One of my views of Philly from my hotel room.
The past couple of days have been amazing, but not without its stress. Tuesday I headed up to Philly for a media event. I could have caught the train (thankfully I didn’t), however, a very special friend offered to drive me there to ensure that I got to Philly ok and to offer any help I might need during my stay. Granted it was just a two-day/one-night deal, but you never know. The event really centered around Mary Wilson. Yes THAT Mary Wilson; one of the LEGENDS from The Supremes. I’m not sharing all the details of the event (at least not right now) as I do have to write a story about her and our time in Philly. Needless to say getting to Philly was a bit stressful.
Traffic on 95 north was horrible around Aberdeen, Maryland. We were on a roll and right on schedule until we started seeing signs every few miles: CRASH….95 NORTH ALL LANES CLOSED AFTER EXIT 84. USE ALTERNATE ROUTE 40 EAST. At first I wasn’t in a big panic. We still had ample time. The clock in my friend’s car is set ten minutes ahead so we really had some time to play with (so I thought). In thinking we might beat some of the crowd coming off 95 North, we took an exit for 40 East before the suggested exit, but the navigation system looped us back on 95 North with the crash site still ahead. I told my friend just go ahead and keep going on 95 until we can’t go no more. Let’s just keep it moving. So we did.
Then the congestion. The back up. There were cars stopped in all the lines right at the crash site or a single file car line leading up to the exit onto 40. We managed to get right at the exit and an polite trucker let us in. Then the real time killer. We were inching through a small town like Aberdeen with single and two lane streets on 40. All the traffic from 95 had invaded this town. We moved, but at a snail’s pace thanks to the stop lights. Time was not on our side as we took this scenic route that ran parallel to 95, bypassing the crash site and leading us back on 95. We were only a little over 40 minutes away from Philadelphia, but too late. By the time we were able to get back on 95, the media event was just starting. Well let me put it this way. This was an exclusive event with only a selected few media outlets. The event started off with a mix and mingle, a short program with Mary Wilson talking about “the presentation,” and time set aside for each individual outlets to do a one on one with Wilson.
The closer we got to Philly, time was rapidly ticking away. My mood had drastically changed from the glee I felt at the beginning of the trip to the utter panic and disappointment I was feeling about maybe the trip wasn’t meant to be. Maybe what I was doing wasn’t meant to happen. In my head I wondered if it would have been better to have taken the train, but later on I found out that Amtrak suffered a power outage between DC and NY and folks that were Philly bound were stuck. So I wouldn’t have made it all.
Noticing that I was keeping quiet and literally twiddling my thumbs, my friend looked at me and said;
“Get out of your head. Don’t look at the navigation system or the time. Don’t worry about what I’m doing over here (in the driver’s seat). I said I got you and I got you. I will get you there. You will get there in time to do your interview.”
You would think that after the wonderful lessons and reminders that reading DeVon Franklin’s Produced By Faith brought on I would be a little more at ease. Yet, there I was, letting my human nature as a journalist that’s always pressed for time get to me. By the time we crossed into Delaware, I was going back and forth in my head about skipping checking into my hotel and go right to the venue for the event. But I knew I wasn’t dressed properly in jeans, some run down flats and this knock about top. So I gave into the idea of checking in the hotel first and just do a superwoman change. That’s exactly what I did. I bought two outfits to choose from, I choose one that would be comfortable, but still would not give me away as a “starving______ (anything.)” I had a mini make up bag, but all I had time to do was check my shiny face, refresh the foundation a bit and splash on some lip gloss. I dumped all the contents of my purse only to refill it with my notepad, pen(s), camera, extra camera SD Cards, wallet and my heels. I wore my flats thinking I was going to walk to the event, but eventually I just took a cab from the hotel. In between all of this, I did manage to slow up to read the lovely note left by the hotel’s VIP Manager and rip open the complementary package of chocolate covered pretzels (I was a little hungry). Loews Philadelphia Hotel was so top notch from the staff to the overall service. My views (yes views as my room was a corner room with expansive windows over looking city hall, Market Street and beyond) were gorgeous.
Me and Mary Wilson Oct. 9, 2012. Philadelphia, PA
The cab took me a few blocks to the venue. I got there and was told the event was pretty much over, but Wilson was still there giving interviews. Great! I RAAAAAAAAN down the zig-zag ramp to get to the room where Wilson was and once again I was on! I snapped a few photos, waited for my turn to speak her. Though I only spoke with her for TEN MINUTES, it was magic! She was personable, funny, charming and just all around lovely. Before my interview began she gasps really loud and expressive and pointed to my cleavage area. Ok, I thought maybe a booger or something had gone down there or maybe I was popping out. Again a slight panic, because I felt like a big ball of rushed mess coming into the venue. But it was nothing like that. She simply noticed my necklace; a sterling silver chain and (lotus?) flower pendent with my birthstone (amethyst) forming the flower.
“That is simply gorgeous!,” she said.
I blushed!
“I’m sorry I just love jewelry!,” she said.
I blushed again!
From there our interview was on. Again it lasted for only ten minutes, but I will never forget it. Needless to say I was much better after it was all over with. I was able to go have dinner and really relax and enjoy the comforts of my hotel room. For a while I couldn’t stop staring out of the windows. It was a moment of reflection of how far I had come within a year as a journalist and a writer. I was only on the 18th floor of a 30-something floor hotel, but it felt like …. hmm I won’t say on top of the world, but I felt higher than I had been. Still, I have to be reminded at times along the way on who really “has” me.
Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River 
Marc
October 11, 2012
Look at you, BIGTIME!!! Proud of you. Keep grinding.