Town and Country

Monday, 7 September 2009

Road Trip Day 19

Another hotel and another "Continental Breakfast", but here there are croissants and pain chocolat. I'm thankful for the French influence here after all.

One Day in Vancouver

My trusty guidebook that serves me so well in the USA is, of course, useless here in Canada. So, I made a web search and found a local tourism site which gave a suggested itinerary for a day in Vancouver. I followed much of it, but skipped some of more crowed spots and obvious tourist traps.

To get to the first point on the itinerary meant a trip through the City from my hotel. Vancouver is a very clean, modern city. There are swanky new glass fronted office and apartment buildings all over the place, especially close to the water front. I saw some older, less salubrious parts but on the whole this has the feel of a modern, well-to-do city that is very much on the up right now.

Stanley Park

I started my one day tour at Stanley Park, a large municipal park one the bay with all sorts of activities for tourists and locals to enjoy. Amongst the many different playing fields I found further influence from Britain as a Cricket tournament was under way. Ahh, the sound of leather on willow.

Further along the shoreline road which circumnavigates the park is a very splendid display of Totem Poles made or designed after authentic designs by Native North Americans. My favourite has a chief riding a killer whale. The expression on his face makes it seem like he's having second thoughts about how good an idea that was.

Big Bridge

I finished my circuit of Stanley Park at Prospect Point which, if it were not partially closed off for repairs, offers views over the iconic Lions Gate bridge as well as Grouse Mountain and other peaks in the Cascade Mountain range which rises dramatically to the north.

Once out of the park I looped back around and through it to drive over the bridge I'd just photographed and part way up Grouse Mountain. On the way up I stopped to view the dam and reservoir which keep the city supplied with water then continued to the Grouse Mountain car park.

Today is the Labor Day public holiday in Canada as well as America and this already popular tourist attraction was packed. As the car parking wasn't free and there was no view due to tree growth I turned around and drove back down. I could have stopped and taken the Sea to Sky cable car to the summit, but as it was shrouded in cloud and I'm not great with heights I ruled that one out even before I checked the price list.

Quiet in the City

I assume the City was extra quiet today due to the holidays, so there wasn't much retail therapy to be had. I made a couple of stops in trendy neighbourhoods and window shopped the fancy galleries and boutiques then returned to the hotel for a bite to eat (a not very satisfactory Monte Cristo) and to get some more ideas from the web.

Facing Fear

I'm glad I did take the chance to come back for inspiration as it led to me finding Lynn Canyon Park. One of the tourist traps I avoided in the morning was Capilano Regional Park with its famous swinging pedestrian suspension bridge. As I said I'm not good with heights so wobbly heights are even less desirable.

Anyhow, when I read about Lynn Canyon Park, it too boasts a recently renovated passenger suspension bridge as well as several trails to walk and a pretty, burbling river to admire. I parked, fetched a map from the visitor centre and went to find the trails. Seeing as how the suspension bridge was immediately next to the car park I thought I should at least take a look at it and take a photo of it so I could show you what I didn't walk across.

Well, before I knew what I was doing I was advancing onto the bridge. There were dozens of people on the bridge, many of whom were stopping for photos and holding things up... and prolonging my time on this damn whispy little bridge that seemed to be flapping in the breeze. Anyway, I couldn't turn round even if I had wanted to so I crossed over it. Turns out the best way to conquer a fear is to be irritated by people taking 10 almost identical photos of their grinning, idiot girlfriend.

Oh, and I never did get a good photo of the bridge, but I did cross it, honest!

More Trails

I walked a lot of the rather steep trails around the park though, to be honest, I got very little of the tranquillity that was mentioned in what I'd read on the web as it was very busy. No bother though, it was a lovely park and the narrow river was amazingly clear and glistened when the sun came out.

Tired from more walking than I anticipated I got back to the hotel and had a little snooze before dinner.

Dinner was a take-out Pizza as I got a bit bogged down in restaurant reviews and decided on the easy option.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Forty-Five

Distance travelled - 0 miles - Stayed in Vancouver.

State count - 18 + DC + B.C.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206

Misty's American Canadian Adventure

Sunday, 6 September 2009

Apologies if my spelling and flow is worse than usual. John Hughes' directorial debut, "Sixteen Candles", just started on telly.

