here it is...happSocial Column 18

I wonder what downtown Berlin looked like 20 years ago. I picture it being sleepy, with " for rent " signs in empty storefronts, and a big roughshod eyesore called The Atlantic Hotel as it's focal point.
I could be wrong, of course. Perhaps before the advent of Wal-Mart and the businesses that have sprung up on Route 50 it was a quietly bustling
community. I do know one thing for sure; The Atlantic Hotel was a grand lady past her time, without a stitch of makeup and her garters hanging down.
That's when the imagination, the entrepreneurial talent, the sheer power of seeing a vision and making it happen that we, as Americans, are famous for rallied around Miss Atlantic and gave her a makeover. Hmmnn, makeover? More like extensive plastic surgery with a full body tuck to boot.
Walk downtown today, and you will see a sweeping front porch embellished with bright flowers and rocking chairs, bracketed by a scrolled iron fence. It is a lovely first impression, and as you walk through her doors, the magic continues. To your left is the reception area, with an old fashioned check-in book. A grand staircase beacons your eye upwards, and dining areas spill to the right and far left. The menu is sophisticated, yet incorporates local produce and seafood. You can eat in the formal linen clad dining room, with it's marble topped sideboards, or in my favorite, The Drummers Cafe. . I thought it was so named for a famous drummer in the past, but the moniker comes from the hotel's most plentiful early patrons, traveling salesmen, nicknamed "drummers". I am embarrassed to say I have not had a drink in the cozy bar with the painted metal roof, nor eaten at the Hotel yet, but I will soon, and let you know if the taste lives up to the tantalizing menu. Word of mouth says it does. An added bonus; singing waitresses, and a sing along on Sunday nights with Heather, hosted by Dave Adams.
As fascinated by the hotel's past as I am, it's the present that I like the most. Each room is unique, from the wallpaper to the bedposts. I felt like I was visiting a long lost rich auntie, whose home was lovingly displayed with cherished family heirlooms and maintained with modern day conveniences. Long hallways surprise you with red velvet sitting rooms; bowls casually display fresh apples to snack on.
The Atlantic Hotel was built in 1895 by Horace and Ginny Harmonson, and remained a family business until the late 1930's. The second longest stretch of ownership was under the Coats family, who operated it through the 1960's. It was then operated under various owners until it's purchase in 1986 by The Atlantic Hotel Partnership.
It was they who stripped away the 1946 storefront that marred the hotel's architectural integrity, gutted the inside, and then carefully restored her to her present loveliness. They have a book behind the reception counter, showing the amazing transformation, and it is well worth browsing through.
I suppose we need the familiarity of coast to coast hotels in our uncertain world. Yet, every now and then, the adventurous child within needs to explore the unique, the special, the different.
Thanks, Atlantic Hotel. You're a diamond in a rhinestone world.
See you next weeky birthday to me! the eighteenth column...