Charlottesville Develops an Actual Hotel! The Forum
July 27, 2024
First off, NPS has a special place in its collective heart for Charlottesville, having graduated from UVa in the mid-80s with a degree in the lucrative field of Philosophy. But that is neither here nor there. Trips to c’ville happen every once in a while, and up until now there has been nowhere decent to stay. See here for evidence.
Now there IS a very good hotel, situated fittingly up by the business school and the law school. The Forum is where to stay when you need to be in Charlottesville. And yeah, it’s a Kimpton but not like the real Kimpton used it be. It is actually an IHG property with an echo of Kimpton charm in its chord structure.
We drove in through some very much needed rain that turned into a major thunderstorm delaying the show. Our plans to “grab some dinner” on the walking mall were thwarted by the storm and by the fact that it was restaurant week too (who knew?). So we got a bite at the hotel sports bar that was surprisingly good. The negroni set was excellent. If only the TVs would all just disappear.
We were situated in a terrace king room 345 (maybe). The room was very nice, but the terrace was so wet we couldn’t really use it.
The bathroom is pretty not bad, and the shower is glass.
About the only thing to fix is the “roll up the sidewalk” time which seems to happen around 11pm. When you come in after a show at the Ting Pavilion and would love a nightcap and a midnight snack you are forced to raid the paltry minibar.
The best thing about our trip was the show. Andrew Bird and Nickel Creek all on stage together?! Holy cow. It was a magical evening. Pictures and videos from the show here.
After a nice stop at Greenberry‘s for strip mall breakfast, we drove home the back way through the stunning beauty of Virginia.
Four showerheads for the Forum. Step up the game on the bar and restaurant front, and know your guests! We will be back for sure.
Secret Mission to the Monaco Pittsburgh
July 13, 2024
We’re on a secret mission; our second, actually. And we’re having a great time while we’re at it. There was baseball, there was jazz, there was art. We’ve been to the Monaco before and it is with a wistful feeling that we experience the last of remaining Kimpton spirit on the planet. Keep the spark, Rob Mallinger!
When in Pittsburgh, see the Pirates.
As has become habit, we stayed in 835, a one room suite. This room is about the opposite of a hamster cage, and we like it. We blew by on our way to the game, but were not able to check in early.
There were furries from the convention all over town.
It was a beautiful day, and we walked to and from the Pirates Stadium.
After the game, we were greeted with a drink in our room. Somehow the hotel overlooked that there are two of us here, not just one. Gotta fix that!
The cocktail featured local falernum rum which is very good indeed.
We leaned up in the way non-plastic shower (even using the soaking tub) and headed to Con Alma for some dinner and jazz.
A nightcap in the Commoner was fun. We almost started to experiment, but then hit the wall. Long day in the sun! We do need to try swapping cointreau for luxardo in a Last Word. Sounds great.
About the only disappointing surprise at the Monaco was the room service breakfast experience. We should have gone downstairs instead of hoping to have a nice breakfast together in the room. Time to get past COVID!
We had some very good meetings about our top secret mission, and then headed (slightly late and confused by the GPS) over to the Warhol. The staff was excellent and helpful with our departure, loading the car and having everything ready. They even snuck in some gift Maggie’s Farm falernum which was extremely thoughtful. We found an ABC store and stocked up.
Five showerheads for the Monaco. Hopefully our plan will come together (just like on the A Team).
IHG bores the shit out of us at NPS. They are so Marriott. I mean, any chain that can eat and destroy Kimpton and also proudly includes Holiday Inn Express has to be awful.
So here we are in Boston for a TAB meeting and the official hotel is this monster. Nopey nope nope. You can have it.
We were in 1128 which has concierge floor access. Our room was a hamster cage with a crazy window between the bathroom and the bed. Why? Who knows why. We had a great view of the massive A/C units that droned on all night.
The lounge on 12 had a decent snack and breakfast spread and excellent staff. It all served to remind us that our room was not made to hang out in.
There was a clock phone radio (?!) instead of a charging station. LOL.
But we were in Boston and that’s what counts.
We had a nice group dinner at Trade. Delicious but perfunctory.
We also had a group lunch at Nebo. Very good as well. But also very corporate Italian.
After the meetings, we spent some time at the ICA. See more here.
A very fancy dinner with Spoolia at Mooncusser was excellent but overpriced for its level of service. We were side swiped by intense conversation fueled by Rye.
