Pillows and Mattress Sets Are at the Heart of What We Do

I know that some of you like to read my mail "over my shoulder" as it were, so here is something you might enjoy reading.  It is a recent email that I received and replied to, that you could find helpful.

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From:

"s, , , , ,

Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 8:35 PM

To: Juli Lederhaus

Subject:

I did enjoy my stay and have completed the survey. Can you tell me the brand name of the bed pillows and mattress? I slept really good and want to purchase these items.

Thanks

Susan C ... . . . . @optonlne.net

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Hi Ms. C:

Thank you so much. I am so happy to read that you enjoyed your stay so much, especially the bedding.

The beds are made right in Salem by the Gardner Mattress Company, www.gardnermattress.com

or call 978-744-1810. Be sure to tell them you want the same mattress as the Hawthorne Hotel.

The pillows are a brand that is only available to hotels and the like, and in quantities of 6 or 12 and so on. If you want to order some, I can assist you.

Kind regards,

Juli

Juli Lederhaus

General Manager

New Summer Menu in Nathaniel's

Grilled Asparagus Mimosa, chopped eggs, fried capers, lemon aioli, Eight-fifty

Seared Sea Scallops -- sweet pea purée, pea shoots, white balsamic drizzle, Ten

Mixed Greens Salad

dried cherries, candied walnuts, honey-fig Wensleydale cheese, citrus vinaigrette, Ten 

Roasted Beet Salad, baby greens, pistachio pesto, Great Hill bleu cheese, Ten

Grilled Swordfish, spring herb pistou, jasmine rice, balsamic-glazed beans and greens, 

Twenty-seven ~~ Demi-Portion Nineteen

Pan-Roasted Flounder -- Meyer lemon-butter sauce, new spring potatoes, 

sautéed snap peas and julienned carrots with mint, Twenty-six ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Surf and Turf -- grilled petite filet mignon with grilled shrimp skewer, wild spring ramp butter, 

garlic-mashed potatoes, steamed fresh asparagus, Twenty-eight

Complete Seasonal Dinner Menu for Nathaniel's

Appetizers, Soups and Salads
The Demi-Portions of our Entrees also make great Appetizers

Smoked Salmon
wasabi caviar, crème fraîche, arugula, crispy lavash bread, Nine-fifty

Grilled Asparagus Mimosa
chopped eggs, fried capers, lemon aioli, Eight-fifty

Seared Sea Scallops
sweet pea purée, pea shoots, white balsamic drizzle, Ten

Ragout of Spring Mushrooms
stewed leeks and garlic over grilled ciabatta bread, truffle oil, Parmesan cheese, Ten

Soup du Jour
an ever-changing creation, Seven

Caesar Salad
choice of Mediterranean white anchovies
or applewood-smoked bacon, Parmesan cheese and garlic croutons, Eight-fifty

Steve’s Seafood Chowder
of historic proportion, our well-loved version includes shrimp, scallops, haddock, clams and potatoes in a creamy New England-style soup, Seven-seventy-five

Mixed Greens Salad
dried cherries, candied walnuts, honey-fig Wensleydale cheese, citrus vinaigrette, Ten

Crispy Spring Salad
fennel, radishes, celery hearts, goat cheese and arugula tossed with olive oil and lemon, Ten

Roasted Beet Salad
baby greens, pistachio pesto, Great Hill bleu cheese, Ten

Entrees

Shrimp and Scallops Sophia
Our signature dish, named for Sophia Peabody Hawthorne
sautéed shrimp and seared scallops with sauce Béarnaise, grilled asparagus, steamed spinach and herbed risotto  -- Twenty-nine ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Surf and Turf
grilled petite filet mignon with grilled shrimp skewer, wild spring ramp butter,
garlic-mashed potatoes, steamed fresh asparagus, Twenty-eight

Pan-Roasted Flounder
Meyer lemon-butter sauce, new spring potatoes,
sautéed snap peas and julienned carrots with mint, Twenty-six ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Seared Salmon
sweet pea hummus, grilled fennel and snap peas, farro pilaf , Twenty-six ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Grilled Pork Tenderloin
New England Family Farms – natural pork tenderloin, rhubarb chutney,
new potatoes, roasted beets and wilted greens, Twenty-six ~~ Demi-Portion Eighteen

