Thursday, August 21, 2014

Beatles at the Edgewater Hotel




photo by John Vallentyne



The Beatles stayed at the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle, Washington because no other hotel in the city would allow them to stay there.   In 1964, the Edgewater was a fairly new hotel.   Since the Beatles were always stuck in the hotel room, someone had the idea that it would be a good idea for them to fish outside of their window.    People in boats came by and told the Beatles that there weren't any fish in the water and sure enough, the Fabs didn't catch a single fish.  However, it made for great photos.   This would also be one of the few times that fans came by boat to catch a glimpse of the Beatles!!

Larry Kane interviewed some girls who were waiting outside of the Edgewater hotel:


Kane: "We're out here in front of the Edgewater Inn Hotel on Elliott, on Elliott Bay, and listen to this — "
Crowd: "We want The Beatles! We want The Beatles! We want The Beatles!"
Kane: "Did you all see The Beatles?"
Fans: "Yeah!"
Kane: "What'd you think of them?"
Fans: "They're great!"
Kane: "We've been traveling with them all across the country and this is one of the wildest receptions we've received. Are you proud of it?"
Fans: "Yeah!"
Kane: "Who's your favorite Beatle?"
Fan: "Paul"
Kane: "Why?"
Fan: "'Cause he's cutest!"


The Post-Intelligencer newspaper wrote an article about the Beatles and their fans at the hotel

Uneasy quiet hung over the Edgewater Inn and the Seattle Center Coliseum yesterday morning as 200 or so Beatle fans awaited appearance of their idols at both places.

With the time and place of the Beatles arrival by plane in Seattle a secret.  Beatle lovers clustered around the Edgewater where the Beatles were to stay last night and the Coliseum where they were to perform.

By mid-morning, more than 100 teenage girls -- not a single boy-- was in evidence were clustered outside the plywood and barbed wire barricade cutting the Edgewater off from the Beatle people.

The kids sang, listened to transistor radios and pestered watchful police for permission to slip into the Edgewater "just for a minute."

The answer uniformly was "No"--firmly.

Newspapermen were offered bribes for their press cards, officially issued  by Seattle police.

The answer here, too, was "No."

Several boat loads of teenagers were shooed away by Harbor police from the dock on which the Edgewater stands at the foot of Wall Street.

Within the Edgewater there was an air of a castle under siege.

Both off-duty Seattle police officers and Burns uniformed officers were on guard throughout the building and the badge of officer was a walkie-talkie radio.

City License director, Don Turnball said his inspectors and IRS agents would be on the look out for ticket scalpers.

Turnball said he had reports that the Beatles show tickets were being offered for $30 and up.

Ticket scalping is illegal under city and state law.  Turnball said any scalpers wold be arrested and the tickets would be confiscated.




2 comments:

  1. Love that last picture of the fans....and also, thanks for posting the first picture of the hotel itself!

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  2. Watched a program called 'Aerial America' where they fly a drone or helicopter over American city's(Seattle)they mentioned the Edgewater hotel and the Beatles fishing,but the didn't show the image's(copyrighted maybe)thank you for the pictures

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