Long Live Hotel Carlton San Francisco
Posted: 22 Dec 2020 01:10
First, the fact that I have named the hotel is in itself bad news.. it is one of the businesses that has been devastated by the Covid-19 economic fallout.
It sat on the edge of the Tenderloin district. Just out of reach of the homeless encampments and near some interesting club venues. When other hotels charged $300+ USD per night; you could get a room there in the mid $100's. It appealed partly to tourists, but mostly to young couples either traveling on a budget or wanting a place to make out after the clubs started closing down for the night.
It had 9 floors, old San Francisco architecture and interiors, a rickety elevator, a grand staircase through all floors, and at the back an old steel spiral staircase. The floors were an "I" configuration, with the long part staggered, so there were plenty of nooks and escapes for me to disappear when I could hear people approaching - or provide a vantage to scope newcomers arriving in the wee hours of the morning walking from the elevator to their rooms.
The owners kept it old school weird. HUGE door gaps at the bottom, no security guards and no cameras. There were so many complaints online about 'noise' which made me go there in the first place. Not once in two years did I ever witness any employee knocking on the door of a loud couple. Maintenance would disappear at night except for restocking the linen closets at 1AM, which they did fairly quickly. Two old men at the front would check everyone in - I think they were 40+ years at the hotel.
This was my go-to for sounds from 2018 until Valentines Weekend this year - the week before 'safer at home' went into effect.
I was hoping the lull in Covid would last and the city would reopen this fall. I had in mind flying there for New Year's eve. Would check from time to time, but then finally it disappeared from Orbitz; the site is down and the phone number just says 'out of service.' I called the restaurant owner who had his place inside the hotel, who became a friend over my time there and he confirmed the worst. The property sold for bottom dollar to an unknown owner and all employees were let go, and the restaurant had to leave.
It is not just this hotel; others have closed and even the ones still open are scarcely populated. The low rates should attract travelers, but the lockdowns, restrictions and lack of dining or nightlife, along with the exodus of people moving out of the city have left it empty and sad. I am devastated; I really wanted to reacquaint myself this coming year even if I had to wait until summer. God knows what kind of pretentious, camera-laden idiocy will take it's place.
So in memoriam, I have posted this as a tribute and uploaded several good files that might or might not be in the archives. Good spread of clear under door and corridor type recordings. Also some photos that I think tell the story of this place. By the way, I found sex complaint reviews going all the way back to the 1980s! What a hot little place!!
Even if I find another place after the city reopens, I will always dearly miss this wonderful venue..
It sat on the edge of the Tenderloin district. Just out of reach of the homeless encampments and near some interesting club venues. When other hotels charged $300+ USD per night; you could get a room there in the mid $100's. It appealed partly to tourists, but mostly to young couples either traveling on a budget or wanting a place to make out after the clubs started closing down for the night.
It had 9 floors, old San Francisco architecture and interiors, a rickety elevator, a grand staircase through all floors, and at the back an old steel spiral staircase. The floors were an "I" configuration, with the long part staggered, so there were plenty of nooks and escapes for me to disappear when I could hear people approaching - or provide a vantage to scope newcomers arriving in the wee hours of the morning walking from the elevator to their rooms.
The owners kept it old school weird. HUGE door gaps at the bottom, no security guards and no cameras. There were so many complaints online about 'noise' which made me go there in the first place. Not once in two years did I ever witness any employee knocking on the door of a loud couple. Maintenance would disappear at night except for restocking the linen closets at 1AM, which they did fairly quickly. Two old men at the front would check everyone in - I think they were 40+ years at the hotel.
This was my go-to for sounds from 2018 until Valentines Weekend this year - the week before 'safer at home' went into effect.
I was hoping the lull in Covid would last and the city would reopen this fall. I had in mind flying there for New Year's eve. Would check from time to time, but then finally it disappeared from Orbitz; the site is down and the phone number just says 'out of service.' I called the restaurant owner who had his place inside the hotel, who became a friend over my time there and he confirmed the worst. The property sold for bottom dollar to an unknown owner and all employees were let go, and the restaurant had to leave.
It is not just this hotel; others have closed and even the ones still open are scarcely populated. The low rates should attract travelers, but the lockdowns, restrictions and lack of dining or nightlife, along with the exodus of people moving out of the city have left it empty and sad. I am devastated; I really wanted to reacquaint myself this coming year even if I had to wait until summer. God knows what kind of pretentious, camera-laden idiocy will take it's place.
So in memoriam, I have posted this as a tribute and uploaded several good files that might or might not be in the archives. Good spread of clear under door and corridor type recordings. Also some photos that I think tell the story of this place. By the way, I found sex complaint reviews going all the way back to the 1980s! What a hot little place!!
Even if I find another place after the city reopens, I will always dearly miss this wonderful venue..
) which made me also a bit sentimental. It could not be restored because the building was from the 60s.
Thanks for sharing! My favorite is recording F1.