Ryan’s Place

I was checking in to the Courtyard Times Square today and was offered the opportunity to switch to the Residence Inn across the street.  I’m not sure if they were doing that to a lot of people or just because I’m Marriott platinum.  Once I assured I’d still earn my full points despite going to a usually-half-point-earning hotel (I did have to ask to get that, though), I said yes and headed over.  It didn’t hurt either that the last time I stayed at the Courtyard (January, 2006) I thought the rooms were small and that it smelled smokey.

Now, I’m in a room on the 19th floor and am pretty glad I switched.  It’s a suite, of sorts, just like any Residence Inn room is.  It’s got one of the nice, new Marriott beds in it, marble everywhere and stainless appliances (that I’ll never use).  The TV is “digital,” but not HD – I’ve yet to stay in a hotel with HDTV, but I have a feeling that’s coming soon.

Aside from slow wireless access, I’m pretty impressed with the place.  Let’s see if they follow through on the point matching once my stay posts.

One other thing.  On the way up, the guy in the elevator was like “You’ve got to try the breakfast.  It’s free, and it beats $20 bacon anywhere else in Manhattan.”  I’ll be the judge of that.

As if traveling all day, not getting upgraded, not getting a meal, no restaurants being open in MSP, and having to do work on a day off wasn’t enough, I returned to a snowed-in car Monday night.  I parked on the top level of the parking structure in the middle of a snowstorm, but that was the only spot that was left.  I figured I’d have some mess to clean up when I returned, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.

I had to scrape for a good 15 minutes just to clear the snow.  Then, I had to rock the car back and forth for another 10 minutes to get it out of the spot.  I thought I was going to have to ask someone to tow me out.  Luckily, after burning through what was probably an inch of rubber, I was able to pull out and leave.

When I went to pay I found that my window didn’t want to open either, so I had to get out to pay.  What’s funny about the whole thing is you still pay the full $9 if you park on the roof of the parking structure in the open air.

For the trip I’m on now, I made sure I found a spot on the inside.

I flew out to Southern California today for work.  Tomorrow Ross flies out and we have reservations at Disney’s Napa Rose (menu).  Zagat calls it the top restaurant in Orange County.

Pics below are views from my room at the Anaheim Marriott, as well as my wanderings around the area near my hotel, which is right next to the Disneyland Resort area.

I had lunch at Napolini at Downtown Disney.  It’s the walkup window for the Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria table service restaurant next door.  I had a panini (portabella mushroom, mozzarella, sundried tomato), and it wasn’t that good.  First, the place has no semblance of a flow to it.  You have no clue if you’re to order the pizza/sandwich first then pay, or pay then wait for the food.  In any case, I paid first and waited a few minutes for my sandwich to arrive.  When it did, the cheese wasn’t melted enough, and the sundried tomatoes were nowhere to be found (I defy you to find more than a dribble in the pic of it below).  I hadn’t eaten all day, so I made due.  The tea you see in the picture was $4.95 for the bottle.  Crazy.

 I’ve been to Disneyland before, but I had forgotten how different it is from Disney World.  Cast members were all over the place in uniforms from their respective jobs.  One had a Tower of Terror costume on, another was a cook leaving work.  The Magic Kingdom has the utilidor system to prevent that from happening, so it’s odd to see people walking around “out of place” here.

Note the Downtown Disney directory sign picture below.  All of the eateries owned by the Patina Group are clearly marked, and there are a lot of them.  I wish Disney ran all of the restaurants on property (some of the Patinas are chains), so it’s disappointing to see how many aren’t Disney-run.

One last thing to note is how cold people perceived it to be.  The temperature was in the low 60′s, high 50′s, maybe, and people were running around in sweaters and jackets rubbing their hands together to keep warm.  My short-sleeved shirt proved perfectly comfortable.

I watched 3/4 of North by Northwest on the plane, and I’m about to finish the rest in a few minutes.  I’ve been up since 2AM California time (it’s 9PM now), and my body is starting to remind me of that.  It’s always odd going to bed in a city and thinking that just that morning you were in another place entirely.  This morning at 5:30 AM I was driving through some of the worst snow conditions ever on the beltline (two cars went over the median like it was a ramp), now I’m in a Marriott in Anaheim anticipating one of the best Disney meals I’ll ever have tomorrow.

From 9/4 – 9/9

12►

• Dayton has many homeless people
• Dayoton is seemingly not safe
• Dayton is dominated by NCR, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and chain restaurants
• The sun never comes out in Dayton
• The Dayton Marriott is sub-par
• Picking up a car from the DAY Avis facility feels like stealing it because there’s no exit gate at the lot
• Dayton seemingly has only one major mall and it’s in Miamisburg
• Seat 3D on a CRJ is not comfortable.
• Dayton might qualify for being in “the South” based on location, speech and voting preferences