mwp2paris
Mar 14, 04, 12:16 am
Our middle daughter was up to bat...she's our leap year baby and turned 16 on 2/29 and as promised to her and her other 2 sisters, at 16 she could pick anywhere in the lower 48 airline miles and hotel points could take us for a weekend with ma and pa.
Her older sister had picked NYC 2 years ago and we stayed at the W Times Square, saw "Thoroughly Modern Milly" and "Into the Woods", had a fabulous dinner at Patsy's where they realized, after seating us in Siberia, we weren't hicks from out of the Midwest but "in-the-know" cosmo's who knew a great grappa when it slapped them and we ended up leaving with bags of complimentary sauces and other gifts after our daughter enchanted the waitstaff with her sweet-sixteen smile and laugh and gushed over her Alfredo sauce to the chef.
Middle daughter wanted to ski and picked Aspen and the St. Regis so this was a very different trip from NYC. We awoke on 2/27 at 4:30 and were on the way to MCI by 5:00 for our 7:00 a.m. departure. Very early but that was the only time award seats were available into Aspen back in 11/03 when I booked this rascal.
Check-in was a breeze at the kiosk, we grabbed a Starbucks, tried to look ultra-Aspen-chic at 5:55 a.m. and finally they called our flight to DEN on UA (love that co-mingling of miles from US!!!)
Flight from MCI-DEN was uneventful...I did notice between snoozes that the FAs were in the aisles a lot...drinks...coffee..more breakfast barfs/bars...OJ...I decline it all and slept all the way.
We landed in DEN and I bought a $10 pair of sunglasses remembering that my Raybans were in my briefcase...at home.
Pranced our a**es down to the commuter gates and before long they called the Aspen flight which was pretty full. This flight lasts maybe 20 minutes if that and the FAs never leave their seats...not even to do a pre-landing safety check. Descending into Aspen, the mountains are so close I'm sure we are going to have a Patsy Cline moment.
Love it...we left MCI at 7:00 a.m. and with the time change we landed in Aspen at 9:45 a.m. and by 10:30 we were in the lovely lobby of the St. Regis thanks to the free St. Regis shuttle which is really a very dignified black SUV.
Secured our room which I am told is an upgrade to a "Deluxe," am granted Club access due to SPG Platinum status, and off we go.
The hotel is very quiet and signs of its former "Ritz Carlton" self show through here and there.
We were in the West Tower and the Club Floor is in the other tower. Am told no 2 bedded rooms are available on the Club Floor but our keys are programmed to access the Lounge. I would request the same tower again because we were on 4 and the spa was on 2 which was where we spent a lot of our time in the whirlpools (indoor and outdoor) and the wonderful heated outdoor pool. No need to prance through the elegent lobby to the other set of elevators in our slippers and robes as so many people did...some only in towels carrying their bathing suits in their hands. Where has decorum gone? I hope that towel is tightly knotted!
What a relaxing, divine way to waste a few hours...sitting in the sauna..racing out to the outdoor whirlpool in the snow, having great snowball fights with wife and beautiful, amazing, where-did-the-years-go-shouldn't-she-be-just-6(!) daughter in the heated pool. We also made snow angels on the teak deck chairs which were covered with 6 inches of snow while mom laughed at us from our room above.
We waltzed up to the Club in time for lunch (sandwiches, salads, cookies, red and white wine and champagne), apre' ski (chips, dip, all the liquors are out), and evening snacks (sushi, cheese, vegis, deli meats, a few other cold things) with more naps and swims in between. There was always coffee and hot tea and lemonaide, sodas and iced tea for the underaged. There was also a table that the poor staff fought to keep stocked with a seemingly endless supply of bottled water.
Friday night we had reservations at Cache Cache which is a very popular bistro. The food was excellent (I had a fried oyster salad and veal sweatbreads...YUMMY!!!!) and the place was packed with the usual Aspenistas...lots of denim, fur and diamonds...a very textural crowd.
Alas, we realized half-way through the meal we were still full from the spread in the St. Regis Club and changed our minds the rest of the nights about eating out....and our daughter figured that less money spent eating out meant more money shopping for her!!! Something about Steve Madden silver shoes and a Juicy Couture blouse...whatever.
