Road dog diaries

The wee morning hours are the only hours that I can collect my thoughts on the road.

As soon as the bath is over everything is a blur.

A swirling whirling breakneck speed of hurry up and wait.

So I write to you from my calm place.

I stayed with Haley last night at the Hotel Metropolitan in Padukah Ky.

https://www.ket.org/living/paducahs-hotel-metropolitan/

“Guests over the years included many legends of the Jazz Age and beyond: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Ike and Tina Turner.

So many musicians came that the hotel built a juke joint in the back, called the Purple Room. “They would have a drink, sit and pick. It was a pretty wild place back in the day,” said Wilkes.

Winfred Nunn, who lived a block away, recalled how his mother enjoyed the music from their home. “She’d open the windows and we could hear the music all night long in the summer time,” he said.

Other notable guests included future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the Harlem Globetrotters, and members of the Negro Baseball League, including Satchel Paige.”

Yesterday was the Negro leagues 101 anniversary and I got to stay in the same room Satchel Paige stayed. It just happens to be the same room Tina Turner also stayed!

This place is said to be a very haunted spot. I certainly noticed noises in the night and a feeling of being “not alone” but it was actually nice because I was feeling quite lonesome. I get a nice feeling from this hotel. No scary stuff so far and I’ve stayed here multiple nights in the last 5 years.

The hotel is pretty large for a small hotel but each room is used to tell a different story of American history.

It’s incredible as a white girl still processing , unpacking and learning the truth behind our American history, it’s often emotionally overwhelming how much I learn each time I pass through.

The owner Betty is always full of incredible American history centering the Black experience. It’s a great opportunity to learn with my head and heart. Each time I visit or even just call to chat with Betty I learn more.

I highly recommend a visit. It’s not fancy so don’t expect too many bells and whistles. Rather your expectations should fall in line with what the weary travelers of the past would seek out. A nice warm bed and bath in a clean and cheerful hotel with a hot meal in the morning.

Simple and straight forward, Betty operates with love, kindness and intention to inform. She has been driven to help America appreciate and understand the history of this hotel and the travelers who frequented it. Travelers like the incredible celebrities mentioned and anyone looking for safety and security in uncertain and deeply troubled times.

We film here today to capture this hotels story. As I get ready for my day of filming so does the hotel. I can feel the history come more to life.

I’m thrilled that places like this, impactful and important places from the past, are still telling their stories and softly whispering to each guest as they enter “this place matters”, thanks to caretakers like my friend Betty Dobson.