Got a deal from Living Social so my college age son and I took their "Champagne Tour" earlier this week. It consisted of a glass of bubbly and a 30 second orientation to the building delivered by the bartender. The Mansion of O Street looks like what a house would look like if decorated by a Hoarder married to a Picker. Eclectic only begins to describe it. The Mansion definitely is worth touring simply because of how unusual it is. Every room, every tight stairway, every narrow hallway is jammed with "stuff", floor to ceiling. Many of the rooms are actually hotel rooms and baths. If you can imagine a gigantic estate sale in an old house, with everything marke with prices, and then think you might want to sleep in one of those over-stuffed, over-the-top rooms, the Mansion on O Street is for you.
We found it interesting, but far from restful and also potentially dangerous: with tight passageways, hidden doors and organized clutter everywhere, just walking around the place with all of the lights on was sometimes confusing. What it might be like at 3:00 a.m. were a fire reported staggers the imagination, though there are windows and fire escapes. A musty smell was occasionally noticeable in the rooms and a pervasive and disturbing smell in the main kitchen was seriously off-putting and made us think of spoiled milk and infrequent cleanings. Neither of us could imagine sleeping or eating at the Masion.
High points: great location and there is a kind of western-themed, log walled bi-level suite in the Mansion that we liked a lot and we also liked the stone-walled wine cellar (with table and chairs) that is behind one of the secret doors. The wine cellar would be a great place for a wine-tasting, a wine and cheese or tapas party, etc.
Caveat emptor for the rest of the Mansion. Some people obviously like it, but know before you go.
- Mansion On o Street Hotel
