#railway hotel

[wrong-brothers]

Dousman House

Canon FT-QL

Kodak Gold 200

8.24.2019

[a-mole-of-iron]

After yet another unscheduled break, here is a new Duchowiesen short story; this one is about one of the country's many, many railway hotels, and what it takes to renovate one when it's on the list of valuable historic buildings.

Story genre: comfy urban fantasy

Renovating the Hotel

Wolfgang was rapidly strolling down the corridor of The Everyman's Excelsior (formerly The Kaiser's First Choice), a three-gemstone railway hotel temporarily closed for renovations. His rumpled suit and tie, his "mad scientist" haircut, and his gaunt yet lively features were a match to the place - chaotic, confusing, and yet businesslike. He was flanked by his two associates dressed in the same manner, Liv and Bakhtiyar, the two listening and Liv writing down important points on a clipboard, with Wolfgang and Bakhtiyar gesticulating wildly as they discussed the improvements to be done. They passed bags of cement, buckets of paint, stepladders, and boxes full of tools, then went upstairs to check the next floor of ten in total. As they emerged from the stairwell into another corridor that wasn't yet filled with tools and supplies, Bakhtiyar turned to Wolfgang and asked:

"So let me get this straight. This place has been standing since the 10180s, and we're going to get reprimanded if we throw out even one historically important part of it?"

"Yes!" Wolfgang responded. "That's some work for us, eh? This place was only renovated once, after the War was stopped and the people took over, and that was decades ago!..."

"Well, let's get it up to the standards of '268 then!" Bakhtiyar said as the three entered a two-bed hotel room to inspect it. "Liv, are you still writing this down?"

"Yes, I am!" Liv responded, waving her clipboard at the two. "I can already see a bunch of stuff we're going to have to change for better accessibility! We might want to start with wheelchair access, and we're also going to need tactile plaques for anyone who's visually impaired... I'mma just note down the important parts of the room real quick!"

"Great, great..." Wolfgang told her. He looked over the room again, evaluating its decor. It was definitely fraying by this point, despite cosmetic repairs done every so often. The thick drapes and baroque wallpaper would need replacements that'd be at least 85% identical, as the character of the hotel had to be preserved, but what really needed a do-over was electric and telephone wiring. Perhaps a different design for the chandelier was in order - the current ones were a "temporary" batch that was installed seven years ago and not changed since, with their overly gaudy character clashing with the hotel's restrained opulence. For a moment, Wolfgang thought to himself it was strange to see the Overcast Era produce something so tasteful... but then, this is why the hotel ended up on a register of historic buildings in the first place.

"Hey Wolfgang?" Bakhtiyar asked, roping Wolfgang's attention back to the matters at hand.

"Yes?" Wolfgang responded.

"I just remembered I forgot to tell you," Bakhtiyar said. "The solar power company called while you were away around 13 AM. They wanted to know the specifics; are we going to use solar heating, photovoltaics, or both?"

"That depends," Wolfgang said. "Photovoltaics are still more expensive than I'd like... is their asking price below average?"

"I think they're willing to give us a discount if we install both," Bakhtiyar told Wolfgang. "And then there are subsidies to consider..."

"Hmmmf," Wolfgang grumbled. "We definitely need to discuss this with the hotel administration. But I haven't even done the numbers... Liv?"

"Yes, we may be able to break even if we apply for subsidies!" Liv said. "And my understanding of PV economics is that they might be the cheapest form of energy in... about 10 to 15 years! We've got to keep 'em in mind, that much is certain. Solar power isn't gonna disappear into the ether and leave us hanging."

"Yes, yes, good..." Wolfgang said as the three left the hotel room, went back out into the corridor, and checked several more rooms, discussing the improvements as they went. After this was done, they hoofed it further upstairs - entering into the hotel's winter garden. They looked up into the glasshouse ceiling that has seen better days, then around the place, with medium-height spruce trees growing right inside, six floors off the ground. Around the garden, there were soft chairs and ornate metal tables, placed with the intention of reading or dining, as well as smaller bushes, ivy on the walls, and boxy flower planters.

"Alright, the garden." Wolfgang said. "What's our minimum here?"

"A pass by an expert horticulturalist, a new coat of paint for the planters, anti-corrosive burnish for the tables, tempered glass tiles for the ceiling just in case," Liv rattled off without as much as slowing down.

"What about the winter heating?" Bakhtiyar asked.

"Good point!" Liv responded. "I think the optimal variant would be either a district heating tap, or a gas-fired boiler. Possibly biogas? Oh, oh! We might want to add a biogas production digester to the maintenance area!" she shouted in excitement.

