As a little girl, I couldn’t imagine a lifestyle that would
be as fabulous as Eloise’s life at the Plaza Hotel. Just look at her.
My six-year-old self was convinced that we were meant to be best friends.
But, unfortunately, Eloise was just a character in a book
and her glamorous life at the Plaza was nothing more than something fun to
dream about. So you can imagine my excitement when I received an email from a man named Dale. He described that his wife, Carol, lived at French Lick Springs Hotel for a few years of her childhood during the late 1950s. He wanted to bring her back so she could revisit the hotel she once called home.
I had the chance to meet a real-life Eloise. The child
inside of me couldn’t help but smile gleefully.
Enter Carol, French Lick’s Eloise.
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| Carol's father delivers a birthday cake from the kitchen |
Originally from Jackson, Michigan, Carol’s father was hired
as a chef at French Lick during the time when the hotel was under the operation of Sheraton. Carol and her parents called room 2013 home – it was
nestled in the spring wing right next to the elevators.
Being one of the only children living at the hotel at the
time, Carol soon determined that she had to make her own adventures.
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“I’d ride the elevators for fun. At that time, there were
elevator operators and I’d have them take me up and down the floors,” explained
Carol.
With an exceptionally good memory, Carol recalled the friends
she made during her time here.
There was Rocky who worked in the laundry room right next to
the kitchen. She’d pay a visit to her dad and then pop over and see Rocky. His
family lived in a neighborhood right next to the hotel, and she vividly
remembers playing with them on the nearby playground.
Then, there was Bruno – the pastry chef. Carol talked about
Bruno fondly – remembering how he bought her very first strand of pearls.
“He had to have bought them from the shop just over there,”
she said as she pointed to the space that now houses the Mercantile, just off
the lobby.
Living at French Lick did have its slight downfalls though.
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| Easter spent at the hotel |
Carol recalled taking part in the hotel’s annual Easter egg
hunt in the Mezzanine with the visiting children. She could participate in the
hunt, but she was forbidden to find the prized golden egg.
One of the first things she and Dale did upon arrival was
walk up to the Mezzanine.
“For old time’s sake, I had to check for Easter eggs in the
flower pots,” she said with a smile.
In true Eloise fashion, Carol was an extremely stylish
child. Just check out some of her outfits. Her dresses were either hand-sewed
by her mother or mailed to her from her aunts across the country.
I couldn’t let Carol leave without knowing what it was like
to live the life that my inner-six-year-old always wanted – to call a beautiful
hotel home.
“I never knew how unique it was until I was an adult,” Carol
explained. “I never thought anything of it as a kid because that’s all I knew.”
For Carol, coming back to French Lick after all this time
was a little nerve-wracking. It’s hard to know what to expect after so many
years have passed.
But when Dale drove her up to the hotel, she described a
peacefulness that washed over her.
“As soon as I saw those front steps, it just felt like I was
coming home.”
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| Dale and Carol pose in front of the spring house |
Chelsea Brinegar