I got pretty excited when told we'd be at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport over the weekend.
Not just because I like hanging out at the airport, but also because it had been some time since I'd gone to that side of town for a weekend breather.
Like all journeys are, the trip didn't begin at the lobby waiting to check in.
It began earlier- on the bus that trundled down the scenic East Coast Parkway towards PTB T3.
Shall I say that the route felt a little more contemplative this time?
After all it isn't every day that my eyes see beyond what is, really, just a line of very tall palm trees.
Over at Crowne, I was glad to see that, Covid or not Covid, the hotel still looked the same.
By that I mean that the ballrooms were still there, the lifts were all operational and the pool, with her towering palm trees, comfortable deck chairs and lounge seats, still looked the same as I last remembered it, except that they didn't have the small cup of Haagen Dazc ice cream on sale for $5 this time.
The room, too, hadn't changed.
At least I presume it hadn't, because I don't think I've ever stayed in Crowne's new wing before.
It's not all that different, I would say.
There's the work desk to your right as soon as you enter the room.
In front of the work desk, complete with desk lamp, landline phone and everything, is the bed, and behind the desk chair you'll see the two-door wardrobe, housing slippers, bathrobe and other paraphernalia inside.
Next to the bed is the bedside table, then a sofa, and a rather large coffee table.
I don't really know what this size of a coffee table is meant for, but it's large enough to hold a big pizza box, some bottles of beer, a birthday cake, and a box of fried chicken even.
Not just that, it's possible to have a box of fried noodles, a box of cai fan rice, and maybe even a paper packet of chye tow kuay bought from the food court or from the (not so secret) staff canteens in the airport terminals below.
Further on, next to the sofa, is the bathroom, which, if I guess correctly, can be said to be one of the larger ones within this hotel category.
There's the bidet, the shower stall, the sinks, and best of all, the tub, which view- for this room- grants you the panoramic sight of Changi Airport's Terminal 4, and Crowne's first wing.
Admittedly I was at first a little flustered by the view, or what I thought was a lack thereof, but then night fell, and I changed my mind.
Because shining continuously through the wide glass window were the headlights of cars coming into Changi Airport Terminal 3, and the faint traffic sounds made me think of the time I stayed in Emeryville's ESA.
Is it any wonder that even in the deep of the night I had the spirit to think of Los Angeles, San Francisco and ESA?
After all by that time I was already showered.
And I'd already had a delicious meal of ramen, donburi, beef and salmon carpaccio, finishing it off with a dessert of mini cream puffs bought from JEWEL's DDD.
It didn't matter whether or not I slept sufficient.
Next morning's breakfast buffet for good motivation to wake up and smell the coffee.
There was a lot to be had in terms of Continental, Asian and American, but strategic eating on my part meant that instead of toast, I had two little apple pastries (because they were warm and I felt them fun)
I didn't forgo my omelet of cheese, onion and tomato though.
Nor the slices of smoked salmon (which my eagle-eyed friend managed to find) and niblets of corn .
I can't quite recall how we spent the rest of the day though.
Maybe I headed into town to run a (rather unexpected) errand.
Maybe I went to T1, T2 and T3 to look at the Flight Information Board and put into faith the destinations I wanted to go.
But dinner this second night included a huge bowl of warm, comforting soup, smooth silky wanton dumplings inside, a plate of spicy mala chicken, and a basketful of xiao long bao which I could actually have had portions of two.
I'm going to want to go back to Crowne Plaza again.
There're places in JEWEL that I want to go.
There're places in T3 and 2 that I want to see.
But this time I hope I won't have to rush out ridiculous errands, I hope I won't have to break through my morning meal, and I hope I won't have to dedicate an entire hour during prime time to do a task that stresses me out and keeps me hoppity for hours afterward.