The old Capella Hotel in Georgetown recently became the Rosewood Hotel. I read that they had a roof top and it was open to all of the neighbors in Georgetown. This was good news – because some other rooftops in Georgetown are a bit exclusive and/or require bottle service. They also have a long list of “no athletic shoes, no hats, etc.” and I get that. They want people to be dressed nicely. But sometimes I worry that I am not dressed well enough.
The other night my friend was having a birthday celebration and they were at the Rosewood Hotel. I was originally wearing a dress but I ended up changing my mind before leaving for the party. I wore white jeans, a cute top and (eeeeeek!) Birkenstocks. I love cute shoes – don’t get me wrong. But when I am walking 6 blocks on uneven brick sidewalks, I want comfort! As I walked up to the door of the Rosewood I was super nervous about my shoes. I asked the doorman, “Can I go up to the roof dressed like this?” Well, he had the NICEST answer! He said, “Of course – you look cute!” I was so relieved and chuffed with that answer. And by the way – I highly recommend the rooftop at the Rosewood – it has wonderful views, drinks and snacks. I will have to tell our friends and family to check out the hotel when visiting Washington, DC, too.
So the reason why I was SO concerned about my outfit: About 10 years ago when we were living in Orlando, a new restaurant opened on Sand Lake Road. I think that area was just becoming “Restaurant Row” and everyone was talking about it. The one restaurant (let’s call it SH for Snobby Hostess haha) was the one everyone was talking about. Chris got home from work on weekday evening and I said, “Let’s go try out SH for dinner!” Chris was in a polo shirt, khaki pants and nice shoes. I was in black capri pants, a cute top and (here we go again) Birkenstocks. I walked up to the hostess right at 5:30pm as they opened their doors. I said we needed a table for two and I also said, “Am I dressed okay?” because I wasn’t sure what the dress code was. She looked me up and down (seriously!!!) and said “I would come back another time if I were you.” Wow. Well, I would rather be told that instead of feeling uncomfortable and underdressed in a fancy restaurant.
So the next week we got all dressed up (Chris even put on a sport coat – something he HATED to do when we lived in hot, hot Florida) and headed over to SH. We asked for a table and were seated right away. Then it happened. We looked around as everyone arrived. People were in cargo shorts, tee shirts, flip flops, hats, ripped jeans, everything. It was AWFUL. Immediately we were fuming. Why had snobby hostess looked me up and down and told me to come back??? Wow. You can guarantee we told this story to EVERYONE in Orlando – and said the name of the restaurant! I couldn’t imagine being so rude.