Pocket Stages, Spicy Eats and Other Nashville Notes

Standing at the microphone in the Ryman.

The Ryman Auditorium, "the mother church of country music."

Fellow writer Shea spotted this photo op, in front of one of the Ryman windows.

I was in Music City on a press trip with 10 other writers last week. We hit the Grand Ole Opry. We got all riled up with Trisha Yearwood, our hearts buoyant as she smiled and thigh-slapped in a festive pantsuit to a rollicking rendition of "She's in Love with the Boy," with the Nashville Symphony. We toured the old Ryman Auditorium (site of the original Grand Ole Opry), with church pew seating and historic windows and took a super spicy risk with Nashville Hot Chicken near the Brave Idiot. 

Nine Nashville notes, and this is just for starters:

Number 6. I could see the pretty lights from my room.

1. Ernest Tubb Record Shop downtown. Near 10 p.m. Tuesday, a band of four played on the front stage, by the window. On a pocket stage hidden in the back, two pretty, honey-voiced women strummed guitar and sang. You can hear live country music for much of the night, even into the overnight. And find the bar for a nice spicy margarita. (Stylish blonde writer Erica, from Philly, said it was good. It had sliced jalapeño and a salty rim. But it was late, and our third bar stop that night, so I resisted.)
2. Born Bathing. That's the magical/mystical beauty brand of hand, hair and body wash products in the rooms at the Fairlane, a luxury boutique hotel (pet-friendly!) that was just refurbished and reopened. My skin felt soft and pampered and smelled good, too. Even with puffy eyes and urge to stay asleep after a night out, I felt refreshed and renewed with the body wash. I just ordered two (aluminum, not plastic) bottles online.
3. National Museum of African American Music. Interactive displays. So much to see and celebrate. So much history. Shoes, dresses, jackets that belonged to music icons. Two women from our group donned (new, not vintage) gospel robes and sang along with a video in a breakout room.
4. Hot Chicken, hellfire hot. The heat scale at pinball dive lounge No Quarter starts at 1 and goes to 10. My new friend and fellow writer, Geri, and I chose 7. Brave idiots, like the name on the food truck outside. Writer Shea said my face and mouth were getting red and I better get a shot of cream, but the bartender didn't have any. Geri said salt is supposed to help, so I got a spicy margarita with salt on the rim. Ample servings of chicken, tender and juicy under the fire, served on a slice of white sandwich bread, a welcome bland foil.
5. Voodoo Doughnut in the Nashville Airport. The chain started in 2003 in Portland, OR. I had never seen it, but the pink packaging caught my eye. Bedeviling varieties include Maple Bacon Bar and Churro Cheesecake.
6. Gaylord Opryland Resort, with room terraces that look out over lush indoor gardens. A concierge suite our group could use with The Wall Street Journal, big pots of orchids, Goo Goo Clusters, coffee and chilled water. Beautiful Christmas lights and fireplaces to sit by. A family favorite. 
7. Ice, ice baby. The annual ice show at Opryland, this year with a Peanuts theme. Very cute, characters and doghouse all carved from ice. Loved it. It's one to three degrees in there, so everyone (kids and adults) has to don a blue jacket with hood. Also: Ice slides for adventure.
   
   
   
8. Housemade coffee liqueur in the espresso martini for Friday brunch at Cafe Roze. Check the top-shelf cocktail list, including Root of All Evil, with vodka, carrot and beet juice. The house-baked chocolate croissants were big enough to feed 3 or more people. (Sold out by the time we arrived.) The bacon was excellent, as was the Country Ham Toast, with a snowfall of more than an inch of finely grated Parmesan on top. 
   
   Espresso martini.
   
   
   
   See what I mean about a snowfall of grated cheese? Amazing.
   
   
9. "There will be a surprise in your room." That's what the Modern Love chef at the Fairlane said when we left breakfast. Later, by our nightstands, we each found a large, rich, architecturally crafted candy bar. White and dark chocolate with praline, caramel and pepitas. 

