The Hotel Van Zandt Austin, Texas
January 19, 2022
Ah Kimpton, you’ve become so corporate. Such a great hotel chain ground down by middle management cost cutting and the boredom of crank turning. Dang. We remember the old days, yes we do. They are never coming back.
Anyway, getting to Texas on United was not so bad even in double masks. The flight was very sparsely populated, though it is a longish one. Austin is a great city to visit. Or is it a town? Kind of hard to tell. Here’s the story of our brief stay at Hotel Van Zandt.
The only pair of actual cowboy boots at the hotel when we were there happened to be ours.
First of all, IHG has forgotten everything about what NPS likes. Just for the record, we like high floors, certain kinds of pillows, and rooms with no plastic showers. We have also become accustomed to welcome notes from the GM, delicious amenities, sparkling water, and sometimes even a craft cocktail greeting us in the room from a barkeep hired by Jacques. Not this time. Even though the Kimpton twitter dwarf (they used to be fairies, but corporations) was given the heads up, not one bit of prep was done. Kind of astonishing, really.
So NPS paid a pretty penny for an excellent king spa room with a view, and was given a plastic bottle of water at checkin by the Assistant Manager who had obviously not read our secret file in preparation for our arrival. Hell, there probably isn’t a secret file anymore.
Room 701 is a great room style category. But the floor? Not a high one. The amenities and water? Nope. And the “lake view” is mostly a dusty construction site surrounded by homeless encampments. Seriously. Every city we’ve visited lately has a massive housing problem. What is wrong with this country?
The bathroom was awesome. Great tub (which we used a bunch) and a nice glass shower.
Not plastic
Tub with a view (that cuts both ways)
Sink area
The king size bed is surrounded by a bank of windows on two sides. The view will one day be better.
Given our late arrival sometime just after 8pm, we headed for a drink to Geraldine’s on the fourth floor. It was a Saturday night and the unmasked Texas crowd was dense. After ordering an outstandingly made Negroni (what ice! what ingredients!) we opted for dinner. Dinner was delicious, service was smart and snappy, and all was well with the world. There was a band. They were OK.
Negroni featuring Botanist gin and Antica Formula vermouth…a house favorite
Behind the glass
Sadly the restaurant was not open for breakfast during our stay. Instead there is a starbucks knockoff cafe on the ground floor with a microwave. Not the sign of a great hotel, guys. Frankly, the place feels more like a Marriott than a Kimpton. No human touch and no magic.
Sunday was devoted to fun without a plan. Brunch at Fixe was absolutely stellar. Great Bloody Mary’s and cinnamon roll biscuits. Fantastic food and friendly Texas service. We took our time.
Bloody Mary of the highest caliber at Fixe
Hard to describe how delicious this was
The famous deviled eggs
Shrimp and grits with some garlic kale and a poached egg
In a great mood and in weather befitting Spring (60 degrees), we headed to South Congress for some idle shopping. Our only real destination was Heritage Boot Company. Though we got no pictures, we did manage to pick up a knife for my kilt and three pairs of handmade boots. We even had a margarita of sorts with “Mr. Avocado.” Great people, great boots, and a down home Texas vibe. (Thanks Kimber.) NPS hears tell that once you buy one pair you are on a slippery slope to ten. We shall see.
View down Congress toward the state house
Coffee and people watching at Jo’s Cafe
We did manage to singlehandedly support the American economy with our credit cards. And then it was time for a margarita and some music at Half Step. The margaritas are on tap. We were served by Nick Cage himself.
Margarita @halfstepbar served by nick cage himself @LoveTequila @rivco pic.twitter.com/PYH26aasFP
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) January 16, 2022
And that band. Three blind fellows joined by two sighted musicians and a heap of funk. These were real Austin professionals.
Have a listen for yourself.
About the time we extracted we were late for our dinner reservation at Canje. Dinner was excellent. The jerk chicken was hotter than hell. The drinks were fun. The vibe was casual.
Seated at the bar (our choice)
An emergency clothespin
Jerk chicken that will blow your mouth off
Really it would be hard to ask for a better Sunday in Austin.
Monday was a work day with a working lunch at Qi. Get the soup dumplings.
Part of the late afternoon meeting happened at the Proper hotel. This place is interesting but just a little too artificial after an hour in the lobby. The music loop may kill you if the extruded ice doesn’t. Dinner was slated for upstairs at la piscina ceviches and fajitas. Our hosts are enamored with their fajitas. They were (as Sammy says) pretty not bad.
