I am planning our next trip. It kind of goes without saying: I am always planning our next trip. What I am learning as I sit in this roadside Starbucks is that Spring is a hard time for deals. My laptop is plugged in. I am sitting at a very small table, which is next to Eli’s table, which is next to Kyle’s.
We (may) have two weeks to kill before moving into a place. Maybe we will fid a place sooner. We are thinking we will live in Utah for the summer. Wait! Hold up! I know I told you we had moved to San Francisco. We have. Then things happened. We are waiting for news, and in the meantime we are all sick of living in a hotel. Do you realize we have been living in a hotel since January 31? Ok. In truth, we spent the night at my friend Rachael’s, in Dallas on one night in January. Her home was a most lovely stopover on our way to Rome. Needless to say, our suitcases have been packed since January. We are all feeling rough around the edges, and I know it is time to take hold when I suggest simply buying new underwear or Neosporin instead of searching our storage unit for either.
We arrived in rainy, yes, rainy, Salt Lake City late last night. We decided to switch it up and try Salt Lake City’s new downtown Hyatt House. Ok, let me sidebar this post for a second. See, I would hope after staying nearly one hundred consecutive nights in a hotel that we would have learned a thing or two. And here is the most important thing I have learned. After checking in to any place, check the room out first before bringing in your luggage. So at 12:23 AM (give or take five minutes), Dave and I went up to the sixth floor of their “largest” room and immediately saw an issue. The SLC Hyatt House’s one bedroom suite (they call a suite) was no suite at all and had no bedroom. It was a room with a partial divider. Unlike the Emeryville Hyatt House (go Emeryville!) that actually has a true one bedroom (with a separate room and a door that closes), SLC’s Hyatt House completely phoned the one-bedroom. Boo! The very loud music coming from the neighbor’s room was only a secondary reason to exit the building. So with our luggage still in the car, we moved on.
Back in the St. George, Utah Starbucks and back seated at my tiny table, I realize that I have to pee. As I sit there with my full bladder, and look over at my boys, I think about homework on the road. We are all tired and I remember why. Up all night doing laundry. Our Las Vegas Vdara Executive Corner Suite was so large and fancy it had a washer and dryer in the room. Woot! Sure, the Euro-style dryer was a little confusing and took forever. Staying up all night long was totally worth it. I did not have to find a Laundromat.
I am starving. Sitting at my tiny Starbuck table I feel it. As my stomach growls, Eli announces, “I do not want to be here.” I ignore my hunger. I cannot see their laptops. I am not sure if I want to look. I distract myself with Award Travel. I am not having any luck. That happens. So I decide to check out the Points Guy. Dave was telling me just the other day that the Points Guy is sopopular that he 1. has a paid staff now, and 2. apparently makes enough money now that he doesn’t have to use points for hotel stays and just pays cash for really nice places. I log on to his site. Wow. I want to know how to leverage the points I already have. And because we have already signed up for the gazillion credit card deals out there, I am not finding any promising information.
My travel-search-focus is broken. I do not mind. Kyle asks me if I have read “Flatland.” Then he tells me he is reading the book for Biology. “Is it about flat worms in the flatland?” I ask. Later on Kyle asks Dave the same thing. Of course Dave knows that “Flatland” is about a two-dimensional world. When I answer Kyle, he rolls his eyes and stares blankly at me. I love this look, smile, and ask, “Are you giving me teen face?” Of course he is giving me teen face.
Eli wants to go to the car. This Starbucks is loud. I do not blame him. Instead I say, “Dude, this is your time to do homework.”
Maybe I can look into a Youtube channel. My marketing team (Kyle and Eli – hey, do not underestimate the perspective of the teen mind) keeps telling me I need one. I look over at Eli. He puts his headphones back on. I feel for my boys. Our life is disturbed for a reason. We are waiting for news on Dave’s company. Wait or no wait, I know that nothing about Kyle and Eli’s current school life is easy or convenient. I often ignore (cut them some slack) their iFunny and Youtube viewing. When the end of each week comes, they always manage to get their homework done.
As I sit here writing this post, watching my boys, and canceling out the loud coffee shop noises, I believe I have figured out how to set up a Youtube Channel. My Google account links to Youtube. I start setting up my account. I can’t! I am SO distracted by my HUNGER! I had to stop. I literally hear my stomach growl through my noise-canceling headphones. Dave bought the boys non-caffeine Frappuccinos for Frappuccino Happy Hour. They cannot be as hungry as I am.
Moments ago and after Wet-wiping our sticky, coffee-spill covered tables, Dave told me, “It is too loud!” His comment was enough. I stood up, walked around the tiny Starbucks, and found him another spot. As I called him over, of course I had to Wet-Wipe his new table too. Now he is in the back on a conference call. We persevere.
Wait. I see that the Youtube Channel is attached to my non-crazyus email account. I think that means I need to create a new account. Hungry people have done way more than what I am doing now. I will find a way. I must. I am embarrassed to tell you how easy it was. Eli has removed his headphones, and is staring at Kyle’s computer. I look at Kyle’s computer. OMG, he is actually doing homework. Eli yawns and whispers, “I want to go.” So do I. Instead I point him back toward his laptop. Dave taps me on the back. He is done with his call and ready to go. I ask him to wait. While Dave grabs his laptop bag, I ask the boys if they are doing homework. Kyle leans forward and says, “Mom, they are making me read a story I read in Seventh Grade.” He tells Dave then same thing. Dave taps my back again and puts his arm around me. “I am just trying to find one more thing and then we can go.” I say. At that Eli jumps and starts packing up his stuff. As he winds his cords, Dave wanders urgently through the store. I point my right arm in the direction to the bathroom. My hunger slows my brain. “Don’t get h’angry. Don’t get h’angry.” I think. I need to eat. Dave is now sitting down. Kyle announces, “I am not ready. I am in the middle of something.” Eli leans against the window. Dave looks at his laptop. I can only think of my desperately hungry stomach. I take a deep breath. I ask Dave to book us a hotel for tonight and to look for some end-of-May travel deals.
Just this morning I called my mom to check in. “We are in Salt Lake City.” I tell her. I am happy she is glad. “Hey, maybe I should write a memoir about these past three months.” I continue, “I mean, who is crazy enough to take their boys out of school, attempt to move to San Francisco, have the plan change and remain in a holding pattern this long?” Travel rocks. I am glad we yanked our boys out of school. Not knowing where we will land, however, is a little less delightful.
This is our vagabond life.
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Sidebar: The three most valuable smartphone apps for a roadtrip: Google Maps, Yelp, and GasBuddy. Gasbuddy is a crowdsourced record of how much gas costs at different stations. It’s easy to find a station selling gas for 10-12 cents lower than gas from stations a block away.
Sidebar: Don’t neglect your AAA discounts. In Utah, the ubiquitous Maverick gas station offers a 4 cent per gallon discount for swiping your AAA card at the pump. AAA is generally worth it for the hotel discounts alone, but this is icing on the cake. Check out your local AAA chapter’s website. There are other gas stations that offer discounts.
Sidebar: Starbucks has promotions, like the current 2 for 1 Frappuchino deal, and many of them are exclusive to Gold card members. You earn gold by buying 30 drinks within 12 months. The most lucrative gold perk is free refills on tea and brewed coffee. I often buy a green iced tea (Venti size for about $2.75) then refill it throughout the day. Once I’ve bought 12 teas, I get a free drink or food item. We usually spring for a sandwich ($5.95). So you spend $33 to get 36+ teas, and get a $6 sandwich for free. Not bad if you’re a green tea addict like I am.