In praise of Olive Garden and Hampton Inn; praise YOUR lowbrow favorites!
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Anonymous
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As an antidote to DCUM derision, I am reflecting on my Thanksgiving trip to the Midwest with gratitude and awe.
My parents' house is beautiful, their neighbors are kind and generous, and my hometown is delightful. To get there, it's a 10-hour drive. We drove straight there on the way, but on the way home, we broke the trip up with an overnight stay at a Hampton Inn (with a pool!) and ate dinner at the Olive Garden. You know what? The Olive Garden treated us freaking RIGHT. Breadsticks and salad on point, and plentiful. All the entrees and kids meals were good. Glass of wine? Yes, please. It was pleasant and clean, the server was nice, the price was a downright bargain. Everyone had a good time. What a nice break after a long day of driving. Hampton Inn, similarly great. Clean and nice rooms, nice breakfast area with edible-but-hey-free food, pleasant staff. Here is your chance to say nice things about everything DCUM sneers at. Cracker Barrel, Embassy Suites, lazy rivers, buffets, Ann Taylor, Five Below, Aldi, Great Wolf Lodge, lay it on me. Tell me all about it. I want to hear all the NICE things you have to say about the not-finer things in life. |
Anonymous
| Very randomly stayed at a Hampton Inn in Agoura Hills once and loved it. It was super clean with a pool and buffet was good. Actually regretted not staying there more because we liked it better than our nicer hotel. |
Anonymous
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Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express are my hotels of choice. Rooms have been clean, front desk staff is nice, and breakfast is enough to get you out the door and on the way.
There's nothing fancy about these hotels but for a family they meet a need. I also like Hyatt Place with their casual bar. One of my kids favorite activities on road trips is ordering pizza to eat by the pool. Hotels with indoor pools are great. Pizza for dinner, soft drinks, and beer/wine for mom and dad. It just makes for a fun, easy night. |
Anonymous
| I like Aldi bc they have vegan cheez and it’s fun to look at the aisle with weekly changing clothes, housewares, etc |
Anonymous
| We used to stay at the Quality Suites near my ILs home every Thanksgiving plus a 2nd trip in the summer. There was a lady who worked the breakfast room all that time. She remembered us every visit and loved to see the kids (we started going when DC1 was a toddler). It was like visiting another aunt. ILs moved so we don't go there anymore and I felt bad that we didn't say goodbye to our Quality Suites auntie. |
Anonymous
| Last week I had a Wendy’s chocolate shake and fries. They were divine. |
Anonymous
I like the breadsticks, soups and salads there. The entrees are ok but not actively good. The one we go to near my in-laws will let us order the breadsticks, soup, and salad thing at dinner (it is supposed to be only a lunch thing), so I like going there. |
Anonymous
| During our holiday travels, we stay at a Residence Inn and eat at the same Outback in Ohio. It's all kind of amazing. The Outback is at least 50% better than the one local to us in VA, and feels like the center of the universe. Bustling, excellent service, and better food. The hotel remembers my kids from their many trips to the little front desk store and leaves bags of Skittles for them on their pillows. |
Anonymous
| DCUM is my lowbrow favorite. |
Anonymous
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We stopped at Buc-ee's in both directions. Awesome bathrooms and snacks and great for walking the dog.
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Anonymous
| OP, I just want to say thanks for this thread. I hate snobbery.... |
Anonymous
| Chik-fil-a is a family fave. I really like their Market Salad and my kids could live on their nuggets. |
Anonymous
| McDonalds breakfast! |
Anonymous
I treat myself to CFA breakfast once a month. Chicken biscuit and a vanilla iced coffee. YUM. |
Anonymous
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I like a lot of lowbrow things as well as highbrow. I don't really think about bragging about either.
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