The highlight of the evening Monday night was a quick stop by the Roosevelt Room. What a place. Cavernous and somehow still intimate. Superb cocktails served with whimsy and great care. One of the top bars in the world for sure. NPS had a paper plane (with a paper plane) and a Liberal. Yup. Amer Picon in the house. We seem to have lost our party all night energy during the pandemic, especially after a full day of working in person. So we’ll have to go back. Thanks for the hospitality Justin.
The paper plane with a paper plane
Yet another emergency clothespin
The list is first class
A Liberal in Austin
Well, Austin, we will definitely be back. We’ll probably buy some more Heritage boots. We’ll definitely have a few more drinks at the Roosevelt Room. But we’ll stay at the Driskill. Three showerheads for the Hotel Van Zandt where you get what you pay for (and nothing more).
Portland (of the Oregon variety)
September 30, 2021
On only the third airplane ride post Covid vaccination, it was across the country to Portland in two hops.
Queen Tibia presided at home in our absence.
Dulles was mostly empty on a Friday late morning.
The purple chair
An uneventful set of flights (through Denver) was marred only by the masks everyone must wear. We can’t wait for a vaccine mandate for air travel. It’s coming! HUGE KUDOS to united airlines for requiring all of their employees to be vaccinated. Smart.
In fact, Portland is a bit of a study in what is to come in the rest of the country. Vaccination proof is required in bars and restaurants. Even seedy little dive bars like the Jack London Review where we had an excellent time seeing mononeon. But I am getting ahead of myself.
First it was a quick run by Hertz to pick up a crappy rental car and head to the Kimpton Riverside. Well, it used to be a Kimpton. Now it is an IHG thing. We knew from last time to book room 325.
325 at the Riverside Portland has a fireplace
The living room
The bedroom with a view of the river and the park
The riverside has only two rooms with glass showers. We did not secure either. So we got this…
Horror of horrors! A shower curtain. We’ll give them a pass since it was fabric and not plastic.
Lauren Groff’s excellent new book The Matrix was apparently designed for this table
We had a negroni. We devoured some oysters. We saw old friends and their spunky ultra-intelligent progeny. We ended up at mononeon where we watched a show that seemed like a Prince show from the early ’90s. Less charisma, but just as much crazy energy and a collection of interesting cats including:
- A black female goddess drummer with the biggest afro ever (she was the real band leader and a great singer)
- Two white guys who played OK leads while hiding behind a pole
- A DJ who started things off
- Two rappers, one of whom was utterly obsessed with getting everyones’ hands in the air
- A sporadically present trumpet player
- A 20 year old lanky stripper who was having trouble fending off the lesbians in the front
- A token white girl who came on late with a guitar she halfheartedly strummed while she sang (her hair was up in that Prince entourage kind of way and she must have been wearing lingerie)
- Oh yeah, and mononeon himself who apparently convened this group and then got so high he forgot it was his show
Mononeon in his chair
The music was great, the dancing was contagious, and the most fun thing was watching the young one dance uninhibitedly.
That lasted until 3am EST which was way past everyone’s bedtime. Super fun.
Then it was Saturday morning and time for a great breakfast at Cheryl’s. The beignet alone was worth the wait. We bought a Patagonia jacket while waiting because we heard that you can’t really leave Portland unless you buy one.
Then the highlight of the trip! Three hours in Powells. We bought 30 books, some bags to carry them on the plane in, and a shirt. World’s best bookstore hands down. MUST RETURN.
Every time
We love Powell’s so much. Everyone in all of the other towns is very jealous of your book thing Portland.
24 (of 30) books
After a brief respite on the courtyard terrace, there was time left for the Saturday market (always worth a visit if your tie dye supply is low or you need a crystal).
Contemplating Portland traffic
Then it was time for dinner. We chose Normandie, which was a bit green but good. Hip and relaxed, this place needs to get its A game on. Before dinner cocktails at Hey Love were better than dinner. We both enjoyed a Loprinzi’s Mule:
- .5 cynar
- .5 amaro cio ciaro
- 2 oz don q añejo
- ginger syrup
- tarmarivel syrup (tanarind paste, cinnamon, grapefruit rind, sugar)
- soda in a collins on the rocks
Loprinzi’s Mule at Hey Love
All of a sudden it was Sunday. We started out late with a brunch at Olympia Provisions. My vegetarian companion was not amused, but I was. So we headed out to get some juice and ended up buying cabinet pulls for The Stick instead.
