If I Were You

I live a whisker less than three miles from the Irish Fest grounds. So when Labor Day weekend rolls around in 109 days, I could come home at the end of each day and return each morning without too much trouble. But I don't. On Friday afternoon before we open, I move into the Hyatt Regency Crown Center around the corner from Irish Fest and I'm there until Monday morning. Mostly, because I work all weekend, it's for convenience. When you're only sleeping a few hours a night, a walk of a couple hundred yards is a lot better than a 6 mile round trip drive to and from your bed. But even if I was a live-in-town regular festival goer, I'd book a hotel room for Irish Fest weekend. I'd book a room so I could make a vacation of it. A vacation where filling the gas tank won't break my bank. I'd have a room close by where I could take a midday break by the pool, grab a quick shower and head back to Irish Fest refreshed for the evening. A place to quickly drop off and store all the great stuff I bought from Irish Fest vendors. A luxurious, comfortable room that somebody else keeps clean where I can crash when I finally surrender to sleep after a late night at an after-fest traditional music session. A place where, while I'm on my in-town vacation, I can forget for one last summer weekend that the lawn could use a mowing and the paint on the window trim is flaking. No question, even if wasn't on duty all 30 hours and then some of Irish Fest, I'd book a room.

And I'd book it now. Because since I work here I happen to know that they're going fast.