peace. shalom. salam.
I gave this ornament to my mom last year and it's still my favorite on the entire tree. It's handmade of capiz shell from the Philippines...and the best part is that it's fair trade.
Riley, aka The Sweetest Dog in the World
I've gushed about my parent's adorably perfect dog before - namely here and here - but I'm spending time with her this week and gushing all over again. I love my parents and all, there's good people or whatever, but Riley is honestly the best part about coming home.
Home for the Holidays
Ah yes...the uncomfortable twin bed, five inches off the end of which my feet dangle each night. Welcome home, kido. Over the many years since I left it behind, my old high school bedroom has transformed itself innumerable times (a place to stuff random junk, sewing room despite the fact that no one in my family sews, a brief stint with renters, second office when my parents decided they each needed their own space, and so on). The latest iteration is apparently two twin beds with patchwork quilts, a shabby chic nightstand, and intentionally-torn wallpaper made to look like red bricks. This little backwoods boudoir is home sweet home for a week. I may not have a bed that allows all my extremities to be supported at the same time, but at least I have my own bathroom.I leave this weekend for a vacation in California. I'll spend time with my family in Orange County, but I'm also planning on a couple days in the central coast, San Luis Obispo area. In the meantime I hope to spend time blogging, finish reading my latest book (Letters from a Woman Homesteader), catch up on stacks of neglected magazines, watch endless hours of "What Not To Wear" on TLC, and teach myself how to use my new Nikon D80. Beats the office!
45 words that changed our world
The Newseum, under construction for what felt like an eternity, was finally open when I was in DC this fall. I'm a voracious news junkie and could have easily spent all day in this innovative museum dedicated to all-things news. As it was, I spent about 4 hours and still wanted more. I won't go so far as to say it changed my life, but it came close. The highlights according to me:Berlin Wall Gallery. Eight sections of the infamous 12-foot wall are on display in the Newseum. I know the stories, I've seen the movies, I have memories of what my history book told me, and most importantly I vividly remember that our cultural ambassadors known as The New Kids on the Block played an instrumental role in its demise; but it wasn't until I saw the wall with my own eyes and touched it with my own hands (don't tell the docent) that I really got it. I was awe struck by the power of the images. As the placard stated so well, "The Berlin Wall was strong enough to stop a tank, but it couldn't stop news from getting into East Germany by word of mouth, smuggled messages or radio and television." That is such an incredible statement of the power of people acting successfully against systems of oppression. I love it.
News History Gallery. If I were to get lost in the Newseum for days on end, you could probably find me combing the front pages of history. This exhibit was mind blowing in scale. You pull out drawer after preserved drawer of famous front pages from around the world, all discussing the most significant moments in human history. I stood for no less than five minutes staring at the Wonder Woman Ms. cover. How lucky are we to have these resource available to us in such an extensive, beautiful archive?
9-11 Gallery. It's difficult to describe the thoughts that flood your mind, staring up at a three-storey wall of newspapers dated the day after the attacks on the pentagon and World Trade Center. Newspapers in every possible language shared our shock and our horror. The world cried with us and stood with us as we tried to make sense of what happened. Within our own borders we were united in a way we hadn't experienced in a generation, certainly never in my lifetime. We had such an opportunity to harness that energy. We had an opportunity to begin a long-overdue dialgoue. We had an opportunity to collaborate in ways we've never thought possible. Instead, our illustrious administration told us to shop. We turned on mind-numbing "reality" television, our dissenting voices were silenced, our civil liberties quietly abolished. We took what could have been a profound turning point toward a more peaceful world and created one catastrophic clusterf**k after another. It's difficult to go back to 9-12-2001 and realize what we squandered.
45 Words of Freedom. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." 45 words. The First Amendment in our Bill of Rights. 45 words that drastically changed the world as we know it. Nowhere is the democratic experiment as robust as in the United States and I would argue that the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition is the very backbone of that experiment. This gallery in the Newseum puts "each of the five freedoms in historical context and [provides] perspective on what they mean to us more than 200 years later." There is a documentary highlighting each of these five freedoms, stuffed full of historical footage and stirring narration; but it's not for sale. Not even in the gift shop. Don't bother asking. Believe me, I tried.
National Museum of the American Indian | Washington, D.C.
