I woke up a little early this morning, because I was so excited to see Artie today! I called Eric and was happy to hear he made it safely to work this morning – he even rode his bicycle from Chinatown to the job on Wall Street. He’s unbelievable! He said it was cold, but he only had a mile to go. That’s a mile more than I would have gone!
Artie called around 10:30am and we made plans for me to meet him at the hotel in Del Mar at noon. I had never been to the Grand Del Mar, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was flabbergasted. This place is one of the fanciest hotels I have ever seen. Now, granted, I haven’t traveled much and haven’t had the luxury of staying at a lot of fine hotels, but I’ve seen most of the “greats” in NY – the Plaza (my favorite), the Waldorf-Astoria, the Pierre, The Ritz-Carlton, and have been to the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, too.
This hotel is as fabulous as any of them. The main difference is that it’s brand new – just 1-1/2 years old! It opened in October of 2007, just before we got to San Diego.
It lies on a huge piece of property. When I made a left onto Grand Del Mar Way I came to a guard house and told the man I was there to see a guest. He told me to make the first right into the driveway. He didn’t mention that the first right was about TWO MILES away! I couldn’t believe how far I had to drive! Then, I saw a huge building, but it wasn’t the main hotel (I still don’t know what it was – maybe the club house, because people actually LIVE in this complex, too).
I passed the golf club, and then finally found the hotel, which was simply magnificent. I parked the car and had to walk down a long path to the hotel. When I got inside I called Artie, but I got his voicemail, so I just started wandering. The combination of woods, fabrics, marble, granite, mosaics, tiles, and stenciling was blowing my mind.
The architecture is Spanish style, and you can see that a lot of thought was put into every piece of furniture, every painting on the wall, every pattern on the floor, every gold leaf on the ceiling. It was just magnificent.
I had to touch these flowers (and lemons) to believe they were all real. The arrangement (which was right at the entrance to the hotel) was HUGE and fabulous!!!!
Artie called me back and said he had been called into an impromptu meeting, so I just wandered around for about 15 more minutes until he was finished. Then, he took me to see his room. My mind was blown again. His room had the fanciest bathroom I have ever seen – fit for a king. The room itself was very luxurious and he had his own private patio, and a gate that led to the pool, which was right beyond his patio. The hotel only has 3 floors, and his floor is a lower level, because the hotel is actually built on a hill.
We sat outside on his patio and talked for a while and then we went to a lovely restaurant in the hotel called AMAYA (“The Grand Del Mar’s casual, all-day restaurant offering Mediterranean-inspired cuisine”) and sat outside on the “expansive outdoor terrace overlooking the beautiful fairways of the Grand Golf Club.”
Artie started with the Catalan Shrimp with a chili lime marinade and garden fresh herbs served with grilled baguettes. I got the hearts of romaine salad with Caesar dressing, croutons and shaved parmesan.
For our main dishes, Artie got the Braised Short Rib Pappardelle, with oven-dried tomato, fine herbs and shaved truffles. I got the Smoked Salmon Flat Bread, with domestic caviar, baby arugula, feta cheese, shaved asparagus and lemon crème fraiche. WOW! Both our dishes were lovely and we really enjoyed them. I couldn’t finish my salmon on the flat bread, so I took it home, but by the time I left (at 5:00pm) I was hungry again, so I actually ate it on the ride home!!!
Artie treated for lunch, saying that he could just charge it to his room. Now, that’s living! After lunch we walked around a little and looked at the shops. I treated to tiny cups of gelato in their gourmet store. Artie had mango and I had Mocha with tiny nuts and coffee beans ground up in it, which gave it a little crunch. Yummy!
At around 3:00pm Artie had to meet with the dancers and others involved in the party tonight, but he said if I didn’t mind just hanging around I could stay. I told him I just had to be at yoga at 7:00pm, so I would definitely stay longer.
We went to look at the ballroom, which was lovely and very fancy, and then checked to see that the costumes and “give-aways” were deliverd to the dressing room. Then, we met all the dancers, who had driven down from L.A. Artie is friends with two of them, but there were four others (6 all together -- 3 boys and 3 girls). There was also an MC, which Artie described as “the star of the show” who flew out with him.
The lighting guys were coming with the equipment from L.A. Artie has to coordinate everything – the people who hired him with the people who are running the meeting with the staff at the hotel, the dancers, the lighting guys, and anyone else that will be involved in the event. It was a corporate event, but it wasn’t the employees of the corporation that were attending, but rather lots of people in the same field (insurance) who were meeting for conferences, so the people at the meeting didn’t necessarily know one another.
