that is the group she stayed at but she stayed at the silom location

As rhkkmk says, I stayed at Centre Point Silom. My decision was based on a combination of location (I wanted to be near the river and SkyTrain), price (I booked through Agoda), and amenities (free wifi, kitchen including washing machine, breakfast included).

This type of property (serviced studio/apartment) is relatively common in Bangkok, and prices are reasonable.

very reasonable for what you get!!

Cool!! Thanks!

Look what I found in the NYTimes!

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/gui....html#comment9

Therese - did you prebook your appointment with Cotton house i am thinking of using them in a coul;e of weeks but only really have 3 full days.

bkmk

No, I didn't pre-book with Cotton House, just showed up. If you choose one of their designs I think you'll have a quicker turnaround---it was the bodice that took additional fitting in my case.

Simply must finish up this report---darn work (though I won't say that too loud, as it's how I get money to travel in the first place).

Day 5: Teak and Togs

Day 5 was my last day to enjoy Bangkok, and I once again managed to pull together some tourist mojo and get out and see something. My plan was to see both Vimanmek and Jim Thompson's House. I had to be at Cotton House that afternoon in order to do a final fitting (which had to be right, as I was leaving the next morning).

I took the boat up the river again, this time to Thewet. The walk to Vimanmek takes you past a flower market that's mostly to do with plants as opposed to cut flowers. Very nice, though I didn't spend too much time there.

Because Vimanmek is used by the royal family for official functions, security is pretty tight: lots of staff, lots of checking of tickets. Same dress code issues (or non-issues, if you've dressed appropriately) as the Grand Palace. Note that you have to take off your shoes for the visit, so plan accordingly. You'll also have to check even small bags/purses (and pay for the privilege). The visit is guided, and the guides for my visit gave a very scripted commentary in heavily-accented English. I used to work as a tour guide, so I tend to notice that sort of thing. The more you know about western luxury goods the more you'll understand of the tour, as the guides tended to emphasize things like Sevres and Baccarat. Still, some interesting history. Probably the most interesting thing is the fact that the building was used as a warehouse for decades and neither (a) rotted nor (b) burned.

There are several food centers at the compound (which includes lots of small museums in addition to the main house). They mostly cater to the people that work on the compound, but it's still nice to take a break with an orange juice and check out the crowd.

Thank you for your great recap. I am going to Bangkok the end of April and plan on going to Wat Pho. Has anyone been to the floral market? I heard you get up at 3 am to see them getting set up.

I haven't been to the big cut flower market, but it sounded like it would be very cool (literally as well as figuratively). Even the traffic-clogged main drag outside my hotel was improved by the many fragrant flower vendors in the area.

Day 5: Not So Much Teak After All

Because Jim Thompson's is convenient to a SkyTrain stop I figured the best way to get there would be via SkyTrain. There's not much public transit near Vimanmek apart from buses, so I took a cab to the nearest station. Unfortunately this turned out to take quite a long time, and by the time I got to the station realized that my visit at Jim Thompson would have to be very brief in order to get back to Cotton House. So I just headed home to Silom and had lunch at one of the restaurants in the Robinson's basement: tom yum goong, Thai iced tea, and dumpling stuffed with sweet sesame paste in strong hot ginger tea for dessert. A largely liquid meal.

My next stop would be Cotton House, where I hoped to find my dresses and their problematic bodices to be finished works of art.

I am trying to figure out where the Cotton House is at. I stayed at the Oriental last time but don't remember seeing it when we were walking around the shops. I am going to have to check it out.

cotton house is on the ground floor of the OP Place mini mall directly in back of the oriental hotel...

tongue thai restaurant is directly in back of OP if anyone is interested...

The building where Cotton House is located was (as per various sources on the web) constructed in 1908 as the Falck & Biedek store. A cool building with some very nice shops, including tailors/dressmakers and shoemakers, as well as upmarket jewelry and antiques.

the building has a unique central lobby with a neat elevator.. lots of nice shops too on both levels... go in the day time; i've found some closed evenings..

Gee, I missed that mall. Shoemakers? They will make custom shoes???? You are getting me excited about going back.

I didn't look into the question of shoes, as I'm halfway (one foot down, one to go) through bilateral foot surgery for bunions. Had I not had the surgery I would very definitely have looked into having lasts made for my very difficult feet.

SHOES! you can get shoes made at the OP Place?! OMG that i have to look into

Day 5: Cotton House and The Moment of Truth

(with apologies for my long break from this thread)

I arrived at Cotton House to find the international family of four there for a fitting, so get a fashion show while I wait.

Finally it's my turn and I try on the dresses. The green one is perfect, the pink one is nearly so, and I take them off for the final hand stitching and and pressing. While I'm waiting I'm invited to visit the workshop and give my opinion of a web listing for Cotton House that's part of a larger Bangkok web site.

Together the two dresses were 7,000 baht, so very good value. They are both very well made, and with the exception of the bodice of the pink dress they fit perfectly. The issue with the pink bodice is somewhat offset by my wearing a different style bra, so I can live with it. Overall a very good experience, and one that I plan to repeat.

I walked home to Centre Point Silom through already rush-hour clogged streets. I now recognize all the different food vendors and shops, and it does feel like home.

My last night in Bangkok, so I need to do go out. And it's Friday, so things should be happening.

Day 5: More Dress Codes

My plan for the evening was to go to Sky Bar. This bar is on the 63rd/64th floor of the State Building, the same one that houses Lebua hotel. My evening at the Millenium Hilton had been so low key that I didn't bother to change into a dress, and instead wore black dress trousers and an embroidered white cotton blouse with flat black boots. So not particularly glam, but nice enough. And since I was walking (it's just a few blocks from Centre Point Silom) I wouldn't risk turning an ankle in high heels or drawing attention with a low cut top.

The staff at Lebua are very welcoming and gracious, showing you to the elevator that whisks you to Sky Bar, greeting you when you arrive, ushering you outside (where initial impression is likely to be dizzying, as you're looking out over Bangkok from a platform that's designed to feel as if there's nothing between you and the ground) and showing you how to negotiate the distance between your present position and the glowing blue bar that's your destination.

There's no seating (so another good call on flat shoes) and it was already pretty busy when I arrived, but the staff are good about finding you and asking for your drink order. I chose a caipirinha (410 baht, expensive for Bangkok but not for Atlanta) and enjoyed the view. Crowd mostly western, and I chatted with a lot of interesting people: a pre-school teacher from Finland, a Japanese woman who does western-style flower arrangement for Bangkok hotels, a couple from Australia. Had I worn a dress and heels I'd have been talking to an entirely different set of guests, I think.

My flight was leaving very early the next AM, so I wound things up about 10:00 to head home. More staff showing me to the elevator, etc. At the bottom I ran into the situation that prompted me to entitle this post "More Dress Codes" (and to then discuss my own attire in tedious detail): some prospective customers were being denied entry to Sky Bar. The couple in question was attractive: blond, fit, tan, affluent-appearing, mid-30s. But the guy was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and sandals and the woman was very nearly as casual (though I think she'd have gotten by if not accompanied by the guy) and a staff member was explaining to them that it wouldn't be possible for them to visit Sky Bar. And I gather that, unlike the temples and palaces, there's no place to rent nicer clothes in the State Building. At least not that late at night.