During my recent trip to DC I finally made it to the American Indian museum. I'd always been fascinated by the architecture, but passed up a visit on previous trips. I'm glad I made time to experience it on this last trip. More than the exhibits themselves - which are okay, but not fabulous - I enjoyed learning about the way in which they built the museum, collected the exhibits, and grouped everything thematically.There are no right angles, every room flows seamlessly into the next, and the foyer is one of the most stunning of any Smithsonian. Every tribe represented in the museum contributed the artifacts for their specific exhibit, and every tribe named a co-curator to work with Smithsonian staff. What a fantastic collaboration.
Something that stood out to me is that every tribe has an exhibit explaining their creation legend. I like the way the website explains it: "...Native cosmology — the worldviews and philosophies related to the creation and order of the universe — and the spiritual relationship between mankind and the natural world." To be completely honest, so many tribes are represented and while the displays are beautiful they are really text-heavy. Trying to take in all the information is impossible in the time I had, so I got the basic idea and read in detail the legends of only a few tribes.
I've spent more than my fair share of time in museum cafes on both sides of the Atlantic and I can say without a doubt that the Mitsitam Cafe is by far the most interesting and creative. They group the cuisine by region and then serve traditional dishes of the tribes that live in that region (all from the Western hemisphere; including the Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America, and the Great Plains). It's such a great idea, I loved it.The most striking exhibit is one discussing the arrival of the Europeans. You leave a room filled with gold and art and relics of thriving, wealthy, self-sufficient tribes...and you turn the corner to walk down a hallway filled with bibles and guns. I think the display speaks for itself. I'm glad they didn't skirt around this issue and I'm glad it makes people uncomfortable. It should.
pho·tog·ra·phy
The art of producing images by the action of radiant energy, especially light, on a sensitive surface.
The etymology of photography traces to Greek roots: phot- meaning light and graphos- meaning writing.
The art of radiant energy. Writing with light. How lyrical is that? It's no wonder I'm in love with photography. So in love in fact that I've started a second blog to showcase the products of my hobby.
I know, I know, I don't pay enough attention to this blog as it is. I blame facebook for my blog neglect (explanatory post coming soon), but that's beside the point. I post my photos all over this blog and I still intend to do so, but this new blog will be exclusively a photo blog. I recently acquired my first digital SLR, a Nikon D80. I'm excited to take my hobby to the next level - and - just as this blog has strengthened my writing, I anticipate my photo blog will strengthen my photographic skills.
Reader, I'd like to introduce you to madeleines written with light. madeleines written with light, meet Reader.
The etymology of photography traces to Greek roots: phot- meaning light and graphos- meaning writing.
The art of radiant energy. Writing with light. How lyrical is that? It's no wonder I'm in love with photography. So in love in fact that I've started a second blog to showcase the products of my hobby.
I know, I know, I don't pay enough attention to this blog as it is. I blame facebook for my blog neglect (explanatory post coming soon), but that's beside the point. I post my photos all over this blog and I still intend to do so, but this new blog will be exclusively a photo blog. I recently acquired my first digital SLR, a Nikon D80. I'm excited to take my hobby to the next level - and - just as this blog has strengthened my writing, I anticipate my photo blog will strengthen my photographic skills.
Reader, I'd like to introduce you to madeleines written with light. madeleines written with light, meet Reader.
Emotional Vomit.
So that apparently needed to happen. Turns out that with a few days hindsight, that was analogous to the satisfying moment when you suspect you might be sick...and then you finally throw up...and then you start feeling better. Not a graceful image, but entirely accurate.
So that closure I thought I'd achieved? Not so much. Awesome.
The good news? Naming it is half the battle. I traveled so far down that long road of closure that I think I just got tired. I needed to pull off and take a nap. I needed to get out, stretch my legs, buy another Gatorade. The problem is I never got back in the car. I realize that now. All this time that I thought I was making progress, I was just idling in a roadside rest stop somewhere between him and home.
To carry this cheesy analogy further than it needs to be carried: I'm back in the driver's seat. There are only a few more corners to turn before I'm in the home stretch. You know that point in the trip? Your back is sore, your licorice is long gone, the iPod shuffling is getting old, you just want to sleep in your own bed...but the landmarks are familiar so you know you're close. There's nothing more satisfying than returning home after a long road trip. Though long-time-coming emotional vomit does run a close second.
So that closure I thought I'd achieved? Not so much. Awesome.
