0
0
Well, I’ve made it through Day 2, thanks to a little help from my handy bottle of Aleve. When I get back home, though, I’m going to need a nice foot massage and a good chiropractor.
Day 2 was scheduled to begin with check-in for The Brothers Bloom roundtable between 9 and 10. So I got up at 6:40. For some reason, I couldn’t get to sleep (maybe it was my big-sisterly instincts — since Ed didn’t get home from band practice until 12:30), and then I kept waking up, worried that my alarm wouldn’t go off, and I’d sleep through it. So the night was pretty much over before it really began. But there it was…time to get up.
I got ready to go, checked my email while eating breakfast, and hit the road. I needed to drive 4 1/2 miles to the inn where John and Clay are staying, and I needed to be there at 8:30 — so I made sure to leave at 7:45. For 4 1/2 miles. 45 minutes. And I needed every minute.
After I made it to the inn, John directed me to a parking garage that he’d found a few blocks away. Sure, it was relatively cheap ($10 for the whole day), but they only accepted cash, and the garage was dark and scary, and it appeared as though there were no markings to help me find my car back. I had a bad feeling about the garage, but I wasn’t going to argue. So I parked, sketched out a quick map, and moved on. After all, I didn’t have time to look for another parking garage (though, admittedly, one that was a bit closer would have probably been okay). We had to get going.
After a few blocks of walking, I realized that my map was pretty much worthless — since the name of the street we were on had changed several times. So much for finding my way back. But we walked on — first several blocks to Yonge Street, then approximately 40 miles to Front Street. It was already hot out, and there was absolutely no breeze whatsoever. It was already a pretty long and uncomfortable hike (especially if you were born with bad ankles, as I was). But the heat just made it that much worse.
By the time we made it to Front Street, I was tired and sore and sweating. When we arrived at the Royal York Hotel for the roundtables, I felt like a mess. This was my first big roundtable event, and I was about to show up to it all tired and sweaty. Perfect. I ran into the restroom to freshen up a bit (and, by that, I mean pull out a little powder to control my glistening skin and make sure my mascara hadn’t run down my face).
After consulting the concierge, we were directed up to the first floor for the roundtable. We headed to the elevators and prepared for the insanity.
The instant I walked into the check-in area, I was reminded of a scene from Notting Hill when Average Joe Hugh Grant goes to meet with Movie Star Julia Roberts at her hotel and ends up in the middle of a press junket for her latest movie. He checks in, makes up a random affiliate, and ends up waiting around to talk to her (with her publicist and other members of her staff nearby). It was a lot like that — and that freaked me out just a little bit.
I walked up to a table in the middle of a small lounge area and checked in, almost expecting the woman behind the table to tell me I wasn’t there and to promptly call security to have me tossed on the sidewalk. But there I was, on the list. She told me that I’d be in the Jasper room for the roundtable at 10, and she directed me to the refreshments. And, by refreshments, I mean “lavish spread.” There was a room with a table and a variety of beverages and brunch-y foods. The whole thing seemed like it had come straight out of one of the movies I’ve reviewed — probably one that I called “totally unbelievable, yet still absolutely magical,” or something like that. Because that’s how the whole thing felt.
Clearly, we weren’t in Columbus anymore.
But you’re going to have to wait for the rest of the story until later. It’s well past my time to crash. Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow.
