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Health & Fitness

The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel: Assaulted by Noise

Restaurant Review: The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica

I should have my head examined, or at least my ears. I had heard about the considerable noise level at Santa Monica’s Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel, but I had also heard about the amazing view and the delicious food. Therefore, undeterred, my wife and I intrepidly went to The Penthouse last weekend for dinner. I should have been alerted to potential danger when on exiting our car in the parking lot we heard an unsettling commotion. In the elevator, we noted that the noise level was blossoming, and on exiting the elevator we were greeted by a blast of cacophony so loud that I thought that we had struck a roadside bomb.

Nevertheless we proceeded to the reception area ingenuously hoping that the din would somehow lessen. We were seated as far as possible from the bar, but still the noise level settled somewhere between that of jackhammers in downtown Manhattan and a jet plane in takeoff mode.

 Since I know that I am in danger of offending most young and hip individuals in West LA, I will acknowledge that this attractive restaurant has beautiful views of Santa Monica and the bay. Our waiter was knowledgeable, pleasant, and efficient, and the food was nicely presented, flavorsome, and of high quality. The bar scene was active, and the young and young-at-heart, kept pouring in like a Georgia summer storm, and most people seemed energized by the scene. Yet I felt adrift, unable to hear my wife’s attempts at conversation, and the thunderous, brain-numbing, bone-vibrating uproar that was enveloping me like a strait jacket was killing my appetite. We left early, barely able to establish a path to the elevator through the horde surrounding the bar. In our car, windows closed, there was relief at last! Blessed be the sound of silence.

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And now before you pitch daggers of vitriol at me in response to this review, realize that The Penthouse is a happening place, whereas my idea of “rocking out” is reclining in a comfortable chair along with a shot of lemonade.  Just remember, enjoy The Penthouse, but if you want your hearing to last into middle age, wear protection.  

 

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