Episode 7: A Stay at the Cecil

Have you heard the one about the woman in the water tank? That’s not a setup for a joke so much as an urban legend rooted in one of the most tragic establishments in Los Angeles: the Hotel Cecil. Most famous for being the backdrop for the mysterious death of tourist Elisa Lam in 2013, the Hotel Cecil’s macabre history goes back to 1929 and, as Hadley explains it, parallels the same hard times that downtown L.A. also suffered.

Have you heard the one about the woman in the water tank? That’s not a setup for a joke so much as an urban legend rooted in one of the most tragic establishments in Los Angeles: the Hotel Cecil. Most famous for being the backdrop for the mysterious death of tourist Eliza Lam in 2013, the Hotel Cecil’s macabre history goes back to 1929 and, as Hadley explains it, parallels the same hard times that downtown L.A. also suffered. Find out more about Underbelly L.A. on the official website: https://www.underbellyla.com Underbelly L.A. on Twitter: https://twitter.com/underbellylapod Underbelly L.A. on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/underbellyLApod Underbelly L.A. on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/underbellyla This podcast was researched, written and narrated by Hadley Meares. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hadleymeares Underbelly L.A. is produced by Drew Mackie (https://twitter.com/drewgmackie) and edited by Meika Grimm (https://twitter.com/meikagrimm). The music was composed by Donovan Dorrance (https://www.donovandorrance.com/). The logo was designed by Sarah Wickham (http://www.saywickham.com/). Underbelly L.A. on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/underbelly-l-a/id1483509578 Underbelly L.A. on Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/drew-mackie/underbelly-la Underbelly L.A. on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1B73o13RJdJZgZQnGHQWTr This is a TableCakes podcast. Learn more about TableCakes Productions here: https://tablecakes.com

Photo: Hotel Cecil street scene, from the L.A. Public Library Archive.