A wise man once advised me, “always immediately ask for the third room when checking into a hotel.” If nothing more, when said with a smile, it’s a conversation starter about getting the best room available. I usually don’t have to make this request when I’m staying at a Marriott Hotel as a snobby Platinum Elite Member, but in retrospect it would have saved time and frustration. (See Post #46 ) . I arrived here in Santa Monica for an early check-in, immediately asking if our room had a bath tub. They switched the reservation accordingly, so we unpacked in room request #2, thinking that all was well. As we left the room for our anniversary dinner last evening, a young child was screaming in the room next door, sending a caution signal to both of us. Our room had an adjoining door, always a bad sign when you want privacy and quiet. Disturbing neighbor noises easily funnel through, and we both knew this might be a problem. Sure enough, we woke up this morning to screaming and yelling, called the front desk to complain, and tried unsuccessfully to get back to sleep.

Before we left for our walk/run on the beach this morning, we went to the front desk and requested to be moved to the third room. The third room is always the best, in this case a quiet corner location with a much better view of the beach, although some window washing might be helpful. This is, however, a great hotel with top amenities that we enjoyed on our last trip. The Santa Monica Pier at the end of Route 66 is nearby, as are many top restaurants, including The Lobster where we celebrated last night. Tonight we will return to Ivy on the Shore for what is sure to be another great night of dining.

We spent this afternoon at the pool, exposing our pale Portland bodies to the California sun. There was a bit of a cool breeze, so we never had the desire to take a dip. I know I’m getting old, as every noise seems to disturb me. The pool gates kept banging shut, a hot-rod car was revving its engine nearby, lounge chairs scraped against the surrounding concrete deck, and conversations were just too clear. I thought that losing your hearing, as my wife frequently complains, could be a blessing in later life, but instead background noises seem to be magnified. She should be aware that I also had “father’s ear” when my son was born 44 years ago, so the innate ability to tune-out has always been a strength of mine. I was not able to ignore the child’s scream this morning, the loud restaurant chatter, or the poolside disruptions, so maybe I am now just simply old and cranky!

Our complaints this morning were just rewarded by Marriott management, There was just a knock on the door, so my immediate tendency was to think about another annoying disruption from housekeeping. Instead, a tray of chocolate covered strawberries were delivered as an apology, something that I paid $40 for yesterday as a surprise for my wife. We were both surprised this time with a gift that couldn’t have been more appropriate on our anniversary weekend. (See Post #502). Here we are in our “third room” eating chocolate covered strawberries and awaiting a great dinner. Life is good!