Diane Keaton on The Ambassador

Many Los Angeles residents continue to mourn the passing of the fabled Ambassador Hotel. One of my best pals and I spent a happy evening snooping around the bowels of the landmark not long before it closed its doors forever. Plush carpets, outlandish '70s-era chandeliers and gold-flecked touches are some of the details I recall. I also remember feeling like I was standing inside a dying place, which filled me with sadness, but also a will to firmly press every last impression -- the elevators and ashtrays and final guests lounging in the lobby -- into memory.

Diane Keaton has a great piece remembering The Ambassador in today's LA Times.