May I interest you in any warm cookies?
Greetings from East Brunswick, NJ! Hopefully that location tells you how exciting my destination is. New Jersey sucks. Northern New Jersey, that is. Southern New Jersey, around PA, is actually quiet nice and is the part that earned the state the nickname “Garden State”. From what I can tell, there isn’t a garden within 10 f***ing miles of where I am sitting.
I am here to bring you the “Top Five Travel Hints” for this week but I will make local suggestions throughout these articles. I am also developing quite the list on UrbanSpoon (a website and favorite iPhone application) where I write reviews from various eateries.
Local suggestion: The Frog and Peach.
Located right in the heart of Downtown New Brunswick, this place is a pretty good spot. I could especially see this being a date spot…too bad I couldn’t convince a girl to come to New Brunswick with me during the work week. Pretty expensive but they do have a “Frugal Farmer” section where you get a 3 course meal for around $30. The chicken meatballs were all sorts of tits. They also had a featured item – “Macaroni and Cheese with Aged Gouda”. This wasn’t mom’s Kraft mac and cheese with hotdogs…but it’ll do.
Here are your TOP FIVE TRAVEL HINTS for this week:
1.) Ask for an upgrade – More than likely it will be “unavailable”. However, I have found that rarely you actually find someone who doesn’t hate their life and they will give you the hook up. The important thing here is; If you don’t ask, you will not receive. Last week, I asked and they hooked me up with a handicapped room with a super-badass bathroom and a shower so big I could have fit a lazy-boy in there. A big bathroom is always a party plus.
2.) Arrive to your lodging between 4:30-6ish – During this time the majority of hotels offer complimentary warm cookies. Enough said.
3.) Ask your selected hotel if they have a “manager’s reception/happy hour” – Many hotels do not advertise this feature but you can find out with a quick phone call. This is a period of time between 5-7pm where the hotel offers free beer/wine/appetizers for guests of the hotel. Even if your not a guest, I would suggest going if you’re dressed business casual or more. Quick hint for Nashvillians: The Embassy Suites near Opry Mills has an exceptional ‘manager’s reception’ that includes liquor.
4.) Ask the receptionist if the hotel partners with a local gym – This is easy enough. Most of the time hotels will have sub-par workout facilities and will partner with LA Fitness for free sessions if staying at the hotel. Great way to get out.
5.) Always check your AC unit AS SOON AS you enter your hotel room – If for some reason the AC in your room is f***ed up, you will suffer greatly. Get that sort of issue resolved quickly.
~Any suggestions or travel hints of your own? Please post!~
Tennessee Before Daylight 