Portland has a huge homeless population, and it is evident all over the city. Beater campers, tents with patches and multiple tarps, lots of garbage. The United States has fallen short of many of its citizens, and you can see that in Portland first hand. Late stage capitalism on the streets.
Don’t tell Romey, but these were actually really damn good
Next it was off to the Portland Art Museum, which frankly you can skip. Mediocre at best. Plan to spend less time than you think.
Some shopping at Wildfang got us moving toward Japanese Gardens which were so crowded we bailed and drove straight to the Kennedy School to check in. Room 113 is great.
Of course as hip and fun as it is, the Kennedy School still feels like 1997 in the rooms. Time to update! Especially please replace the beds.
ALERT: THIS SHOWER IS PLASTIC
We had a drink in the courtyard while working on our dinner plans. Portland decided that two days without rain was anathema. The rain came. And it wasn’t kidding. But we borrowed some umbrellas and headed back to town.
A visit to the Teardrop Lounge was fabulous as always. (You don’t need a reservation, but you do need a great attitude.). A Raffles Singapore Sling was in the cards.
Then a fantastic dinner at Takibi. Delicious, modern, and very Japanese.
Takibi
A superb drinks menu
It was still raining on Monday morning when we got up early to prep for a business meeting. It must be the rain that caused us to eat such a huge breakfast at the Kennedy School. Surely.
After a rainy morning talking about ML and security, we enjoyed lunch at Southpark Seafood with some new friends who turned us on to Betsy and Iya, a fantastic boutique jeweler and clothier. Hard not to get some stuff there!
Then the Japanese Garden in the pouring rain. A magical place and far less crowded once the witches all melted down.
Finally it was back to the Kennedy School to catch Pig in one of the coolest places to see a movie anywhere. We had burgers and watched the show.
Negroni in the hall
Our seats for the show
One more gigantic breakfast (yes it was still raining) and it was off to the airport for our quick flight to Dulles.
A fantastic visit to Portland. Almost like the before times.
Four showerheads is the max for both Riverside Portland and the Kennedy School. Does Portland even have glass showers anywhere?
Jim and Chloe Babysit a Kitty (Sonoma)
June 28, 2021
Lulu
The extended weekend part of the San Francisco trip was built around kitty sitting for 9 week old LuLu in Guerneville. Jim and Chloe arranged it all.
We started Friday morning in San Francisco and headed directly north. Lunch was in Sabastapol at Handline.
Wut?
Lulu
After dropping off the bags and taking a swim, we headed out to Flowers Winery for a tasting. Frankly, flowers is really nice in a Disney-eque, just a little too too kind of way. Nice people with a script, and wine with a story that’s been focus grouped. I’m sure most people love it.
Magnolia
It seems as if a majority of the wineries on the beaten path in Sonoma stick with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. I prefer when they diverge.
We headed into Healdsburg for a cocktail in a plastic cup at Duke’s Bar. The highly tattooed bartender that originally served us (who just so happened to be a woman) was fantastic. The other hipster guy who looked exactly like one of those bartender guys was not. Not bad, but also not good. Don’t seek it out.
There there was a quick trip to Safeway for Crunchberries. We did manage to hold off to have those for breakfast. Some people had never tried them before.
Breakfast of champions
Photographic evidence
My view from the best seat in the house
Dinner at Bravas Tapas was passable. Nice food. Very touristy. Sadly the best restaurant in town was booked by people who plan ahead.
Saturday morning started with the kitty under the covers, crawling down the length of my body to my toes. Hilarious kitty. Also lots of purring by the head.
After our breakfast of champions, we headed to Flying Goat Coffee to meet a friend who joined us for the day. A hike at the Healdsburg Ridge Preserve was just what the doctor ordered. We brought a delicious picnic and consumed it on a bridge…kind of reverse trolls handing out cherries.
Then it was off to Stuhlmuller Vinyards for another tasting. Great vibe. We brought pastries, had a great chat, and tasted some good wine. The italian varietals mixed in made the wines in my view.
On the way home to swim, we risked death by patchouli hula hoop girl and stopped by Safeway where a Dead cover band has been playing since before the Dead actually started in 1962. The mission was Palomas. So we needed Pomelo San Pelligrino. Here’s how to make a Paloma:
Paloma
Squeeze 1/2 lime into whiskey glass and leave the lime husk in
2 oz reposado tequila
large cube
fill with sparkling San Pellegrino Pomelo
We escaped with our lives, but the music is still with us. The Palomas by the pool were absolutely worth it.
