Hard Rock Hotel Chicago

Hard Rock Hotel Chicago
Originally uploaded by jlyn1267.

So last week it was off to the Windy City for the ALA (that's American Library Association to you non-publishing people) conference in Chicago, Illinois. There was a nice array of hotel choices available with sweet discounted rates courtesy of ALA, so I thought about where I'd most like to stay during my six days in the midwest.

My first choice was actually Hotel Monaco. I've stayed there in New Orelans, and yes, I admit it - I like having a goldfish in my room. I do, I like it. But the Monaco was all sold out. So then I moved on to the Hard Rock Hotel. I have this weird hobby of collecting Hard Rock Cafe glasses from every new city I visit. It's become sort of a challenge now - to get as many as I can. This is what I've got so far: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Boston, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Reykjavik and San Juan. So I figured if I stayed at the Hard Rock in Chicago, at least I wouldn't have to go far for my glass.

And I have to say, the Hard Rock was a pretty cool stay. It's swanky as hell, all done in severe modern grays and blacks - it looks like the middle of the night at all times in the lobby. And people always seem to be drinking martinis in the lobby.

Here's what I liked about the hotel. The staff (apart from being wildly helpful and polite) wear name tags that have their first name, and under that the name of their favorite band. The phones in the room have the usual hotel buttons - Housekeeping, Front Desk, Room Service. But they also have a button called "Everything is Possible". The hotel guide had a page devoted to it that said, "You forgot your razor. You're fifteen minutes late for the meeting. You forgot the gift and your wife is going to kill you. We know. Dial Ext. 56 - Everything is Possible, - and we will do whatever we can to help." I spent half of my trip trying to think of something ludicrous to call them about.

Then - this is my favorite. There was a mini bar in the room - stocked with beer and soda and water. Gummi bears and Pringles. In the center though - there was a small round tin with just the Hard Rock Hotel symbol. I wondered what it was, and checked the price list. It was an "Intimacy Kit". I picked it up again and turned it over. Condoms, lubricant and "obstectrical towlettes". Fascinating! The Hard Rock Hotel won't make you run down to Walgreens if you accidently get lucky! Anyway - apparently the minibar is weight sensitive - so my picking up the Intimacy Kit resulted in me buying it. So now I've got a travel sex kit - all ready to go for my next adventure. Swell.