DOWN THE STREET from the restaurant is an old hotel. Its brick building is only three stories tall, and the sign is made of monstrous vertical steel lettering, Hotel Monte Vista illuminating the darkening sky. The lobby is all red velvety goodness with brass fixtures, and the walls adorned with black and white photos of celebrities from the thirties. The elevator displays a sign that proudly explains it’s the original, and also reassures it has been modernized to fit current safety codes. The stairwells are narrow with the steps closer together than what you see in modern buildings. I imagine a tall man would have to duck in order to get through the switchbacks to the next floor.
The hotel does not have a bellman to help us with our luggage, so we drag it into the undersized elevator, clo
