Back in Grinnell! Last October, I stood in front of Hotel Grinnell, in my Grinnell College sweatshirt, grinning like a kid... after 2 notable nights! I was happy to be back in the town, where I lived the first decade of my life. The Hotel Building I was happy about spending some time with 2 special people, in this old building, which became a hotel in 2016. My older siblings spent a lot of time in this building, but I have few memories of it. That's surprising, since our home for a few years, was just a minute walk away. With My Sibs in 1967 In this photo I'm the one wearing a (smaller) Grinnell sweatshirt, standing between my older brother and sister. I was in 4th grade. Chris and Jenni were in high school and junior high. Little David hadn't started school. Chris and Jenni have many memories of the building where I slept, last October. It was their school. Grinnell Junior High The bold structure that now houses the boutique hotel, was originally built as a junior high school in 1921. Before my trip, I asked Jenni what she remembered. She recalled sitting in class and staring out enormous windows. (note the arched ones above the doors) Joanna and Debbie My family moved away after 4th grade and I never got to attend Grinnell Junior High. My friends Joanna and Debbie did! The photo below, shows the 3 of us in 1967. We look mighty proper and subdued! The other photo was taken 56 years later, when the 3 of us reunited in Grinnell! Deb and Jo were my guides at the old school. School Memories Most of my school memories in Grinnell, involve this amazing building. I went to 2nd and 3rd grades at Cooper School. My buddies and I share interesting memories of strict teachers and dangerously fun playground equipment. Oh what I would give, to step inside Cooper School one more time! But it became a parking lot, instead of a boutique hotel. A Friday in October On a Friday last October, Deb and I traveled in separate cars to meet up in Grinnell. (Jo would come the next day) I was excited and just a bit nervous about this meet up adventure. I parked near the ivy covered building and headed towards the entrance, with automatic doors. I had spoken with Debbie minutes earlier, when she called to say she had checked into the room. It was surreal to hear her voice! The last time we'd had a "sleepover" we were 10. The last time I'd heard Debbie's speak, it was when we were 18 and met up for an evening in St. Louis. Crazy that we planned the reunion through texts! Lobby I stepped inside the glass doors and took a deep breath. No smells of sassafras, like the cleaner that Mr. Smith (our janitor) used at Cooper School. I'd read intriguing details about the renovation of this building. But mostly my brain was focused on the reunion ahead. I absorbed a few details quickly. I walked towards the giant "g", recognizing it from the sign in front. I would see many more of those gs during the stay. I headed for the reception desk and absorbed the fun mix of old and new. The travertine floors and lighting fixtures over the desk, looked vintage. The refreshing wall garden looked very current. I spoke with the woman at the desk and babbled something in my nervous voice, about meeting up with childhood friends. My words were too fast and she was too young, to grasp the importance of this exciting reunion. The host gave me directions to the room, just as a young man wheeled a bike out the door behind me. I turned down the main hall and saw a lineup of more bikes. Complimentary hotel bikes! Just grab and ride when you like! I suddenly remembered my Red Schwinn, named Nelly. The nostalgia of it all! I passed a chalkboard and felt tempted to leave a message... but Deb was waiting. I passed some sitting spots with retro and trendy furniture. Modern-hip artwork decorated the walls. I'd read that Hotel Grinnell had 300 original pieces of art. No duplicates. Cheers With Debbie Debbie and I reunited in the third floor hallway. Nerves disappeared. It felt totally normal, hugging my childhood friend, even though we never hugged as kids! We explored the building together and ended up with early happy hour drinks, in "The Periodic Table" lounge. Yum! Almost as tasty as the Kool-aid we drank from Dixie Cups as kids! Fun at School School was never this fun, when I was young! Our bartender Chad, (I think!) certainly helped make it fun. He whipped up our drinks and took pics with my phone. Chad seemed genuinely impressed with the idea that the 3 of us would be were having a reunion, for the first time in 50+ years... and that Deb had gone to school in the building. Chad was young enough to be our grandson, but he didn't treat us like old grannies! Play! In the '60s, Debbie lived down the street from me, so we have a lot of memories of playing. Rollerskating, hopscotch, iceskating, Liddle Kiddle Dolls... dancing to the Monkees! But we were too busy catching up to make