And that doesn't even touch on my fellow travelers. A colorful group, including food writer Rai, a beautiful young Black woman with curly hair, lovely long dresses, great accessories and shoes and a rich knowledge of food and cooking, from biscuits to bone broth. Chris, a chivalrous car aficionado who drove to meet us in Nashville. He calls himself "Christhewheeltor" on Instagram. Erica, that blonde mom and actor/writer/editor from Philly (see spicy margarita, above). And many other spirited, smart observers. 

______________________________

Below, my NY Times piece about the Loveless Cafe in Nashville in 1989, when I was a young writer in the promotion/marketing department at Seventeen Magazine and joined Dan on a short work trip to Nashville. We ate at the Loveless and then I interviewed the owner by phone from my apartment on the Jersey Shore. (I've been pitching other food stories to the Times again. It's more involved than making a call at my desk on lunch hour to Eric Asimov, who edited "At the Nation's Table." But I will keep at it.)

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/15/style/at-the-nations-table-nashville.html

An American in Paris

Madeline knows so much about Paris. I bought the books to read with Figgy. Skipper didn’t like them as much, I don’t think. LINK here.

I was in Paris once--in 1983, when Moey and I went with a group of her University of Delaware friends after our college graduation. We saw 14 countries in 21 days on a tour!

It was really great and really fun.

Now that I find myself writing about far-flung designs for aspire design and home, I am becoming a bit of a Parisian expert, I daresay.

It really makes me want to go back. All I really remember (I was 22):

• The "Mona Lisa" was much smaller than expected.
• Croissants.
• Trip to Versailles gardens.
• Bidet in hotel room.
• Notre-Dame Cathedral.
• Eiffel Tower.

I think that’s it? But now, now! I have read and written about the flea markets, the remarkable finds there, the patisseries, the intricacies of the Eiffel Tower, the boutiques, the 7th arrondissement. Style. I have written about style. 

Now I have such a different eye. Now I would look for that JE NE SAIS QUOI--the twist of a scarf, the length of the skirt, the shape of the shoe. The flip of the hair. The perfume bottle stoppers. The eyeliner.  The baguettes. The architecture. The colors. The wineglasses. The fountains. The bouquets and the nosegays. Just everything. And Dan was talking about great flight prices to Paris but then--COVID.

Good night.

Up, Up and Away to a Pillow in the Sky

Story I wrote for the winter issue of aspire design and home magazine. Aspirational, inspirational destination.

https://aspiremetro.com/lodge-les-murailles/

Photography by Patrick Sordoillet. Styling by Stephanie Boiteux-Gallard. Interior Design by Sylvie Crochet. Architecture by Agence D’Architecture Buchart.

Dress Dream

I slept soundly here in the small Cape May hotel, where masks are required in the one common area (front desk, with Plexiglass drop-down, morning coffeepot in small lobby), and I dreamt of a pink dress.

A woman with buttery cocoa-colored skin was wearing it. She was friendly and smiling when I inquired about the dress.

I loved it in pink--it was a style I already owned (in the dream), from wash-and-wear Karina Dresses. I told her that.

Wow I didn’t know it came in pink!

She smiled. She was with other people, and holding a beverage glass. Her dark, curly hair was shoulder-length.

It wasn’t taffy-pink, bubblegum pink, strawberry ice cream pink, baby pink or a burst of Lilly Pulitzer pink. It was a modern pink, so great. Kind of mauve-y, new, hip.

I went on the site now, and there are sales, but I could don’t find the dress from the dream--nor is it in my budget at the moment, in any case. It had flattering 3/4 sleeves, a V-neck and a mauve background with large floral print. The woman looked so pretty and at ease. Confident, stylish.

Here is the closest I could find this morning on the Karina site:

Above: The Megan Dress in color Bliss. Link here.

I think the dream might be a subconscious reminder that I have a Lilly Pulitzer dress with a V-neck, pink background, large flowers and 3/4 sleeves that I can wear on Easter Sunday. I just need a smooth new pair of tan/suntan pantyhose.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, I’ve enjoyed simple things we’ve all forgotten about hotel life, such as:

• The heating/AC unit in the room--choose your temp.
• The ice machine. Haha. I love ice.
• The Keurig coffee maker. We don’t have one at home; convenient and fun.
• The bedside lamps--navy base, white shade--with outlets built into the base--that smart hotel invention for cell phone plug-ins.
• The streamlined white kitchenette, with fridge, utensils, microwave, sleek storage.
• Sleek white wardrobe/closet--so neat, with cubbies for shoes, etc.
• The fresh green liquid Eau d’Italie soap that Sis gave me for Christmas. I brought it with us and it smells so good. I saved it for travels. I see it is very expensive--Sis is generous. We learned about it in a Sniffapalooza fragrance lovers’  Zoom event before the holidays.
• The balcony, to see the sea.

