Fellow leaker [[https://www.facebook.com/lee.campbell.549|Lee Campbell]], whom lives in the Durham area, negotiated
a Leakers Rate with
[[http://www.comfortinn.com/hotel-durham-north_carolina-NC613|Comfort
Inn Medical Park]], and [[http://www.durhamchapelhill.homewoodsuites.com|Durham Homewood Suites]].  Karen and I
liked Comfort Inn  because it was simple, nothing fancy, the hospital was just
down the same street, there was a pharmacy and good restaurants right
across the street.  [[:bpaddock:contact_hubby|Contact me]] and I'll
give you the magic billing code you need if you are going to Duke for
a CSF related procedure.

Karen was always to incapacitated to make it across the street so I'd
bring back food from the restaurants on occasion.  Mostly what we ate
were [[:bpaddock:amys_kitchen|Amy's Kitchen]] dinners.  Also at least
once I'd make a trip around the corner to [[http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/durham|Whole Foods Market]] and bring back
some fresh salad and other healthy things that we could not get at
home.  I went to the [[http://www.wholefoodscoop.org|Whole Foods Co-op]] in Eire PA expecting it to be just
like the one in Durham.  I was disappointed.  You could put four of the
Eire Whole Foods in the one in Durham.  {Now that I look at those web sites it is apparent they are two different companies.}

<WRAP help>
Please help us find connections to the hotels near [[http://www.cedars-sinai.edu|Ceadrs-Sinai]], not being from that area we've had no luck making the proper connections with the right people, to get better rates like we have in Durham.
</WRAP>

Karen's [[:tips:frugal|frugalness]] lead her to check the hotel web site room rate daily, //while we were already in the room//.  She learned that if the hotel is not full on a given day they will lower the rate in the hopes of filling the room.  The going rate for the [[http://www.elanhotel.com|Elan Hotel]] when we were there was $200 per night.  She got rates for $112 and $153 a night more than once when we were there.

The downside to any hotel in the L.A. area is if there is a convention in town, or during Duke's graduations in Durham.   Those people know to schedule a year in advance and we don't, the hotels raise their rates during those, if you can get a room at all.  :-(