After hangin in the studio lounge for five hours- just like the bad ol days!- Jethro and I left the studio for our hotel and dinner. I was so pleased that the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences footed the bill. THANK YOU CARAS! Especially with the weather turning nasty, I appreciated it.
We drove downtown and he signalled left. "Oh my gosh, are we staying here?"
"Yeah, this is our hotel for the night."
"AWESOME! We're staying in the castle!!"
Now it doesn't take much to amuse me, we all know that, but seriously, this is, I am pretty sure, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. And this is good considering that for a little hick farm girl, I'm quite well travelled. Again, Thank you CARAS for all the travel opportunities!
(There have to be one or two perks to being married to the overworked underpaid music biz.)
This castle was built in about 1902 and was actually the London Armoury. I'm not sure on its history exactly, but it appears that the hotel was built straight up from the inside of the Armoury. I assume it would have been an open courtyard inside originally.
This is where we ate dinner on Friday night- and breakfast on Saturday morning.
Our room looked a lot like this, the biggest difference being that our room had some lovely black and white photographic prints, in black frames with white matting, of the old Armoury building. Classssssy!
Real wood furniture. Not particle board. There was no awful heater hum, and the room was the right temperature.
We were on the FIFTEENTH FREAKIN FLOOR BABY! It's not often I look down on the world from that height.
I did not nag anybody to floss teeth. I did not clean up after anybody or clean up after any critters. All I had to do was listen to nine men discuss the technicalities of recording/mixing for a few hours, and then I got my man all to myself for a few more hours!
Here's the funny thing: kid free and I talked about my kids at dinner. Of course. I was sitting beside the young assistant from the studio (great guy- smart, friendly, sort of looked like Brad Pitt with a buzzcut only younger, plus he was wearing a shirt with his actual skeleton printed on it in green) and talking about Our First Concert. His- Soundgarden, 1996, Down On The Upside. Me- Cyndi Lauper, 1984. My kids- White Stripes, 2005. And how Bucky is a huge Audioslave fan and we've recently broken down and decided heck, why not let him listen to Rage. Young Assistant Guy thought it was awesome that we're raising the new generation of metalhead. I'm glad somebody thinks so.
When we returned to the farm, where we'd stashed the kids and pets, on Saturday afternoon, I got a hug from that budding metalhead that melted my heart. My dog was beside himself with happiness and I got a lovely smile out of my daughter. Worth leaving home for? Worth coming home to!
The weather has been ugly here. Winter hit a week and a half ago and it's here to stay. I didn't ride my horses this weekend because it was either viciously windy or treacherous, with a crust of ice over the snow. I did give the horses their fall de-wormer, finally, and brushed their shaggy winter coats.
I feel that I spent most of the weekend driving. Altogether, including a trip into town with my Dad to shop at TSC, I was in a moving vehicle for 7 hours. I think I still have highway hypnosis.
Today it is both windy and icy. I'd rather blog than get in the truck and slide to the grocery store. I am not miles away from town. I'm in town. Five blocks. I have to suck it up and do it. We need food. Stock up and be ready for the next snowstorm. Go out and fight the bear.
That hotel room seems pretty far away right now...!
14 comments:
I just love staying in hotels! That one looks magnificent! They are even better when someone else is paying! Yay for you!
Go get them groceries!
I love staying in hotels too. I'm kinda obsessive about it.
That one looks cool, though do the management know that a tower block was dropped on their castle?
That place is the coolest place for a hotel I’ve seen in many a year. I know you really enjoyed yourself, and you deserved it, too.
So now! Seriously! Just between you and me! Who will be nominated for the awards this year? I had to ask. Not because I give a shit, but because you told me not to. You understand!
so glad you had a great time you certainly deserved it, and the hotel looked truly fantastic.
coming home to the kids and the dog is definately priceless.
a poem over on mine for you, not my work but very apt to a recent post of yours
The hotel looks great... I've never been on the fifteenth floor of anything.. I don't think I've ever been in a building with more than 6 floors... lol
All we have here is cold... we don't get much snow anymore. I miss it...
Me, too...the Monday grocery trip thing...it snowed all weekend and now is downpour....sideways downpour...and looks like soup outside...cold, brittle soup. I am to the close grocery store, it's all I can handle...usually, I go across town to the "RICHY RICH" store, cuz the aisles are wider, more selection, better service, etc, even though it's got the same damn name over the door.
Cool castle...but after working in hotels, I am not always so keen on staying in them....
I have only stayed in one real hotel in my entire life...I stayed at The Weston in New York city. We were on the 24th floor, and the window didn't even have a screen.
It was very posh, but very small, as we had won a contest and the room was free.
Shawn and I always talk about the kids when we are alone. Always. It never fails. That's just the way it is.
I'm glad that you got some time away. I think that you both need a little more of that.
When will the nominees be announced?
HOly smokes Biddie, that room was on the 24th floor??? Yikes! The nominees will be announced in early February. There will still be another two rounds of judging before they get to the list of 5. (Keep your fingers crossed...we'll need the luck this year!)
Dilling- I survived the grocery hunt! Damn near got the truck stuck in my own driveway though. Please don't tell me any hotel horror stories...i like not knowing about the nastiness when I'm enjoying my nice room!
Anita, the snow is nice, the horses stay clean! The kids love it. I do get tired of it when I've shoveled the lane for the third time in a day. But, last year we hardly got any and that was a drag too. Have to appreciate what we've got. No matter what!
Katy- I officially get to call you Katy now! We did have a nice time. Short and sweet.
Coffeypot I knew you'd ask! I knew it!
Tod, haha, it looks bizarre, doesn't it? I should have brought my camera and taken some crazy pictures!
So, what's for lunch since you have been to the grocery store?
crackers and cheese!!!
And laundry. Yuck.
Very cool hotel. I love staying in hotels...well that is until I start thinking about all the butticatosis that is probably on the carpet or possibly on the bedspread but I try really hard not to think about it. I won't walk on the carpet and for some stupid reason I think the sheets are cleaner than the bedspread - probably not but at least the get changed and leave the room (who knows if they actually get cleaned).
So I have a stupid question. I don't know that much about horses but it's pretty cold up there. What do you do with the horses when it's really cold or snowing. Do you let them do their thing and have a barn or something open for them to go to so they can get out of the wind and weather? Just wondering I've never really thought about it. Also, how do you keep the water from icing up? Just curious.
Oh yeah and who's gonna win?
i want to stay in that hotel!
glad you had a nice getaway, and an even nicer return.
I just have one question... ;)
Dj Andi- I know, we must not think about how clean it actually is. It looks clean...I keep telling myself that. It looks cleaner than my own house. Of course it's clean...!
You've just given me a great idea for a future blog post. I'll tell you all about the joys of horse keeping in the Canadian winter! Stay tuned. Comin up.
Terry, I wanna go back there! (I say this after the second sinkful of dirty dishes.)
Captain Corky, my lips are sealed. heh heh.
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