Positano, Italy soap link.

My friend Kim in a beautiful dress. I’m wearing my pink and blue Lilly dress--we had a lot of fun on that evening Strategic Communications cruise around New York City several years back.

Time to move on. I procrastinate a lot about taking a shower. :) And about eating breakfast sometimes. I sliced half a pear and half an apple and put almond butter on a piece of wheat bread almost two hours ago and haven’t eaten it yet. It’s noon! Heading out to little balcony, wearing sweatshirt (cool out).

Whisked Away

I love my siblings. So if you happen to know my brother Will--who lives in NYC and doesn't read my blog--I guess please don't tell him that I didn't ask to stay in our family house that he and Kelly now own on the Cape.

It's just--they are very neat in their city apartment, and at the house. As you know, because I've written about it many times, when we leave the house on the Cape, we are expected to follow a whole list of cleaning steps. The older I get, and the more stressful my everyday life has gotten, the less willing I am to have that looming on the last day of vacation. It takes a whole day, by the time we haul out all the laundry and sheets (no washer and dryer there); clean the fridge (and I do mean clean it, not just empty it); sort all recyclables and haul to the dump with the trash; clean the bathroom, etc. etc.

My brother frowns on us hiring a cleaning service upon exit.

So when I zip up to the Cape for two or three nights, I'm not willing to take on that housework commitment. What's nice about going off-season is that room rates dip....and staying in an inn, hotel or Airbnb, I can just pack up my things and leave. That is so different and very restful.

Here's what I DID NOT have to do yesterday:

• Swab down fridge drawers with cleaning spray and paper towels.
• Pack up all of the groceries we bring back home, everything from ketchup to milk to eggs.
• Mop kitchen floor.
• Vacuum rugs.
• Clean window wells, which collect dirt up there.
• Dust wood furniture.
• Sweep up sand.
• Shake out throw rug.
• Urge Dan to get to the dump before it closes. (What would we do if we missed that? Too much trash and paper/glass/plastic to haul home to NJ. We would not have enough room in the car for ourselves, our luggage and our dog, Sugar.)
• Pack a zillion bags of things I brought up with me, including some cooking ingredients (such as pure vanilla extract); kitchen equipment (such as a cheese grater); clothing; beach towels and beach bags; several sunscreens, for variety;  journals; magazines; work folders; candles; beauty products; nature guides; magazines; stack of books; accessories; and CPAP machine.
• Gather from several rooms what I collected that trip on the Cape--stones, shells, pine cones, a jar of Cape Cod sea salt, a bag of coffee beans from the Hot Chocolate Sparrow--and maybe a speckled pink whale mug and a soft pink Eastham sweatshirt.
• Make sure all windows are locked, shades pulled halfway down (I'm serious).
• Mow lawn.
• Check refinished wood floors to be sure we cleaned up every spill and Sugar pee accident.

Have a good day.

Eye on Atlantic City

Vintage image from truejersey.com.

In the 1970s, Sis went to Atlantic City on an overnight trip--she was a member of the Junior Women's Club and the girls attended the Women's Club convention at the resort destination.

She is my big sister, seven years older. This exciting venture must have loomed large in our sometimes dull Dumont lives. Sis brought back a toenail clipper for Dad, with a white enamel inset that read ATLANTIC CITY. Dad had it til his death; we don't know what became of it.

I first went during college or over the summer. My long-time boyfriend, Jeff, lived with his family a few exits from A.C. His brother worked at the Golden Nugget Casino.

I remember us being with Jeff's brother in his car, the casinos lit up on our left on the Atlantic City Expressway, cutting a swath through swaying sea grass. The towers looked glittery and glamorous, bright night lights.

