Palomar DC and March for our Lives
March 25, 2018
It all came together just about perfectly. A morning talk at Georgetown, a nice dinner out (sadly not at Rose’s Luxury), cocktails at the Columbia Room, and then the highlight of the weekend, attending the inspiring March for our Lives. Our base of operations was the commendable Palomar DC (a Kimpton).
March over now getting our gear from the Palomar @Kimpton pic.twitter.com/S9wVRFRxvw
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2018
Turns out that our friend Matt Hurlburt (once of the Alexnadria Monaco) is now Director of a bunch of DC properties, including the Palomar. And Harald Han, as assistant GM, is running the ship day to day. The front desk staff is as professional, courteous, and great as always, remembering us from our time at the Lorien and from previous visits in the mosquito. This is a great thing!
We finagled our way into 1024 (again), a gorgeous room at the very top of the hotel. Nothing makes us wag our tails like the Presidential Suite (though, we agree with Jacques that maybe they should change the name of it for now until the #assholeinone is impeached and out of office).
palomar 1024: yes please
The shower is NPS approved.
bed room 1024
extra bathroom
the usual mess
An amenity of cheese, fruit, and a cocktail arrived with a note from Matt just before we headed out. Very nice. Thanks you guys!
We spent the mid-afternoon wandering around Dupont and getting a coffee. Then it was off to try our chances at Roses Luxury. When we arrived at 5, the line was already way too long. We could have been seated at 9, but instead went to plan B, a dinner at Convivial (in Shaw). The food and cocktails were great (as was the company), but the service was terrible. Super nice, and caring, and about as unprofessional and useless as possible. Can’t win them all.
More roundstone in the wild @convivialdc @catoctincreek pic.twitter.com/TBPhqf8O87
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 23, 2018
Adjusted lions tail with lemon, apple brandy, half allspice. Very well constructed pic.twitter.com/q0mlYeOMHv
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 23, 2018
Then came the booth at the Columbia Room, always just an incredible experience. If you have not yet made it to the Columbia Room, do it. Make sure to do the tasting room and go for the entire experience.
https://twitter.com/noplasticshower/status/977522990857572353
No sign of @betterdrinking last night @ColumbiaRoom but fantastic new menu pic.twitter.com/O4PfXhaTvB
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2018
Boss hog @WhistlePigRye and @catoctincreek side by side @ColumbiaRoom after menu pic.twitter.com/odreWPH4bq
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2018
A late night drink at the Urbana bar was just what was needed for a good night’s sleep.
The next day we headed in to DC for the March for our Lives rally. Incredible. So proud of what the Parkland kids have done. Keep it up and we will change this country for the better!
#marchforourlives pic.twitter.com/hdcdPTSWkT
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2018
The march #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/HC1TFwp3y9
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2018
The chant "Vote Them Out" happened spontaneously several times at the DC parch #MarchForOurLives
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 24, 2018
#marchforourlives pic.twitter.com/SmaD2n0MYA
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 25, 2018
A sign for the congressholes. Especially the @gop ones like @RepComstock #MarchForOurLives pic.twitter.com/7llgByfLr8
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 25, 2018
After some great ramen at Jinya and a chance encounter with our neighbor Harry, we headed back to the Palomar to retrieve our car and our bags.
It was chaos. And the reason why turned out to be that the kids from Parkland had been staying at the Palomar as well. They boarded their bus to fly back to Florida as we hopped in our car. Amy got a hat from Emma’s mom.
Turns out the Parkland students were at our hotel! As they were leaving Emma's mom gave me a hat! #MarchForOurLives #humble #NeverAgain #EmmaGonzalez #grateful #motivate #BanAssaultWeapons pic.twitter.com/ULsBECxM9T
— notyou (@AmyBarley) March 24, 2018
Five showerheads and a hope that our next visit is just as incredible.
That’s How! Palomar DC
March 8, 2016
When Kimpton does it right, it knocks it out of the park. A quick visit to DC to see the astoundingly great Eighth Blackbird at the Kennedy Center was a perfect time to cash in a free reward night at the Palomar in DC. What a treat. More about the performance on apothecaryshed.
Not only were we greeted by the front desk staff and the valet guys who recognized us, we were upgraded to a killer room: 1024.
https://twitter.com/noplasticshower/status/706954693864497155
The new look in 1024 is bright and spacious. Excellent design.
1024 sitting room
And yes, there was sparkling water.
