Hotel George a Washington DC Gem
August 22, 2014
Leave it to my friend Stephane Vogel to arrange for the presidential suite! My first stay at Hotel George (a Kimpton hotel) was super fantastic. And the shower is simply not to be beat.
Room 801 (the presidential suite) at Hotel George
After a warm greeting by Blair at the front desk, I headed up to 801 where I was greeted with: note, wine, cheese, and sparkling water. A superb welcome. Thanks Steph, for the hospitality and the room! This is Kimpton Karma in action.
801 bedroom at Hotel George
The bathroom is fantastic.
Best shower in DC.
A glass shower with a view. And a bench! NPS is in love.
Five showerheads and a free lunch for the George and its staff!
Dinner at Proof was good. Proof has a reasonable bar program and a great wine list. After dinner we somehow got trapped at the Bistro Bis bar which though not owned by Kimpton is associated with the George by reference of being attached to it. Ouch.
Among other cocktails and before absinthe hour, barman Ed Jenks created an experimental Essay #3
2 oz Laird 7.5 yr apple brandy
.5 oz Leizzaroni Amaretto
.5 oz malmsey madeira
.5 oz sour mix (fresh)
.5 oz chilli honey syrup
dash angostura
Stir. Strain. Serve with lemon twist. (In general, too much going on with this drink. Still needs work.)
Steph and I had a delicious lunch at Bistrot Bis next day after my talk. It’s always fun to catch up and learn more about the hospitality business.
Manet at the cusp of impressionism and the academy.
The afternoon yielded some time to a visit to the National Art Gallery with Richard. An afternoon of art and discussion is just what the doctor ordered in late August.
As early evening rain fell, we made another fantastic visit to the incomparable Columbia Room where mel mixed some excellent drinks including the Leap Year Cocktail
2 oz plymouth gin
.5 oz sweet vermouth (cocci)
.5 oz royal combier
.25 oz lemon juice
shake. strain. garnish with lemon peel.
Dinner and bad bluegrass at Argonaut rounded out the visit.
Back in the Air: Why Jet Blue Dogs United
August 14, 2014
Don’t tell anybody, but I have only been on 2 airplanes since June, and one was today! You see, air travel is no longer something I look forward to since it devolved to “bus service in the air” a couple of years ago. It was a long slow death spiral, but consistent and very much depressing.
As long time readers of NPS know, I am no longer a fan of United airlines. After 10 years of being a 100K member and 1,560,787 miles, United finally used up ALL of my remaining loyalty. That’s right. Every drop. I’m stuck with United since I live near a major hub of theirs, but I plan to do what I can to avoid flying with United.
So, for the first trip back from the famed “no fly July” we’re giving Jet Blue a shot. Lets compare and contrast, from the sublime to the stupid.
Why Jet Blue is Better than United (a one trip comparison)
1. flies modern equipment (new embrear regional jet vs United prop (?!) jet)
2. has a better commuter terminal for East coast travel at IAD (Terminal A, the “walmart” terminal sucks)
3. costs less (by $200 to get to Boston and back)
4. people at Jet Blue seem to like their jobs (at United they all know Jeff Smisek sucks and they hate working for him…really)
5. whole cans of soda water by default even in cattle class
6. United loves to talk about what they are “gonna” do, but they never get it done –> WIFI = not that hard
7. Jeff Smisek sucks and he is the CEO of United
Not that Jet Blue is perfect mind you. I don’t like paying $50 for an extra bag as a newb, but I have to have my bag of electronics for this trip. I also don’t like paying $30 more so I can get on first and stow my instruments, but I am sure as heck never checking my precious violin. So that all sucks. This trip will cost me $160 more than planned. Maybe #3 up there is wrong.
In the end it is clear that I need an airplane.
p.s. Here is a comparison between United and Delta FWIW.
Westfields Marriott, Dulles, VA = Still a Marriott
July 13, 2014
Even when you fill a hotel with 300 people, things can go sideways in Marriott land. Met at the door by a persnickety doorman, I was refused luggage service when I arrived and asked to drive around to the loading dock. What?! Well, there was a bit of music equipment, but in the past it has all fit on 2 carts. No bending of the rules for mr door weeny.
Too much luggage for the front door? Nah.
So, instead of a welcome I got to bake in the heat, sweat through the shirt I was going to wear in a video shoot an hour later, and work with (the very able and excellent) security people. Hey Westfields, your front entrance situation needs a reboot. (FWIW, after a chat with the manager, the checkout situation went much more smoothly.)
Still from the video shoot. Had to change shirts due to checkin SNAFU.
But there is some good news. The Internet situation has been fixed. Free, more reasonable net. Which when you are running a conference full of geeks (like last year) is important.
