Palomar DC Does its Wonky Thing
May 15, 2013
Things can be a bit chunky at the Palomar DC—sometimes hot, sometimes not—just like the political situation in this city. After my last whirlwind stay here, Hotel Manager Stephane Vogel noticed and promised a better stay this time. He delivered. Thanks Steph. Hotels that listen and respond are high on my list. Kimpton is really outstanding at that. (FWIW, as I was typing this entry, Steph dropped in to say hello and chat. Great guy.)
I find myself in civilization between meetings with no desire to fight traffic in and out of the city. But I know DC pretty well since I live 60 miles door to door from the White House. Beltway traffic can suck.
Room 539 beats 438 hands down. More space, much better design, and a glass shower that rocks in the morning with great water pressure. Without further ado…
Bedroom in 539. Nice light-up bedside tables with ample power.
The purple couch. Fit for Prince or maybe Morris Day.
Work console. Faces window which faces a brick wall. Wonky.
The welcome package was set out on a customized placemat map of DC. Very silly and fun. And also wonky. (Hey, am I a “Mr” or a “Dr”? The placemat says both.)
Ye olde welcome package, with not one, but two bottles of Pellegrino. Hit the spot.
The all important glass shower is situated in a really cool bathroom design with a window over the gigantic tub overlooking the bedroom.
Bathroom window could be used for drive in service from the bedroom.
Shower cube through the mirror.
A visit with my brother and Esther to the bar revealed a nice space with a decent bar run by Obi and Joe. There is some trace residual Jacques evidence, but all in all the bar is not quite where it needs to be yet.
Obi is a tiki-influenced barman. We sampled two of his concoctions. The Southern Belle
1.5 oz bourbon (they are stuck with Makers but Blantons would be far better)
muddled mint, lime, and cucumber
a splash of simple syrup
Stir down and serve on a highball on the rocks.
The other drink had a name, but the menu on the net is stale. We’ll call it the DC Stinkbug Tiki
1.5 oz Appleton Rum (I would switch this out for Mt Gay Eclipse)
.5 falernum
.5 lime juice
3 muddled springs of cilantro
Stir down. Serve with a splash of club soda on ice in a tall cup.
All in all, five showerheads for the DC Palomar. They’re not quite ready for the Palomar wars, but they will be soon.
This afternoon is an outing (on quasi business) to the National Gallery to see the Durer exhibit followed by a Cyber War discussion over dinner.
And do I miss United airlines from this trip? Nope.
In Piazza Della Signoria a Disneyfied Location in Florence
March 28, 2013
Firenze (or Florence as we English-speakers call it) is the tourist mecca of the Renaissance. Things have been pretty much the same here for 1000 years. Except for the swarm of Americans that is.
We’re staying at a small hotel (pretending that it is a B&B) called In Piazza Delle Signoria. It’s a hotel. The Leonardo room and the Botticelli room are both very nicely appointed in a sort of nouveau rich way—almost tasteful but not quite.
But the view? Unbelievable. And the location? Could not be beat.
The view from our window at sunset.
The Leonardo room is large and has beautiful huge windows that open on the square. The only issue with the room (and this has more to do with this part of Florence than anything…kinda) is a tendency to fill with a whiff of sewer gas when it is sealed up. Opening the windows solves that problem.
The bedroom.
 The bed is large and very comfortable. |
 Angels overhead. |
The bathroom is about as tiled as possible. It’s also a bit hot since the towel heater is on perpetual hellfire and damnation mode (it should be called fra savonarola). No turning that thing down. I suppose it would be nice if it burned up the swamp gas?!
Tile in the bathroom.
We should also say that though the local wifi net is fast and well-designed, the ISP that the hotel is connected through must use a straw or semaphore flags. Expect delays and dropped connections.
And no need to practice your Italian, because I met only Americans staying here (if you count Canadians as Americans, that is). All very nice, interesting people.
On the other hand, the shower is awesome (esp for Europe).
 Modern shower pod with slidey curved glass. |
 Sink pod. With tiles and random water pressure. |
All in all this is a very nice place to stay. We’ll give it a high four showerheads rating.
Some advice if you stay at this hotel. Do not ask the night managers (as the case may be) where to eat. We were directed to the worst meal on this trip at the truly awful Acqua al 2. We have heard from locals that it used to be good. It is not good at all now. How could you be any good shoving 300 Americans through night after night?! After complaining (in Italian no less), the owner cooked me some very nice penne with their signature sauce. But the stuff we were served before that was truly awful. Avoid this horrible restaurant. (And note for the record that picking a non-tourist restaurant in Florence is an NP Hard problem.) A discussion with Monica cleared up the bad data problem I hope. She seemed to know better than the very nice but clueless night manager (a labrador retriever?).
