A couple's dreams realized

The first of these realized dreams is that we finally closed on our real estate transactions in mid-March. Both in Brooklyn and in Dubuque. My Facebook post "We own it at last! was accompanied by this photo

but not this one of me standing inside the corner building at the window overlooking the roof of the smokestack building. It's a commercial property in Downtown Dubuque. There is very serious work ahead of Scott and me. Can't you tell? There will be more on this dream later, rest assured.

Another dream realized in the last few months was a very personal one for me: to live in a hotel. I have fantasized about living in a hotel for decades. I don't know why, but maybe it's related to my reading some of Stephen Lewis's writing about his life growing up in NYC hotels when he was the son of a hotelman in Times Square and they had a family apartment. I first read his articles in Gourmet magazine many years ago and then his memoir Hotel Kid. Forget Eloise, I never read it. Whenever things got rough in my life, particularly in my early 20s, my escape seemed to always include moving to a hotel for a long-term stay. So Scott and I got to live this fantasy at the Hotel Canfield in Dubuque. Since we first rolled into Dubuque in July, 2013, the Canfield has been our favorite hotel.

To say that the Canfield is a little quirky is an understatement. They do things old-style, no Internet presence, but they do take credit cards. The Canfield was our introduction to Dubuque back in July when we first accidentally stumbled upon Dubuque. Every room is decorated uniquely. It may not be the place for everyone, but the price and experience are fabulous for many of us!

Christmas in the Canfield lobby

The card on the inside of our room's door,
"Fixing, Limiting and Determining the Liability of Keepers of Hotels,
Inns, Eating Houses and Steamboat Owners to Inmates Therof" 

When we checked in for the month stay, we got the 6-page list of rules, on legal-size paper, for monthly and weekly guests. The owner explained that they started out with maybe three rules and then they had to keep adding over the years every time something happened. An example I vaguely recall was they once had a liberal pet policy, until the guest with the snake. Whenever I would feel low, I'd turn to this list for reading pleasure. I got perverse delight in reading, "Please turn off all lights and T.V.'s when you are not in the room to assist in saving electricity - the cost is 'going through the ceiling.'" Or, on reserving the right to limit the amount of personal property in any guest's room, "These are not storage units, but rather living quarters." Or, on the need to close windows for proper heating and cooling, "One open window "screws" up everything." Or, on the lovely deck, "This was built for your use and pleasure, let's not violate this... Let's keep the deck neat, it is a nice place to visit. Cigarette butts should be put in proper containers and not just thrown about - work with the Hotel on this." You get the idea. 

Good ol' Room 419, I miss you!

Hallway alcove on 4 with my replacement cat

Just a few of our room's decorative touches

Our dining and kitchen area

Our sleeping and sitting areas

Decor from one of our summer rooms

Further decor from that summer room

My first view of the lobby back in July.
Yes, these are Native American mannequins, and they are not the
only Native American mannequins in Dubuque.
I so wish they could talk 

The exterior, showing the wonderful Rainbow Lounge.
Whether you do or do not like karaoke, you must check it out.

Every once in a while, I get wistful and think of moving back to the Canfield permanently. Not that it's so difficult trying to rehab our place or that Scott has gotten on my nerves once again, but I truly love and miss the Canfield and the kind and interesting people there.