Ok, back for a bit

Got back from Fanime late Monday, now it's Wednesday and I'm starting to pack for Califur, soon as the stuff I wore to Fanime gets out of the wash, anyway. Wheee....

I found out where the Fairmont keeps its jacuzzi - in the paid Spa - something like $36 a visit IF you please... Y'know, I encountered excellent service from individuals, but the hotel as a whole kept finding small ways to annoy me - no coffeepot in the room, a useless room refrigerator (full of overpriced crud and a charge if you so much as MOVE it to make room for other things), $26 a day to keep the car in the garage, valet parking ONLY and big sign saying to expect a half hour wait to get at it, stuff like that).

When I went to check out I was told over the phone that I could keep my baggage in storage until I was ready to actually leave, and by the bellman only keep PART of my baggage in storage. After a certain amount of toing and froing and sneaking downstairs via the staff elevator, it finally developed that I could go down to the parking garage and they would bring my car over where I could load it, then stash it until I left. A senior bell staff (I think) official who I would be nominating for sainthood had I not managed to forget his name in the rush helped me get all my stuff and that of my roommates (my daughter and one of her friends) from the outside curb it had fetched up at down to the lot and packed into the car rather like one of those games where you have a tray of weirdly shaped blocks you have to get a ball from one side to the other by moving them jusssst right. So it worked out, but if anybody had just TOLD me this to start with it would have been a lot easier. Oh, and unlike every other hotel I know of they made everybody check out at the desk instead of having rapid checkout. I had to do so anyway (the bill required some adjustments), but still, it would have been a lot nicer for the poor desk clerks. Who deserve well - they did a fine job, at least with my bill and I didn't hear anybody else complaining. On the whole my general reaction to the hotel was "meh".

And I get home to check my Westercon reservations only to realize it's the same frippin' hotel. Sigh...

San Jose

The route from the hotel to the convention center passed by (or through, depending on how you wanted to go) a small park, containing at least one fountain and a sculpture. I can't help wondering whether.. not the artist who probably knew perfectly well, but whoever in the city accepted or commissioned the artwork had considered what this plumed serpent:



Would look like from across the street



Or a bit further away...



Alas, I'd have had to stand in the middle of a couple of really busy streets to get the effect the eye does as it approaches, but still...