mwp2paris
Mar 26, 05, 11:47 am
My already light 3-day week got even lighter when my Tuesday client in Philadelphia decided they needed to reschedule so instead of driving to AR for a meeting on Monday then flying XNA-ORD-PHL Monday evening and then taking the train from PHL to DCA Tuesday evening, I ended up driving to and from AR (3 hours and 15 minutes from my driveway to the parking lot of the Hampton Inn, Rogers, AR), spending Monday night in my own bed and then flying MCI-DCA-MCI on US.
Tuesday and the Hotel Rouge
I was scheduled for the 4:00 non-stop MCI-DCA on US but decided to try to go earlier. I called US, finally got a real live person, and found myself in the following conversation…
Me: Hello, it is me Mr. Paris. I am traveling from MCI to DCA today on the 4:00 flight but would like to check on the load of the 11:45 flight to see if I could perhaps get a seat on it.
Her: Wow, you have just given me way too much information. OK, you want to do what?
Me: I’m traveling from MCI-DCA on the afternoon flight but would like to possibly stand-by on the earlier flight. Can you tell me how full the 11:45 flight is.
Her: OK..now where are you traveling from?
Me: MCI.
Her: And where do you want to go?
Me: DCA.
Her: And you want to purchase a ticket?
Me: No, I already have a ticket.
Her: So what is it you want to do?
Me: As I said, I am on the 4:00 flight and I would like to go on the 11:45 flight. Can you look and see if there are any seats available?
Her: So you want to go stand-by on the earlier flight?
Bingo, we have a winner.
Me: Why yes, that is exactly what I would like to do.
Oh dear me…someone missed the “active listening skills” workshop I'm sure US conducts with all their customer service people.
Her: Well, that flight is wide open.
Me: Thank you.
I nearly needed a Bloody Mary to recover from that encounter but instead, I packed and then showered, shaved, exfoliated, and pomaded, doing what I could with what I’ve got to prepare for travel to our nation’s capital.
I don’t know what is going on in DC this week but I have been unable to secure a room at any Hyatt, Hilton, or Starwood property…they have all shown sold out for weeks. My travel department had put me at the Hotel Rouge near Dupont Circle at a rate of $249.00 which is a lot of money to be spending somewhere I don’t earn points, but after cruising around the Hotel Rouge website, it looked funky and fun so I thought why not so I didn’t bother trying to get a guaranteed reservation prior to 72 hours at Hilton or Hyatt and just figured I’d rough it for a night.
I made it from my house to MCI in just under 30 minutes which was pretty good...usually it is 35 minutes. I returned the blue TrailBlazer to National where I promptly forgot to grab my gin which I had poured into a water bottle which I had planned on enjoying that evening in my hotel room. Oh well…the Rouge has complimentary red wine (but of course) and Red Stripe beer (I see a theme!) from 5:00-6:00 so I’ll just have to make full use of that before paying for a beverage.
I marched up to the US check-in counter and commiserated with the agent working the counter about the current sad state of affairs at her place of employment and she must have liked my sympathetic ear because I was granted an aisle seat in row 3 with no one next to me and not charged the $25.00 same day stand-by fee that is a normal part of the extortion fees US has in place.
I pranced right through scrutiny with my shoes off and took a seat to wait for the imminent boarding of my flight.
The EMB 170 is not bad, I have to admit. The legroom, in my opinion, is more generous than on a mainline jet and the interior has that sleek Euro-look that creates a soothing environment. Of course it helped that the plane was only half full.
The 2 FAs working this flight could not have been more different. The gentleman was soft-spoken and polite but the female…mercy, she seemed to enjoy marching up and down the aisle snapping at her customers with a voice that was tantamount to fingernails on a chalkboard…please go sit down and leave us alone is really what I wanted to say. Be gone biddy service lady.
The snack box cart was wheeled down the aisle…$5.00 for a sandwich which I passed on but then the drink cart came and I purchased 2 white wines for $5.00 each. I pulled out the semi-trusty Dell and played pinball and FreeCell then we began our decent. The no-peepee rule for the last 30 minutes was announced. What a stupid, faux-security rule that is.
Strong tailwinds had us from gate to gate in just under 2:00…sweet.