The good news? Naming it is half the battle. I traveled so far down that long road of closure that I think I just got tired. I needed to pull off and take a nap. I needed to get out, stretch my legs, buy another Gatorade. The problem is I never got back in the car. I realize that now. All this time that I thought I was making progress, I was just idling in a roadside rest stop somewhere between him and home.
To carry this cheesy analogy further than it needs to be carried: I'm back in the driver's seat. There are only a few more corners to turn before I'm in the home stretch. You know that point in the trip? Your back is sore, your licorice is long gone, the iPod shuffling is getting old, you just want to sleep in your own bed...but the landmarks are familiar so you know you're close. There's nothing more satisfying than returning home after a long road trip. Though long-time-coming emotional vomit does run a close second.
I can still smell the red leather...
...and handmade paper. I carried it with me everywhere. I wrote and doodled and wrote some more, cut and pasted and collaged, spilled the secrets both meaningful and mundane. I gave myself infinite permission to live in a candid space, a raw space unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. Or since. I knew when he gave it to me that it was never mine to keep. And while I knew that each page was his, I still let myself relish the poetry that each page also belonged intimately to me. I didn't know what he would choose to do with those pages, but I held a vaguely naive trust that he would take care of them. I still wonder where they ended up. I wonder even today.It's the pillow talk that haunts me. Of course I remember our laughs, those unexpected moments assigned distinctly to the early days when there were still surprises to learn. I remember our coy flirtations, the sexy entendres spread wide like peacock feathers. I remember the overtly intellectualized conversations and debates about the day's news. I remember all of that in the purely rational space of my head. Those memories take the fuzzy shape of thoughts not quite formed, not quite able to effect me. Yet the memories of our pillow talk effect me beyond my control. I can still feel those conversations in my chest. To this day my knees get weak as my pulse races and I hear his whispers like they were yesterday. It's the pillow talk that haunts me. We wove such colorful dreams.
Our time together was cinematic, musical. Within the catalogue of songs I searched to articulate my muddled mind, nothing felt more appropriate than Rachael Yamagata's Reason Why. Her words are as relevant to our situation as if I had penned them with my own shaky hand, and yet it's the absurd irony that catches in my throat. "You and I know the reason why..." If I knew the reason why, I would no longer feel his beautiful promises aching in my chest, so real to me that I know I could reach in and grab hold of them. If I knew the reason why, I would simply file him away in the plentiful drawer of live-and-learn. I've put him in that drawer many times before, but he always manages to sneak out. I'm done. I've grown weary of trying to contain those memories in a space that they clearly don't belong. Not yet anyway.
I'm sure he's done his best, as I have, to cover the tracks that we left. Even after all is said and done and said again, I do wish him well and hope he's found whatever it was he was looking for. I hope it was worth it.
Reason Why
Rachael Yamagata
I think about how it might have been
We'd spend our days travelin'
It's not that I don't understand you
It's not that I don't want to be with you
But you only wanted me
The way you wanted me
So, I will head out alone and hope for the best
And we can hang our heads down as we skip the goodbyes
You can tell the world what you want them to hear
I've got nothing left to lose, my dear
So, I'm up for the little white lies
But you and I know the reason why
I'm gone, and you're still there
I'll buy a magazine searching for your face
From coast to coast, or wherever I find my place
I'll track you on the radio
And I'll sign your list in a different name
But as close as I get to you
It's not the same
So, I will head out alone and hope for the best
We can pat ourselves on the back and say that we tried
And if one of us makes it big
We can spill our regrets
And talk about how the love never dies
But you and I know the reason why
I'm gone, and you're still there
So, steal the show
And do your best to cover the tracks that I have left
I wish you well and hope you find whatever you're looking for
The way I might've changed my mind
But you only showed me the door
So, I will head out alone and hope for the best
We can pat ourselves on the back and say that we tried
And if one of us makes it big
We can spill our regrets
And talk about how the love never dies
But you and I know the reason why
Soundtrack for the Snow
At the 1:43 mark my heart breaks into a million little pieces. It hurts so good. How can I not melt into these words? "...you kissed my lips with my mouth so full of questions..."
hello cupcake
Jen and I stumbled into hello cupcake in Dupont Circle (more than once) ... and it was delicious.
My friends who work in Dupont Circle told me that their office has an ongoing cupcake competition: who has the best frosting, best cake, ideal frosting to cake ratio, price per bite, etc. We discussed a cupcake crawl, but never got around to it.