And there is some bad news. The shower still sucks in suite 130. I mean really, get a new shower in here. The rest of the room is far better.
This is the bad shower in 130 at the Westfields Marriott.
After a long day, including a video panel, a talk, and a music performance, it was nice to retire to some wine and cheese left by the event staff. Thanks for that! It was demolished before I thought to take its picture.
The stage ready for some Gently Let Down by Catherine.
There was fruit and cheese here last night?!
Thanks for the note and the wine.
All in all, the Westfields Marriott is an even better place for a meeting than in past years. But the staff needs some training and suite 130 needs a new shower. They can make you an espresso in a pinch though, and they’re actually pretty good at it.
Morning at the Marriott.
Three showerheads for the Westfields. Run a meeting here, but don’t come here for the sleeping rooms.
Acela to NY: Train travel dogs the airlines
May 26, 2014
Airline travel has become so much like bus service (and bad bus service at that) that taking the train makes sense even when that involves driving an hour in to the station.
Acela DC -> NY takes under 3 hours all told.
The acela has comfortable seats, wifi, power, and a cafe car. Boarding requires only waiting a few minutes at the gate (like 5, versus 90). And when you get to NY you find yourself at Penn Station right in the middle of the city.
Net. Nuff said.
Why fly? Good question.
They Said There Would be Cupcakes: Palomar Washington DC
February 15, 2014
First things first. We left this:
Snow, dogs, cats, and the chicken palace
For this:
No snow, no dogs, no cats, and no chicken palace
So that was good.
Getting in to DC was going swimmingly until Pennsylvania Avenue was blocked by police just at the wrong time (Whitehurst Freeway doom). Must be a White House thing going on. That debacle cost us 30 minutes and an excruciating crawl through Georgetown. Traffic thereby ate most of the allocated Phillips time.
A quick dash through the Phillips. Bees and Picasso.
Picasso
Beekeeper in the bee room
Then time for a tea at Soho Cafe just across the street from the DC Palomar. (The Soho is a great find, way better than the Starbucks next door.) There was even time for the tail end of a particularly crowded Kimpton wine hour. 30-year-olds everywhere.
Checkin was chaotic. I do believe the Palomar is full to the gills for the dregs of Valentines Day. At checkin, the computer had a hell of a time time finding us, mostly since newly minted GM Abe Liao had plussed us up to avoid plastic shower despair. Thanks Abe! You rock. (Steph Vogel has moved on to become GM of George. Time for a visit to the George it seems!)
Because of Abe, we’re back in the Presidential Suite at the DC Palomar. Sweet.
But due to a massive shortage of cheese, the amenity we were told about at checkin (as Kristen spoofed Abe to deliver a “personal” message) was not in the room when we walked in. Eventually it arrived, cheese included, and all was well with the universe. Great hotel on valentines weekend? Chaos! Chaos I say!
Chaos tilted our way. Cheese, sparkling water, and cupcakes. Awesome.
The cheese did it
Plus the Presidential Suite?! Yay. You should know that we’re here reaping the benefit of staying many nights at various Kimptons all over creation. The Kimpton InTouch program free night thing? Superb. No other hotel chain does it like this. And an quadruple upgrade to boot. As predicted, Kimpton is rocking our little world.
The no-amenity-yet table in 1024. (Yes, 1024.)
NY bag by the bed.
This shower is NOT plastic. Glass cube goodness.
Dinner tonight was arranged by Larry Kilbourne aka “baker Bob,” executive baker at Le Diplomate. So fun to have friends who include the best baker in North America.
Bread and oysters: le diplomate.
Le Diplomate is excellent. And Baker Bob’s bread is truly out of this world. The only thing we took home in a “doggy bag” was some slices of the gorgeous walnut/cranberry bread.
BTW, their bar is top notch too, though way overcrowded.
A negroni and a tete a tete: le diplomate
Let there be cupcakes!
Cupcakes from Jerry Chou
Westfields Marriott, Ronald Reagan, and Paint (Dulles, VA)
November 15, 2013
Not that long ago, all 300 of us piled into the Westfields Marriott for a technical meeting of the minds. I just came back to this Marriott property to run another conference—smaller but including executives from 38 different firms dispersed around the world.
I stayed in the same room (130 which is the Presidential Suite). Sadly, they did not get around to fixing the shower since my last visit. So this well-appointed marble palace of a room is marred with a plastic shower curtain. Add that to the fact that the shower has no water pressure at all—an insufficient dribble—and we have a problem Houston. Miserable. Here in noplasticshowers-land that sort of problem is a fatal flaw.
This shower is not good.
One of these things is not like the others.
