Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Just a small town girl

Today I realized just how much of a small town girl I have become.   I had to travel into the "big city" today for a meeting. 

There was a time when I would use any excuse to go to Halifax.  It was vibrant, exciting and all that good stuff.  So many stores, specialty shops, cafes, restaurants, clubs etc.   But today I realized those feelings were from my 20's.

Today, in my 40's it was nothing like that.  It was crowded, chaotic and annoying.  Too much traffic, so many lanes, merging, turning, bicycles whizzing in and out of traffic and pedestrians who (apparently) think it's OK to just dash out in front of moving cars.    Oh and don't forget the maze of one-way streets downtown - so if you turn left one street too soon, you have to take 20 flippin minutes to loop back around the circle.  

And parking downtown.........HA !  I arrive downtown just at lunch hour (when all the pedestrians are running freely through the streets oblivious to traffic laws).  I get to the hotel where my meeting is being held.  No apparent guest parking.  Directly across the street is a parking lot.  The signs say paid hourly parking but both entrances are wide open.  No toll booths or ticket machines.  I thought "this is just too good to be true".  I parked and as I walked across the street I started to get that nagging feeling.  "This can't be right. What if I come out a dusk and rush hour and my car has been towed??"

I walked into the hotel lobby where I was met by Mr. Snotty Concierge.  I told him I was at the hotel for a meeting and wanted to know where I could park.  (This is a reasonable question, Right?)
He looks at me and in a very bad faux british accent says..."Well, I don't know"............

Huh?  What do you mean you don't know?  Aren't you the Concierge for this hotel??  So I am a bit taken aback, so I tell him I have parked in the parking lot across the street.  Is that OK?  He scrunches up his stupid face and says "What parking lot?" 

Now people - - - the ONLY thing across the street from this hotel is a parking lot.  The-only-thing!! So now I am starting to get annoyed, like a lot.    We walk out the door and I point across the street like a moron.  As I am AGAIN asking him about this lot - TWICE he put a finger up in the air, then clutched his friggin headset and says (in that fake British accent) "ooh, I'm being summoned".    Seriously ??  He was prancing around with that headset like he was running The Plaza in New York City.   Its a flippin Marriott for pete's sake!

He's prancing around with that fake accent and that stupid headset like he is all that and a bag of chips!
Now I'm mad.  I ask him when they host meetings/conferences, where do people park?    Jeeves looks at me again.  Then he stumbles out some babble about having to contact the meeting organizer to ask about parking blah blah blah. 

Finally I'm so close to doing something really special with that headset - I take a deep breath and remind him - I am prepared to pay for parking - I expect to pay for parking - I know its the city - you pay to park - I JUST NEED TO KNOW WHERE

Sigh....Jeeves is now befuddled and I am just fed up.  I said never mind, I'll take my chances in the mystery lot.  If I get towed that would still be a better experience than this exchange.    I plopped my fed-up butt in the lobby lounge to wait for my session to start.  (Yes, bitchy I know)

A few minutes later Jeeves prances over and says.......(are you ready for this?)  "The valet can park your car underground for the afternoon for $10"    WELL, why didn't you friggin say that in the first place??

I was so happy to get back to my sweet little small town tonight.  When I was younger "they" said it would happen.  I didn't believe it.  As I get older I am becoming a cranky old woman!

14 comments:

  1. How was the rest of the day? I think that just happens now. I have found that if I take my daughter, we get better service and I am invisible. I could send her up there next time you need to go somewhere. :)
    Yeah, I bet you are just a small town girl now. That happens. I never was going to stay where I am and now I drive like a old lady too.
    I am glad you are home. I hope it was a great day.

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  2. LOL Well first of all honey your a long way from being a cranky ole woman but after dealing with this jerk today I can see it might move one up a notch or two and pretty fast at that. Glad I was not there because after the week I have had in traveling with my boss to South Carolina I would have probably decked him when he came over and told me I could valet park.
    Was he on drugs or what.
    Hope tomorrow is better for you
    Love ya
    Maggie

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  3. I would have given him a chunk of my mind! His ignorance wouldah paturbed me and I would have spoken to the manager. Gee, am I ah cranky ole lady?
    NO! Ya jist can't fix stupid like the faux little man with ah headset...heehee
    Hugs girl, the big city ain't for me either anymore. Come visit my blog and see the deer visit video I made.

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  4. Ahhhhhhh .....
    Say it with me ..... There's no place like home ... There's no place like home ... There's no place like home ... And if you have your ruby slippers on ... Well, even better!
    Hope the rest of your week is happier! And BTW, I'm there with ya on the cranky ole lady part!
    Teri

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  5. The city cranks me up too! Just going there to drop off furniture cured me of big city wanderlust for another year!
    Hugs,
    Courtney

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  6. I hear ya.I too thought OHHH how I would love to live in the city nope it's the country life for me. You are better than I am I would have asked for management the little ass.
    Cathy

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  7. Oh my gosh, Kim, I so know what you mean!!! I hate going to cities and having to deal with the traffic and the crazy people everywhere. It's such a blessing when someone more used to doing it is kind enough to drive.
    I am a country woman all the way. Just give me a two lane road and NO traffic! And no snooty men with earpieces!!!

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  8. When I drive somewhere that I'm not familiar with, I always take my Garmin (GPS). She gets me where I am going, as for the parking. I am not nearly as patient as you, the second time Jeeves was rude, I would have demanded the manager! I have been known to cause a stir, but I'm old and it's o.k.

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  9. Oh gosh. What a twit. I would have punched the guy in his snobby little nose. Ben and I try to stay away from a certain part of our city, just because it's the same way - filled with snobs - and we can't stand it! Apparently we're country folk in our blood. Just gives us the rednecks. At least they're polite and willing to help. :)

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  10. Kim, this guy obviously was either a nut or someone let out of the psychiatric ward too soon. What an idiot... People go to these hotel in cars and they need a place to park their cars.

    I think that my second question to him would have been" How long have you been working here?" WELL FIND OUT WHERE I CAN PARK MY FRIGGIN CAR or your boss will hear from me... Geez I'm getting all my feathers ruffled just putting myself in your situation, lol...

    I find as I'm getting older I'm getting less patient and I loose my fears of speaking my mind.

    You did well to find the place where you were supposed to go. I hate these big hotel down town where you can't see the parking garage and you need to pay a valet to park your car. That's the way it was at the Marriot in Toronto. It's nice to have a valet to park my car but I like to know where my car is parked.

    Hope that your meeting went well. Hugs. JB

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  11. Hi Kim,

    Can understand your frustration but hopefully, the meeting worked out better than the parking issue...I have no patience these days, either, it seems and Julia speaks as I feel...:)

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  12. Kim ~
    Welcome to the curmudgeon club! I'm not sure if we're getting older and wiser or they are getting younger and stupider!
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  13. I'm laughing out loud! What a twit ~ maybe he didn't even work there ~ maybe he just got himself a headset and was playing concierge for a day!! It's amazing that people like that get paid for such rude behavior! I'm with the other 'old' girls ~ I would have 'summoned' his manager in a real big hurry!! And you do have a way with a story!!

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  14. Whew!! I thought that crap "they" said would happen was only happening to me. Glad to know I'm not alone. On the compassionate side, perhaps the poor bloke grew up impoverished and only got the BBC channel on the tellie.... I would not have been able to resist....my son just cringes when someone "tempts" me...he knows that "they know not what they do," nor what they have just unleashed. I'm not called The Cranky Crow for nothing!! Glad you made it back home to the small town side of things....Smiles & Hugs ~ Robin

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