June 2010 - again

Well, as always, I bought a Moleskine notebook for my daily ramblings and notes, and to keep my life in order. The day I started using it, the leather was bubbling and peeling off. I emailed them right away to receive a replacement – like their warrantee mentions and I never heard back. I emailed them again. And still didn’t hear back. So, I sent a separate email about a month ago, and well, one just came in the mail. I was told I would get the book with 18 months so that it would go into next year, and they sent me the wrong one. Maybe I will send another email and see what happens. I will let you know.  

UPDATE! I got the 18 month book. And I love every inch of every piece of paper!!!

Oh, another crazy situation. Which is so long to explain, but I will summarize. I fly PORTER AIRLINES at least once a month for work. I really enjoy their brand and their boutique style with free coffee, water, internet, leather chairs and biscotti! But nothing tests a company like their response to customer concerns. My flight was re-routed last week due to weather, and well, the lovely G20 situation. We were re-routed to Ottawa. We landed around midnight. We had to stay the night in Ottawa to then book a flight for the next day.

We were not compensated for anything. Our flight was obviously free to rebook, but our hotel costs, cab to and from the hotel, food, etc was not compensated. We were given a “voucher” for the hotel which was for a discounted rate of $98.00. At 2am, that is not much of a discount, and to be honest, not worth it at all. I ended up renting a car because the line up for the taxis was so long. Amidst all of the confusion and rebooking etc, there was NO communication from the Porter staff in regards to the situations. We were all under the impression we were getting compensation. Once I went ahead and looked into what was going on, I ended up telling everyone what was happening with the hotel and flights.

I am out $200.00. I wrote a complaint email and I anxiously await my reply. I did phone, I was told there is no compensation because it was due to weather, and of course, you can only submit an official complaint via email, how nice.

I will let you know what they say.

Frustrated

Chick P

UPDATE: I got a check for exactly what my expenses were. Nothing for the complete inconvenience, ill communication and day off work to get back home. Not impressed.

excited to catch up on these!!! - June 2010

Holy cow. I started this last year, blurted out a ton of thoughts, and then never looked at it again. Is that fair? Sure! Why not? SO, no, as I go through all of my notes of things I wanted to note, I will be typing them out and trying to remember everything I have wanted to say. I am not sure if I should just do it in point form and blurb everything out as it comes, or try to compile and match all of my notes and sudden phone snaps. I hope I can still line up the food with the pictures with the places. I am sure if they made a big enough impact on me, I can!

I was being tested for Celiac and took on a gluten free diet for two months, which was actually quite great. It was challenging, but when travelling as much as me, it is actually really nice to have rules of what I can and can’t eat, otherwise it is too easy to just pig out because my bill is paid – and, it gave me something to do – research restaurants all over the place. So, I discovered a few things:

1.       Gluten free food is few and far between

2.       It is much easier to just buy your own ingredients and throw them all together in your hotel room

3.       Even when you are told your food is gluten free, it isn’t always!

4.       Gluten free is an expensive lifestyle

5.       I am relieved to find out I am not celiac, however, I am still following the diet whenever I can, but am indulging in my yummy whole grain breads with my weekend brunches.

I think in order for this to make sense, I may need to divide into hotels/restaurants/car rentals/stores etc, otherwise it will get very very confusing. I have no idea why I am even doing this (well, to hope that people read it and can learn and or agree or disagree) but these blogs seem very high maintenance. However, I am a very strong believer in customer service and always provide my feedback when possible, so why not do this!

Actually, maybe I will do it by city as I go – until I am updated.

Who reads these?

Which is funny because I was in Edmonton when I started this blog, and apparently, my next notes to comment are from Edmonton again.

So, one of the gluten free meals I had was in Edmonton at Packrat Louis. It was a delicious piece of halibut with spinach and beets. They are considered “gluten free” specifically so they will change any meal to gluten free. It was very good, however a little too overpriced. $35.00.

As always, the Mettera is such a fantastic hotel. After staying in a few other hotel chains since, I have noticed that some are taking away the fridges, like The Delta chain of hotels (I will get to that in a bit!). I really appreciate my fridge, microwave and the guest room that is open 24 hours a day with coffee, tea and fruit. It makes it a great stay.  I think I may be repeating myself a bit, but hey. Big deal.  

