Dontchoo Get No Ugly Tractor...

My time in the south is coming to an end unfortunately. I have been doing reconnaissance in the deep south and I have some things to report to my northern brethren. (Also, if you are offended by my referring to Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi as deep south, please see my comment on geographic insults below)

1. Do not stay at the Hotel Preston in Nashville, TN.

I have been booking most of my travel through Hotwire.com in an attempt to find nicer hotels at a less costly price. In Nashville, the Hotel Preston seemed to have good rates and good ratings by guests. I disagree. My experience at the Hotel Preston added a lot of features to my "not desired" list for hotel amenities and features.

I realize it is a boutique hotel, so it thinks of itself as different and creative. That amounted to the lobby looking like a stage set-up for the cast of Mad Men. That is not altogether offensive, I don't mind the styling. However, I didn't see how the paneling in the elevators matched the lobby...

Yup. That is real animal skin. I am pretty sure it's cow, even though the picture would seem to indicate dalmatian. The black spots are not fur, but are actually places where fur has been removed. Blech. :P Oh, also, the elevators were not air conditioned, so it always smelled like hot leather in there.

The decor was actually not my biggest problem with the hotel, and it didn't extend into my room, so I didn't have to look at it much. Security seemed a bit of an issue. My door to my hotel room was not heavy enough to close on its own, meaning if I didn't physically pull the door shut myself, it would likely stay open.

Since I am staying in strange places completely on my own, I have taken to using the security chain and the deadbolt when I go to bed at night. I was extremely grateful for my foresight as I was awoken at 5:30 in the morning during my stay to the sound of someone attempting to access my room with a key card. A little terrifying when you're in a strange place with no husband, or over-protective, 100 lb. dog to protect you.

I called the front desk who promised to send security. I never heard anything more about it, which was a little disconcerting. But in my Minnesota Nice fashion, I didn't make a huge deal about it.

Apparently security is lax all over the hotel though. I realized after I had moved on to my next hotel that I had left a drawer of clothes behind. It's my own stupid fault but I figured since I was calling within 24 hours the likelihood that I would recover the items was good.

I was given the runaround every time I called, and it was only after I e-mailed the general manager that I got any type of response at all. I was informed the situation would be take care of. Housekeeping e-mailed me asking for descriptions of my clothing. After I replied I got no response. When I e-mailed again to follow-up I was informed they had exhausted every avenue and could not find my clothing. Needless to say I was really disappointed with the whole situation.

Do not stay at Hotel Preston in Nashville, TN.

2. Be careful what you say about the city/region someone is from.

When I got to Mississippi, I was greeted by super-friendly student members of the Lamar Chapter. I really enjoyed my time with them. One of the nights I was there, we all went to dinner. At dinner, the topic of the neighboring state of Florida came up. Two of the ladies did not realize each other were from Florida. One was from Sarasota, and another was from a more affluent and further south region of the Sunshine State.

The lady from the southern region began to talk about how Sarasota was not even a part of Florida. And that Gainsville was dirty. And both should be considered "North Florida." Having no frame of reference for any of Florida geography, I was unsure how to react. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the Sarasota-native reacted enough for the entire table.

A debate about the merits of Sarasota and whether is should be considered "North Florida" ensued immediately. Noting the growing tension, I quickly excused myself to use the restroom, as did another gal at the table. As we were using the facilities, she was texted by a person still at the table that the discussion had become a catfight. Shortly after that, Sarasota stormed into the bathroom with nothing good to say about the snobby South Florida-native. I laughed out loud when she called her a See You Next Tuesday.

Be careful when insulting someone's hometown or region...

3. No black leather seats in the rental.

Do I really need to explain this one?


I have learned a ton in the last two weeks. I am very much looking forward to a week at home. My own bed, my own kitchen, my own pets and my own husband! See you all very soon.