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March 11, 2001

Howdy howdy howdy,

This weekend we went on a little excursion that I normally would not write about, but we had such a great time and it's such a great thing to do in the middle of the New York winter, that I decided to do a little write-up. Normally I would include pictures , but my digital camera is on the fritz and my new one hasn't arrived yet. Regardless, I don't think I would have thought to bring it anyway.

Every year, in the dead of winter, we try to book one night in a nearby hotel that has an indoor pool. It really acts as a tonic for our family - me (John), my wife Andrea and our 2 kids Natalie (7) and Charlotte (3). For the last few years we went to the Tarrytown Hilton, but this year we decided to go to the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich CT instead. Now, Andie and I went to this hotel several years ago on our first of these excursions when Nat was a baby. We hadn't been back even though we remembered liking it. The Hilton in Tarrytown was a lot closer to our house in Yorktown Heights, NY. Well, we moved to Bedord Hills almost 2 years ago, but we still did the Hilton last year out of habit. Then this year we decided to switch to the Hyatt. We were very glad we did.

To begin with, the atrium lobby of the hotel is absolutely gorgeus. It's about 4 stories high, and feels like you're outside. There are plants and trees every where and a walkway that winds throughout. The most noticeable feature is a small pond with a waterfall that becomes a stream that makes it's way from the Gazebo Bar on one end to Winfield's restaurant on the other. All in all it's a lovely and peaceful spot to have a drink or a bite to eat (more on Winfields later). Andie and I were able to sit and enjoy a glass of wine while the kids explored and watched the koi fish in the pond. If you can't spend the time or money to escape a New York winter by going to a tropical paradise, this is the next best thing. It's so nice to be able to relax "outside" without being under 5 layers of clothing.

The Hotel has apparently undergone some renovations since our last visit, as the room we had was very nicely appointed and everything looked quite new. The room was decorated in subdued earth tones. There were very nice little luxury appointments, such as 2 thick robes and slippers in the closet. And this for a room that only set us back $129! I imagine that the weekday rates are probably a lot higher. Our room overlooked a roof - not too nice but we really didn't care. If you want a better view, note that the even numbered rooms overlooked the atrium lobby, at least in our wing. I'm pretty sure that's true of both wings. Of course the lousy view probably was what came with the low-level price we were paying, but I wouldn't be surprised if we would have been able to change rooms if we'd really wanted to.

One of the main reasons for these winter weekend excursions is to be able to go swimming. The pool at the Hyatt is great if you have kids, probably not so great if you don't. For one thing, the pool is small. This makes it easier for watching kids in the pool, but of course it makes it more difficult to get away from someone else's kids. Also, the pool is shallow. This was nice for us because Natalie, albeit a strong swimmer, enjoys herself more if she can touch bottom. It also makes it easier to hold a non-swimmer like Charlotte, although it would have been easier if it was a bit deeper (the pool is 4 feet at it's deepest.) One really nice thing is that the hotel has very nice, wooden lounge chairs with pads. And since the pool is in an atrium space, if you are lucky enough (like we were) to go when it's sunny, lying in those lounge chairs feels almost as good as being in the sunny outdoors. The pool area also boasts a nice Jacuzzi.

The one disappointment was the restaurant, Winfields. Andie ordered a pasta dish with shrimp and I had steak. We both had a salad that was served in a fried Parmesan cheese bowl. The salad was not very good and is a perfect example of a common problem I find with hotel food - it's better in concept that execution. The hotel would be much better off if they stuck with simple meals that are within the abilities of the staff. Andie said her pasta dish was not very good either. My steak was actually pretty good, but the $28 I paid is the type of price I would pay at a Ruth's Chris or Smith & Wollensky, and is was nowhere near the quality of those establishments. Actually, the best thing about the meal was my garlic smashed potatoes. That and the Haagen Das ice cream.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend that almost felt like a vacation - and all we spent was about $300. The only thing we would have done differently would have been to eat out at one of the many good restaurants in Greenwich, then have drinks in the lobby of the hotel. We'd have had a better meal while saving at least $30. Still, it was a great way to escape the cold - even if only for a while.

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