Note to self: in future, when planning to attend meetings in expensive city, try booking hotel room as soon as you decide to attend.

All the "special conference rate" rooms were sold out. I could have had a room in the same hotel at the standard rate - just under $1000 for three nights.

Can. Not. Do. That.

I could afford it - I have savings. But I don't want to. I don't want to spend my money on that.

(If I were paying that for a room, I'd expect every meal served as room service, and whatever I wanted. And I'd expect an on-call masseur. And I'd expect a fruit basket when I arrived in the room the first night. And even then, I'd probably still not pay it.)

So with some advice from my sister-in-law (they live near the city I'm going to - I could stay with them but I don't want to impose on them [they both work long hours and have to be out of the house early in the morning] and it would mean a loooong drive or train ride in each day), I found a room at an older, seemingly-nice hotel (my cousin's in-laws stayed there and they didn't complain about it) for about 1/3 of that cost.

But, blaaah. Who would have thought that more than 2 months before the meeting all the "special rate rooms" would have gone? (And I wonder - how "special" were these rates? Maybe I wound up getting the better deal anyhow.)