Road Trip Day 18

First there's an administrative issue to address. For lunch yesterday I was getting real hungry and thirsty so I took the easy option and had a MacDonald's. Their new "Third Pounder" isn't bad really. Hold the damn pickle though. Anyhoo, that moment of weakness increases my "Burgers Eaten" count rises by one to a shamefully high total of 11.

Another "Largest, Tallest, Biggest, Smallest"

I started with a big first stop on my way north today, dropping by the "Future of Flight and Boeing Tour at their Everett plant just north of Seattle.

I've seen the plant featured in a couple of Discovery Channel documentaries, its main claim to being that it is the largest building in the world, by volume. The plant produces 747 Jumbos, 767, 777 and the shiny new 787. Doesn't look very big from this photo so trust me, it's bloody enormous.

Being Boeing (sorry) it's all very slick and professional and is something of a self-congratulatory slap on the back the company. That doesn't detract from the fact that it's pretty cool looking over the production lines for huge airliners, especially if you are a bit of a geek like me.

The weird looking 747 above is one of three custom made "DreamLifters" which are used to fly in huge sections of fuselage and other huge parts from around the world. Kind of looks like a Jumbo Jet with the Mumps.

Oh, Canada

So, onward and northward along US Interstate 5 to Canada and a two day stop in Vancouver. Quick formalities at customs included the usual questions about tobacco, alcohol, how much cash I had on me plus the interesting question of "Is there any particular reason you are visiting on September 6th?" I managed not to admit I have almost no clue what day of the week it is, let alone what date in the month and just said it is when I happen to be passing this way.

Sadly he didn't rubber stamp my passport so I don't have a nice Canadian stamp to show off alongside my US, Brazilian and Argentine ones. I'll have to get one when I go to Toronto instead.

Queen Elizabeth II

Two things have thrown me since I arrived in Canada. First, I wasn't aware they use the metric system here. All of a sudden I have to avoid breaking a speed limit of 100. I've switched my Sat Nav to Kms to help, but now it keeps telling me to make turns in 1.2 kilometres... however far that is?

The other weirdness was that when I looked at my shiny bunch of notes from the ATM there was The Queen's face looking back at me. She looks even grumpier on Canuck notes than she does on British currency. I thought the Canadians had shaken off the old imperial stuff ages ago.

British Monarch on the bank notes and French on the signs with distances in Kilometres? This place is weird.

Ruby Murray

I've had a craving for Indian food for ages and I finally satisfied that urge tonight. A very pleasant little place called Jolly's on a strip which seemed to consist of only restaurants and coffee shops. Tandoori Chicken to start followed by Butter Chicken with rice and a Naan thrown in.

Possibly the most enjoyable part of the meal though was the drink I chose, Ginger Lemonade. They take root ginger, lemon and a pinch of salt, blend them to a fine pulp and then add 7 Up. Bloody lovely and something I'll try to recreate when I have access to ingredients and a blender.

Movie and Bed

Now, to pay closer attention to the movie before I go to bed. Tomorrow I have a one day tour of Vancouver to enjoy.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 18 in a larger map

Stats - Day Forty-Four

Distance travelled - 159 Miles Seattle to Vancouver via the Boeing Factory at Everett.

State count - 18 + DC + British Columbia, Canada... hereafter referred to as B.C.

Burgers eaten - 11 (well, the 11th was yesterday... today's lunch was Chicken Strips from Jack-in-the-Box which were not great)

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207, 206

Bad Timing

Saturday, 5 September 2009

Road Trip Day 17

The weather forecast today was not good. They said it would be colder than the average for this time of year which, given that I am in Seattle, did not bode well. As it happened the weather cleared up and proved the forecasters wrong. I managed to not get rained on all day. That is the good news.

Public Transport Fail

As I had done in San Francisco and Portland, it was my intention to use the Seattle Public Transport system to get into and around the city. Sadly, this motel is so far from the City centre that the light-rail doesn't reach here. They are building an extension to nearby Sea-Tac Airport but that doesn't help me. The motel offered a lift to the airport where I could get a bus which would take me to the light-rail station.