Fortunately we were joined by Stefano the next night for a delightful and delicious meal at Il Latini which was so much more genuine, delicious, and Florentine that it is hard to imagine the difference.
Day 1: San Lorenzo market (many leather goods). The Uffizi. Shopping in Oltrarno. Buying shoes and all the other stuff that entails from Jennifer Tattanelli at Casini.
Ponte Vecchio from the Ufizzi.
Day 2: Bargello, then Academia delle belli arti (for David of course), followed by a very late lunch at a local enoteca. Then the most important part of the day. Eli’s haircut at Ciro (thank you Jennifer) where Marco was not only fabuloso, but careful and kind as Eli had his first real cut in 8 years. He looks great. We topped things off before dinner with a trip up the Torre.
Palazzo vecchio torre.
Da torre.
Dinner at Golden View was excellent. Not only was everything superb: there was jazz, modern art, buontalenti gelato, and Grappa della cantina privata bocchino 1994. Best meal in Firenze by several kilometers.
But the devil may care, even as its head is removed.
Back to the Zetter in London
March 19, 2013
I was just here at the Zetter in November and was completely psyched to find a hotel that did not suck in London. The Zetter and the Zetter Townhouse way do not suck.
Somewhat miraculously, United did the right thing by me on this trip to Europe with in advance upgrades on both ends. (Isn’t it ironic that merely acceptable behavior by United is so rare that it deserved kudos?!) So maybe I was in a great mood even on 3 hours of “plane sleep.” No matter what it was, though, the Zetter staff made me feel immediately welcome on my arrival.
The Zetter as seen from Workshop Coffee.
The front desk staff kindly allowed me to use room 101 to take a shower in the morning since someone was still in the room I was ultimately destined to stay in. Room 101 is great for a shower.
 Room 101 TV. |
 Room 101 shower (ahhhh). |
Room 101 is about the same size as its bed.
But even after breakfast and a shower, I still had some time to kill before my room was ready, so I headed over to the Zetter Townhouse to get some work done. I was met by head barman and gracious host Kamil Foltan. He and I sat in the back getting work done and chatting every once in a while for a couple of hours. Finally, room 503 was ready. It was worth the wait.
Eyes to the right.
Room 503. Curved windows overlooking the city.
Eyes to the left.
The work nook. Sadly, lots of actual work is happening here.
I must admit that the bathroom on 503 could use an update. The shower is pretty good, but it does have a shower curtain. You all know how we feel about that around here!
 Smallish bathroom through the door. |
 We will pretend this curtain is glass. |
I guess over on this side of the pond they have not yet started to install insanely large tubs that I never have time to use next to a glass shower cube. Alas.
The view and the gorgeous balcony more than makes up for the bathroom.
View from 503 balcony.
The new London pyramid and a cathedral share the skyline. Classic London.
Too bad about the weather though. Rainy and gray. Oh well, that was to be expected. All in all a five showerheads rating for the Zetter again. Great space, great staff, excellent all around.
London from the Tate Modern restaurant. Rain rain rain.
Coffee Workshop wallpaper. ARRRR!
In other London news, the Clerkenwell neighborhood remains interesting. The best coffee I have ever had in London can be found at Workshop Coffee just down the street from the Zetter. Mixology at the Zetter Townhouse is still in full swing (I must admit that I go for more boozy and bitter than they seem to have taste for on their menu, but you can get a Liberal!!). The Tate Modern is one of my favorite all time museums (loved the Sphinx by Fini).
Petit Sphinx Ermite by Leonor Fini (Tate Modern)
Inside the Zetter Townhouse. View from the couch (which was almost denied us by the little girl minding the door).
Superb dinner at Moro.
Kamil introduced me to a new rum at the Zetter Townhouse. Almost as good as Havana Club Cuban cask strength Anejo. Wow. And get this, it’s from Venezuela.
Santa Teresa 1796 rum from Venezuela.
A dinner right next door at The Modern Pantry included one of the best desserts I have ever been served in an upscale restaurant. We had some trouble with the Zetter front desk getting dinner set up, but persistence paid off.
Another restaurant worth mentioning is The Tramshed where you can find great steak, a cow in formaldehyde (Damien Hirst), and lesbian petting in the gents.
