Follow My Coffee: On To Bigger And Better Things

There is really not much more I enjoy than seeing my peers succeed. The day one of my closest friends told me he got accepted to UCLA, I toted around like a mom proud of her child’s first A. When a girlfriend of mine that I had trained at work was promoted to be my boss, I happily took her out to dinner to celebrate. When another girlfriend enrolled into college (she had to wait a year to be a state resident for cheaper tuition) after moving out of state, I immediately sent her some school supplies. I’m so proud of my friends when they take the steps to better themselves. Having two coworkers leave their current location to move forward in life at the same time was hard, as I had to say goodbye, but I was bursting with pride for them. The Little Boss and a girl that came to work at our hotel over the summer were both moving on. The girl, Little Boss, and I became fast friends in her short time with us. Her dad worked as the manager of the Sheraton Downtown Los Angeles so we decided to grab dinner there together one last time.

What a beautiful property. They were still in the middle of a renovation so there was only one elevator running the whole of 26 floors, plus the restaurant and bar below the main entrance. After dinner, we got a private guided tour of the property. The main entrance we entered after valeting the car was bright and upscale. Since our visit during the summer, the renovations were completed but at the time, the lobby had a large, welcoming chandler, a check in desk, a quiet sitting area, and a big wall at the top of some marble stairs that just stopped the room dead in its tracks. The guy showing us around told us how this was to lead to direct shopping and dining when everything was done. He took us to see the pool (not open at the time) and cabanas, and even on this cloudy, humid night, you could see this breathtaking space would come to be the hot spot for the rest of the season. Up at the very tip top of the hotel, the 360 view room had been split into 2 separate spaces. What was once a revolving restaurant was now a fitness center on one side and the Sheraton brand Club Lounge on the other side. (The Club Lounge is a fancy name for a room to get complimentary breakfast and snacks if you paid extra for your room or were a high end rewards member) The revolving parts were sold to the Westin Bonaventure not too far away which is a good thing. I can't imagine running on the treadmill while the room is spinning. Endless views of the city at night were like a postcard. (Wish you were there!)

As for dinner, the restaurant and bar offered no views but we saw the wall that would become all windows eventually with a view upward to the city street. I’d like to go back and see how that turned out. The restaurant and bar inside had already gone through the renovation and the restaurant was called The District. I’m not 100% sure they kept that name but the decor was subway station meets old Hollywood. Open pipes above us and a large cage holding the wines but heavy fabrics and exposed light bulbs leading to a private entertaining room and a wine tasting room. The food was good, our waitress was a doll, and when I ordered my coffee, I had to wait… because they brewed me a fresh pot. I loved the little metal milk tin the creamer came in. The coffee itself wasn’t amazing but Sheraton is partnered up with Starbucks so there’s a chance it was because of that. Not bad, but not an extraordinary brew. Oh, and the hotel picked up the tab on our meals. It helps to be related to the manager.

After a toast to a job in a new city and to the sophomore return to college, the three of us split dessert (it was our friends birthday, too) before taking our tour. It was a terrific evening celebrating and I’m so very proud of those ladies. I just wish they would send more postcards.