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Dorothy Copus Brush Did I have a great time Last week this column began with the words,
"Our seat of national government, Washington, DC, always
offers something of interest," and when I arrived at the
hotel for the National Society of Newspaper Columnists conference,
I walked right into one of those interesting experiences. My Ethiopian driver, Wondwosen, alerted me
when he said, "Oh, something is going on here," and
he pointed to vans parked in the driveway. He explained they
belonged to the Secret Service. There didn't appear to be anything unusual
when I entered the lobby. Later I visited the hospitality room,
and one of the members asked, "Have you seen the golden
retriever?" She explained this dog was the star of the bomb-sniffing
dogs. All the security activity at the hotel was because Yassir
Arafat and his large retinue were in residence and had been there
for a week. When the golden retriever was seen lying outside
a room, it was the giveaway that Mr. Arafat was inside. I never saw any of the group, but several
of our members had been strong-armed by his protective group
as he approached. One member had been allowed to enter the elevator
with Mrs. Arafat. Another member was walking behind several of
his protectors and overheard them complaining that one of the
sheiks had brought his girlfriend on this trip and not his wife. The amazing thing about this little tale is
that there was not a word of his presence in the papers. I questioned
Washington reporters if they knew why he was here, but they were
as surprised as the rest of us. So much for all the rumors and
leaks Washington is famous for. One thing I learned was that this was the
hotel Arafat always used when he was in town. I can understand
why because it was a very impressive place. The chairman of our
conference has a working relationship with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel
chain, and that is why he chose this Ritz-Carlton as our headquarters.
I hasten to add if we had been charged the standard rate no one
could have afforded a room. Just this week I received an e-mail from a
Texas woman columnist who attended. Even though it has been over
a month since the conference, she wrote, "Have you come
down from the mountaintop of the Ritz-Carlton? I must say that
is one of the most elegant places I've ever been." I can only echo her words. One of the first
things I saw when I entered my spacious room was the down comforter
on the bed which was outfitted with sumptuous Egyptian 100-percent
cotton linens. After a long, busy day of meetings and we returned
to our room for bed, there was the usual tiny square of chocolate
on the pillow. But on the table was a dinner-size china plate
loaded with an array of sweet pastries to assure sweet dreams. Our final day was hectic for those of us who
were unfamiliar with the Metro system. We met in the lobby to
walk to the station, and there we saw a young woman sitting in
one of the comfortable chairs and at her feet purses were arranged.
She was surrounded by most of the men in our group who had recognized
the resemblance to Monica Lewinsky. This was the hotel where
the FBI questioned Monica for hours and hours, and the hotel
now pays this actress to add spice to their lobby occasionally.
She is affiliated with a Washington entertainment company. That last afternoon we rode the Metro to the
Newseum where we explored and then listened to a panel of journalists.
Returning to the hotel we had only an hour to freshen up and
change for the closing banquet. I flicked on the light, and the
Italian marble bathroom had been transformed. Draping the shower curtain rod was a string
of red, white and blue stars. Hanging from the shower faucet
was a trio of red, white and blue balloons. Propped against a
plastic straw bowler hat was a letter from the hotel staff explaining
the bathroom was now a "Politico Bath." Inside the
hat on a bed of gold paper grass was a rubber tub animal with
a donkey head at one end and an elephant head at the other. There
was a dollar bill sponge, bath beads and aromatic oils. The letter explained that this treat is available through the election at a cost of $55. Ours was a mini-version as an invitation to relax before dinner. So much for all the extracurricular trivia of the conference. Eventually there will be a report on the many well-known journalists who appeared on panels and as principal speakers. |