On the road again...

I’m out of pocket this week….or, more accurately, out of the kitchen.  Another work meeting has taken me first to DC, and next to San Francisco, for the next 8 days.  I shouldn’t complain, really.  We get to stay at nice hotels—much nicer than the the hotels my cheap ass reserves when I’m paying the bill.  I get to travel with my friends, as I’m lucky enough to have some really good friends at my workplace.  And we get $60/day to spend on food. Whatever food we want.  Wherever we want.  FOR FREE.  This is sounding better already….

First stop, the Donovan House in DC—or, as I’ve been calling it, using a mystical robot voice in my head (sometimes out loud too…), “the hotel from the future.”  It’s very modern—sharp angles, lots of chrome and white lacquered furniture, and the strangest shower I’ve ever seen.  A snail-shaped molded plastic maze, the shower serves as a semi-translucent wall dividing the bed from the bathroom.  Since I’m traveling alone (miss you A), nobody got to witness the silhouette shower show that undoubtedly was on display for the empty bedroom.  Unless I forgot to close the shades…

Aside from the bizarre, non-private shower, it’s a great hotel.  All the staff members I’ve encountered are super friendly, helpful, and willing to go above and beyond—fixing problems for me, extending checkout to 1 for no extra charge, and just being awesome.  I’m loving this hotel, even if the room is a little small. The décor, futuristic though it may be, is sharp and streamlined.  The bathroom (always the first thing I check out) is appointed with Bigelow toiletries.  And, the bed – specifically the pillows – are actually comfortable, which though seemingly easy to accomplish is so often overlooked that I’m willing to award an extra star just for that.

But my favorite thing about business trips?  Always?  Is room service.  Yes, it’s deliberately, outrageously overpriced.  Yes, it’s not usually the best food you can find in the city.  Yes, it’s really lazy to order in instead of exploring a town you’re visiting.  But it’s so indulgent, and so rare that I do it, that I can’t stop myself from putting on the hotel robe, ordering up a feast, and eating in bed.  Evidence?

Another plus—the house restaurant is a sushi place!  Love it. Love love it.  Instead of crappy onion soup or club sandwiches, which seem to be on every hotel menu (and, having done my fair share of business trips, I feel well acquainted with hotel menus), I got myself some unagi sashimi, a “firecracker” roll (shrimp tempura and spicy crab, topped with cucumber-avocado slaw), and steamed vegetable dumplings. 

YUM.  Maybe not the best sushi I’ve ever had, but certainly the best sushi I’ve ever eaten in bed!  Let’s hope I don’t make this a practice when I get home.  Promise.