This strip was an exercise in patience created during an exercise in futility. Drawing patches of farmland are frustrating enough: “Will it look like farmland when I’m done?” was one of two constant questions going through my mind. You see, I drew this poolside at a downtown Denver hotel on the evening of July 4 while my daughters swam and waited excitedly to be able to see fireworks shows from all over the city. All the while I was fatalistically wondering how I could have been so idiotic as to propose this idea for a micro-vacation.
My thought was that if we could get a hotel room high enough and facing the right direction, we could see the fireworks shows from Invesco Field at Mile High and Coors Field. Both stadiums were scheduled to have big blowout displays after it got dark, and, from the right vantage point, I thought we’d be able to see them both. The only problem was that the people who answer the phones for the Crowne Plaza in Denver don’t know jack about what’s visible and what’s not visible from their building (and probably don’t care). The outdoor pool on the sixth floor is too low to see over other buildings — especially the Hyatt, which mocked us all night from two blocks away with its taller structure that just happened to be in what should have been our line of sight toward Coors Field.
When I had this hare-brained idea, the first thing I asked when I called various hotels was “can you see Invesco and Coors Field from your building?” “I think so” was the best I could get. And “I think so” didn’t cut it. Maybe if they’d heeded our request a little better and put us on a higher floor, but I doubt it.
So, a word to the wise, if you want your kids to be able to see a cool fireworks show emanating from a sports venue, be smart enough to think about buying tickets before they’re sold out. And don’t try to make up for your lack of foresight by trying for a hotel with a view among a city’s skyscrapers. That’s just dumb; dumb as a lighthouse in a landlocked state.
This strip was partially inspired by a lighthouse at a small lake (scroll down when visiting the link) near where I grew up in Nebraska. Why it’s there, I’ve never cared to learn; I just always thought it was pretty stupid. But after this weekend, I am humbled by my own stupidity.
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