I whipped it right out to the Metro and as I was digging for my ticket in my wallet so I could reload it, some guy coming out of the Metro came up and gave me his which he said had 25 cents left on it. Well, thanks indeed handsome stranger…that 25 cents is much appreciated.
The DC Metro, while certainly not the Paris Metro, is easy to navigate and before long I had taken the Yellow Line to Gallery Place, switched to the Red Line and was soon riding the mile long escalator up out of the Dupont Circle Station.
It was a nice day in DC and the walk from the Metro to Hotel Rouge was pleasant until I got on the wrong side of some roundabout at Massachusetts Ave and 16th Street and in the midst of trying to get myself to the right side, nearly got creamed by several fire trucks racing along in full thundering, siren-screaming glory.
My goal for the day was to not become roadkill in our nation’s capital.
I was able to gather my wits and spotting the red canopy for Hotel Rouge, managed to finally make it to the correct side of the traffic circle, and pranced right into the lovely lobby.
The little place was very trendy in that “W” sort of way. The lobby of the Hotel Rouge features a color pallet of reds, blacks and crèmes. I was offered a King room that was accessible and I said no, I prefer non-accessible rooms so after a frantic call to housekeeping, it was discovered that there was, indeed, a clean King inaccessible room so I was handed the keys to Room 412 and off I went.
The lifts feature red lighting and lots of mirrors which makes everyone look very sexy, tan, and attractive...yummy.
Room 412 was large and very nicely designed. The carpet was a black and white animal print and the bed was made up with a nice, white, fluffy duvet with red piping. A desk, a 27-inch Sony Wega flat-screen TV, and 2 comfy chairs completed the main room. There was a closet that featured a heavy red velvet curtain as a door and when I peaked behind it, I saw 2 zebra print robes…fun.
In the entryway to the bathroom was a large tangerine-colored dresser that was all curvy in that 50’s retro style and it also contained the mini-bar that was stocked with some rather interesting stuff…M&Ms, vodka, Pringles, condoms and an obstetrical cloth…oh dear. The bathroom, though small, was nicely furnished and featured Avida products…Rosemary-mint shampoo and conditioner…yummy. I relish smelling like my favorite herbs.
Well, I sat down and tapped into the free wireless internet service and took care of some work things then decided that if I was going to check out Dupont Circle tonight, I would need a disco nap. I awoke just in time to freshen up and descend for the complimentary beverage hour where I enjoyed several glasses of red wine before moving to the attractive bar where I ordered the Rouge Plate which featured warm brie and sausage with olives and grilled bread and a Hanger One Buddha’s Fingers vodka martini, up with a twist.
Fun Times at Dupont Circle
After enjoying my snack and beverage and the complimentary shot of the new Starbucks Coffee liquer which the nice bartender offered me, I decided to take a walk and headed up towards Dupont Circle, stopping in the CVS for a few items and Starbucks for a triple shot cappuccino. The evening was settling in and the air was becoming a bit chilly and I was wishing I had brought my black leather coat to keep me warm and give me that stylish appearance only black leather can provide.
I walked around for a little while and then saw an Italian restaurant I had just been reading about in the Where Magazine at the hotel. I Ricchi was fairly busy but the bar was quiet so I sat down, ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and perused the menu. I decided on the calamari appetizer and a side of sauteed Swiss chard. Both were lovely and went well with my wine. I saw the chef come out and as I was leaving told her how much I had enjoyed my meal and that the article in Where had worked because not only did I recognize the place, I recognized her from her picture. She was nice and inquired where I was from and when I said Kansas City she immediately knew about our wonderful Lidia’s and I said I had just had had brunch there this past Sunday and was taking several family members there next Sunday to celebrate Mrs. Paris’s birthday.
I stepped out into the DC evening and decided to have a nightcap at the Front Page which is a hopping sports bar full of attractive 20-somethings where I watched a little bit of March Madness then headed back to my hotel. A little more surfing the net then I plunged under the comfy and warm duvet, checked to see that the appropriate alarms where set on the semi-trusty SprintPCS and off to dreamland I went.