Grilled Swordfish
spring herb pistou, jasmine rice, balsamic-glazed beans and greens, Twenty-seven ~~ Demi-Portion Nineteen

Spring Lamb Chops
minted three-spring onion jus, quinoa pilaf and sautéed Swiss chard, Twenty-seven ~~ Demi-Portion Nineteen

Farro Pilaf-Stuffed Yellow Pepper
sweet pea hummus, roasted beets, steamed pea pods and Swiss chard, Twenty ~~ Demi-Portion Fifteen

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I hope to see you here, in Nathaniel's for our delicious summer season menu.  For reservations call 978-825-4311 or go here to reserve on-line:  OpenTable (to reserve your table in Nathaniel's on-line)

Juli

Another Interesting Blog

As I was walking to work this morning I snapped a couple of photos of one of my favorite subjects, the Ropes Mansion and Gardens.  While I was doing that a friend from my neighborhood walked by and we had a bit of a chat about why I was taking photos.  I explained about how we post photos of Salem and related areas for our guests to enjoy -- both here on our blog and on FaceBook and Twitter.

He asked me if I had seen a blog by Donna Seger called "The Streets of Salem"?  I had not, but looked it up as soon as I got to my computer.  Here is a quote from the header of her blog:

 Somewhat random but still timely posts about culture, history, and the material environment, from the perspectives of academia, Salem and beyond.

And here is a link to it:  "Streets of Salem" Blog

Here are a couple of the photos that I took this morning, and last week, at the Ropes Mansion.

I hope you enjoy seeing these photos, and learning more about Salem and the area.

Juli

Hawthorne Hotel's Flags of the Week ~~ June 17 through June 23, 2013

Monday June 17 Micronesia and Nebraska

Nebraska

Tuesday June 18 Monaco and Nevada

Wednesday June 19 Mongolia and New Hampshire

Thursday June 20 Montenegro and New Jersey

Friday June 21 Morocco and New Mexico

New Mexico

Saturday June 22 Mozambique and New York

Sunday June 23 Myanmar and North Carolina

FAQs about our Flag Program

Q.  Why do we have a "flag program" here at the Hawthorne Hotel?

A.  Our owner instituted this program as a way to encourage anyone who comes in contact with us here in Salem, or at our hotel, to think more globally, rather than parochially, about the world we live in.  He believes that the world would be better off if we all thought about the fact that there are other places, other cultures, to understand and appreciate.

Q.  How long has this program been in existence?

A.  While I do not have the exact date it was started, I know that it was fully operational when I arrived at the Hawthorne Hotel as General Manager in the Spring of 1999, so likely at least since 1998 and possibly longer.

Q.  Where are the flags flown?

A.  The country flag flies to the right of the front door as you face the hotel, and the state flag flies on the left.

Q.  How are the flags chosen?

A.  The Hawthorne Hotel owns all of the flags of the member nations of the United Nations, so we fly those flags for the "country" flag, in alphabetical order.  The hotel also owns all of the flags of the states and related protected entities of the United States, and those are also flown in alphabetical order.

Q.  Are there any exceptions to which flags are flown on a particular day?

A.  Yes, we take special requests from guests who will be staying in the hotel, having a function in the hotel, from our staff members, and even from people in the community.  If someone calls us with even a mildly compelling request, we generally honor that request, on a first-call basis.

Q.  What about "Old Glory" -- the flag of the United States of America?

A.  That flag is always flying on the roof of the Hawthorne Hotel.   One day a woman marched into my office and gave me a huge piece of her mind along the lines of how dare we fly the flag of XXX country instead of the flag of the USA.  She ranted on and on for a few minutes before I could interrupt her to tell her that the flag of the USA was the largest flag we own, and was clearly flying on the roof of the hotel.  She quickly mumbled "never mind" and walked out of my office as quickly as she had walked in.

Q.  Does the program ever create controversy over the flag(s) that are flying?

A.  We have had coincidences of flying flags in our normal alphabetical order, when a flag of a country with which the US had previously been at war, and was now in peace with, was flying on a particularly historic date.  For example, one year on December 7, we were flying the flag of Japan.  We got a few phone calls that day scolding us for our recognizing that country on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day.

