Another Tale From The Front Desk

I don't know about you all, but it has been a week of deep reflection and emotion for me with in the blog so I thought some humorous reflection was in order. So with that, I bring you another tale from the front desk.
I arrived to work one evening to find the swing shift desk clerk rather frazzled. She explained to me that there was an incoming guest on the phone who was screaming at her that she had given him wrong directions and was now lost. Being rather familiar with the freeway systems here in Southern California, I told her I would handle it. I pick up the phone and the guest immediately starts screaming at me that he is tired of being made a fool and that he wanted precise directions. So I asked him where he was. He told me he was off the 91 freeway in Riverside. I lived in Riverside at the time so it was quite easy to give him directions. "Take the 91 east. You will pass the 15, 55, 57 and 5 freeways respectively. Just after passing the 5 exit Beach Blvd and turn left. We are on the right hand side." I took that trip everyday, so I knew he would be at least 30 minutes. The other desk clerk thanked me and she began closing her shift. About 15 minutes later, the guest called back furious. He was screaming at me that he had not seen any of the freeways I mentioned and was at the end of the 91 on Artesia Blvd. He described where he was at and indeed he was on Artesia, but he must have driven twice the speed limit to get there. So again I tell him directions back. "Take the 91 heading west and just before you reach the 5 freeway you will come to Beach Blvd. Exit and go right, we are on the right." By now it is time for everyone on the swing shift to go and to leave me alone. Curiosity, however, had gotten the best of them and they all decided to hang out in the bar to see who this guest was. Sure enough, 15 minutes later he calls again. He is screaming at me at the top of his lungs that he is sure I am screwing with him on purpose and that he was now in Riverside again and he was tired of the games and when he got to the hotel he would make me pay. At that point I had two options, simply tell him to choose other accommodations or help him to get to the hotel. I have to admit, I was curious to see this man too, so I chose the later. so I tell him, "Sir, I am quite familiar with Riverside, as I live there, so could he please tell me the exact location he was at." He began yelling at me he did not know the name of the street and was calling from a gas station, so I asked him to ask the attendant the name of the street. After a moment he comes back and says he is at Norwalk Blvd. Now something California does, and I am sure other places do to, they name the freeways after their destinations, according to when that section was built. As it turns out, at Norwalk Blvd the 91 freeway goes from being the Artesia Freeway to the Riverside Freeway. As it turns out, he was actually IN Artesia. So I explain this to him and assure him he is not, in fact, in Riverside but heading towards it and told him to get back on the freeway going west and he would be here in about 5 minutes. When I hung up, a roar of laughter exploded from the bar. The crowd had grown from the other employees to a group of hotel regulars that had been informed what was going on. After a short while, the guest finally arrives. The bar area was as quite as a mime as he approached the counter. Humbled he quietly checked in and as he was turning to leave to go to his room, the crowed cheered his arrival. Hope you all liked, and enjoyed the break in seriousness from the week. Love to all.

Burly Bear Chris