Hey look guys, the palomar has sparkling water! @kimpton karma. pic.twitter.com/eCkyitcmER
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 7, 2016
We had a cocktail and some oysters with our friend Steph Vogel who ran this hotel for a few years. Steph specializes in lifting a property to its potential, and his touch can still be seen here at the Palomar.
1024 lounge
The window treatments are SO much better!
Natural light on a bright spring-like day
1024 bedroom
What geometry
And yes, the bathroom is huge, with a great glass cube.
The NPS fantasy shower
A private reception at A Bar + Kitchen after the performance was very nice. Meeting the members of Eighth Blackbird was the highlight of course! The mac and cheese was also delish.
Bartender Alexandria Bianco mixed a mean cocktail or two, including the Potomac Bourbon
1.5 Bourbon
.75 St Germaine
.5 Lemon
.5 Honey/sage simple syrup
Blend in champagne flute. Top with prosecco.
As expected @eighthblackbird @kencen was out of this world. Thanks you guys. pic.twitter.com/bkK5NUXB9S
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 8, 2016
When it comes to hotels, management makes all the difference. Five plus mega showerheads for the Kimpton DC.
2016 Last Licks at the Lorien: Alexandria
December 29, 2016
You know that quandry where you’re just below the threshold for Inner Circle status by one night? That. Somehow it happens every year.
Why leave this?
Fortunately, NPS can always make the best of it by visiting Steph Vogel and finding out what he is up to. A little backstory, Steph has run a number of DC-area Kimpton properties, lifting them every time up into excellence: the Palomar, the George, and the Donovan. Now it’s time for the Lorien.
The Lorien’s main problem is competition from the very fabulous Hotel Monaco just down the street (and much closer to the water). The Monaco seems to have sucked up all of the great design resources, leaving the Lorien marooned in the dreamscape ’90s. That is all starting to change now that Steph is in charge.
For example, the bar and restaurant are already going places. Once a scary exclusively white tablecloth space is now a bar buzzing with life and engaged with the street (not to mention soaked in cocktail excellence). Phil Clark runs a very nice bar.
The Lorien bar program is top notch
Get those drinks right! Attention detail, you are now on call.
Just take a look at the glassware. This is top shelf.
Liberty Punch
Bourbon Crusta
The amenity deposited for NPS in 619 highlighted both the bar and the kitchen to great effect. Just gorgeous, very welcoming, and kind.
Fancy a sweet?
How to make a Liberty Punch: Some Assembly Required
Watching the rooms transform from their current stark, almost bland design to something better will be fun. NPS money says that in six months this property will be the hottest ticket in town.
619 Bedroom
Stark
The shower, we are happy to report, is glass shower excellence (and huge). NPS could shoot a movie in there!
Enter the glass door for showering
NPS approved shower
And off the bedroom and sitting room both, is a balcony overlooking Alexandria. Can’t wait to come back and see what that is like in the summer.
View from balcony of 619
Our visit was punctuated by a drink with Phil and Steph at the bar. And then it was off to the always fabulous Restaurant Eve for dinner. Eve did not disappoint. The five course tasting meal was absolutely delicious and worth every penny (that’s lots of pennies for those counting). Three hours of laughter, great flavors, and fun was just what the doctor ordered after this year.
We returned for a nightcap of Liberty Punch.
Four showerheads and massive velocity towards five for the Lorien. Let the transformation begin.
Great food. Great drinks. Great hospitality. 2016, we bid you adieu.
Eventi in the City: NY
March 11, 2016
The Eventi has done fantastic things to their lobby: new bar, open design, coffee shop, street level buzz. It is an important upgrade.
Who replaced the lobby??? Eventi @kimoton NYC pic.twitter.com/zJlDN1nHBK
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 10, 2016
Karma-wise, though, NY is much less personal than the Palomar in DC. It’s the people who make all the difference. Everyone was friendly enough, but NY has so much throughput and staff turnover that nobody recognizes anybody. Oh well.
I was in 1515
1515 Eventi mini-suite
The Eventi mini-suite design is compact, and spacious for NY, but pretty small by the rest of the world’s standards.
1515 sitting area
As always, it was nice to have a note and an amenity from Kimpton. Thanks you guys! The olives were particularly good at 1am after a visit to Lantern’s Keep for a 10:30 meeting.
A visit to @Lanternskeep (no more @thisfellow) for some conversation pic.twitter.com/4fdGCHwb3T
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 10, 2016
The Roman Highball
2 oz cynar
.75 ginger syrup
.5 lime
1/2 egg white
shake vigorously. pour in highball and add seltzer
1515 bed pod with view of empire state building
Blue today
The shower design at the Eventi is particularly fantastic.
