The Stanley Hotel

My sister Susan and I drove up to Estes Park, Colorado from Denver yesterday afternoon, and while there went past the Stanley Hotel, as seen in the photograph above. The last time I visited the Stanley, I was able to drive right into the parking lot, go inside, and walk around a bit. I even went into the bar that was featured in the film adaption of The Shining, and had a beer. Stephen King used the Stanley as the inspiration for that horror story. However, the beer was pricey, the atmosphere was kind of blah, and there wasn't a ghost in sight, which was, of course, very disappointing. And so I left, unimpressed. This time around, they wanted $10 to park there if you weren't a guest of the hotel, and so we skipped going inside. After all, the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver is older than the Stanley (built in 1892 versus 1909), does not require you to pay for parking, and is rumored to have as many, if not more ghosts than the Stanley. Plus, it is just 20 minutes away from my condo. So there.