Hilton Hotel, LAX, Los Angeles

Hilton Hotel, LAX, Los Angeles, CA

Entrance is up a hill from the street, but level access. Check in was fast and friendly. No options offered on room (in fact they said they had only one handicapped accessible room available. As it turned out it had direct access to the pool so I wasn't complaining!). All areas of the hotel are accessible. The bar is up 4 or 5 steps, and the wheelchair access is retrofitted. there is a very steep ramp (about 1:6) which I (foolishly) tried to wheel up. Almost impossible for a manual self-propelled chair. However, there is also a chair lift that the staff can operate if the ramp proves impossible. Once at the bar level, there are further ADA compliant ramps to the various levels of the bar. One very pleasant side effect of the split levels in the bar is that at one end, the bar is a comfortable height to sit at with a wheelchair. So it is one of the few bars I have ever been at where I could actually belly up to the bar and have a beer! The food is pretty good too. 

Room was extra large, King bed, plenty of room to wheel around it. Bed about 2" (5cm) above wheelchair cushion height and I found it tricky to transfer in on and off. Good size work desk, electric socket in the lamp and the desk within easy reach. WiFi Ethernet. The clothes closet was in an awkward to reach place, and the clothes hangers were too high and out of reach. 

Accessible tub, wall mounted shower hose. Plenty of grab rails in the right places, but the inner wall of the tub was almost flush with the bathroom wall making it difficult to use the tub itself as a leaning place. Wall mounted sink with legroom underneath. 

TV controls left by the bed within easy reach. 

John Jay best Western - Palmdale, CA

John Jay Best Western - Palmdale, CA

An overnight visit. Level access into the lobby. I was given a handicapped room - no options with respect to shower, bath etc. The room was reasonably sized, enough space to wheel around. The King Size bed was way too high - about 4" (10cm) above wheelchair cushion height. I was able to transfer in and out but it was not easy and would be troublesome for many.
The work desk was large, but electric sockets were underneath the desk, on the wall, and well-nigh impossible to reach. The wired Ethernet was easy to reach. TV controls were left on top of the TV, I was able to find them by scrabbling about blindly. 

Bath was an accessible tub, and they could have done with an extra grabrail at the end of the path. The shower rose is fixed to the wall and out of reach. It was angled in such a way that it was impossible to get water to hit your body - it was aimed at the wall. Towels were on mid-height shelf, not difficult to reach. Sink unit is separate from the bathroom and had plenty of leg room underneath. 

This is an older, lower budget hotel. It could do with a makeover, but it is clean and the staff are friendly. Okay for a reasonably strong, independent wheelie, but could be problematic for power chair users or quads.  

Hard Rock Hotel - Las Vegas

Hard Rock Hotel - Las Vegas

I was here for just a quick business meeting. Excellent hotel, off strip. There is level access from the taxi/drop-off doors. Valets took my baggage at the door and were very helpful. Check-in was fast and pleasant. They asked if I wanted roll-in shower or accessible tub. I took the tub as that is my preference, but was glad to note that they had the option. In the event, they gave me a roll-in shower but i did not bother to rectify the error.

The room was spacious and well fitted out. Water and a mini-bar was provided (watch the prices!!). The bed was about wheelchair cushion height. Large bathroom, with grab rails in all the right places. The roll-in shower was spacious, with a fold-up seat by the shower controls. Hand held or wall mounted shower rose - selectable by a wall mounted control.  Easy to operate and transfer to and from the seat. Bathroom sink had plenty of legroom underneath. 

The business area was well laid out, with electric plugs and wired Ethernet at table height. Controls for the large flat screen TV were left within easy reach for a wheelie. All in all no problems. 

Like all Vegas casino/hotels, the establishment is large, and wheeling across those deep pile carpets takes it out of you. But all areas seemed accessible. I had no opportunity to check access to the pool, but the spa is accessible and they have a handicapped accessible shower (with shower seat) in the changing area. I had to use the spa to get a massage for an extremely painful shoulder which is still in a bad way as I write this. The massage was great, but its effects, alas, were temporary. The only fault in the spa was the lack of a changing bench or somewhere a wheelie could lie to dress and undress. 

All in all, very impressive. Recommended.

