I just returned from a weekend visit to Chautauqua Institution, where we stayed at the historic Athenaeum Hotel, one of the last grand wooden hotels of its kind in the United States. Stepping inside felt like entering a bygone era, when life moved at a slower pace and people took time to enjoy their surroundings. The hotel features a magnificent ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows that open onto a spacious porch during the summer. Two grand staircases and a modern elevator