: Old Dog? Meet New Trick.
We went out to LA last month for a wedding and to catch up with relatives and old friends. We rented a car ahead of time at #@$%&@* Car Rental. I will conceal the name to protect the innocents but it is often associated with someone named Rara. Anyway, because we are getter older I choose to rent a Prius, because that’s what we’re used to driving – and it has built in GPS. I deliberately choose the GPS option (pay attention, that’s the crucial part here).
After landing, when we got to #@$%&@* Car Rental it was a madhouse. I thought that since I had paid for a specific car ahead of time that it would be waiting there for me, apparently that only applies to Preferred Customers (or whatever the hell they call them). I won’t make that mistake again. We got in a line that was out the door. Then our guardian angel appeared – in the guise of a {cough} employee.
She took us to the returns building (since check in was so crowded they were taking the overflow in the other building) .
At the returns building, our guardian angel punched in our reservation but then with tears in her eyes she confessed, “Sorry, we have no Priuses available right now. I can give you a mid-sized car at a slightly lower price – and since the Prius has much better gas mileage we will not charge you for gas” We were devastated for a brief couple of milli-seconds, but soon recovered. We would get on with our lives.
“OK – but does it have built in GPS?”
“Sorry, but we only supply the hand-held GPS systems.”
“OK”“It’s a ‘ Holy GPS Device’ model 42, sir. That’s an excellent model, easy to use”
“OK”
Now we proceeded to wait a bit. Then we waited a bit more. The ‘Holy GPS Devices’ were locked up in a secret cave. A dragon was slain. The ‘Holy GPS Device’ was brought unto us and placed in our hands with the usual blessings. And then, and then? Our trek was not yet done because they could not enter the ID number of ‘The Holy GPS Device’ into the computer.
So while they were working on that, Lisa & I said to each other “That’s strange. How come no one rents GPS any more? Hmm. You know it might have to do with one of those apps that people have on their cell phones. Haven’t we seen our kids using those? Maybe we could use those and then not have to wait.”
So we both took out our cells and by the time our guardian angel gave up on entering the GPS ID into the computer and just wrote out our receipt? We had figured out how to use Google Maps – I had gotten the directions to our hotel mapped out.
Later during our stay . . . . just out of curiosity. . . we tried running both Google Maps and ‘The Holy GPS Device’ at the same time. Google Maps won by about two lengths- it was quicker and the instructions were a bit more understandable.
Oh yeah. The wedding was wonderful and we had some bittersweet “catching up” get-togethers. Fucking traffic out there makes me crazy.
Oh, and wait – there’s more!! When we returned the car? After we walked 1/2 mile to get back to our hotel I realized that I had left the car key in my pocket! Why did they let me leave without double checking that the key was in the car?! Can’t they see we’re getting older?! As our hotel was only 1/2 mile or so away from the hotel, I figured someone could run right over and pick up the key – but no-o-o-o. You cannot get through to a human being at the LA {cough} Car Rental.
It’s now about 10:00 at night and we’re leaving for the airpot at 6:45 the next morning. So I got a cab to drive me back to the {aargh} Returns Building – and they knew immediately which car it was. They even arranged to have me driven back to the hotel. So I get into van that’s driving me back.
“Where ya going?”
“Marriott Hotel”
I am driven to a ‘Marriott’ – but it is not my hotel. Where the hell are we, I wasn’t paying more attention where we going?
“This is not my hotel!”“But it’s the Marriott”
“That’s not my hotel”
“Oh, you must be at the ‘blah-blah Marriott’. That’s just down the road closer to the airport.”
We drive – now I know where we are and where my hotel is. But the driver turns off the road before we get to my hotel.
“This isn’t it”
“This is the ‘blah-blah Marriott’ Oh! You must be at the Courtyard Marriott”
Third time was a charm. Who knew that Marriott Hotels come in three different flavor? Now I know – and so do you. I gave the driver a very nice tip and thanked him for being patient with me.
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May 6, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at The Great Notch Inn, Route 46, Little Falls (973) 256-7742
Sing along to the melody of Back in the Saddle- “Back at the No-otch again. We’re back at the No-otch again. It’s been so long that I can’t remember when. We’re back at the No-otch again”
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/
http://www.agreatertown.com/little_falls_nj/great_notch_inn_new_jerseys_rockin_roadhouse_00089580
May 12, Friday, 7:00-9:00 PM – With Jake Walker, at Ruthie’s Bar-B-Q & Pizza, 64 1/2 Chestnut Ave, Montclair (973) 509-1134Jake Walker is world class guitarist, vocalist, and song writer. He regularly tours in Europe and has a well reviewed CD to his name. I will be playing mostly blues with him at Ruthie’s, along with bassist Brian Hess.
http://www.ruthiesbbq.com/http://www.jakewalkerband.com/
May 20, Saturday, 9:00PM-1:00AM – Better Off Dead at Core’s Tavern, 45 Franklin St, Bloomfield, NJ (973) 429-1708 Core’s Tavern is new to me – but if you look out on their website you’ll see that this place has quite the back story – multil-generational neighborhood gathering place. Better off Dead also has quite the back story too – but this is a family e-mail so the details will have to go unsaid.
http://www.betteroffdead.com/home.htm/http://www.corestavern.com/