Is the Hall My Room?

After a regular flight experience (30 minute delay because the pilot couldn't latch the pin that held his window closed, two groups of passengers fighting because they both wanted the plane at a gate before they found another plane, etc.), I realized - there is no good airline. That industry just has mediocre written all over it. I even left my bad luck travel shirt home. I got to Reno ok, but that's when the fun started.

The hotel that I'm staying at and where my conference is has a shuttle to and from the airport every 30 minutes. Let's just say that it's funny to see about 20 engineers jockeying for position to get one of the 25 seats. Come on - with all that math, can't they see that they are going to get on that shuttle?

The hotel is one of those 20 story casino hotels with a convention center, etc. I got assigned my room, pretty routine, and proceeded to take the elevator up to the 17th floor to find my room - 1735. The hotel is laid out like a cross with the elevators in the middle. I find a sign that says "1717-1735". Score. I'm walking down the hall ... 1730 ... 1731 ... 1732 ... Stairwell access ... Wall. Hmm. Ok, it's midnight Austin time, so maybe I missed something. Go back to the beginning. See sign, "1717-1735". Whew! got that right. 1730 ... 1731 ... 1732 ... Stairwell access ... wall. Ok, maybe my room is in another of the corridors. So I check the next numbered corrider. First room - 1736, next - 1737. What the? Am I really out of it that much? So I don't know what to do. I thought I learned to count as high as 1735, but I'm obviously being beaten by numbers, not a normal occurance.

I decide to take the elevator down and ask the desk, "What the?". I get in line (again) and go up to a lady that reminds me of a deflated asian hulk hogan (with the balding horseshoe mullet). I walk up and say, "I need a room (pause) that (pause, realizing how absurd this is going to sound) exists?!" She gives me the funniest look - so I try to give my funniest look back at her. She looks at the number - 1735, and looks at a map. Now, all the rooms on each floor are numbered the same (17th floor, room 35, etc.) and she looks at the end of the hall where it should be and she says, "it should be right in this area" as she circles it with her pen. She looks up with a smile and a look like, "there you go - your bad, problem solved!" Well, I see on the map that it goes 31, 32 (remember, no floor levels are marked because every floor is the same), and then nothing. So I guess my room is in the area of the wall. Yes! I'm staying in the hall.

Needless to say, they gave me a new room - 2002. So I walk up and see 2000-2016. 2000 ... 2001 ... 2003. Just kidding, it's across the hall from 2003. Room's great.