Update From the Road

By Chris
Alright. Almost in the home stretch now on a very long series of days on the road. Been waking up regularly around 4 a.m. to get to a variety of places. Funny how that actually makes me more awake at night sometimes. Especially in hotels. Gotta be up at 8? Fall asleep at 10. Up at 4? 11:30 and wide awake, blogging!! Oh well. I lazy ironed (see a few days ago) and have remembered to turn off the shower, so it's been a pretty successful night. Only glitch . . . made an online reservation, and ended up with iffy lodging. You just never can tell, when you don't know the hotel. I manage to regularly pick ones in not-so-great locations. Tonight, I picked a Courtyard Marriott online, usually a safe choice. This one, though, has a companion Waffle House, which is never a good sign. And, you turn in through some type of truck station, to pass the Waffle House, to get to the hotel. So what does Waffle House next to hotel mean? That you will have a smoky smelling hotel. It's a nearly perfect indicator. Of course, the website doesn't ever tell you they are a Waffle House neighbor. So, it brings up the philosophical question: What comes first: The smoky hotel or the Waffle House? Does the Waffle House turn the hotel into a smoky one? Another thing you can count on at Waffle House hotels: Waffle House will be the only dining option nearby. Apparently, competing restaurants will not challenge a Waffle House next to a hotel. Not even McDonalds. Of course, Waffle House is never, ever an option for me. I will hit the road every time, to avoid that. They cook all their stuff on the same griddle surface. So, getting lucky at the Waffle House means that if you're getting eggs, you could get a hefty hunk of bacon, or some other meat, by accident. "Mmmmm, what's that special taste of these scrambled egg?" Hamburger-steak-bacon-sausage-grilled cheese residue seasoning . . . yum! Good night. I'll eat at the airport.