hitsville
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The hotel, owned for two generations by the Beider family, is a 121-room affair overlooking the intersection at Diversey, Clark, and Broadway. The lobby’s decor is a riot of pastels; curtains, art, and painted wainscoting cover the walls. Comfy sofas are provided for pre-load-out lounging. Just off the lobby is a tiny laundry room (an important amenity for the touring musician) and an alcove where free continental breakfasts are served till the reasonable hour of noon.
For Tries the job isn’t as chaotic as it might seem. Her biggest headache is parking. It’s hard to park a tour bus anywhere, much less three or four of them at one of the busiest intersections in Lincoln Park. (She’s looking for a lot in the area.) The Days Inn doesn’t see much in the way of rock-star excess: such behavior is considered uncool in the alternative era, and even if they wanted to act up, the bands who stay at the Days Inn wouldn’t have the money to cover the damage.
Since the hotel attracts thrifty bands, few megastars drop in, though any number of outfits in their preplatinum days–Soul Asylum, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Spin Doctors–have laid their weary heads at the Days Inn. Most recently a flamboyant Courtney Love swept into the lobby, only to announce that the memories of Kurt Cobain were too overpowering; she left for the less stressful Ritz.