Also: Back in the early 1980s, casino buses ran from North Jersey. I caught one in the next town, Bergenfield, and was dropped off about 2 1/2 hours later. Each of us then went inside to the cashier, past the slot machines and tables, and received a roll of quarters, theoretically to feed the slots. I can't remember if that meant I broke even on my ticket price or made a profit. But I took the roll and met Jeff for a ride the rest of the way to his house.

Flash forward to the late 1980s, when Dan and I were dating. He was often booked with a popular party planning company named Le Clique, which provided a busload of colorful entertainment--including Dan, the 60-Second Novelist--at New Year's Eve parties for high rollers. One year, he took the party bus down early to work the event and I drove the Garden State Parkway from my apartment in Ocean Grove in time for midnight.....at which point I saw the Le Clique troupe dancing in a conga line. Dan was the one in the gorilla suit. 🦍

Now...my overnight stay with Punch this week at her Mimi's condo unit...formerly a hotel.

Notes:

• Saltwater taffy still a big attraction--those pretty, beachy colors and flavors like orange, mint and vanilla. But now you can also get it dipped in dark chocolate and wrapped in colored foil instead of traditional waxed paper. I didn't try; wanted just one, not a pack. The counterperson at Steel's Fudge explained that the other location had some by the piece but the boardwalk location didn't. It's really hard to make, she said. It must be, dunking sticky taffy in melted chocolate. 
• Red Atlantic City lifeguard hoodies. Mimi got one of the sweatshirts for Punch at a boardwalk shop for about $15. She has been living in it.
• Cornhole. 🌽 I'm not sure I ever played this before. But it was a throwback to simpler times and I liked tossing the bean bags in the hole on the boardwalk at Biergarten, team me/Mimi against Poppy/Punch. We creamed them. Then two men in their early 30s--plastic beer cups in hand and visiting from Westchester, NY--played Mimi and Punch.
• Seagulls. Punch liked seeing them when we walked on the beach, and so did I. I also liked hearing them at night before drifting into restful sleep.
• Restaurants. Big draw here. A lot of sushi, upscale Asian....plus raw oysters, shellfish towers and famous restaurants like Carmine's.
• Entertainment. Names up in lights. Diana Ross will be in A.C. June 29 for Diamond Diana Tour.

That's it for now. Punchy home sick from school today, as if a 10-day spring break [counting weekends] wasn't enough. She threw up once and was up for hours in the middle of the night, so I kept her home. Now, of course, she seems fine.

I have to fit in a source interview and write article today.....

Punchy and I made this Two-Cheese Pasta with Cauliflower. P. grated the aged Provolone and the Pecorino Romano and cut the garlic clove [it was supposed to stay whole, but that's ok]. We made some vegan, too, with mock smoked Provolone cheese. Figgy just said Ummmmm!

Enjoy your day.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: ZERO. TRAPPED IN HOUSE WITH PUNCH.

MONTHLY SPEND AS OF APRIL 29: $3,526.72.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR THIS MONTH: $121.61.

Big-ticket April spends so far [numbers rounded off], 29 days into the month:

Lamp, $79; luxe hand cream, $55; Giotto dinner to go + jar of imported Italian artichokes, $46; dog groomer/beauty salon, $75; vet for hamster, $157; necklace extension/repair/new clasp, $128; blowout, $55; Over the Moon, bday gifts for Punch friend + book for me, $60; Kings groceries, $132; liquor store, $32; bra/underwear/tights, $126; Joyist, $39 one day while working on assignments there; second blowout w service tips, $52; Punchy, Lululemon, $28; Justice, bday gifts and gift bag/pink tissue for Punch friend + shorts for Punch + $2 donation at register, $58; Kings groceries, $63; Joyist, $25 one day while working on deadlines; bike delivery, $35; Whole Foods, $69; CVS & Kings, Easter gifts/basket treats [counting lemon curd for tarts], $97; zoo day and lunch, spring break, $42; A.C. apps + drinks, treat Mimi & Poppy, $85; A.C. pretty lilac drape-neck top, $49; A.C. breakfast, treat Mimi + Poppy, $55; A.C. Skechers flip-flops, $35; A.C. sushi dinner, split bill, $52; Sis bday cards + gift, $35; Joyist, counting body oil, $71; Williams-Sonoma, gifts plus, $55; Kings, Sis bday lunch of caviar/blini/lox/small layer cake etc., $113; and Whole Foods, a lot of groceries, including scallops and lox, $201. Steep subtotal of $2,204.