Q.  What kinds of good things have happened that you can share?

A.  In addition to having our guests happily surprised and delighted because we have honored their special requests, we have also had some nice "happy coincidences" where we have inadvertently been flying the flag of a country when we have been visited by a particular group of people who are from that country, and they just happened by.  Many photographs have been taken in the front of the Hawthorne Hotel with a special flag.

Q.  If I want to request a particular flag or flags be flown, how do I go about making that request?

A.  Please call us at 978-825-4444 or 978-825-4322.  If you reach our voicemail, leave us a message with the details of your request and we will make every effort to honor your request.  Remember we can only fly the flags we have, which are all the flags of the member nations of the UN, and the flags related to the United States of America (states, territories, protectorates, etc.)

We hope to see you here!

Juli

Off-topic, My Top 11+ iPhone Apps for Grown-ups

If you have followed this blog for years, you will already know that I am an avid iPhone user, and that many of the photos that I feature in this blog are from my trustee iPhone.  I currently have an iPhone 4S and I really like it a lot.

Several times in the past few months I have found myself giving advice to other adults about "apps" that I suggest that they should use on their newly acquired iPhones.  I thought it would be handy to write out a list and post it here, in case you too might want to know what I have advised others as handy apps for grown-ups to use.  So here it is:

1.  Flashlight.  There are many of these available, most are free, and they are so helpful when you need to find something in a dark place.

2.  CardStar.  This keeps all your little frequent buyer/flyer and loyalty key fobs or cards all organized and available electronically.  Even keeps your AAA card and your library card.  Talk about easing your load and simplifying your life!  This is a free app as well.

3.  GeniusScan.  Turns your phone into a scanner.  Take a photo using GeniusScan and it is transformed into a .pdf or .jpg file.  Again a free app and so handy.  If someone asks you to send them a scan of a document by email, this is the app for you.

4.  I Am Choking.  This is a real app.  It is also free.  Keep it on your home screen.  If you are choking and have your phone handy (I always have mine) this can do the talking for you, and actually will show, by pictures, anyone nearby how to do the Heimlich maneuver.  Who knows when it might save your life?

5.  WikiTap.  This is kind of a cross between a dicitonary, an encyclopedia, and a thesarus.  Very handy, and again, it is free.  This is especially handy if you want to know how to spell a lot of unusual words.

6.  Handy Level.  I love this one because I detest crooked things.  Free and handy, as the name implies.

7.  Waze.  This is a map/gps guidance system that is laced with some social media aspects, such as user reports of when there are breakdowns, accidents, new detours or road work, even when there are emergency vehicles that might be distractions to drivers.  The best part about it is that it will route you around bad traffic.  This has saved us tons of time when we are travelling.  Works best if you have someone with you.  Also a free app.

8.  Google Translate.  You never know when you might need this, and it works as well as about any of these kinds of things can work.  Many, many languages represented.

9. Night Camera.  If you want to take photos in low-light situations, this is very helpful.  Also has a built in self-timer so if you want to get in the photo, you can with this app.  Also a free app.

10.  Grocery IQ.  My husband and I love this one.  One of us will put something on this grocery list app, and it shows up on the other person's phont at the same time.  Conversely, if we are shopping at the same time, we can check things off the list and they will disappear from the other person's list.  WE can divide and conquer the grocery store in short order.  This is a great marriage-saver.  A one-person version is free, but the two-person version carries a small fee.  Well worth it.

11. Pandora.  I love Pandora.  This is an app that lets me make my own radio stations.  There is a basic (with advertising) version available for free, but I really appreciate the full version without ads -- for only $3.99 a month it is well worth it to me.

What is the + you might want to ask?  Well, this is not an "app" but an integral part of the iPhone.  It is the clock, and what I like so much about that is the feature in the "timer" section that lets you select "stop playing" instead of an alarm sound when the timer ends.  I set that function, play Pandora on a nice soft "station" when I go to bed at night, and the music I have chosen plays and then turns itself off at the appointed time.

I hope you enjoy this fully off-topic blog post today.

Juli