"Alright, that's a great idea," Bakhtiyar said. "This is a hotel, there might be plenty of unfinished meals around here... and if there's a space for an anaerobic digester, this might cut down on garbage pick-ups... that's brilliant!"

"Thank you, I'm trying," Liv smirked.

"So what else is on the list?" Wolfgang asked. "The rest of the floors? The attic? The ballroom?"

"The ballroom was converted to a movie theater about 10 years after the War," Liv responded. "This might need a bunch of technical updates, and the decor there is definitely... an interesting addition. It's more Art Deco than baroque of the other places in here."

"Okay, let's just keep going," Bakhtiyar said. "We can just about do everything to best standard if we really try!"

"Agreed!" Wolfgang said. "Let's go!" He set off, and the trio continued into the other parts of the hotel, surveying the aspects of work to be done in the coming weeks.

[blackpoolhistory]

The Railway Hotel on Talbot Road during three different era's. Many of you will know this as O'Neill's pub.

[theelaggers]

[charseraph]

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

The Darjeeling Limited (2007, Wes Anderson)

09/12/2024

[postcard-from-the-past]

Haugastøl Hotel on the Bergen Railway Line, Norway

Norwegian vintage postcard

[aneverydaything]

Day 1908, 13 September 2023

[vintage-london-images]

Here we have a series of photographs taken in Kodachome of Charing Cross Station and Hotel. The images were taken by Charles Cushman an American traveller in 1960/61.

In the foreground stands the Charing Cross or The Eleanor Cross.

On the forecourt of Charing Cross Railway Station is the sculptured monument known as ‘The Charing Cross’ or the ‘Eleanor Cross’ which is actually a replica of the original one that stood nearby. Erected in 1865, the sculpture is one of four such crosses to remain in England, although the other three are originals. It was named after Queen Eleanor of Castile, the wife of King Edward I, and was originally erected as a memorial to her in 1291 the year after her death at the age of 49. Queen Eleanor was later laid to rest in Westminster Abbey. However, this 70 foot (21 metre) high richly decorated monument replica which is constructed of granite and Portland stone is said not to be as good as the original one which was pulled down and broken up about 1647. Later a statue of King Charles I on horseback was erected where the original Eleanor Cross used to stand, near which is now Trafalgar Square.

[laurenovercalifornia]

Cute photos of me & my mom from our trip part 1.

[sirthomasbiggsworth4]

Does anyone remember that obnoxious Hazbin Hotel main character color discourse a few months ago? Well, I made this around the same time.

Original image size before I had to compress it: https://www.mediafire.com/file/s3y92zxoyf5lv4h/hazbin_SKR.png/file

[allbeendonebefore]

The more hallmark movies I watch the more I'm reminded of the unspoken yet smoulderingly intense rivalry between Victoria and Q City. Hotel de glace Vs fisgard lighthouse fight. Oak bay ave + marina Vs old town. Who will most convincingly spark a romance between a career driven American woman and a stoic small town man slash prince??

[luxebeat]

Ascend Pikes Peak on the highest cog railway in the world

Hiking up Pikes Peak, the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rockies, is an epic accomplishment, as it involves a long, hard, 13.5-mile climb uphill with a gain of about 7,400+ feet in elevation. It’s not for everyone, but thankfully, there are other ways to summit the mountain without having to lace up your hiking boots.  You can drive the distance, which involves nineteen miles…

[hotelsidh]

Best Luxury 4 Star Hotel in Patna

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BEST 4 STAR HOTELS IN PATNA

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Hotel Sidh Vedantha is the best hotel in Patna with 5 star amenities and unmatched luxury at affordable price. It’s ranks among the top ten hotels in Patna with spacious & luxurious banquet halls ideal for your wedding, celebration or other events. Hotel Sidh Vedaantha is best place for unmarried couple to stay in patna located near railway station

[theelaggers]

[feiofthefae]

This should go without saying, but the case will affect everyone protected under the NLRB, not just Amazon, Tesla / SpaceX, Starbucks and Trader Joe's workers. This includes WGA, SAG-AFTRA, healthcare workers, hotel workers, and anyone else who has been organizing recently.

Keep your eyes on this!

Jeff Bezos's Amazon and Elon Musk's SpaceX are both fighting in court to have the National Labor Relations Board declared unconstitutional. Starbuck's and Trader Joe's joined them in separate lawsuits. All of these companies have a disgraceful history of worker abuse and union busting. All of them have been charged by the NLRB with hundreds of violations of workers’ organizing rights The NLRB is standing up to their union busting. That’s why they’re trying to destroy the NLRB. I'm going to do my best to keep you all informed about this case as it snakes its way through the courts. The future of unions may depend on the final verdict. http://dlvr.it/T49LM1