Tag: Empress Hotel

Royal mail

I was taken with this mail drop at the Empress Hotel when we were in Victoria last month. Beyond its polish, it was a surprise to see actual brass in use for an everyday utility like this.

Two of my very first jobs – in downtown San Francisco – were in an old office building that, in those days, still had old wood wainscotting and I think there was ample marble used in floor tiling and the restrooms. There was a mail drop on every floor, a slot into a tube that went all the way down to the lobby. And if I’m not mistaken the mail landed in a drop in the lobby with a proud looking brass front. I haven’t worked in a big city in decades. Do high rises have anything like this anymore, a mailbox with a fancy brass presence?

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. today on a day that celebrates his legacy. The longer I live the greater my respect for the bravery of those who’ve fought for human and civil rights through history.

Tea, anyone?

The Empress Hotel dominates the skyline for visitors who arrive in Victoria via the Coho Ferry. For many, afternoon tea at the Empress is on the must-do list. Although we march along the tourist circuit, we consider ourselves more neighbors than tourists and thus scale back our lists accordingly. But that doesn’t keep me from taking a look at what’s on offer.

Here’s a peek into the tea room. Weekday. Mid-December. Sliding toward the end of afternoon service. During the height of the tourist season this room would be packed with tea sippers.

Off season – now until December 31st – this will set you back $48.95 Canadian, per person. And I’m they do throw in a pot of tea. During the summer it runs $59.95 Canadian, though the offering might be different as well.