When you travel to historic cities, you have to remember that the buildings are not decades old, but centuries old, or more! And they look it. I have stayed in numerous places that are downright scary – if you saw them in a movie you'd start yelling at the screen: “Don't go in! Don't go in!” Rooms are usually tiny (especially the single rooms I book), and bathrooms are minuscule, having been retrofitted into structures that were built before the advent of indoor plumbing. My current hotel's street entry is not the worst but still, it gave me pause (see photos). It features a steep concrete staircase that seemingly leads to nowhere. At the top of this staircase, I found a tiny elevator marked with the name of my hotel. The door opened and I stepped in – my suitcase and I barely fit. After the doors closed, nothing happened and I had a moment of panic thinking I was stuck in an elevator that didn't even have enough room for me to sit down. After a delay, ...