All geared up
We are just getting ready to leave the hotel in San Diego and begin biking. We decided to stay an extra day here because we wanted to rest before we set out and our arrival in the city was less than smooth.
My USAir flight was one of the most uncomfortable I’ve been on: I was in a middle seat, and there was no food on board, in spite of what the gate agent in Boston had told me. Knox arrived at a different terminal, and we were trying to find a cab large enough for both of our bikes. We finally did, but the driver was clueless and we had to help him find the address. When we unloaded everything and went to check into the Park Manor Suites Hotel, a gay-friendly establishment on the edge of Balboa Park that had been recommended to us, we were told they were overbooked and there was no room for us. By this time it was about 1:00am PST, or 4:00am EST, and I was livid! “Do you know how hard it was to get a cab? Did we not tell you we’d be arriving late? Did we not give you a telephone number? I’m gonna blog about this!!” So here I am, with a warning to all travelers: the Park Manor Suites, apparently like other hotels in the area, will overbook rooms and not tell you that you’ve been given the boot. Funny how they get you: if you reserve and don’t show up, they take your deposit; if you reserve and show up, you don’t get a room.
The receptionist said they would put us up at another hotel (they even have a form “walk letter” prepared for these situations), and he spent the next half hour calling and failing to get a van cab to take both our bikes. We finally got two regular cabs and went to the Hotel Solamar, an upscale establishment on the edge of the Gaslamp District (food!). In terms of amenities, we got the better deal, I suppose, but we had really been looking forward to settling in with no hassles and being close to the park.
At any rate, since then things have been looking up. We’ve been walking all over San Diego and stocking up on the essentials we need for the bike trip. We’ve already had fancy meals, a quick dip in the pool, and many pictures. And now, we must stop dilly-dallying and start biking east.