MONEY THOUGHTS: I could have bought stuff online today! Chocolate, makeup, clothing. I'm glad I didn't. This accountability helps.

keeping my eye on

SO FAR: TOTAL APRIL SPEND OUT OF POCKET: $3,526.72.

MY TOTAL MARCH SPEND OUT OF POCKET: $4,128.41.

TOTAL FEBRUARY SPEND OUT OF POCKET: $3,159.25.

Let the Ice Water Commence

Darn it, I again ate some candy lurking around the house. Let the tall cups of ice water commence.

Catching up on Atlantic City/2 days/one night here:

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET THURSDAY, APRIL 25

• Gilchrist, breakfast for four of us with tip, $54.60.
• Gilchrist, 2 dark chocolate-covered Oreos, one for P. and one for me, $2.89. Wasteful.
• Starbucks app, worked at SB from 12:30 to 5 p.m., grande iced coffee and twin pack of pretty Ban.do holiday notebooks on sale, reduced from $13 to $6, plus $1 tip, $11.24.
• Starbucks app again, salami + Monterey Jack tray and Dark Chocolate Chip PB Perfect [protein] Bar plus $1 tip, $12.18.
• Store in Tropicana, small gift for Sis + 2 dark chocolate bars, $14.37.
• Step Up store in Tropicana, Skechers "yoga foam" flip-flops, blush with rhinestones in my large size, 11, $34.99.
• Steel's [since 1919] candy/fudge store on boardwalk, small piece of fudge for P. and saltwater taffy to bring home, $14.26. Wasteful.
• Japanese restaurant in Ventnor, split dinner for 4 bill with Mimi, plus tip, $52.15.
• Sunoco, Atlantic City, half tank of gas, $18.58.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $215.26.
MONTHLY SPEND AS OF APRIL 25: $2,991.09.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR THIS MONTH: $119.64.

________________________________________________________________________________
$ SPENT OUT OF POCKET FRIDAY, APRIL 26

• CVS, went for 2 family Rx, got small bag Ruffles chips, 3 Lean Cuisine entrees, 2 Hallmark cards for Sis bday today, $25 gift card for her, $44.55. I want to stop buying these small bags of chips; bad for wallet and bad for heart.
• CVS again, since my receipt, above, included coupon for $2 off Listerine. Large Special K with Red Berries, 2 large Listerine, new Reese's Dark Chocolate Thins [crazy impulse buy], Fairlife chocolate milk, half-gallon Horizon organic milk, shelled pistachios, 3 dog food, $40.24. Letting those Reese's into my cart was ill-advised and wasteful.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $84.79.
MONTHLY SPEND AS OF APRIL 26: $3,075.88.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR THIS MONTH: $118.30.

Big-ticket April spends so far [numbers rounded off], 26 days into the month:

Lamp, $79; luxe hand cream, $55; Giotto dinner to go + jar of imported Italian artichokes, $46; dog groomer/beauty salon, $75; vet for hamster, $157; necklace extension/repair/new clasp, $128; blowout, $55; Over the Moon, bday gifts for Punch friend + book for me, $60; Kings groceries, $132; liquor store, $32; bra/underwear/tights, $126; Joyist, $39 one day while working on assignments there; second blowout w service tips, $52; Punchy, Lululemon, $28; Justice, bday gifts and gift bag/pink tissue for Punch friend + shorts for Punch + $2 donation at register, $58; Kings groceries, $63; Joyist, $25 one day while working on deadlines; bike delivery, $35; Whole Foods, $69; CVS & Kings, Easter gifts/basket treats [counting lemon curd for tarts], $97; zoo day and lunch, spring break, $42; A.C. apps + drinks, treat Mimi & Poppy, $85; A.C. pretty lilac drape-neck top, $49.; A.C. breakfast, treat Mimi + Poppy, $55; A.C. Skechers flip-flops, $35; A.C. sushi dinner, split bill, $52; Sis bday cards + gift, $35. Steep subtotal of $1,764.

