One thing that rarely, if ever, happens is a person sleeping in a hotel room in the city they live in. Well, that would be unless they were having an affair, I suppose. Suffice it to say that I have never stayed overnight in a Toronto hotel room.
But I used to have a job that involved quite a bit of travel, so I’ve had the chance to stay in some fancy hotels. The business trips were tiring for sure, usually involving being at the airport at some ridiculously early hour, arriving at my destination and then sitting through a long day of meetings and meals. But they were also exciting, breaking up the monotony of the regular day-to-day. And the experience of entering a beautifully appointed room and shutting the door for the night was something that never got old.
Now, that’s not to say that we stay at The Shabby Inn when Nick and I travel for pleasure, but let’s just say that we aren’t staying at places like The Royalton in New York City. I got to stay there for a couple of nights once and it was my most memorable hotel experience ever, based on the decor and cool vibe of the place. And the smell … I’m not sure if they still have, but when I stayed there they had a subtle aromatherapy thing going on and I still distinctly remember how it smelled.
Snapping back to the present … When we were invited to a casual honourary dinner for a friend recently, held at The Intercontinental Hotel, one of Toronto’s swankier addresses, we took our time leaving after the event, soaking in some of the ambiance and taking a few pictures.
It was fun to imagine we were guests and someplace far away. But soon it came time to pull on our coats, walk the block to the subway station and make our way home again and back to reality. There was no turn-down service or candy on the pillow to be had by us that night.
And now I have the urge to travel! How about you? Any trips on the horizon?
Thanks for dropping by. I hope your week is off to a good start.
xo loulou