We slept in the next day (Saturday) and awoke to a blizzard. We opted not to go skiing that day but hung around the hotel and then headed out to shop only to return and take full advantage of the food offerings in the Club.
I hit the Lobby Bar later in the day while mom and daughter went up to reapply. I met a very nice couple and their rat-like dog in a Burberry bag who live at the St. Regis 90 days a year. They have a 2 bedroom suite and according to Mr. St. Regis...when you stay that long, the price drops to Holiday Inn rates!!! I was concerned about how many SPG points they must be earning but I did not bring it up.
We did wander down to a cinema Saturday evening to catch a late show of "Eurotrip" which I am told was funny and silly but I slept through it so I don't really know.
Sunday is ski day. It is grey and snowing and the slopes are nearly empty of shushers. I hit the spa, then #2 daughter and I get our gear and head over to Buttermilk on the free bus (or we could have the hotel take us for $25.00...you do the math!).
I haven't been skiing since I was 23 and just graduated from college on my way to...well that was another life, another universe another trip report. Back then I had worked my way up to Black Diamonds but discretion said this time let's warm up on some nice Greens.
"W", the daughter had been skiing in December at Snowmass so we clicked on our skis, hopped on the quadlift and 12 minutes later we were shushing and swishing and I felt very euro-chic in my Columbia ski pants and black turtleneck. This is just like riding a bike, I think...
"THIS IS GREAT>>AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
I hit some deep powder, lost my edge and my torso went one way, my left leg went another, and my left ski went yet another and unfortunately did not come off as it was supposed too.
The snap in my leg was felt and heard by me and anyone in a close proximity.
We were on the back slopes of Buttermilk with only a ski lift to get us back to civilization and it closed in 30 minutes.
Yikes.
My goal was not to have my sorry a** hauled down off the mountain on the back of a Ski Patrol snowmobile. My daughter's ego meant more to me than that.
So I laid there for awhile, got up, somehow got down off the mountain on my own two skis...got "W" to go for another run and crept up to the lodge for 2 Fat Tires and a scrutiny of the damage done.
Not broken...but something was wrong...as I type this 2 weeks later I still hurt when twisting, climbing, walking or sitting.
Perhaps it is time to go to a doctor.
"W" showed up after a great run down the mountain and we went to catch the free bus back to Aspen and .... SH*T ... my skis are missing...someone has probably picked them up thinking they are their's.
Well, I check with the lost-and-found at Buttermilk and they assure me that 99% of the time lost skis show back up; I sprawl on the floor of Aspen Sport at the St. Regis and beg forgiveness and they assure me that they will show back up...although I am responsible for my skis and may have to pay to replace them...$600??!??!??! That blows this trip budget.
Well, we meet up with Mrs. 2Paris who has been shopping (the Mrs. does not ski but does enjoy a good apre' ski occasionally)and enjoy the Club snacks and beverages (me: gin and a fist-full of motrin!!!) and then head back to our room for the Academy Awards! We get a knock at the door at 8:00 and it is a complimentary bottle of champagne....yummy.
Hours and 11 awards to the "RING" later, I'm hungry and offer to treat everyone somewhere...the Mrs. and "W" are relaxed and happy watching QVC so I hobble off to explore the bar scene at the St. Regis.
The Bar..."Whiskey Rocks" was loud and nearly empty, and I had 1 beer. Some red-headed 20-something plopped herself on the barstool next to me and announced she was bored with her friends and wanted to talk to someone interesting and I looked like that person....within 20 seconds I had dispelled that misconception.
Left there and headed to the Lobby Bar. Had a few Cosmos and listened while some older guy put the moves on an unimpressed Aspenista and then went back upstairs.
Iced leg and dozed off.
Monday...what an amazing day. Not a cloud in the sky and the mountains, dressed in fresh snow, are spectaculicious. We awake, I dip my leg in the hottub, and we head off to Buttermilk so "W" can get a few more runs in before our departure that evening back to KC. Mom and I hang out in the base lodge and I whine about my leg...and drink a beer or 2.
I didn't ski but my skis did and showed up at another ski-shop...So I'm off the hook and saved a day of ski rental charges due to being injured.
