...Wondered whatever became of me, I'm living on the air in Cincinnati, Cincinnati WKRP." Most of you will likely remember a quirky show from the late 70's called "WKRP in Cincinnati." I think it may been on on Saturday night and thus we watched it as a family when I was growing up. I was about 11 or 12 when this show came on: too young for a social life, so I was at home with Mom and Dad. I recently watched the theme song from this show on youtube and was surprised at how much of the scenery I could identify. Never in a million years - as I sat on the blue shag carpeting in our livingroom, watching TV and dreaming of a more glamorous life - did I ever imagine I would ever actually be in Cincinnati. I also never imagined a lot of other things, but here we are.
For some bizarre reason, Cincinnati Children's Hospital is the place to go if you have a child with a "complex airway." Dr. Robin Cotton leads an incredible team of surgeons. This is our third visit and I love the hospital. It is a very family friendly place, and we have come to enjoy the city. I can't say I would come here unless the hospital was here, but we have had our fun.
On our first trip we stayed right next to the hospital, at a place for families with children having surgery. It was clean and quiet, but somewhat depressing, as it was an old hospital building. It was fine for our initial visit because most of our time was spent at the hospital. During this visit, we discovered a beautiful Marriot, right across from the hospital, with an excellent bar and wonderful food. We ate there probably 3 of of the 5 nights we were there, because it was convenient. I looked into staying there for our next trip, but at $220 a night it was just a bit pricey. I think they have a lot of medical conferences there. On our second trip, we stayed at a different Marriot, about a mile and a half from the hospital. It was very nice, with a great pool, and we got a very reasonable rate.
On this trip, the Marriot was full, so I booked us downtown at a place called the Garfield Inn and Suites. It is right in downtown Cincinnati, next to a statue of President Garfied, who was assassinated or died in office or something. This place is a riot. When we checked in they decided to give us a 2-bedroom suite at the rate of the 1-bedroom suite we had booked. I certainly did not argue. They then mentioned the complimentary wine, beer and appetizers they served every Wed evening from 5-6. CA-ching! It was Wednesday and we were downstairs at 4:49. We had a few belts and then went to the in-house restaurant, which was decorated in retro-70s style. The food was very good.
Our suite is quite spacious....however, it was decorated in about 1974 and has not changed a bit since. It's kind of funky and interesting. The people who stay here are a mix of gay men, families for in-town weddings, and some business travelers. They pipe in 70s music throughout the hallways, so when you are waiting for the elevator you find yourself singing "Band on the Run", or some other song you haven't heard in 30 years. On Sunday they were playing a jazz mix, including Ella Fitzgerald, who I loved listening to before my child got interested in music and my CDs got buried at the bottom of a heap.
The people here are very nice. It's not quite west enough to be the midwest, but that attitude of friendliness and politeness dominates. I won't lie; I'd be much happier if this center was in San Francisco so I could visit my old stomping grounds. But I am glad I've had the opportunity to see this small city. Now, if only I could spot Dr. Johnny Fever...
