Right now I’m laid up in my niece’s bed while she and the boys play video games. This is awesome.
We left the house around 4 p.m. on Tuesday and got to Mobile, Alabama at around 11 p.m. It turned out the Howard Johnson in Mobile, AL was NOT what I’d expected. It is now called the Emerald Palms and was a rattrap. I didn’t see any rats there but they may have been cleverly concealed in the filthy carpet.
After I checked in, a couple followed me out the lobby to my car and the guy was saying something. My instinct was to tell him to get away from me but I was afraid he’d follow us to our room and kill us. Or something. So I deciphered his mumblings and told him that I would rather not take the cash he wanted to give me and go buy him a cigar. I have no idea why he was looking for someone to complete this task because he was clearly old enough to buy tobacco.
As we were getting our stuff out of the car, LB was being an ass dawdling because it was pissing off BB. BB said something to him about hurrying up and he visibly slowed while getting his things. I told him it would be nice if he’d hurry up before BB and I were stabbed to death in front of him by Cigar Man and he got the hell out of the car before I took another breath.
This was the first hotel that I’ve ever stayed in that I felt the need to move large furniture against the hotel door. If I hadn’t been so tired, had a lick of sense and it hadn’t been so late – I’d have taken the boys elsewhere for the few hours sleep we were going to get. And of course, the free full breakfast was not so. It was a couple of plastic bins of cereal that was being guarded by a surly hotel worker as she wiped down the counter. We went to Burger King for breakfast instead.
The boys and I decided that we’re going to hit New Orleans next year as our halfway point on our way to Oklahoma and we will be sure to stay somewhere pleasant.
15 Comments, Comment or Ping
Chickie, you had me laughing when you told LB to hurry up so the cigar man would not kill ya’ll. Fear works quite well when trying to get boys to do what you want.
Have a safe trip and don’t talk to anymore strangers. I sound like a mom don’t I?
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Chickie said:
July 16th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
I promise to ignore future strangers!
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July 16th, 2010 10:31 am
Ugh. Reading about your experience in Alabama makes me want to go shower. And lock all my doors.
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Chickie said:
July 16th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Last year’s Alabama experience was really nice though. I’ve learned to not be such a tightwad when it comes to hotels.
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July 16th, 2010 11:45 am
I’ve actually had reservations at a hotel that was so unappealing that I looked for someplace else. When I went to the bathroom before checking in, all of the plumbing fixtures were torn off the wall. Then when I went to the front desk, the clerk was calling the police on a “guest”. It took hours of calling around to find someplace with a room (which was a lot more expensive) but it was worth it. I hope your next stopping point if there is one isn’t as bad as the Emerald Palms.
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Chickie said:
July 21st, 2010 at 6:48 pm
It won’t be. I’ve learned that I will leave if somewhere is skeevy. Even if I’ve already paid.
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July 16th, 2010 9:48 pm
Lafayette isn’t much further than New Orleans. Cheaper hotels here, cleaner all around, oh and might I add: BETTER COMPANY HERE.
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Chickie said:
July 21st, 2010 at 6:49 pm
I’m convinced! :)
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July 17th, 2010 2:49 am
Hobos need love too!!
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Chickie said:
July 21st, 2010 at 6:49 pm
I will love them from afar, thank you very much.
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July 18th, 2010 10:14 am
I hear that you are going to be in Texas sometime soon. While you are here, would you mind picking up some Marlboro Silver 100′s for me? You might need to ask for Marlboro Ultra-Light 100′s though, because they just changed there name and not everyone knows it. I have plenty of cash.
Oh and can you pick up a forty for me too while you are at it?
Hehehe…. I am hoping that your vacation is the awesome! :)
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Chickie said:
July 21st, 2010 at 6:50 pm
LOL We are having a large time!
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July 20th, 2010 2:44 am
I can totally hear you telling LB to hurry up so you don’t get killed. Glad you made out alive!
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Chickie said:
July 21st, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Me too! And saying “cigar man” is guaranteed to bring instant laughs around here now.
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July 20th, 2010 6:50 pm
Cigar Man sounded SOOOO Creepy…! I don’t think I could stay at a place that I felt so unsafe at…(What a convultuted setence…lol)
Making N.O a Halfway stop sounds like a GREAT thing to do….!
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July 23rd, 2010 5:25 am
Reply to “Ahhhh…”