Best For Last

Arrived at LAX this afternoon after a bumpy start out of LAS. The wind was causing serious delays. We were stuck in line for takeoff for about an hour but at least we got off the ground. Flew Delta so I got the upgrade on the tiny plane. I booked all 4 of our tickets so I felt a little guilty for leaving the other 3 behind. Oh who am I kidding. I had no remorse for getting bumped to the forward cabin. I got them exit row seats. If they want to travel the country following a world renown trumpet player racking up frequent flyer miles they're more than welcome to. 

We arrived around 4ish @ the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles. Tiny front desk. Actually reminded me of The Martin lobby (pre-reno) here in Vegas where Tequila-guy has a home. The representative tells me don't have a king room available. Instead stuck with 2 queens. I'll live. DQ and Nathalie got kings though. Grrrr. I guess that's my karma trade off for 1st class.

View from Room 2268 @ the Ritz

My view was great. Overlooked the Staples Center, Nokia Theatre and LA Live. The Ritz is contained on floors 22, 23 & 24. I am not certain but I believe the lower floors are the JW Marriott and the upper floors are The Ritz-Carlton Residences at LA Live. Kind of like how in Vegas the Four Seasons is atop Mandalay Bay and how Mandarin Oriental has residences within their hotel - but this is all combined in 1 complex. I liked the small boutique-feel within this massive complex. 

Decor of the room is great. Warm yet modern. Crisp clean lines with a tad bit of hip decor. Fresh tulip & lily trumpet buds. Huge HDTV with the standard irritating remote that you have to push buttons more than twice to get the channels to change after navigating thru the menu. The remote wasn't dirty but I didn't get the sense that anyone had cleaned it in a while either. 

Bath/Shower combo

Loved the decor of the bathroom. Again, totally reminded me of The Martin only with the dominant colors reversed - but similar color scheme. Since I had 2 queen beds in my room my bath/shower combo was a little different than the king rooms. In the king rooms the tub is separate from the shower but BOTH are within the glass. So you walk thru the shower to get to the tub. Kinda cool. 

So the Ritz was by far one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in - but here's the deal. Do the people who pick the fixtures and design the space actually think about functionality? Again, one of the BEST rooms I've ever stayed in and it was beautiful but take a look at the shower. Look at where the bath faucet is. It's hard to tell from the pic and to tell how big the lip of the tub is but you have to literally get INTO it to turn it on. I don't know about you but I like to turn on the shower and get it warm before I hop in. And even if you just run the tub faucet to get the temp right you still have to be IN the tub to reach the  faucet - that is unless you've got the wingspan of Kris Humphries. And the glass partition is permanent. Even being careful I still got water all over the floor because 3/5ths of the shower is open. That's peeve #1. 

Looks lovely

Peeve #2. The double sink. It was so sleek & contemporary. At first glance I loved it. In fact I thought, "That's something I'd put in my bathroom."  Then I went to wash my face. *Bamb* Smacked my forehead on the spout. That prompted a very loud, "FUCK." Ok, you could claim user error on this one but again, unless you're 6'6" you'd prob hit your head too. So you have to lean to the side or to the front which leads to water getting everywhere. And the spout is so high that even when you wash your hands, water splashes all over. Gorgeous, not practical. I guess who cares if you're in a hotel, right? I care. Get it right. I bet housekeeping cares too. They're the ones who have to clean all the water spots from the sink, mirror and floor. 

Robe wrapped so nicely

Peeve #3. The placement of the robe(s). The pic you see is a reflection in the mirror. That room with the frosted glass houses the toilet. It's on the other side of the double sink - across from where the bath/shower is. I get why they put it there but doesn't it make more sense to put it near the bath? I don't know about you but when I get out of the shower it would be nice to have the robe handy and not have to walk across the bathroom to get it. The other robe was in the closet, which I understand because it's the backup, but come on. By the loo? There was space to put it near the tub. Details.

Peeve #4. Same pic. The tv in the mirror. It's the new thing. Great except that the only channels you get are the 'Los Angeles Infomercials' about what to do in town. At least give me the local stations so I can get the weather & traffic reports or see who won Ohio.

Ok. I realize these are fatuous nitpicks. Even to me. It's just something to write about. These are the things that go thru my mind. If I ever get a chance to design my own space - I mean REALLY design it - these are the kinds of details I think about. 

Now the Best For Last - the beds. The bedding was delish. So soft but somehow crisp. The down pillows were steal-worthy. I could have laid in bed all day. Sadly, while I was trying to fall asleep all I could think about was the last time I was in sheets like that was the last time I was with Counselor. (I need to stop interjecting him into every Goddamn post.)

In the morning I ordered Eggs Benedict. I'd been jonesing for them for months. Bene in a lux bed did not disappoint. Thank you Ritz. Thank you.