UA1968 SFO DEN 1847 2222 739 21AC

The flight was midboarding when we got there, and it was
close enough to full as made no difference, but we found
space for our stuff; others somewhat later had a hard time.
An inconsequential flight whose snack bag included those
Stellar pretzels, a stroopwafel, a disinfectant wipe, and
a half pint of water. We landed a hair before 10. Getting
out of there was a snap, and hoping for an early night, we 
called for a shuttle to the Doubletree Denver International;
I sort of regretted not having booked into the Westin next
to the terminal, as they said there wouldn't be one until
10:45. Turns out it actually came 15 earlier.

We got deposited in a wasteland, where prairie was all around 
with a dotting of low-midrange hotels, of which the Doubletree 
was perhaps the most reputable, er, prestigious.

Checkin was easy, and we got a nice suite up top with nobody
next to us. Very comfy furnishings, but on the whole the
lack of business was depressing. We tried to reserve a noon 
shuttle to the train station and were informed not impolitely 
that there weren't any between 11 and 4! as ridership was way 
down, so we picked 11, especially as they could guarantee only 
2 pm checkout.

There was no breakfast, so I rewarmed a couple of those famous
chocolate chip cookies and fixed Lilli a cup of coffee, and that
was enough.

The shuttle also picked up at the Holiday Inn, where a fair
number of refugees crowded on. 

Off on the light rail, which is a reasonable $5.25 for seniors
and takes a respectable 40 minutes, about the same time as a
taxi would.

It's 10 minutes down the 16th St. Mall shuttle to the Brown Palace,
pretty much the painted lady of the wild west, where they gave us a
reasonable sized room, quite plain, about half the size of what the 
Doubletree had given us. If I'd paid a normal hotel rate for it I'd 
have been perfectly contented with it, but here's the description: 
"Spacious and sophisticated, our Signature accommodations boast a 
king or two queen beds with plush bedding, a rich wood armoire and 
a walk-in closet under regal high ceilings. The room boasts an 
expansive bathroom featuring double marble sinks, a makeup mirror, 
and a deluxe corner glass shower with rain shower head. Other in-room 
comforts include a flat-screen HDTV, iPod docking station, and personal 
Keurig coffee maker." What was missing: the armoire, the walk-in closet, 
the double marble sinks, the iPod dock, the makeup mirror - most of
which I'd not have cared about, but. Oh, sophisticated was not exactly
apt, either; it might have wowed tired cowboys in the 19th century, as
it did the likes of Sun Yat-Sen, Isabel Springer, and the unsinkable
Molly Brown, but it was a distinct downgrade from the unfortunate
Doubletree. Plus no hot water, which the desk explained away by saying
it took a long time to get all the way to the 5th floor. I went down 
and raised a small polite stink; the excuse given by the staff was that
they didn't know which rooms had which amenities (the description seems
to assure that all of them have all of them); after a while the offer 
was made of an executive queen on the top floor or room 627, next to 
Molly Brown's, so we could have the reflected glory rub off on us, the 
agent admitting that anything available would actually be a downgrade;
so after a quick powwow Lilli and I decided just to abandon the premises 
and decamp to the Hilton half a mile off, where we got a bigger, better, 
less historic room for $150 less a night. Plus they upgraded us to a 
corner room, which was a fair amount bigger than the standard one, though 
it was laid out somewhat peculiarly. For example, the daybed and table 
were crammed up uselessly against the window, and there was extra room 
around the superking bed, and all they had to do was move the sleeping
bed over a foot, and the daybed would have become an useful amenity
rather than the jumble of surplus furniture that it was. The room was 
almost worth hanging out in - it was pleasantly appointed, everything 
worked, and there was plenty of hot water. We were happy to have
changed hotels.

Only problem - they're not offering breakfast; instead you go to the
Starbucks in the side lobby and get a medium drink (up to a pint) and
a breakfast sandwich (retail value up to $10). I have learned that I
don't like even Starbucks light roast (Dunkin' is better) but do like
the double-smoked bacon, which is floppy and undercooked.