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View from the top of the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego.

Picture 61

It’s pretty cloudy so I don’t know how good the view normally is here, but this ain’t half bad. This is Pier 111 or something like that at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. (Thank you, comp nights…)

While I know it may seem like I don’t like my job all that much- which sometimes I don’t- it’s benefits like this that make me so reluctant to go find something else. The fact that I get to stay at hotels and resorts all over the world for free (!!!) is something that I refuse to not take full advantage of. (Did that make sense…?) I’ve stayed in New York City, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Springs and Bali all for free. And those were just my favorites. I could add Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, and San Antonio, and I still wouldn’t be done.

Which brings me to today 🙂 Back in December, I was feeling a little restless and needed to get away. I wanted something more vacation-like than just going up to LA but didn’t want to buy a plane ticket since getting requested days off work is never a garunteed thing for me. So I thought Tahoe would be good choice- I’ve never been, it looks georgous in pictures, and while it is a long drive, it is a doable drive. The only downside is comp nights weren’t available until now, but I booked them anyway. (It’s one of those book-it-while-it’s-open-because-when-I-look-tomorrow-it-will-be-gone kind of things.) A girl I work with had said she’d come with me, so we thought we’d go snowboarding. More like she’d go snowboarding, I’d go falling down a hill a lot. I found out a couple weeks ago that she wasn’t going to be able to come with me after all, and I thought about canceling it but decided that I wasn’t going to let a lack of workless friends stop me.

So here I am. I got up at 3am and drove alllll the way up to Incline Village, NV. I left so early because the forecast was calling for snow to hit the Tahoe area around noon and since I drive a dinky little car so totally not equipped for winter weather, I wanted to try and beat the snow. I failed, and had snow for about the last hour and a half, but luckily it wasn’t that bad. I made pretty decent time, checked in to my (free!!!) room, and it took all of ten minutes for me to get bored. Which is actually the whole point. With out a friend to keep me company, I can do whatever I want. Totally and completely relax.  I have four books and get a discount at the spa (and in room service :)) so I pretty much plan on spending the next three days in my PJ’s. I don’t have proper winter clothes (My winter coat is, so logically, in storage in Orlando) and it’s snowing so there’s only so much exploring I can/want to do. I might venture out tomorrow, kinda see what’s around. It’s so pretty here. It reminds me a lot of Boone and Blowing Rock, but less college town feel and more of a small town feel. I definitely want to come back in the summer and do some of the hiking and activities like that.

So anyway. That’s that. (What that is, actually, was a lot of rambling. Like I said. Bored. But in a totally good way.)