A call from the David Letterman show doesn’t mean tickets: Be prepared

by Jamie Rhein on

When the David Letterman show called me on my cell phone yesterday evening, I was in a shuttle van after attending a party at Gordon Gee’s house. Gee, the president of The Ohio State University was hosting a lovely gathering for Fred Anderle, a local public radio talk show personality who has just retired.

When the phone rang, I was intent on making it to the national touring company’s production of A Chorus Line at the Ohio Theatre, not at all ready for a call from the engaging fellow who called to tell me that I had a chance for those tickets I so wanted.

I had a chance for tickets until I blew it. Here’s what happened. Hopefully, you will not find yourself disappointed and left empty handed as I am.

Engaging fellow: “Are you Jamie Rhein?”

Me: “Why, yes.” (No one calls me on my cell phone except a couple of people. This wasn’t one of those people.)

E.F.: “This is the David Letterman show. You put in for tickets for next Monday or Tuesday.”

M: “That’s right. Any chance for Wednesday, though?”

E.F: “You can’t come Monday or Tuesday?”

M: “I won’t arrive by bus (I love Greyhound) until Wednesday morning.” (My plans have changed since I put in for those tickets.

E.F: “Maybe. First you have to answer a trivia question.”

And there was the problem. Even though I do watch Letterman, I didn’t know the answer to the trivia question. It involved knowing one of the jobs of a staff person that the engaging fellow mentioned. I can’t even remember the name of the staff person he said. See what I’m up against? I know it wasn’t the guy who holds the cue cards, or the big guy who comes out on stage and says he is other people.

Even though you’re only supposed to give one answer, I called out a few just in case. The engaging fellow told me that I might be able to get tickets the day of the show if I come to the studio between 9 and 12 a.m. The tickets are not a guarantee, but I know a friend of mine who snagged tickets this way last year.

As a note, if you come before 9 you’re disqualified. Here are more details for what you need to know about getting tickets. Standby tickets are also an option. From what I can tell, there’s none of the hiring someone to wait in line for you that happens at the Delacorte Theater for Shakespeare in the Park.

Before we hung up, I did try to prove that I am indeed a Letterman fan by mentioning the mug I have from Rupert Jee’s Hello Deli, an actual place located downstairs in the CBS building where I also bought Explod-O-Pop Popcorn, AND that I’ve been to Choteau, Montana where Letterman got married AND that I have written about it along with other Letterman related travel bits. The engaging fellow said he would try to pass the information on to Letterman. I’m not holding my breath.

Here’s an unusual connection, however. Yesterday I was talking with someone who looks A LOT like David Letterman. He said he ran into Biff Henderson outside the Hello Deli once and Biff Henderson even commented on how much the man looks like David Letterman.

I’ll try again for those tickets. This is the second time I got a call. The first time was last year and I couldn’t go. I wasn’t home when the call came. Third time’s a charm, right? There is always heading down to the studio to try my luck. I can’t do a stupid Human Trick, and our dog will only sit when we say “sit” so being part of the show’s entertainment is out.

In case you want to try for tickets the way I did, put in for them on Letterman’s website. I think I filled out the form a couple months ago. You can put in for three dates in a row. If I knew the answer to the question, I probably would have been able to get a ticket for that Wednesday, but maybe not.

At least I have A Chorus Line songs running through my head to heal my disappointment. “Kiss today goodbye, and point me towards tomorrow…”

Budget summer vacations: Manhattan Beach, California using Homeaway.com

by Heather Poole on

When my husband called me on my cell to tell me we had to move out of our house for a week while the hardwood floors were being refinished, I just stood in the middle of the food court at New York’s John F. Kennedy international airport and sighed. It’d been a long two days of flying the unfriendly skies. Not to mention, the last thing I wanted to do on a day off was spend my valuable time confined in a cramped hotel room near the Los Angeles airport with my husband, three year-old son, and crazy cat, a twenty pound Maine coon.

“Are you serious?” I asked, falling into a plastic chair in front of a dirty table near McDonald’s.

“It won’t be that bad,” my husband reassured me from all the way across the country where he sat, I imagined, feet propped up on his desk. “I’ll get us a suite at the Residence Inn.”

“Oh. Okay,” I said, even though it was not okay, as I racked my overworked brain for other places to stay that might be okay, and that’s when it hit me. “Wait! Don’t book anything just yet. I’ve got an idea.”

“This idea better not cost more than the Residence Inn,” my husband said before we said goodbye and hung up the phone.

For the record, there’s nothing wrong with the Residence Inn, but why stay in a hotel when there are other places to stay, better places to stay, like vacation rental homes right near the beach.

The first thing I did when I got back to my crashpad was change out of my navy blue polyester monkey suit and log onto the computer. I typed MANHATTAN BEACH VACATION HOMES into the search engine and soon found myself on the web site Homeaway.com. I scanned through hundreds of beautiful photos of amazing homes in Manhattan and Hermosa Beach, which is just a short twenty minute drive from the Los Angeles airport. I just knew there had to be something we could afford. On the beach. Under $1000/per week.

I was wrong.

