W

The law firm I'm working at this summer had a "pre-summer retreat" this weekend. All of the law students who will be working at the firm (including those who go to school and live in New York!) stayed at a hotel in midtown Manhattan for a few days. Here's the evidence that the hotel was too posh for me:

--When I opened the door to my room, I was greeted by trance-like music from the TV with kaleidoscopic images synced to the music. The title of the CD from which the music came? "The Warmth of Cool." Thanks, Derek Zoolander.

--When I got on the elevator, I was joined by a black woman and her teenage daughter. The woman blithely remarked that the hotel takes itself way too seriously. "The party never ends! It's 11am, and the hallways are still dark and the new-age music is still playing in the elevators. And there are no primary colors in my room!"

--The room featured a mirror above the bed and an available "Intimacy Kit."

--There was a button for "Whatever, Whenever" on the room phone's speed dial.

--It took me at least two minutes to figure out how to turn on the water for the bathroom sink.

--The bottle of spring water beside the bed: $8.