Travel letters: San Diego Trust & Savings Bank being reborn as a hotel was no small change

In reference to Mary Forgione’s article about hotels in former bank buildings: She missed one much closer to home [“Nice Hotels Deposited in Old Banks,” Tipsheet, Sept. 9]. The Courtyard by Marriott Downtown in San Diego is in the former home of the San Diego Trust & Savings Bank at 530 Broadway.

The building, completed in 1928, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by noted San Diego architect William Templeton Johnson, whose office on the top floor is now the presidential suite.

For more about the history of the building, go to lat.ms/SDtrustandsavings.

Alan Johnson

Seal Beach

A backup card

Re: “No PIN Could Spell Trouble,” On the Spot, by Catharine Hamm, Aug. 26: My husband’s wallet was stolen from his front jeans’ pocket on a crowded Paris Metro on the last day of our vacation. We still needed a credit card for our stay at the airport hotel and taxi to home.

This was not a problem because when we travel we have very strict rules regarding credit cards. We do not take the card we use the most that has automatic payments attached to it. We each carry only one different card so that if one card is stolen the other has a different card to use.

Before travel that means calling two card companies to notify them of the trip, but it is worth the effort

Laura Newman

Santa Barbara

Renting a car for the airport drive

Re: “Quite the Car Seat Quandary,” On the Spot, by Catharine Hamm, Sept. 9: One other option for that family and their 3-year-old would be to rent a car with a child car seat at their urban location and drop it off at the airport. Travelers living in Ventura County and other faraway suburbs do this. Some companies have no drop-off fee. Sometimes it is cheaper than other options, depending upon how many are traveling. It might be worth a phone call or internet search for them.

Barbara Snyder

Ojai

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With regard to the car seat column, I propose another solution and that is purchasing an inexpensive car seat that can be disposed of. An internet search shows many in the $30 to $40 range. Perhaps a slightly larger tip to the cab or Uber driver, along with instructions to keep or dispose of the seat, will solve the dilemma at a far less cost than storing a seat. Of course, returning home from the airport may be an additional challenge.

Cindy Leish

Laguna Niguel

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@latimestravel