(Note: The theme here, not surprisingly, is Rock. So public areas are noisy and energetic. If this is not your thing, then avoid! The rooms are quiet.)

Dulles Airport (IAD) - Washington DC

On the list of the many things I dislike, I keep a special spot for Dulles Airport (Washington D.C.) At least it gets on the list – there are a few airports that no sane wheelchair user should consider, even for transfers, and they don’t get on my list because they are below wasting the emotional energy on them. (For the record: JFK, New York; CDG, Paris; PHL, Philadelphia – until they sort out the baggage handling and stop losing wheelchairs) To be fair to Dulles (IAD on the airport code list) it makes an effort to be accessible. The problem is that it was designed in the 60s and they had no idea of how it would be used in the 21^stcentury. Principle problems are:

• No mass transit public transport access. So you have to take a taxi or your car (the buses are not accessible)

• If you can afford to leave your car in the Daily (as opposed to the Economy) parking lot you have a huge walk to the terminal

• Once you get to the terminal you have to wheel up a tremendously long slope. There is no elevator.

• The TSA (security) staff is by far the worst that I deal with on the many airports I travel through. Actually, that’s a little unfair. It’s a lottery. Some days they are pleasant, efficient, and effective. Other days it’s the complete opposite. No other airport that I know of has the same bi-polar personality.

• The stupid little “moving lounges” that you have to take to get to the gates.

Okay, ranting aside, and to be fair the airport is pretty accessible. There are accessible buses running from the car parks to the terminal. If you park in the handicapped spots in Daily Car park 1, you can take an elevator to an underground walkway to the terminal. It is, as noted earlier, a hefty walk but there are moving travelators to help you along. Access to the terminal is up a long slope. There are elevators to every floor, and all public toilets have accessible cubicles. The public restrooms in the ticketing/boarding concourse are small and difficult to find. Much better are the ones in the arrival hall located near each entrance. In addition, in the arrivals hall, there are "family restrooms" which are large and accessible. These are located between the entrance to the ladies and gents restrooms. The elevators are sometimes tucked away in odd places, but they are there. From the arrivals they are usually directly opposite the entrance as you wheel yourself up that long ramp. You have to negotiate around the escalators to the departures level to see them. The moving lounges are accessible, and each has two spots specifically dedicated for wheelchairs.

I’m in Dulles as I write this – having kissed goodbye to my beloved family earlier to day and left my wife at the mercy of our children for four whole days…

I will shortly board a United flight to Las Vegas. United, in general, has been pretty good for flying, with just the occasional mess. But nothing terrible (not like US Airways who forgot to load my wheelchair in PHL, or Sabena – now defunct – who crushed it in the baggage gate). We’ll see how things go…

The saving grace of Dulles? Vino Volo.

Southern Outer Banks, North Carolina

These notes aim to provide guidance for handicapped, disabled or wheelchair users who travel to the southern outer banks, North Carolina. These informal notes are from a trip I took there with my wife.

Outer Banks
The outer banks are a thin strip of islands off the East Coast of North Carolina (Note: it would be kind of difficult to have islands off the West coast - since there isn't a West Coast!). The northern end is fairly developed with hundreds of condos for rent and a few hotels and restaurants. The southern end is primarily a National Seashore Reserve and development and residency is restricted to a handful of villages.

We stayed at the southern tip in Ocracoke, then drove up the banks to Kill Devil Hills.

Getting There
You need to drive. The outer banks are joined to the mainland at the northern end by a causeway. Most of the islands are linked by bridges, the exception being Ocracoke Island on the southern end which is accessible only by ferry.

We took the ferry from Cedar Island, a two hour ride. Timetables and ferry information is available at www.ncferry.org. Tell the ferry staff that you use a wheelchair when you arrive, they will try to load you close to the door to the café area. You drive on-board. It is possible to stay in your vehicle, but the door to the café area is ramped and there is an accessible toilet on-board. There are vending machines, but apart from that facilities are pretty basic. The ferry deposits you in Ocracoke.

Coming from the north, you get a ferry from Hatteras. This is a short (30min) journey and you can stay in your vehicle.

