"I have wined & dined with Kings and Queens and I've slept in alleys eatin' pork & beans."
- 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes
Part I
It's the ducks & geese that I will remember the most.
The ducks & geese... The ones that bob and float on Lake Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Early in the morning, late in the evening they are here. Honking to each other and honking just to be heard. A sanctuary with no natural predators nearby, they are part of this resort under Pike's Peak. They are about the only natural element in this purposefully created corner of the world...
For the last few days and with a couple of more to go, I have been a guest at the 5 star Broadmoor Resort. This beautiful place with it's marble floors and stairs, lit up by crystal chandeliers, offering fancy boutique shops, a world class golf course (the seniors US Open will be played here this summer), several fine dining restaurants and valet parking.
In 2008, only 100 hotels and 60 restaurants in the world achieved the coveted 5 diamond status. To say anything other than the Broadmoor is top of the line would be a huge disservice to the dedicated staff. The Grand Dame of the Rockies is more than a resort; it's a living landmark of the old West. For 90 years the Broadmoor has hosted the rich and famous. John Wayne, Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill have been guests here. And now, me.
I'm neither rich, nor famous. I'm a tag-a-long, a plus one to a lady who is here for a business conference. I'm here merely to carry her bags (although tuxedo clad bellhops did that for me) and to do the driving on the Daytona-like speedway that is I-25. I'm a duck, a Mallard. An outsider looking in. Bobbing in and out of European inspired buildings, floating on a high of opulence and unsurpassed customer service...
"May we turn your bed down for you?"
"Is the room temperature to your liking?"
"Have you had a chance to visit our world class spa?"
"Your in room touch-screen computer will assist you in making your stay more comfortable."
Their slogan is, "If you've been here, you know." Oh, I've been here and I know...
I know that I've gotten a glimpse of how a very small percentage of the population lives. I know that some people enjoy this type of living. Like many of the older women here; far past their physical prime with unnaturally colored hair, wearing too much make up, in designer jeans that sort of fit now that they have had the fat sucked out of their ass and had it shoved back into their cheeks and forehead. These are the type people who are so self-absorbed that they never look up or around in the restuarant. They can't be bothered to take it all in because in their minds, they are what is worth looking at. Sad....
And the men, in their crisply pressed shirts tucked neatly into properly cuffed pants, with slicked back hair or shiney bald heads, looking extremely fit and wealthy. Many with their bluetooth ear pieces in, walking quickly & carrying $400 leather shoulder bags, convincing themselves or trying to convince someone else that they are worth doing business with. Perhaps they are, perhaps I'm too judgemental. Perhaps I need to get the Hell out of here.
I'm not used to being catered to. I don't like being dependant on someone to go fetch my vehicle. I don't like paying $3.75 for a can of Diet Coke. I don't need my bed turned down (although I do like having someone else make it) I don't need a flatscreen TV in the bathroom, even though watching Bill O'Reilly is much more tolerable when sitting on the crapper. I don't like the aura of the other guests here. This isn't my place, this isn't my world and thank God, this isn't my life.
In a few days we'll be moving on, headed south to a Colorado experience that is more my style. Small towns with big views, tucked into high mountains. Where I can park my own truck, carry my own bags and where Carhart and Wrangler, are the only clothing labels that matter. I'll be comfortable there, where a bar is a smokey dimly lit place, with spit & blood stains on the floor, not a well lit tavern with coasters, easy chairs and hanging fake plants. Where people smile and say 'Hello', because that is their nature, not because it's their job.
That is where I'll be most comfortable, most at home and feeling most like myself. And not feeling so much like a duck out of water...
.....to be continued -