This is not the cow you’re looking for.
After dinner we went for a romp through Happiness Forgets (which was obviously teleported in from NY) and the Artesian at the Langham which is just a bit too posh for its own good, for example proudly proclaiming itself the “best bar in the world.” Happiness Forgets is excellent indeed. Artesian? Meh. Though the rum selection really is the best I have ever seen.
We handle posh by ordering this:
A posh drink with a purple skull phone from Artesian.
That’s Dr. Apartment to You (New York City)
March 3, 2013
We’ve been here before, but it was a while ago—Penthouse Apartment D (or PHD). It’s nice to have a corporation sometimes!
We’re in the city to see Kandinsky at the Guggenheim and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe. Also had some great meals (at the Guggenheim’s superior Wright Cafe and Aureole).
View from the 38th floor.
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Laundry: feature of bug?
These are not the machines you’re looking for.
One notable cocktail recipe from Aureole is the Tim’s 135
.75 oz Dubonnet Rouge
.75 oz Eagle Rare 10 year (this needs to be plussed with something hotter)
.75 Campari
.75 Lillet blanc
Shake. Express orange peel and drop in.
Off to Maialino for brunch (thanks to Jaques for helping us massage the reservation situation) before flying home.
The apartment is super convenient. Close to Penn Station. Right in the middle of everything. Beautiful view. But then there’s the laundry.
Zetter Hotel London
November 12, 2012
I may have finally found a noplasticshowers-worthy hotel in London (there must be zillions of them, but I keep not finding them somehow). The Zetter Hotel is located slightly off the beaten path in Clerkenwell.
A very early check in was available for me at 9am after I made my way from Heathrow (via the express train to Paddington of course). The short taxi ride from Paddington in typically awful London traffic was a standard London “welcome” to pair with the dreary gray day. After all that, it’s really nice to relax and have a hot shower.
I am in room 501, one of the rooftop terrace rooms. It is microscopic but very chic.
The room is up a short set of steps from the door. The terrace overlooks (dreary) London.
Orange. Yes, orange.
At least the TV shrine has hip seating.
Now on to the shower situation. Which is…interesting.
 A small but stylish bathroom. No plastic in sight. |
 A very interesting shower head built into the ceiling with a light. |
The shower head is so interesting that I thought I would go for a noplasticshowers first. Video.
Other interesting features of 501 include the terrace.
The famed rooftop terrace.
Though the view is not exactly awe inspiring like the one at 70Park.
London.
Then again, it looks great in the morning.
London in the morning.
And in late breaking news, when I returned to the room after a long day of meetings I was greeted with a personal note and some chocolates:
From the department of better late than never, a welcome note and some chocolates.
The Zetter is a five showerheads place.
On the mixology front, the Zetter has an associated property around the back called the Zetter Townhouse which has an absolutely world class bar. The scene is relaxed and very eclectic with a superb and subtle staff. After an appropriate period of authentication, I connected with barman Nicola Piazza. We talked Amer Picon, absinthe, and calvados. I tried one of Nicola’s experimental beverages (among other drinks).
The Zetter Townhouse is excuse enough alone to stay at the Zetter.
I returned Tuesday night and spent some time working with Kamil Foltan (head bartender) who was even more knowledgeable and just as fun. We talked bourbon and rye. He mentioned 69 Collebroke Row and Birds & Tail as very good bars to try in the future. Also a sushi place called Tetsu Sushi (Jerusalem Lane). One of the drinks we played with is called
Ward 8
1 oz Bourbon (or Rye as the case may be we used Rittenhouse 100)
.5 Lemon
.5 Orange
.5 Grenadine (dry)
2 dashes Angustora
2 dashes Amargo Chuncho
(Unrelated data on NY bars: Dead Rabbit and Mulberry Project.)
This afternoon, I spent 3 hours at the Tate Modern. Mind boggling. I am now officially in a weird mood.
We’ll leave you with this.
Chicago Palomar Rocks On
September 13, 2012
Last time I was here, I was on a whirlwind college tour with my son. This time was business with more time to stretch out and enjoy this superb property.
Attention to detail is a great sign. Pre arrival email threads with Jake Forbes, Jacques Bezuidenhout, and Mike Ryan set the stage for some excellent mixology. Sable is really doing it right. Best hotel bar ever.
Arrival was punctuated with a note and a concoction from John Stanton. I have to say, this is not only the most interesting, but also the most on the mark arrival package the Kimpton has ever produced. Superb.