Another Day, Another Training Session, and Home Again
Much too soon for my taste, the first of 2 alarms went off and I suddenly began to figure out how to get a little more time in my warm cocoon before the responsibilities of life beckoned me forth…finally thought, the reality of the situation set in and I hoisted myself up, ironed my shirt, sprinted through the shower and did what I could do with what I’ve got to prepare for a day at one of my regular clients.
I metroed back over on the Red Line to the Yellow Line and hopped off at the Naval Memorial/Archives station, marched through Starbucks for a quad shot cappuccino and walked the short walk to my client.
The day went relatively quickly and before long I was back on the Yellow Line towards DCA. My flight wasn’t until 7:35 so I would have almost 2.5 hours before boarding to kill but I was relieved when I saw that my US flight was leaving out of Gate 24 which meant I could make full use of the AA Admiral’s Club.
I secured my boarding pass from a kiosk and placed myself at the end of the ridiculously long security line. I had noticed this the day before upon my arrival. I don’t know what is going on at DCA, but the scrutiny brigade seems to be going slower and slower and it took a good 20 minutes to finally enter the corral and skirt through with my shoes off while being yelled at for no apparent reason other than they can.
I collected my wits and stuff and made the mad dash to the lift and was granted entrance to the DCA club after presenting the proper documents.
I like this little club. The front desk is friendly and we had a chat about Blue Bell black raspberry, dark-chocolate coated ice cream bars that have only 2 carbs…yummy.
I went back towards the bar and was disappointed that my favorite bartender was not working…he is retired military and is an expert on Virginia wines…very funny in a dry sort of way. I think he makes full use of his travel benefits with AA and I rarely see him anymore.
The young lady working the bar today had customer service skills that needed a little polishing. She was not at all friendly when people approached her and I found her tone to be just short of curt. But she did give me a free drink because she had forgotten to put the gin in one of my sodas and so I did tip her appreciatively for that.
I surfed around on the semi-trusty Dell using T-Mobile, watched with disbelief as the not-guilty verdict was announced in the Robert Blake trial, then ordered up a chicken caeser salad, found an outlet to recharge the semi-trusty Dell battery and decided to walk down to Gate 24 to see who else would be joining me on my way home this evening.
Evidently, MCI is a happening place because I arrived just in time to hear the gate agent begging for 2 volunteers…they were oversold. The offer was up to confirmed FC seats tomorrow (this of course would involve a connection instead of the non-stop since there is no FC on the EMR170) plus 2 free tickets. The catch…there were still no hotel rooms available in DC for the night so if you took the offer, you would have to sleep on the street if DC wasn’t your home.
This got me thinking…what if they had to involuntarily deny someone boarding because they had no volunteers? What if that person ended up being from out of town…would US just shrug their shoulders, slam the plane door shut and leave that poor sucker high and dry with no where to rest his or her head for the night?
Of course they would in a heartbeat.
But tonight, it didn’t come to that and I finally saw a young, amateur traveler couple make their way up and inquire about taking the offer so with that, problem solved, boarding started and I made my way to 16D. I am not petite by any stretch of the imagination, but unfortunately, the girth of my seat opponent made me feel like I was…I won’t go into detail but if I pay for a seat, I expect to be able to use the entire seat…unfortunately, this gentleman, once he had forced himself into 16F, was occupying some of 16D as well…oh well.
I made the best of it and practiced my screening skills when his loud snoring started up and was mostly relieved when his head flopped toward the window instead of toward me. I'm all for cuddling but he just wasn't my type.
The flight time was 2 hours and 30 minutes and once the 30-minute no-peepee rule had passed, I pulled out the Dell, the drink cart made one pass, and the family of 6 that were in front of me commenced a prolonged session of airplane seat hop-scotch that also involved playing video games on their laptop with the volume all the way up. What struck me funny about this was that if any of the 4 young sons made comments to their brothers, the father would glare and loudly shush them…but he seemed completely oblivious to the laptop volume until the gentleman in front of him turned and asked that it be turned down. The mother, as any mother of 4 young sons who had just been drug all over DC would do, turned toward her window in 15A and promptly passed out for the duration of the flight and missed all the fun with her family.
