Oslo Again: Of Course it’s Christiania Teater
April 23, 2024
Welcome fernet.
Room 620 for the win. The upgrade/refurbish is almost complete.
Dinner at Brazilia was not very brazilian. But it was fun.
Breakfast is the best.
The talk came early.
There was team building at CUBE. It was fun even though the pizza was bad.
Always great to hang out with friends.
BTW, you can skip all of the tourist restaurants at the fish market pier.
It was a short trip, bookended with the Rose Castle on the way to the cabin.
Five showerheads for the Oslo hotel of choice.
The Hotel Washington, Washington DC
March 19, 2024
Steph Vogel now runs the Hotel Washington. And you know what that means…an attentive staff, attention to detail, and all around excellence. In fact, you might accidentally find yourself believing you have been transported to a Kimpton of yore. (Trust us, Kimpton used to be excellent…)
We arrived in the late afternoon, just in time for a cocktail at sunset in the rooftop bar.
The staff knew us by sight (due to the wanted poster in the staff room, no doubt). We were given an excellent suite, 820, bumped up three flights by someone paying attention. Sadly, Steph is out of commission with a major skiing injury, so we did not get to see him.
We were greeted with a personal note, a snack (saved for late night) and a bottle of Pinot Noir (much appreciated by Romey). Though it has been a while, all of our preferences were not only noted but met. Attention to detail is so rare.
820 is a beautiful corner suite with lots of room to spread out. We were bummed that our schedule was so tightly packed.
The bathroom is great. Only one quibble with the shower involves water pressure.
The bed room completes the suite.
We dropped our stuff in the room and headed up to the rooftop. After a few sips of our Negroni we were able to score a seat by the open windows.
We watched the sun set over the white house. We saw the President’s motorcade depart as well. Classic DC.
And then it was a fight through the wedding hoards and a quick uber to dinner. Rooster and Owl (recommended by Steph) is outstanding. We shared a bottle of champagne.
Next was the 9:30 club for the late show. Thievery Corporation was a blast.
We were in bed no later than 2:30am. Then up too early for brunch at the Jefferson (which you can skip).
Fiver showerheads but a distinct absence of Steph for this visit. We hope to be back soon.
The Catamaran: The Tired Part of San Diego
February 27, 2024
Back in the mid-’90s we spent a bunch of time in San Diego. One of the first annual trips was a visit to NDSS, a geeky conference always held at the Catamaran hotel. That must have lasted a decade or more. A return in 2024 (some 15 odd years since visiting the Catamaran) shows the toll that time has taken.
You see, the Catamaran has spent more on the common areas (which are very pretty but also just a bit wrong…like, say, a pool area where you are required to wear a wrist band as if you are an untrusted 20 year old) than they have on the rooms. Nobody seems to have considered fixing up the rooms since maybe 1982. Or maybe they spent all of their budget on marketing drones?
So you go from this:
To this:
Hamster cage with no design sensibility and indestructible furnishings. But wait, there’s less. How about the Holiday Inn bathroom console (featuring communal soap)? With a vinyl floor?
But you are here for the shower. Here is a prime example of the worst kind of plastic shower. Oh let us count the ways: lilliputian tub only a foot deep and made of plastic, obesity bar, plastic shower curtain (with a see thru plastic window portal design), and a shower head that does nothing to improve the flaccid water pressure. A big nope.
Here, watch the plastic shower in all of its glorious action…
There are good things about the Catamaran, like friendly staff, a good restaurant, and an espresso bar that knows how to make a real macchiato. And it’s right on the Pacific! But we’re not surfer dudes.
There’s an excellent coffee bar nearby too—pump coffee.
A visit to Ken Sushi Workshop is a great idea. Excellent.
Ultimately, room 218 is so dissatisfying that it was time just to jettison the plan, pack up early (after the morning meeting), and switch hotels. A lowly one showerhead and no more chances for the old Catamaran. It has sprung a fatal leak.
Chez Georges: Santa Teresa Rio
January 16, 2024
Staying in Rio? Definitely get yourself a hotel in Santa Teresa. After a few smashing days in Leblon, we were ready for some more authentic Brazil. Santa Teresa fits the bill.
Chez Georges is owned by architects, and it has only seven rooms. The location is outstanding, with excellent views over the city, a perfect line to sugar loaf, and access to Santa Teresa from the top. The design sensibility is world class (though the property itself could use some TLC and some closets). The vibe is chill. Unfortunately, the staff is a bit too chill (though incredibly friendly and nice) and could use a dollop or two of professionalism.
Seems that the Georges caters to a younger, less experienced demographic. I mean, we can go with the flow, but at this stage of our lives we are spoiled rotten! We even have our own band.
The top of Santa Teresa includes the drowned rat overlook.
We had two rooms at the Georges, the first a regular suite. There were no closets anywhere (which if you have, say, wedding dresses and kilts is not the best of circumstances).
Late lunch at Cafe do Alto was unique and just as fun as the karaoke was terrible.
Night view.
The shower in our first room was fantastic, with an unparalleled view.
Monkeys in the morning.
Fruit in the trees.
One of the great joys of the Georges is the breakfast spread. Fresh fruit. Great company. Hella views. You will likely have to use the espresso machine yourself to make a decent coffee.
A side trip to the MAC in Niterói was most excellent.
