Archive for the ‘What’s Happening at the Inn’ Category

No-Doily vs. Pro-Doily: Guess Where We Stand?

May 22nd, 2012 by Shelley Goulding

Step aside Presidential politics. The Bed & Breakfast industry has a much more important campaign to wage. The Pro-Doily party is running against the No-Doily party to show that there’s a perfect B&B for everyone. Innkeepers and travelers alike are asked to cast their votes for the Pro-Doily or the No-Doily party.

The Pro-Doily party is setting the doily stimulus package at the forefront of their campaign, running on a platform of freedom to crochet for all. “A doily on every surface,” is the mantra of the Pro-Doily party, lobbying for tax-free status for doilies. The No-Doily party maintains that doily reform is long overdue. “Death to Doilies” is their cry – promising to support capital punishment for the lacy creations and vowing to put an end to doily excess.

9 Cranes Inn respects the right of other inns to beautify their bureaus in any way they see fit. This Seattle B&B, however, is a card-carrying member of the No-Doily party. “No Doilies Allowed” has been our motto since we opened, and we are so anti-doily that we bleed red (or white) wine and blueberry syrup onto any doily that dares cross our threshold.

Why do we hate those filigree fixtures? Because doilies represent old stereotypes about B&Bs. The new reality is that 95% of North American B&Bs offer free wi-fi and a complimentary breakfast that blows the frozen waffles at your typical hotel or motel away. 9 Cranes inn also boasts private bathrooms, free parking, complimentary snacks, flat-screen TVs, and always – honest, friendly, local service.

It’s time to cast your vote on the destiny of the doily. Pick your party and exercise your right to choose pro-doily or no-doily at www.betterwaytostay.com.

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Synchronicity – a silly little story of coincidence

April 7th, 2012 by Shelley Goulding

The Central PA posse at 9 Cranes Inn

The week was already a study in harmonic convergence. Oddly enough, my Seattle Bed & Breakfast was playing host only to guests from places I had lived in the past: central Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC area, to be specific. This phenomenon made for even livelier breakfast-table conversation than usual.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Today the doorbell rings as I’m flipping blueberry-oatmeal-cottage cheese pancakes for my houseful of mid-Atlantic visitors. Not expecting anyone and hoping not to burn breakfast, I hurry to the door, spatula in hand. Two ladies introduce themselves as friends of my sister (who also lives in PA) – they’re in town to judge a gymnastics meet. Surprised, I usher them in, offering coffee while saying, “let me rescue breakfast!”

Returning from the kitchen I find the new arrivals chatting happily with my B&B guests – turns out everyone in the room currently lives or once lived in central PA, which makes for a lot to talk about. Yeah, small world, blah, blah, blah. But get this: One of the judges mentions that she used to be a gym teacher. One of my guests has this “aha” moment and realizes that this woman is her long-lost gym teacher from middle school. They had to come all the way across the country to be reunited.

Barb the gym teacher and Lisa the student, reunited

Okay, that’s all I’ve got. Funny little story, though, no? I was about to make some clever reference to the album Synchronicity by the Police, but my husband says that would be dating myself. Oh well. Too late.

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Hitting the Homestretch on our Phinney Ridge Renovation

February 24th, 2012 by Shelley Goulding

Tile detail in Phinney Ridge tub/shower

 

You should feel sorry for my husband, silent partner in this Seattle B&B adventure. He works a “real” job (being an innkeeper is everyone’s fantasy, right?) full time during the week, so he dreads these words from me: “I’ve got a project for us this weekend.”

This time, though, I promise a really, really good project: Moving furniture into the brand new Phinney Ridge room in preparation for opening it to guests in the next few weeks! More immediately, our activity will liberate the black-and-white-and-a-little-red Fremont Room for guest use. It too had been out of commission while it got a new ensuite bathroom (not to mention serving as storage central during the renovation).

That’s right, you heard it here first. The carpenter, plumber, electrician, and painter have left the building. We’ll still have a few furniture delivery folks around today, but then, the house will belong to us….and our guests, of course.

Phinney Ridge bedroom looking toward sitting room

Through the pocket doors to sitting room

 

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Fourth and Final Room Update: Neither Rain nor Snow…..

January 31st, 2012 by Shelley Goulding

The Fremont room's new bathroom takes shape

Our fair city enjoys (!) a reputation for turning sissy when it snows. Rather than get defensive about snow in Seattle, we should embrace it…take time to slow down, avoid hills, and enjoy the crisp, cold quiet. At the risk of being accused of embracing a double standard, though, I’ll admit that I’m totally pleased that the carpenter on our B&B renovation isn’t a snow wimp.

During our recent week of – for us – prolonged exposure to the white stuff, Scott showed up every day, keeping the project on track (even with the changes I made along the way). To make matters even better, my contractor had rigged up a system to reduce wear and tear on the rest of the house by erecting scaffolding out back and removing a window through which all crew members and materials come and go.

