Brookwood Inn, Rochester New York - Gloves Off Review

Ok, I'll spare you the rant over why I was all the way up in Rochester or how it turned out, and try and give a fair review of this establishment. Its right off the tollway on the right, so its almost impossible to miss it. My first impression of the Brookwood Inn was a moderated level of luxury. The lobby is nice with flat screen TVs playing news or sports or whatever the desk staff decide on and comfortable furniture. There is a small computer/printer set up on a balcony overlooking the lobby with okay computer access, and the hotel also offers free Wifi (more on that later). There is a small resaurant/steakhouse/breakfast buffet just off the lobby. I didn't end up dining there for a number of reasons, other than to enjoy the complimentary breakfast buffet (lots of baked goods,good coffee and a waffle iron was enough to keep me happy. If your standards are higher, then keep em to yourselves).

The rooms are well maintained and about a half (maybe three-quarter) step up from your average economy fare. Note: I did not stay in one of the exclusive theme rooms they have at the front of the hall, so don't even ask. They looked very nice when housekeeping had them open to clean, but beyond that I got nothing for ya. 

The Good Stuff: Probably one of the best complimentary breakfast deals I have seen at a hotel. The room I slept in was clean and well maintained. The bathroom is pretty straight forward (no frills, but not the end of the world) and the shower is roomy. All the staff I encountered where perfectly polite and helpful (something less and less common these days) which always motivates me to see the brighter side (although silver lining is sometimes a better description) of a hotel. There is a small pool and hot tub on the premises, and noth are not too shabby. I have to applaud them for their fitness center, as it probably has better equipment than many peoples local YMCA or 24 hour gym (albeit few machines, but what did you expect).

The not so good stuff: Aside from one thing (which I will address in a moment), I really didn't have anything bad to say about the Brookwood Inn. I have lots of little critiques. The Wifi is slow and would boot me about every 45 minutes. The hotel information book I found in the room is pretty sparse on the information and not too helpful with some of the details. The rooms are oddly numbered (the higher number rooms are actually on the lower levels, so pay attention to directions from the person at the desk). Vending machines are arranged kinda comically (soda machines are on the bottom floor? seriously?) but the proximity to a number of gas stations weighs that out to a certain extent. 

Now for the bad news: The price. A basic guest room is going to run you somewhere in the range of $120-$150 per night. This is before you tack on meals or any other kind of extra service. I can only imagine what the luxury rooms cost (Strike that. I don't want to know). I get that its a nice hotel, but that's still an insane price. Just my $.02.

Overall, the Brookwood Inn is a great little place. I enjoyed my stay (the hit to the pocket book, not so much) and (if you decide to stop in) hope you do as well.

Hoppes Elite Bore Gel and Gun Cleaner - A Double Fisted Hands on Review

Yes, I have finally entered the modern age of gun cleaning products, forsaking my tried and true hoppes #9 solvent. It seems to have turned out ok.

 

 I'll review in the order of use. I had just finished testing a batch of new .308 loads, and set about the odious chore of cleaning my rifle. Normally, it would have involved a fistful of patches and a good deal of #9 solvent, not to mention 20 or 30 minutes of elbow grease. This time around, I ran a wet patch through the bore and let it sit for 4 or 5 minutes. Next, I soaked a nylon brush in the cleaner and scrubbed the barrel 20 times and ran another wet patch through to clean out the mess, followed by a dry patch to see how much of a dent I had made. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bore was almost completely clean! The only traces of fouling, was a bit of copper fowling, which I set out to remove with a few drops from my brand new bottle of bore gel.

Following the instructions on the bottle, I ran a wet patch through the bore and let it sit. After an appropriateamount of time, I ran another wet patch, scrubbed the bore with a nylon brush, and ran a patch soaked in gun cleaner through the bore to clean it out. The next dry patch came out clean.

Good things: Both items clean efficiently and quickly with a minimum of time and effort expended. I like.

Bad things: a bit more expensive than I would prefer, but sometimes quality requires cash. I can live with it.

Over all: Buy this. You will like it.

Louisiana Residents

Is it really all that difficult to be on time? Or be prepared? Apparently it is for people in Louisiana. Today, I will be spotlighting one such incident on 'Fuck You Louisiana!'

If someone responds to your ad on craigslist or wherever, and you set up a time and place to meet, it is generally considered pretty simple to show up on time. Unless you live in Louisiana. In that case, you show up 20 minutes late. In addition, you also tell me that you didn't bring exact change because you where never intending on paying my asking price (notice how they think its an asking price; its not. It's the price, damn it!). This adds another 20 fucking minutes to what should have only taken 5 at the most. So in summary...

Fuck You Louisiana!
Sincerely, me