TropicalFlyer
Oct 23, 99, 3:09 am
It's that time of year when I have my 10 day back to back genetics conferences. The UA58 flight was supposed to leave at 10 am but when I got to the airport, I was told it was delayed 1 1/2 hours. GROAN. I was told that I could go buy $5.50 worth of food at any airport concession just by showing my boarding pass. With airport prices, it was easy to spend the $5.50 on coffee and a scone. The flight finally boarded and I had a nice flight to SFO since I was in a bulkhead biz class seat. Lots of legroom for this girl who has mostly legs!
The first conference was at the Oakland Marriott which is attached to the Oakland Convention Center. In case anyone is ever stuck looking for a room in San Fran during a packed convention, I would recommend this hotel. The rooms were the usual Marriott style but the BART is just across the street. It took about 15-20 minutes on the BART to get to the Powell Street station by Union Square. Jack London Square, which has lots of restaurants, is also within walking distance of the hotel.
The second conference was a cab ride over the Bay Bridge to the W hotel in San Francisco. This hotel is really convenient if you have a conference at the convention center since it's just across the street. I was lucky and got an upgraded room with a great view of the city. It's a very nice and large room. The beds are so great, I don't want to get out of it in the morning! http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif The Aveda products in the bathroom were a nice plus. I was so happy that the workout room was well equipped an open 24 hours. I will definitely bring my bathing suit next time since the jacuzzi and pool area look inviting. My biggest complaints are the phone surcharges and the food prices. Luckily, the Metreon is close by and there's great food places there that are open late. I also took a couple of cooking classes at Sur La Table near Union Square. One class was taught by Francois Payard of Payard's in New York. There certainly wasn't anything left on my sample plate during that class! http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
One last note, I don't know if it's usual, but this hotel has a very "happening" lobby. I wouldn't plan to have any intimate conversations there since you'd have to talk pretty loud to be heard. Off to Vancouver to be spoiled by my parents tomorrow. Yippee!!
The first conference was at the Oakland Marriott which is attached to the Oakland Convention Center. In case anyone is ever stuck looking for a room in San Fran during a packed convention, I would recommend this hotel. The rooms were the usual Marriott style but the BART is just across the street. It took about 15-20 minutes on the BART to get to the Powell Street station by Union Square. Jack London Square, which has lots of restaurants, is also within walking distance of the hotel.
The second conference was a cab ride over the Bay Bridge to the W hotel in San Francisco. This hotel is really convenient if you have a conference at the convention center since it's just across the street. I was lucky and got an upgraded room with a great view of the city. It's a very nice and large room. The beds are so great, I don't want to get out of it in the morning! http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif The Aveda products in the bathroom were a nice plus. I was so happy that the workout room was well equipped an open 24 hours. I will definitely bring my bathing suit next time since the jacuzzi and pool area look inviting. My biggest complaints are the phone surcharges and the food prices. Luckily, the Metreon is close by and there's great food places there that are open late. I also took a couple of cooking classes at Sur La Table near Union Square. One class was taught by Francois Payard of Payard's in New York. There certainly wasn't anything left on my sample plate during that class! http://talk.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
One last note, I don't know if it's usual, but this hotel has a very "happening" lobby. I wouldn't plan to have any intimate conversations there since you'd have to talk pretty loud to be heard. Off to Vancouver to be spoiled by my parents tomorrow. Yippee!!