Now, the black & white Fremont room has a hole punched in the wall, leading to its new en suite bathroom. (Also site of one change I made – the planned shower just didn’t look like you could turn around in it, so we enlarged it.) The new Phinney Ridge room’s walls are ready for priming and painting, and its good-sized bathroom affords enough wall space to hang towel bars everywhere.

True to our Seattle Bed and Breakfast’s personality, the Phinney Ridge room will look different from the other individually decorated guest rooms. It will be purple, gray, and silver. Guys – don’t worry, it’s a manly purple, not a girly purple. And I’m really excited about the double pocket doors that lead into a small sitting area, where a very comfortable fold-out twin bed will be available for a third guest or a second person not wanting to share the queen bed in the adjoining room.

I don’t want to jinx anything by predicting when the room will be ready, but what the heck? I’m thinking April is a safe bet. Now let’s hope that the (April Fools) joke’s not on me.

Scaffolding out back kept the B&B's "public" areas clean

Phinney Ridge bedroom looking toward sitting room

Looking back from sitting area to Phinney Ridge bedroom

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New Year, New Guest Room at a Seattle B&B

December 31st, 2011 by Shelley Goulding

Phillip is always ready to assist in any way he can.

This weekend we’re trying to psych ourselves into clearing out the future Phinney Ridge room – 9 Cranes Inn’s fourth and final guest room, renovation of which begins January 2. Before Scott the carpenter shows up bright and early Monday morning, Mike and I have to find a place for all of the stuff we happily stashed in what became the forgotten zone.

Anyone who’s seen this second-floor space knows that there’s a lot of potential in it. We plan to exploit that potential by creating a guest room for two or three people; it will have a queen-sized bed in one room, and a good quality twin pull-out bed in the adjoining sitting room (with privacy option of double pocket doors). Private bath, of course, plus all of the amenities featured in our other Seattle Bed & Breakfast guest rooms.

There’s enough square footage back there to steal some so the Fremont room next door can get its own en suite bathroom. No more traipsing across the hall for Fremont guests (don’t worry, though, we’ll keep the comfy robes in the room anyway). The old Fremont bath will become my much-dreamed-of powder room for visitors not staying in a guest room. Way better than sending them to the sometimes scary innkeepers’ quarters on the lower level.

So that’s the plan in a nutshell. Be warned that I’ll probably update you – not to mention whine about the process – as we go along. But first, tackling the cleanout so construction can begin. You could say that it will mark the end of our move-in…a mere two years after buying the house.

 

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9 Cranes Gets a New Site Design

March 9th, 2011 by Trina Packard

9 Cranes Inn New WebsiteWe are pleased to announce the launch of the 9 Cranes Inn website and blog. Designed and hosted by InsideOut Solutions, which is also our new Search Engine Marketing provider, we are sure that you will find the new website not only more attractive, but also more informative and easier to navigate. The blog will focus on news about our Inn located in Seattle, Washington.

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The Chocolate Gardener

March 1st, 2011 by Shelley Goulding

9 Cranes Inn Specials and PackagesSpring hasn’t really sprung yet in the Pacific Northwest, but we’re rushing the season at 9 Cranes Inn bed & breakfast. The star magnolia tree out front is just itching to bloom, combining with my recent visit at the annual NW Flower & Garden Show to inspire some garden planning. I’ve spent pretty much the whole of last year on internal renovations and getting ready to open; now it’s time to tackle the back yard.

First, a confession: I’ve never really been much of a gardener. When you live in Seattle, though, it’s tough to avoid doing something to your yard. For one thing, it’s what people talk about here – you know – if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Two, because stuff just grows and grows in Seattle, you can kind of fake a certain level of green-thumb competence. Three, B&B guests aren’t likely to be wowed by a room with a wasteland view. So, now I’m a gardener.

The backyard patch that I hope to turn into a secluded rest stop will one day soon, I hope, be shaded by the reportedly fast-growing fig tree I planted in the fall. It had better grow quickly as promised, for I’m eager to try out a couple of new recipes: goat cheese and fig crepes for breakfast; chocolate-covered figs as an afternoon snack.

Speaking of chocolate, my young chocolate garden is trying mightily to beat the freeze we’ve just had. Seeing as Seattle’s climate doesn’t support the growing of Theobroma cacao, I won’t be harvesting cocoa beans. Nevertheless, everything in the chocolate garden will have some connection – however remote – to chocolate. Consider it a nod to my hometown of Hershey, Pennsylvania.

A friend suggested continuing the theme with cocoa shells on the walking path. Sounded good at first, until I decided not to poison the Pampered Princes, Terrance and Phillip. Our two Shih Tzus are expected to live several more years, so perhaps we’ll seek a slightly less toxic ground cover.

In the meantime, since it’s still too cold to plant, I’ll stay inside and dig into my Spicy Chile chocolate bar from Theo Chocolate. The country’s first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory is only a mile due south of 9 Cranes Inn. It’s one of the first places I recommend visitors go for their own amusement as well as for tasty gifts to take back home. And if they need someone to show them exactly where it is…well, I can always replenish my chocolate stash. Did I mention that Theo has a tasting room?

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