Conductor -- We have Amtrak USA here in Cincinnati Ohio, but I've never travelled on it
Would there be video cameras on the Amtrak or mass transit buses EL used?
CA/Canada - Elisa Lam - 21 years old - Los Angeles/Vancouver - 31-Jan-2013 - #5
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Conductor -- We have Amtrak USA here in Cincinnati Ohio, but I've never travelled on it
Would there be video cameras on the Amtrak or mass transit buses EL used?
Thanks for those links above
Her tumblr account had LA listed on the itinerary earlier in January if I remember correctly, and also another post about her missing her plane, that was on the 23rd of Jan.
Thanks, great video. Is it confirmed anywhere whether the ladder was brought by the maintenance guy to the tank or whether it was always left there?
Hi everyone,
First post. I was so affected by the video the police released the first time I saw it that I started scouring the internet for more information, which led me to this forum and I've been closely following these threads. I have some questions but I'll save them for subsequent posts. Instead I'm going to relate a visit I took to the Cecil last week. My hope is twofold: one, that you might get a bit of an idea about the hotel and two, that perhaps you will get some amusement at my expense, on account of my own fearful nature and suggestive mind, that maybe it will bring a little levity to a thread about a terribly sad tragedy. In no way do I mean any disrespect to Elisa Lam or her family, (I would hope that her family and friends do not read these posts, as on occasion I can't help but feel that some posts might read as insensitive or be otherwise painful).
As I said, I went to the Hotel Cecil a week ago, last week. I live in Los Angeles and I was working one morning last week in downtown. I had been reading these threads and my mind was full of questions about what happened, so after I got off work around lunchtime I decided to walk over to the Cecil being that we were about a block away. My coworkers were going back to work so I was alone.
The first thing I noticed upon walking up was that the building to the north had installed large letters in the sidewalk. These letters were made of a gold metal, and facing perpendicular to the street to alert pedestrians to a large driveway coming out from under the building. They were composed on either side of a single word, capital letters about a foot high spelling the word "DANGER." I couldn't help but wonder how many times Ms. Lam had seen these words and whether they had impressed her in any way.
Before coming to the Cecil itself someone had created a little shrine to Ms. Lam in front of a small tree growing out of a square in the sidewalk. There were dozens of candles in jars, and bouquets of flowers below a Canadian flag, a small placard announcing the intention of the shrine and several pictures of Elisa. I noticed that similar trees were growing in front of the Cecil itself and wondered why the shrine was in front of the adjacent property and not in front of the hotel itself, and whether the hotel had forbidden it being set in front of their property.
I walked up to the entrance of the hotel (past the Stay entrance which I neglected to notice at the time) and into the hotel. I had expected to perhaps be turned away, maybe there would be security, or reporters or something, but other than a young woman on her cell phone out front there was no one else around. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I believe in the paranormal and had read all about the past deaths at the hotel, the resident serial killers and whatnot, so as I entered I already felt trepidation. The lobby was brightly lit and ornate, but somewhat empty and I sort of felt my fear grow a bit. On top of it all, I really didn't know what I was looking for, I had no real objective, so I felt foolish just being there. I noted that there was no one behind the large check in counter. To the right there was a bank of computers and two young people were on computers; one looked up when I walked up but then went back to his screen.
I looked to the left and saw the elevators and started walking toward them. The elevators are underneath a Mezzanine and as I approached them a person dressed in a white uniform, perhaps a janitor or service person, came out of a door above me, just as I was passing underneath. The elevator on the left, the one that the video was taken in, was already indicating the "L" for lobby. As I walked up I heard the second elevator land and the second "L" lit up above that elevator (L.L. for those looking for coincidences). I stood there for a moment wondering what to do and then I reached out and hit the up button and the elevator to the right opened up. I thought of waiting for it to close so that I could try to get the other to open but instead I just entered the elevator to the right, turned and faced the buttons, which are on the opposite side as the buttons on the other elevator (judging from the video. The door also opens in the opposite direction).