I opted to take another option and drive to the light-rail and leave The Beast in the car park. Mistake. Turns out the station was pretty elusive. I drove around looking for it and trying various fruitless options on my Sat-Nav but failed. I found the AmTrak station where I could wait an hour for a train to take me near Seattle. I also drove 15 miles into the city just to find that parking all day would cost around $40.

After that I gave up and came back to the motel and asked for very, VERY specific directions to the station. I set off again and after what seemed like hours of searching I found the Seattle light-rail network. I got to the city centre (again) around 12:30pm.

Fish. Monorail. Needle. Done.

Once I'd arrived I went straight to the much promoted Pike Place Market. I saw some fish and some flowers.

Then I walked to the Monorail and rode it to the Space Needle. I declined the long queue and $16 ride to the top.

Here's my photo from underneath it.

There's not much else to do in Seattle apparently. There was a music festival going on which meant that most of the Seattle Centre, the park where the Space Needle stands was closed off.

Former Landmark

I rode the Monorail back to downtown and wandered aimlessly for a while, though I did find an Office Depot where I bought some coloured dots for my map of my journey... so that was good.

I ran out of things to look at so rode the light-rail back a couple of stops to the Pioneer Square district and took a quick look at the building which Seattle was best known for prior to the building of the Space Needle. This is Smith Tower which is a very attractive building dating back to 1914 and is covered in white terracotta. Actually, now that I look at it, it looks a lot like the building transformer robot from the movie Big. Must check that out sometime.

Unfortunately this seemed to be a bit of a dodgy district with more than its fare share of crazies, including one who managed to rant and scream so loudly two police cars arrived to "have a word". I returned, cautiously to the light-rail tunnel and came back to the motel... and fell asleep in front of the Nascar.

Aimless in Seattle

I don't really want to give the impression there's anything wrong with Seattle, it's just that there's nothing really here for me. The hotels are packed here this weekend because there's a College Football game between Washington State and Louisiana and also a Fantasy Computer Games convention as well as the Bumbershoot Music Festival. So, as I know nothing about American Football, World of Warcraft or Grunge music I am pretty comprehensively sidelined.

So, just a case of bad timing really. Nevermind.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Forty-Three

Distance travelled - 0 Miles (not counting the 30 odd miles I drove trying to find the light-rail station) - Stayed in Seattle

State count - 18 + DC

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207

Taking Flight

Friday, 4 September 2009

Road Trip Day 16

As I unpacked at the motel in Castle Rock I realised something terrible. I'd left my dear little travelling companion behind. I've not mentioned Alice before. She's an unassuming little friend, not one to cause a fuss or seek the limelight, but she has appeared in some of my snaps... such this one.

Alice is a teddy bear. A teddy bear in a Colorado University cheerleaders dress. And I left her behind. I was horribly upset and rang the hotel at Portland first thing this morning. Happily, the housekeeper had found her and she was safe and well. She can be shipped on ahead of me and we should be reunited in Denver. In the meantime I feel like a terrible parent and am suitably ashamed of myself.

A Quick Stroll

With another city stay on the way I felt the need to get a nature fix first thing today, so drove the short distance to the Mount St. Helens Visitor Centre where I had noticed a short loop trail that I could walk. The one mile loop went out onto the marshland bordering Silver Lake which was very pretty on this warm late summer morning. In terms of wildlife spotting I saw very little. A possible spotting of a Blue Heron in flight and what I believe was a Black-capped Chickadee. Twitchers will be pleased to know that I bought a Field Guide to the Birds of North America at Powells in Portland.

Another State, Another Capitol

As I did in Oregon, I managed to squeeze in a trip to the state capital. Washington's capital is Olympia and the area around the modern Legislative Building is full of well manicured lawns, gardens, fountains, statues and memorials.

Also of note, according to my guidebook, is the old Capitol Building a short drive away. It's a far smaller, quirkier building with a very smart statue of George Washington outside.

With my sight-seeing done, I returned to The Beast and scoffed down the Bear Claw I'd grabbed from the breakfast selection at the Motel this morning and set off for Seattle.

Museum of Flight

In my research on Seattle I saw that the Museum of Flight was a few miles south of the city centre so, as I was approaching from that side I decided to make this my first stop before going to my hotel.

