After our visit to the fancy schmancy mall at King of Prussia Steve and I drove to Philadelphia and our hotel. We would be staying one night at the Inn at Union League. Steve and C were going to the Sherlock Dinner and J and I would go to dinner at the hotel. As always there is lot of traffic in the Center Square area of Philadelphia. We managed to find the parking garage the hotel uses without any problems. The parking garage reminds me of the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I kept waiting for a hot sports car to go vrooming out of the garage on a joy ride somewhere.
We checked into our room and I noticed that it was quite small. It seemed we had a queen size bed. I forgot to ask at the front desk if we were assigned a King bed. I’m going to have to remember next time. A queen size bed is too small for Steve and myself. Not that we are 300 pounders by a long shot, it’s just that I like a lot of space around me when I sleep. Steve being 6 foot 3, and 230 pounds requires a lot of space. And I’m not sure the bed was really queen size.
The bathroom had a shower, but no tub. 
Toiletries were from a company I had never heard of. Points for the black face cloths. Makeup can really stain white face cloths.
Steve and I met J and C in the lobby of our hotel and we walked the guys to their Sherlock Meeting at The Raquet Club of Philadelphia. Just last fall The Sons of the Copper Beeches admitted women for the first time. J and I have elected to continue our tradition of walking the guys to their meeting and then having dinner together at the hotel. It’s not that we think that they might get lost (they might), it’s become a tradition to escort them there. It’s their job to make it back to the hotel. Which they do. But not before making a wrong turn.
Last time we were there I ordered a really delicious drink. They didn’t have it on the menu, but told me they could make it for me. First try was the new drink on the menu, which I didn’t care for, but the second time was the charm. It’s a good thing that I have 20,000 plus photos on my phone. I was quickly able to locate a picture of the drink I had gotten last year so they could make me what I wanted. This had muddled black berries and rye. It was delicious. Now J did not have a drink. She claimed that the martinis from the night before were so big and so strong she was still hung over from it. What a lightweight!
We started with an amuse bouche. This looks like a glop of salmon on a cracker. It went down pretty easy. 
Here was the bread basket. I tried every type. Both of us especially liked the cracker on the right. I think it is pretty easy to make. You take flour, butter and grated cheese, mix it all up and then drop spoonfuls on a baking sheet, spread them out thickly and cook. Of course I have never made them before, and the recipie just might be B.S. 
J had a salad for her starter. I had the soup. It was called Artichoke and roasted garlic. I do so love the presentation like this. You see the veggies all pretty with the little bits of pork. Then they pour on the liquid and you have you soup! Did you notice the little pearl onions? Well that’s what my myxoma was like, only bigger. The pathology report described it as a glistening white mass. Yummy! Not! 
J ordered the correct entree. She asked the waiter his favorite, he said “The Roasted Wild Alaskan Halibut”. I ordered the Poached Spanish Dover sole, pictured above. I don’t think it really was Dover Sole, as it looked a lot thinner in other restaurants where I have had Dover Sole. Next time I am just going to order what ever entree J has! Sorry, no picture of J’s dinner. I can’t always be paying attention.
For some stupid reason we didn’t order dessert. We must have been really full. I am really hungry, we don’t have any ice cream cones in the cabinet and I really want one now. If I would have had the dessert back then, I could be resavouring that sucker and be unhungry. What does that poster say? “Eat dessert first!”
We were seated right next to the window where they made the entrees. It was almost like sitting at a chef’s table. J and I discussed all and sundry. We were there for about three hours. Which is very unusual for Steve and myself, we seem to be in and out of a restaurant within an hour. But there was lots to discuss, lots to observe and the maitre’d hotel kept coming over to us regaling us with stories about the restaurants in the hotel.
Soon it was time for J and I to go to the library where we wait for C and Steve to come back from the meeting. On our way out of the restaurant I observed a woman in a low cut gown, with much cleavage spillage. Not quite poetry in motion, but enough to get my eyeballs in action.
C and Steve finally made it back and C brought out his own personal flask. Well actually someone had gotten him a tri flask for his birthday. It didn’t look like this, it was three vertical flasks in a leather case. 
So C had three different boozes to try. Now i say boozes, as I think some were scotch and some were bourbon. C had his nested silver cups also to use. No swilling out of the bottles for these high class gents in a high class hotel! At one point the bartender came over to ask if we needed anything. He spied the flask, and I got nervous. Would he kick us out of the hotel? Confiscate C’s birthday present?
None of the above. He noticed the tri flask and said he had never seen such a thing before. C told him what was in each one. I asked the bartender if he tried all of them. No, one he had not. So I suggested C pour our a taste, for the bartender to sample. The bartender didn’t even look around, down the hatch the booze went and all were happy. Shortly after we all headed to the elevators and were off to bed. In our case, our very small bed. In which the room was hot, and we didn’t sleep well at all!
Do you sleep well?
Do you belong to any clubs restricted to a single gender?
Do you belong to a sex club?
Do you eat dessert first?