Chateau Marmont
I realize that during a pandemic, when so many people are hurting, it's not cool to mourn the for the closing of a luxury hotel, so this probably isn't going to come off well, but, I don't give a shit. I was heartbroken to hear that Chateau Marmont is no longer going to be a hotel, but instead will be turned into a private club. Despite what the owner says, this will mean it is no longer accessible to the public.
I was a huge Anthony Bourdain fan. This was his favorite hotel. Like him, before the pandemic, I used to travel a great deal. I stayed in hotels two or three weeks a month. They were mostly horrible. In my travels over the years, both for business and pleasure, I've been lucky enough to stay at some amazing places. But Chateau Marmont was something truly special. For all the reasons mentioned by Bourdain in the link above, and more. Most people dream of a beach someplace. Of getting away to some overcrowded place to party. Not me. Me, it's the dark corridors and private cottages of Chateau Marmont. It is a place outside of reality. A time capsule of old L.A. and Hollywood. A place that never existed. A dream place. And yet, the reality, the stories about the place only add to the myth. (Most infamously, the place John Belushi died.)
I've stayed in one of the small cottages. It was magical. As private a place as I've ever been. A quiet world all unto itself. The style and decor was perfect. Everything was perfect. Right down to the curtains.
Like Bourdain, I don't like L.A. But I loved this L.A. If you're going to be fake and all surface level, might as well double down and do it in a place like this. Like Bourdain, I went to the Trader Joe's across Sunset and bought a bunch of food, cooked it in the perfect tiny kitchen. (Had to have someone come and light the stove. Might have been the first to use it in years. LOL) And like Bourdain, I did it because I could. And it was simple and amazing.
I'm heartbroken I can never go back, but thankful for the time I got to spend there. R.I.P. Chateau Marmont.