Jim and I headed down to town for dinner at Brot (in greater metropolitan Guerneville). Delicious and fun. Highly recommended.
Then it was nightcap and dessert time. We hit El Barrio (about which expect more in the future) for excellent cocktails and a shot of mezcal. Then the formica-clad bar at Main Street Bistro and Cabaret where we heard some very good local music. The band was playing “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” by Traffic.
Main Street Bistro and Caberet, Guerneville
Live cover of Traffic's "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys," fernet, and dessert https://t.co/dQKr7CcALe pic.twitter.com/9VutvdGMmV
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) June 27, 2021
Up early for a Sunday morning visit to Medlock Ames Bell Mountain location. This was the best winery of the entire California visit. Just fantastic. A great tour by an enthusiastic and very knowledgeable young woman, fantastic grounds (including nice gardens), a look behind the scenes at wine in production. Just very nice indeed.
The generous hosts
I have become a huge fan of this winery.
On the recommendation of our host at Medlock Ames, we hit Davero on the way home. There was no way to arrange a proper tasting at the very last minute, but we had a glass of Rose with a Barbera base in the incredible gardens. We were joined by the very happy dog. There was a pig.
Davero has so much down to earth charm. There are some wineries that could learn a thing or two from these interesting people.
We had a lunch to be forgotten on the way back home…something that remains with me now as I write this. Blerg.
After a last dip in the pool, it was back to the city to get ready to fly.
But first, ramen from Coco’s.
Ramen number 2 @rivco Coco's Ramenhttps://t.co/Hr1XaRpGLA pic.twitter.com/bJtvy7U0wp
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) June 28, 2021
This second “first” trip post pandemic was memorable in all the ways. Excellent friends, great food, wine and cocktails, and interaction with many humans. May we all recover our balance and live life again properly.
One day soon I hope to be back at this very spot
San Francisco Post Pandemic
June 27, 2021
How exactly do you get back on the horse after a year of not even being in the barn? Or remembering you’re on a farm? Or much of anything? Well, we’re well on our way to finding out. In all honesty the first post pandemic trip (to Mobile, Alabama) was so shocking that we skipped the blogging aspect entirely. Culture shock, people shock, and total documentation whiff. Great trip…but so rusty.
Here we are in California visiting friends we have not seen in just over two years. Dang. Actual humans not in our pod! We really missed them.
The first order of business was getting on an airplane. And of course, United was the default choice. We took a look at the trips put in deep freeze way back in February 2020, pulled one out of the freezer, and thawed it out. Other than the mask mandate, things are pretty much the same on a cross country B787 flight. The waffle thing was terrible. I mean serve Eggos for goodness sake.
Flying on a @united B787 dreamliner in Polaris pod 3B. First class is not full. pic.twitter.com/yKbXE26lJF
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) June 21, 2021
The coolest thing about coming to California from Virginia has always been how much time you get back on the way out. By flying at 7:30am, not only is Dulles completely empty and easy to navigate in the morning, arrival at SFO happens around 9:30am.
It was off in an airport taxi (SF cabs STILL suck) for a tag in at Doug and Laura’s new house in the city near Golden Gate park. What a find! The showers are not plastic, the dogs are friendly (if a bit stinky) and the friends are priceless.
Dog of the slightly less stinky than the other one variety. Louis likes to hop up on the bed.
Lunch at Crepevine was a little too huge. The fries are really good.
Then it was over the bridge to Oakland for some BIML business with Open Philanthropy. This bridge thing was to become a recurring theme on the San Francisco part of the trip. Then of all places Ruby Hill for a friendly business visit with Neil and some delicious sushi.
Neil has a new house. It gives a tour of itself. We opened the very first bottle of wine in the new house…an NPS honor. Sushi was ordered and served.
The neighborhood dive nearest to Doug and Laura’s is called the Fireside. The bartenders are friendly, and the drinks are, well, I had fernet every time, so who knows how the drinks are. If you are lucky, you will be privileged enough to buy a beer for a Nigerian prince. Or maybe just someone from Rhode Island.