I am in 1427 this time, one floor down from my first stay with exactly the same layout and design. The complimentary upgrade was much appreciated (especially since Chicago prices were way too high this week due to some convention or other).
The bed has not seen enough sleep hours so far. (Had to get up at 4:30am today to fly to Minneapolis for a day trip.)
Bedroom through the mirror. Power pods on the tables are a welcome addition.
The sitting room came in handy between meetings in the city.
Sitting room where work was actually done.
And the shower is way non-plastic. The shower is huge, but it needs more water pressure.
Shower not plastic. Tub not used.
Design sensibility abounds.
By far the best part of this visit was time spent at Sable with barman John Stanton. John was eager to chat about spirits, ideas, and experiences. Excellent. Among other drinks, John concocted these two:
Blood Moon
1.75 Bourbon
.75 Carpano Antica dry vermouth
.25 Luxardo
dash Laphroig 10yr Scotch
10 drops orange bitters
Stir. Strain in rocks glass, chilled and rinsed with Laphroig. Express orange peel over glass.
Autumn Rose
1.5 Matusalem Clasico Rum
.75 Carpano Antica dry vermouth
.5 Lemon juice
.5 Yellow Chartreuse
.25 Honey syrup (2:1 ratio)
2 dashes Angustora
Shake and strain.
The mixology coup de grace was a visit to the office (an “uber exclusive speakeasy”) arranged by Dan. Superb. Oysters with tinctures. Wow. They outshone the exquisitely concocted drinks. Must return.
Other Chicago mixology (your mileage may vary): Barrelhouse Flat (Greg Buterra), Delilah’s, Whistler, Scofflaw, Drawing Room, and of course one of the best, the Violet Hour. Minneapolis mixology: East Street Social, Marvel Bar, Maude’s (chad).
And there is always the Art Institute of Chicago on a gorgeous day.
September in Chicago.
I will be back to the Palomar and to Sable whenever I am in Chicago. A gem of a place to get some business done. Five showerheads.
Amsterdam in Spring: The College Hotel
May 9, 2012
Regular readers know that the College Hotel is by far my favorite place to stay in Amsterdam. We’re running a small Conference here this week, and the venue is absolutely perfect for a meeting.
And get this. Serious mixology is available at the College Hotel now too! Bartender Luke Gerntsen is leading the way and is particularly good with the knife.
I checked in way early after an awful flight and a swing and a miss at Privium (did I mention that United sucks? Oh OK). The College Hotel was kind enough to allow me to shower in an unoccupied room since my room was not yet available. Here is how the shower in 301 looks. 301 is cramped but quirky. All bed.
 Shower in 301. Nice to recover in from a crap flight on United. |
 Bathroom pod in 301. |
Lunch with colleagues (which we’ll just ignore) and a trip to see the tulips began to improve my mood.
Keukenhof beauty. Stunning.
Upon return, my room, 123, was ready. My first reaction was that I preferred 105, but 123 has grown on me and I enjoy the three major windows and light during the time I spend here in the daylight. FWIW, I was met with a fruit plate and a personal note, which is a nice touch and fairly uncommon in Europe.
Through the double doors.
The shower is plenty big with multiple heads (including a soaker) and a very interesting double door.
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The rest of the room is set on two levels with a sitting room (small but very nice) and a bedroom. The layout is quirky and nice. It takes a while for me to remember I am in Europe and to recall the size of my apartment in Trento way back when!
Window seat in the sitting room.
Comfortable bed (well, anything is great after 36 hours awake).
Architecture.
Now back to mixology. Mads Voorheove (who I suppose it Luke’s understudy, but who is very good in his own right) mixed up a nice Royal Navy for me, after which we had an extensive lesson in Genever. We tried three Bols products (Songe Genever, Oude Genever, and the one I have at home…trendy Genever for export) and two Corewyn products (standard and 10 year). Both of the Corewyn products were superb.
We visited Feijoa and said hello to Rob and company. The rum selection is still top notch. And then we paid a visit or two to the speakeasy at door 74 where we were served by Ben and Tess.
What a joy to have real drinks in such a nice hotel. Life is good.
Palomar Chicago: A Real Gem
April 5, 2012
Stop three on the college tour extravaganza involves Chicago. We tried out the Palomar for the first time (I have stayed at other Chicago Kimpton properties but not the Palomar), and what a great idea that was! The Palomar Chicago is excellent. (General manager Nabil Moubayed apparently runs a very tight ship.)