Pad Thai on 82^nd, at the tracks, are very knowledgeable of gluten free foods and well, they never fail me. I always go there my first night in town and never leave unfulfilled, often, too filled! ( UPDATE!!! I am so sad to say this restaurant has been knocked down for condos – and apparently did not relocate. This has really thrown my meal routine over the edge!) I have tried the KING AND I am have never really been that impressed with it, and at, on average, $20.00 for a curry, there is no need to run back.

TORONTO

I managed to make it out to an art show. Julie Fader. Wow. What a spectacular display of paintings. They made me happy, I’m not an artsy type, but they grabbed me. One in particular, this beautiful orange one, made me warm inside and I really wanted to buy it. Maybe one day I will be able to invest in lovely people, and their art. On top of her beautiful paintings, she is also an amazing musician. Check her out!

http://www.myspace.com/juliefader

On that note, there is also a band by the name Sunbear.  Kate Boothman, the singer and songwriter, manages to grab a rooms attention and have them somehow question how this beautiful music and pretty damn moving lyrics are coming out of this girl. And the best part of it all, is she has no idea how amazing she is!

http://www.myspace.com/thisissunbear

I had brunch at Oddfellows in Toronto not long ago. It is great and fun there. I have done their unlimited taco Sundays as well as indulged in a few other delicious moments there. I did order their eggs Benedict with pigs belly a few weeks ago, not “exactly like bacon” as I was told, which is a shame because it was quite slimy and for a kinaesthetic freak like I am,  that is not good, but other than that, not too bad. 

bbye for now,

Chick P

Another Dec '09 - the last

I am at my favourite spot in Calgary to come and  work, sip coffee, eat snacks, and people watch. The Purple Perk has a great vibe, wireless, and friendly staff.  I am currently eating their homemade Black Bean soup with a side of chickpea salad and a yummy Rooibos tea. It is all delicious! In the morning, a soy latte and their breakfast cookie gets me on my toes.

I ate at Dadeo in Edmonton the other night. I devoured their appetizer of a pound of steamed mussels with a side of their “apocado” salad. Apples and avocado with toasted almonds. So yummy. It was damn cold out so the meal was just perfect after another yoga class. Back on the topic of yoga, the studios in Edmonton are great. I practice at the one in Strathcona – but ladies, I have a warning. If you are going in to shower after the first bunch of those that run out of the class, make sure there is hot water. The hot water runs out really quickly, which is a huge pain. If it happens, ask one of the guys in the men’s change room to “push the button” – hopefully one of them knows what that means. I do not understand why they cannot fix this problem – well, then can. It is very annoying, especially when it is -30 outside.

I checked in to my usual hotel in Calgary. The Best Western on McLeod Trail. You will not find anything downtown Calgary for under $170.00 a night – and that is very lucky and very cheap. This Best Western has great prices, especially if you have CAA. They have a pool and a hot tub in the basement, workout facilities (which are minimal, but better than nothing), free parking, and, if you are lucky, they will upgrade you to one of the King suites with a Jacuzzi – BESIDE THE BED!!! It is awesome. You can jump from your bed, to the hot tub, and watch TV. A lovely end to a hard working day.  The gentlemen at the front desk are so friendly, so be nice, and get to know them. It is worth it!

Stay warm.

Chick P

Dec 2009 - continued....

Well, my faith in customer service was restored today. I went back to Costco, this one located in Edmonton on 149^th, to return my brand new laptop that didn’t even start the initial set-up. They were confused about the fact that this was my second defective laptop in just a few months. I asked for the store manager to discuss a price adjustment on my 3^rd laptop. I was unsure of what would happen, if anything. At first, as expected, the manager said that they don’t have control over the computers because they simply sell them. After a few comments on my part about the fact that it was completely inconvenient to be there returning a computer, the store manager completely refunded the cost of the laptop onto my credit card and took me over to the laptop section.