The rest of the room is probably decorated about the same way it was when Ronald Reagan stayed here in the ’80s. New paint? New carpets? That would be nice. (Contrast with this.)
Living room. Nice place for an ’80s party.
Fireplace (fake variety). On switch.
And then down the spiral stairs.
Spiral down.
To the room where nobody wants to hang out. Even when the full bar is put down there and there are too many people upstairs.
Yuck
Need music? No problem. Some massive, heavy, metal core speakers can be hooked up with a metal box, RCA adapters, and thick cables to your ipod. Time warp!
The bed is nice.
Bedroom
But Marriott still has very bad Net that costs money?! Authentication systems straight out of the early ’90s too. yay?
Desk with a view.
Bathroom art (in bathroom 1)
No shower here.
We had some fun times in 130. The rent-a-cop came to visit once but then went on his way when informed that it was only 11pm.
All in all the Westfields Marriott is a very good place to hold a meeting. Nice facilities, but very very dated technology. Creaky internet with really stupid authentication (why is net not free here?!). A/V equipment manufactured before advanced alloys. A default liquor and wine list that needs work. But the food is great, and the lobby is gorgeous. Can’t win ’em all I guess.
All in all a three showerhead (a one head demotion) for this place. Hey Marriott, fix your shower!
Error: Index out of Range (DC)
October 25, 2013
First things first, I absolutely love Volt (though I can’t afford to go there very often), so I have been itching to get to Range in DC to try out the new Bryan Voltaggio property and see what the great buzz is all about. Surprisingly, my verdict is: not so much.
Lets impose a roll call vote to get to the bottom of this:
YEA 7
Range has a beautiful clean layout (yea)
The blinking LED art in the hall somehow works (yea)
The wine program is supremely good with real sommeliers (yea)
Two dishes (of 7) were simply amazing (yea, real voltaggio)
Skip, the waiter, rocks (yea)
Great bread, especially the corn muffins (yea)
Management got a clue and interposed (yea)
NAY 12
Range is in a mall (nay)
The mall has Cheesecake Factory (nay)
The mall has H&M stores (nay)
Range feels like Las Vegas (nay)
Range has TVs behind the bar (nay)
Five dishes (of 7) were workaday (nay)
Wine glass was completely empty…three times (nay)
Not the best bread in DC, that goes to my fiend Larry (nay)
Management had to get a clue and interpose (nay)
Our waitress (not skip) was a newb out of her depth (nay)
No hot chocolate?! Can’t make it?! Really?? (nay)
Range is in a mall (nay)
The Nays have it.
What this all means in my little world is that I will stick to Volt. Malls give me hives, and Las Vegas is my personal idea of Hell.
Be forewarned.
The Palomar Wars: DC Joins and Surges Ahead
October 23, 2013
For a month now, the Chicago Palomar has been leading the “battle of the Palomars.” With their artists suite hack, replete with house made jerky and a truly outstanding bar downstairs, they were looking like a lock. (Not to discount what San Francisco has been up to this year, I just need to get back there!) But Steph Vogel, GM at the DC Palomar has joined the game, and the Presidential Suite certainly doesn’t hurt!
Super friendly checkin. The valet guys remembered the mosquito.
Room 924 is not just a suite in name, with tons of room and stylish decor.
The fruit and cheese welcome package came in very handy as dinner was slated for late. And loyal readers already know how we feel about sparkling water here in noplasticshowersland.
Greetings
What President would like this?
It’s refreshing to be in a presidential suite that was designed well after the Reagan administration. Compare this gorgeous space to what the nearby Westfields Marriott has to offer. Kimpton = skinny pants, Marriott = khakis.
Presidential sleep land at the DC Palomar.
This chair is crazier than it looks from this angle.
There are two bathrooms in this space, and room for a small gathering.
Powder room.
The master bath has a glass shower and a gigantic whirlpool tub.
Old school glass shower with a marble floor.
The usual sink.
A visit to obelisk (right next door) for said late dinner was solid, but not outstanding. A couple of the creations were remarkable. However, the day’s entres needed more sparkle. Fourth visit not a charm.
It got better.
Cupcakes and san pellegrino!
Imagine that after a long boring meeting you walk in to drop off your computer and you are greeted with cupcakes and a specially concocted cocktail. Jerry Chou made day2 special. Thank you Jerry. (Hey Jacques, you know that sitting a manhattan around in a barrel after mixing it destroys the vermouth, but the guys at Urbana don’t.)
A nice dinner at Noras followed by a visit to Bourbon just up the street made the day complete. And what does Bourbon have in stock?
