I'm a cheater!

A big thanks goes out to all the great ideas for what to do on my fifteen-hour layover. The museums all sound like wonderful places to spend an afternoon...but still have the drawback of being both really far away and nowhere to store my luggage.

The luggage storing factor is really key for me, as I have both my huge purse/computer bag and a probably oversized but still fits in the overhead compartment carryon. With the enhanced security everywhere (and probably more so for Washington in the days leading up to the inauguration), finding somewhere to store one's belongings has become an impossible chore.

That's why I am a cheater. Because when faced with the prospect of either A) dragging sixty pounds of clothes, computer, chocolates and china onto public transportation and then into art exhibitions, or B) doing a shopping spree of the various overpriced stores found in the airport and trying to nap on the floors, I chose option C.

C is the spoiled woman's option.

I found a nearby hotel with a pool, fitness room, television, free wi-fi and plenty of hot water. I figure it is money well spent; I'd spend easily that much at the airport for those massages, wireless access and manicures. I can write, relax, go swimming or run a couple of miles, and be stress-free before my 9 hour flight back to Rio.

So, in a way, I'm choosing the spa Amy suggested...and also Grammy's, as I plan on using at least a few of those hours to write, unencumbered by status announcements.

But right now, I'm off to check the weight on my two really, really stuffed suitcases. They're zipping without too much force, but I think at least one of them might be tipping the scales at 71 pounds, which is one pound too many. So I'm off to finish my packing...but will be posting here in the next 24 hours or so, to let you know how things go...