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Senior Getaway
September 14, 2006
Holland, Michigan has been ranked by Money Magazine as on the Top Five Best Places to Retire (2006 edition). Hehe. That’s funny.
Cool City… or realllllly dull city?
Situated on the shores of an inland lake that connects to Lake Michigan, Holland is full of summer fun for beachgoers and sailing aficionados. Granted, it isn’t warm here in the winter, but there is plenty to do indoors. And hey, sidewalks and streets are heated to melt snow. [Emphasis added] Downtown, a five-block stretch along Eighth Street, is a thriving area of independent shops and restaurants. Close by, you’ll also find bigbox stores and a small private hospital. And Grand Rapids is a mere 25 minutes away.
Posted by paul at 06:29 PM | Comments (2)
Airport Relaxation
September 12, 2006
My flight to OKC leaves KC at 9:30 pm tonight. Since I was done with my day here, and ready to be on my way home, I hopped the shuttle to the airport… and arrived at 6:14 pm. Unlike most people, I like airports. The people watching, the relaxation, watching airplanes and equipment, etc. etc. It’s endless fun.
I’ve been in a good number of airports in my life… although I have missed going to DFW and Atlanta so far. The best airports, in my opinion, are those that offer food/shops on both sides of security. If you’re leaving and want to share a dinner with people you’re leaving, you can do so. If you’re transfering from one plane to another, you can wander around the shops and grab a bite to eat.
Unfortunately, OKC and KC are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Neither airport really fulfills the need, in my opinion.
OKC has all of its food and shopping after security. When I’m seeing my parents off, I’d like to be able to grab a snack after we check their bags, but that’s impossible.
KC is the opposite. All of the restaurants and shops are before security… thus, if you transfer, you actually have to leave the secured area and then re-enter. An unnecessary hassle. Granted, there are a couple random snack places, but it’s not “fresh” food… at least compared to a hot burger or a nice cup of coffee from Starbucks or elsewhere.
Airport Planning. Now that would be something interesting to get into.
Posted by paul at 08:09 PM | Comments (2)
Hyatt Rant
September 09, 2006
Hyatts are relatively well-known across the country for being fancy, well-appointed hotels. I have stayed in four Hyatts in my life, Washington DC, Phoenix, Milwaukee (thanks Dominos), and now Kansas City.
All I have to say is, why do Hyatts continue to survive???
Each Hyatt has had a small room. This king-bed room in Kansas City is by far the largest I’ve had, which isn’t saying much, because twice I stayed with my family, and the other time I believe Nick and I had double beds, if not queens.
The internet, wireless or ethernet, is NOT free. It’s $9.99 a day, or, if you have a T Mobile connection, you can log in through it. Nearly EVERY Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn I’ve stayed in recently has FREE internet. What gives?
For the price, you’d think we’d get more for free. Like an in-room coffee maker. Not at Hyatt.
I suppose having the money (or having someone else pay - the City) to stay at a Hyatt means that you have to pay for anything other than the bed and the crappy TV… the remote doesn’t work at all. Luxery is not cheap.
Here’s a supposition… tell me what you think.
I first wanted to pose the theory that hotel amenities versus costs follow a basic bell curve. Get to a certain amenity/cost and the amentities start to go down, but the price goes up. So, I modified it slightly. See this Hotel Amenities versus Cost Chart.
Granted, it’s a rough graph. But, I think my point still stands. For instance, like I noted above, you get to a certain point, and things are no longer free at a hotel. But, when you get back up to an even higher cost, everything is free (excluding tips). Take our Honeymoon. It was not cheap, that’s for sure, but it did include free Butler service, with in-room wake-up service, croissants and coffee each morning.
Posted by paul at 03:31 PM | Comments (1)