I'll Take a Little Cheese with that Whine
Last weekend, four girlfriends and I headed into the city for an adventure. We had the day scheduled on our calendars for over six months. In January, the party planner of the group spotted an event that sounded fun; a rooftop wine crawl. It was a bit expensive, but what’s not to love about a rooftop on a warm, sunny, summer afternoon? We decided to take a chance.
The weather forecast for the weekend wasn’t looking so good. Clouds and rain were headed our way. By the time we arrived at the event it was barely spitting any moisture, hoping to dodge getting wet. As fifty-five happy and excited rooftop goers boarded the private coach, it was announced the first stop on the tour would be an indoor/outdoor rooftop experience. Perfect! Somewhere that would solve any rain issue. It seemed like we were on the bus forever, as over thirty minutes passed before we arrived. All fifty-five wine enthusiasts piled out of the bus, then loaded by small groups using one elevator that took us to an inside, charming bar. Ummm…..unfortunately, the rooftop wasn’t open for the tour. Rats.
We were spread out on both sides of the bar and were seated at small tables, loaded from edge to edge with three wine selections, and a glass of water per person, along with a small bowl of crackers for the table. It took the staff a while to begin the wine tasting, then suddenly, there was a time constraint and we had to down glass one, two and three…..time to go. WHAT? We barely had time to savor each wine, then headed down the same elevator, once again in small groups.
The next destination took less time, however, when the bus took a sharp right turn, as I looked directly out my window, it appeared like the driver was going to hit a parked car. We all but held our breaths, moved our hips over, thinking surely, the driver would throw it in reverse and have a redo around the corner. That wasn’t the case, as we all heard a load CRUNCH, then metal on metal scraping. Shockingly, the bus driver kept going. Ummm……Sir?
Since we were on a side street, the traffic wasn’t moving very fast and by the time we arrived at rooftop number two, the car’s owner was screaming at the driver, while on his cell phone as we exited the bus…..no words! The host scurried everyone inside and told us to form a line and use elevator number five to take us to the rooftop bar. Once again, in small groups, we made our way to the top floor. As we piled off, there were a few other groups gathered, looking for the event. There was nothing…..no rooftop bar or anything that remotely resembled one. For the the love of!
Back down elevator number five, only to find the two hosts standing in a back area of the hotel directing us to a ground floor patio that wasn’t able to accommodate most of the group. We were also guided through a buffet-type line to pick up three plastic cups, each with a small amount of liquid. There were also two small platters of some sort of fried croquet; clearly not enough for fifty-five wine drinkers, needing a little nourishment to put in their stomachs. The hosts ended up serving a fourth wine to help calm the growing frustration.
On to rooftop number three. Once again, we were instructed to use two small elevators to an actual rooftop. We grabbed a table and then noticed the gentlemen with the wine cart leaving and heading inside. It wasn’t raining, and the temperature was mild. The host announced to our table we would be moving inside to the third floor. Are you kidding me?
We weren’t going anywhere. If we had to stay and buy our own wine at the bar we would. By this time most people were getting irritated and within ten minutes, the gentleman with the wine cart reappeared. I think the host realized she would have a mutiny on her hands. Oh, and while you’re serving wine, please give us some food.
Even though the day was not how we planned, we tried to make the most of the situation. We learned our lesson, and will do better research prior to booking another rooftop wine crawl. In the meantime…..I’ll take a little cheese with that whine….LOL
CHEERS!
xoxox…..Sheryl
PS….I’m happy to report, we had a fabulous rooftop brunch the following day.