Inn At Monticello

Ya know, I'm not even going to leave a bad review. The lady working the desk (I forget her name) was quite nice. She could work at a Four Seasons or a Hilton and do very well, but that's not her lot in life. She is in charge of a once-decent motel which has been trashed by uncaring and uncivilized guests. Like the Whack-a-mole carnival game, maintaining decent rooms is a struggle when people are actively destroying them. If you cannot tell by this motel's location in Monticello—or its battered sign, the low price, or the crowd wandering the city streets—that this is not going to be a relaxing getaway, then bless your heart. If there were any insects in the room, this would have been my worst stay in a hotel. But there were none! Other benefits include hot water, a functional heater, a dry floor, and a locking door. The first (non-smoking) room offered smelled strongly of smoke. The nice lady at the desk gave me a different room which smelled only faintly of cigarettes. As the pictures show, you may be graced with modern art above your head as you fall asleep. Perhaps your bathroom door will no longer slide on wheels or a track, and you will have to pick it up and place it down. If you get a room with the heater up at the ceiling (an odd place indeed), you can expect warped ceiling tiles. Don't expect clothes hangers: they've all been stolen last year. The furniture will be assembled with as many pieces as they have left, and may even be decorated with a carbon monoxide alarm which couldn't hang on the wall because it doesn't match the mount. If your room is like mine, you will not need a blacklight to know to not touch the walls. I hung the curtain back up for them, with all of the hooks, so that I could take a break from gazing at the lovely alley. The bed was really low in the middle, but the springs held strong on the perimeter of the bed. The sheets were stained and covers were burned, but both were clean and neither smelled of cigarettes. If your room is missing a security door chain like mine, make sure you bring your own "personal safety instrument" to keep at your bedside. In fact, I recommend bringing any belongings inside to preclude theft. I pretty much expected what I got at the Inn at Monticello, because of the proximity to the big city. You will be out of the rain, out of the cold, with a barrier between you and any animals outside. These are the bare essentials and the foundation upon which the Inn may one day be metaphorically and partially literally rebuilt. It all starts with people acting right and the staff I met were all courteous and honest.