Hotel: Hyatt Regency Denver - Convention Center

City: Denver, CO
Chain: Hyatt
Property: Denver - Convention Center
Address: 650 15th Street, Denver, Colorado 80202
Phone Number: 303-436-1234

Check Out: October 9, 2006



Very nice hotel in a great location downtown. This is my first visit to Denver (although I've been to the airport plenty of times, but the airport is no where near the city). There is an outdoor "shopping mall" area near the airport that seems to be a center for dining and shopping, although it seems devoid of any character that would identify it as Denver. No cowboy hats, no Rocky Mountain High (you could walk a few blocks and see them), same generic American mall experience. A little disappointing, but maybe you need to get out of the city to see "Colorado" in any substantial way. Colorado Springs and Pueblo had more western character than the downtown area, but that's probably not a surprise. The hotel is across the street from the convention center.

Hyatt's are very nice to stay in - almost a Ritz Carlton experience with the staff being exceptionally well trained and attentive to customer needs. Nice bar area in the lobby, and a sit down dining area as well. The room I had was very nice, large TV (although picture wasn't very good). Excellent room service.


Rating:

• Safety: 1
  
• Dining: 1
  
• Bar: 1
  
• Internet: 1
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 1
  
• Work Space, Power: 2
  
• Shower: 1
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 10

Directions:

Last Visit: October 8, 2006 ($200-ish a night)

Flight: Frontier 721 DCA-DEN

Departing From: Washington, DC (DCA)
Traveling To: Denver, CO (DEN)
ETD: 09:00AM October 7, 2006
ETA: 010:50AM October 7, 2006
Est. Duration: 3 hr, 15 min
Departure Gate: 26
Arrival Gate:
Seat: 10F (Exit Row)
Equipment: Airbus 319
Miles:
Other:

Frontier - first time. Airbus 319. Built 2002. Exit row, window seat. OK shoulder room, good leg room.

TVs in each chair, but you have to pay $5 to watch it. The GPS display is free, which is my favorite channel, anyway! JetBlue is a better deal with free TV service.

A little bumpy out to Denver. Nice blue sky. It’s a full flight, like all of them out this weekend. Everything was full or almost full when trying to make the arrangements after United cancelled by IAD flight on the 777. United has disappointed frequently this year.

Hotel: Best Western Quiet Suites Mequon

City: Mequon, WI
Chain: Best Western
Property: Best Western Quiet House & Suites
Address: 10330North Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI 53092
Phone Number: 262-241-3677

Check Out: September 14, 2006

A "suite style for business travelers" kind of place. Kind of like Courtyard, with larger rooms and desks, a common area for hanging out after work but not a pick-up joint. I had a "theme" room of some kind - oriental, I think but didn't leave much of an impression on me. However, the staff was extremely nice, as you would expect in this part of the country.

Not much food - breakfast and a little nook to buy snacks. There was a place next door, but closed very early so not much going on over there.

Restaurant: Outback Steakhouse, Aspen Hill, MD

(301) 933-4385
13703 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring MD 20906

Might have been here before - not sure. Not a great location, but there aren't many nice resturants in this part of Montgomery County. Service was pretty good because of a good waiter, although a little slow at times maybe because of short help. What you would expect from Outback - consistant, heavy on the fried food and the choice is mostly steak or something with alfredo sauce.

Flight: United #7822 IND-IAD

Departing From: Indianapolis, IN (IND)
Traveling To: Washington, DC (IAD)
ETD: 07:10PM July 24, 2006
ETA:
Est. Duration:
Departure Gate:
Arrival Gate:
Seat: 15A
Equipment:
Miles:
Other:

Restaurant: Cafe Deluxe, Tyson's Corner

Go here frequently. It's casual, usually crowded but not too long for a table, and the menu is creative but not too long. Love the Ahi Tuna, and the little pizzas they make are great.

Only downside is the noise level in the place is off the hook. Even when not full the crowd noise is so loud its difficult to have conversation sometimes. Something bad about the acoustics in there, or they have a lot of unusually loud talkers who frequent the place.

Visited again, August 6, 2006

Restaurant: Panera, Aspen Hill MD

13521 Connecticut Ave
Wheaton, MD 20906
301-598-7190

Kind of a deli, kind of a copy of Cosi or Einstein Bros., but more about the bread.

Restaurant: Chipotle, Bethesda

7600 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-907-9077

They're all the same. Big burritos, not expensive. The only down side - always crowded.

Restaurant: Legal Seafood, Washington DC (MCI Arena)

701 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-347-0007

Across the street from the arena, so very convenient when attending an event. Not very large, however, and fills up fast. You need to get there early - 2 hours before event time should do it.

Like other Legal Seafood locations - generally very good although the service at this one can be spotty due to the rush an event represents to them.

Metro: Chinatown/Arena station - go out the arena exit, up 7th street a block on the other side.

Last visit: October 10, 2006

Restaurant: Claim Jumper (Lake Forest Area)

http://www.claimjumper.com/hypertext/locations_ca.htm

Portions too big. Kind of a "gold rush" theme to the place (obviously), but not a very strong theme. Outside the wait staff wearing sheriff badges, the theme is decor only.

Very good quality food, but all in the "american" category. The chocolate cake is humorously too large - one slice is dessert for 4 or more. Moderately priced.

Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Foothill Ranch

City: Lake Forest, CA
Chain: Marriott
Property: Foothill Ranch SNAFR
Address: 27492 Portola Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92610
Phone Number: 949-951-5700

Check Out: May 5, 2006



Out in the middle of nowhere, California's Orange County. Not too far from Anaheim, but not really part of that scene. It seems to be a part of the state that LA is just speading out into with mostly new development and highways. Didn't realize there were places not yet part of LA, frankly.

Relatively new, clean Courtyard experience. A real bar, which I didn't know Marriott's were doing in these. Not a great place for a family stay - mostly business guys blowing off steam with beer at the end of the day. Rooms were very well furnished, everything was good. What you would expect.

Rating:

• Safety: 1
  
• Dining: 0 (breakfast only). Starbucks across the parking lot, though.
  
• Bar: 1
  
• Internet: 1, included!
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 1
  
• Work Space, Power: 1
  
• Shower: 1
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 8

Directions:

Last Visit: May 5, 2006 (169 plus tax)

Hotel: Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

City: Los Angeles
Chain: Millennium
Property: Millennium Biltmore Hotel
Address: 506 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90071
Phone Number: 213-624-1011

Check Out: May 4, 2006



In downtown LA. A grand old hotel with service in the old style. Meaning that the random problems are "character" and not something to be addressed. Bathroom door didn't close, shower curtain didn't prevent too much water from getting out, elevator was old and slow, noise in room from traffic outside and punks was disruptive. Internet required getting a cable.

But, the hotel was pretty, the service staff top notch, resturant was good. The shower, while at sholder height, was a wonderfully wastefull waterfall.


Rating:

• Safety: 1
  
• Dining: 1
  
• Bar: 1
  
• Internet: 1, but very overpriced at $13 a night.
  
• Wireless in Common Areas: 0
  
• Work Space, Power: .5
  
• Shower: .5
  
• Air Conditioning, Bed: 1
  
• Common Areas: 1
  

Total: 7

Directions:

Last Visit: May 4, 2006 (189 plus tax)