Trapped in Heck at a Marriott in New Jersey
May 26, 2011
Sometimes my very glamorous existence has epic FAILs. Here’s one. Yesterday, the meeting I flew up to New York for did not happen. Emergency crisis? Bad planning? Who cares. All I know is that I ended up reading my email in NY when I could have been doing the same thing from my screened in porch. Alas. At least my trip to the Guggenheim more than made up for that, but then things took a major slide for the worse when I headed out to LGA.
My United Express flight from LGA to IAD was delayed, and delayed, and then delayed, and delayed again before it was finally cancelled at 9pm (90 minutes past its scheduled departure). And yes, it was the last flight to Dulles from NY. The 1K desk was not very helpful. They couldn’t even get the system to eject my checked luggage so I could retrieve my toothbrush. I was able (after the first delay) to get United to hold a spot on the first morning flight out of NY, which happened to be out of Newark. Always hedge your bets on the first delay. On my way past baggage claim to get a cab, I saw my luggage sitting in a pile and took it with.
Over by Newark there are a whole host of awful airport hotels. There must be thousands of plastic showers within a mile radius. So I checked into the concierge level at the Marriott. The Marriott remains a chain holding to everything this blog is about avoiding. Here is the polyester filled bedroom.
The bathroom is about the same size as the one at 70Park, but no sense of style.
And the coup de grace. Yes, this shower is entirely fabricated of plastic.
Here is the worst part of Marriott design. The light weight mirror closet that reflects the emergency escape instructions (which show just how many hamster cages are included on a floor).
Marriott remains very near the bottom of the noplasticshowers food chain. One showerhead. Avoid, Newark? Just take the train in to the city and pay 3 times more.