My Travels

I'm staying in Carson at the Doubletree Carson  on and off for the next few months. This Doubletree is the exact opposite of the San Pedro location. The hotel is situated next to the civic center and not much in the immediate area for walking expeditions. The hotel has upgraded its facilities inside with carpet and furnishings. The hotel bar and restaurant is full service and appears fairly active in the evenings. There is a nice outdoor lounge attached to the restaurant/bar that would make you think you are not in Carson and the pool is fairly large. The breakfast here is also full American buffet with a cook to order omelet station. I was surprised to see the number of Indian clientele this hotel attracts. The restaurant carried a number of Indian specific foods in the morning. I don't know if TVs have changed recently but I am using the flat panel screens in hotels to view my laptop and watch Netflix and such. I am finding that the TVs are able to switch inputs easily and

Staying in San Pedro for a week and checked into the Doubletree San Pedro - Port of Los Angeles . One of the few full service hotels in the South Bay that doesn't charge parking is a great thing especially since this Doubletree sits on the marina. The hotel is a little dated and could benefit by upgrading the interior. Overall, I like the location and the facility. As a Diamond member, I am able to have breakfast and this particular Doubletree allows for the full American buffet rather than just continental. I appreciate that since it is nice to have something hot in the morning. The hotel also offers complimentary shuttle service within the local area but it is also very easy to walk around San Pedro itself. Compared to Long Beach, San Pedro is quieter but prettier. In general, I don't make many housekeeping comments but this particular hotel actually tries to conserve the toiletries in the bathroom. You always see the signs in the rooms to "be green" and reuse to

I'm about to begin a cycle of hotel stays in the upcoming months due to some personal home construction. Coming back from Baltimore, I opted to stay by the LAX area and made a one night stay in Hawthorne. After waiting for almost an hour, I was able to get on the airport shuttle for the Hampton Inn Los Angeles International Airport/Hawthorne . The hotel shares the shuttle with other hotels in the immediate area so you have to look for a shuttle with an assortment of hotels ranging from Choice to Holiday Inn. In the future, if you are in the Terminal 7 at LAX you want to be under the Hotel Courtesy stop that is closest to Terminal 6. The shuttles don't drive past the entire stop and will leave you if you are at the wrong end of the stop. The hotel is relatively new and the interior greatly contrasts with the neighborhood. I was surprised to see that there were no tubs in the bathroom, it was a full shower with seating. The parking is secure but you have to get the code first

Headed out to charm city for a conference on this trip. I took a red eye flight on United Airlines and landed into Baltimore International Airport (BWI). I did do a pit stop at George Bush Intercontinental Houston Airport  and grabbed a breakfast taco from Pappasito's Cantina . Normal taco but I was surprised to see that pico de gallo and jalapenos are not considered condiments and is an additional charge. On this trip, I decided to get a rental car and found a great deal through Priceline and ended up at Avis with a Kia Rio. I think my daily parking charge is more expensive than the rental rate. Headed to downtown Baltimore and decided that I wanted to visit Dangerously Delicious Pies for lunch. So I detoured from the hotel to the Pie shop first and ordered a slice of chicken pot pie and mobtown brown a la mode. The mobtown brown is your basic pecan pie drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauces. The pies were pretty good, there was a salty aftertaste to the crust which wor

I seem to be making up for lost time and made another visit to Phoenix. Left with some friends over the holiday weekend to Phoenix. It was an uneventful road trip to Phoenix with some easy pit stops at Carl's Jr and truck stops along the way. Checked into the Westin Phoenix Downtown hotel. I haven't stayed at a Westin but it looked fairly new from the website. The location in downtown is super convenient to Chase Field. Unfortunately, the Arizona Diamondbacks were not in town. The rooms are huge and very comfortable. The pool was a little small for my taste but I was not here in this hotel because of the pool. The parking is a bit steep at almost $30 but expected given the location. Westin Phoenix Downtown Guest Room After checking in, made a visit to some relatives and stopped by Urban Cookies Bakeshop for some treats to bring. They did sell cupcakes but the theme was peach and it isn't a flavor I usually like in baked goods. The cookies were delicious, I had the