I'm OK with OKC!

This past weekend, Boyfriend and I headed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to see the George Strait, Reba McEntire, and LeeAnn Womack concert! Since the concert wasn’t until Saturday night, I proposed we drive down on Friday and make a weekend of it, and Boyfriend obliged.

I was able to get us reservations at the Hilton Skirvin Hotel, and boy, I’m glad I did! The hotel is just as luxurious as the pictures on the Hilton website. The service was absolutely impeccable. Even though our requested room type wasn’t available, the staff was extremely friendly and very apologetic. (They had a large wedding booked on Saturday night.) We had a large room on the 11th floor that was beautifully and comfortably appointed. The beds were new Hilton beds and extremely comfortable – it was like sleeping on a cloud! The bathroom was especially large and there was plenty of room to get ready. The ONE drawback about the hotel was the weak water pressure, but I understand this is an older hotel, and it’s just one of those things. Every time we retrieved the car from valet, they made sure to give us directions AROUND the construction going on downtown and tried to help us find our destination. They would always have the car pulled around by the time we got downstairs. I have zero complaints about this hotel, and it was only three blocks away from the concert hall, so we were able to walk and avoid the traffic! It’s also very convenient to Bricktown and the attractions in that area. Although we didn’t order room service or dine in the restaurant, the piano music coming from the bar was inspiring – it was almost as if we took a trip back in time. I would definitely stay here again, simply basis on the quality of the service received.

Anyway, we arrived a little before 6:00 on Friday, and I wanted to shower before we tried to go out to dinner. Tom tried to call Cattlemen’s to see if we could get a reservation for dinner, but they don’t take them, so we decided to try our luck. It was about 7:45 when we got down to the Stockyards, and we were told the wait was an hour. The restaurant wasn’t that nice and the service we received was quite brusque, so after taking one look at the waiting room upstairs with ONE bartender and a line across the room to get drinks, we decided to try our luck elsewhere. We ended up at Carino’s, which was ok. I had to send my food back because it was stone cold, but the service was friendly and we only had to wait 20 minutes. We had talked about going to a movie, but we were both so tired, we decided to go back to the room and relax.

Saturday morning, we woke up and Tom was ready to hit up the Oklahoma City Science Musuem, as they had an imax, and they were showing two films – Extreme and Everest. We bought tickets to both. ;) Everest was GREAT – go see it if you have the opportunity!! Extreme made me a little motion sick. The imax was really nice though – comfortable seats, clean, and not too loud. It’s definitely on our radar now. We decided to try Cattlemen’s again for lunch, but again, there was a crazy wait and people were lined up outside, so we decided to skip it again. We found a Chinese restaurant and had a late lunch there. By the time we finished, we decided to head back to the hotel to rest a little while before the concert. I fell into a deep sleep for a little over an hour and Tom watched TV.

I got up at 5:30 to start getting ready. I looked SO cute, and I’m so bummed I forgot my camera. (HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!) I wore the DVF skirt I bought for the Britney Spears concert in 2009, a yellow Kate Spade top I bought this past summer, and Camille’s ADORABLE boots. Tom LOVED my outfit, and I did, too. I looked ridiculously cute. Country chic? Maybe? Anyway, we walked over to the arena and were surprised to see how GREAT our seats were. Hello front row!! The security lady in front of us was super friendly, too. She asked if we were on our honeymoon; I guess we had stars in our eyes, lol.

The concert was incredible! Lee Ann Womack sang my favourite songs – I Hope You Dance and Think of a Reason Later… turns out, Boyfriend loves Think of a Reason Later, too. Lol… Reba sang an eclectic mix of old and new songs, and I belted them right along with her. I swear to God my boyfriend thought it was cute. ;) Then it was time for George… oh George, you haven’t aged a bit. He played for awhile, and Boyfriend would take my hands and sing to me. It was seriously cute. (Don’t be jealous.) There was an especially sweet moment during I Cross My Heart.

The thing that impressed me most about this concert was the lack of special effects – none of these artists needed the special effects to be good – you could tell they were ACTUALLY singing, and boy they were good at it! They sound exactly like the CDs. They are really that talented. We absolutely loved it! (So, thanks Mom!!!!)

After the concert, we headed back to the hotel to figure out what our late night dining options were. We barely missed Cattlemen’s (again)… so we ended up at Buffalo Wild Wings and had a smorgasbord of appetizers before heading back to the hotel and staying up way too late talking and telling stories. We slept extremely late on Sunday, checking out of the hotel at exactly noon, and getting back to Dallas at 3:20… which was followed by naps instead of grocery shopping… and scrounging around for dinner, but hey, it worked! ;)

And now it’s back to reality… but weekends like that, they’re pretty amazing, too. ;) I just wish I had pictures to share!

Hilton Molino Stucky -- Venice 2010

Owing to the fact that I have literally spent the last 3 days at work with nothing to do, I decided it’s time to get cracking on my trip reports from my Italy trip.

The second part of our Italian adventure was spent in Venice, and after spending a lot of time online trying to find the right hotel, I decided to book via Hotwire because I knew we would end up with the Hilton Molino Stucky based on my research. We ended up paying about $150/night for it by using Hotwire.

