There was much excitement about this month’s 2econd Friday. Not least because of the fantastic connection Husband Downie had come up with for where 2econd Friday goes next month. The connection was actually an improvement on the original one. Regarding that original one, he’d even gone as far as booking Treasure Island, having thought of there surely being a good connection between there, and Barbury Coast (the original name of the resort which is now The Cromwell). Anyway, the actual connection is truly fantastic (in the creator’s mind, at least). It’s surely the best 2econd Friday connection in well over a year. Watch the YouTube video to hear the clue.
Back to this month, and it was Wife Camper who chose The Cromwell. She’d decided that, as it was Wedding Anniversary weekend, she’d just choose somewhere she wanted to stay, and not concern herself with a connection. Hmm, 2econd Friday adjudicators have decided to look the other way. However, there was surely a nice connection to the Wedding Anniversary, since the wedding had taken place in London, and Oliver Cromwell certainly had a connection with London. Admittedly, The Cromwell explains it has no connection with Oliver, but never mind.
The video, above, mentions a link to "What Time Is Love?" Click at will.
A couple of weeks before this month’s 2econd Friday, Husband Downie had received an email reminding him he had a $100 Diamond Celebration dining voucher to recoup. Which was nice. On arrival at The Cromwell, Husband Downie decided to confirm how to redeem the voucher. He spoke to a uniformed person. The uniformed person turned out to be Kim. She was really nice. She explained she was the on-site medic. Husband Downie asked for directions to Concierge. Kim did better than give directions; she walked Husband Downie over to Concierge. Hooray, bonus Customer Service points to Kim.
At Concierge, Jenny became the second person Husband Downie had interacted with at The Cromwell. And the second person who was really nice. Jenny was very knowledgeable, and sorted out Husband Downie’s query in a pleasant manner. Hooray, bonus Customer Service points to Jenny. Wow, it was as The Cromwell purposely hired nice people. Another nice member of staff was the security guard at the lifts, on Saturday morning. Drat, his name is unknown.
John’s name was not unknown. He’s the manager at Giada. He was really nice, too. He gave his business card. He suggested getting in touch, next time we were considering dining at Giada, and he would make sure we were taken good care of. He said, as locals, we’ve endless dining choices, so he wanted to encourage us to choose Giada. Well, that’s nice; thanks, John. Perhaps a British Thanksgiving could take place at Giada. Wife Camper will be consulted.
Wife Camper, while Husband Downie had been rating members of staff, had been rating cocktails at Bound Bar. She was most impressed with the Twisted Kilt, which included a smokey whiskey, burning mint, and burning pepper. Burn, baby, burn, cocktail inferno.
The alarm rang at 3.03am. Husband Downie was excited to get out for a 2econd Saturday run on The Strip. After his run, he showered, and put on his fancy shirt. It was off down to what is surely one of the most famous nightclubs in Las Vegas – Drai’s After Hours. Husband Downie has dreams of getting Hardfloor to play somewhere in Las Vegas. Perhaps it would be at On The Record, since they’ve got a red double-decker London bus. The DJ at Drai’s did not play any Hardfloor. The DJ played Hip Hop. Husband Downie loves Acid House. He got himself a glass of coke, stood at the bar, and stared off into the mid-distance, perhaps looking like the creepy old guy at a nightclub, or maybe someone from CID. The bar person said she’d give him a refill for nothing. Ooh, nice.
On finishing his coke, he looked for a refill. Two young ladies seemed to be waiting to get served, so he pointed out to them that the bar person was looking to take an order. The young ladies ordered drinks. The bar person made a gesture to Husband Downie. Husband Downie presumed this gesture meant, “Would you like a refill?” He confirmed, yes. The coke was refilled, and followed with, “That’ll be a round $30.” Oops, the gesture wasn’t, “Would you like a refill?” The gesture was, “Is this all together?” The young ladies were very appreciative. Thinking the, perhaps excessive, thoughts (as Husband Downie is prone to), he thought he should clear up that this was not some sleazy gesture by the creepy old guy. He explained that the drinks were actually a mistake. Oh, jeez, and then he felt like a knobber fromage. He suggested they enjoy their drinks. He drank his coke, and decided it was time enough to leave this Hip Hop hell. Hell seems somewhat negative, but it does give some good triple-whammy alliteration.
He popped to the loo, on his way out of the club, but realised he hadn’t actually seen all of the club. Drat, drat, drat, there was a House Room. It was somewhat quieter than the Hip Hop room, and the bar was closed, but it made for a more pleasant audio situation to stare off into the mid-distance.
After Drai’s, Husband Downie played some slots, then returned to the room in time to go down for breakfast with Wife Camper. They went to Eat Well, and were delighted to be able to buy a piece of Strawberry Loaf. This was one of the items they got to sample on a recent guided walk called, “Flamingo Uncovered”; a fantastic behind-the-scenes experience which includes even going up to the roof of the Flamingo. Ace.
All in all, 2econd Friday at The Cromwell was great. Big thumbs up for all the friendly staff. Big thumbs up for Giada. Big thumbs up from Wife Camper for the Twisted Kilt cocktail.
For this month’s tune, it’s a disco ripper. Donna Summer and Barbara Streisand duet on this belter produced by that king of disco, Giorgio Moroder. In 2013, I attended L.E.A.F, and saw a great interview with Mr Moroder. Ha, he started the interview by asking to swap seats with the interviewer, so he could sit on his good ear.
Opening Date: March 2nd, 1979
Tune: “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” by Donna Summer and Barbara Streisand
Dress Code: Fashion Forward