Restaurant: The Slanted Door in San Francisco

While in town for business meetings, our agency decided to treat us to dinner at The Slanted Door down by the bay. The restaurant was packed for a Thursday night and one could tell instantly that it was a popular place. They have a coat and bag check for their guests to keep the table areas clutter free. This was helpful because we just came from a business day and had our laptops and such. The restaurant decor was great. There was one photo in particular that a co-worker and I were debating whether it was a painting or real. Loved the ambiance.

Since we were there with a large group (about 10), our food was preordered for convenience purposes by our agency. This allowed us to try several dishes which was very tasty! Unfortunately, I do not know the name of the dishes, but all but the spring roles were great. I felt the spring roles were a bit bland. What I liked about this restaurant was that food presentation was great and it seemed a bit on the healthier side. I had a cold and requested tea and they brought out a tea flower which was great! People thought I had an alien in my glass and I enjoyed my delicious tea. Overall, I would recommend this restaurant. I did not see the bill nor did I pay for it, so I do not know how spendy it was, but I am sure it was up there.

www.slanteddoor.com

Lodging: Hilton Portland & Executive Tower

On September 4, 2009, we decided to go on a little vacation to Portland, Oregon. We booked our stay at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower for three days. The hotel allows dogs (under 50lbs) for a one time $25.00 pet fee, so we were able to bring our dog. We arrived when there was an anime convention going on so the hotel was extremely busy with kids EVERYWHERE! I felt as if we never really had the opportunity to experience the hotel (except for our room) because of this, but that is not the hotel's fault. Just bad timing. Parking was a bit difficult because the parking garage was down the street, but with one-way streets and traffic I couldn't successfully find the parking garage and ended up parking in a pay up front for the car to stay garage. Since we wouldn't be needing the car in downtown Portland, that worked out great and saved us money.

Our hotel room was awesome! We got a great corner room (probably due to the dog) that had a great view and was just beautiful. The room was one of the highlights of the weekend because it had such a great view and location (see photo). Overall, I would recommend this hotel especially if you have a dog. We will definitely be staying here again.

Lodging: Chautauqua Lodge in Long Beach

On August 7, 2009, my family and I went on a little vacation in Long Beach, Oregon. My mom used to take my brothers and I when we were growing up. We stayed at Chautauqua Lodge, which is the same place we used to stay when we were kids. I love Long Beach and looked forward to having a family vacation. Pets are allowed here with a $20.00 deposit. My mom brought her dog and we brought ours. The location of the hotel is a little walk to ocean, which is not a big deal, but you can't walk barefoot because they have prickly things on the ground that if you walk on them they will stick in your skin. They hurt! Our poor dog acted like he was dying each time it happened. A major negative of the hotel was the fact that one of their boilers was out of service so I was not able to take a warm shower for the whole 3 days we were there. Luke warm was all I got! Not happy with that at all. Otherwise, our room had two sections and a kitchen with stove, dishwasher, cooking utensils so that you don't always have to eat out.