My Travels

Haven't been in this city for almost 10 years. Alot has changed since my last visit. The town was in a "revitalization mode" last time I was here and just opened up the aquarium. They've seemed to build themself around the antique arts theme. In general, a cute enough town. Stayed at the historic Sheraton Read Hotel in downtown. Very nice, I dig the traditional wood and trim styles typical of the South in the 1800s. The room w as very nice, was given a suite. Chattanooga seems to be a hotbed for weddings as there were about seven weddings going on this weekend in various hotels in the city. Had some very tasty breakfast at Aretha Frankenstein's, the best breakfast potatoes - they used garlic and jalapenos in the mix. Also, I've actually found scones!! Well, they called them biscuits but they looked and tasted like scones from the UK except they were the size of my fist. I also wondered through a fair and found some cool chicken sculptures from Hammock Ironwork...

For a change, I'm staying in Denver for more than a day. NAGAP is having a conference in Denver and I'll be in town for 4 days. Unusual, since I only visit Denver to go to UC-Boulder and that is usually an overnight trip. I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Convention Center. Very nice hotel, unlike any other HGI I have stayed. Full bar and restaurant and the decor is very modern. They've strayed away from the typical HGI layout. The rooms have your typical amenities of microwave and refrigerator but the decor is far nicer than I've experienced. The hotel is very new and the inner workings show it but they try and I will give them that credit. Lately, I've noticed the online Hilton reservations website isn't as good as it used to be. This is the second time where I've had a different room rate in the hotel's system versus what I booked online. I typically make reservations far in advance and check the hotel rates intermittenly to see if the ra...

Here for work and extending out the stay. I stayed at the Homewood Suites in Salt Lake. Apparently, this is a relatively new hotel and the room I have is very very spacious for the price. Two bedroom two bath, it rivals with my room on the Big Island except it lacks the expensive master bathroom amenities and full size kitchen. Typical Homewood amenities, full refridgerator, stove top range, microwave, dishwasher, etc. Decor is very traditional, good place to go if you're going with a large group. There is another group of friends who decided to stay at the Sheraton, I think they are missing out plus they don't get free breakfast. The hotel could have tried harder to add dampening between the flooring as the Amtrak is nearby and you can hear people stomp around. Got a quick bit at Caffe Molise, nice enough place. Has great potential for receptions or lunches for yield events.

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I feel like it always rain in San Francisco. I've been told that it is quite sunny in the Bay area, so I must have impeccable timing. This weekend, Chinatown is throwing a Lunar New Year street fair and parade. The last time I was in SF for the lunar festival, it also rained cats and dogs. Although everyone still perseveres, tough little buggers. Stayed at the Hilton SF and the Hilton Financial District. The Hilton SF is undergoing major renovations in their lobby area including their restaurant area. Apparently, they are expanding the convention space but it was fairly unobtrusive when I checked in. Here is a city view from the room. As I came in early for a Sunday work event, went out and saw an old friend from back in the day. Went to Sudachi on Sutter and Polk. Japanese sushi restaurant, very modern and the food was good. Not super dark as some other restaurants and the staff was super attentive. My friend said that past criticisms of the restaurant was bad service, ...

In Houston for a nanosecond. Ok, not that short but I feel tired this week. Happy Lunar New Year everyone! Flew to Houston at the crack of dawn on Friday and I was kicking myself for scheduling such an early morning flight. Had to layover in SFO for 3 hours and spent fighting with my computer's wireless card to stay connected to the the Tmobile hotspot. These are the times when I envy people with PDA phones and/or national wireless cards. Luckily, when I called at my hotel, they were nice enough to give me back my money. Staying in the Galleria area - Hilton Garden Inn. The area seems pretty nice, reminds me of South Coast Plaza's neighborhood and there are a string of hotels here as well. Ended up deciding to stay at the HGI because of the room rates but I was trying to convince myself to stay at the Homewood Suites just across the way since it was a block closer to my event. It all worked out as the HGI has courtesy cars that will drive within 3 miles (actually all t...

Ok, I tiptoed into an introductory timeshare membership with Hilton and stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations Big Island. Of the three timeshare facilities I've seen and/or stayed at, this one was the nicest. It wasn't a tall tower like the one in Waikiki or the self contained fortress on the Las Vegas Strip, this particular property had a nice bungalow condo living feel. The room was pretty nice, we had a golf course view in a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment. It felt bigger than my own condo. Full kitchen facilities, stackable washer/dryer unit and a HUGE master suite. I was impressed enought to ALMOST buy into the timeshare but my friend knocked some sense into me and we got out of there after the "meeting." Being on Big Island with two newbies, we stayed for about three full days and three nights. A long weekend or short vacation (depending on how you name it), we trekked around the island. Went "coffee tasting" at the various Kona coffee plantations an...

