Now in Miami, where instead of being (crisp and cool / amazingly nice for NYC in January) it's warm and humid. Still quite pleasant, though, and if you want cool and crisp just step inside any building, they air-condition even in January. Even coming in late at night I can see what Suresh says about the lack of restaurants or anything else interesting near the hotel. While I'm kvetching, the hotel gave me a smoking room by default, which I had to get changed, the front desk doesn't pick up the phone, the new room is very spacious but has only double beds instead of a king (they told me it would be a queen but it's not), the TV doesn't work (I don't really care, but one of the other people I came in with did and was told he couldn't get a room with a working TV until tomorrow — I only discovered the problem with mine after hearing of his experience), and the pricy internet service is only hardwired (maybe I should have brought one of my airport bases after all — and why is it only the cheaper family hotels that include internet as part of the base room rate?). Nothing really horrible but for $125 one expects much better, especially when we're only here in this city under duress after voting for a much more interesting location (San Juan). Let's hope the quality of the SODA talks and discussions with other participants outweigh these minor negatives.

ETA: On the plus side, or at least mildly amusing: Jeff E. is apparently sharing his music with the whole hotel. A lot of mashups and "weird shit" compared to the indiefolkrock I more usually listen to. I need sleep, maybe will check out in more detail later. Spent some time on the plane exchanging musical tastes with Ravi — of what I listened to, I especially liked Gustavo Santaolalla, Hougaku New Wave, and something else that I'll have to check back on him for (Oulou ??) while he seemed most favorably impressed with Waits' Mule Variations (or at least Chocolate Jesus off that album).

ETA2: Loud airplane noises at 1AM do not further endear this hotel to me.