On the Road with Freddy: January 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Ice Storm Cometh or, The Older Generation has gotten OUT OF CONTROL!!

True story from Jamie's business trip day before yesterday:

Matt and I finally arrived at our Hampton Inn around 10:15 last night. Matt checks in and everything is fine. I try to check in, and they tell me that they had an ice storm the night before and some guests had extended their stays and there were no rooms available for me. I would, instead, be comped a room at the Best Western next door. I just stared at the receptionist with a blank stare until I was sure that she was thoroughly uncomfortable.

So Matt drives me over to the Best Western. When we walk in, reception is on the right and Lady Gaga music was blaring from a bar to the left called "The Bar from Nowhere." I comment to the male receptionist that it sounds like there is a party going on in the bar. He says that it is senior night. Lady Gaga is playing MY POKER FACE. Matt and I laugh - not taking the guy seriously. I thought the guy was joking about senior night.

Matt and I make the decision to try out the Bar from Nowhere. When we walk in, there are literally more than 65 people over 65...and Matt and me. At this point, old people music is playing and old people are slow dancing. Matt and I are immediately uncomfortable which is only made worse by the fact that the bar is packed--standing room only. After a bunch of jokes directed at old people between one another , the DJ puts on rap music. Old people start break dancing. Honestly, break dancing. Weirdest thing that I have ever seen. I start dying laughing; the old people around me dont seem to like the fact that I am not taking their senior night very seriously. I look over my shoulder and see two 75 year olds making out in the corner. Gross.

The icing on the cake: I say to the bar tender (a young guy), "this looks like a pretty rough crowd. Do you think that any of these people are going to start a fight with us? I am pretty nervous." No more than 2 minutes later a woman comes running up to the bar yelling at the bartender "FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT, break it up! They are fighting!" We look over and see two 70 year old women getting into a physical altercation. Apparently, some hussy decided to dance with a married man. The man's wife was none too happy. The fight was broken up. The DJ plays more rap. More old people break dance. To make things worse, I had drunk old people yapping outside of my window all night.

That was definitely one of the weirdest nights of my life.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Cool Ft Myers 1920's house

My dad is staying in a cool house in Ft. Myers. This is an interesting neighborhood near the historic winter estates of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison on the banks of the scenic Caloosahatchee River which flows down to the Gulf.

Then, of course, it was time for lunch at The Sandy Butler...yummmmmm