I'd been to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum when I was in Washington DC so there was some overlap between the two, but I still enjoyed wandering amongst the exhibits. It's always fun to wander around a building with real, full-size aircraft hanging above you. This museum has an old "Air Force One" and the Concorde which made the last commercial flight.

Interestingly the information board for the Concorde said that costs and lack of demand spelled the end for the only production supersonic aircraft and failed to mention anything about the one which crashed into a motel in Paris.

For me though, the most interesting hall in the museum was the area which chronicled World War II. It was an excellently put together exhibit, very well presented and respectful to the subject.

Mediocre

Now I'm back at my rather mundane hotel which is a pretty long way from the City, but the best compromise on this Labor Day weekend. I have the option to take the hotel shuttle to the nearby "Sea-Tac" (Seattle-Tacoma) airport where I can pick up public transport into the city or I might just drive in and pay for all-day parking. We'll see.

Goodnight.

View Castle Rock to Seattle via Olympia and Museum of Flight in a larger map

Stats - Day Forty-Two

Distance travelled - 119 Miles - Castle Rock to Seattle (area), via Olympia and the Museum of Flight.

States entered - Washington

State count - 18 + DC

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111, 207

Meeting an Icon

Thursday, 3 September 2009

Road Trip Day 15

Well, my time in Portland came to an end early today as I drove north. It also marked the end of 2 days in the hands of Marriott, one of the bigger corporate names in the hotel business. I was worried my stay with this industry giant might be faceless and dull, but the staff at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in Portland were absolutely wonderful; so helpful, eager to greet and talk to their customers. It was a real pleasure to stay there.

Missed Opportunity

Over the course of my travels I have to keep reminding myself that I can't see everything. With that sad thought in mind I missed out on driving up the Columbia River Gorge to see the waterfalls and river in a huge U-shaped valley. On reflection, with the time I had today I could have fitted that detour in, but I was able to console myself by thinking that I will add this to my lest of things to see when I next visit the Pacific Northwest.

Washington State

I entered the 18th state of my American Adventure mere moments after leaving the hotel. Portland is a stone's throw from Washington and I officially entered the state halfway across a bridge spanning the Columbia River. It was an unremarkable sign and I was in the outside lane doing 55, so no photo of that sign sadly.

I won't be pestering Kate for Factoids for each of the states I enter, she's off duty now after all, so here's a couple courtesy of Wikipedia. The state flower is the Coast Rhododendron and the state vegetable is the Walla Walla Sweet Onion.

Inspiration

One of the biggest news stories of the year in 1980 was the eruption of Mount St. Helens. I was at a good age for this to form an impression and I'd put it down as one of the influences on my interest in Geology and Geography. Since 1980 I've watched a number of documentaries about the volcano and it was a common reference point in my studies. I can replay the famous composite video of the eruption and was pretty well versed in the mechanics of how it blew up so spectacularly.

With this in mind it was quite a trip to actually be there. Much like crater lake was, but with a more academic slant. It wasn't a tear-jerker, more of a case of viewing the shattered cone and being able to see the devastation first hand and give some kind of scale and proportion to the events that I knew so well.

One surprise though was to see steam rising from the small new cone growing in the broken, angular crater. It felt good to be in such an active volcanic area and made me want to see more. Maybe a quick excursion to Hawaii is in order?

Given the importance of this iconic volcano in my life, I decided to snap one of my few "...and here's me obscuring the view of..." photos.

More Hotel Booking Blues

With so much of Mount St Helens understandably off limits, there is not a great deal more to do once you have drunk in the view, watched the informational movies and read the exhibition. That meant I got to my hotel here in Castle Rock around mid-afternoon and had time on my hands.

It's as well that I did though as it took me 2 hours to find a hotel in Seattle. I guess the Labor Day weekend here in the US played a part in the problem, but it is excruciating trying to find a well reviewed, affordable, available place to stay that isn't so far from the centre of Seattle that I'd spend all my time travelling.

On the plus side though, this annoying experience galvanised me to find a place in Vancouver, Canada and I've booked that too so I am sorted for 4 nights now.

I look forward to more availability and lower prices as the summer holidays end.

