Billings Montana

The travel gods must have been watching over us after that heroic escape from the searing heat and potentially mind numbing tedium that was awaiting us had we had prolonged our Miles City stay.  We initially scoffed, but  Bob Coronato, artist in residence in Hulett, Wyoming was right about how much time we needed to spend in vast eternity of emptiness that is eastern Montana, and Billings promised to offer the big city remedy that we needed about now.   After consulting her AAA guide, Jackie determined that the Crowne Plaza Hotel was where we should stay, but upon calling, she was told they were booked solid.   Since we seemed to have stayed at a bunch of Best Westerns lately she called and got us a room at the Clock Tower Best Western.

The above photo was taken from outside out room at the Clock Tower Best Western in the center of downtown Billings, and in the distance is the cold and foreboding maximum security facility that is the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  As I said, we dodged a bullet, and ended up in downtown and feeling like we were in Fort Lauderdale or something, and with the temps hovering around 100, a couple of scotch and sodas and a dip in the pool before it closed at 10pm was a transcendent experience.  Next time you are in Billings, check out and into the Clock Tower, you won't be sorry.

After such a wonderful and fortunate start to our stay, things just kept getting better.  Attached to the Clock Tower if Stella's Bakery/Restaurant, considered by many to be the best place to eat breakfast and/or lunch, and they are right.  Included in our room rate was breakfast and everything there was big and more than just good.  The pancakes, french toast, oatmeal, cinnamon buns, bacon and eggs, potatoes,  on and on...Better than it needed to be and it was packed.  Sat outside, so got a quick table.  No pictures but rave reviews from Jackie who is very particular.  After breakfast spent the day walking around.

First Ave. and North Broadway, gives you a good feel for the size and scale of the city...

This is the building to the left in the above photo.  Like its name, it exudes power.

The ticket booth at the Babcock...They put more thought into the design of a ticket booth back then, then people put into the design of entire buildings these days!!!

The Babcock Theater on 2nd Ave facing 27th St was built in 1907 according to their web page and it appears to have been in operation more or less ever since from what I can gather.  The present owners state that they are only the 3rd owner of the place in all those years.  That tent like structure is a permanent installation over the intersection of 2nd and 27th and really ties things together.   Plastered around the city were posters for and upcoming film festival a the Babcock  as big as Montana itself...

Down on Montana street, the first road that runs along the railroad tracks, was the Rex Hotel, no longer a hotel, but it did have a nice restaurant with outdoor seating, but being a vegetarian there was not much for me to eat...

So we ended up having dinner at the Ciao Mambo,  a really good Italian restaurant on Montana Street that I would highly recommend.

This is hardly an exhaustive overview of Billings, but I hope is shows it to be a nice city that did not disappoint.  Wish I had another day or two.

                                                                   Pablo