Finally, the plane began to tilt earthward and I was glad that this trip was winding down. Mrs. Paris had offered to come out to MCI and fetch me so I stepped out onto the curb and watched for the Paris-mobile and sure enough, within minutes she was pulling into view. She slowed just enough for me to toss my stuff and myself in then hit the pedal and we were southbound and down, on our way towards a long weekend at Chez-Paris.
Enjoy life my traveling friends…there are no seconds.
Tuesday and the Hotel Rouge
I was scheduled for the 4:00 non-stop MCI-DCA on US but decided to try to go earlier. I called US, finally got a real live person, and found myself in the following conversation…
Me: Hello, it is me Mr. Paris. I am traveling from MCI to DCA today on the 4:00 flight but would like to check on the load of the 11:45 flight to see if I could perhaps get a seat on it.
Her: Wow, you have just given me way too much information. OK, you want to do what?
Me: I’m traveling from MCI-DCA on the afternoon flight but would like to possibly stand-by on the earlier flight. Can you tell me how full the 11:45 flight is.
Her: OK..now where are you traveling from?
Me: MCI.
Her: And where do you want to go?
Me: DCA.
Her: And you want to purchase a ticket?
Me: No, I already have a ticket.
Her: So what is it you want to do?
Me: As I said, I am on the 4:00 flight and I would like to go on the 11:45 flight. Can you look and see if there are any seats available?
Her: So you want to go stand-by on the earlier flight?
Bingo, we have a winner.
Me: Why yes, that is exactly what I would like to do.
Oh dear me…someone missed the “active listening skills” workshop I'm sure US conducts with all their customer service people.
Her: Well, that flight is wide open.
Me: Thank you.
I nearly needed a Bloody Mary to recover from that encounter but instead, I packed and then showered, shaved, exfoliated, and pomaded, doing what I could with what I’ve got to prepare for travel to our nation’s capital.
I don’t know what is going on in DC this week but I have been unable to secure a room at any Hyatt, Hilton, or Starwood property…they have all shown sold out for weeks. My travel department had put me at the Hotel Rouge near Dupont Circle at a rate of $249.00 which is a lot of money to be spending somewhere I don’t earn points, but after cruising around the Hotel Rouge website, it looked funky and fun so I thought why not so I didn’t bother trying to get a guaranteed reservation prior to 72 hours at Hilton or Hyatt and just figured I’d rough it for a night.
I made it from my house to MCI in just under 30 minutes which was pretty good...usually it is 35 minutes. I returned the blue TrailBlazer to National where I promptly forgot to grab my gin which I had poured into a water bottle which I had planned on enjoying that evening in my hotel room. Oh well…the Rouge has complimentary red wine (but of course) and Red Stripe beer (I see a theme!) from 5:00-6:00 so I’ll just have to make full use of that before paying for a beverage.
I marched up to the US check-in counter and commiserated with the agent working the counter about the current sad state of affairs at her place of employment and she must have liked my sympathetic ear because I was granted an aisle seat in row 3 with no one next to me and not charged the $25.00 same day stand-by fee that is a normal part of the extortion fees US has in place.
I pranced right through scrutiny with my shoes off and took a seat to wait for the imminent boarding of my flight.
The EMB 170 is not bad, I have to admit. The legroom, in my opinion, is more generous than on a mainline jet and the interior has that sleek Euro-look that creates a soothing environment. Of course it helped that the plane was only half full.
The 2 FAs working this flight could not have been more different. The gentleman was soft-spoken and polite but the female…mercy, she seemed to enjoy marching up and down the aisle snapping at her customers with a voice that was tantamount to fingernails on a chalkboard…please go sit down and leave us alone is really what I wanted to say. Be gone biddy service lady.
The snack box cart was wheeled down the aisle…$5.00 for a sandwich which I passed on but then the drink cart came and I purchased 2 white wines for $5.00 each. I pulled out the semi-trusty Dell and played pinball and FreeCell then we began our decent. The no-peepee rule for the last 30 minutes was announced. What a stupid, faux-security rule that is.
Strong tailwinds had us from gate to gate in just under 2:00…sweet.
I whipped it right out to the Metro and as I was digging for my ticket in my wallet so I could reload it, some guy coming out of the Metro came up and gave me his which he said had 25 cents left on it. Well, thanks indeed handsome stranger…that 25 cents is much appreciated.
