As spontaneous and “non-linear” as I am, there is something comforting about routine and developing habits. Many of my habits and routines have come naturally over time. It’s been less about “optimizing” and “organization” and more about regulation and comfort.
I used to not feel this way about routine. School made routine feel mundane and inflexible… oppressive even. Rules and systems taught me that my way of existing was incorrect.
After years of putting up a fight, I began to see the utility in routine and opted to build my own. One that fits me and is unique to my pace, my quirks, the way I actually move through a day.
Now I find comfort in little habits. Here are a few I’ve developed during my residency at the Pfister:
Morning chai and a glazed donut (or croissant) at the café. I sit at the round marble tables every time. They remind me of a café in Paris, though I think it’s really the ritual I’m after more than the marble.
Working from the Mezzanine. The grand staircase up from the lobby has carried guests to this level since the hotel opened in 1893, and I understand the appeal completely. The balcony view is the best seat in the building. It’s close enough to the lobby to feel the pulse of the place, far enough to get real work done. When the café gets loud, I take my chai up there instead.
Ducking into the Imperial Ballroom. Not many people know this room used to be called the Dining Hall, and that the very first meal ever served at the Pfister happened there, the night the hotel opened its doors. I like to stand at the ledge and watch the street below. It feels strange and a little wonderful to be somewhere that’s held its purpose, hosting people, for over 130 years.
Saying hi to the concierge. Every visit, the staff make me feel like Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Be our guest, be our guest.
Happy hour at Mason Street Grill, on the rougher days. The bar snacks are always flavorful and satisfying, and there’s something steadying about a place that’s been doing the same thing well for decades.
Being a regular isn’t just about routine for routine’s sake. Here are few reasons I find it worth doing:
It gives you a place to ease into. I’m quiet by nature, slow to warm up in new spaces and around new people. Returning to the same place, the same order, the same faces, does the work that small talk never could. You don’t have to try. You just have to keep showing up.
It builds something without forcing it. Habits form on their own timeline. So do relationships. Being a regular means you get both, without ever having to name what’s happening.
It offers stability that a lot of places can’t. The Pfister has been standing since 1893. That kind of longevity means something. When you return, it’s still there. I still think about a restaurant I loved that isn’t there anymore. Not every favorite spot gets to say that.
What’s nice is that many folks know me by name now. And by what I order.
When I travel, I do much of the same. I find a café to return to every morning. It doesn’t take long to build a habit, or for people to start recognizing you. What surprises me more is noticing the other regulars. An elderly woman with a reserved spot most Fridays, whose order the servers know by heart. She knows most of them by name in return. Another regular I see is a newly retired father who loves to talk about where he’s traveling next and the time he spends with his son.
So when you visit the Pfister, and you should, soon, I’d love for you to try what it has to offer and see what sticks. Maybe you post up at happy hour after a long day. Maybe you work from the café, or the lounge. Maybe you spend a night in Blue, listening to live music on the weekend.
— Megan