At this point I thought I might take a quick picture of the buttons with my phone and then hightail it out of there, so I selected the camera on my phone, aimed it, and took a picture, at which point the elevator door closed abruptly, causing a chill to go down my spine. I quickly threw my hand out to push the door open button but even as I did so I felt the elevator lurch into motion and begin ascending. You'll probably find me foolish, but I was freaking out. My mind already so amped up with stories of ghosts and serial killers, it felt to me like the elevator was acting under its own volition.
It stopped suddenly, at the 7th floor. I was in a bit of a panic. I think maybe the door took a bit too long to open and I thought for a second that I was trapped. The seventh floor seemed dimly lit compared to the bright day outside. There was no one there.
I pushed the Lobby button but the door closed and the elevator began ascending again. It stopped a second time, at the tenth floor, and an elderly gentleman entered. He said hello and I responded accordingly as he pushed the Lobby button again. He turned to face the door as it closed.
"What a beautiful day outside," he said.
"Yes, it's really nice today," I said, hoping he wouldn't ask me what I was doing there (I really didn't have an answer) and trying to pretend that I was in a normal state instead of freaked out of my mind.
"So glad we don't have it like they've got it on the east coast," he said.
"Oh, right, yeah, they're having bad weather or something I heard," I said, really not knowing what else to say.
"That global warming's really kicking in," he said as the door opened, offering me a good day and heading out. I followed him out and walked as fast as I could to get out of that building as fast as I could.
I guess the story isn't as funny as I thought, but it amuses me to see how easily I can spook myself.
One more thing. On this forum someone posted a link to a tour of haunted hotels and old main street stories. I ended up going on that, something I would have done regardless had I known about it. So whoever it was that posted it, thank you!
First post. I was so affected by the video the police released the first time I saw it that I started scouring the internet for more information, which led me to this forum and I've been closely following these threads. I have some questions but I'll save them for subsequent posts. Instead I'm going to relate a visit I took to the Cecil last week. My hope is twofold: one, that you might get a bit of an idea about the hotel and two, that perhaps you will get some amusement at my expense, on account of my own fearful nature and suggestive mind, that maybe it will bring a little levity to a thread about a terribly sad tragedy. In no way do I mean any disrespect to Elisa Lam or her family, (I would hope that her family and friends do not read these posts, as on occasion I can't help but feel that some posts might read as insensitive or be otherwise painful).
As I said, I went to the Hotel Cecil a week ago, last week. I live in Los Angeles and I was working one morning last week in downtown. I had been reading these threads and my mind was full of questions about what happened, so after I got off work around lunchtime I decided to walk over to the Cecil being that we were about a block away. My coworkers were going back to work so I was alone.
The first thing I noticed upon walking up was that the building to the north had installed large letters in the sidewalk. These letters were made of a gold metal, and facing perpendicular to the street to alert pedestrians to a large driveway coming out from under the building. They were composed on either side of a single word, capital letters about a foot high spelling the word "DANGER." I couldn't help but wonder how many times Ms. Lam had seen these words and whether they had impressed her in any way.
Before coming to the Cecil itself someone had created a little shrine to Ms. Lam in front of a small tree growing out of a square in the sidewalk. There were dozens of candles in jars, and bouquets of flowers below a Canadian flag, a small placard announcing the intention of the shrine and several pictures of Elisa. I noticed that similar trees were growing in front of the Cecil itself and wondered why the shrine was in front of the adjacent property and not in front of the hotel itself, and whether the hotel had forbidden it being set in front of their property.
I walked up to the entrance of the hotel (past the Stay entrance which I neglected to notice at the time) and into the hotel. I had expected to perhaps be turned away, maybe there would be security, or reporters or something, but other than a young woman on her cell phone out front there was no one else around. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I believe in the paranormal and had read all about the past deaths at the hotel, the resident serial killers and whatnot, so as I entered I already felt trepidation. The lobby was brightly lit and ornate, but somewhat empty and I sort of felt my fear grow a bit. On top of it all, I really didn't know what I was looking for, I had no real objective, so I felt foolish just being there. I noted that there was no one behind the large check in counter. To the right there was a bank of computers and two young people were on computers; one looked up when I walked up but then went back to his screen.
