The Hotel Room Selfie

Your humble blogger is still playing catch up with all the cool stuff we got photos of back in June. The summer has been such a blur that it’s hard to believe we were in the Windy City more than a month ago.

While we were in Chicago we spent part of the trip lodging at Hotel Versey, on the Northern edge of the famed Lincoln Park neighborhood (along Diversey, hence the name). It was our first time staying in that part of town, but it’s not likely to be our last. The Hotel is in a great spot, across the street from Barnes & Noble and Trader Joe’s, and near all sorts of great places to eat. Plus it’s within walking distance of an L stop on the Brown line.

The hotel itself is a bit of a gem, with rock n roll roots. Once it was known as “The Rock n Roll Days Inn,” but now it’s a Hilton property. It’s still frequented by musicians, as we saw a few loading out while we were there. This is a hotel that boasts a guest list that includes the Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Black Keys, among many others.

The rock roots of the hotel, along with plenty of Chicago pride, are reflected in the lobby, the rooms and the sticker-covered elevator. It’s fun and conveniently-located, and Mrs. PopCulteer, Diamond Mel, gets Hilton points for staying there, so it’s a win-win for us.

Today we’re going to take a brief look around Hotel Versey.

Across the street (with the hotel in the background) I found this colorful thing that was either a cool sculpture, or a strange bicycle rack.

Room-wide mural inside our room.

Gee-tar wall decor right inside the entrance.

This mural, on the way to the lobby, was a kick.

Detail of the minibus cutout covered with stickers (like the elevator that you will see below). It’s always cool to find some fine Bob Dobbsery in the wild.

Da Bears.

Cool stuff on the wall behind the check-in desk. There’s a hidden door in there too, among the artifacts representing past guests.

Further on down that wall.

This is a small part of the inside of the elevator. It is covered with stickers, and the remainder of this photo essay is more of this sticker Nirvana, presented without captions.

Needless to say, we had a great time, and Hotel Versey has earned a spot in our rotation of cool hotels where we’ll stay during our future visits to Chicago.