Steve Steve has the Smarch of his Life -- Volume 1: Marriott Hotels Suck

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What a weekend! Professor Steve Steve and I returned from Philadelphia on Sunday after hanging out with the Drosophilists. Steve arrived in Philly on Thursday morning on a direct flight from Iowa City, but the staff at the Philadelphia Marriott couldn't understand his thick accent when he asked that they notify me of his arrival. The little guy wandered the lobby of the hotel until Saturday morning, when I found him nibbling on the flamboyant floral display. That wasn't the only thing the Marriott screwed up.

More stories and pictures can be found below the fold.

Why the Marriott sucks: aside from the fact that they can't handle the simple act of notifying a guest that a highly respected colleague has arrived in town, they also don't think that the exorbitant room rate should include internet access. They even have the audacity to advertise internet access for the "low rate" of $9.95 per day. I've reached the conclusion that the more a hotel charges for a room, the fewer services they offer. A cheap motel will give you free breakfast and great wireless access, but an expensive conference center will have an overpriced breakfast buffet and no internet connections.

Anyway, Steve Steve and I finally rendezvoused in the lobby on Saturday morning. We were both famished, so we headed over to Reading Terminal Market for some lunch.

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Steve Steve couldn't track down any Philly Bamboo Cheesesteak sandwiches, but he did come to the conclusion that he loves the Illadelph.

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After eating lunch, Steve Steve checked in at the registration desk and picked up his name tag.

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With all the paperwork in order, we headed to the poster session.

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More pictures soon of Steve meeting with vendors and hanging out with the evolutionary biologists.

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