Hoteliers seem to obsess over technology these days. They strap the latest flat-screens onto walls, install motion sensors to the thermostats, outfit alarm clocks with iPod docks. Wi-Fi in a hotel guest room is no longer luxurious, it’s compulsory.
But a funny thing happened at the Margarita European Inn’s front desk. A clerk told me the hotel’s Wi-Fi network was on the blink. I barely flinched. Was it a little inconvenient? Sure. But considering where I was, Wi-Fi seemed out of place.
The Margarita is an early-20th Century gem, sequestered to a residential street in Evanston so quiet that pin-dropping enthusiasts could hold a convention. But I’m pretty sure the calm is what Rev. David O’Leary and his sister, Ellen, had in mind when they built the Margarita Club in 1927 as a boarding house for young women.
But the boarders and the O’Learys are gone, and the building was long ago converted into the hotel, housing the well-established Italian restaurant Va Pensiero on the first floor. But the Margarita remains loyal to its beginnings, boasting antique furnishings and a nostalgic charm few hotels can match.
The Margarita’s foyer, adjacent to the front desk, is a grand parlor full of ornate end tables, cushioned chairs and plush couches. In the morning, the parlor doubles as a wonderfully oversize breakfast nook, though the Continental breakfast it presents — hard-boiled eggs, English muffins and wheat toast, chunks of fruit and oatmeal — is modest. Orange juice and coffee round out the breakfast menu.
Up a flight of stairs is a cozy library open 24 hours, carrying everything from the latest Danielle Steel novel to a set of encyclopedias. I almost expected to hear Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train” playing through the halls.
After a ride up an iron-girded elevator, I walked into No. 305, a corner room with two twin beads, each with a single pillow near the headboard. A tray atop a well-worn dresser held my essentials — wash cloth, soap and shampoo — for the dormitory-style shared bathroom. A 13-inch boxy television was hanging on the wall in a harness. My favorite touch was the air conditioner, a one-piece stand-alone sitting in a corner — not in the window — next to a garbage can. The can was collecting the machine’s condensation.
I was not in 2008 anymore. And I loved it, whatever era I’d been transported to. The shared bathroom sent me back to freshman year in college: aisles full of stalls — toilets, sinks, showers and tubs. The Margarita keeps these facilities impeccably clean.
For those not in a sharing mood, many of the Margarita’s 42 rooms come with private bathrooms. But they will cost you extra. “European-style” rooms like the one I stayed in run about $79 a night. Standard rooms, with private bathrooms, start at $129 and run up to $169 for a spacious, two-room suite.
Although Va Pensiero and its take on linguine and clams sounded appetizing, I headed out for a little exploring. Within minutes, I stood on Davis Street in downtown Evanston. In the five-block walk toward the Evanston Century 12/CineArts 6 theater (1715 Maple Ave., Evanston; 847-491-9751), I passed a Chinese restaurant, a bakery, a pizzeria, two noodle shops, a Mexican restaurant, a coffeehouse and a Chili’s. I ended up at The Dixie Kitchen (825 Church St., Evanston; 847-733-9030) for a scrumptious shrimp Po’ Boy and an order of cheese grits.
Downtown Evanston also offers quite a bit of night life, even during the week. After dinner, I stopped by the movie theater for some animated, action via “Kung Fu Panda,” then checked out Bill’s Blues (1029 Davis St., Evanston; 847-424-9800) before hitting the bed.
Back at the hotel, the twin bed proved surprisingly comfortable. I got up once to turn off the air conditioner; it was loud and hearing the condensation splash into the garbage can was a little weird.
For $79 and a historic trip down memory lane, I can deal with a little weird.
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THE MARGARITA EUROPEAN INN (2 bells)
1566 Oak. Ave., Evanston; 847-869-2273, www.margaritainn.com.
Ratings key: 4 bells, a stellar stay; 3 bells, one of the best; 2 bells, very good; 1 bell, good
Reviews are based on anonymous visits by Tribune staff members and paid for by the Tribune.
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