Awesome glass and marble palace of a shower
With a bench, because you NEED a bench in the shower
One of those never used tubs
Dinner in tribeca at ROC was fantastic as usual and enhanced by the summer-like weather.
NY penn station @krispykreme fake red deliciousness pic.twitter.com/pVKuQRunC2
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) March 10, 2016
Five showerheads for the Eventi (highly recommended) but more wished for personal touch.
The Carlyle in DC
November 23, 2015
We’re back at a Kimpton, and you know how you can tell? Warm greetings by super friendly front desk staff on a cold day, an amenity that includes a cocktail and some charcuterie, and personal notes. All is well in Karma-land. (It does help to have Steph pulling strings and Thomas Fraher on the case.)
Amenity with a manhatten from the Riggsby
We were psyched to try the Carlyle, one of the newest additions to the Kimpton in DC family. DC is a big city and the Kimpton properties reflect that from the upscale George and Palomar, to the more modest Donovan and Carlyle with the quirky Helix somewhere in between. The Carlyle has the added benefit of being close to Dupont Circle.
We’re way spoiled, so you know which end of the food chain we like. But we also like trying new things! We especially like to try new things when we’re one smidgen from our inner circle status. The plan is for this visit to eek us over the finish line.
722
We’re in room 722 which is one of the King rooms with a hilarious little kitchenette. We won’t be boiling any hot dogs this trip, but you never know. DC has a fine restaurant scene these days.
Will we be cooking in DC? Hells no.
722 desk and glass door to the bathroom
Lil blue couch
Open the bathroom door
The diminutive bathroom has a glass shower, so that’s good
Anyway, this is a nice little pod for a quick business trip into the city. For a weekend away, I would move up the Kimpton foodchain to something more fancy pants.
Speaking of food, Fiola Mare on the Potomac less than two miles from the Carlyle is very good indeed. Italian seafood with excellent old school cuisine and a great atmosphere. Our table with a view was very nice indeed as was the Napolitano waiter. Salute!
Prego @FiolaMareDC. Salute! pic.twitter.com/F7GcCyOHIi
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 24, 2015
We started and ended the evening at the Riggsby. Devilled eggs and jalapeño tots with a Vieux Carré were a perfect beginning. Returning after dinner we had some hot tea and a Fernet or two.
Tea and fernet with Kevin @theriggsby. Great time with @AmyBarley pic.twitter.com/MA8PS1KMlu
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) November 24, 2015
All around, an excellent evening. Now if only that overzealous housekeeper did not try to clean the room at 9am!
We rate the Carlyle four out of five showerheads. Above average and well worth a visit.
They Said There Would be Cupcakes: Palomar Washington DC
February 15, 2014
First things first. We left this:
Snow, dogs, cats, and the chicken palace
For this:
No snow, no dogs, no cats, and no chicken palace
So that was good.
Getting in to DC was going swimmingly until Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked by police just at the wrong time (Whitehurst Freeway doom). Must be a White House thing going on. That debacle cost us 30 minutes and an excruciating crawl through Georgetown. Traffic thereby ate most of the allocated Phillips time.
A quick dash through the Phillips. Bees and Picasso.
Picasso
Beekeeper in the bee room
Then time for a tea at Soho Cafe just across the street from the DC Palomar. (The Soho is a great find, way better than the Starbucks next door.) There was even time for the tail end of a particularly crowded Kimpton wine hour. 30-year-olds everywhere.
Checkin was chaotic. I do believe the Palomar is full to the gills for the dregs of Valentines Day. At checkin, the computer had a hell of a time time finding us, mostly since newly minted GM Abe Liao had plussed us up to avoid plastic shower despair. Thanks Abe! You rock. (Steph Vogel has moved on to become GM of George. Time for a visit to the George it seems!)
Because of Abe, we’re back in the Presidential Suite at the DC Palomar. Sweet.
But due to a massive shortage of cheese, the amenity we were told about at checkin (as Kristen spoofed Abe to deliver a “personal” message) was not in the room when we walked in. Eventually it arrived, cheese included, and all was well with the universe. Great hotel on valentines weekend? Chaos! Chaos I say!
Chaos tilted our way. Cheese, sparkling water, and cupcakes. Awesome.
The cheese did it
Plus the Presidential Suite?! Yay. You should know that we’re here reaping the benefit of staying many nights at various Kimptons all over creation. The Kimpton InTouch program free night thing? Superb. No other hotel chain does it like this. And an quadruple upgrade to boot. As predicted, Kimpton is rocking our little world.
The no-amenity-yet table in 1024. (Yes, 1024.)
