The trip from the Twilight Zone.

From start to finish, this was a weird trip. I expected Rod Serling to pop up any minute reminding us not to adjust our sets.

I travel to the Dallas area often and I have yet to find the perfect "home" hotel for my visits. I keep hoping I will connect, but it hasn't been an easy search. This time I started this trip staying in the Crowne Plaza on Midway Road in Addison, Texas. I must say this was a lovely hotel in a nice location. The club lounge was very nice and offered excellent appetizers in the club lounge. But, the guest rooms didn't offer wireless internet.

[This is another rant, so if you don't want to hear me complain please fast forward.] Charging for internet access? No wireless? Good grief. What century are these hotels in???

Anyway, with no wireless internet and only a short access cord, I abandoned the idea of relaxing in my room while surfing the net and went to have a snack in the executive lounge. I mentioned the issue to the attendant in the lounge and she told me that wireless was available there in the executive club lounge. I must admit that I seriously thought about going back to the club lounge in my pj's. I could make myself comfortable, all propped up in front of the TV... But, after seriously thinking about it I decided that only when enough guests take their business elsewhere will they pay attention to what we want so I checked out after one night and went to another hotel.

OK. That might have been a mistake.

I looked up another IHG property on the internet and found the Holiday Inn-Dallas North Addison. I must admit that I was a bit concerned when I saw the sign outside the door that said "no public rest room inside." And there were no cars in the parking lot. But, I decided to go in but asked to see the room prior to checking in. It's a good thing I did, because the room I was given had a broken security latch on the door. The second room they gave me was disturbingly shabby. Needless to say, I left immediately.

By now I was very frustrated and did what every self-assured female business traveler would do... I called my husband. I had him look up other hotels in the area, and he gave me several options. I called a hotel I had stayed in previously, the Crowne Plaza Market Center in Dallas, Texas. After all, the manager had really encouraged me to give them another try. So, I decided what the heck... I would try them again. I was extremely disappointed in the front desk clerk who argued with me on the phone, and decided that a second chance was not going to happen.

Finally I decided to just drive to the closest hotel to see if I could check in. It happened to be Intercontinental Hotel, in Dallas, Texas. I'd stayed in the hotel before, and the only real complaint I had was the lack of wireless internet. By now I didn't care because I was tired and just wanted a place to relax.

The young man at the check-in desk upgraded me to the executive floor, and I took the elevator to the 15th floor and checked in to my room. This time when I checked in I asked if it was possible to get a longer access cord so I could use my laptop while sitting in the easy chair. He arranged for one to be delivered to my room. The hotel just got my vote for "wonderful" status.

So, I went to the room, unpacked my stuff and settled in for some down time playing on the internet. After I plugged into the modem I kept getting a message that my computer had "limited or no connectivity." I called the 24 hour internet help number and they told me to call hotel maintenance for a new phone cable. I did, they came and replaced it - and it didn't work. The maintenance guy called the internet guy and the two of them decided that the problem was in the wall. So, the maintenance guy called the front desk guy who decided to call the bell guy at 9:00 PM to move me to another room.

My silver stud earrings somehow didn't make the move. I never saw them again. sigh.

Anyway, the new room was fine, although a bit smaller. It had a connecting door to another room which normally isn't too big of a deal. But, when I signed on to the internet (which worked by the way) it signed me to room 1504 - which wouldn't have been so bad except that I was in 1509. Hopefully they were platinum members as well.

After a long trip of nothing going the way it should have gone, I ended my day in the hotel lobby bar where the guy at the end of the bar was carrying on a lively conversation with himself.

Somehow, I think I know what he was talking about. He must have ignored Rod Serling's warning and adjusted his set anyway.