When I visit New York (a pretty rare event over the last few years, alas, and usually only ever for a day or two, en route down to DC), I usually stay in the Vanderbilt YMCA, over on the East Side, just a few blocks from the UN Building. It's a bit of a sleazy place (I have overheard a couple of spectacular hooker fights in there), but it's a good location, reliable, and cheap.
I was reminded just the other day (it came up during the course of Friday's epic bar crawl with 'new best friend', The Man In Black) of a favourite recollection from one of those visits.
Yes, once (I forget exactly when - sometime in the late '90s, I suppose) when I was checking in, I found this exciting notice on the bulletin board in the lobby:
Welcome, Swedish trampoline team!
Hmmm, yes, indeed. I confess I did spend a fair bit of time loitering downstairs in hopes of seeing them - but no luck. Perhaps they were not, after all, the lissom blonde 20-year-olds in leotards that I fondly pictured. The men's national trampoline squad would certainly not have been nearly such a fascinating prospect for me. I wouldn't even begin to try to visualize them!
Yes, that fantasy has lingered with me for years. I've often thought I'd like to have that greeting printed on the front of a T-shirt. Or maybe on my boxer shorts.....
A man can dream....
5 comments:
My story is similar, and yet more prurient, of course.
I was roped into a last minute sales conference back in the dim and distant past, to man our firm's booth. My boss offered me two day's vacation if I could go to this conference, which meant leaving the next day, and involved one weekend days work.
Anyway, I agreed, and was then delighted to find out it was in the Big Easy. Checking into my hotel, in teh French Quarter (my first time in the city), I was surprised to see the lobby and bar FULL of women. And not just any women, but incredibly "slutty" looking women, dressed like they were there to work, and many times greeting each otehr in very friendly fashions.
I had heard things about New Orleans, but this was a little more than I expected.
So colleague and me check into our rooms, and agree to meet down in the bar in 15 minutes. We get down there, and the bar scene, if anything, has gotten more debauched. As it turns out, there was a porn star convention in town, and many of the actresses were staying in our hotel. Made for an interesting trip.
Froog, a great sign, full of promise! However what are the odds that you were spending "a fair bit of time loitering downstairs" looking out for the MENS team? The sign is a little ambiguous, deliberately so? I bet the YMCA was quids in that week.
:-)
The last but one time I was in NY I was accidentally booked into a hotel for two nights that was in the midst of the Bush re-election who ha. I was the only guest who wasn’t press; roadblocks, tanks, lorries full of sand bags, cops and the army, guarded us not to mention armies of media vans with antenna buzzing. I was briefed and given a high security pass with my room key.
Numerous bus loads of Texans in hats waving flags were bused in to cheer at the speeches over the road, day and night in relay.
A bizarre couple of nights. Interesting talking to the international journos in the lifts and finding out where they came from.
TBC, extraordinary - great people watching!
Porn Star Convention?! You're not making this up, are you, Cowboy??
That sounds like another situation where the male half of the entourage would definitely be a lot less appealing. Or was it a gals-only thing?
You didn't actually pull, did you?
I think I would have been fascinated-but-terrified.
But that describes my attitude around most women.....
I did not pull. Some of the girls were a LOT of fun to chat to. Most of them were, unfortunately, on the brain dead, Columbian marching powder end of the spectrum.
Coke heads of whatever type are generally odious company.
There were some men, but way more women. They were making the best of a bad situation of male shortage by entertaining themselves.
It was an experience. Kind of burned in my mind. I cannot believe I have never told you this before.
No, keeping it to yourself for private enjoyment, eh? So, that's where you "go" when you fade out for a few moments sometimes - glazed eyes, wan smile, train of thought lost in mid-conversation!
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