Cavalia! and two ADD girls in the big city (part three)

I know it doesn't seem like it from my first post on Cavalia, but I did put some time and thought into planning our trip into the city....

I really wanted Pam to have an unforgettable time.

When we originally talked about our trip, we decided to eat out afterward....so I did some Chicago magazine reading and googling and Internet surfing to find a unique restaurant....and by golly! the place I picked was "unique"....and "unforgettable"....


just a note here....I am going to change the name of the place that I am going to talk about for my personal safety....seriously....or maybe not, but I'm not taking any chances....see what you think....


After Cavalia ended, Pam and I hopped into a taxi cab. "Celandia's restaurant please" I said. "Where?" the cab driver said. I repeated myself a little louder. "Never heard of it" he said.


**note to self....next time you ask a cab driver to take you somewhere and he's never heard of it, this is NOT a good sign!!!**


So I gave the cabbie the address. Pretty soon we are pulling up to the restaurant but I hardly notice it because the the big pink and purple neon sign next door promoting certain suggestive paraphernalia.

**second note to self....pink and purple neon signs never sell ANYTHING good and I should probably not go any where near them**


Pam and I exit the cab (and the cabbie, I'm sure, now thinks he knows what kind of girls we are....). We notice two very large Greek looking men standing outside the door. But they seemed to be very polite, very large, Greek looking men because they opened the door for us and greeted us with grunts.


The inside of this place was amazingly beautiful. The Internet said that it was inspired by a 13th century fortress in Granada, Spain. Hand laid mosaics, stone carvings, brilliantly colored silks, huge glass chandeliers...it was a lot for our ADD minds to take in.


A very pretty hostess greeted us in the lobby behind a huge innately carved sideboard. She explained there was "entertainment" upstairs and downstairs and we could choose where we wanted to be seated. Pam and I were still a little freaked out by the "surrounding neighborhood" and the big burly grunters out front....so, we decided on the very noncommittal bar area.


We decided to people watch for a while....and we noticed a certain "trend" in the people were we "observing". Let's just say that a lot of older gentlemen seemed to be taking their "nieces" out for dinner and drinks.


**third note to self....when the ratio of beautiful young women exceeds the ratio of balding, homely, old men by 4 to 1 it's time to leave the premises**

Pam and I ordered some food and drinks and settled in to take in everything around us. The next thing that we noticed were the numerous, muscular, Greek looking men in three piece suits with ear pieces.

**fourth note to self....when the ratio of muscular, Greek looking men in three piece suits with ear pieces exceeds the ratio of visible customers....something else is probably going on in this establishment besides dinner and drinks.**

While we waited for our food and drinks, Pam and I debated....maybe we should go upstairs and check out the "entertainment" (yes, we were really that clueless at that point...). I walked back over to the hostess to ask if we could be seated upstairs. She informs me to go upstairs there is an extra "cover charge" of $10 per person. This is the moment when I'm just not feeling comfortable....Yes! I know! Just call us SLOW! or CLUELESS! or whatever.....

I go back over to Pam and we start noticing even more "peculiarities"....

.....the muscular, Greek looking guy, with the ear piece guarding the elevator....

.....the many hidden alcoves....

.....the grandeur of the place...within this "neighborhood"....supported by the sale of just food and drink?...

Needless to say, we would have liked to leave at that point, but decided to stay in the bar area and finish our food. Everything was delicious.

When we were ready to leave the big burly grunters were very kind and got us a cab....there was never a time I felt unsafe....just a little weirded out.

Pam and I had a great time recalling the experience in the morning over coffee and debating what the place was all about...really....

Maybe I don't need to change the name of the place....

Maybe everything we did witness was just all a bunch of coincidences....

Maybe Pam and I were making too many assumptions....

but I'm not taking any chances....I don't want any of those guys in the three piece suits with ear pieces coming after me....

I have to remember that things are different around here....and I'm definitely not in Kalamazoo anymore.....