Scooter Chronicles

So how was our trip to Detroit?

The short answer: Too short, but enjoyable. Though a bit hotter then expected.

The long answer: Read the “book” below.

We left at 2:30 for Washington, PA where we had reserved a room at the Holiday Inn Meadow Lands. Marcia and I had stayed there a few times before, and once with Molson since it’s pet friendly. The place wasn’t the nicest, but for the price it was good. However, the last time we went to Detroit and split the trip, we ended up at the Hampton Inn in Greentree, PA because the Holiday Inn was being renovated. The Hampton Inn turned out to be nicer, and about the same price. So I was all prepared to book a room there until I found some bad reviews the last few months. So we decided to go back and give the Holiday Inn a try. Turned out to be a bad night.

Now one possible factor to us being annoyed was that Nigel was doing his happy screaming and wouldn’t stop. First, we reserved a room with a king size bed. When we got there they were out of kings. Then they said they would give us a better price to compensate us for having to settle with a room with two double beds, but the price was what I was quoted for the room with a king size bed! She finally gave me a measly $6 off the price I was quoted originally for a room with two doubles.

After we started to settle in, Marcia started feeding Nigel, which he eventually spit up. We grabbed the only box of tissue the room offered us, and it had all of three tissues in it. It was also at this point that I noticed we were not given a coupon for two to get the breakfast buffet for free, as was stated to me when I placed the reservation. After getting our box of tissue from the car, we ordered room service, both wanting the grilled chicken sandwich with Swiss cheese and bacon. The sandwiches showed up with plain ol’ chicken. At this point we were both very frustrated.

Now, they fixed the problems, but they offered no more compensation for our troubles. This really ticked me off, and both the hotel and Holiday Inn’s reservation offices will be getting some nasty letters/emails from me very soon.

After that, the trip went much better. Though did I mention the heat?

We stayed with my brother Brian, sister-in-law Jodi, and nephew Braylen this time around. They offered to put us up last time, but we were bringing Molson along, and we weren’t sure how he would get along with their two dogs. This worked out better since we weren’t getting in my Dad and Mom’s way, or my Grandma’s way, or my sister Jenn’s way, especially with the bathroom. We had one to ourselves at Brian and Jodi’s. And this way too, Jenn could sleep in her own bed, instead of the couch or futon while we were in town.

For the most part we just hung out with the family throughout the stay there. On Thursday Marcia, Nigel, and I did a little shopping. Marcia was looking for some more PC games, and I wanted to stop by a great beer store that my Uncle Steve had found. The place is called Champanes, and is mostly a wine store then anything. But the beer selection was great. (It is the only place in Michigan that I know of that sells Victory’s Golden Monkey!) Unlike other stores that have good selections in the area, this one was supplied with 4-packs and 6-packs, instead of single bottles. I ended up getting three 4-packs, but it was all beer that I have had before. Two of them were from the Dragonmead Microbrewery, which we ended up going to on Friday night with Jenn and her friend Cris. And thanks again to Jenn for picking up the tab.

As for the beers I had at Dragonmead …

Dean Monk Abbey Ale: It was a nice flavorful ale. It hid the higher alcohol content nicely. It was even served in a typical Belgian styled ale glass. Like most of what I have had at Dragonmead, not stellar, but still really good.

90 Shilling Ale: This was listed as a strong Scottish ale. Very malty, little hop taste. So it was something that I really enjoyed.

Bishop Bob’s Holy Smoke: This is a German Rauchbier. Never heard of the style, but the “smoke” description attracted me. The waitress described it as sausage in a pint glass. It was certainly smoky, but not sausage-like. I would have this again, though I thought it was best for autumn, whereas this is a spring seasonal brew.

Andromeda Heather Ale: This was another very flavorful brew. Though the description says that it has a chocolate malt taste, and I wasn’t getting that. It seemed more like a less bitter hoppy ale, but with other added flavors.

This time we had eaten before we got there, knowing that they only had finger food, like appetizers. So the experience was even better, and it helped that Marcia was the designated driver. (Thanks a bunch, hun!)

On Saturday, Brian made us a great breakfast; pancakes, French toast, and ham. We also had some huge frosted cinnamon rolls. Then my sister-in-law Angie came over with my niece Jordan (my brother Todd’s daughter … he is in Chicago for work), and then my Mom and Dad showed up with pizza. The idea was to take a bunch of pictures of the three little tikes and their grandparents. Pictures will be posted some other time. Hopefully soon.

We headed back to my parents so they could spend some more time with Nigel after the photo-shoot. And after dinner (KFC … man had I been craving that) we went back to my brother’s, and him and I went out for a beer, discussing his upcoming move to Georgia.

We got a late start on Sunday morning to drive back. We are usually on the road by 6:00 in the morning, but didn’t pull out of the driveway until 9:00 or so. We didn’t want to rush out the door, but it ended up making for a very long day. We got back to our place at 7:30, and Marcia turned around right away to go get Molson from the family watching him. We were both very tired and got little unpacking done, mostly because we needed to feed Nigel and help him wind down. Though he did seem to enjoy the ride. He was continually looking around at the cars on the trip. And during our stops at the service plazas he would watch all the trucks and smile as they would go by us.

Nigel also experienced his first fall (and I don’t mean autumn) during our stay. It turned out to be a bittersweet moment though. Braylen has a very big motorized bike that looks like a Harley. He took some pictures with Jordan earlier on Saturday, and he was asking to have pictures taken with Nigel. Well during the process of getting them both on, Nigel slid off. Nigel cried for a couple of minutes and when he settled down I sat down with him on my lap. He immediately though lunged for me with his arms out and wrapped them around my neck. I hated to see him hurting and crying, but it was a great feeling to have him seeking me for safety and comforting. Another cute thing about that was Braylen asking if Nigel was still OK the following morning.

As usual, it was great to see everyone. And I want to thank everyone for helping Marcia and I out and making our stay so comfortable. Especially Brian and Jodi! Thanks to everyone that fed us, or gave Nigel gifts!