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.
Manchester for a Minute: The Midland
February 6, 2023
Seems like we were just IN Manchester…because we were. The plan at the time was to go see Florence and the Machine at the AO. But Florence broke her foot in London the day before the show. So our main reason for coming to the UK was obviated. Dang.
We decided to return to see the Florence show if and when it was rescheduled. The show happened February 3rd, and it was magical. 21,000 fans singing along in an emotional outpouring of live music. Florence and the Machine shows are not to be missed!
Last time it was the Lowry. This time we targeted the Midland Manchester, one of those grande dame hotels of yore that has been updated to modern in a British kind of way. The best thing about the Midland is its prime location and a pretty decent bar.
We were assigned 541, a junior suite category room. The coloring is tasteful and yet has all of the life sucked out of it.
We spent most of our very limited time in the bedroom half.
Meanwhile the bathroom had lots of room for, well, we’re not sure. But the shower was quite nice indeed.
The under utilized sitting room. Turns out most of the sitting was in the downstairs lobby bar.
We arrived Thursday morning. Our room was available and ready, which was a very pleasant surprise! Wish more hotels would listen when you tell them you are arriving early from a transcontinental flight. Well done Midland!
It was off for lunch at the Ivy.
Followed by packing to depart (!!), some cocktails in the bar (during which an invasion of penguins occurred), and a fancy pants dinner at the French. Dinner at the French was very good indeed, but still seemed overpriced. The table space deserves some rethinking.
We slept in and headed to Bills for breakfast the morning of the show. Or more accurately, early afternoon. Bill’s is a great place to relax over a long breakfast with some Bloody Marys.
We spent a bit of time wandering Manchester, but before we knew it, we were off to the concert. We made a detour through Five Guys on the way over for a Maryland burger.
The concert was fantastic.
Late night drinks at the Midland bar were fun even when the ABBA clad Germans invaded. Each time we inhabited the bar, we found excellent bartenders willing to learn and a bit frustrated by lack of certain ingredients. We deleted the Fernet.
The whole trip, though a whirlwind, was well worth all of the flying.
Four showerheads for the Midland Manchester.
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