I'm here for work and play. Have an information session and a wedding reception to attend. My two brothers decided to tag along and I've been playing tour guide. Stayed in the Midtown East area, pretty nice. Aside from the rain on the first day and the last night, it was pretty doable weather. Staying at the Doubletree Metropolitan Hotel. Nice enough, slightly rough at the edges. I was surprised that the Front Desk refused my request for Double Beds, shrug. When I got home, I realized that I also had a "formal" upgrade request and the hotel didn't even bother accommodate despite having the rooms for it. I have to say that NY hotels are pretty cold, I guess I'm not baller enough for them. The rooms were nicely furnished, cozy is what New Yorkers would term the size of the room. Although the entire time we were there, the tv feed was staticky. :O I was surprised to be invited to a wedding reception inside a Radison. Without fail, my friend choose the nicest Rad...

Heard snow was coming through Mammoth Mountain and decided to do a quick trip up. Stayed overnight in Bishop, never did it before but it was the closest available city with lodging available to Mammoth. Stayed at a Ramada, the room was very functional. Booked an "efficiency" room and it ended up being a suite with full kitchen. Pretty cool. My roommie looked very pleased in the morning. :D Did a day at Mammoth. Went with two newbies and it was a good day. Small snow showers throughout the day, not a major storm but the powder was good. The newbies seemed to enjoy themselves.... It was a good day to go...only snag was a forgotten purse. :( Of course, went through the Dutch bakery, Eric Schlatz (?), in Bishop and bought too much bread! Tried a new dessert, a rolled up lace cookie with cream. A Dutch cannoli!! Yum.

Went to Wild Animal Park over the weekend. I've forgotten how nice the San Diego zoos are. If you've read some previous posts, most zoos I've come across have left a poor impression. I'm glad that the San Diego zoos exist and I think they are hands down the best model for live animals. It is sord of sad to think this as I still believe these animals are better off in their own natural habitats. Spent some time in La Jolla. I'm not a big fan of San Diego itself but I certainly enjoy this particular area. Had some really good Thai food with good ambiance. Service was a little slow but the panang duck curry and coconut custard made it up for me. Spice and Rice Thai Cafe on Girard, definitely stop by if you can.

I'm back to one of my favorite places in the US and brought a cold with me. :( Am staying at the Hilton Prince Kuhio, very nice. I had a great view of Waikiki Beach. I think they are in the remodeling stages which explains the somewhat decent room rates. Very nice interior, very bright modern if that makes any sense. After staying at this hotel, it is a nice alternative to the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Doubletree Alana. The Prince Kuhio combines the best of Hilton HV and Doubletree. It isn't pretentious but has a nice resort feel. I like the turndown service - they left a small cupcake - and the executive lounge had an assortment of desserts I have not seen in any other hotel. Chocolate covered strawberries, an assortment of petit fours...awesome. All the new hotels have gone with flat TVs and DirectTV service. Very cool. Went to Pukadog, www.pukadog.com, on the corner of Kuhio and Naohau(sp?) for lunch. I recall seeing them in the Travel shows on cable TV and deci...

I'm back again and staying at the Palace Hotel. I can see why the hotel was designated a historic landmark. I do like the hotel, spacious rooms and very high ceilings. The conference food is above average. :D Another plus is that it sits right in front of the Montgomery Bart station. I know some people really like the Westin St. Francis but I would stay at the Palace hands down for the prices both hotels quote. My only complaint is the pool and fitness area. Both could use a revamp, they might even get more guests to their hotel spa if the area was given a makeover. Had good dinners at Washington Bar & Grill and Unicorn. The "washbag" is on Powell and Union, the italian fare was pretty good. The bread pudding was very good, better if it was actually hot. Unicorn is a "pan asian fusion" restaurant. I'm always skeptical about Vietnamese fusion but I was pleasantly suprised by the tastiness of our dishes. Far better than Crustacean or Slanted Door...

A friend once asked me what are my favorite airports. I promptly replied Changi Airport in Singapore. The question was revised to domestic airports and I struggled with that answer. Sad state of affairs that I can name international airports easily yet travel so much domestically. I finally said SFO because of the revamped United terminal. With that being said, I realized as I stepped into the Sacramento airport that I actually liked this airport. Free internet access is always a plus with me and the terminal seems fairly new. (Free internet is also available at Phoenix Airport, Syracuse Airport, and some more that I've forgotten.) Maybe it is because of Southwest. I've noticed that the Oakland airport Southwest terminal also went under a heavy revamp and is eons ahead of the other terminal in terms of aesthetics. Hmmmmm, there has been a heavy push to penetrate the California market as Southwest is also servicing SFO these days. Wonder if the strategy will work. Th...

