I've been such a bad boy. Since the DC trip, I have been all over the country and yet I have not entered anything. The week before last I was in Ft Lauderdale and last week I was in Portland and Seattle. I got out a day before the storms. Yesterday I was in Birmingham, Alabama and tonight I am at the Hilton (downtown) on Courtland in Georgia. I just finished a late evening meal in "Le Bistro" on the ground floor of the hotel. I should have gone for Trader Vic's on the lower level or the place at the top with the French cuisine. The waitress was cool until I heard her say, at the end of the meal, from the kitchen, "He wants cake and espresso?" (Giggle, giggle, snort.) Hey, pal, I like strong coffee at the end of the night. More importantly, if there is only one person in the joint, watch your tongue. The steak was overpriced and mostly fat. The veggies were undercooked and a total waste of space and time. This is one place where you want to hit the closest exit as soon as possible. Better yet, look for some other place to dine. The Hilton is (overall) pretty cool. The furnishings are nice... typical Hilton. The views from the executive levels are good.
I am kind of bummed because I did not have time to check out Portman's Hyatt. When I was first getting into architecture I was interested in the concept of architect as developer. In addition, Big John has a reputation for mastering the whole compress-and-release gig where he pushes you through a compressed space only to release you into a gigantic and wide open space. Oh well, maybe next time. I think that they are remodeling the space now.
Birmingham was very cool. I was surprised and blown away because I did not expect this city to be so cool and so edgy. The Mountain Brook neighborhood has some of the same vibe as the Lake Oswego, Oregon area. Check out the freaky photo I took there of some statuary in a park. Birmingham is definitely a place I would like to check out some more the next time I'm down here. The Homewood Middle School in Homewood/Birmingham is pretty cool. I had the chance to take a peak at and around the school... I now want to know who designed it. Very well done. Rent a car from Hertz with Neverlost and check it out.
NOTE: I would like to start a feature on the best spots to dine for traveling/single people. Not meat-markets designed around human consumption, mind you, but actually great little (or big) places for a lone traveler to stop in and have a meal. These should be places that are comfortable and perhaps even cater to the lone patron. So, if you have any suggestions, please email them to me at closestexit@gmail.com
Thanks.
Disclaimer: The expressions expressed by the espresso crazed traveler in this blog are opinion only. If you do not like the comments, improve the service. Thanks. Thanks ever so much. Bye, bye now.