Places to Stay and Eat
Ocracoke is a small community (pop. 750) with a lot of rental property available. Unfortunately, most of this is hopelessly inaccessible since the building technique here is to place all living area at least one floor above ground level (presumably because of flooding during storms).

The Ocracoke Harbor Inn (www.ocracokeharborinn.com ) has two accessible bedrooms. These are up a long ramp and have a very steep short ramp to get over the threshold (4” rise in 6”). The room is compact with a spacious bathroom. The breakfast room is beside the reception area across the road and is accessible via a steep ramp. My research turned up no other accessible accommodation in Ocracoke.

The Flying Melon in Ocracoke serves great food and is accessible, although the path leading to the restaurant is unpaved and very rough. They do not have accessible toilets.

Further north the only real option is one of the chain hotels. We stayed in a Comfort Inn in Kill Devil Hills and it was acceptable in terms of access.

Things to do
The National Seashore Park (www.nps.gov/caha) is the main attraction here. Miles of wonderful beach and plenty of opportunities for wildlife spotting. There are several access points to the beach via boardwalks, but the beach itself is not wheelable. A beach chair is available (www.nps.gov/caha/pphtml/accessibility.html for details).

The nature trail on island is not officially accessible but I gave it a shot anyway. I think that it is doable with assistance from a strong walkie. I was on my own (in a street chair ill-suited to off-road travels) and managed to cover over half of it. The early stages are boardwalk which makes traveling easy. After that, I went anti-clockwise around the trail loop for a period before a steep sandy hill defeated me. In the clockwise direction I got further, although areas of the trail were under an inch of water and the mud threatened to bog me down. The effort was worth it for the birds, frogs and snakes that I encountered, but mosquito spray is an absolute must!

Further north is Hatteras Lighthouse. For obvious reasons the look-out post at the top is not accessible! The information centre is.

Further north again, the wildlife trail is partly accessible. It is a loop. The southern end has been paved and provides superb views over the banks and a breathtaking array of birds. There are various viewing platforms and each one has a wheelchair accessible magnifying viewer (Good for kids also!). The information centre is accessible. The Northern end is paved for a shorter stretch and I did not explore it.

Savannah, Georgia

These notes aim to provide guidance for handicapped, disabled or wheelchair users who travel to Savannah, Georgia. These informal notes are from a trip I took there with my wife.

Savannah
Savannah is a beautiful and gentile town in Northern Georgia. Many of the original colonial homes still exist in the 2 mile square city center, giving Savannah the reputation for the most beautiful town center in the US.

We arrived by car – a short detour off I-95.

The pavements are old, many are cobbled, and there are trees and other barriers frequently blocking the way. Very few junctions have dished curbs. Wheeling around is a challenge and you have to keep a weather eye on the pavement to avoid being pitched out of your chair by an errant stone. Because many of the buildings are old, access is not guaranteed. You need to call ahead for most places to check.

A word of warning – the waterfront is down several very steep cobbled streets many with steps. If you want to get there, go to the Hyatt hotel and take the elevator down to the waterfront level. Any other route will put you in hospital.

The chamber of commerce run tourist office in Savannah seems to be dedicated to discouraging tourists rather than the opposite. Access is awkward – you need to enter from the car park and then take an open lift up a series of steps. Don’t bother though, because the staff know absolutely nothing about access in the city and care even less. We inquired about accessible tours and were told to call each operator to find out. Well, yes of course, we could do that but I thought the point of a tourist information centre was to provide a central source of information for tourists. However, the staff was disinterested and discourteous so we gave up.

Things to do
The town center is beautiful, and the best way to see it is be walking (wheeling). You can hire experienced guides to walk with you, but the weather was so hot when we were there that walking was not really a comfortable option.

Trolley Tours
There are a few different companies offering trolley tours. Our experience with these companies was less than ideal.

Old Savannah tours have no accessible trolleys. Forget it.

Grayline Tours claim to have one accessible trolley but, unfortunately, it was out of service for repair on the day we wanted to do the tour. I was somewhat suspicious - I wonder when it was last in service.

Old Town Trolley tours claim to have one accessible trolley, but amazingly it was also out of commission on the day we were there. Excuse me for my cynicism, but that two companies just happen to have their only accessible trolley out of action on the day we wanted it beggars belief.

