...and yes, it has totally been my fault. From trying to plan my inexpensive trip to Chicago to signing up and prepping for SavvyAuthor.com's June Boot Camp, I have been overly swamped and horribly stressed. I have no one to blame but myself for this and yet, if I had to do it over again, I probably wouldn't change much.
Well, that's not true. If I did have to change something I would change my Chicago trip. Even as the date draws near (today is Sunday and we leave on Tuesday), I find myself regretting the choice I made for lodgings. I'm sure that I'm just over-reacting, being my usual pessimistic self, but I can't help but wonder if the hotel we're staying at is going to be the high or low part of our trip.
We are staying at the Hyatt Regency on Wacker Drive. It's not that far from Grant Park and while the location seems to be ideal, I'm not sure about the services that the hotel offers. I almost feel like I'm going to be cheated at some point during my stay there just because I got such a great deal on the room ($50 a night is awesome!). So anyway, I was planning for my trip when I realized that I was missing some information and luckily I was able to get a hold of someone for answers. I am really not pleased at this point. Did you know...
They charge $14 per day for wi-fi services? This is just terrible, considering the number of places outside of the hotel that offer free internet access (Like the McDonald's around the corner for crying out loud).
Breakfast options?-I stayed at the Drury Inn Chesterfield in mid-April and received a HOT free breakfast everyday. Did you get that? FREE, HOT BREAKFAST!!! EVERYDAY!!! I would have thought that the Hyatt would at the very least provide bagels and cream cheese. Nope.
Refrigerator? Not unless you want to pay for it. Oh, but I do have access to a pressure sensitive minibar. WTF??!!
These may seem like small matters not to concern myself with but unfortunately I do have to be careful. Will I be charged for watching TV? What about the coffee maker? I plan on bringing my own, since I don't the "regular" stuff but do I need to bring my own cup too? I found out that there is a Walgreens near where we are staying (actually, they seem to be on every block). Will I get charged for bringing in my own water instead of using the ones conveniently located in the minibar? There's an iron in the room, so will I be charged to using up the electricity to iron out some wrinkles?
The other thing is the additional $150 I have to shell over for "in cases". Like, in case I use the internet, in case I use the phone, in case I use the minibar. I'm not that pleased with that option either and I can only hope that this doesn't cut too far into the budget that I have already set up for myself.
Even now, I'm trying to find restaurants and cafes near our various destinations since I refuse to eat in the hotel's restaurant. Nothing personal but I don't want to spend $50 on steak when I can get a burger and fries (our favorite thing) for no more than $15 total.
If all else fails, we can always hit up Micky-Ds.
OK, enough whining. I had intended to talk a little about my boot camp experience so far, but that's a totally different post topic. Maybe I can get that one out tomorrow or something. In any event, I'm determined to make this a great birthday for my daughter, even if I have to scrimp and buy microwaveable Ramen. Yes, there is a microwave, unfortunately, it's in the hotel lobby.
I'll be sure to post an update (with pictures) when we get back. Until then, laterz!
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