I looked to the left and saw the elevators and started walking toward them. The elevators are underneath a Mezzanine and as I approached them a person dressed in a white uniform, perhaps a janitor or service person, came out of a door above me, just as I was passing underneath. The elevator on the left, the one that the video was taken in, was already indicating the "L" for lobby. As I walked up I heard the second elevator land and the second "L" lit up above that elevator (L.L. for those looking for coincidences). I stood there for a moment wondering what to do and then I reached out and hit the up button and the elevator to the right opened up. I thought of waiting for it to close so that I could try to get the other to open but instead I just entered the elevator to the right, turned and faced the buttons, which are on the opposite side as the buttons on the other elevator (judging from the video. The door also opens in the opposite direction).
At this point I thought I might take a quick picture of the buttons with my phone and then hightail it out of there, so I selected the camera on my phone, aimed it, and took a picture, at which point the elevator door closed abruptly, causing a chill to go down my spine. I quickly threw my hand out to push the door open button but even as I did so I felt the elevator lurch into motion and begin ascending. You'll probably find me foolish, but I was freaking out. My mind already so amped up with stories of ghosts and serial killers, it felt to me like the elevator was acting under its own volition.
It stopped suddenly, at the 7th floor. I was in a bit of a panic. I think maybe the door took a bit too long to open and I thought for a second that I was trapped. The seventh floor seemed dimly lit compared to the bright day outside. There was no one there.
I pushed the Lobby button but the door closed and the elevator began ascending again. It stopped a second time, at the tenth floor, and an elderly gentleman entered. He said hello and I responded accordingly as he pushed the Lobby button again. He turned to face the door as it closed.
"What a beautiful day outside," he said.
"Yes, it's really nice today," I said, hoping he wouldn't ask me what I was doing there (I really didn't have an answer) and trying to pretend that I was in a normal state instead of freaked out of my mind.
"So glad we don't have it like they've got it on the east coast," he said.
"Oh, right, yeah, they're having bad weather or something I heard," I said, really not knowing what else to say.
"That global warming's really kicking in," he said as the door opened, offering me a good day and heading out. I followed him out and walked as fast as I could to get out of that building as fast as I could.
I guess the story isn't as funny as I thought, but it amuses me to see how easily I can spook myself.
One more thing. On this forum someone posted a link to a tour of haunted hotels and old main street stories. I ended up going on that, something I would have done regardless had I known about it. So whoever it was that posted it, thank you!
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Yep, I'm one of the oddballs here who does not believe that is her account.
IMO, unless any social media account is authenticated officially by police or immediate family we have no business there. Maybe it has and I missed it.
I would need to have that proven before I relied on that for info. No offense to people using that, but it bums me that there are many smart people here who are so caught up on this Tumblr thing they miss the few basic, yet really important facts shared by the family and LAPD. For example, it is March and people are still perseverating over her glasses when they are in fact at her home in Vancouver where she left them. It was reported in the LA Times before her body was found on February 13th.
Sorry to be so anal; in my day job I am a librarian, so this kinda stuff drives me buggy. I certainly do not have many answers, but IMHO I honestly think we have created our own massive red herring with the Tumblr account.
Throwing some thoughts out to explore:
- Did EL write a journal on a notebook with emails, phone numbers, names of fellow travellers on Amtrak or mass transits? I did this many times when I was a younger chap on travels
- Maybe there's a journal notebook in her luggage, belongings LAPD picked up in her room?
- Does Amtrak or mass transit have video cams?
- Alot of people type in phone numbers, names of people, friends on their cell phones, maybe EL did this?
- Did EL write a journal on a notebook with emails, phone numbers, names of fellow travellers on Amtrak or mass transits? I did this many times when I was a younger chap on travels
- Maybe there's a journal notebook in her luggage, belongings LAPD picked up in her room?
- Does Amtrak or mass transit have video cams?
- Alot of people type in phone numbers, names of people, friends on their cell phones, maybe EL did this?
Keep your mind open to all possibilities, it serves no purpose to exclude things based off of personal feelings.
It could be it might not be but to dismiss it so easily might be a bigger red herring than to accuse it of being one...lol
Good thoughts but impossible to explore if the LAPD has those in their possession...lol
I would think her social media is as close as we'd get
I saw this video earlier and saw that the floor they got off was 14th and it was green. Then I saw other posts here that showed the 14th floor as brown. I wonder what is going on here.