Dinner at Aprazivel was very nice and somewhat soggy as the clouds finally burst. We took a cab the 600 meters home.
We switched to the George Harrison suite for the last two nights of our stay. Still no closets. The shower was nice, but not as nice as the first room. And good luck finding a flat iron, arranging a salon, or even finagling an ironing board from housekeeping. Slack slack staff.
We were in Rio for a wedding. The wedding itself was magical. Here we are all suited up and ready to go.
There were, of course, some wedding events, including:
guided tours
philosophy sessions
poetry
and some joyous dinners.
And then there was the big surprise!
Romey said she would like to be a McGraw.
We packed up on our last day and then headed to Sugarloaf for last licks in Rio.
Four showerheads and some mandatory hospitality training for the staff at Chez Georges. Such a beautiful place deserves to be best in class.
NYE in Rio de Janeiro: Janeiro Hotel
January 16, 2024
The Janeiro Hotel in Rio is one of the best hotels in the city. Directly on (well, across the street from) the Leblon beach, the Janeiro is beautifully located to walk to Ipanema (that is, if you even feel like leaving Leblon). The beach is typical Rio, less crowded in the early morning and then a mob scene from 11am on.
We were on the 8th floor in the suite (maybe 851). The idea was this: Our friends D&C were getting married on the 6th, so we decided to head down early for NYE in Rio and some time on the beach. It was a great plan.
Dave points out that the wedding is that way.
The trip to Rio is long (18 hours for us over two flights, the longest one being almost 11 hours). We reserved our room the night before arrival for easy check in. Car service from the airport was provided by the hotel.
The hotel itself is modern, clean, and well-designed. Our shower was top notch (built into the room with two showerheads, lots of room, and a view of the beach).
Non-traditional layout avoids the hamster-cage problem with panache.
We were greeted with a personal note and a NYE welcome kit, including some great stuff from local designer Osklen and a bottle of Mumms.
The staff at the hotel is highly professional and world-class without being stuffy or stuck up. And the hotel itself is an easy place to hang out. So we did.
Our haunt at the top of the hotel included a great bar with yummy snacks.
Christ the redeemer was obscured by clouds. Fitting.
Of course we had a bazillion caipirinhas while in Brazil.
Breakfast was available in the room…
Or in the dining room on the second floor…
The (tiny but nice) pool was also at the top of the hotel.
We had ramen in town at Pabu Izakaya and an excellent dinner at Teva (a vegan restaurant). Don’t get pizza from Fratelli (you have been warned).
On NYE we visited the happy couple and met some of the crazy Australians in Ipanema. NYE Dinner at the Janeiro (a special occasion) was only so-so. This was kind of a surprise given the high quality of the hotel’s food otherwise. Cooking for a large crowd is a thing. We skipped the big party in our zombie-jet-lagged state and watched the fireworks from our picture windows. It was a nice evening.
BTW, Brazilians wear white on NYE. We had no idea. Next time we’ll be better prepared.
The holy trinity: espresso, fernet branca, and the Redeemer on the mountain.
And yes, lots of time at the beach. Alto risco!
Our New Year’s Day Blade Runner tradition was upheld with a bottle of champagne.
We did some shopping while in Leblon, picking up some great clothing at Osklen and some special wedding shoes.
All in all our first few days in Rio were outstanding. We had some fun with our friends, spent some quality time on the beach, and decompressed by the pool during the New Years festivities. We even upheld the Blade Runner tradition.
Five showerheads and a tip of the NYE hat to the Janeiro.
Back to the Christiania Teater Hotel in Oslo
October 22, 2023
The beautiful and funky Christiania Teater has experienced a face lift. Even room 620 (a long time NPS favorite) has been updated.
The Fly2Get train in from the airport is a snap. The upgraded decor a welcome change.
Funky art in the hallway.
The orange juice machine remains the best in the world. In fact the entire breakfast situation is top notch.
Cafe Skansen is well worth a visit. Great place for a business dinner.
Fireside chat? In Oslo it is the real thing.
Engage.
The Munch museum (iteration three) is well worth a visit.
Himkok seems to have jumped the shark. Good luck edging in past the masses! We tried the Swan instead. Which was OK.
On the other hand, Indian food at Mantra was excellent. Great decor and the best indian so far in Oslo. And Dinner is a good place for dinner, though the food is much better than that work-a-day service.
Then it was off to Tyinkrysett.
Five showerheads for the Christiania Teater hotel. We will most likely return sooner than we think.
The Dupont Circle Hotel: Washington DC
October 22, 2023
Generally speaking, we don’t frequent too many DC hotels since DC is so close to home. But sometimes timing is such that a night in a hotel is in order. The Dupont Circle Hotel is centrally located and not an unreasonable place to stay. Nothing to write home about, but good meeting facilities and proximity to plenty of good things to do.
The outside patio is a nice place for a Negroni on a fall evening. Do note that the bar closes down rather early.
A corporate dinner event at the Lafayette (in the Hay-Adams) was very nice but exceptionally old school even by DC standards.
We were assigned hamster cube 804. The view of the construction site (where jackhammers fired up at 7am) was unobstructed.
Though by no means plastic, the shower was still slightly wrong.
Jackhammer guys.
Excellent meeting facilities.
Four showerheads and some more imaginitive fun and games for the Dupont Circle Hotel. We didn’t get that room on the roof from the website. LOL.