The DC Metro, while certainly not the Paris Metro, is easy to navigate and before long I had taken the Yellow Line to Gallery Place, switched to the Red Line and was soon riding the mile long escalator up out of the Dupont Circle Station.
It was a nice day in DC and the walk from the Metro to Hotel Rouge was pleasant until I got on the wrong side of some roundabout at Massachusetts Ave and 16th Street and in the midst of trying to get myself to the right side, nearly got creamed by several fire trucks racing along in full thundering, siren-screaming glory.
My goal for the day was to not become roadkill in our nation’s capital.
I was able to gather my wits and spotting the red canopy for Hotel Rouge, managed to finally make it to the correct side of the traffic circle, and pranced right into the lovely lobby.
The little place was very trendy in that “W” sort of way. The lobby of the Hotel Rouge features a color pallet of reds, blacks and crèmes. I was offered a King room that was accessible and I said no, I prefer non-accessible rooms so after a frantic call to housekeeping, it was discovered that there was, indeed, a clean King inaccessible room so I was handed the keys to Room 412 and off I went.
The lifts feature red lighting and lots of mirrors which makes everyone look very sexy, tan, and attractive...yummy.
Room 412 was large and very nicely designed. The carpet was a black and white animal print and the bed was made up with a nice, white, fluffy duvet with red piping. A desk, a 27-inch Sony Wega flat-screen TV, and 2 comfy chairs completed the main room. There was a closet that featured a heavy red velvet curtain as a door and when I peaked behind it, I saw 2 zebra print robes…fun.
In the entryway to the bathroom was a large tangerine-colored dresser that was all curvy in that 50’s retro style and it also contained the mini-bar that was stocked with some rather interesting stuff…M&Ms, vodka, Pringles, condoms and an obstetrical cloth…oh dear. The bathroom, though small, was nicely furnished and featured Avida products…Rosemary-mint shampoo and conditioner…yummy. I relish smelling like my favorite herbs.
Well, I sat down and tapped into the free wireless internet service and took care of some work things then decided that if I was going to check out Dupont Circle tonight, I would need a disco nap. I awoke just in time to freshen up and descend for the complimentary beverage hour where I enjoyed several glasses of red wine before moving to the attractive bar where I ordered the Rouge Plate which featured warm brie and sausage with olives and grilled bread and a Hanger One Buddha’s Fingers vodka martini, up with a twist.
Fun Times at Dupont Circle
After enjoying my snack and beverage and the complimentary shot of the new Starbucks Coffee liquer which the nice bartender offered me, I decided to take a walk and headed up towards Dupont Circle, stopping in the CVS for a few items and Starbucks for a triple shot cappuccino. The evening was settling in and the air was becoming a bit chilly and I was wishing I had brought my black leather coat to keep me warm and give me that stylish appearance only black leather can provide.
I walked around for a little while and then saw an Italian restaurant I had just been reading about in the Where Magazine at the hotel. I Ricchi was fairly busy but the bar was quiet so I sat down, ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and perused the menu. I decided on the calamari appetizer and a side of sauteed Swiss chard. Both were lovely and went well with my wine. I saw the chef come out and as I was leaving told her how much I had enjoyed my meal and that the article in Where had worked because not only did I recognize the place, I recognized her from her picture. She was nice and inquired where I was from and when I said Kansas City she immediately knew about our wonderful Lidia’s and I said I had just had had brunch there this past Sunday and was taking several family members there next Sunday to celebrate Mrs. Paris’s birthday.
I stepped out into the DC evening and decided to have a nightcap at the Front Page which is a hopping sports bar full of attractive 20-somethings where I watched a little bit of March Madness then headed back to my hotel. A little more surfing the net then I plunged under the comfy and warm duvet, checked to see that the appropriate alarms where set on the semi-trusty SprintPCS and off to dreamland I went.
Another Day, Another Training Session, and Home Again
Much too soon for my taste, the first of 2 alarms went off and I suddenly began to figure out how to get a little more time in my warm cocoon before the responsibilities of life beckoned me forth…finally thought, the reality of the situation set in and I hoisted myself up, ironed my shirt, sprinted through the shower and did what I could do with what I’ve got to prepare for a day at one of my regular clients.
