Free sodas all night

Free sodas all night

Driving through Houston isn’t very relaxing even at the best of times but when I arrived late at night to the hotel I was supposed to photograph the next day I laughed to myself in my white sheet metal box, that is, my Kia rental car.

About four years ago I had photographed this hotel when it was a Ramada. It has recently changed ownership to a Travelodge. When I walked into the lobby I was absolutely certain that I had shot it before. I’ve never photographed the same hotel twice. If there is one thing I have learned about budget hotels in the United States it is this, never pay money to stay in a Ramanda. They are all dumps. The hotel was a dump last time and believe it or not it was even worse now. I was told that the new owner has five million dollars to renovate but he has not done a thing. The least he could do is clean the place. I’m not sure how this place could pass a basic inspection? The hotel hallways were not vacuumed and smelled like a wet dog. The elevator smelled like garam masala and my room smelled like the inside of a musky damp tent that has not been used in several years. It’s a good thing I brought along some incense to make things more bearable. I would have checked out and stayed someplace else but I had taken two flights and a bit of a drive to get here. All I wanted to do was sleep.

The sixth floor was mostly closed and had pieces of the ceiling lieing in the hallways. The pool which is “under renovations” had a toxic green hue about it. I made sure I stayed clear of it while photographing it. It’s not the kind of thing you want to fall into if you have any open sores, not that I have any open sores mind you. At least not any that I’m aware of.

After an honest days work my hotel contact asked me if I would like a soda. Everyday people in America are trying to feed me Coke. I asked if she had any bottle water. She looked at me and said, “That’s why you’re so thin.” That’s a first. I’ve never weighed this much before but in the States I am considered fit. We went up to the third floor to the vending machine and swung open the door of the machine. “Somebody has broken into all of the machines. Free soda’s all night if you like.” She passed me a bottled water and a couple low-calorie sports drinks. Thanks. It’s too bad that all four of the hotel’s ice machines don’t work.

Speaking of free stuff in the land of plenty, I was at a BF Chang’s restaurant yesterday (almost all restaurants in the United States are part of a chain) and I was offered a free beer; An American Bud light. No, but thank-you. I already have a glass of water. I'm gonna stick to my cold and frosty Shiner Bock. Tasty.