Karmic Gratuity

We save $1.00 bills.  In fact, at any given moment, we probably have $30-$40 in one dollar bills in a little pouch that I have safely hidden.  This little pouch brings Dougie and I a lot of pleasure because this pouch portends an adventure in the future.  We faithfully place our one dollar bills in the pouch so that we can ensure a future excursion.

Why collect these bills? One of the reasons we collect the one dollar bills and place them in the pouch is because it reminds us that we am PLANNING our next trip.  We're not merely hoping that there will be a trip in the future - we are make sure that a trip will happen.  And to be honest, just knowing that we have a trip in our future means that we can do just about anything on a daily basis.  Traveling is THAT important to us.  (yes, the bag is Kate Spade - my husband gave me a “Mrs.” necklace for my birthday and it came in this bag.)

So exactly who are these dollar bills for?  Doug and I decided years ago that tipping was something that we could afford to do.  We can’t make million dollar donations or put someone’s child through college (although the work that we do with the Choir and Band Booster Scholarships has certainly helped make college more affordable for MANY music students .)  But, we can tip well when we travel.  

Housekeeping

I wonder about how many people consider tipping the housekeeper.  I’m not just talking about the housekeeper who brings an item to your room.  Or tipping the housekeeper because you are staying multiple nights.  Doug and I have made it a habit to tip every time we stay at a hotel even if it is only one night.  We tip anywhere from $3.00 to $5.00 per night.  You may ask why we tip?  Simply put, these people work hard and usually make minimum wage.  They are doing a service for us and we want to reward that service.  It is really that simple.  Again, I realize that I won’t be able to make their rent payment with my tip, but, when they see the money lying on the bed, they will know that someone truly appreciates the good work that they do.

Valet

I think it goes without saying that when the valet brings your car around, you give him or her a tip.  We just like to do it every single time they bring our car to us or they park the car.  When we are in Seattle, we use the valet a lot.  We are in and out of the parking garage many times.  So, those one dollar bills come in very handy.  

Bellman

Most of the time, we carry only 1 small suitcase per person, so we don’t need a bellman.  But, when Jasmine travels with us, she is much more high maintenance. She requires a baby bed (yes,that is really what I call her dog bed - she is my baby, after all.)  Jasmine has her own tub of supplies.  She needs her food, her babies, her tennis balls, her dinner bowl and water bowl, her harness, her leash, and her blankie.  Oh dear, you must be a little worried about how spoiled our daugher, I mean, our dog is.  Well, you might as well know that since the boys are grown and we have no children at home, ALL of my maternal instincts have gone into taking care of Miss Jasmine.  But, I digress.... With all that Jasmine needs to have with her for a lovely hotel stay, we need a bellman.  So, we tip that bellman when he/she brings our “luggage” to the room and when it is taken to the car after our trip.

Concierge

We don’t often utilize a concierge in Seattle.  But, when we visit a new city, the concierge is often one of our best friends.  Refer to our champagne experience at the Library Hotel in our last post.  We recently returned from a glorious trip to Washington D.C.  We stayed at the Sofitel Hotel.  If you are ever going to Washington D.C., this is a must stay for you.  http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-3293-sofitel-washington-dc-lafayette-square/index.shtml 

The Sofitel Hotel is merely a couple of blocks away from the White House and is on the same street as one of the bike share locations.  We will be writing about this amazing service in another blog.

The concierge at the Sofitel Hotel was outstanding.  He was personable, knowledgeable and able to get things done.  We were there during Restaurant week and we wanted to try out several of the Jose Andrés restaurants.  Germaine made this happen.  He took care of us from the beginning of our stay to the end of our stay.  We enjoyed his friendship and we benefitted from his vast knowledge. When he discovered that we have a son going to Yale and a son who is in the Peace Corps, he asked for parenting advice for his 5 year old daughter.  We enjoyed talking about education, parenting, and raising great children.   So, of course, we tipped him well.  We wrote a note and left a very nice tip in an envelope for him.  

Wait Staff

Tipping the wait staff is something most everyone does.  We like to tip well if we receive great service.  It’s usually 20% - sometimes more if the service is extraordinary.  But what constitutes great service?  My Dad used to say that his water glass needed to be filled at all times and the service needed to be quick.  But, we like it to be a little more in depth than that.  First of all, we want our wait staff to be pleasant and personable.  The wait staff is the liason between the chef and the customer.  This one person can make or break a dining experience.  There’s nothing worse than feeling like you are an imposition. 

The wait staff needs to know the menu.  At almost every new restaurant, we ask the waiter or waitress, “What is your favorite food here?”  We love to hear a delectable description of the food they enjoy most at their own restaurant.  We want to know how excited they are about the food that they serve.  We almost always choose their selection.

An excellent waiter or waitress will have no difficulty dealing with dietary concerns.   If we want something prepared without butter, the request should be welcomed and ensured that the food is delivered as requested.  The ideal waiter or waitress magically appears.  They are there when you need them and they aren’t there when you don’t.  It is intuitive.  It’s almost a supernatural power.   

Karma

Tipping is almost a way of building good karma.  What goes around comes around.  When we finish a concert with our high school music ensembles, we LOVE it when a parent writes an e-mail and says something positive about the concert. This is OUR tip!  We feel gratified when we find out that something our students performed or something we did touched someone else.  So, we know that leaving a tip can change a life.  We truly hope that comes back around to us.

The music pairing for today’s blog comes from Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle.  Those of you who really know us, know that this was Doug’s selection.  We are including the entire album, “One From The Heart.”  This comes from the Francis Ford Coppola film of the same name.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iXGt4syp8

Coming up next:  Selecting a Restaurant In A New City!