Listen, Do You Want To Know A Secret?

Do You Want To Know a Secret?

When I was younger, so much younger than today . . . yes, I listened to the Beatles, just like everyone else. But I also had a fantasy that I think is somewhat unique.

When I’m 64 , I thought to myself, I would be a kind of geriatric Eloise living at the Plaza Hotel. Imagine that!

If you remember your children’s literature, Eloise was an irrepressible and charming six-year-old, the unofficial mascot of that grand hotel back in its heyday. Well, the hotel has gone through several changes since then, as have I, and my fantasy, alas, can never come true.

In this now impossible dream, I planned to sell everything and rent a room at the Plaza, endear myself to the staff (although probably not to the management), dress up all the time, and become the new somewhat older Eloise at the Plaza.

A Day in the Life of this new me would provide adventure Here, There and Every Where, mostly within the confines of the Plaza, of course, but definitely some strolls in Central Park, where I’d be at Strawberry Fields Forever. Well, no, not forever, because I’d be invited to tea in the Palm Court by princes and rock stars and other royal entities, where I’d engage in a bit of matchmaking (I’d be far too ancient for any matches of my own), and it would all be very Ob-La Di, La-Dee-Dah.

Well, life has a way of changing the best-laid plans of mice and me, and let’s face it, this plan was kind of fuzzy around the edges to begin with. I mean, even back then when I first had this fantasy, how much would it have cost to rent even their teeniest room? Maybe they had monthly rates for the regulars, which I surely would have become. But that might have been exorbitant too. Perhaps I could have gone to the owners and said, We Can Work It Out. After all, I wouldn’t be a Day Tripper. . .

Anyway, this is all a moot point because the Plaza of Yesterday is not the Plaza of today, and now it’s mostly condominiums that sell for multimillions— and I don’t even want to think about the maintenance fees.

Sigh. Add this to the Fantasy Unfulfilled list, and please ignore the initials.

But on the other hand, I’m doing okay In My Life. My building is not the Plaza, but it ain’t bad, and I have managed to raise a few eyebrows with my behavior, if only for bringing a bottle of champagne down to the lobby for one of the doormen to open. Hey, a girl’s grip does slip a bit as time goes by.

I may not have the Plaza, but I still have a sense of fun, a very nice apartment, and a few adventures up my sleeve, or any other place you’d care to name.

In the immortal words of that great philosopher, Mick Jagger,

You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

Oh, yes, Mick, I so agree. Even a Beatles fan such as I can see the wisdom in your words.

Help! What possessed me to combine a story about the Plaza with all those Beatles songs, not to mention a reference to The Rolling Stones? Possible answers include:

a) Because I just saw the movie Yesterday, which I highly recommend.

b) Those words from Jagger have real meaning In My Life? (I just can’t help myself, can I?)

c) I have no idea.

d) All of the above.

I’d vote for d), people, but that’s just me.