Well, not entirely wrong, because all the places we could afford on the beach were either too small or already booked. Undeterred, I pressed on and found myself touring homes that were way out of our price range. I couldn’t help myself. And then I did something crazy. I emailed the owner of a $5,000/a day Italian villa.

I wrote, “Okay fine, I’ll take it off your hands for $2,000 a week.”

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Not that I had $2,000 for the week, I just figured I’d…well…figure it out later.

As I’m sure you may have guessed, I didn’t have to figure it out later. The Italian Villa owner wrote back, “That’s funny.”

I decided to try funny again. And again. And again. I must have emailed about twenty different vacation home owners. Finally, while impatiently waiting for my bags at LAX, Jay, the owner of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, ocean front property in Manhattan Beach, California, called to inform me that the dates I had inquired about were open.

“Tell him!” my husband snarled when I told him we were in luck.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “There’s a bit of a problem, Jay. It’s just…well…$1,900 for seven days is too much money for us spend, so we’re going to have to stay at the Residence Inn.” And then I added, “Sorry,” because I was, in fact, oh so sorry, sorry I wouldn’t be enjoying a beautiful view of the beach.

“How much is that place going to cost you?” Jay asked matter of fact.

I told him.

“Fine. I’ll take it,” said Jay. “Plus $100 for a cat deposit.”

And that’s how I scored an amazing deal on Homeaway.com! The cat has never been more relaxed.

Virgin Atlantic’s 25 year anniversary sale fares starts right……NOW!

by Grant Martin on

Midnight sure is a strange time to be posting deals, isn’t it? Well, there’s a reason. Virgin Atlantic is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary in a variety of ways over the course of the year, and one of them is in launching a crazy 24 hour fare sale from Newark to the United Kingdom. Starting RIGHT NOW.

According to our source inside of the company, you’ve got all day to book tickets as cheap as $186 one way from Newark. Once availability runs out, you’re out of luck. So for those of you on the west coast, start clicking. For those of you who just woke up on the east coast, you’d better hope that there’s something left.

The best part is that you can book tickets from July 1st, which means the fares are vaild for high summer season. So grab the kids, scrap the staycation and book tickets to London this summer. Combined with the falling Pound Sterling, you may not get a chance like this again for a while.

Book tickets at VirginAtlantic.com soon, the offer expires at midnight on June 10th.

Negotiating the “morning after” at Balmer’s

by Catherine Bodry on

I laughed out loud at Terry Ward’s observations over at World Hum of young Americans awkwardly negotiating the “morning after” scene at Balmer’s Herberge in Interlaken, Switzerland. Laughed, because when I was a 21-year-old college student on a study abroad trip, Balmer’s was a sacred place – a destination for hordes of other kids just like me, proudly sporting university sweatshirts and perky enthusiasm for the soft-core adrenaline adventures on offer around the town. Ward’s description is a spot-on retelling of my own experience there: waiting for the liquid courage to dance, then getting wasted on beer from plastic cups, running into a new friend at breakfast the next day and having an awkward, stilted conversation about the Italian coffeemaker he’d bought his sister in Italy. I also recall waking up that morning and finding my contact lenses in shriveled corpses on the floor next to my bed; I simply stuck them in solution and popped them back in. Oh, youth.

Like Ward, I have no desire to revisit Balmer’s. On subsequent visits to Interlaken, I’ve stayed at the pleasantly peaceful HI hostel. But I also don’t (totally) regret my drunken couple of nights at Balmer’s. I’m one of those people who hates missing out on any kind of experience, and at the time, a night or two at Balmer’s was what I was after.

Anyone else have a similar experience there?

Gadling Take FIVE — Week of May 30-June 5

by Jamie Rhein on

It’s a new month and we’ve started a few new series. With Gadlinks, we’re browsing other travel blogs to let you in on what caught our attention each day. Aaron and Brenda are at the helm of this one.

Also, Jon Bowermaster is back, but now he’s traveling where pirates tread on the Indian Ocean. You can follow him at Bowermaster’s Adventures.

We’ve also embarked on 10 passengers we love to hate series. Yes, “hate ” is a strong word. But, aren’t there certain passengers who drive you a bit bonkers? See who bugs us.

Here are five other posts to add to your travel news pleasure:

  • If you’re thinking of a national park this summer, read Alison’s post on which parks are free and on what days. It’s good to know specifics. Even if you do have to pay for admission, national parks are terrific deals.
  • Sean has been walking along the Thames near Oxford, a read that makes you want to take an English countryside stroll.
  • Perhaps a trip along the Rio Grande Valley captures your fancy. Kraig knows how you might win one by stopping in a Patagonia store.
  • And for anyone who wants to come to New York City, but wonders how safe it is, never fear, Tom has proof– thanks to Mayor Micheal Bloomburg, that the Big Apple is better than ever. I’m in NYC right now, and I’m much more comfortable walking here late at night than I am in Columbus, Ohio. There’s nothing wrong with Columbus at night, but here, the city is alive well after dark.

Wherever you are this weekend, I hope there’s something interesting going on to suit your fancy.