The first thing about the hotel is that it’s on a separate island from Venice proper in the Guidecca. We read Elton John actually has an estate in the island. We took a vaperetto from St. Lucia to Zattere and picked up the complimentary hotel shuttle from there. It was like clockwork, seriously. The hardest part was simply navigating a crowded vaperetto with our luggage. The hotel shuttle drops you off right in front of the hotel, and we were able to check in immediately. We were given a room in one of the back towers (this hotel is a maze – it was a former mill) overlooking a small courtyard. The room was quite large by Venetian standards and beautifully appointed. After Florence, we relished the luxury of the bathtub, the large marble bathroom, and comfortable bed. The staff was friendly, although not entirely efficient – they run on Italian time.

One thing that concerned me when I read the reviews was the hassle of the hotel shuttle, but truthfully, it was very easy. We could go to Zattere or directly to San Marco on a set schedule. There was also a vaperetto stop within minutes of the hotel when the hotel shuttle wasn’t running. We spent many nights roaming around Venice, and we were still able to get back via hotel shuttle. Additionally, I got up before the hotel shuttle was running one morning to photograph the city, and I was able to catch a vaperetto to San Marco without a problem. There is a period of time during the evening when they take a break, but you can schedule around that. You can get a full schedule from the front desk.

The location of the hotel is fantastic. Venice is very crowded during the day, so it’s nice to have reprieve from the crowds when you return to your room. The hotel was very peaceful and we never heard our neighbors, even though the hotel was sold out while we were there. Breakfast is pricy, so I suggest visiting the market and bringing things back to your room. There is a Billa market within a 5 minute walk of the Zattere stop with reasonably priced groceries. There’s also a wonderful rooftop bar with beautiful views of the city. We never tried the restaurants, but Gianni’s at the Zattere stop was pretty tasty with a varied menu. We had more than a few meals there after a long day of sight-seeing.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel over anything near San Marco, the Rialto or on the Grand Canal. The traffic is just too frantic, and I would tire of fighting the crowds. Plus, you have to contend with the aqua alta throughout the day. The Molino Stucky is a calm oasis and a beautiful place to rest after experiencing the beauty of Venice. The beds are comfortable, the air conditioner works well, the windows open, and the service is very friendly. What more do you want?

And, they have a spa on site so you can pamper your feet after a long day of exploring!

Mother/Daughter NYC Trip, Day One

Airline: American Airlines
Hotel: Doubletree Guest Suites, Times Square

My mom and I were originally booked on a 1:20 departure to LGA, but when we got to the airport at 11:45, our flight had already been delayed until after 2:00. The kiosk offered us a confirmed flight change on the 12:15 flight for $50, so we decided to take it, not knowing how late the other flight would eventually be delayed. This flight would get us into NYC around 4:40. Since we weren’t checking bags, this wasn’t a problem. We cleared security and ran off to SkyLink, since we were in the wrong terminal… of course.

The flight was boarding when we reached the gate, and we weren’t able to get seats together. However, we were on the flight, and that was all that mattered. I didn’t get lunch though, and since I had gotten up at 4:00 to go into the office that morning, I was pretty hungry. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get to the bag of nuts I had packed in Mom’s bag either.

When we got to the airport, we called Carmel Car Service for our scheduled pick up. They were there promptly, and despite the fact we arrived during rush hour, the car service only cost us $24, thanks to the handy $4 off coupon that we got off their website. We were settling into our hotel well before 6:00, and I called Ruth’s Chris to see if we could move our dinner reservation up from 7:45, and they agreed, giving me a 6:45 slot.

We stayed the Doubletree Guest Suites in Times Square, and it is the most disappointing hotel we’ve stayed at in the Times Square area. We are regularly in NYC and have stayed at many hotels in the theater district and around Times Square. This hotel is extremely average in all categories, except for service. When we arrived, we were upgraded to a conference suite by a very friendly gentleman at the desk. All the staff was incredibly friendly and went out of their way to make us feel welcome in their hotel.

The room itself was very dated in decor, though they have upgraded the beds. The bathroom was large though, and the Neutrogena amenities were replaced every day. The windows offered a panoramic view of Times Square, and you could shut the lights out with the shades at night.

We had a drink in the lobby bar one night -- the drinks were good, but very pricey. $14 per drink is a little steep, even for New York. The lobby bar is beautiful, but as a previous poster mentioned, it's not private or secluded -- it's right in the middle of the check in/out madness and next to the elevators.

The elevators were faster than I expected, and we rarely had to wait very long for an elevator, even though we were on one of the higher floors.

The wi-fi was TERRIBLE while we were there. It faded in and out, and often didn't work at all during half of the stay. At $12.95/day, I expected better.

Overall, it's a pleasant enough stay at the right price, but had I paid the $3000 they were asking for New Year's Eve 2008, I would have been severely disappointed. However, it is not one of my favourite hotels in the area, and I don't know that I would return. The hotel is rather bland.

At any rate, we headed to Ruth’s Chris for dinner, and it was superb. The service was exceptional. This is the second time I’ve visited this location, and I’ve been impressed both visits. Mom ordered their prix fixe dinner with the tomato salad, a filet and shrimp, and a chocolate mousse and berry dessert. I ordered a petite filet au poirve and ate most of her dessert. I know it’s terribly cliché to go to New York and eat at a chain restaurant, but I have been wanting to take Mom to Ruth’s Chris for a LONG time, and I was craving their au poivre sauce.

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. I tried to convince Mom that we should grab TKTS tickets and head to a show, but I was unsuccessful. We went back to the hotel and unwound for the night.