And then, in a twist of very bad planning we flew back home to get to the Kennedy Center for the National Symphony Bowie show.
Four showerheads for the Intercontinental in Boston along with a sincere hope that we don’t have to stay there again.
Middle of Nowhere? Try the Smith House Inn
June 21, 2024
It was an ill-fated plan that failed along two predictable dimensions. But it was worth investigating. The investigation involved a trip to the middle of nowhere in Pennsytucky where we were surrounded by bikers—well people on bicycles with ridiculous lycra clothing anyway. It was about as far from dangerous as you can possibly get.
We stayed at the Smith House Inn in Confluence. I mean if you are staying in Confluence, you might as well stay there. You can pretty much walk everywhere else in 4 minutes or less.
We had dinner, a bad negroni, and a ridiculous lighning lashing on the river at River’s Edge.
We had espresso at the Tissue Shop and a laugh about meatballs.
Three showerheads for the fly speck.
In Portland (Oregon) with Friends
May 14, 2024
This wanderlust trip was set up just to visit friends. We flew United. We still believe that United domestic and United International are two completely different airlines. We also believe that the “plus points” nonsense is just that…nonsense. Sure would be nice to have a domestic airline that was not a bus.
We landed just after sunset. Mt Hood was visible on landing. Our friends T&G live up on the hill overlooking the city. Portland remains as lush and green and slightly soggy as ever.
We spent Friday visiting the Silver Falls State Park. Absolutely stunning. (Click here for many more fabulous pictures.)
On the drive back, we followed our nose through the back roads. We could almost see 17 peaks from there.
Lunch at Whiskey Hill Store was just what the doctor ordered.
We visited the nearby winery for a taste. They made it very hard to actually buy some wine. This is kind of a Portland anti-capitalist thing, we suppose. It was raining.
There was pool…out of politeness we decline to say who prevailed.
Everyone wishes to remain anonymous.
There was some kind of strategy game with random rules, enhanced by a delicious negroni or two.
Cornell Farms is a fantastic place for breakfast (if you don’t mind waiting for a while).
After breakfast, we changed locations across the river and down the hill to a sweet little bungalow—the house of e.
We did some thrifting and some ice cream eating. Salt and Straw is special. We changed into fancy pants. We visited bible club for a cocktail with even more friends. Very nice vibe (including the waiting in the rain listening to 80s covers part). Romey was psyched to meet Cate.
We had dinner at Kann (which took some setting up way in advance). Kann seems to be out slightly over its skis. The food is fantastic, but the ambiance is industrial and slightly over-aware of its own presence.
The next day was devoted to propping up the American economy by buying things: books (at powell’s of course…the best bookstore on earth), clothing, and cocktails. You could say it was a perfect day. We started at Cheryl’s for brunch.
Day drinking in the rain at the Teardrop is a thing to experience.
The dog did not participate.
We picked up possibly the hottest Thai food in the United States and crashed early.
The next day it was off to town for coffee and sushi (at the tiny mizu). Then the Kennedy School.
We sure do love visiting our friends!
Tyinkrysset Beckons, or Maybe it’s Randonee
May 2, 2024
After time in Stockholm and Oslo, the cabin was a welcome respite. We scooped Anne at the central station, and started our journey on the bluff above Oslo at the “Rose Castle.” The side trip was extra special because after 22 years I finally met Gøran’s mom. We all missed Romey.
Then it was a long drive through beautiful country to the cabin. There was still plenty of snow.
.
We used the cabin as a base of operations for two trips up even higher into the mountains. The first was to Tyinstølsnøse (1386 m) on Saturday. Just amazing.
UP
DOWN
In between we ate delicious fish, drank negronis in tiny mugs, slept not quite enough, and cooked over the fire outside.
Sunday morning the weather was perfect, so we had to don our skis and do it again. This time we skied straight up behind the cabin through the woods. The snow was so perfect that alpine back down through the woods was easy enough.
This is how I really felt.
The time was way too short, but my body was ready to rest. After our Sunday ski, we loaded up the car and headed to Bergen for another talk, some Norwegian “tacos” and a fancy dinner out.
The tacos (and the boys, who are quickly becoming young men).
The talk…
The present.
The cocktails at No Stress.
The dinner at Chérie.
A short but fantastic visit to Tyinkrysset.
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.