What ever did trendy yuppies do before gourmet cupcakes? Oh right, we all ate organic acai frozen yogurt.
Because I'm 32 flavors and then some
I'm in a deliriously random musical mood today. I might thank copious amounts of DayQuil, NyQuil, and a litany of other miscellaneous Quils I've been employing to destroy a nasty bug. I might also cite the fact that I've been quarantined in my apartment for 40+ hours now and let's be honest, I'm going a little nuts. I telecommuted yesterday and actually did quite a bit of work from home. Today? I did quite a bit of work tooling around my iTunes library.
Because It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time:
1. The Way We Get By | Spoon
2. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere | Glen Hansen & Marketa Irglova
3. Shake It | Metro Station
4. I Will Follow You Into the Dark | Death Cab for Cutie
5. Neighborhood #1 | Arcade fire
6. Paralyzer | Finger Eleven
7. Whole Wide World | Wreckless Eric
8. Librarian | My Morning Jacket
9. Did You See the Words? | Animal Collective
10. Shut Up and Let Me Go | The Ting Tings
11. Check Yes Juliet | We the Kings
12. Gobbledigook | Sigur Ros
13. Spiraling | Keane
14. The Garden | Mirah
15. Un Simple Histoire | Thievery Corporation
16. Something Special | Big Bang
17. All I Want is You | Barry Louis Polisar
18. I Kissed a Girl | Katy Perry
19. Technologic | Daft Punk
20. Laid | James
21. Hands in the Air | Girl Talk*
22. Where Do You Go To? | Peter Sarstedt
23. Sleeping In | The Postal Service
24. Casimir Pulaski Day | Sufjan Stevens
25. Disturbia | Rihanna
26. Second Chance | Liam Finn
27. Float On | Modest Mouse
28. Whistle for the Choir | The Fratellis
29. 1234 | Feist
30. Cape Canaveral | Conor Oberst
31. Taste | Lorna Vallings
32. We Shall Overcome | Gustav
* My friend Kris loves mashups and dj musak, so when I visited her in North Carolina this fall I was treated to all sorts of messy music. I forgot how much I love the random brilliance of mashups...when done right. Girl Talk does it right. Oh so right. He releases his stuff on the Illegal Art label and you can choose to pay for it, or not (a trendy paradigm familiar to Radiohead fans). I've been obsessing about his latest album, "Feed the Animals." To give you a sense of the chaos that is Girl Talk, here's one mix I'm partial to:
"In Step"
Want more? Clickityclick you know you do...
Because It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time:1. The Way We Get By | Spoon
2. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere | Glen Hansen & Marketa Irglova
3. Shake It | Metro Station
4. I Will Follow You Into the Dark | Death Cab for Cutie
5. Neighborhood #1 | Arcade fire
6. Paralyzer | Finger Eleven
7. Whole Wide World | Wreckless Eric
8. Librarian | My Morning Jacket
9. Did You See the Words? | Animal Collective
10. Shut Up and Let Me Go | The Ting Tings
11. Check Yes Juliet | We the Kings
12. Gobbledigook | Sigur Ros
13. Spiraling | Keane
14. The Garden | Mirah
15. Un Simple Histoire | Thievery Corporation
16. Something Special | Big Bang
17. All I Want is You | Barry Louis Polisar
18. I Kissed a Girl | Katy Perry
19. Technologic | Daft Punk
20. Laid | James
21. Hands in the Air | Girl Talk*
22. Where Do You Go To? | Peter Sarstedt
23. Sleeping In | The Postal Service
24. Casimir Pulaski Day | Sufjan Stevens
25. Disturbia | Rihanna
26. Second Chance | Liam Finn
27. Float On | Modest Mouse
28. Whistle for the Choir | The Fratellis
29. 1234 | Feist
30. Cape Canaveral | Conor Oberst
31. Taste | Lorna Vallings
32. We Shall Overcome | Gustav
* My friend Kris loves mashups and dj musak, so when I visited her in North Carolina this fall I was treated to all sorts of messy music. I forgot how much I love the random brilliance of mashups...when done right. Girl Talk does it right. Oh so right. He releases his stuff on the Illegal Art label and you can choose to pay for it, or not (a trendy paradigm familiar to Radiohead fans). I've been obsessing about his latest album, "Feed the Animals." To give you a sense of the chaos that is Girl Talk, here's one mix I'm partial to:
"In Step"
- 0:00 Roy Orbison - "You Got It"
- 0:00 Drama - "Left Right Left"
- 0:00 Jermaine Stewart - "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off"