I've finished my day with steak and shrimp followed by lemon meringue pie at the restaurant next to the motel and am now waiting for my laundry to finish in the dryer before bed.

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 15 in a larger map

Stats - Day Forty-One

Distance travelled - 152 Miles - Portland to Castle Rock, with an immediate trip to Mount St. Helens.

States entered - Washington

State count - 18 + DC

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229, 111

Portland Rocks!

Wednesday, 2 September 2009

Road Trip Day 14

There was a far better standard of continental breakfast on offer at this hotel this morning and I made the most of it before heading into the city to get a taste of Portland.

The public transport system, Tri-Met in Portland is another example of where a city has got it's act together with a simple flat fare covering trains in from the suburbs and buses in the city centre. My hotel is near the end of one line at the Expo Centre and the ever helpful chap on the front desk sorted out a lift to the station in the hotel shuttle bus.

The journey into downtown Portland from the hotel was very informative, passing through pleasant leafy streets as well as some more run-down areas. Even these areas though seemed clean and free of graffiti and litter.

Downtown

Portland doesn't have many high-rise buildings, but the few that is does have are light and well designed. Much of the downtown area is of well preserved or recently renovated buildings of long standing which are broken up by frequent green areas and parks.

Despite having my transport pass, I immediately felt very comfortable and decided to spend much of the day walking. Once I'd picked up a map and had a brief chat with the tourist information staff I walked down to Tom McCall Waterfront Park running along by the Willamette River. It's barely a block deep, but was clearly heavily used by joggers, cyclists and power walkers.

I began my day of people watching here and strolled along the park to the Salmon Street Fountain which is designed for kids and adults alike to play in.

Colourful People

I really enjoyed walking through Portland. It's a very relaxed, cosmopolitan city with more than its fair share of colourful characters. There's a profusion of tattoos, piercings and grunge clothes. There's also plenty of very fit, healthy looking folks... must be all that running and cycling.

I'd been sent some suggested destinations on Twitter as well as many recommendations from my trusty guidebook. One of the more unusual was a visit to Voodoo Donut which is a tiny little bakery selling the most extraordinary array of donuts I've ever seen, There were dozens of combinations of sprinkles, glazing, fillings and flavours as well as giant donuts at least a foot across as well as unusual (and some unspeakable) shapes. I chose a Voodoo Doll donut and a carton of chocolate milk. The guy behind the counter asked which part of England I was from and we chatted briefly. It turns out he'd lived for a while in Horsham, just a few miles from me.

Here's the display at Voodoo Donuts and my Voodoo Doll before and during consumption.

Green Space

Having spent several hours walking around downtown Portland I took the blue line train to Washington Park which sits on the west of town. As well as parkland there are several attractions and I started with a quick look around the World Forestry Centre. It was pitched for an audience of kids rather than adults, but it was interesting none the less.

No Penguins

My next choice turned out to be a mistake. I'd read good things about Oregon Zoo and the Penguin and Beaver exhibits. Alarm bells rang when I noticed that the Penguin area was closed but I ignored them and paid my ten bucks anyway.

I wish I had heeded the warning as it turned out that this was not the only closed exhibit and those that were open were populated by either invisible or very bored, sleeping, usually dejected looking animals. I got quite cross in the end, especially as the poor signage and large areas blocked by construction work meant it took me several attempts to get out. It was such a shame and I can only hope that once the work is completed the Zoo will be as good as the reports I had read. In the meantime I'd advise people to avoid this zoo and save your $10.

Loop Walk

Having been annoyed by the zoo I needed some proper nature therapy and took the park shuttle bus to the Arboretum for a short loop walk amongst the firs and pines. This was much more what I wanted, though the steep slopes here after my day walking in the city meant I was pretty tired by now and my feet were killing me.

I decided that discretion was the better part of valour and took the train back into the City for one last, brief look around before getting my connection back to the hotel. Back at base I ate at the restaurant in the other Marriot location across the road then came back for a swim and wallow in the hot spa.

A Word about Oregon and Portland

I have absolutely loved my time in Oregon. I've seen some simply stunning scenery from the rocky, forested coast to the huge mountains, plus the wonder of nature which is Crater Lake. The volcanic lands were amazing and instantly revived my youthful fascination for Geology. All this natural beauty must have an effect on the people as I have found Oregonians to be warm, helpful, kind and welcoming. I've felt very comfortable here and count myself lucky to spend time in this special part of the world.