use of all the "Play Space" surrounding us! The renovated gathering areas were done so well! But why so empty on a Friday evening? It turns out that Grinnell College was on fall break. That actually worked to our advantage. If we'd had a few more days, maybe we would have taken full advantage of all the games. Skeeball... Scrabble... Shuffleboard! Scoreboard... Gymnasium The scoreboard decoration was a reminder that there was more to explore! The glowing board was relocated from the school's gymnasium. I needed Guide Debbie to take me to the gym... which is now called The Ballroom and used for events. If only I'd been wearing some old Ked's sneakers, I could have jumped and made echo-y squeaks on the original maple floors! Debbie's memories kicked in when she set foot on the gym floor. She told me some stories about a certain (very mean) gym teacher, while she stepped on one of the original court lines, using it like a balance beam. I took a video of her comical impersonation of a junior high cheerleader, which I promptly texted to Joanna... so she'd know what kind of fun to expect! New Wing We left the gym and did some exploring outside. I spotted probably the largest of all the gs. It was on the rounded structure which holds a stairwell. I believe this section of the hotel was added in the recent renovation. There was a large patio off to the left, that would have been nice, on a warmer and less windy evening. The sounds of pounding and blasting that we'd heard earlier had ceased. The workers on the roof were cleaning up for the day. I wonder if they'd been amused by the giant fried egg, on the far end of the building? The Auditorium There's only one part of the school that I actually do remember from childhood. I once saw a production of South Pacific on this stage. I could be confused, but I think this auditorium, (as well as the gym) may have been part of the old original 1904 high school. The gym and theatre were saved when the school was later demolished. Up to Third Floor There was another set of stairs that we could climb to our third floor room. The terrazzo patterns were impressive. Debbie told me a very embarrassing story of falling down these stairs. Everything is embarrassing in Junior High, but especially back in the days of mini skirts! Room 313 The hall was quiet. No bells ringing. No voices echoing. No lockers slamming. Our room was at the end of the hall, up a few more stairs. The first thing I noticed was the soaring ceiling and the tall window! We were located right above the entrance. Then I noticed Andy Warhol through the canopy bed. And a chalkboard on the wall. The iron furniture was created in Iowa, for Hotel Grinnell. There was a "g" cut right into the head board! The room was a little smaller than I had hoped for and the little blue couch/bed was not as useable as we'd expected. But the high ceilings made the room feel more spacious. Stuff The rolled towels and iron shelf reminded me of something we might have seen in a vintage locker room. The coffee maker and water bottles reminded me it wasn't the 1960's. I loved the "Not Now" tie, that served as a do not disturb sign. There was a desk in the corner, below a framed "ink blot". (very 1960's!) The desk looked nothing like the desks that I imagine once filled this room. The goodies on the desk were fun. Our key cards were in a Hall Pass sleeve. A number 2 pencil and a report card allowed us to "grade" our stay. The Big Window The most impressive part of the room, was the window. I had an easy time imagining my sister daydreaming out this window. Later that night, Debbie and I ended up spending a lot of time peeking through the glass, from our darkened room. It was around 9 pm when we heard some commotion below. It was coming from a very troubled man who seemed to be conversing loudly with some kind of wheeled cart, while his worried dog watched. It was a bit unsettling until Chad from the bar made call the police to do a check. Deb is a psych nurse and was concerned for the man who needed help not an arrest. Joanna Arrives The next day, Joanna arrived before lunch and we spent the day acting like we were 10 again. At some point we kindly asked to borrow some extra ties, for a little photo shoot. Luckily Chad was back working the bar and was willing to be our photographer. Going to the Office For our second night we were able to get a room upgrade. Room 112 was much more spacious. I pulled out a pack of candy cigarettes (Thanks airport gift shop!) and we enjoyed some more posing, near the entrance of our new room. Room 112 was located on the first floor, between the entrance and the reception desk. Jo and Deb recognized the location right away. "Yep! This is where the principal's office was!" Huge Improvement! Here are a few photos to show just how much more you get for an extra $20.! However when I checked out the next day, our kind