As I have been reflecting back on these three weeks, on the places we've been and the things we've seen and the food we've eaten, I have found myself putting things into categories, both the best of and the worst of.
It started over the weekend while we were in Modesto, California. We stayed at a Doubletree Hotel, definitely one of my favorite places we've stayed. But the hair dryer earned the "worst hair dryer of the trip" award! That was balanced by a very comfortable chair (one of the best of the trip so far) and a really nice room. However, the pillows were definitely the "worst pillows of the trip". Because we were only going to be in Modesto one night, we didn't bring our own pillows in. Big mistake.
The Doubletree, along with the Marriott in Jackson, Mississippi, and the Marriott where we stayed in Phoenix, are my among my favorite hotels of the trip. The hotel where we are now staying probably should be added to that list as well. But overall, the Phoenix Marriott probably gets the top spot.
The "worst hotel of the trip" award definitely goes to be The Inn at Opryland. I think it had a previous life as a Radisson, or something like that, but it's an older hotel than really has not very much going for it. So far, no matter what might be wrong with any given hotel, we compare it to The Inn at Opryland. Well, at least it's not The Inn at Opryland, we say. That hotel definitely has set the bar pretty low! Tiny room, miniscule bathroom, uncomfortable bed, and a very strange air conditioning system are among the reasons this particular hotel got such a low rating. The hotel wasn't great, but I really enjoyed our time in Nashville because we got to spend some time with some really special friends. That more than compensated for all that was wrong with that hotel.
A couple of other "worsts" have to do with roads and traffic. The worst roads award is a tie, with Mississippi and California both "excelling" in that area. Worst traffic, by far, is California.
As for "bests", we have eaten some amazing food. The salmon at a restaurant in Texas called Texas; garlic saffron chicken skewers at a Middle Eastern restaurant called Skewers in Modesto; and halibut at The Original Fish Company in Cypress, California, are my three favorite meals.
Our current hotel, the Courtyard at Emeryville, gets high marks for location. Looking out the window at San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, and, off in the distance, the Golden Gate Bridge, is a definite plus. There's a shopping area across the street that I can walk to easily. And it's cool enough here to get out and walk without sweltering.
In the least favorite location category, the winner is our hotel in Cypress, in southern California. It was surrounded by office buildings, with nothing else within walking distance. It was a high rise hotel with no balconies and no way to open the windows. That left walking around the parking lot as the option for fresh air. Although, in southern California, fresh air really isn't that fresh!
We have stayed in a number of Courtyard by Marriott hotels so far on our trip. In most of them we have been upgraded, either to a larger room or to a suite. That's one of the perks of all the traveling Al does, and of his status as a Platinum Elite Marriott member. The suite we are in now gets the "Best Suite" award. It's huge! There are probably apartments in this city, that people are paying a lot of money for, not as large as this suite! It has a living room and a bedroom, connected by a short hallway. This is one of the recently redecorated Courtyards, so the décor is very contemporary, with a gray color scheme and those ridiculous round chairs.
The rolling hills of Tennessee and East Texas. The flatlands of the Texas panhandle and eastern New Mexico. The mountains and the desert of the southwest. Southern California. The San Joaquin valley. San Francisco and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge out the window. These are just a few of the sights we have seen so far.
We'll be here a couple of days, and then we head up to Seattle before we start back across the country. This trip, with its bests and its worsts and everything in between, is the trip of a lifetime. Having this opportunity to see so much of this great country is truly a gift!
How thankful I am! Even when I complain about pillows or hair dryers or traffic, I am giving thanks with a very grateful heart. I am so blessed to have this opportunity. So blessed by all we have experienced. And so excited to see what comes next!
"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."
(Psalm 103:1 NASB)
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