Things I learned on my visit this week to Walla Walla

I went to my hometown of Walla Walla, Washington this past week for my grandfather's funeral. Here are some things I learned:

1. Not to stay at the Travelodge in the future. The rates are low, but they're low everywhere in town. We got a beaten-up, cold little room, with a gutter drain constantly dripping outside. Plus, they made us pay in advance -- never a good sign.

2. Walla Walla is exploding with wi-fi-enabled restaurants. But you run into problems if you need wi-fi in the evening. The Mill Creek Brew Pub, which is wi-fi enabled, advertised itself as open until Midnight. But we went to it at 10 pm on Friday night, and it was locked up. Apparently, if there's no one in the place, they don't keep it open.

3. The best wi-fi watering hole we discovered was Ze Bagel at 216 E. Main Street, a couple blocks from our hotel. They opened at 6 am on weekdays; they had great coffee and tea drinks; their bagels couldn't be beat (we had them for breakfast every day of our stay); they have electrical outlets for every table; they play good music; and they didn't mind me staying there for hours taking care of business by remote control. Here are some photos of dad, Amy and the menu taken at Ze Bagel yesterday.

4. Walla Walla's best music store, Hot Poop, is still going strong -- despite its owner's heart attack in November. Thank God.