November 18, 2007
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Travel Update
I'm in the 'Dragon Suite' at a hotel in Chinatown in LA.
When I walked in, I thought, 'low-level mob boss.' Which is unkind. It's pretty nice for a cheap-ish hotel room. Still, though, if there's a room in which a RICO sting operation will occur, it's this one.
I saw the jacuzzi tub and thought, Yay! And then I noticed that you can't close the drain. Not-yay. That's kind of the vibe here. Getting on the elevator with me: A man who must have been 80 was with a very large woman who must have been 55 at least, and by large I mean tall, as in a double-take to see if she was a tranny.
She helped me with my key card. You have to swipe your key card in the elevator to get it to work. She laughed about it, "Welcome to the Chinese hotel!" she exhorted loud enough to be heard by the desk clerk and all the staff and all the guests of that racial and/or ethnic background. As she got off, she said, "Are you here with the cruise? I'm having such a great time..." Then the door to the elevator shut, and I said loudly, "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." She laughed and the whole place shook.
I had to wonder why she immediately assumed I was on some cruise that she was on. What, exactly, did we have in common, other than staying in a hotel?
Oh well.
Update: Worst faked orgasm in an adjoining room EVAR. I had to turn up the movie I was watching to keep from laughing out loud. (Movie: 'Domino,' also pretty bad.)
And speaking of trannies.... I have no problem with transexual or transgender people. I don't think the woman I wrote about was trans, and really it's none of my business. It's just that she was so very tall, and this was a way to describe her. Here's another tranny story from this trip:
King Street Amtrak Station, Seattle. I go to check my bags. Wander into a dingy, scuffed-up room, even the marble floors showing sign of wear. A couple guys in blue overalls with Amtrak logos on them milling behind the distressed counter, wear marks where customers have leaned against it for at least two centuries. One turns around to help me. Long hair and painted fingernails... Wait. Readjust. OK. This literal girly-man is going to check my baggage and hoist it into a train. She could kick my ass, but she's smiling, almost laughing at the time it takes me to figure out. She speaks, "May I help you?" No effort at changing his voice, just a sort of feminine demeanor. Completely cool with herself, and now it's time for me to be cool with her, too.
Which inspires me, actually.
We do the check baggage thing and I'm on my way.
Comments (8)
LA is just weird all over. And it's in the fucking way. I travel up from here (san diego) to my home town (on the central coast of california) often, and LA just makes the trip much longer than it needs to be. I hope you're enjoying your adventure, and beware - there ARE lots of trannies up there.
well, however she defines "the cruise" - perhaps you are
maybe... is there a cruise line port nearby?
I've never taken a cruise..
despite liking being on the water ... I think the huge floating hotel aspect is the thing that gets me
At least the Dragon Suite has the internets.
I didn't mean beware of them, I meant when you go shopping make sure you read the fine print, that kind of warning. if you know what I mean.
a transgender asked me out once. she used to be a straight man, and then after her surgery she identified herself as a lesbian. I was flattered as she was very smart and interesting, but I wasn't looking for a girlfriend. and she was about 6'5, too. and the part that really cracked me up? she was waaay more feminine that I am.
Good writing.
Thin walls in a hotel? Very bad idea. I hope the rest of the trip are a lot more yay than not yay.
Much humor in these tales from a passerby.
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