Fireside bar fernet pic.twitter.com/CsMlivfW0O
— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) June 22, 2021
Our fearless leader in Sonoma
Tuesday was an all day run up to Sonoma with Jacob. We started with some oysters at Tony’s Seafood. Amazingly, it rained on us. But that was OK, because the big tent kept us dry and boy does California need the rain.
Oysters at Tony’s
After lunch (man was that bread good), it was up to Ridge Winery on mostly side roads. The drive was fast and beautiful. The sky began to dapple blue and soon the blue leaked into the clouds and covered the sky as we worked north.
Ridge is a great place to sit on a beautiful day and sip good wine from old vines. Delightful and recommended.
Ridge set a high bar, and one that Mazzocco could not reach. Great decor there, but nope on all other fronts.
Then it was back to the city for ramen at Iza Ramen. Yes please. Just go there. Wow. Real ramen like the before times.
Iza Ramen, San Francisco
A nightcap at Churchhill, which is a great old school bar. They used to sell the antique collection bourbons for way under retail price…sadly, they have figured out how much to charge now.
The real thing at Churchhill
Churchhill
Finally, a late night with friends at 54 Mint. I really missed the energy of Jacques during the pandemic!
Then somehow it was Wednesday. We started with tacos at Underdog Tres, a romp in the Japanese garden, and a visit to the botanical gardens (the latter two in Golden Gate park).
Underdog Tres
We were joined by Dr.Chess.
Then after a brief respite at home, it was off to ABV for some world class cocktails where we finally met Chris in person.
Drinking with @noplasticshower at @ABV_SF! pic.twitter.com/z4bYrHuLLU
— MacCocktail (@MacCocktail) June 24, 2021
ABV
We tried to magic our way into State Bird Provision. But no dice. So it was back toward home for some peruvian food at Fresca.
Fresca
Then back to the Fireside. This time there were zero African princes around.
Thursday was reserved for Alameda, the beach, and a sunburn (?!). It was a beautiful day over there once we got over the confounded bridge.
Everyone assembled at Blackbird for pre-dinner drinks at six. Blackbird had just re-opened (like everywhere else), and the permanent staff was as great as always.
Blackbird
A deceivingly pink mescal concoction.
Then, just to put a crown jewel on the day we walked over to Izakaya Rintaro for a world-class dinner that was as good as anything in the before times. Excellent food, fun service and great friends. Yup.
After a last showing at the Fireside bar, the San Francisco visit came to a close.
See you soon!
And it was off to Sonoma bright and early Friday morning.
Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh: Kimpton at its Old Best
February 9, 2020
Hard to believe it has been five years since the last NPS visit to Pittsburgh! Dang. The great news is that the Hotel Monaco in Pittsburgh is like stepping into a Kimpton time warp—in all the good ways.
The first good thing was discovering that our ancient Kimpton points of yore (which were transformed into some kind of mystery pointy prickly spire IHG points) were still valid and useful! Who knew?! So a quick cycle with GM Rob Mallinger hooked us up with our very favorite room at the favorable price of zero.
You may recall that 835 is the bomb. And the staff at this hotel is just awesome. In particular we want to give shouts out to Matt for an outstandingly personal welcome and to Annalisa for going above and beyond the call of duty to retrieve some data for us while we were out and about. Outstanding.
Welome to 835. Wine, cheese, a personal note. Yes, welcome indeed.
835 Living room
835 bed room
This shower is not at all plastic. Yays.
It snowed. Classic Pennsylvania. Arriving after 7, we found a sea of fundraising private school hipsters dressed to the nines. It was well nigh dinner time. Fortunately, Rob set us up at Union Standard where there were oysters, Negroni’s and other good eats. Sadly, by the time a leisurely dinner was consumed, the plan to hit up Butcher and the Rye had the kibosh put right on it. Who closes a good bourbon bar at 11 on a Saturday night? Well, apparently the James Beard winners do. Alas.
Union Standard
A dirty martini? On this blog?! WTF?!
So it was back to the commoner (found in the basement of the Monaco) for a nightcap. Though the clientele leaves a little something to be desired (Trump country assholes abound in the PA private school world), there was good Rye. Not to mention Gina, a delightful barkeep. (The bar itself was established by Kenny many years ago and then properly curated by Mike Ryan before he headed to Sable to build another gem.) The commoner bar is still world class.
At the commoner, Gina and some rye
So how do you recover from all that Rye? With some “Pittsburgh hash” at Pamela’s (a great greasy spoon diner for breakfast). Right next door, you’ll find some very interesting tiny ass doughnuts at Peace, Love, and Little Donuts (sic).
