Tuesday, April 22, 2008

W. Scott Olsen - Book Release Celebration


Author and Concordia College English Professor W. Scott Olsen will be on hand tomorrow night to read from and sign his new book "Hard Air: Adventures from the Edge of Flying." The festivities start at 7 p.m. and will be held in Stoker's in the Basement. The party is sponsored by the Hotel Donaldson and Zandbroz Variety.


"It's hard to imagine a more gripping book for aviation buffs than Olsen's depiction of some of the hairier aspects of service networks usually taken for granted and seldom properly noticed by the media." - Roland Green, Booklist

(Click here for more information about W. Scott Olsen)

Best Workout Ever?

Not so long ago when Nintendo's eight-bit masterpiece, the NES, ruled the universe, it was hard to sell your parents on any redeeming value of video gaming. Some helpful studies came out claiming that video games improved hand-eye coordination, but this "improvement" coincided with the outbreak of ADHD. Parents were not impressed. But, the 21st century has brought us many wonderful exceptions to this stale model of video gaming. "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Guitar Hero," for instance, have forced quantum leaps in the integration of physical activity and gaming.

Enter the Nintendo Wii. It has catapulted into our zeitgeist as the ultimate example of childish fun mixed with a total body workout. For that reason, we chose to put one in our hotel fitness room for use by our guests.

We think the Wii adds an irreverent dimension to the workout routine for our guests ... or is simply something fun to do between check in and dinner. When you stay here, be sure to give it a try.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Kittens and Their Specious Relation to Night Club After 9

My wife and I just got two new kittens, a brother and sister from the same litter. We named them Pauline (left) and Onslow. Onslow is a boy with a wispy meow that I refer to as his "barbaric yawp." Pauline is quiet and calculating ... or will be, once she gets past the stage of chewing on our lamp cords. Anyway, they're cute as the dickens. They set to wrasslin' and it gives me a hearty laugh. They purr like motorboats.

I must now bring this post around to the matter at hand. The Simon Rowe Trio will set to wrasslin' with jazz tonight at 9 p.m. As always, it's all ages. As usual, there is a $7.50 cover.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Earth Week at the HoDo

Earth Week is almost upon us. Although stewardship for our natural resources is a constant responsibility, this is the time to reflect and gauge that responsibility. Further, it's a good time to push awareness in issues affecting our planet and set goals for the future.

Here at the Hotel Donaldson, we have made a commitment to sustainability through a variety of efforts. We encourage the reuse of our towels and bedding by our guests in order to cut down on energy costs. We use compact fluorescent bulbs wherever possible. We recycle. Our rooftop features landscaping that not only looks great, but feeds off of downtown Fargo's carbon emissions, controls rainwater runoff and provides natural insulation. Also, many of our teammates walk, bike or carpool to work.

We are most proud of our commitment to sustainably-raised, organic ingredients for our restaurant. We have a network of local artisan farmers who provide us with quality ingredients from right here in our own backyard. This helps our local economy, cuts down on transport emissions and promotes healthy farming practices.

That's good, but we could be doing better. Currently, we are looking at ways to reuse more of our waste products and find ways to cut down on energy use. We're always open to suggestions, so feel free to leave comments. Every little bit helps.

Have a good Earth Week!

Pat Lipseia - Slouching Toward Fargo


Pat Lipseia left North Dakota and settled in Colorado to find himself ... or something else. What he found was his latent talent to write songs. Like any good writer, he sticks to what he knows: girls, alcohol and baseball. (Check him out here, on MySpace.) His songs relay that sense of longing that took him out of North Dakota and the sense of humor that brought him back.

We welcome Pat to the HoDo Lounge tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m., no cover, 21+. Come check him out and share your thoughts about the Twins' bullpen.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

High Plains Reader Best Bets

Many thanks to the readers of the High Plains Reader for voting for us for the Best Bets 2008. The HoDo Lounge came in third for Best Place to Take a Date and also came in third for Best Bar. Considering the vast array of watering holes in the area, we're glad to be on that short list.

Our congratulations to every business selected. Thank you for making the Red River Valley a great place to be.

(If you would like to see a full list of winners, click here.)

April's Flavor of the Month: Seghesio Winemaker's Dinner


Our Third Wednesday/Flavor of the Month feature for April is the Seghesio Winemaker's dinner. If you love wines and great food pairings, then you want to be here tomorrow night. Edd Lopez of Seghesio Wines will be on hand to offer insider tasting tips and a bird's eye view of the craft of winemaking. On top of that, we've put together a monster menu to compliment these great wines. You can see the menu here.

Don't miss this opportunity! The fun gets started at 5:30 p.m. Please call 701.478.8888 for reservations.