Went to the Cal game and after suffering through 4 hours of rain, saw 'SC win the game. Thank goodness, I would have been hella pissed to sit through that miserable stadium to see us lose. I have to say that the Cal stadium pales in comparison to the Coliseum. Bench seating and the only concessions available are Subway and hot dogs and portable bathrooms. Yech. I have had people tell me the greatness of living in SF compared to LA especially regarding traffic. I have to admit that I find it flawed. Having been to SF a zillion times now and actively take mass transit in this city, I don't see how people can gripe about traffic in LA. SF is only about 7 miles wide or long and it can take you an hour to go from one end to the other via mass transit or car (same goes for NYC). Granted, there are parts of LA that are horrendous to get through but not nearly as bad as people think. Although, the gas prices in the bay area would make anyone pause about every owning a car up he...

Drove down from Riverside today. Every time I say I go to SD, people tell me how much they love the city. A feeling that I have yet to share. Don't get me wrong, seems like a nice enough town but I don't get it. The gaslamp district is like any other retail/entertainment area of a city and the beaches are the beaches. Maybe it has to do with my hometown..... SD seems like a bigger version of Orange County. Am staying at the Homewood Suites near Liberty Stations. Kind of cool to be close to the naval base, big boats nearby. I think this is a relatively new hotel, the in-room furnishings are fairly modern. Actually, it is the most modern room I've seen for a hotel of this type. LG flat panel TV WITH HD signals (watching sports in a hotel room has never been cooler), stainless steel fridge and dishwasher. Craziness. PS. These pictures were taken with my Motorola Krzr...not bad, huh?

Staying at the Hampton Inn in Colton again. I was going to have breakfast tomorrow with a friend and catch up. She flaked and now I can enjoy the complimentary continental breakfast at the Hampton. Went to the Bob's Big Boy restaurant next door last time I was here and my memories of the restaurant were better.

I was suppose to go to San Diego this week; however, something about fires and smoke cancelled my business for going to SD. So I've enjoyed a light week of travel and a leisurely drive to San Luis Obispo today instead of a mad dash from SD to SLO. Am staying at a Hampton Inn & Suites in Paso Robles. Went to the Crooked Kilt in downtown Paso Robles. Suprisingly, a fairly large city. It doesn't look like it from the 101. My friend was leery of walking into the Crooked Kilt, there aren't alot of asians around here (I think) and everyone turned and looked at us when we walked in. As appealing as it may sound to turn heads, I'd rather not the ENTIRE pub to do it. :D On the up side, the food was really good for a pub. I'd certainly recommend going back. Had some down time before heading back to the fires in SoCal. Apparently, Paso Robles is a winery haven and was obligated to visit the local wineries. Mostly misses, I did find a couple of wines to bring bac...

Muggy, rainy, and overcast. Great combination for NYC. I think it is one of the few times in my life where I couldn't tell where the rain and my sweat began and ended. Stayed at the Hilton New York. I'm getting tired of this hotel. Don't get me wrong, nice facilities but there are other Hiltons I'd rather stay at. Unfortunately, the group conference rate can't be beat. Maybe next year I'll see a different view of the NYC skyline..... Had the usual NY style pizza my friend insists upon from Lombardi's Pizzeria. Had decent Italian an another night from Rino Trattoria in the Hell's Kitchen area. I always forget that "al dente" is too al dente for me but the food was good. Service was a little slow.

I'm in New Jersey, only for a day. Got priced out of Manhattan. Who pays $800/night??!!?!?!? Contrary to my beliefs, it was pretty nice. Very suburban with the most collection of Audis, BMWs, and Benzes I've ever seen. I thought Beverly Hills was bad. The only difference was people definitely were not blond and definitely had NJ accents. Is this where the Sopranos are?? Stayed at a Homewood Suites, I am constantly reminded how much I like this particular brand. They give you free booze and free light dinner. Ok, it was Bud Light and cheap wine, why complain? This was the cutest display of toiletries I've seen in awhile. The hotel was attached to an outdoor shopping plaza and right outside my window view lay a favorite store, Banana Republic.

Going to Hayward and am staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, across the street from last week's hotel. Although the view isn't much (880 traffic), the hotel offers complimentary local transportation. Infinitely helpful for someone like me who doesn't drive all the time! From my understanding, this is a revamped Holiday Inn hotel. Seems nicely done. Of course, the room comes with a LCD TV and I got Transformers DVD as a birthday gift. Hmmmmmm....... wonder what I'll be doing. Had dinner with a friend in downtown Oakland. Decided to try a random Vietnamese restaurant and actually found a decent pho shop in the Bay area. On the corner of Webster and 10th, the restaurant, Pho Hoa Lao II (I can't remember if this is exactly the name) is a little dingy looking from the outside but the pho was good.