LA
We landed in LA aboard the 747 at about 4pm. Got through customs and immigration and boarded our shuttle to the Renaissance LAX hotel.
While I showered the girls formulated a plan for the sand castle were we’re all going to build.
Caitlin did a great job decorating her pillar with these multi-coloured clam shells.
And because it’s LA (or something) while we were not looking someone destroyed it. This is why we cannot have nice things.
Stay classy LA
At check in they offered us a great deal to move out of our 2 double bed room. We’d get a king bed for the grownups and the kids would get inflatable mattresses, snack packs and we’d get a pay per view free movie. The girls were sold and so were we.
We ate dinner in the hotel restoraunt which tried to emulate the LA food truck scene (by that I know what it tastes like, but the food was good). The girls chose the $0.99 corn chips and salsa and there was no changing their minds. Tired parents gave in and all were happy.
(Sorry for the photo Caitlin!)
Back at our room we noticed one air mattress setup and a pile of bed sheets but a missing second mattress. We called and asked for the mattress.
10pm - we finished watching Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom - still nothing. Caitlin called reception again and were told a second mattress was not possible due to fire code. There would be no bed for one of the girls.
They gave us $50 credit towards dinner and said “sorry?” - and several conversations didn’t change this. We prepaid via air canada hotels website. Explaining that Ethiopian hotels didn’t do this to us. No sympathy.
So recap - hotels offer beds for the night and they didn’t deliver. They baited us with chips and a movie then switched the deal at the end. Bait and switch.
Two fingers up the nose to you Marriott.
To boot they gave us sheets but no blanket for Josephine who slept on the couch. I went down before lights out asking to have them delivered ... a second time ... by 12:30 still nothing.
Caitlin was pissed.
In her PJs she went down to the desk with tears in her eyes and they showed up with two blankets. As if to apologize.
Irony sets in. Isabelle woke up at 5am keeping Caitlin busy with nightmare management, and I was wide awake (and denying it) from 2:00-6:00.
Josephine slept best of all of us.
Determined to make the day better, we woke (ish) at 8:30 and ate breakfast. The girls were back to familiar food. Included breakfast sausages that do not taste like hot dogs.
The we Uber to Venice Beach to frolic in the waves and see some muscle dudes. Deja-vu from Paris :: there were Bird and Lime scooters everywhere. The Uber driver said at night there al almost no Uber business in Santa Monica because everyone is riding scooters.
While I showered the girls formulated a plan for the sand castle were we’re all going to build.
The results were good.
Caitlin did a great job decorating her pillar with these multi-coloured clam shells.
And because it’s LA (or something) while we were not looking someone destroyed it. This is why we cannot have nice things.
Stay classy LA
We Uber back to the hotel, had 20min to get everyone rinsed and packed for a 3pm checkout. I didn’t want to lose it in the reception staff if they charged us for another day.
We made it, checked in and got to the maple leaf lounge in LAX where we’ll take off in AC788 at (currently) 22:35. We will see how it goes.
Our plan is to get the girls to snuggle in prior to take off with blankets, pillows and PJs. Then at cruising we but the already half asleep kiddos into lie flat travel pod comfort aboard a 787 Dreamliner (high cabin Pressure makes for better sleep they say)
We land at Pearson airport at 6am.
Onward and upward one last time.
