The trip started last Wednesday morning; I cabbed from my apartment to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. I rarely take cabs in the city but since I had luggage - albeit light - and since it was business, I thought I'd treat myself. It's too expensive though. I took the airport shuttle and subway back when I returned to Toronto.
I went to the airport much earlier than I needed to, as I had a conference call placed awkwardly in my day - too close to the flight to wait until after the call to head to the airport... too early to be at the airport to take the call there. That said, I'm of the "early is never a bad thing" school of thought, plus I love the lounge at the island airport, so early I would be.
Porter refers to its service as Flying Refined, and it really is. I sped through security and arrived in the lounge with time to spare - enough time to get a coffee, some almonds, and set up shop for my call.
The flight itself was lovely, too. Tell me - why do I instinctively crave tomato juice on planes?
I got into Halifax around 3:00 pm and was at my hotel - the Westin Nova Scotian - in downtown Halifax by 4:00. For the record, I am not an extremely experienced traveller and I haven't stayed in a lot of hotels, but I've stayed at the Westin Nova Scotian twice now, and it's the best hotel I've ever been to. I feel special there. It's fancy yet not too pricey. During my stay, I had two delicious breakfasts at their restaurant, Elements; room service for a late dinner, which was a total treat; watched cable in bed on the big screen TV; had a bath; had two glorious sleeps... it was heavenly. I highly recommend staying there if you get the chance.
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| The view from my hotel room of the Halifax harbour. |
My desire was t ohave a quiet, luxurious, and delicious evening out, and that desire was mostly fulfilled. They had a table for one near the fireplace ready for me; there was no awkward removal of a second place setting. Much appreciated. The Five Fishermen nailed service and ambiance; it was quiet, had a great vibe, and no one made me feel like I was there too long (I was there for two hours). I had a great time there. I took my time, had a delicious glass of Nova Scotian wine, ate lots, started a new book (The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb), and deliberately kept iPhone use to a minimum. However, the disappointing part? The food! I know! Unexpected. At the time I was totally satisfied, but I think I was full on great dining... not great food. Maybe my mistake was that I didn't order a main. I didn't want to spend too much, so I opted for wine + access to the mussel and salad bar ($25) + bread and butter + clam chowder. The mussels got cold really fast and the cowder was very bland. I finished with dessert, which was really delicious. I had coffee and sticky toffee pudding (yum!) with their housemade icecream (YUM!!!). All in all, it was decadent, but if the food had been better than the rest of the experience..... well, I might not have left Halifax.
Regardless, I was in a coma on the way back to the hotel. After a bath and a dose of cable, I was out like a light.
My colleague and I met for breakfast at 9:00 and enjoyed delicious eggs Benedict (and he informed me that it was St. Benedict's Day... how about that!). I then retreated to my hotel room for a few hours of peaceful and quiet work.
Business trips are great, for so many reasons. I don't have to travel much, so they're still a novelty. I keep busy enough these days that sometimes I forget I've got a trip coming up, but I really enjoy it. It's paid travel and related expenses, a break from the routine, a chance to see a different city... but for me it's also an opportunity to slow down. It's a chance to treat myself, a chance to catch up on emails, a chance to read, a chance to go for walks and see new things, a chance to do work that on any other day might seem tedious, but somehow in a hotel room feels therapeutic... the list goes on.....
I don't know if traveller's guilt has anything to do with Catholic guilt, but I have small cases of both. I'm grateful for traveller's guilt when it's not too extreme though because despite how lovely a day spent in a hotel room might seem, TG kicks in and I know I've got to get out and do something.
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| Beautiful Halifax buildings that I saw on my walk to the Citadel. |
I walked from there to Pizza Corner (another Twitter recommendation). I'm not sure if that's the actual name of the joint or if it's just called that because it's a pizza place on the corner. I was told to try the donair... it was delicious. Next time I'd like to try a big slice of donair pizza. Yum!
I walked back to the hotel to rest, work, and get ready for the whole point of my trip - an event on Thursday night. More work, more TV, more relaxing, a shower, and off I went to the event.
I held the event at the Split Crow. That's where I held the event last year; it's a popular spot among Dalhousie students and it worked well for what I'm trying to do. It was a good event this year, too, but I don't think I'll hold it at the SC next year. The staff was okay but not very accommodating, and sometimes even aggressive. It was well worth the trip though; it was a great event!
I left the pub earlyish and walked back to the hotel. Wanna know a secret? I've never gotten room service! I have one memory of getting it as a kid - I think - but no vivid memories, and I've definitely never ordered it myself. Or, at least, I hadn't before... I have now! I got back from the event and after getting into PJs, I ordered myself a pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries and a pop! Absolutely divine! It came on a tray which I sat right on my bed and enjoyed while watching an episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". Again, heavenly.
Another delicious sleep, and back to Elements for breakfast. This time, I had eggs, sausage, and homefries. Then I booked a cab with the concierge, went to my room to pack up, and off I went to the airport.
All in all, a great trip.
