A week later and Adolphus Hotel Euphoria continues.  This post will showcase “Old & New”.

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Part of the fun in preparing for my stay at The Adolphus Hotel was acquiring old postcards and other ephemera from the hotel.  I had fun mixing the items with the modern day touches from the hotel.

Below are two postcards I acquired.  The lower postcard shows the Century Room, which had a retractable dance floor with an ice rink.  It was the place to be.  The top postcard shows the street view outside of the Adolphus Hotel.  I love the cars and the old signs for the hotel.

 

I was so excited to have breakfast at the City Hall Bistro – just so I could get a photo with my menu.   The menu in the photo is dated 1966 and the colors coordinate well with the restaurant decor.  I acquired it from a seller who purchased it from an estate sale.  He said the owner of the menu did a lot of traveling and collected the menus from his travels.  There are pencil marks inside the menu next to certain food items.  I suspect that’s what the individual ate during his visit.   This was one of my priciest of ephemera but it was worth it for the photos.  It should be noted, the restaurant menu is for a different restaurant that no longer exists.  But I think it still looks like it very much belongs.

The date printed on the menu is especially fun – we missed our visit by just one day.  Might have to try again next year.

The postcard below is a closeup of one already featured in previous photos.  In this photo you get to admire the postmark, handwritten note, 1 cent stamp and sugar cubes imported from France.  Seventy-plus years ago someone wrote that note, mailed it and then the postcard found its way back to the same hotel.  I love that.

Here’s a close-up of the front of the postcard.

And of course, I travel everywhere with my old suitcase with the replica luggage tags.  Everything looks like it belongs.

I’d be a poor writer if I didn’t show a photo of my breakfast.  When I placed my order, I had a choice of two ingredients to add to my frittata.  I told the waiter, “bacon… but I’m torn between tomatoes and mushrooms.”  The waiter didn’t miss a beat.  “Why not both?”  Why not indeed!  Look at that delicious meal.  I’d get up happily in the mornings if breakfast looked like that each day.

The photo below is a fun one and one of my last photos taken at the hotel.  I couldn’t leave without getting a shot with my special Adolphus Hotel letterhead.

The letterhead was purchased at an antique store in Eastland, Texas.  It was the first antique store where I’ve encountered ephemera. Most antique stores have the typical items— furniture and knickknacks. But this place had a section of ledgers, pamphlets, and even wedding photos. I sat on the floor, rummaging through the piles of dust bunny covered paper and found the gold:  Adolphus Hotel letterhead.  I remember asking Tore if I should leave a few sheets for the next person.  His reply: “Denise, you are the next person.  Buy it all.”  And at $1.00 a sheet what a find.  When I showed Mr. Milke, the concierge, he commented, ‘that’s when the hotel had that zip code’.

My original plan for the letterhead was to leave it out in my room at night to see if any ghosts would leave me a message. But I thought the better of it and kept it locked in my suitcase.  No need to tempt the specters!  😉

The shot below was irresistible.  The chair was too nice not to photograph.  And I might have been stalling because I didn’t want to leave.

 

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I have at least one more Adolphus Hotel blogs to share in the next few days. Thank you for reading.