That makes a big difference in a party, and Artie spent quite a bit of time sitting and talking with the 6 dancers, because they don’t just entertain. They also mingle with the guests, and Artie was explaining the “personality” of the party – telling them that there might not be that much dancing, since there were only about 30-40 women out of 120 attendees at the conference, and most of them have only known each other for a few days.
I was so impressed with Artie. I’ve seen him in action before (we've been friends for 33 years), because I actually did a party with him many years ago (I danced in a few dances and then wore a “French Maid” costume and tickled lots of men and boys at a Bar Mitzvah with my feather duster! I also worked with Artie as a choreographer many times.
Anyway, Artie is so articulate, and was able to let them know exactly what he expected from them – and what they could expect from the guests. He also coordinated all the activity, and was totally in control the entire time. He HAS been doing this for over 20 years, so it’s no surprise that he’s such a professional.
The dancers got to work unpacking all the give-aways and setting them up so they were easy to grab as they went out to the ballroom. They also went through all the costumes, figuring out who would wear what. They were starting the party in a big garden with fabulous arches and the costumes were like Spanish Flamenco dancers, which were so fabulous. I really wish I could have stayed to see it all, but yoga called!
After watching the dancers rehearse (they were gorgeous), meeting the MC, and watching them set up all the tables (from rolling them out, putting the legs down, standing them up, to putting all the linens on them) and watching the lights get set, I finally left a little after 5:00pm. Artie invited me to the party, but he said he’d be very busy running around doing his job, and I had my yoga class, so I just said I’d see him tomorrow. After taking a few pictures of the hotel, my camera died and I couldn't get any pictures of me and Artie, but I'm charging my battery tonight, so I promise pictures tomorrow!
We made plans for me to pick him up at noon at the hotel, bring him back to the apartment, and then go out to lunch before I drop him back in the afternoon for the next party tomorrow night (which will be much lower-key with just a buffet and a four-piece band – no DJ, no MC, no dancers).
I called Eric as I walked up to the car and then drove back to Clairemont. I stopped at Starbucks, because I was dying of thirst after eating the rest of my salmon flat bread on the way home. Then, I went to PETCO (where the pets go!), because I had gotten measurements from DELTA for a carry-on case for Conrad and I wanted to see what they had. I was pleasantly surprised to find they had the PERFECT accommodations! I purchased a small cage that is perfect for a parakeet and even has 2 perches! I was so happy, because obviously birds are more comfortable on a perch than they are on a flat surface, so at least he’ll be able to stand comfortably.
I also purchased a food dish. I already have one extra food dish, but I’ll need one for food and one for water, so I needed to buy the second one. The food dishes that come with his regular cage are designed specifically for that cage and can’t be used in this carrier.
Next, I got a stiff fabric cover for the cage that unzips on either end. If you had a tiny dog he could go right into this (or a bunny, hamster or guinea pig, etc.), but it’s perfect because Conrad will definitely be cozier if he’s covered up more. He’d be too exposed in just the cage and would definitely be more nervous. It has two pockets on one end, to hold small items (like the health certificate I’ll need to show) and fresh air vents in a star-shaped window covered with mesh on each side. It’s plastic-lined, so if water spills it will be easy to wipe up (although I’ll only give him water on the plane). The outside is a striped fabric in blues, black and yellow (very pretty!). I'll have to photograph it and show you all!
Lastly, I purchased some seed, but I bought the smallest package they sold, because I figure I just need enough to last me the next 39 days and I’ll buy more when I get back to NY. I was so relieved and excited to have found this cage and container, because now I am completely set to fly with Conrad. It meets the airline’s specifications, it’s cute and it will be easy to carry. Who could ask for anything more?
When I got back to the apartment I just had about a half hour to relax before changing into my yoga clothes and heading to South Park. I remembered that my regular instructor is in India (where all the yogis go) so we had a substitute. She was very young, and very sweet, but she made us work a lot harder, so it wasn’t as serene as usual, although I totally enjoyed it.
When I got home I watched THE BIGGEST LOSER and then AMERICAN IDOL. I just can’t get enough of my reality TV!!!
I’m SO excited to show Artie the apartment tomorrow and then take him out to lunch. I’m going to offer some of my favorite lunch spots and see where he’d like to go. Depending on his schedule we can stay close in Clairemont, head north – since that’s the direction we need to go anyway or – if he has time – take him south to Hillcrest, Old Town, South Park, Little Italy, or Downtown. It’s all up to Artie!