Going Somewhere
It’s early evening. The downtown streets are still basked in sunshine and summer dresses. Bursts of citrus colors, flirty fabrics and bare shoulders breeze past the open patio windows of Mason Street Grill.
Inside, the lounge hums with an eager energy. Friends fill the space with animated banter. The largest group, four well-dressed couples, cluster along the bar. I imagine them relieved to abandon To Do lists and attaché cases for the evening. Perhaps they’ll enjoy a steak dinner inside the restaurant. Maybe they’ll go dancing. However their night unfolds, it is clear they’ve decided…
Laws of the Ladies Room
“I’ve lived in Milwaukee my whole life and never been to the Pfister.”
This is how Dana and I became best friends. Okay. Not really. We were more like Spontaneous BFFs, the kind you experience at intimate intersections, such as the ladies room. What begins as a comment about hand soap, or the hour, or a fierce pair of shoes could bloom into a confessional, a counseling session, a health consultation or even a plot.
The Laws of the Ladies Room do not reflect those on the other side of our door. First of all, time stands still. We…
Chatter
The steady pacing is a ruse. They navigated easily through an obstacle course of more than a dozen cardboard boxes outside the Imperial Ballroom. I’ve orchestrated large events and will confess that set-up never runs this smoothly without precision planning. I was, most certainly, observing a pro team of volunteers. The women floated amid the boxes like a quiet force before a storm.
Well, maybe not quiet.
“If we put the paperwork in first, the bags will stay open.”
“Only one perfume in each bag, not one of each perfume in each bag.”
“Watch out for the insecticide…
Pink Frosted Dreams
I sensed them before I saw them. A carbonated excitement that pushed aside the steady hum of the front lobby. It was a gaggle of girls, perhaps 10 or 11 years old. They had tote bags on their shoulders and duffle bags dropped to their feet. Their small group, roughly a half dozen, tittered blissfully, gazing up to the ornate ceiling, pointing to the chandeliers, looking around at the austere paintings on the wall. Nearby, two mothers are digging in their handbags and collating paper printouts, waiting to check in. A third woman stood with the girls. Her smile seemed…
Candlelight Vigil
As the minute hand makes its incremental sweep toward five o’clock, the atmosphere on the main floor swells with anticipation for the weekend. A boisterous cluster of men greet one another near the lobby bar. A young co-ed rushes to the concierge for directions. A preschooler fingers the pink sparkles on her princess shirt as parents carry her sibling up the stairs in a stroller. Perched on impressively high heels, a slender woman anxiously watches the revolving door.
Down the hall in the boutique, an older couple selects a tangerine silk blouse for their theater outing. As they…
People Watching
I feel enchanted tonight. Maybe it’s the night air, the saucy décor of Blu, the nighttime glitter of city lights or, maybe, it’s my first Narrator assignment. Yes, let’s go with that last one.
Excited, I take a seat at the bar and begin to survey the room. This, I’m good at. I wouldn’t say that I’m a voyeur, but I’ve always insisted that people watching should be an Olympic sport. I order my standard whiskey on the rocks, and observe.
Near the window, a cluster of women have landed on a…
We are proud to announce our next Pfister Narrator, Dasha Kelly
We are proud to introduce Dasha Kelly as the fourth ‘Pfister Narrator.’ In the role, she will spend time in the hotel’s lobby, speaking with visitors and guests and sharing their stories right here on the Pfister blog. As narrator, Dasha will be posting blog entries at least twice-per-week over a six-month period.
“It’s an honor to be entrusted with a tradition that captures people’s extraordinary and everyday stories,” said Kelly. “I’m excited to join the history of this landmark as the new Pfister Narrator.”
Kelly is founder and director of Still Waters…