I metroed back over on the Red Line to the Yellow Line and hopped off at the Naval Memorial/Archives station, marched through Starbucks for a quad shot cappuccino and walked the short walk to my client.
The day went relatively quickly and before long I was back on the Yellow Line towards DCA. My flight wasn’t until 7:35 so I would have almost 2.5 hours before boarding to kill but I was relieved when I saw that my US flight was leaving out of Gate 24 which meant I could make full use of the AA Admiral’s Club.
I secured my boarding pass from a kiosk and placed myself at the end of the ridiculously long security line. I had noticed this the day before upon my arrival. I don’t know what is going on at DCA, but the scrutiny brigade seems to be going slower and slower and it took a good 20 minutes to finally enter the corral and skirt through with my shoes off while being yelled at for no apparent reason other than they can.
I collected my wits and stuff and made the mad dash to the lift and was granted entrance to the DCA club after presenting the proper documents.
I like this little club. The front desk is friendly and we had a chat about Blue Bell black raspberry, dark-chocolate coated ice cream bars that have only 2 carbs…yummy.
I went back towards the bar and was disappointed that my favorite bartender was not working…he is retired military and is an expert on Virginia wines…very funny in a dry sort of way. I think he makes full use of his travel benefits with AA and I rarely see him anymore.
The young lady working the bar today had customer service skills that needed a little polishing. She was not at all friendly when people approached her and I found her tone to be just short of curt. But she did give me a free drink because she had forgotten to put the gin in one of my sodas and so I did tip her appreciatively for that.
I surfed around on the semi-trusty Dell using T-Mobile, watched with disbelief as the not-guilty verdict was announced in the Robert Blake trial, then ordered up a chicken caeser salad, found an outlet to recharge the semi-trusty Dell battery and decided to walk down to Gate 24 to see who else would be joining me on my way home this evening.
Evidently, MCI is a happening place because I arrived just in time to hear the gate agent begging for 2 volunteers…they were oversold. The offer was up to confirmed FC seats tomorrow (this of course would involve a connection instead of the non-stop since there is no FC on the EMR170) plus 2 free tickets. The catch…there were still no hotel rooms available in DC for the night so if you took the offer, you would have to sleep on the street if DC wasn’t your home.
This got me thinking…what if they had to involuntarily deny someone boarding because they had no volunteers? What if that person ended up being from out of town…would US just shrug their shoulders, slam the plane door shut and leave that poor sucker high and dry with no where to rest his or her head for the night?
Of course they would in a heartbeat.
But tonight, it didn’t come to that and I finally saw a young, amateur traveler couple make their way up and inquire about taking the offer so with that, problem solved, boarding started and I made my way to 16D. I am not petite by any stretch of the imagination, but unfortunately, the girth of my seat opponent made me feel like I was…I won’t go into detail but if I pay for a seat, I expect to be able to use the entire seat…unfortunately, this gentleman, once he had forced himself into 16F, was occupying some of 16D as well…oh well.
I made the best of it and practiced my screening skills when his loud snoring started up and was mostly relieved when his head flopped toward the window instead of toward me. I'm all for cuddling but he just wasn't my type.
The flight time was 2 hours and 30 minutes and once the 30-minute no-peepee rule had passed, I pulled out the Dell, the drink cart made one pass, and the family of 6 that were in front of me commenced a prolonged session of airplane seat hop-scotch that also involved playing video games on their laptop with the volume all the way up. What struck me funny about this was that if any of the 4 young sons made comments to their brothers, the father would glare and loudly shush them…but he seemed completely oblivious to the laptop volume until the gentleman in front of him turned and asked that it be turned down. The mother, as any mother of 4 young sons who had just been drug all over DC would do, turned toward her window in 15A and promptly passed out for the duration of the flight and missed all the fun with her family.
Finally, the plane began to tilt earthward and I was glad that this trip was winding down. Mrs. Paris had offered to come out to MCI and fetch me so I stepped out onto the curb and watched for the Paris-mobile and sure enough, within minutes she was pulling into view. She slowed just enough for me to toss my stuff and myself in then hit the pedal and we were southbound and down, on our way towards a long weekend at Chez-Paris.
Enjoy life my traveling friends…there are no seconds.