MONEY THOUGHTS: Sis and I always bring small gifts back for each other when we travel. If girls and Dan are not with me, I bring them something, too. Meanwhile, I want to stop buying crap like chips and candy. No good, not healthy.

keeping my eye on

SO FAR: TOTAL APRIL SPEND OUT OF POCKET: $3,040.89

MY TOTAL MARCH SPEND OUT OF POCKET: $4,128.41.

TOTAL FEBRUARY SPEND OUT OF POCKET: $3,159.25.

Trying Not to Be a High Roller $$ in A.C.

We're not even gambling, at least not this time, our unlikely foursome of Mimi, Poppy, Punch and me. But it's fun! And still easy to spend a lot in any resort area.

Mimi took mini Mimi for a mani/pedi and other fun now.....I'm at a Starbucks in the Tropicana shopping/food court to work til they scoop me at 4:30. My editor awaits, on the other end of the internet.

Dashing to record money spent, because as a financial counselor I know once said, if you travel less, you spend less. I see how quickly and easily it is to insert that red debit card.

$ MONEY SPENT OUT OF POCKET WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24

• Gasoline, $15 plus tip for pump attendant who filled our tank, $16.
• Lick store in Tropicana, Jubes cube candy, 2 flavors for P., $6.31.
• Tropicana Bar Olon, appetizers, drinks + tip [this was our dinner], treated Mimi and Poppy, who generously paid the night's rent on their friend's condo for me, $84.64.
• White House Black Market fashion store at the Trop. Mimi [Hope] and I liked the same micro sequin drape-neck sleeveless top in lilac. I had a $30 coupon off $100 purchase. Tops originally $64 each but we paid $49 each with coupon. They didn't have Hope's size, S, so hers will be shipped free to her home. $49.
• Blue Mercury, beautiful Nest candle in Blue Garden scent for my condo, $17.06.
• Boardwalk shop, earrings for P. and Johnson & Johnson Blossoms Baby Powder, $11.41.

TOTAL DAILY SPEND: $184.42.
MONTHLY SPEND AS OF APRIL 24: $2,775.83.
AVERAGE DAILY SPEND SO FAR THIS MONTH: $115.65.

Big-ticket April spends so far [numbers rounded off], 24 days into the month:

Lamp, $79; luxe hand cream, $55; Giotto dinner to go + jar of imported Italian artichokes, $46; dog groomer/beauty salon, $75; vet for hamster, $157; necklace extension/repair/new clasp, $128; blowout, $55; Over the Moon, bday gifts for Punch friend + book for me, $60; Kings groceries, $132; liquor store, $32; bra/underwear/tights, $126; Joyist, $39 one day while working on assignments there; second blowout w service tips, $52; Punchy, Lululemon, $28; Justice, bday gifts and gift bag/pink tissue for Punch friend + shorts for Punch + $2 donation at register, $58; Kings groceries, $63; Joyist, $25 one day while working on deadlines; bike delivery, $35; Whole Foods, $69; CVS & Kings, Easter gifts/basket treats [counting lemon curd for tarts], $97; zoo day and lunch, spring break, $42; A.C. apps + drinks, treat Mimi & Poppy, $85; pretty lilac drape-neck top, $49. Steep subtotal of $1,587.

MONEY THOUGHTS: I see how easy it is to spend on vacation, especially when using a debit card, not cash. Keeping this log is helping a lot, though. I know I will be recording every dime.

Writing Hard

Mascara feels heavy, can't wait to take it off. Bra feels tight--so, ditto.
Have been writing today about a villa in the mountains of Italy [want to go!] and a beach home in the 30A section of Florida, on the Gulf Coast.
Oh, to have a designer and a full-fledged vacation home!
I'm driving to Cape May tomorrow with Punch to stay one overnight in a hotel, Sis treating. It's Punchy's spring break from school.
Good night to you.

TCOY

1. Ate healthfully overall. Breakfast included a lot of baby spinach. Lunch, asparagus and fish. Dinner, Brussels sprouts and veggie burger.
2. Walked Sug and Buttercup around the block.

Hotel Syracuse Secrets

The Grand Ballroom with painted sky ceiling.