We did head out to do some window shopping after our 4:00 check-out and last trip up to the Club Room for drinks and snacks...we milked it for everything it was worth!
Got to the Aspen airport and experienced the following....
Let me say that I had talked to several folks (usually naked guys in the steamroom who weren't sure what to do with out-of-control shopping wives) who had had flights cancelled on Saturday 2/28 due to the blizzard and weren't getting out until 3/2 or 3/3...what else to do but drink and shop...yikes...we were tre' lucky!!!)
Easy check-in...flight delayed 30 minutes...sitting in the gate area and hear name called...find out original flight is now 2 hours delayed and we are now on the delayed 12:00 p.m. flight which is leaving at 6:00 due to mechanical...hop on packed flight and make it to DEN...enjoy some want-to-be Mexican food and head down to MCI flight...make it home but luggage doesn't...file claim and bags show up the next day about 3:30 p.m.
Thank wife for reminding me why I never check bags but she prefers to travel hands-free so I usually give in with her.
The 411...
St. Regis: EXCELLENT...we had a regular "Deluxe" (whatever that means in upgrade lingo) room with a view of the courtyard and Aspen Mountain which was amazing when you could see it between the blizzards. Large marble bathroom with plush towels. For 32,000 points and a free night from some promotion last fall, I felt it was a good value (what with all the F&B we consumed) for 3 nights.
Club Room: EXCELLENT...a nice breakfast (7-10) with the usual suspects, cereal, rolls...but a really nice smoked salmon display which we enjoyed for 3 days.
Lunch (12-2) was always a sandwich or wrap, snack (2:30-4:30) was guacamole and chips and all the booze you wanted, following was the dinner selection (5-7) which was sushi, cheese, meats, shrimp or crab claws, vegis, cookies, and then the cordials and sweets (8-9).
United Airlines: Well, they got us there and back with only a few bumps along the way...but the FAs (we were in Y) were in the aisles alot offering beverages, snacks, refills, OJ (Breakfast flight) coffee (breakfast and evening flight)followed by refreshes.
Had a great time...loved Aspen and the St. Regis...they took good care of us and Timothy the head Concierge made sure, weeks ahead of our check-in, that we were set to go.
Would go back...but Hong Kong calls...or maybe Paris!
[This message has been edited by mwp2paris (edited Mar 14, 2004).]
Her older sister had picked NYC 2 years ago and we stayed at the W Times Square, saw "Thoroughly Modern Milly" and "Into the Woods", had a fabulous dinner at Patsy's where they realized, after seating us in Siberia, we weren't hicks from out of the Midwest but "in-the-know" cosmo's who knew a great grappa when it slapped them and we ended up leaving with bags of complimentary sauces and other gifts after our daughter enchanted the waitstaff with her sweet-sixteen smile and laugh and gushed over her Alfredo sauce to the chef.
Middle daughter wanted to ski and picked Aspen and the St. Regis so this was a very different trip from NYC. We awoke on 2/27 at 4:30 and were on the way to MCI by 5:00 for our 7:00 a.m. departure. Very early but that was the only time award seats were available into Aspen back in 11/03 when I booked this rascal.
Check-in was a breeze at the kiosk, we grabbed a Starbucks, tried to look ultra-Aspen-chic at 5:55 a.m. and finally they called our flight to DEN on UA (love that co-mingling of miles from US!!!)
Flight from MCI-DEN was uneventful...I did notice between snoozes that the FAs were in the aisles a lot...drinks...coffee..more breakfast barfs/bars...OJ...I decline it all and slept all the way.
We landed in DEN and I bought a $10 pair of sunglasses remembering that my Raybans were in my briefcase...at home.
Pranced our a**es down to the commuter gates and before long they called the Aspen flight which was pretty full. This flight lasts maybe 20 minutes if that and the FAs never leave their seats...not even to do a pre-landing safety check. Descending into Aspen, the mountains are so close I'm sure we are going to have a Patsy Cline moment.
Love it...we left MCI at 7:00 a.m. and with the time change we landed in Aspen at 9:45 a.m. and by 10:30 we were in the lovely lobby of the St. Regis thanks to the free St. Regis shuttle which is really a very dignified black SUV.
Secured our room which I am told is an upgrade to a "Deluxe," am granted Club access due to SPG Platinum status, and off we go.