host said the upgrade was complimentary. We had the same great floors and canopy bed, but there was a sliding barn door for privacy. The door from the lobby opened to a black & white tile floor. Double sinks on one side and chalkboard on the other. The toilet and shower had their own large room. The wooden bench reminded me again of a locker room. I pondered the mystery spot on the wood floor. What had been removed from that part of the floor? Gathering Area Our little sitting area had a TV and a couch sleeper, that was much more useable than the one from the night before. There was more colorful art on the walls. I especially liked the "shoe art" in the hall. Looks like colorful fish! Serious Discussion? I wish I'd captured some of the hysterics and laughter from our stay at Hotel Grinnell. Instead I snapped pics during quieter moments. This photo looks terribly serious! We were probably talking about where to go to lunch, but it looks like Deb and Jo were disagreeing about something very serious... Like, No! Cherry is the best flavor of Tootsie Roll Pop!... or These salty Bugles taste awful now and they don't fit on fingers like they used to!" Maybe the discussion had more intense questions. Was Mister Magoo a woke comic book? or, Is it a sin to pretend your Necco candies are Communion wafers? Old Photos Actually we didn't discuss those things, but we fiddled with silly puddy and talked about our kids and grandkids and even about politics. Thankfully we all are in agreement... We gabbed and reminisced and looked at old Grinnell photos on the laptop, Most of the photos made us laugh or sigh. Some made us stop and ponder and try harder to remember details of the past. Exploring Campus The best remembering surfaced when we took off on foot, to explore the nearby campus, where my Dad taught and Jo's dad was president. We 3 knew the campus well. As kids, we rode our bikes all over campus. We played in the grass and explored the buildings. It was incredible to wander and recall with friends, who shared memories. So many memories flooded back on that beautiful fall day. Downtown Hotel Grinnell's location was ideal. It was less than a minute walk to "downtown", where we 3 had more memories. I remember choosing boxed Halloween costumes, for sale at Ben Franklin's. At the Cunningham Drugs. (Now Merchants' Row) my doctor wrote our "ice cream prescriptions" on his pad, so we could have a treat at Cunningham's soda fountain! Our hotel wasn't just close to downtown. It was only a minute walk to my first home that I remember, on Park Street. A few steps further was St. Mary's Catholic Church. I stared at the babies and the ladies hats, while our Father Kubrick did mass in Latin. I'm so grateful that I had some time to wander and swap stories with Debbie and Joanna. Back to the Periodic Table The bar was little livelier on Saturday evening. We spotted a few Halloween costumes and a curious and colorful assortment of liquids on the bar. There seemed to be an eyeball in the beaker! We toasted with green eyeballs instead and ordered some tacos off the light menu. Then off for an evening drive and a visit with Joanna's step mom. Simple and lovely! Morning The 2-night stay went quickly. It was suddenly Sunday morning. We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast in The Periodic Table. Jo and Deb had to hit the road pretty early. My plane was later, so I did some art on the chalkboard and took time packing up my rental car. Hotel Bike Check-out wasn't until noon, so I grabbed one of the bikes from the hall and took off to explore on my own. I rode to my favorite park, then I rode down Summer Street and knocked on the door of my old house. It wasn't yellow anymore. Not sure what I would have said, had someone answered. But it gave me an excuse to stand on the porch where we kids once drank lemonade and played, "Kitty in the Corner"! Oh Summer Street! You were a good one! What's Notable? As I flew home that afternoon, I felt such a sense of satisfaction. I had combined a unique hotel stay with 2 special friends. The playful, creative reinvention of this old school was just what we 3 needed to rediscover our own playful selves! My memories will be more about friends and nostalgia, than luxury sheets and welcoming staff. That certainly helped though!
I would happily return or recommend this hotel to others. However it would be hard to duplicate the full package experience I enjoyed!
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Ninety Notable
Nights My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains. I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth. Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years. The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures. I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding! Archives
December 2023
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