- 0:30 Arts & Crafts - "What a Feeling" (which samples Ralph MacDonald - "Jam on the Groove")
- 0:47 Salt-N-Pepa - "Push It"
- 0:57 Deee-Lite - "Groove Is in the Heart" (which samples "Get Up" by Vernon Burch)
- 1:02 Nirvana - "Lithium"
- 1:15 Thurston Moore - "See-Through Play/Mate"
- 1:38 The Gap Band - "You Dropped a Bomb on Me"
- 1:43 Fergie ft. Ludacris - "Glamorous"
- 1:44 Michael Jackson - "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
- 1:45 Earth, Wind & Fire - "September"
- 1:53 INXS - "Need You Tonight"
- 2:00 Kraftwerk - "Tour de France"
- 2:51 Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine - "1-2-3"
- 2:53 Diddy ft.Keyshia Cole - "Last Night"
- 2:53 The Beach Boys - "God Only Knows"
- 3:16 Snoop Dogg - "Sexual Eruption"
- 3:21 Bizarre Inc. - "I'm Gonna Get You"
Want more? Clickityclick you know you do...
co co sala
I had a total Sex in the City moment on this last trip to DC. I had one of those chic urban moments that makes me pause, look around, shake my head and mutter, "Is this my life? Sweet." Sweet indeed. Sweet like cocoa. Or rather sweet like co co sala chocolate lounge.Reservations required for boutique charm, an abundance of artisanal chocolates, ultra modern decor with soft candlelight caressing your organic sliders, and dropping $30 for desert, ah yes...the city life.
It took me all of 2.5 seconds to glance over the menu and make my decision: Chocolate Connoisseur Tasting.
I was served five gradients of chocolate ranging from white to 78% cocoa. I was even given a little key/map thing to guide me through my plate (ie: 30% Milk Chocolate from Guatemala). Each grade of chocolate came in solid, semi-solid, and liquid form. Dude. Seriously. After consulting with my friends, the strategy was as follows: I took one grade at a time, ate one solid piece, then half the semi-solid piece, and knocked back the shot. I can't really describe the sensation of warm melted chocolate coating my throat and sliding to it's new home in my happy tummy. My goodness.If you want to see great photos...scroll through this page and salivate. It was really difficult to capture the ambiance because it was so dimly lit. Their website is pretty fabulous though, amazing photos, so check it out.
I'm serious. It's a shoe car.
The fact that there is a red sex-me heel driving down a busy DC street is funny. The fact that this particular red sex-me heel stalled mid-way through the intersection and the full-helmeted beefcake driver had to hop out and push said heel, even soliciting help from the frustrated drivers honking angrily behind him, is extra funny. Who drives a shoe? Honestly?
Busboys & Poets | Viva la Revolucion
Many scholars trace the coffeehouse phenomenon to the Beats of the 1950s (the decade and movement about which I happened to write my thesis, re: the existential impact of the Cold War on the newly-formed demographic of the American teenager), but that is too ethnocentric a view. All over the world, for centuries, coffee/tea house, as well as independent book sellers, have served as a hub of progressive dialogue and gathering places for citizens hungry to begin social movements (google it). I make it a point when I travel to seek out locally-owned coffee shops and/or book sellers. Some people collect key chains, I collect books and sweet smelling memories of cocoa and scones.
The history of Busboys and Poets (named in honor of the revolutionary Langston Hughes) is quite interesting, and also indicative of how so many local coffee shops establish cache in their community. Teaching for Change runs the bookstore and so this outing was a bit like a professional hajj for me. That's what I do all day every day, it's the basic catalogue of my office library, and if I could curl up in this bookstore forever and ever...I would. If you're interested in the background, click here and read on.
Random DC Surprise | Cathedral of the Something Something
This is why I wander. I would never have seen this cathedral had I stayed on the mall and in the museums. I've been to DC enough times that the mall is kind of tired and so I intentionally set out to see sights I know I've never seen before. I didn't expect to run into this cathedral in Adams Morgan-ish, but it was a lovely surprise.
