Wednesday, April 15, 2015

AtoZ Challenge: M - Mark Twain Hotel

Greetings from Hannibal, MO, Mark Twain's boyhood hometown, my theme for this year's AtoZ Challenge.

The Mark Twain Hotel

Built in 1905 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Mark Twain Hotel was constructed after the Park Hotel burned down. The Park Hotel's restaurant is where Molly Brown supposedly met Mark Twain. The Mark Twain Hotel's distinguished guest list includes Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Amelia Earhart, and Norman Rockwell. The entire building has been renovated as retirement apartments.





The "Hotel Mark Twain" sign is one of my favorite things to photograph in Hannibal. What I wouldn't give for a trip to the roof. Think of the view of the Mississippi River! The hotel is just a few steps from the Big River.

Do you enjoy urban exploring whether in big cities or small towns? Are you afraid of heights? Not me!

29 comments:

  1. Love my small towns!! Grew up in one and it was so nice (and sometimes not lol!), with everybody knowing everybody and just the landmarks and such. More amazing pictures, can I join you on that roof?!

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  2. Hi Jennifer! So glad to meet someone from my region on the A to Z trail. I grew up in a small town, but moved as soon as I could. I much prefer the anonymity of city life combined with the small town feel of my neighborhood.
    How cool that you live in Mark Twain's boyhood hometown. My son is finally getting to the age to enjoy Mark Twain's books. I can't wait to introduce them to him.

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  3. I don't mind heights as long as I don't feel connected to the ground, but put me on something like a normal sized building and I have trouble. In the CN tower I loved standing on the glass floor (although my husband couldn't even look at it :)).
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

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    1. The Skydeck in Chicago (Sears Tower) has a glass cage with a see-through floor. I'm dying to check it out! Well, okay, not literally dying...

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  4. I love to explore small towns. I am afraid of heights but for a good view. I'd go up there. :)

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  5. I love to explore small towns. I am afraid of heights but for a good view. I'd go up there. :)

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  6. Cool! I love that so many of these historic places are being turned into retirement apartments. It retains the historic building while also taking care of the problem of not having enough residences for all of the retiring people.

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  7. I would love to visit small towns, they have a charm of their own.

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  8. I find old hotels fascinating, and it makes me happy when historic ones are re-purposed rather than being torn down.

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  9. I used to work in theatre and spent a lot of time hanging high above a stage or on a lighting rig installing lights and cables. The crazy shit we hung off when we were in our early 20s was ridiculous (here, hold my legs while I dangle 50 feet above this concrete floor without a harness), but I got used it and it didn't bother me. It's been years since I've done it though and I find now I get vertigo just hanging up my Christmas lights on a ladder on the second floor.

    I also find myself wondering if my insurance will cover me if I fall, which I never used to think about.

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    1. I remember being such a risk taker when I was a teenager. (Kind of like my oldest son:)

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  10. Urban exploring? Sure! That's how I found Hannibal in the first place. :)

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  11. Didn't used to be afraid of heights. Now I'm very cautious about them. Don't know why, but there it is. Yes, I love to explore! Every time I've moved in my life, I do two things, I go to the library and check out books about the area, especially if done by a local author, then I spend days cruising, just going where the roads take me to get a feel for the place. Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com

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    1. Libraries are great starting places for discovering the local flavor of an area.

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  12. So it's apartments instead of a hotel now?

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    1. Yep, I was a little disappointed when I found out. You must be of retirement age and pay rent to spend the night.

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  13. You've taken your pictures from such interesting angles. They should hire you to do their publicity shots!

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  14. That's an impressive guest list at the hotel. I'm all for buildings with an interesting history.

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  15. Yes, I'm afraid of open heights. Where I can fall. Enclosed, it's not so bad.

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  16. I'm good with heights as long as I don't get too close to the edge. I wish it was still a hotel, it would be fun to spend a few nights there.

    Scribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge

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  17. I didn't even know there was a Mark Twain Hotel. I officially learned something :)

    ~Connie - http://clsmithbooks.blogspot.com/

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  18. Nice!
    I wonder if they would let you in to take pics of the rooms?

    Heather

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