Oglethorpe Tours (http://www.oglethorpetours.com) are the smallest and most recent company. They have very few trolleys, but one of these is accessible. Unfortunately, on the day we wanted to go (I’m not making this up) that trolley was rented by a private company for the full day. However, Adam (one of the owners) was extremely apologetic and did pull out all the stops and we got our tour at the end of the day when the trolley was returned. The tour was excellent and the company deserves to be successful for their efforts to make this customer happy. Ignore the others, go for the Oglethorpe Tour.

Boat Tours
A couple of companies offer boat trips on the Savannah river. The River Street Riverboat Co. boats (departures from River St. directly behind City Hall – (912) 232-6404) are accessible, although you will be quite restricted on where you can go on board. We took a standard one hour trip and it was a total waste of time and money. Unless you have a particular fascination for looking at modern working docks and ugly cranes give this tour a miss. Dinner time cruises are offered also, and this might be more worthwhile.

Places to Stay
The usual chain hotels are in Savannah, but they cluster near the I-95 and far from the interesting town center. The Hyatt and Marriott are near the waterfront and offer accessible rooms. However, the real heart of Savannah is the old town, and this is peppered with expensive but plush B&Bs. None are accessible by design (due to the age of the buildings) but some have just one step and may be manageable for some.

Joan’s On Jones
17 West Jone’s Street
Savannah
Georgia, 31401
Tel: (912) 234-3863
http://joansonjones.home.comcast.net/

This beautiful building has their “Jones Street suite” which is wheelchair accessible by accident rather than design, and the owners do not claim to be ADA compliant. Nevertheless, we found it perfectly usable and a comfortable and pleasant place to stay. If you want a feel for the old town Savannah you could not do better. It has it’s own separate entrance with a low (2”) threshold. The living room is spacious and leads through double doors into an equally spacious bedroom. The old fashioned four poster bed is very comfortable, but very high. The mattress is about four feet off the ground. I am a T4 paraplegic with good upper body strength but it still took all my ingenuity and strength to get myself into the bed unassisted. If the bed defeats you, there is a sofa bed in the living room that might work. From the living room there is a small kitchenette (1” step) with a fridge and microwave and so on. This leads to a generously proportioned bathroom with an inward opening 28” door. There is a bath with a fixed shower head. The toilet bowl is a little lower than even a standard toilet. There are no grab rails.

The B&B is located a little bit away from the main shopping and restaurant areas, in quiet and beautifully tree lined Jones St. Note that they do not accept credit cards – check or cash only please.

Places to Eat
Alligator Soul
114 Bernard St.
Savannah, GA, 31401
http://www.alligatorsoul.com/

Access to this experimental southern style restaurant looks unpromising at first since it is set in a basement. However, if you call them from the street (or have a walkie you can send down the steps) they will come up and let you into the office building in whose basement they live, and let you down via an elevator. It’s definitely worth the effort! The food is a mix of traditional and modern Southern dishes with unusual twists, and a superb wine list. We had possibly the best meal we’ve had in the USA – an epic culinary experience. Not cheap but worth it.

Charleston - South Carolina

This brief note aims to provide guidance for handicapped, disabled or wheelchair users who travel to Charleston.

Charleston
We stopped for a few hours in Charleston after leaving Savannah. The tourist information center is modern, accessible and staffed by friendly and informative staff. I was extremely disappointed to learn that none of the Southern Mansion tours were accessible. So, no lounging in a fine garden sipping Mint Julips for me then...

There are no (count them – exactly zero!) accessible trolley tours in Charlston. None, zip, nada. Our feeling that southern cities do not welcome wheelies was getting stronger until we discovered that Palmetto Carriage Tours (1-843-723-8145) offer accessible horse drawn carriage tours. The “loading deck” is ramped, and two assistant will lift you from your wheelchair onto the carriage. Since I had never taken a carriage tour, I leapt at this opportunity and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience with a very entertaining and professional guide. Highly recommended.

Be aware that there is very limited handicapped parking in Charleston. We noticed only one space down by the public market where the tours depart from – and this was of course taken. Parking in city car parks is free to handicapped – but that does not make it any easier to find a space!