EAST COAST
L.A. hotels tell their own macabre stories
The Lizzie Borden B&B near Boston isn't the only lodging with a creepy, notorious past. Here, with an assist from Concierge.com, are several local haunts with histories that are hard to shake:
The Night Stalker's retreat
The Cecil Hotel, minutes from Staples Center, was a favorite haunt of "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez in the 1980s as well as Austrian journalist and fellow serial killer Jack Unterweger in the 1990s. It was also the site of a 1962 suicide in which a woman leaped to her death and killed a pedestrian. Two years later, Pershing Square "pigeon lady" Goldie Osgood was killed in her room at the Cecil; the case is unsolved. Today, the hotel touts itself as "The Premier Choice of Affordable Downtown
In 1970, the Landmark Motor Hotel hosted many young entertainment hopefuls, often for extended stays. Twenty-seven-year-old Janis Joplin had been a guest for about six weeks before her hard partying came to an end with a heroin overdose on Oct 4.
Now called the Highland Gardens Hotel, the property has a serene retro feel complete with pool and palm trees. Rates start at $119. 7047 Franklin Ave.,
Sam Cooke's violent end
In 1964, Hacienda Hotel manager Bertha Franklin fatally shot singer Sam Cooke, reportedly in self-defense. Inconsistencies in the case and the lack of a full police investigation have left fans wondering.
Today it's a convenient stop for business travelers who want to be close to LAX, just 10 minutes away. The hotel also features a conference center, and there's always the chance of being lulled to sleep by Cooke's soothing voice, or the spirit of it, anyway. Rates start at $119. 525 N. Sepulveda Blvd.,
Wiggins is a Times staff writer.
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