So here are my questions and comments:
1. I am pretty sure that I read something about some kind of common rooms on the 14th floor. I thought I saw them in one of the pictures reprinted from one of the Chinese websites, but when I went to look I couldn't find them. Am I wrong about this? If there is such a thing is it possible that Stay guests are told they can go to the 14th floor to use the common rooms, perhaps as a way to see a high skyline view of the city (being as people are not supposed to go on the roof?)
2. My brother was a graffiti artist years ago and I can add to the voices discounting the graffiti. That is definitely the names of a graffiti crew. Often one will write all of the names of the others in attendance, which will explain why there are two different writers (one tagged one set and another the other set). It's also possible that "Fecto" might also use the alternate spelling "Fekto" or that one of his friends got it wrong. (I'm a little shocked that a graffiti artist would use the name C***, but... ::shrug:
3. Someone mentioned the mirror opposite the elevators and noted that it looked like Elisa was looking at herself in the mirror. This makes sense to me, it explains what she was doing with her arm up for such a long time, perhaps adjusting her hair).
4. As to Futzbucket's scenario: Here's something I thought of that would call that theory into question: If the fellow is standing to her left to avoid being seen on camera that puts him directly in front of the other elevator. If that elevator were to open for some reason he would then be seen by the other camera.
That's it for now.
1. I am pretty sure that I read something about some kind of common rooms on the 14th floor. I thought I saw them in one of the pictures reprinted from one of the Chinese websites, but when I went to look I couldn't find them. Am I wrong about this? If there is such a thing is it possible that Stay guests are told they can go to the 14th floor to use the common rooms, perhaps as a way to see a high skyline view of the city (being as people are not supposed to go on the roof?)
2. My brother was a graffiti artist years ago and I can add to the voices discounting the graffiti. That is definitely the names of a graffiti crew. Often one will write all of the names of the others in attendance, which will explain why there are two different writers (one tagged one set and another the other set). It's also possible that "Fecto" might also use the alternate spelling "Fekto" or that one of his friends got it wrong. (I'm a little shocked that a graffiti artist would use the name C***, but... ::shrug:
3. Someone mentioned the mirror opposite the elevators and noted that it looked like Elisa was looking at herself in the mirror. This makes sense to me, it explains what she was doing with her arm up for such a long time, perhaps adjusting her hair).
4. As to Futzbucket's scenario: Here's something I thought of that would call that theory into question: If the fellow is standing to her left to avoid being seen on camera that puts him directly in front of the other elevator. If that elevator were to open for some reason he would then be seen by the other camera.
That's it for now.
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Good question. We are near neighbors ( I am in MI) btw. I had traveled Amtrak a lot mostly shorter jaunts to Chicago and a few over nighters to New England. Amtrak is one step up from bus travel for long distances, and I would like to think they have cameras installed but let's be honest the only thing that keeps them going are govt subsidies so who knows. I think they would have passenger lists but with no assigned seats they would have to rely on witnesses noting EL was seen talking with someone. In my experience, lots of college age kids meet up on trains and form fast friendships and brief romances.
Maybe someone (and possibly a friend) killed her accidentally and if you think about it the roof and water tank is really his only place to conceal her body. At the top floors, he would have been trapped. Obviously, he is not going to take her out through the lobby using the elevator and he is not going to just dump her in the hotel.
Kaliste
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Welcome fellow SoCal Sleuther!
I was initially skeptical that it was her account, too, but all the evidence has been adding up. My word isn't much help, I know, because I can't link to other Tumblr accounts here to "show my work", but her friends who have posted missing posters & posts about their friend Elisa have referred to the owner of the nouvelle-nouveau blog as "dear Elisa" and commented how spooky it is that she was reblogging their stuff in her last days on Earth. The chances of the account belonging to someone else named Elisa, with the same travel itinerary, who passed away at the same time as Elisa Lam, as commented by friends who refer to her as Elisa and refer to their missing friend Elisa, is still a possibility, but would be implausibly coincidental, imho.