A few moments passed of walking in circles around the laptops. I insisted this model was the one I wanted, and that I simply wanted a price adjustment. He had someone grab a new laptop for me, took me over to a cash that wasn’t even opened (otherwise we would have stood in a very long pre-Christmas piled high shopping carts line up), got someone to cash me out, and he gave me $150.00 off! I couldn’t believe it. I was expecting at most $50.00 off. I was so happy! It definitely made up for the inconvenience. I will forever buy any of the electronics I need from Costco.

I called Costco Customer Service and commented on the managers amazing customer service.

Off I go to my weekday addiction. Bikram Yoga. There are many great studios across the country. Unfortunately the ones in Edmonton charge the most to rent a mat - $3.00 a class – however, the way I feel when I leave the class makes that charge quickly forgotten.  Their floor, which resembles hard plastic Mr. Noodles, is hard on the feet and often makes me easily cop-out of Triangle, but a new challenge is never a bad thing.

Namaste

Chick P

A bit delayed, but finally!!!! This comes from December 2009.

Wow.

So, here I am. I have thought about this for almost three years now, and something, while sitting in the bath reading about jewelery design, motivated me to pull the plug, rinse off and run to my constantly crashing HP laptop.

I travel across Canada on a monthly basis, and on my spare time, rather than sitting at home and dreaming where I have been or where I would like to be, I hop on a plane and head to Europe, hop in my car and drive out to the country, or visit another little spot in North America – whether tacky or fancy – I don’t care. I cannot sit still.

In these journeys, one must eat, shop, visit the doctor, get a haircut, buy vitamins, drink tea, coffee or wine, do yoga, rent a bike, car or donkey, know where the specials are, go see some music and/or art, have good skin care products (different air, detergents  and water are a nightmare) and many other needs or luxuries. You catch my drift. My goal, for those who may read this one day, who knows when, is to simply advise of the goods, bads and the in-betweens. Hopefully people can offer me advice, whether it is places I should or shouldn’t go, or whether it is to tell me how to deal with some of the predicaments I find myself in. I am open to suggestions. And, hey, I am also open to a good argument. I always have been – for fun of course. Perhaps “debate” is a better word. I am not claiming I know all. I am not a gourmet cook, I have not been trained on wines (although I believe I sure have practiced tasting), and my grammar and spelling will probably be tough to read sometimes, as I tend to write with excitement. I am just your average gal.

In all of my traveling, I have had many great experiences and memories (as I do make the most of it) but as we know, often, the bad ones tend to stick out. And so, in writing this, I intend to vent all of my frustrating experiences to open up room for much more fun! And I hope my stories of delight motivate others to experience them. I am going to try to provide pictures, when possible, as well as websites I enjoy, bargain shopping, and all other things I find noteworthy. I have some catching up to do because it has taken me a year to actually post – so please, bear with me. 

I am currently on one of my trips. I am in Alberta and this trip will find me stretching along the path from Lake Louise to St Albert. I have been here for 3 days, and in the past 24 hours, I have driven approximately 600km and have had three frustrating experiences. Three is rare in this span of time, and perhaps that is why I am finally writing this, I AM FED UP!

After a long and amazing day of snowboarding at Lake Louise, my first day of the season, my friend and I  finally rested our knotted thighs and rock hard butts and decided to trek through the -24 degree snowstorm and try a new restaurant; “Avocado” – advertised as a “fresh Mexican grill”. It is located in Calgary at 17^th and 4^th. Mission.  Avocados, being my new favourite treat, I jumped at the suggestion. We took precautionary measures and looked online at the menu – it read well. The prices were decent.  We bundled up and walked – ran – there.  Few were there, and on a Saturday night that should have been a clue, but we used the weather, and our rumbling stomaches, as an excuse. We curled up in the corner and ordered. The starters were delicious – guacamole and salsa – and then came the “entrees”. I ordered a “signature Burrito” – to me that sounds like a “chef special”.  It was the “Baja Veggie Burrito”. The descriptions of all burritos made it hard to pick. I settled for the “healthy” one to balance the fries and gravy from the hill, and my friend got the “ranchero fajita burrito”. MINE WAS AWFUL!