 William Larue Weller |
 Hirsch 16 Reserve |
Day3 allowed for some time at the Phillips collection after a nice lunch at Bistrot du Coin. The Van Gogh Repetitions show is fantastic even if you have been to Amsterdam (where I will be Monday).
The permanent collection (Bonard)
This Bonard of the purple person shares a theme with the Postal Worker edition six. Disappearing subject.
Purple person Bonard.
Dinner at the much anticipated Range (a Voltaggio restaurant) interesting. Won’t be going back. See review here.
Five showerheads and current lead in the battle of the Palomars to the DC Palomar. Better watch out San Francisco and Chicago!
Kandinski at the Phillips.
More Light at the Palomar DC
September 16, 2013
Maybe it’s the weather? But for whatever reason, room 739 is bright and beautiful this afternoon at the Palomar in Washington DC.
Steph Vogel, the GM had me all set up again though I believe I arrived earlier than the plan called for. The guy at the front who checked me it was a smidge flustered when he did not find the envelope with my name on it. But I knew the drill. While I was busy working away on the net upstairs a nice welcome package of cheese, fruit and san pellegrino arrived with a personal note from Jerry Chou. Turns out Steph is a new dad (again)! Congrats to you guys, Steph.
Welcome package with sparkling water.
The room is brighter than it used to be. Or maybe it’s the crisp Fall light.
That ’70s chair.
The hilarious drive up window to the bathroom from the bedroom still makes me giggle.
Bedroom bed with opening to the bathroom.
The shower is very not plastic.
Glass shower cube next to a traditionally unused big old tub.
The sitting room has a purple couch again. And a purple chair. This time there is art in the corner.
The new model room has stuff in the corner.
A side trip to do main stage timing practice for tomorrow’s big keynote at HP Protect at the Washington Hilton reminds me what other hotel chains are like. As they say in Search for the Holy Grail, “run away!”
Tonight (Monday) we are off to have some oysters and delicious beverages at Hank’s Oyster Bar. Turns out that Hank’s is very good indeed. Great oysters and well crafted cocktails. A delicious combination.
We ended Monday night at the Palomar bar, which is making some decent progress as a bar. Jacques, we’re not quite Palomar level yet!! The bartender range is huge, all the way from Obi at one end (unfortunately on vacation in London) to “rum and coke” girl at the other. Rum and coke? Really?! And the ice just sucks. Machine-made cardboard that melts way too fast. Get some real ice please! Best drink of the evening was Dante’s Cocktail.
Dante’s Cocktail from the Palomar bar
Tuesday evening was my first visit to the Columbia Room inside of Passenger. The Columbia Room not only holds up to its own hype but far exceeds it! Wow did we have a delightful evening. Matt Ficke served us well, put up with our geekiness, listened when we talked about mixing drinks (without a hint of distain), and taught us some cool stuff. As you know, we’re no cocktail newbies, and we had a great time. The special service at the end was especially appreciated. We’ll be back as often as we can.
Experimental beverage from Matt
2 oz Laird’s straight apple brandy
.75 oz Amaro Montenegro
.75 oz Gran Classico (which I need to procure for my bar)
Stir with ice, lemon peel garnish.
Five stars and a happy birth of child wish for the Palomar. (Congrats on the birth of Mariela, Steph!) Great visit. Kimpton’s rock.
Westfields Marriott in Dulles, VA
June 14, 2013
It’s time for the annual Tech Fair again where we get the entire company together in Virginia for some face time. This year we have moved from the bunker just down the road to the Westfields Marriott.
What can I say, it’s a Marriott. Beats the Sawgrass. About in the same league as the Battle House.
I am in 130, the Presidential Suite. I guess the presidency is frozen in time sometime in the mid-’80s. It’s all about a color of beige that your HSA might approve of should you be forced to live in suburbia.
The big room angle 1.
The big room angle 2.
Bar in the big room (angle 3).
The bedroom is also beige, and also spacious.
Bedroom angle 1.
Bedroom angle 2.
Is there a welcome note? Some flowers? Maybe a bottle of wine? Nope. Even though I am filling this hotel with 200 people, the management seems confusedd about how to conduct business. Fantastic!
I take it back. From the department better late than never, Director of Event Planning Ellen Ouellette had some fruit, cheese and Peligrino delivered along with a note. Thanks Ellen. Looks like Jennifer is wielding the power of the blog. After our 2am raid, here’s what’s left.
Remains of the day.
And then there is the bathroom situation.
Marble bidet? Check.
No shower in the tub room (no window either).
Ouch. Here’s the shower. In the public part of the space with a plastic shower curtain and a broken place where the door belongs.
The meeting space seems very good, but I would never choose this hotel for myself in a million years. A low four showerheads for Westfields.
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