The hotel is very quiet and signs of its former "Ritz Carlton" self show through here and there.
We were in the West Tower and the Club Floor is in the other tower. Am told no 2 bedded rooms are available on the Club Floor but our keys are programmed to access the Lounge. I would request the same tower again because we were on 4 and the spa was on 2 which was where we spent a lot of our time in the whirlpools (indoor and outdoor) and the wonderful heated outdoor pool. No need to prance through the elegent lobby to the other set of elevators in our slippers and robes as so many people did...some only in towels carrying their bathing suits in their hands. Where has decorum gone? I hope that towel is tightly knotted!
What a relaxing, divine way to waste a few hours...sitting in the sauna..racing out to the outdoor whirlpool in the snow, having great snowball fights with wife and beautiful, amazing, where-did-the-years-go-shouldn't-she-be-just-6(!) daughter in the heated pool. We also made snow angels on the teak deck chairs which were covered with 6 inches of snow while mom laughed at us from our room above.
We waltzed up to the Club in time for lunch (sandwiches, salads, cookies, red and white wine and champagne), apre' ski (chips, dip, all the liquors are out), and evening snacks (sushi, cheese, vegis, deli meats, a few other cold things) with more naps and swims in between. There was always coffee and hot tea and lemonaide, sodas and iced tea for the underaged. There was also a table that the poor staff fought to keep stocked with a seemingly endless supply of bottled water.
Friday night we had reservations at Cache Cache which is a very popular bistro. The food was excellent (I had a fried oyster salad and veal sweatbreads...YUMMY!!!!) and the place was packed with the usual Aspenistas...lots of denim, fur and diamonds...a very textural crowd.
Alas, we realized half-way through the meal we were still full from the spread in the St. Regis Club and changed our minds the rest of the nights about eating out....and our daughter figured that less money spent eating out meant more money shopping for her!!! Something about Steve Madden silver shoes and a Juicy Couture blouse...whatever.
We slept in the next day (Saturday) and awoke to a blizzard. We opted not to go skiing that day but hung around the hotel and then headed out to shop only to return and take full advantage of the food offerings in the Club.
I hit the Lobby Bar later in the day while mom and daughter went up to reapply. I met a very nice couple and their rat-like dog in a Burberry bag who live at the St. Regis 90 days a year. They have a 2 bedroom suite and according to Mr. St. Regis...when you stay that long, the price drops to Holiday Inn rates!!! I was concerned about how many SPG points they must be earning but I did not bring it up.
We did wander down to a cinema Saturday evening to catch a late show of "Eurotrip" which I am told was funny and silly but I slept through it so I don't really know.
Sunday is ski day. It is grey and snowing and the slopes are nearly empty of shushers. I hit the spa, then #2 daughter and I get our gear and head over to Buttermilk on the free bus (or we could have the hotel take us for $25.00...you do the math!).
I haven't been skiing since I was 23 and just graduated from college on my way to...well that was another life, another universe another trip report. Back then I had worked my way up to Black Diamonds but discretion said this time let's warm up on some nice Greens.
"W", the daughter had been skiing in December at Snowmass so we clicked on our skis, hopped on the quadlift and 12 minutes later we were shushing and swishing and I felt very euro-chic in my Columbia ski pants and black turtleneck. This is just like riding a bike, I think...
"THIS IS GREAT>>AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
I hit some deep powder, lost my edge and my torso went one way, my left leg went another, and my left ski went yet another and unfortunately did not come off as it was supposed too.
The snap in my leg was felt and heard by me and anyone in a close proximity.
We were on the back slopes of Buttermilk with only a ski lift to get us back to civilization and it closed in 30 minutes.
Yikes.
My goal was not to have my sorry a** hauled down off the mountain on the back of a Ski Patrol snowmobile. My daughter's ego meant more to me than that.
So I laid there for awhile, got up, somehow got down off the mountain on my own two skis...got "W" to go for another run and crept up to the lodge for 2 Fat Tires and a scrutiny of the damage done.
Not broken...but something was wrong...as I type this 2 weeks later I still hurt when twisting, climbing, walking or sitting.
Perhaps it is time to go to a doctor.
