SF to J-Tree: Madonna Inn

Mostly everyone in their 20s through 40s living in San Francisco or LA has heard of the Madonna Inn, the kitschy hotel located halfway between the two cities, a bizarre Disney-esque environment where each room has its own theme. My feeling with these kinds of places is that you have to go all in and get the theme-iest theme room they have, the dark dank 'cave room' with stalagtites growing from the ceiling and leopard print sheets. otherwise you're just in another gaudy motel. I can't remember what our room was called but I've dubbed it 'washed up hollywood starlet', the walls painted in bubblegum pink and turquoise with some halfhearted girly accents on the bed. It was weird enough to only vaguely distract from the oddly damp carpet and smell of smoke.

but we managed to have some fun...

The main building is really where the magic happens though. It was the weekend before Valentines Day and you can imagine in a place like this they don't take holidays lightly. The entire dining hall looked like a bloodbath of red and pink decor, hearts hanging from the ceiling. Of course we were dying to eat there but it was surprisingly expensive and not surprisingly there was nothing vegetarian on the menu for me. This place is loved by older people and young traveling hipsters alike, which always makes for an interesting mix. We decided to go get fancy cocktails near the ballroom where we could observe the dance party action. There were some amazingly energetic seniors on the dance floor shaking it and it was both impressive and endearing. After marveling at everything in sight, Jen and I decided to go assess the hot tub situation at the other end of the property.

Stepping outside we were suddenly looking at an eerie grey monochromatic landscape, a stunning contrast to the garish intensity of the color and ornate detailing inside. The air was thick with fog and there was a dark, mysterious quality to the landscape, although in a way it was hardly creepier than the interior. Alas! The hot tubs were closed for the night. We drove into town and got donuts instead.