Was checking into the Courtyard by Marriott in Portsmouth, N.H. the other night when the desk clerk asked me whether I had a floor preference: First floor, or higher?

As I fumbled with my hanging clothes, keys, coffee mug and water bottle to free a hand for credit card extraction, I said, “No, no preference at all.”

Perhaps the clerk was sending me a signal, albeit subliminal, when he selected a handicap-accessible room for me? First time I’ve ever had a room with a bathroom where there was no divider between the shower stall and the toilet area (I was standing next to the toilet to take this photo).

Don’t get me wrong… the room was great. So was the staff. Everyone was very helpful and courteous. I had been staying at the Hampton Inn on my overnights in Portsmouth, but the Courtyard proved to be an equally good option.

Hampton still gets the edge for the free breakfast, though. Perhaps that, too, is a sign of my aging….