort in 1896, this serene, adult getaway is now an oasis for the senses.

 

The car lovers with like this one.. 7 miles of dirt roads to get to the hotel..

 

The legendary list of celebrities and dignitaries who stayed at Castle Hot Springs includes such names as Astor, Wrigley, Cabot, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Roosevelt, Deupree and Uihleins (of the Schlitz Brewery fortune). and JFK..

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Unfortunately, some of the most beautiful and historic hotels are right in the middle of many major city's CBD.   They are not convenient for vintage car owners when it comes to hosting a meet at one as parking is almost nonexistent in a downtown area, but most often, they are one of the oldest and more significant long-standing edifices in the area.    In 2005, we did have a lunch at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane while on a tour, but it would have been impractical to use it as a meet hotel for overnight parking.

 

Craig  

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Some entries that I've stayed at over the years that I think fit in this thread.

Chateau Laurier in Ottawa - One of the many railroad hotels that ironically is no longer near one. Can see Parliment here from some of the windows

Dalvay by the Sea - Former American socialite cottage, it's a nice area right by the beach in the middle of a park.

The Keltic - Remote Cape Breton, I was able to stay there before they renoed the place and made it more "appealing" to the "modern tourist" (aka everything feels plastic and is twice as expensive)

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I love reading this and seeng the photos but could all of you note the location a little clearer ? like in some cases the state?  You may think all of us understand and recognize a location because you do , but I am guessing a lot of us don't and then have to google the name to find the location. Thanks

Edited by Walt G (see edit history)
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4 hours ago, Tph479 said:

I have stayed at the old Auburn Hotel, in Auburn, Indiana before during the fall ACD meet. Cool hotel, but I will blame any previous or future medical ailments that I have on my stays there.

You found out 9 months later that you're a dad? 😁 

 

Craig

 

 

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On 10/21/2023 at 8:09 PM, John Bloom said:

I’ve stayed there several times. It is special. 

About the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.

 

I lived the best year of my life in San Diego, when I worked at the Scripps Research Institute there. Had the luck to work for a future double Noble price winner in chemistry. But the real star was the city, the beaches and the Hotel del Coronado. Sunday morning brunch in the crown room of the hotel with some friends. Unforgettable. 

Edited by Hans1965 (see edit history)
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6 hours ago, JamesR said:

This place looks nice. 😄

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I think I stayed there once!

 

My wife and I made a trip to California a number of years ago. We left San Diego, spent the day in Hollywood and headed north to the bay area. By the late evening I was falling asleep at the wheel so figured the next hotel was a wise decision. It was dark and not much was visible. In the middle of the valley someplace. After I checked in the wife asked if it looked safe, my comment was other than the front desk clerk wearing a hockey mask it looked fine. In the middle of the night our door rattled a couple of times with someone trying to enter. The blankets on the bed were repurposed army wool! The bathroom left a lot to be desired!! When daylight approached we realized we were at a less than 5 star rated truck stop literally in the middle of nowhere with tumbleweeds blowing by. Getting back on the road we were about another hour before we found the next hotel. Turned out it was the best place to stay at the moment.

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