We met Ayla (pronounced EYE-la) in her human form in the hotel lobby, from which she escorted us to the swimming pool area, where she made her transformation into the half-woman/ half-fish of folklore. For the next two-and-a-half hours, she got in some practice swim time, interacted with the hotel guests and staff, and shared some of her time talking with me and my Mom. She told me of the media coverage that she has garnered since I sent a
Tweet to the local newspaper, the Duluth News-Tribune, including an interview with said newspaper; one of the local news stations; and the Twin Cities' own "On the Road" reporter, Jason Davis. I am so glad to have been able to play some small role in launching her success, but believe me, I have no illusions: apart from that Tweet, Ayla has done this all on her own.
You would think with all of that enthusiasm, I would have gotten a photo with her, but we didn't make that happen. Perhaps there will be a "next time" this summer, and maybe then, I can even make an arrangement with the Radisson to spend some time in the pool myself.
All good things must come to an end though, and as the clock approached 5:00 PM, Ayla indicated that she would be calling it a day. When she got dressed, my Mom and I offered to take her out to dinner, either to the hotel's penthouse carousel restaurant - the
JJ Astor Restaurant and Lounge, or to
the Buffet at the Bear, i.e., the Black Bear Casino Resort. Due to other plans, Ayla was unable to accept either of these offers, so we said "Goodbye" and
walked floated back to the car.
~Dinner!~
After we left the hotel, we were faced with the decision as to how best to budget our time. A tentative plan had been to go to the Miller Hall Mall, but at that point, we decided that it simply would have meant the addition of unnecessary miles (and time), so we just drove the twenty miles to the casino.
When we got there, the line for the buffet was very long, and I was afraid that we would be standing and waiting for an incredible amount of time. To my surprise and delight, everything whisked along quite rapidly, and before we knew it, we were seated.
 |
My Dinner at The Buffet at the Bear on 12/10/2011
Lamb, Duck, Shrimp Cocktail, Wild Rice Pilaf,
Roasted Baby Potatoes, and Salmon
Photo Credit: Matthew Morse |
Many years ago, this buffet was
good, but it was by no means whatsoever
great; however, somewhere in the interim, it became
spectacular. As you can see from the photo on the left, the selection on 12/10/2011 was just wonderful (in my opinion), and the evening of February 16 proved to be quite the same, including lamb chops and beef Wellington. There were also steaks, barbecued ribs, a carving station, pretty much the whole nine. Even though the casino is 18+, of course, the buffet is family-friendly, and there were several large groups with many children.
If it were closer, I would definitely go there more often, and I *highly* recommend it to anyone who is going to be going through the area!
After dinner, my Mom and I walked through the casino for a little while, until it was time for me to go. When my Dad was alive, they would go to various casinos at least three times every month, but in the nine years since he died, that has just not been feasible. My sister and brother-in-law have a variety of responsibilities, and I do not particularly like to gamble, so my mom's casino outings are limited to the monthly bus trip that includes her apartment complex and three other senior citizen complexes in the area. Because of "majority rule," they usually wind up going to a smaller, slower-paced venue, never opting for change. This was the best of both worlds - my Mom got to gamble while I got to pursue other activities.
~Burlesque!~
Teattro Zuccone is a bit confusing at first, because there is SO much going on! There is the Zinema 2, the Performance Theater, the Zeitgeist Arts Café, and the Atrium Lobby (pictured at right). It was in that last space that the Four Seasons Masquerade Ball was scheduled to be held and where the Duluth Dolls were to perform. This posed some complications, as one entire wall of the Atrium Lobby is glass - windows from which passersby can look in. While burlesque is by no means "dirty," it is certainly not something that children should be seeing. Eventually, one of the organizers started to cover the windows with paper. A second complication was that, although the event was well-publicized and there were many people in the building, none of the patrons seemed to be there for the Ball.
As a three-piece ensemble played music, the members of the Duluth Dolls had discussions with a man who appeared to be the event promoter, and we were all given assurances that the show would go on. As time ticked away, that afforded those of us who
were there for the Ball to have to chance to talk with each other, as well as to get to meet and talk with the performers. If there is one thing that I love, it is burlesque performer stage names, and the Duluth Dolls just underscored that: Ella Jim (who had told me about the event), June LaPurr, Miss Creant, and Ruby Sparkles. The troupe is larger, but I did not get a chance to talk with all of the performers, and some of them were not able to attend the event.
In the end, unfortunately, things just did not go as planned, and the promoter refunded everyone's money in full. I am not at all disappointed though, because I got to meet some wonderful people and talk with them more as people than as performers. Since I "like"
their fan page on Facebook, I will be sure to keep myself advised of their upcoming performances. Duluth might be a stretch, but if they come down to the Twin Cities again, I will definitely be at their show!
~The Drive Home~
I left Duluth, stopped at Black Bear Casino Resort and picked up my Mom - who was kind enough to be playing at a machine right by the entrance, and got back on the road for what from there was the 120-mile drive home. That drive at that time is a cake walk, in my opinion, as there is almost no traffic at all the entire time. It had been a very long day though (and a late night on Friday as well), so I was getting very tired and was thankful to have my Mom's company.
In what was an otherwise perfect day, we unfortunately came across an accident at approximately 2:20 AM. From what I have since been able to determine, it was a one-car accident. The driver was heading southbound, and he reportedly crossed from the right lane of traffic to the left, into the shoulder, and then into the median, where he was ejected from his vehicle, as he was not wearing his seat belt. Of course, the only thing that I knew at the time was that the emergency response was extensive, and that the numerous police cars and ambulances lit up the area brilliantly. I do not know how the driver ultimately fared.
That got my attention, to say the very least. For the rest of the drive home, I was hyper-vigilant, and we arrived without incident. I sent a Tweet at 3:07 AM that read "Back home after 16.5 hours and 346 miles. Lunch at the Little Mermaid Cafe, met a #mermaid, met some #burlesque performers. Good day!"
~Epilogue~
I look forward to the next occasion where I can go to Duluth, Rochester, or some other city in Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Iowa and spend the day. Maybe it won't be mermaids and burlesque next time. Who knows what excitement the future holds?
Do you like to go on road trips? What do you do? Do you go alone or with friends? Please feel free to share your comments below.
