Cambridge (MA, not UK): Cold, damp, slushy. Last night I left Philadelphia in the middle of an ice storm. The plane waited in line to be de-iced and then waited in line again to take-off. I kept looking at my watch and wondering how long the de-icing would last, as icy build-up continued to pile onto the wings, like old-fashioned furniture wax on a prized family heirloom dining room table in those 1960s Pledge commercials. Uneventful flight once we struggled into the air.

One of my resolutions for this year was to keep a log of every hotel I stayed in during the year. This stay it's the Kendall Hotel in Cambridge, in what used to be the Engine 7 Firehouse. The original firehouse floor is in place in the lobby, though, sadly, there is no brass pole (potential liability issues, I'm sure, from all those Darwin Award-wannabes who would try to slide down it one-handed after having enjoyed copious libations at the hotel's Black Sheep restaurant). The hotel is filled with antiques and Americana, including a clock in the lobby that defies description. Lots of firehouse-related memoribilia, including engravings of Dalmations on my bathroom walls.

Each room is unique, with slightly different furnishings and quilts. I've been staying here for the past 18 months whenver I come to Cambridge and have not been in two rooms that are the same. Great location (near Kendall Square, the T runs next to the hotel - and you can feel the building shake on occasion - a short cab ride to Harvard, and right in the midst of the MIT campus (when I stay in a room on the back wall of the hotel I can pick up a wireless signal from MIT, but since the hotel provides free high-speed Internet access there's no need to freeload on MIT's nickel. Most of the time.).

There are good restaurants within walking distance (since I refuse to "drive" in the craziness that is Boston) - The Blue Room (amazing wine list, wonderful culinary creations), Legal Seafood (hit or miss, but always has a big line in the summer), Amelia's (lunchtime pasta and panini), Sydney's at the Hotel at MIT (not walking distance for me, but for some hardy souls it it).

The first few months I was traveling here I stayed at the big box Marriott across the street - much more expensive, standard-issue bland Marriott rooms, arrogant staff, lousy restaurant. The one saving grace was a Starbucks in the lobby, but I'm trying to stay away from the lure of their chocolate cake and caramel macchiotos. The Kendall is one of my top two favorite hotels that I've run across in the past two years of traveling, the other being the Willows Lodge in Woodinville, WA. Unfortunately, my trip to Washington scheduled for next month has been cancelled and I will not get to indulge in the Willows decadent feather beds, fireplace, large soaking tub, shower with temperature control, and bassett hound in the lobby.