Did I read the historical marker? Of course. Do I remember that this cathedral was the first something something or oldest whatever you call it? No. That's not the point. I would typically jott thorough travel notes in a journal and savor the details; but this time around, I guess I savored the experience as a whole.
Random DC Surprise | Dancin' on the Ceiling
En route from Adams Morgan to the U Street shopping corridor I ducked into a random building searching for a public restroom. Because it's DC I had to show three forms of identification, leave valuable collateral, and secure a co-signer, but I was finally led past the guard and into the cleanest bathroom I. have. ever. seen.Leaving the building I was less distracted then when I walked in, and I noticed these delightful pieces hanging all around my head...
A Mantra of Mayan Weavers
"Grant me the intelligence and patience to find the true pattern..."
I had a much-needed conversation with a good friend this afternoon. It was one of those serendipitous conversations that you don't actually realize you need until it's over...and the clouds part a bit. I'm grateful for beautiful people in my life, people who gently call me out and recalibrate my perspective to the bigger picture.
How would it be...
...to have residential tourists (I know it can't be just me and there has to be others out there who loves to do this on vacation) wander through your neighborhood and find your home so charmingly picturesque that they photograph it as though they were seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time. On second thought, maybe that would be annoying.
I really want this to be my front door. I don't quite understand how you get couches and beds into these old skinny doorways and up those old skinny stairs, but if I could claim this address, I'd find a way.
I really want this to be my front door. I don't quite understand how you get couches and beds into these old skinny doorways and up those old skinny stairs, but if I could claim this address, I'd find a way.
Residential Adventure | Adams Morgan
One of my favorite things to do in cities is wander through residential neighborhoods, see how people really live, get off the beaten tourist path. When I built a few play days into my DC trip, I was googling for events and festivals when I found an excellent cultural tourism website. This website breaks the district into neighborhoods and suggests the highlights of each. One neighborhood that I'd heard great things about, including from my friend who lives there currently and a friend who did live there for about a decade, was Adams Morgan.
It's a funky-eclectic-artsy-yuppie hot spot known for quirky boutique shopping and public murals. My only regret with this excursion is that I went too early in the day and the neighborhood was still sleepy. In hindsight, I should have planned this to be my dinner/club destination. Oh well, I still got a sense of it and that sense tells me I would be very happy living here. Because really, who doesn't want an Egyptian cat pharaoh mural thing coming out their bedroom window?
Tehehehe. Madam's Organ is the young professional's waterhole in Adams Morgan. I dig it.
A Sunny Day in Annapolis, Maryland
During the work-half of my week in DC I took a day trip to Annapolis. I had business with a college there and it was my first time to that city. After our work was done, we ate lunch on the water at The Severn Inn and wandered about the historic district. We could not have asked for better weather...or fresher mozzarella!
I love squishy row houses and brownstones, tree-lined streets, and brick sidewalks. I can't imagine how much it would cost to live in said squishy spaces, but seriously, how lovely is this?! It feels like another world and in squishy east coast neighborhoods like this I half expect some bespectacled founding father to trot past in his carriage on his way to sign something really important.
Remember that gorgeously sunny weather I was telling you about? This is what that sun looks like streaming through the turning leaves of fall.
Swank Swanky Swank | Washington DC
There are few things in life more swanky than business travel. Well, in my life anyway there are few things more swanky than business travel. There's dropping $300/night on a hotel in Dupont Circle and then there's crashing at your cousin's place. On my recent trip to DC, I was lucky enough to do both. For the first half of the week I was on my consulting dime and that dime took me to the Hotel Palomar, a Kimpton property. The niche for Kimpton is: "Every Hotel has a Story" and the story that my hotel happens to tell is: "Art in Motion."
Is the hot pink body pillow a bit unconventional? Yes. How about the cheetah faux fur throw? Definitely over the top. The massively fuzzy cheetah bathrobe and matching slippers? Indulgent to be sure. My favorite part is the nightstand that lights up and the fact that all the lamps dim, including the spotlights in the big bathtub. Did I feel like a 70s pimp with my padded leather headboard? You bet. And why not? I love exploring new hotels and when you travel a lot, why not have fun with it? This place was recommended and arranged by my contact at the company for whom I do the consulting work, so roll with it.
Up Next: Washington DC
Stay tuned. I'm sorting through my DC photos and will soon start posting memories of that trip.I can't even count the number of times I've been to DC and yet, every. single. trip. offers new surprises and experiences. I love that city.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)