Travel Talk . . . Portland's Ace Hotel

GirlHula, a Flickr friend, took this unbelievably beautiful photo. To see more of her photos, click here.


Wizmo, this is cool. Thanks. To see more, click here.

I have seen the future, and I didn't need a Flux Capacitor, just a plane ticket and a (very affordable) reservation at Portland's Ace Hotel. Ace is a game changer, a new category in American hotels, a place where style and utility and sustainability and art coexist peacefully because in the future, it has to. At some point we'll realize - there's no other good way.

At Ace, the style rules, the artists are the stars, the vintage exalted, the restrooms shared, the accomodations affordable and the coffee always available. (And if I were a betting man, I'd lay odds that the bud is celebrated, available and very very good.)

Every room is designed by a different artist, fostering a sense of creativity while unshackling the binds of uniformity so common in most chain hotels (and many "boutique" ones). The shared aesthetic that does exist is one of modest utility - a comfortable bed, a small sink and desk, clean lines and simple muted colors.


I love this one. Amazing shots, HulaGirl.

There's a loft area above the lobby with a long table, a comfortable chair, magazines (think Believer, not US Weekly) and a terrific view of the gorgeous wood paneled lobby. And flanking that lobby, Clyde Commons, an excellent, noisy, happening restaurant and bar (cuisine excellence not typically a characteristic of even luxury hotels) and Stumptown Coffee Roasters, as similar to Starbucks as silk to yarn. Powell's, one of the greatest bookstores in the world, is a block away. Have you booked your ticket yet?

Maybe it's not our future but an alternative future, a future where cold war ended with a US/Soviet handshake and an agreement to cooperate, take what's best about both systems and fix the world.


Thanks Zutterbug. For more, click here.


Courtesy, Arugulapress. Cool shot. I think we missed each other by a month. For more, click here.


Thanks to Flickr member, *Ambika*. For more, click here.


Thanks Jasminepark. For more photos, click here.


Thanks ccjosh.


Thanks to Sprizee. I love the black tub and inexpensive molding. For more, click here.

Open House . . . House 5863

In most cases, I like the concept of Bed and Breakfasts a whole lot more than the reality. Sure, it sounds cozy and "real", the idea of staying in an actual home instead of a sterile hotel, the informal shared breakfasts, meeting new people, helping a real person make their living.

But my, admittedly anecdotal, experience typically involves Victorian decor, misleading photos, small showers, bad food, awkward breakfasts and uncomfortable beds.

So when House 5863 opened in my neighborhood, I was dubious.

And I was wrong.



House 5863, in Chicago's Edgewater Glen neighborhood, is light and clean and modern (no doilies, no floral prints); the facility is what a good home away from home should be, a relaxing respite, a place to experience a real city neighborhood within walking distance of shops (like Scout), restaurants and the El.

The owner, George Brown, has transformed what was once an unusual building (one of a number of formerly commercial buildings that lined the otherwise residential Glenwood when the neighborhood was built in the early 1900's) into a guest home, a source of pride for the neighborhood, a space to reflect, to meet new people and to fall in love with Chicago.

When I arrived to take photos, I chatted briefly with a visitor from Brooklyn. She was thinking of moving to Chicago "because there's too many strollers in Brooklyn." I lied and assured her that we don't have that problem, but advised her to avoid Andersonville until her next visit.

House 5863 is located at 5863 (hey weird) North Glenwood in Chicago's awesome Edgewater Glen neighborhood. For questions or to make a reservation (which I do recommend), call George at 773-944-5555.

For all thumbnails, click here.
For a Flickr slide show, click here.

Travel Talk . . . Pittock Mansion, Portland, Oregon

Special thanks to Mary Harrsch for these terrific photos of Pittock Mansion. I visited Portland in November and unfortunately, forgot my camera at home. But no worries; Flickr to the rescue. Mary kindly agreed to let me use her excellent photos, which really capture what it felt like to be there.




I'm becoming obsessed with ceiling moldings, but I may be too timid (and lazy) to try them at home.

The mansion, which was home to Henry and Georgiana Pittock from 1914 to 1919*, sits atop a hill offering stunning views of Mounts Hood and St. Helens, downtown Portland and a large wooded area with pines and other year-round greenery. It's a popular tourist destination and one well worth the $7 admission.

Despite its ostentatious exterior, once inside, you realize that the down-to-earth Pittock's lived pretty much just like today's middle-class do (at least the ones in the burbs), with big, fancy showers, a finished basement and walk-in closets. While I'll allow that everything at the Pittock is a bit bigger and grander and made with better materials and finishes, it won't dissuade me from my contention that the Pittock's were just like you and me, only rich.

