One night in late October my wife and I were in downtown Nashville. We’d gone there for a Nashville Ghost Tour, which is a lot of fun. While we were waiting I felt a sudden sense of urgency. So I ducked into a nearby hotel to see a man about a horse, and also to use the restroom. When I was done I opened the door and there were four women in evening gowns standing there.
“Could we come in there with you?” one of them asked.
There are a lot of ways this story could go. Given the time of year they could have been demons or female vampires who sucked the life force out of nice young men, or schmucks like me, in restrooms. You may know that in many vampire legends a vampire can’t enter an abode—and I assume that would include a commode—without being invited first.
Maybe it’s a dramatic story. Maybe the women are trying to get away from someone, or something, and they’ve spotted the men’s restroom as the ideal hideout.
Or you may think this story could take a completely different turn and if you’re of a certain age you’re wondering why it doesn’t begin “Dear Penthouse…”
This is where I admit I’ve been withholding information from you. The hotel in question is the Hermitage Hotel, a place with a long and storied history. Its famous guests include Rudolph Wanderone, AKA Minnesota Fats, who lived there for several years, shooting pool with tourists in the lobby for a dollar a game. (Because of this I was once given the nickname ‘Minnesota Fats’.)
And its art deco men’s room is a minor tourist destination. Why only the men’s room has been preserved in such splendor is a mystery but some time after my encounter a plaque was entered declaring the place open to all.
Of course if a trip to Nashville isn’t in your foreseeable future allow me to show you around.
And here’s proof that they’ll let in any schmuck who walks in off the street.
Have a fun Halloween everyone. Lou Reed, take us out.
Happy Halloween, Chris!! It’s actually been fairly quiet on the neighborhood front this year. Even with my oldest having a party. What’s with these kids?? 🙂
I hope your Halloween was happy too even if it was quiet. We haven’t even had a single trick-or-treater in years even though there are kids in the neighborhood. I’m glad your oldest was having a party. It’s nice that kids are still celebrating even if they’re not collecting candy.
That’s a very cool restroom. So, did you let the women in to see it?
Hope you had a nice Halloween. Among Lou Reed’s many talents, singing really wasn’t one of them, was it?
Of course I let the women in. I would have been happy to just stand guard but they also asked me to come in and take a picture of all of them sitting on the shoeshine stand–which conveniently has four seats. And no Lou Reed was definitely not a singer but I think his genius was finding his own unique way of expressing himself.
My Halloween was quiet but nice–Indian food and Dead Guy Ale. And on the way home I saw Captain America standing on a corner. Any other day of the year I’d think I was seeing things.
I hope yours was nice too.
I don’t understand why this blog isn’t more of a destination for lots of readers. I always love what’s on the slab here, Chris.
I’m glad it’s a regular destination for you. Building an audience is a gradual process, though, and I’m happy with how it’s going.
You’re funny. Love the picture. And might I add, it’s my fist time in a men’s public washroom. I’ll probably never see one as posh as this one ever again.
They all look like this! Okay, that’s not even close to being true. But they all should look like this. And the Hermitage should renovate the women’s washroom so it matches, although I think the management finds it amusing that so many women sneak in there.