Every once in a while I like to just escape. I could easily escape to any town, such as Puyallup, and it would still be a vacation to me. Something about staying in a hotel and blindly exploring an area, it makes me so happy. One of my favorite cities is Portland. Brad Allen’s favorite city is Olympia, so that’s where I went.

Through texts he guided me to all the great places, on my own is where I found all the unforgettable ones.

There are three major hotels that would’ve suited my “downtown Olympia” fancy: The Governor is a tried and true tradition, always reliable. The Comfort Inn is just as convenient, if not nicer. Then there’s the Phoenix Inn. Through a little batting of the eyelashes and a slight grimace at the original price, they dropped my night’s stay to a very comparable amount. If you look online they do have the “Best Rate Guarantee,” but they dropped the price for me before I had to pull out those guns. The Governor and Comfort Inn both run for approximately $99 a night. Phoenix Inn started at $130 for the night, but quickly dropped me down to $109. It was worth every penny.

The Phoenix Inn is a new, all suites hotel. For $50 more a night you can get a hot tub in the middle of the room. The basic room is all I needed though. Large, roomy, separate couch area, huge wet bar, fridge, microwave, flat screen TV, view of the water, work desk area, and best part of all: The extremely cushy feather king bed. I was in heaven.

After checking in, I take a walk down the street to where all the action is. Trust me when I say it’s all right there at your doorstep. To the left is the Farmer’s Market, behind me multiple fine bars including The Mark and Dockside Bistro and Wine Bar. coffee shops with live entertainment, spicy boutiques, tattoo shops, vintage stores, bookstores and retro lounges fill the historic buildings that line Capitol Way.

Along the streets of State, Fourth, and Fifth, I find warm places such as the Bread Peddler, Last Word Books, Wind Up Here toy store, room 30, Jaime Lee & Company salon, and King Solomon’s Reef. I could go on and on, but I was getting hungry and ready for dinner. I text Brad Allen asking where to eat and he sends me to Sorrento’s. Thank you Brad, this was by far some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had.

A bottle of wine later I head back to the hotel, waking up this morning to find a full hot breakfast buffet, warm coffee, and snow outside on the sidewalk. The mini-me goes nuts, and we immediately take a walk. The My Little Ponies have a blast in the snow as well.

Speaking of My Little Ponies, KAke and I are taking the girls tonight to the World’s Biggest Tea Party at the Tacoma Dome, so I should begin to head out and get on my way back to T-Town. But not before checking out some more of the boutiques I missed out on yesterday.

Oh, Olympia, I love you. â€" Steph DeRosa