Come to think of it, the house has more bedrooms than most people (or hotels) have . . . and a spectacular marble staircase and a cook's kitchen and giant windows and a sleeping porch and a spectacular 360 degree view (my view is neighbor Judy's kitchen). But I digress; my point is, they were simple folk, those Pittocks.

While not in keeping with my extremely metropolitan taste, the house is stunning. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

What do you think? Have you been to Pittock Mansion? What other public homes intrigue you? Send in your photos and stories, and I'll publish them in an upcoming Travel Talk.


Even their tea pot is bigger. Look at that thing. How big were these Pittock's?


I would KILL for this bathroom, even now. I suppose it's too safe, but it's timeless and beautiful.


I don't even want to know what that is. This is a family blog.






I don't know how they enjoyed Thanksgiving with all the people traipsing through, and I think the ropes would get to me after awhile.


Who doesn't have a harp they strum from time to time?




Mary has no reflecti . . . oh my gosh!


Spectacular Photos by Mary Harrsch. Thanks again, Mary.

* Five years is about as long as I've ever stayed anywhere, but if I built a mansion, I'd like to think I wouldn't get bored so quickly.

Travel Talk . . . London's Soho Hotel

I experienced London for the first time last summer. Pathetically, my favorite thing about Britain was the TV programs (I particularly enjoyed "Sex Change Hospital"). In my defense though, I loved London; the people were friendly, the fashion forward and the codeine blissfully legal. And really, the only reason I knew what was on TV is because I literally didn't want to leave my room, the largest and most comfortable I've ever stayed in.

Unfortunately, I'm not paid in Euros (can that be negotiated?), so the already expensive hotel, located in the trendy Soho media district and a favorite of celebrities, cost me dearly. But I love good hotels, and this one was REALLY good. Unlike the earth tones I favor for my home, the Soho Hotel was all bright colors - lime and hot pink and electric (literally) blue, tempered with whitewashed wood and neutral beiges. Interestingly, a giant black cat sits just inside the front door. I was a bit concerned about that cat; on websites like Trip Advisor, the tourists wrote almost nervously about it and the accompanying photos made it look pretty tacky. But surprise! It works; "This is not just a hotel."



And the lobby is part of the experience, teaming with the media elite and style mavens. I hate clubs and places people go to see and be seen. But it was London and who would know? So I allowed myself to be carried away by the colors popping and people posing and the music pulsing and the see and the to be seen. Every evening when I returned from dinner, I'd stroll through the lobby and instead of retiring to my room, head to one of the two large drawing rooms. I wanted to experience every second, hear every note, see every smile and savor every sip. If you find yourself in London, treat yourself.

What was your favorite hotel? Or was it a hostel? Or an apartment you swapped? Send your stories and photos to Strange Closets and I'll publish them in an upcoming post.

Travel Talk . . . Hotel Bourg Tibourg

I enjoy staying in hotels just a bit off the beaten path. I can't imagine staying at a Hilton when for about the same dime, one can have a truly unique experience. One excellent example is Hotel Bourg Tibourg in Paris, France. Hotel Bourg Tibourg sits on a bustling street, Rue Bourg Tibourg, in the bustling (and rapidly gentrifying) Marais neighborhood (in the 3rd Arrondissement).




Designed by Jacques Garcia (who also designed a line of furniture for Baker), Hotel Bourg Tibourg is a feast for the senses; colors, sound and scent creating an atmosphere of absolute luxury. The color scheme consists of deep blues, reds, oranges and yellows; the rich hues seem tasteful and sophisticated.

The ambiance was so intoxicating that I barely noticed I could touch 3 of the room's 4 walls from the center of my bed and that the only escape in the event of a fire was either down the single-person spiral staircase or out the window and into the concrete courtyard.



As my very Tallulah-like friend, Sharon, likes to say, the room "was the size of a postage stamp," (only she didn't say it about a room). But would I stay there again? You bet. In fact, I'm planning a trip.












When I returned to Chicago, I found that my home's neutral interior taupes, browns and creams seemed positively dreary by comparison. I've tried to think of ways to inject color, but I have a mental block. How do you use deep or bright paint and fabrics without entering the garish zone?

What do you think? Does this appeal to you? How do you use color in your home?

Hotel Bourg Tibourg is often featured in books such as:



To listen to the sounds of Hotel Bourg Tibourg, check out: