In the most opulent neighborhood of one of the showiest cities in the world, the Biltmore peers down her nose and says, ‘hrmph’. It’s one of the greatest of the grand hotels of the American Jazz Age, and if this joint were a fictional character from a novel, it’d be, without question, Jay Gatsby. Al Capone had a speakeasy on-site, and the Capone Suite is still haunted by the spirit of Fats Walsh, who was murdered here (for more ghost details, join in the weekly storytelling in the lobby, 7pm Thursday). Back in the day, imported gondolas transported celebrity guests like Judy Garland and the Vanderbilts around because, of course, there was a private canal system out the back. It’s gone now, but the largest hotel pool in the continental USA, which resembles a sultan’s water garden from One Thousand & One Nights, is still here.
