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Art museum in Hotel 21C
The 21C Hotel-Art Museum is one of the most interesting hotels in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Formerly a tobacco factory and liquor warehouse, the building is now owned by the 21C brand and has been renovated into a boutique hotel spanning over 2,700 square meters.2This includes contemporary art exhibition spaces combined with galleries.
Everything is meticulously cared for down to the smallest detail. The hotel lobby is a miniature art museum, featuring a diverse collection of works and genres by artists from around the globe.
Curious, I pushed open the door to explore the lobby, my eyes fixed on the nude child statues behind the reception desk with utter astonishment. John, the handsome receptionist, added, “The 21C Hotel-Museum showcases world-class 21st-century contemporary art by artists such as Kara Walker, Bill Viola, and Yinka Shonibare, and you can find it not only in the exhibition spaces but also in the hotel rooms – even the bathrooms.”
I immediately went into the restroom and my mouth remained agape as the eyes on the mirror moved as if they were talking to me. Even in the elevator, the lights were arranged like works of art, and along the hallway, there were interactive laser lights.
There are also many free exhibitions and events open to the public here. Visitors are also advised to dine at 21C's restaurant called "Proof on Main" to enjoy the flavors of traditional Southern American cuisine.
And don't forget to look for the red plastic penguin sculptures outside the hotel or perched on the building's ceiling, the limousine adorned with thousands of rhinestones, or the gleaming golden David statue "naked" standing proudly right at the entrance.
I guess this is probably the only art museum in the world that's open to the public 24 hours a day, all year round. Because this hotel never closes!
5-star hotel in the old train station.
I came to this area to find information about trains running from Indianapolis (Indiana) to other cities, but the further I went inside the Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Downtown hotel, the more I was delighted to discover something truly amazing.
The entire building of this historic train station is operated as a magnificent hotel inside, with both the locomotive and the train cars transformed into bedrooms.
I eagerly sought to learn more about the hotel-station's glorious history. “This was the first major train station (Union Station) built in the United States in 1888, and although every part of this 130-year-old building has been transformed into stunning spaces – all transcending time and the past, yet remaining rich in history.”
"Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower are among the notable figures who visited this station. It has undergone two renovations, the first being a shopping center called Festival Market Place, which opened in 1986, and the second being a renovated Crowne Plaza Hotel in 1996."
This Romanesque-style hotel has 273 rooms but is best known for its three train lines—the blue, green, and red lines—comprising a total of 13 train cars. All the cars are named after famous figures from the early to mid-20th century, including Charlie Chaplin, Jean Harlow, Winston Churchill, Amelia Earhart, and Louis Armstrong. Each train car has two bedrooms, creating a total of 26 unique guest rooms.
I asked the two Mexican housekeeping staff if I could explore the interiors of each bedroom, and luckily they agreed. I sneaked in and took countless photos, as if afraid of missing out on the beautiful angles in these strange rooms, then quickly slipped out so as not to disturb anyone.
Standing next to the stark white sculptures scattered throughout the train cars, I asked Danny and his wife from Chicago, who enthusiastically replied, “We slept overnight in train car number 014 Greta Garbo. It was an amazing experience! A real treasure trove of history in Indianapolis. The room was a little small, but that exceeded our expectations for staying in such a unique train. We also swam in the indoor pool with its large windows.”
I've never had the chance to experience anything like that before, but in return, I'm enjoying the coolness of being immersed in the blissful feeling of "stumbling" into this amazing hotel.