Thank you, Oregon. I hope to carry a little of the serenity I have felt here with me.

...and Finally

I don't intend to make this a regular feature, but here's another great sign. Portland is a very cycle friendly city and here's one to help avoid some potentially nasty accidents.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Forty

Distance travelled - 0 Miles - Stayed in Portland... though I bet I clocked up quite a few miles on my poor aching feet.

State count - 17 + DC

Burgers eaten - 10... sadly, the best thing about the Zoo was the Restaurant.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229

North Oregon

Tuesday, 1 September 2009

Road Trip Day 13

It's been a driving day today with 181 miles covered to get me from Bend to Portland via Salem, Oregon's very attractive state capital.

I left Bend early, but not before stopping at Safeway for soda and other essential supplies... Chocolate Chip cookies count as essentials don't they? I also had to go to Radio Shack for a replacement cable to hook my MP3 player up to the car stereo.

A Little Bit Country

When I was planning this driving trip, a few people said that I should be sure to listen to the local radio stations as I travel to gain extra flavour. I've been doing so and have found myself really enjoying the country stations. I've never listened to country before and had thought it a bit silly, but I've found the songs and the laid back attitude of the DJ's ideal for whiling away the hours on the road.

More Mountains

Today's route took me back over the Cascade Mountains and gave me a close up view of Mt. Washington. There was also a stretch of road running past areas recently ravished by wildfire. It makes for a very sad sight with vast swathes of barren ground peppered with dead and burned trees. It was all given stronger poignancy given the current fires raging in California and further south in Oregon. Here's a shot of Mt Washington with fire damage in the foreground.

Salem

My trusty guidebook didn't give much regard to Salem, but as it was on my route, I decided to stop by to see the Capitol Building, the one sight which the book picked out. It's a very grand building with a golden statue of a pioneer on top. What I saw of the city was very appealing indeed with a calm, crisp feel to it combined with the laid back Oregonian attitude. I took a few pictures then sought out another Safeway for some hot lunch which I ate on the lawn outside the Capitol Building.

Relax

By the time I got to Portland I was pretty tired. I'd not slept well the night before, so I resisted the temptation to head into the city to scope things out and instead took advantage of the small hotel pool and hot spa.

I'd not been in a hot spa before but I have to say I am sold on the idea. Hot water, fizzy bubbles, relaxed muscles. What's not to like? I dare say I'll take another dip before I check out in a couple of days.

A Stranger is just a Friend you haven't met

As I'd not left the hotel area, I had dinner at the local Pizza restaurant which doubles up as a Sports Bar. With the sports theme in mind, and as I didn't have time to fix my hair, I popped my Minnesota Twins cap on and went to eat.

I'd not been sat long when a friendly gent asked if I was from Minnesota as he was. I explained where I'm from and my tenuous link to Minneapolis... which is that back in the 1980's I watched late night baseball on ITV and decided to support the Twins because that's where Prince is from.

So, we got talking and exchanged stories of why we are both travelling and in Portland right now. It was a very refreshing change to have company over dinner. I'm well used to eating alone these days but sometimes it's really good to talk. Cheers. Here's to talking to strangers.

Now I'm back in the hotel as ever, but with a better TV and AC unit than I've had for a while and Pantene products instead of the usual free toiletries.

...and Finally

A couple of signs caught my eye as I drove today. One informed me that I was crossing the 45th Parallel, the half-way point between the North Pole and the Equator. I was suitably impressed until I checked the UK's location... it's 8 degrees further North.

The second sign speaks for itself really.

Tough School, eh?

Goodnight.

View Driving Day 13 in a larger map

Stats - Day Thirty-Nine

Distance travelled - 189 Miles - Bend to Portland via Salem

State count - 17 + DC

Pizza Count - 6... well, 5.5 strictly speaking. I couldn't finish. The waitress wasn't very spacially aware... and when she finds out what 10 inches really looks like she'll be quite surprised.

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212, 205, 210, 246, 118, 3, 145, 229