"W" showed up after a great run down the mountain and we went to catch the free bus back to Aspen and .... SH*T ... my skis are missing...someone has probably picked them up thinking they are their's.
Well, I check with the lost-and-found at Buttermilk and they assure me that 99% of the time lost skis show back up; I sprawl on the floor of Aspen Sport at the St. Regis and beg forgiveness and they assure me that they will show back up...although I am responsible for my skis and may have to pay to replace them...$600??!??!??! That blows this trip budget.
Well, we meet up with Mrs. 2Paris who has been shopping (the Mrs. does not ski but does enjoy a good apre' ski occasionally)and enjoy the Club snacks and beverages (me: gin and a fist-full of motrin!!!) and then head back to our room for the Academy Awards! We get a knock at the door at 8:00 and it is a complimentary bottle of champagne....yummy.
Hours and 11 awards to the "RING" later, I'm hungry and offer to treat everyone somewhere...the Mrs. and "W" are relaxed and happy watching QVC so I hobble off to explore the bar scene at the St. Regis.
The Bar..."Whiskey Rocks" was loud and nearly empty, and I had 1 beer. Some red-headed 20-something plopped herself on the barstool next to me and announced she was bored with her friends and wanted to talk to someone interesting and I looked like that person....within 20 seconds I had dispelled that misconception.
Left there and headed to the Lobby Bar. Had a few Cosmos and listened while some older guy put the moves on an unimpressed Aspenista and then went back upstairs.
Iced leg and dozed off.
Monday...what an amazing day. Not a cloud in the sky and the mountains, dressed in fresh snow, are spectaculicious. We awake, I dip my leg in the hottub, and we head off to Buttermilk so "W" can get a few more runs in before our departure that evening back to KC. Mom and I hang out in the base lodge and I whine about my leg...and drink a beer or 2.
I didn't ski but my skis did and showed up at another ski-shop...So I'm off the hook and saved a day of ski rental charges due to being injured.
We did head out to do some window shopping after our 4:00 check-out and last trip up to the Club Room for drinks and snacks...we milked it for everything it was worth!
Got to the Aspen airport and experienced the following....
Let me say that I had talked to several folks (usually naked guys in the steamroom who weren't sure what to do with out-of-control shopping wives) who had had flights cancelled on Saturday 2/28 due to the blizzard and weren't getting out until 3/2 or 3/3...what else to do but drink and shop...yikes...we were tre' lucky!!!)
Easy check-in...flight delayed 30 minutes...sitting in the gate area and hear name called...find out original flight is now 2 hours delayed and we are now on the delayed 12:00 p.m. flight which is leaving at 6:00 due to mechanical...hop on packed flight and make it to DEN...enjoy some want-to-be Mexican food and head down to MCI flight...make it home but luggage doesn't...file claim and bags show up the next day about 3:30 p.m.
Thank wife for reminding me why I never check bags but she prefers to travel hands-free so I usually give in with her.
The 411...
St. Regis: EXCELLENT...we had a regular "Deluxe" (whatever that means in upgrade lingo) room with a view of the courtyard and Aspen Mountain which was amazing when you could see it between the blizzards. Large marble bathroom with plush towels. For 32,000 points and a free night from some promotion last fall, I felt it was a good value (what with all the F&B we consumed) for 3 nights.
Club Room: EXCELLENT...a nice breakfast (7-10) with the usual suspects, cereal, rolls...but a really nice smoked salmon display which we enjoyed for 3 days.
Lunch (12-2) was always a sandwich or wrap, snack (2:30-4:30) was guacamole and chips and all the booze you wanted, following was the dinner selection (5-7) which was sushi, cheese, meats, shrimp or crab claws, vegis, cookies, and then the cordials and sweets (8-9).
United Airlines: Well, they got us there and back with only a few bumps along the way...but the FAs (we were in Y) were in the aisles alot offering beverages, snacks, refills, OJ (Breakfast flight) coffee (breakfast and evening flight)followed by refreshes.
Had a great time...loved Aspen and the St. Regis...they took good care of us and Timothy the head Concierge made sure, weeks ahead of our check-in, that we were set to go.
Would go back...but Hong Kong calls...or maybe Paris!
[This message has been edited by mwp2paris (edited Mar 14, 2004).]