Denver - The Brown Palace Hotel

Welcome to Road Trip, a special series where we get to vicariously go Rockin' Down the Highway with antiMusic's Kevin Wierzbicki as he takes us along on his road trips to various rockin' locales that played an significant part in the history of rock n roll, highlight that history or music's heritage. (Unless noted all photos are also by Kevin - click on photos to enlarge). 
 

Oh sure, lots of places brag that “George Washington slept here.” And not to slight the cherry tree-chopping father of our country, but how many places can make the claim that “George Harrison slept here?” When the Beatles played Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre during their ground-breaking 1964 tour, their overnight haven was Denver’s historic Brown Palace Hotel. The eighth floor suite where the mop-tops stayed features a panoramic view of the city’s vibrant downtown, and a small framed tribute to the band hangs in the room. But there’s no need to sit and wish the walls could talk; just take the elevator down to the hotel’s Ship Tavern and ask for Tom Baines. Amazingly, after feeding the Fab Four a supper of grilled cheese sandwiches and potato chips forty years ago, Baines has never left the employ of the Brown Palace. “People came in here with screwdrivers and pliers wanting to take a doorknob or a hinge from the door where the Beatles slept,” Baines recalls. “Girls were offering to do anything for a pillowcase or a bath towel that they had touched.” With a musical taste that ran more toward the Kingston Trio, Baines admits that he didn’t comprehend the enormity of the situation at the time and that he even got into a verbal tussle with one of the lads. “One of them picked up his sandwich and said, ‘Bloody Americans with their chips on everything!’ And I said, ‘Well, it’s no different than you bloody British and your chips (fries) on everything!’ Ringo was sitting there, barely awake, trying not to laugh.” Over the course of four decades at the Brown Palace, Baines has amassed a treasure-chest of stories that include tales of encounters with President Eisenhower, John Wayne, Forrest Tucker, Willie Nelson and Spike Lee. If you want to make Baines blush, ask him about the time he delivered room service to Connie Stevens, who answered her door wearing nothing but a negligee.

Having opened in 1892, the Brown Palace has a history that goes back to when not-so-sober cowboys just might opt to park their horse right in the lobby. Baines jokes that after he dies, he’ll be in the lobby of his beloved hotel, too---stuffed and mounted! The Brown Palace offers three dining alternatives along with the casual eating at the Ship Tavern; Ellyngton’s for breakfast and Sunday brunch, the Palace Arms (four stars from Mobil) for nightly fine dining, and an afternoon tea complete with scones and real Devon cream. The Churchill cigar bar adjoins the hotel, which is just a short cab ride from attractions like the city’s professional sporting events, the state capitol building and the Denver Mint. The city’s bustling downtown shopping area is within walking distance. The hotel occasionally offers special rates for the Beatle’s suite; Baines’ storytelling is, of course, priceless. www.brownpalace.com Call in advance to find out when Baines is working. (303) 297-3111.