We spent only about 15 minutes in room 1574 before heading out to Chopin Theater for The House’s showing of Death and Harry Houdini. Thanks to concierge Bobby Gonzales for getting us tickets to a show that has been sold out for months. Also thanks to Ashlee Benes for pre-stay banter on the net.
The suite was really very nice. Two large rooms with a connecting third rectangle that included the luxurious bathroom and a hallway.
 Bedroom view. Comfy. |
 Sitting room with a hide-a-bed sofa. |
In what has become classic kimpton style, a bottle of wine, some hand made soda, and a gorgeous cheese plate welcomed us to the room. The loot included a magical hat and a bunny rabbit to hook into the play we saw. We were able to enjoy it all in the blink of an eye before we disappeared.
 Magic hat. |
 This is the most beautifully constructed cheese plate ever. Compliments to the chef. |
The bathroom in 1574 is exceptional. Beautiful crisp design. The only fly in the ointment is a lack of killer water pressure. That is easy to overlook, however.
Bathroom through the mirror shot. You can see the huge (unused) tub.
Ah. Glass shower cube.
View from the shower.
Though our stay was abbreviated by getting up at 4:45 (again! before 5am), the Chicago Palomar is now high on my recommended list. I will be staying here again for sure.
The highest of high five showerheads and our appreciation.
Longing to Escape the Hotel California, Santa Monica
April 1, 2012
Ah nostalgia. I stayed here at the Hotel California for my brother’s wedding about fifty trillion years ago. We had a great time. Apparently that had nothing to do with this hotel.
This week we’re doing the obligatory college tour extravaganza, visiting 9 colleges and 5 cities in 8 days. LA:Palo Alto:Chicago:Minneapolis:Boston.
“Relax,” said the night man,
“We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave!”
Lemme outta here! No longer a fan.
Plastic shower? Yep.
This is a plastic shower. It is plasticy.
Shower on a tub. Nice tiles though.
Looking up, there is a skylight.
Heaven is escaping from the plastic shower.
Is that the ocean I hear or is that Ocean Avenue? Given the room assignments we got to pick from, probably the latter.
The bedroom is small, the TV is big, the color is yellow, the closets fit a “half dead guy” (either parsing with a preference toward the half body), the sheets are not clean enough, the son gets a cot. Blech. One lowly shower head for the Hotel California. What was I thinking?
Plus their wireless internet really sucks (as bad as Patagonia at the tip of South America). And on day two they forgot to clean the room.
 The bed room is situated very close to Ocean Avenue. |
 Cot equals suck. Jack says the couch is better. |
But there is the Pacific ocean. And Chez Jay across the street is a great place for dinner. All in all, day one of the extravaganza was ok if you don’t count the hotel.
If you are coming to Santa Monica, stay at the Georgian!
On the mixology front, things are looking a bit dated in Santa Monica. I had an interesting concoction at the LACMA (which has a real bar hidden away between contemporary and modern. But even at Jiraffe, where Rafael Lunetta prepared a world class meal, the fallback (a Negroni) was all I could scrape up. There must me good mixology in LA, I just haven’t found it yet. I think the people are spending all of their lucre on cars instead of liquor.
Here is the recipe for Halfway to Havana from the LACMA:
Dark rum classico (10 years) [I would use eclipse] 1.5 oz
Amaro Montenegro 0.5oz
Sweet Vermouth 0.5oz
Orange bitters (Fee brothers west indian orange)
La La Land Revisited (Georgian Hotel, Santa Monica)
June 16, 2011
The Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica is a classic place. Touches like the ancient elevator gear and the HUGE 1933 peepholes make me happy. Plus the space is meticulously cared for with a sense of style straight from the ’30s. I remember listening to my Italian friend singing along with the music on the porch (in Italian) to a love song from his first marriage. Very touching and romantic.
 Ancient elevator controls make me happy. |
 This '30s peephole is 3 inches in diameter. Both sides get to see. |
Room 503 is a very nice ocean front suite. Plenty of windows but just a bit too close to the Santa Monica traffic.
The bed room is connected to the sitting room through double French doors.
Sitting room with a view.
The bathroom is all black and white tile and mirrors with plenty of space and a nice design. No glass cubicles in the ’30s though.
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Five showerheads for the Groegian. Excellence.
My favorite part of today was dinner with some good friends just north of Topanga Canyon. Babies and puppies, who could ask for more? My second favorite part was ditching the conference lunch for a quick run to the Getty for a bacon cheeseburger and look at the Irises.
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