I arrived yesterday at the Chautauqua Institute later than I'd wanted to--5:30, instead of 4:00. Stopped at the "Hall of Christ", where the older man who was giving orientations mildly chided me for my tardiness. Feeling less than charitable after my 9 hour drive and sitting in the 94 degree heat & high humidity, I bit my tongue and fled at the first opportunity.
The Chautauqua Institute is a non-driving community. You are allowed 1 hour to go to your guest house to drop off your luggage & then you must take your car off the grounds & park it for the remainder of the week. At the gate of the parking lot I realized I was supposed to have a parking pass, and didn't. So after parking in the farthest lot (of course), I traipsed to the visitors center, bought the pass, and hiked back to the car to set it in the windshield.
I now had 10 minutes left to find my way back to my hotel (approx. 1/4 mile), change into a nice dress(!), and find the hotel where the opening banquet was being held. Whose idea it was to have a formal banquet on the eve of the day when everyone arrived from all parts of the globe I don't know, but at that point I would have liked to have an earnest discussion with that person, preferably someplace where there would be no witnesses.
My hair was slicked down with sweat, my clothes were soaked, and there was no time for a shower or any other beauty ritual that could possibly allow me to make a good first impression. So I slid my sweaty self into the dress I'd picked out so carefully back home, twisted my hair off my face, and found some jewelry that didn't clash. Leaving my luggage exploded all over the room with fervent mental apologies to my unmet room mate, I headed for dinner. Welcome to Chautauqua!
The Chautauqua Institute is a non-driving community. You are allowed 1 hour to go to your guest house to drop off your luggage & then you must take your car off the grounds & park it for the remainder of the week. At the gate of the parking lot I realized I was supposed to have a parking pass, and didn't. So after parking in the farthest lot (of course), I traipsed to the visitors center, bought the pass, and hiked back to the car to set it in the windshield.
I now had 10 minutes left to find my way back to my hotel (approx. 1/4 mile), change into a nice dress(!), and find the hotel where the opening banquet was being held. Whose idea it was to have a formal banquet on the eve of the day when everyone arrived from all parts of the globe I don't know, but at that point I would have liked to have an earnest discussion with that person, preferably someplace where there would be no witnesses.
My hair was slicked down with sweat, my clothes were soaked, and there was no time for a shower or any other beauty ritual that could possibly allow me to make a good first impression. So I slid my sweaty self into the dress I'd picked out so carefully back home, twisted my hair off my face, and found some jewelry that didn't clash. Leaving my luggage exploded all over the room with fervent mental apologies to my unmet room mate, I headed for dinner. Welcome to Chautauqua!
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