Pamela’s, a Pittsburgh tradition
Just like it says
The Warhol museum is a great place to visit in Pittsburgh. Excellent art properly curated. See pictures here.
Excellent Taiwanese comfort food can be found at Cafe 33.
And there is live music in Pittsburgh. Saw an intimate show of aging punks featuring John Doe. See lots of pictures and videos here.
john doe krisin hersh grant-lee phillips pittsburgh
Day two breakfast was just super good. Great espresso, tasty crepes and art. Make sure to go to Geppetto Cafe in Pittsburgh for breakfast.
Geppetto Cafe Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is hoppin.
This old school Kimpton thing going on at the Hotel Monaco is well worth five showerheads with a couple of plus signs tacked on for good measure. Wish there were more like this in the rest of the country!
Pullman Sydney Hyde Park
February 3, 2020
OK, so the Pullman Sydney is trying to update itself from the ’70s, but apparently this is all being done on a budget. Time to spend some money you guys. Here’s a list:
- HVAC that works when it is above 80 degrees outside
- Updated furniture for ALL guestrooms
- A place to shower on arrival from flying across the world (that is not associated with a swimming pool or a gym)
- Three working elevators
One of us staying here this visit got stuck in an elevator for 7 minutes. Another waited 29 minutes for an elevator down. A third ended up going up in a service elevator and walking down 21 stories to meet us in the lobby. Elevator tech? This is a solved problem. Spend some money.
While we’re at it, lets talk about having rooms of the right category properly assigned. The front desk, though super nice, was also super clueless and did not pay attention to instructions. As a result, night one was spent in 1515, the proper kind of room on a non-updated floor. No really, the decor needs work. Here is 1515.
Ye olde ’70s color scheme
A not very clean couch that is orange. Nope.
Purple
After a set of progressively silly room swaps and 24 hours, room 1915 (which had, you guessed it, broken HVAC) became available. The room category is right, and there is an updated much more hip color scheme.
Here is what 1915 looks like.
Brown
Much nicer
Some apology fruit was provided along with a note.
Apologies.
The shower in 1915 is still a hot tub based thing that is amusing. The one in 1915 is better than the one in 1515.
As far as NPS is concerned, the Pullman has worn out its pretty clear warnings. No more stays here. Ding. Finito. Basta.
On the other hand, it is Sydney. So that’s good. That means aquariums and maritime museums. Art and cocktails. And great food. Sydney is a fun city to visit.
95 degrees is too hot for this poor hotel
There was a boat race.
A visit to the rocks and the MCA was a blast on a Sunday.
Lunar new year
El Presidente at Old Maid’s Place
\
We’ll all have one please
Pisco sour
Dinner at Bibo was really delicious with great wine pairings and delightful company. An after dinner drink at Shady Pines? Not so much.
The Palisades is a very hip and fun place for dinner. Cocktails at Door Knock are top notch.
We’re demoting the Pullman from a low three showerheads to two showerheads. We believe that is below the threshold.
Bloomington Done Right: The Grant Street Inn
January 17, 2020
You know how we feel here at NPS when it comes to generic hotels. The good news is that this trip (off season and not on a game weekend) the Grant Street Inn had our favorite room available. Needless to say, this place beats the heck out of the Hyatt Place.
So here we are in room 31. Sadly the fireplace has been disconnected and no longer functions. In fact, there are a few things that could use sprucing up…like better furnishings, no ancient radio, no phone that plugs into the wall, and some outlets built into the bedside table. You can do it guys!!
The first trip of 2020 started out great with a last minute upgrade from United who seems to have changed their upgrade policy to make things more nail biting for Global Services members. Not sure how we feel about that.
And then there was the hilarious stretch limo that the car service used to get us from Indy to Bloomington.
While in Bloomington, visit the Irish Lion for a stiff drink. And have some food at Anyetsang’s Little Tibet Restaurant.
The Grant Street remains our favorite location to stay in Bloomington. Four showerheads.
The Lorien for Battery Recharge Through Cocktails, Art, and Conversation
December 16, 2019
Ah the Lorien, it has been a while! Since NPS last visited, IHG has done all it can to change the Kimpton chain it acquired into something we don’t recognize. The good news is that many excellent people remain, like Steph Vogel who we count as a friend.
We were assigned little nicely renovated rooms without plastic showers. Just right for this one night extravaganza. NPS was in 414.
