The CNN Grill vs. the Google+ Politics Lounge: the Real Choice in 2012

When members of the media are not futzing with the wireless in the convention hall, they are sprawled out in one of several press filing lounges located nearby. The two most notable such rooms open to all members of the press: the Google+ Politics Lounge and the CNN Grill. Despite its alleged offerings of massages and ?rejuvenation,? the Huffington Post Oasis?or should we say the Huffington Post Mirage??has been disqualified from this charticle due to its distance from the convention center and our inability to locate it. (?Yeah, I couldn?t find it either,? a Salon reporter told us, thus putting an end to the discussion as far as we are concerned.) But which press filing center is superior? Which media outlet inexplicably spent more money wooing exhausted journalists? And who, in the end, won their votes? Below, our side-by-side analysis.

Specs
The Google+ Politics Lounge: A large, brightly lit, not-overly-air-conditioned workspace in the media work center across the way from the convention center proper. Everything is brightly colored and the furniture is lacquered, and people are swirling around in those mid-century-y circle chairs.
The CNN Grill: Just steps away from the convention hall, a dimly lit, crowded, sports-bar-ish restaurant.
Advantage: Tie. CNN wins by virtue of proximity; Google wins by virtue of being located relatively far the hell away.

Culinary Samplings
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Not. . . a. . . whole. . . lot.
The CNN Grill: A menu full of free, free, free bar food and steakhouse staples?think salads, burgers, fries, build-your-own tacos, and pork sliders. VF.com ordered a steak salad and wings, and they were delicious.
Advantage: The CNN Grill, by a deep-fried landslide.

Unpredictable Perks
The Google+ Politics Lounge: A ?cellcierge.? (Tagline: ?Check your phone. We?ll charge it here.?); a photobooth; free sticker and button options in a variety of colors at the ?Google Goodies? bar; espresso bar whose convenience and deliciousness is only slightly mitigated by its lengthy line; massage chairs.
The CNN Grill: A photobooth, the photos from which print in an impressive 10 seconds; a giant?like five-foot tall?iPad; televisions everywhere and within easy view of virtually all seats.
Advantage: The Google+ Politics Lounge.

Fourth Estate Notables
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Most of the Salon crew; Reuters reporters; Ross Douthat; David Brooks; our Gentleman?s Quarterly nemeses.
The CNN Grill: David Gregory; Tom Brokaw; the other half of the Salon crew; Buzzfeed folk; Gawker; Bill Keller; Dan Rather; Piers Morgan.
Advantage: The CNN Grill.

?Real? ?Celebrities?
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Jon Voight.
The CNN Grill: Newt Gingrich; Callista Gingrich; Rick Santorum; Herman Cain; Rob Portman; Rand Paul; Ty Pennington; Ayla Brown; Stephen Baldwin.
Advantage: The CNN Grill, we guess?

Libations
The Google+ Politics Lounge: Coffee and espresso drinks; water coolers.
The CNN Grill: Open bar with but a single brand of liquor per genre. (Just Jack Daniels?no Knob Creek or Maker?s Mark, for example.) Nonetheless: boozers can?t be choosers. And those frozen margaritas are not frozen margaritas but milkshakes. We asked. And thought about asking a second time to make absolutely certain.
Advantage: The CNN Grill.

In November, the choice is clear: CNN Grill/Paul Ryan ?12.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vanityfair/vfdailyfeed/~3/3wBqCTFraQ4/The-CNN-Grill-vs-the-Google-Politics-Lounge-the-Real-Choice-in-2012

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