Continuation of day 1
The hotel I got is very close to the convention center and wasn’t that cheap. But honestly, I thought it was a bad idea to take a cheap hotel outside the center. I didn’t want to be constrained by the availability of sunlight or have to walk at night through an unsafe area. The hotel was very good quality (for my standards) and very clean. It had a tv and a nice queen bed, and for the price it was a large room. I have worked in a hotel as housekeeping and those rooms were half the size and had a similar price. However, the tram stopped nearby and it made a screeching sound going around a bend. It didn’t ride at night, but it could be very annoying for people that want to go to sleep at 10 PM.
Anyway, for this time I hadn’t planned any activities, so I just unloaded my backpack and left the hotel. It is located close to the Lloyd Center, which is a shopping mall. It is quite ordinary with all the regular American clothes stores of various price ranges. It contains, among others: Macy’s, H&M, Foot Locker, Forever 21, Gap, various electronics stores and various restaurants. It was fun to check it out, but I didn’t buy anything. Next to this mall are some high rise office buildings and a small park, both of which look amazing during the sunset. There was also a cinema, which I decided to go to. The movie I went to was 10 Cloverfield Lane, which had a bunch of plot twists. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it is a thriller and the end was, well.. uh, surprising. I enjoyed it and when the movie was over it was dark outside. I went to the Denny’s close to the hotel and thought about eating my food there, but decided against it, and that I rather eat in my hotel room. So I walked back, ate my dinner, and looked up some stuff I wanted to do the next day. Oh, and I forgot my pajama pants, so naturally I was freezing. The solution to which was turning the heater way up and wrapping myself in the blankets like a cozy burrito.
THE HOTEL
I booked the hotel the night before. I might be the kind of person that leaves decisions to the last moment, but I am not the kind of person that makes uneducated choices. So after *several hours* of searching and comparing I decided on a few hotels that were a possibility. In downtown the hotels were obviously very expensive so those were ruled out immediately. East of the Willamette river the hotels were cheaper, between 80 and 100 a night. I thought that was rather expensive, but after consulting with my roommate it seemed reasonable. The more economical hotels and hostels were all located outside the commercial areas and I didn’t want to walk there at night. Just didn’t seem smart. So after looking at all the options I chose for Inn At The Convention Center. Very original name guys. It is indeed right next to the convention center and located in the Lloyd district. There was nothing going on there luckily, otherwise I reckon it would have been way more expensive.
When I got there I waited in the lobby for a little. The view of the convention center is quite nice from there. The lady at the counter ignored me after she helped the customer before me. Some people think I’m younger than I actually am because I don’t wear much makeup (and at that time none at all), and other people guess my age too high, because I look sleep deprived almost all the time. She apologized and explained that she thought I was waiting for my parents. People my age don’t travel much alone, she told me, but I’m happy to be the exception.
I checked in and went to my room. First time I had my own hotel room, alone in a strange city. It was awesome. To more experienced travelers it is nothing probably, but I’m in the stage in life where I gain more and more independence and self reliance every year. So for me this was a special and even meaningful moment.
The room was nice, with red carpet and red curtains and blankets. Left of the door was the entrance to the bathroom and straight ahead the rest, in total something like 30 square meters. A queen bed, and armchair with footrest, and a closet and desk. The room was clean and had AC. It was great and I loved staying there. Not once did I question my hotel choice. It was interesting to look out the huge windows at the side of the room at night, because cars still go by, and there are still lights on in some of the buildings. Goodnight.
