A Tale of Two Cities and Hotels

September 22, 2006
The weekend began on the wrong foot. As I entered the city limits westbound on I-70, a very upset Kelly called me from our sixth-floor room. The conversation centered on reservations made at the hotel. We were supposed to be staying at the Marriott near the Country Club Plaza, but instead she phoned from the Marriott at 12th and Central in downtown Kansas City, MO. To be honest, she was much more upset than I, but with good reason. Had Kelly booked a room at the one near the Country Club Plaza, a quick elevator ride to the second floor would have dropped her off at the ballroom where several schools, including hers, promoted their respective graduate programs for the McNair Scholars students. Instead, she inadvertently reserved a twenty-minute drive down Broadway.

Even though Kelly appreciated the rose and card I gave her regardless of the circumstances, to me its symbolism rang hollow had I not offered to drive her to the hotel across town and spend the evening with her behind the table while she greeted prospective students. During the lulls in student traffic, we engaged in talk about our relationship where we agreed on some things and disagreed on others. Eventually, the night came to an end. We packed up the brochures, folders and banners, choked down some McGarbage we picked up on the drive back, and then fell asleep.

September 23, 2006
The next day, we headed down to the Country Club Plaza and half-heartedly explored the Art Fair as we made our way to California Pizza Kitchen. It was one of Kelly’s favorite restaurants (I am winning her over to the Texas Roadhouse though), but after 10 months, I believe it was the first time we ate there together. After lunch, we just strolled through the shops in the area: The Paper Source, J. Crew, The Gap, Pottery Barn, Aldo, Halls, and sipped a drink at Starbucks. Exhausted, we went back to the hotel and grabbed some rest. Later that evening we drove into Kansas City, KS to Dave’s Famous BBQ for one last mega-meal before our diet.

September 24, 2006
Sunday arrived and it was time to drive back home. Before hitting the road, we went back to the Country Club Plaza for a “healthy” lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. We tipped our waiter $1 each to show our sincere gratitude for the superior service he avoided giving us. So in spite of the weekend starting off on the wrong foot and ending on the wrong foot, a shoe purchase at Aldo before our farewell hugs and kisses ensured that those two feet would at least look good.

- SMR