NY bag by the bed.
This shower is NOT plastic. Glass cube goodness.
Dinner tonight was arranged by Larry Kilbourne aka “baker Bob,” executive baker at Le Diplomate. So fun to have friends who include the best baker in North America.
Bread and oysters: le diplomate.
Le Diplomate is excellent. And Baker Bob’s bread is truly out of this world. The only thing we took home in a “doggy bag” was some slices of the gorgeous walnut/cranberry bread.
BTW, their bar is top notch too, though way overcrowded.
A negroni and a tete a tete: le diplomate
Let there be cupcakes!
Cupcakes from Jerry Chou
Storm Clouds Gather: Eleven Trips on Deck
September 3, 2015
After a salubrious summer respite from travel, it’s back on the road in a serious way come mid-September. This is good and it’s bad. Let me explain:
1. Washington, DC = GOOD because Kimpton (The Donovan)
2. Boston = BAD because United; GOOD because Kimpton (Hotel Marlowe)
3. Bloomington, Indiana = BAD because United; GOOD because Grant Street Inn
4. NY = BAD because United; GOOD because Kimpton (The Muse)
5. Chicago = BAD because United; GOOD because Kimpton (Palomar)
6. Palo Alto = GOOD because Virgin America; ??? because new hotel
7. Seattle = GOOD because Virgin America; GOOD because Kimpton (Alexis)
8. Pittsburgh = BAD because United; GOOD because Kimpton (Monaco)
9. Denver = BAD because United; ??? because new hotel
10. Las Vegas = BAD because United; BAD because Las Vegas just sucks
11. Hartford = BAD because United; ??? because new hotel
Anyway, we can conclude that flying United is unavoidable when you are stuck flying out of Dulles. Too bad United just sucks. At least the cross country flights are mostly with Virgin America!
We can further conclude that Kimpton is a fantastic hotel chain.
And finally we can conclude that Las Vegas is a living hell, equal parts Disney, porn, and Walmart shoppers.
At each destination, we’ll seek out great cocktails and fantastic food.
Follow along as we blog up the 11 trips. Should be fun.
More Light at the Palomar DC
September 16, 2013
Maybe it’s the weather? But for whatever reason, room 739 is bright and beautiful this afternoon at the Palomar in Washington DC.
Steph Vogel, the GM had me all set up again though I believe I arrived earlier than the plan called for. The guy at the front who checked me it was a smidge flustered when he did not find the envelope with my name on it. But I knew the drill. While I was busy working away on the net upstairs a nice welcome package of cheese, fruit and san pellegrino arrived with a personal note from Jerry Chou. Turns out Steph is a new dad (again)! Congrats to you guys, Steph.
Welcome package with sparkling water.
The room is brighter than it used to be. Or maybe it’s the crisp Fall light.
That ’70s chair.
The hilarious drive up window to the bathroom from the bedroom still makes me giggle.
Bedroom bed with opening to the bathroom.
The shower is very not plastic.
Glass shower cube next to a traditionally unused big old tub.
The sitting room has a purple couch again. And a purple chair. This time there is art in the corner.
The new model room has stuff in the corner.
A side trip to do main stage timing practice for tomorrow’s big keynote at HP Protect at the Washington Hilton reminds me what other hotel chains are like. As they say in Search for the Holy Grail, “run away!”
Tonight (Monday) we are off to have some oysters and delicious beverages at Hank’s Oyster Bar. Turns out that Hank’s is very good indeed. Great oysters and well crafted cocktails. A delicious combination.
We ended Monday night at the Palomar bar, which is making some decent progress as a bar. Jacques, we’re not quite Palomar level yet!! The bartender range is huge, all the way from Obi at one end (unfortunately on vacation in London) to “rum and coke” girl at the other. Rum and coke? Really?! And the ice just sucks. Machine-made cardboard that melts way too fast. Get some real ice please! Best drink of the evening was Dante’s Cocktail.
Dante’s Cocktail from the Palomar bar
Tuesday evening was my first visit to the Columbia Room inside of Passenger. The Columbia Room not only holds up to its own hype but far exceeds it! Wow did we have a delightful evening. Matt Ficke served us well, put up with our geekiness, listened when we talked about mixing drinks (without a hint of distain), and taught us some cool stuff. As you know, we’re no cocktail newbies, and we had a great time. The special service at the end was especially appreciated. We’ll be back as often as we can.
Experimental beverage from Matt
2 oz Laird’s straight apple brandy
.75 oz Amaro Montenegro
.75 oz Gran Classico (which I need to procure for my bar)
Stir with ice, lemon peel garnish.