When I think “burrito”, I think delicious hot ingredients stuffed into a corn wrap, reaching from one side of the plate to the other, covered in melted cheese, salsa and sour cream; the side of salad deliciously piled in the left over spaces of the plate. If my eyes were closed and the loud dance renditions of Mexican music were replaced with Michael Buble, I could have easily thought my “burrito” was a veggie wrap with a side of salad in a plastic container from Starbucks. It was a cold, grilled vegetable wrap, with a little bowl of lettuce with 2 cherry tomatoes and creamy ranch-like dressing squiggled on top. It was a joke. The taste was barely there, my friends a tiny better, I am sure simply because of the texture of the meat.  For the $60.00 the meal cost us, with the starters and a glass of wine each, I was appalled. I mentioned it to the waitress, and she proceeded to tell me that she had “never heard that before” and that the “owner was drunk at the next table”. We paid our bill, walked out, and were greeted by the owner knocking on the window and waving at us. Classy.  

This morning I call Thrifty Car Rental at the Calgary airport to see if I can transfer my reservation to a location that was just a few blocks away to make it easier to pick up the car. Keep in mind I rent every other week from Thrifty, and often, the service is good. First I was told that she couldn’t find my name or reservation. Once I helped her find it, I was told that the downtown location near me was closed due to the bad weather, and that even if they were open, they wouldn’t have a full size car. After not really understanding her reasoning, I decided to call for myself. They were open, had three full sized cars, and made the reservation transfer while I was on the phone. The gentleman at the downtown location, 5^th and Centre, made up for the headache that the airport lady caused.

I picked up my car and headed for Edmonton, I stopped in Red Deer at Costco to buy a new laptop to replace the Acer laptop I bought a few months ago that crashed after 28 days.  I buy from Costco because they have an incredible warrantee. You have 90 days to return with no questions asked, and then an extended 2 year warrantee. I ran in, told the gentleman what I wanted, he sold me immediately on an amazing little HP dm3; perfect for the traveller. It is small yet powerful. The only thing issue is that I had to buy an external disk drive. No big deal at all. Having no disk drive allows the laptop to be smaller and lighter – when do I use discs anyways?

I drove the next 2 hours with excitement to park, check in to my hotel – the lovely Mettera  on Whyte  (great service, rooms, complimentary valet service (great for the winter) , free gourmet complimentary breakfast, free wine tasting and snacks in the evening, exercise room, business room, apples at the front desk, tea and coffee all day – you catch my drift!), run for a warm Thai dinner (also delicious and often frequented on my Sunday arrivals, Pad Thai on 82^nd Ave – their spicy salads and green curry are amazing! Service is always fantastic, and even though I only go about once every 6 weeks, they always remember me and make me feel at home ), come back to my room and set up my laptop and get a ton of work done. I turn on my laptop to install all of my software and files – it will not turn on properly. It tells me that the computer cannot turn on and that it will take a few minutes to fix the problem. 2 hours later, it was not fixed. So now, I have to go back to Costco, never a quick mission around Christmas, return the laptop, explain the issue, and HOPE that maybe they have another one there to replace the damaged one – and perhaps, just perhaps, I can get a deal for the complete inconvenience. I doubt it. Luckily I have my other old laptop with me, because I have learned to not rely on technology, however, I cannot do the work I would like to do on this one. But, good thing, I can write a word document. 

Pad Thai on 82nd

And so, tomorrow I will return the laptop, hope they have another one to replace it, track down a manager for some kind of deal for the complete inconvenience, and hopefully have it set up and running tomorrow night so that I can update you on how the return went.

So, As much as I sound like a complete whiner, I am not. I just am a strong believer in customer service. In these days of cautious spending and being told to support our economy and shop, I believe that customer service should be number one, no excuses. I work in an industry where I have to provide customer service, and I strive to do the best I can, and more importantly, I want to do it. If my customer is happy, my business is done.

This is quite an intro into my life of travels. All I can think about is how much I could have written over these past three years. I am so excited to be doing this. Let’s see how long I can keep it going.

Bbye for now,

Pippa