That being said, I agree that it's a red herring, in a sense, because there has been a lot of emphasis on the content of the posts, and the posting schedule, when really Tumblr can be easily automated, and the content is more of a "passing fancy" type of content than something we can really dig into and analyse. Even the posts about her mental health are old enough that the situation may have changed.
Given that there's not much to go on, I can understand why people are fixating on it, but I personally don't feel there's much we can gain from it. I keep thinking about how people would read my own Tumblr account, if I were to pass...it would definitely give people a weird impression of what my life was like.
This is what I meant:
WOW those are contrasts...maybe the green colored hallway was remodeled to the reddish color?
I don't know, it's weird
Indeed, 13, originally a good number to ward off evil, became a number associated with evil. Funny how that works. Also, wouldn't that make the 14th floor in reality the 13th floor?
In a way, it's like how in some hotels in countries with a strong Chinese influence, there's no 4th floor. "4" in Chinese sounds like the word for "death" so Chinese hotels skip the 4th floor. I'd imagine that "14" is also not such a nice number to have for a similar reason.
(Not to distract, but for those who love coincidences, and I'm sure this has been mentioned numerous times, EL apparently was checked into a room on the 4th floor and coming from the 14th floor.)
In a way, it's like how in some hotels in countries with a strong Chinese influence, there's no 4th floor. "4" in Chinese sounds like the word for "death" so Chinese hotels skip the 4th floor. I'd imagine that "14" is also not such a nice number to have for a similar reason.
(Not to distract, but for those who love coincidences, and I'm sure this has been mentioned numerous times, EL apparently was checked into a room on the 4th floor and coming from the 14th floor.)
So the fact that the Twitter name "lambetes" was positively identified as Elisa Lam in "RIP" messages by her Twitter followers who had met her in person is not sufficient evidence for you? And the fact that same "lambetes" account identified herself as a commenter directly linking to the "Tumblr thing" does not convince you either? Sorry to drive you buggy, but a lot of work and documentation has been done--in these very forums--to prove the social media accounts belong to Elisa, if you would care to do a little back-reading.
And where is the link to the LA Times story saying her glasses were left in Vancouver? I can go back through five threads and find numerous posts verifying her social media accounts, but can't recall one linking to this "really important fact" you are talking about. There were articles when she was missing that said she may not have her glasses, but I'm pretty sure those were related to the video or the fact her glasses were found in her room.
ptandj
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Do you have the link to that article? If it's the same one I'm remembering, it sounded to me more like they were stating she didn't have her glasses with her e.g. she left them in her room when she went missing. So that if people saw her someplace they wouldn't miss her because she wasn't wearing glasses. I didn't read it that she left them at home entirely. I'm curious because I do think it would be useful information if she left them in Canada vs just didn't have them when she disappeared.
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Touché.
I will agree to having a bias...I am far too old to "get" Tumblr; it is far too complex looking for me to feel at ease quoting it, but that does not mean I am myopic.
Hmmm... I don't know how to put this so I don't sound snotty or like I have a stick up my butt about Tumblr cause I don't. Maybe this: If we were really working the investigation would we ignore what her family says about her preferred method of travel and her absence of any medical condition, or posts on an account that may or may not be hers? Granted, she may not have disclosed any mental health issues, so blog may be more accurate in that case.
To be fair, I have absolutely no proof she traveled Amtrak; I am going on what her family told police but backing it with a little common sense and the very real fact she was in LA on the 26th. EL would have incurred a hefty fee if she had changed a flight. However, if she did miss a flight she could have taken Amtrak instead. There, that is a possibility too. See, I am open minded! :woohoo:
I haven't seen this linked in this forum; if it is against the rules to provide this link I apologize, I'm new, please don't ban me!
Some people have questioned why Elisa Lam would have stayed at the Hotel Cecil. We know she checked into the Stay on Main, which takes up several floors of the Cecil, but perhaps their website will answer why she thought it safe to stay there:
http://www.stayonmain.com/
Some people have questioned why Elisa Lam would have stayed at the Hotel Cecil. We know she checked into the Stay on Main, which takes up several floors of the Cecil, but perhaps their website will answer why she thought it safe to stay there:
http://www.stayonmain.com/
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