Five stars and a happy birth of child wish for the Palomar. (Congrats on the birth of Mariela, Steph!) Great visit. Kimpton’s rock.
The Palomar Wars: DC Joins and Surges Ahead
October 23, 2013
For a month now, the Chicago Palomar has been leading the “battle of the Palomars.” With their artists suite hack, replete with house made jerky and a truly outstanding bar downstairs, they were looking like a lock. (Not to discount what San Francisco has been up to this year, I just need to get back there!) But Steph Vogel, GM at the DC Palomar has joined the game, and the Presidential Suite certainly doesn’t hurt!
Super friendly checkin. The valet guys remembered the mosquito.
Room 924 is not just a suite in name, with tons of room and stylish decor.
The fruit and cheese welcome package came in very handy as dinner was slated for late. And loyal readers already know how we feel about sparkling water here in noplasticshowersland.
Greetings
What President would like this?
It’s refreshing to be in a presidential suite that was designed well after the Reagan administration. Compare this gorgeous space to what the nearby Westfields Marriott has to offer. Kimpton = skinny pants, Marriott = khakis.
Presidential sleep land at the DC Palomar.
This chair is crazier than it looks from this angle.
There are two bathrooms in this space, and room for a small gathering.
Powder room.
The master bath has a glass shower and a gigantic whirlpool tub.
Old school glass shower with a marble floor.
The usual sink.
A visit to obelisk (right next door) for said late dinner was solid, but not outstanding. A couple of the creations were remarkable. However, the day’s entres needed more sparkle. Fourth visit not a charm.
It got better.
Cupcakes and san pellegrino!
Imagine that after a long boring meeting you walk in to drop off your computer and you are greeted with cupcakes and a specially concocted cocktail. Jerry Chou made day2 special. Thank you Jerry. (Hey Jacques, you know that sitting a manhattan around in a barrel after mixing it destroys the vermouth, but the guys at Urbana don’t.)
A nice dinner at Noras followed by a visit to Bourbon just up the street made the day complete. And what does Bourbon have in stock?
 William Larue Weller |
 Hirsch 16 Reserve |
Day3 allowed for some time at the Phillips collection after a nice lunch at Bistrot du Coin. The Van Gogh Repetitions show is fantastic even if you have been to Amsterdam (where I will be Monday).
The permanent collection (Bonard)
This Bonard of the purple person shares a theme with the Postal Worker edition six. Disappearing subject.
Purple person Bonard.
Dinner at the much anticipated Range (a Voltaggio restaurant) interesting. Won’t be going back. See review here.
Five showerheads and current lead in the battle of the Palomars to the DC Palomar. Better watch out San Francisco and Chicago!
Kandinski at the Phillips.
Movin’ On Down: Hotel Palomar in San Francisco
January 15, 2015
Here at NPS we have a long and storied history with the Hotel Palomar. This is our annual base of operations during the RSA show (with thousands and thousands of computer security types). And every time we do a Silicon Valley swing we try to tack on a night in the city. We even fomented the “Battle of the Palomars” between DC, Chicago and San Francisco! Feels like home.
[If there were some fresh flowers, we would put a picture of that here.]
But as GM Christopher Smith points out, “Seems like you have a knack for swinging by mid renovation or mid conference shift :).” Yup! So sadly I am sequestered in 831 instead of in my more favorite room style (which when I walked by was in a state of disarray with furniture being moved around in circles.) In the beginning, I was assigned 904 which sounded about right, but that room had a plastic shower?! Horrors. The situation was quickly rectified by Justin.
The right kind of shower on 831.
Uh oh. This is not a glass shower?! @kimptoninsf hotel palomar forgot the only criteria! Soon 2b rectified @kimpton pic.twitter.com/On0E5PiUDU
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) January 15, 2015
Thanks justin for clearing that up! @KimptoninSF @Kimpton a close one! Shew. pic.twitter.com/yW2JROeKV2
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) January 15, 2015
Anyway, there will be no getting lost in this room! But the Internet works and my phone call filled day is going well. About the only other fly in the ointment is a sentence to have dinner in Pleasanton (or Dublin) at McNamara’s Steakhouse. Woe is us.
The room in all of its entirety. 831 Hotel Palomar.
831 Hotel Palomar. All hail the door!
About the only thing that will salvage tonight is a stop by for some cocktails with Brian Means at Dirty Habits. Looking forward to that!
Five showerheads with less water pressure than they need to properly operate for the Hotel Palomar this time. We’ll be back.
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