On the two-night press trip based at what was formerly the Hotel Syracuse, now the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. The place feels steeped in history; it opened in 1924.

Writing from the business center, so I can separate my room from my work.

Notes:

1. The restored bowed doors on the rooms are servidors. Made from mahogany by a famous casket company [the one that built JFK's casket], they opened from inside the room so guests could place clothing inside the panel to be cleaned and pressed. Then they would call the porter, who would open the panel from the outside with a skeleton key, pick up the clothes and later return them. I read that some people praised them because it meant they didn't have to tip the porter.
2. Andy Warhol slept here. So did Allen Ginsberg, Bob Hope, Mae West, Ringo Starr, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Carter, JFK, John Lennon, Nat King Cole, Paul Newman, Richard Nixon and Rose Kennedy.
3. The ballroom is ball gown beautiful. The old glass ceiling was falling apart and was replaced by a pretty arched ceiling painted with blue sky and white clouds. This is a popular wedding destination.
4. A restaurant named for the Finger Lakes. There are 11 Finger Lakes, so the hotel restaurant is named Eleven Waters.[Tomorrow we will venture out and see some of the region.] The restaurant makes its own butter, pours local wines and uses local ingredients. My favorite dish on the tasting menu tonight was the Sausage Cavatelli, made with Utica greens.
5. Local lobby nibbles. In the afternoon, the round table in the lobby holds a big urn of fresh cider from Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, local cheeses and today, squares of moist cake dotted with rosettes of peanut butter whipped cream. Yes, you read that right.
6. Luxe suites. The Presidential Suite and Bridal Suite are very pretty. The former may be yours for $1,200 per night and includes two bedrooms, two soaking tubs, a kitchen, dining room/conference room table and more. The latter has glam white chairs facing the mirror, just like at beauty salon, so you and your bridesmaids can get wedding hair and makeup done. Your mom and others can sit on the fashionable curved sofa, watching eagerly.

Better get upstairs now. Want to tweet for ASPIRE DESIGN AND HOME Magazine--some cool Stickley furniture here. Local Stickley company made furniture for the hotel's opening in 1924.

Good night. 

Stowe-away: Taking the Train to Vermont!

This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie "White Christmas."
Bing & Co. are heading up to Vermont on the train.
I'm working--Anthony's chapters today--and
taking an Amtrak train tomorrow to visit my college roommate,
Meg, and her husband, Greg, in Stowe!

TCOY

1. Walked to town--to hair salon for $20 blowout, to post office, to Chase and Bank of America, to CVS, to Sandwich Theory and to Kings. Then I walked home. I hit 12,612 steps on my fitbit!
2. Also popped into Talbots, where it was 30% off almost whole store. Got two essential tanks for layering under my Tory sweaters.
3. Made some broccoli with dinner.
4. Ice water.
5. Good dental care.
6. Tapped into reserve of calm to help Punch with homework.
7. For dessert, had a glass of cold organic 1 percent milk. And it was delicious.

20 Signs That I'm on Vacation--in Florida

1. Room keys [that keep losing their magnetic zip].
2. Sunglasses.
3. Hotel elevators.
4. Mighty little boxes of Tide and Bounce to do a load of wash.
5. Breakfast buffet with cheerful, mini packs of Cheerios and small cartons of milk.
6. SunPass vs. E-ZPass.
7. Palm trees stretching for sky.
8. Drive-through Starbucks.
9. Drive-through ice cream place.
10. Lounge chairs by the sea. Close eyes, fall instantly, peacefully asleep as pelicans swoop into the surf.  Mourn having to leave tomorrow.
11. Older gents in citrus-colored, low-slung, expensive sports cars.
12. Wearing my swimsuit everyday.
13. Parking at meter by pretty beach on North Ocean Blvd [Pelican Grand Beach Resort] for $1.25 an hour--good deal.
14. Spritzing on sunscreen.
15. Blow dry did not last!
16. So many turning lanes, and so many streets with double identities---each has a number name and a word name and a complicated compass hint, like NE or SE in front of the number--just to confuse you.
17. Housekeeping.
18. A.C.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19. Going to hotel gym with Sis in the mornings.
20. So many Orlando-bound families in our midst, en route to see Mickey.