aloft a-go-go - captain's blog

Captains Blog- Jeep an uh oh

So I finished the Charleston groundbreaking and was ready to hit the road and head back to NYC to Aloft headquarters. Unfortunately I am having trouble with my Jeep Commander. I do put a lot of miles on this car quickly so I suppose these things happen. I spent all of Memorial Day at the Jeep dealership as they attempted to find out what was wrong. Everyone in here with me today knows the names of every worker. I thought at first it was weird that these people were waiting practically no time at all to have their repairs done. I think now I have figured out what is going on.
It turns out I have a problem with my power steering pump. They are going to replace it now so I can get on the road tonight. So here's where I spent Monday and this afternoon:

Shockingly (not really) the locals all volunteered to move out of the picture and none of them wanted to be in it. They really think I am some kind of freak.

Did I mention the car is packed and I am ready to go?

This is my "Are you kidding me face."

So I told them to just go ahead and patch the tire which has a nail in it and also to change the oil. With all the miles I put on this car this has become a monthly ritual. Thank goodness for the kind people at Jeep who are considering a type of partnership which will help me out as I take their product around the country to all these large events.

Captains Blog- Charleston, Broken Ground

We had the groundbreaking for the North Charleston Aloft. The groundbreaking went flawlessly. It is going to be in a great location. True to Charleston, there was great food served. We had pulled pork and all the fixings. The ceremony was short and sweet and the weather was HOT. I changed shirts three times from setup to take down. I had to convince myself it was ok to eat BBQ when it felt like 110 degrees and a bit humid. I got over it.

Paul (SVP, Select services hotel div.) and Tracy (Dir. of Marketing, Aloft) grabbed some of that great Southern food. Their plates together still didn't compare to mine.

There was a great turnout for the event. I think everyone was excited to get out of the office after coming back from the long weekend. Here's a picture of the ceremonial groundbreaking. Notice the gigantic truck in the back- truly Southern form.

That's the Mayor in the middle.

Here's a few more pictures from the Charleston North Aloft groundbreaking.

Captains Blog- Memorial Day Weekend

Other cities beware, Charleston is quickly moving to the top of my favorite stops list. This place is truly spectacular. I am so pleasantly surprised by the beauty, grace, friendliness, and fun of this city.

Downtown Charleston is basically a peninsula with the great beaches at both ends. The city feels a lot like New Orleans. If you've ever been lucky to take a stroll through the residential part of the french quarter, New Orleans than you have an idea of what Charleston is like. When walking downtown, one can take any random street and find the most amazing homes. The Historic Society of Charleston really has a grip on downtown.

One of my favorite things about Charleston is its connectedness to the sea. Along the water downtown there is a great boardwalk and park. The park has a large fountain which draws the people in on a hot day. This is just one of many great fountains in Charleston. Any town with water taxi's, horse drawn carriages, English taxi cabs, and pedicab's must have something going on. The don't have just one or two carriages here like some cities. They are everywhere. There is a street downtown where they all line up. Here's a shot of them.

These carriages add a really relaxed feeling to Charleston. They somehow don't mess up traffic too badly either.

Charleston also has some great food options. The cuisine is more English than Cajun. They have some really nice restaurants and also some dives, both offer good food. For a nice dinner with great atmosphere checkout  Muse (82 Society St). It is a traditional Charleston home which has been converted. There is also a private balcony for two available for the taking. For a great spot to soak up some sun and enjoy views of Charleston go to the rooftop bar and restaurant at the Library ( 23 Vendue Range). The food is light but the scenery is great.

Charleston has been a great city to spend a few days. Here is a slide show of some of the sights and great people I've met: