I Think I'll Take The Trip

September was a crazy month for us, and a quite expensive one.  There was, first, the Big, Fat, Colombian Wedding, and although I paid for most of that in past months, expenses mounted for the days surrounding it -- a kick ass cocktail party, breakfasts, hotel bills...And then came Hurricane Irma, with her unplanned fleeing to Atlanta, and another week after that of expensive hotel bills.

So I was sitting in my office yesterday, and thinking that I missed D2, and I also missed Fall.  Miami Fall isn't, really.  If we're lucky, we get a bit of cooling off -- about a quarter of Halloweens in the past 40 years were sweater weather -- most were still sweltering days.  No -- northern Fall -- crisp weather, leaves afire, pumpkin pie and apple cider.  Those were the Falls of my youth.

I checked NYC hotel rates, and they were out of this world.  The Walker, where I stayed in February for about $325 a night, was listed at nearly $600 per night.  And this is no luxury place -- just a quaint, well located Village property, with tiny rooms.

And then I took stock...

There was more sad news for us, both locally and nationally.  Locally, a close acquaintance, Gayle, died.  She hosted us for several NY Eves.  The Ds are friendly with 2/3 of her daughters.  She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about three years ago -- typically a less than one year prognosis.  But the good docs at UM/Sylvester kept her with us for three years -- long enough to meet her first beautiful granddaughter.

Nationally, a maniac killed 59 in Vegas -- innocents attending a country music concert.  And one of my favorite musicians -- a man whose lyrics I quote often (behind quoting Dylan and Springsteen) died at 66.  Tom Petty -- I always joke he's the third best thing to come out of Gainesville -- after my Ds, who are tied for #1.

So I took it as a sign, sort of like when Dublin poet Brendan Behan decided to go to North America after seeing as a challenge a sign that said "Drink Canada Dry."

I texted D2 and Wifey.  We settled on October 20-22.  I found an Amex Preferred Hotel, the NY Edition -- plenty expensive, but at least coming with free breakfast and a $100 credit -- which I assume D2's man Jonathan and I will make short work of at the hotel bar.

I asked D2 to get us reservations at Chumley's -- a Greenwich Village historic restaurant we learned about when we took a walking tour -- it boasts more Pulitzer Prize winning writers who ate and hang there than any other restaurant in the US.  We may even rent a car and drive out to Long Island -- I love the Planting Fields Arboretum in the Fall.

But mainly -- we'll see D2.  I learned about both of my girls, when they went to college at UF -- after not seeing them for a month, I miss them too much.  So D2 was here in early September, and is due back for Thanksgiving -- this trip will be a nice fill in.

And in this crazy world, where one moment you're sitting at a concert and the next dragging your companion's bloody body out of the venue, or vice versa, well, the sage words of my old boss Ed come to light.

One evening Paul and his then wife were hosted at a fine New Orleans restaurant.  Ed ordered absurdly expensive wine, and they feasted like royalty.  Paul asked Ed if he could truly afford it.  Ed replied, "My boy, you can't afford to NOT live like like this."

The trip is booked.