An Absolute Gem in Stockholm: Ett Hem
April 23, 2024
Though NPS has been to Sweden a handful of times, this was our first trip to Stockholm, and it probably won’t be the last.
Ett Hem is a tiny luxury hotel that does every single thing right. The staff is so professional that they feel like really particularly helpful friends, the food is absolutely world class, and the grounds (two buildings with a few rooms in each) are gorgeous. Needless to say, the showers are not plastic.
After a delayed arrival (on Swiss Air, whose business class equipment and service did not match United’s standards(!!)), we all met in the second floor common room in the building with the restaurant (that is, the building that includes its own bakery where they mill flour). We had a Negroni from the honor bar and caught up after some years. It’s always fun to introduce good friends who have yet to meet, in this case a Finn and a Norwegian.
Of course there was a mandatory hot shower and checkin in to the rather small but well appointed room 29.
The shower was most excellent.
The fact that the bedroom is small is made up for by the extensive common rooms (like the one where we met) and run of the entire well-groomed property.
We snagged a dinner reservation at Matbaren Mathias Dhalgren, the kind of resraurant designed and executed for foodies. Dinner was excellent and service was just as fun as our furnishings were quirky.
Then we had a nightcap at the Grand Hôtel bar. The cocktails were good but not fantastic, and the vibe of the space is pretty much what you would expect from such an old school hotel. Ironically, my two friends decided to get another drink and I left the scene early since my reason for being in town was a breakfast seminar a couple of days later at the ungodly hour of 8am. I guess that’s one way to avoid jetlag…just blow right through it!
After sampling the outstanding Ett Hem breakfast we made a quick visit to the photography museum.
Then we shot some video of our own, but with more clothes. And played some team building company trivia games. After which dinner at Soho House was an excellent experience. Always fun to hit it off with friends of friends. It was taco Tuesday in Sweden, and, well, Swedish tacos are hilarious.
On our way to A Bar Called Gemma we stopped in at Grodan for a cocktail or two.
Gemma was a much better craft cocktail mixology joint than Grodan, but it was also slightly slouchier and grimy.
Then it was up way early to give the talk. We decided to try out the restaurant at Ett Hem for lunch. Outstanding.
Ett Hem is worth a visit to stockholm for all by itself. Magical. Fiver showerheads with no reservations at all.
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.
Grown Up Fun in San Diego: The Lafayette Hotel
February 28, 2024
What a difference a day makes! First of all, we have to thank Kevin who has his finger on the pulse of San Diego. He has been to the Lafayette before for dinner and knew what a cool place this is. And is it cool? Yes.
The lobby and the main bar are excellent. Quirky and strange and fun.
I was assigned room 226 after only a slight delay. The hotel is “eclectic cluttered” flavor, but somehow the design sensibility works. I guess it is possible to make things hang together by building a collage of most everything.
226 is rectangular, but it doesn’t feel like a hamster cage. About the only thing that needs work is the noise level. 226 faces the street and it is a bit noisy (for non city types anyway). The hotel did manage to get super quiet for about four hours around midnight when the power was taken down for construction. The quiet woke me up.
The hotel did its homework and greeted NPS with personalized stationary, a note about birthday, and a bottle of prosecco.
The difference in level of service between this hotel and the previous destination is like night and day. Thet have the NPS demographic nailed here.
I mean, just look at this bar. Apparently there is one of these in each room.
Home negroni? Why not.
Underberg?!
And the shower? Not at all plastic.
It was time to unwind from the meetings and talks. So down to the bar to await the arrival of my dinner companions
An expert-level Negroni with clear huge ice. Yes please.
Dinner at Quixote was very interesting (and expensive but well worth the price). The restaurant is a restructured church moved up from Mexico. Really interesting. The cocktail program is top notch and willing to play. We started with a CR#2 of course and moved on to a Paloma and some fernet.
Dinner is served tapas style. The lamb belly on mole was delicious.
Stringy cheese fondue.
NPS has never had cactus before.
After a brief stop by Heaven we headed to the game room to play some games. Fooseball!
We made a relatively early night of it, stopping in at the pool bar for a Paper Plane nighcap before crashing.
And then it was morning. Enough time for a leisurely breakfast before heading to the airport and back to Virginia.
All in all, we barely scratched the surface of the Lafayette. (We did learn to avoid the road side.) And we tried out a few of the many options here for fun. Suffice it to say, we will be back. Five showerheads and a dip in the pool next time for this excellent hotel.
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