La Concha Hotel - Key West, Florida
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Monday June 22, 2009
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You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension…a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into …
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You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension…a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into …
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Things That Go Bump
Things That Go Bump
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In The Night
Folks who know me know that I love Key West, Florida. From my very visit there in 1977, I have had a strange allure to the island. Although I have made many recurring trips there, the one in February 1984 was the strangest.
On this particular vacation, I decided to stay at several different Inns. I stayed at the Atlantic Shores as I have many times and I worked my way up Duval Street staying at several more establishments. On my last night there, I stayed at what I called the Key West high-rise. The La Concha Hotel is the tallest building on the island at seven stories with an observation deck.
My room was 505 on the 5th floor. The view was spectacular but catching the elevator proved to be problematic. Two times when I boarded the conveyor from the Lobby and pushed the floor 5 button, the car did not stop at the 5th floor but instead deposited me on floor 6.
And another 2-3 times when I left my room to descend to the street, the elevator instead took me to the 6th floor instead of down to the Lobby.
On my last night out on the town, I returned to the La Concha about 1:30 AM in an intoxicated state only to find an empty food cart on the elevator but with no Hotel employee around. I squeezed on past the cart and pushed the floor 5 button. This time the elevator did stop at the 5th floor and as the doors opened, there stood a Hotel bus-boy. He looked at me with a steel-eyed stare and in a monotonic voice indicated that there was the food cart that he was looking for. He boarded the elevator as I was stepping off but I noticed that he pushed the 6th floor button. I was a bit tipsy but I decided to rush up the steps and see what room was getting an empty food cart. When I beat the elevator to the 6th floor, I witnessed the doors open and the food cart sitting in there but no Hotel employee present.
Yes, it was strange but I was high as a kite and decided to go back to my room on the 5th floor. When I got back down to floor 5, there stood that same bus-boy. He looked at me and laughed and said that he couldn’t get to the 6th floor for some reason. Had I not been inebriated, I may have continued with this crazy situation but I was and I went into room 505 and went to sleep.
It was not until four years later in 1988 that I was able to vacation in Key West, again. I decided to stay at the La Concha and called them for a brochurer. When the literature arrived in the mail, I noticed that the Key West Chamber of Commerce had sent a pamphlet along with that of the La Choncha Hotel’s package. As I perused the the information that I had received, I came across an advertisement for Key West Ghost Tours. I was shocked and dumbfounded to read the following blurb :
The 160 room, seven story La Concha Hotel, haunted by a man who lost his life in the hotel after falling into an empty elevator shaft from the 5th floor on New Year’s Eve, 1983.
My 1984 visit to the La Concha was just five weeks after this incident.
I will admit to you that I did not stay at the La Concha on that 1988 visit .. nor any of the other visits that I have made to the island. And when I find myself walking on Duval Street and come to the 400 block – I cross the street and walk adjacent to the La Concha. I barely look at the structure and focus my attention on all the other wonderful things about Key West.
On this particular vacation, I decided to stay at several different Inns. I stayed at the Atlantic Shores as I have many times and I worked my way up Duval Street staying at several more establishments. On my last night there, I stayed at what I called the Key West high-rise. The La Concha Hotel is the tallest building on the island at seven stories with an observation deck.
My room was 505 on the 5th floor. The view was spectacular but catching the elevator proved to be problematic. Two times when I boarded the conveyor from the Lobby and pushed the floor 5 button, the car did not stop at the 5th floor but instead deposited me on floor 6.
And another 2-3 times when I left my room to descend to the street, the elevator instead took me to the 6th floor instead of down to the Lobby.
On my last night out on the town, I returned to the La Concha about 1:30 AM in an intoxicated state only to find an empty food cart on the elevator but with no Hotel employee around. I squeezed on past the cart and pushed the floor 5 button. This time the elevator did stop at the 5th floor and as the doors opened, there stood a Hotel bus-boy. He looked at me with a steel-eyed stare and in a monotonic voice indicated that there was the food cart that he was looking for. He boarded the elevator as I was stepping off but I noticed that he pushed the 6th floor button. I was a bit tipsy but I decided to rush up the steps and see what room was getting an empty food cart. When I beat the elevator to the 6th floor, I witnessed the doors open and the food cart sitting in there but no Hotel employee present.
Yes, it was strange but I was high as a kite and decided to go back to my room on the 5th floor. When I got back down to floor 5, there stood that same bus-boy. He looked at me and laughed and said that he couldn’t get to the 6th floor for some reason. Had I not been inebriated, I may have continued with this crazy situation but I was and I went into room 505 and went to sleep.
It was not until four years later in 1988 that I was able to vacation in Key West, again. I decided to stay at the La Concha and called them for a brochurer. When the literature arrived in the mail, I noticed that the Key West Chamber of Commerce had sent a pamphlet along with that of the La Choncha Hotel’s package. As I perused the the information that I had received, I came across an advertisement for Key West Ghost Tours. I was shocked and dumbfounded to read the following blurb :
The 160 room, seven story La Concha Hotel, haunted by a man who lost his life in the hotel after falling into an empty elevator shaft from the 5th floor on New Year’s Eve, 1983.
My 1984 visit to the La Concha was just five weeks after this incident.
I will admit to you that I did not stay at the La Concha on that 1988 visit .. nor any of the other visits that I have made to the island. And when I find myself walking on Duval Street and come to the 400 block – I cross the street and walk adjacent to the La Concha. I barely look at the structure and focus my attention on all the other wonderful things about Key West.
Incident at a Key West Hotel. A man named Larry goes seeking a holiday journey but the journey that he stumbles upon is one that he did not expect. The lesson learned is one as old as the ages.
When you expire, you have no real connection to immortality.
You can connect via the brain but not in reality.
Larry has learned this by entering …
Things That Go Bump In The Night
When you expire, you have no real connection to immortality.
You can connect via the brain but not in reality.
Larry has learned this by entering …
Things That Go Bump In The Night
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LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK
LARRY..CURTIS..SPURLOCK
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