Wednesday brings more of the same except I'm up at 3:30 now and at "the lot" by 5:15... Believe it or not people are arriving at a good clip by 5:30 and I'm there to greet them... Eureka!! Andy has now learned my name... it's because I now have a "clicker" to count the cars arriving and going into Lot 4...(really moving up the ladder, aren't I?) Wendy calls in for lot counts and Andy told her to ask for me over the radio... So the first hour comes up and Wendy asks Andy who it was she was supposed to ask for... he says "Jim" and I give her the figures... The next hour she calls for figures and asks "Jeff, what are the numbers for Lot 4?" (is Jeff closer than Dan?). Traffic is heavier because the Pro-Am portion of the tournament is today and more people are coming up with stories about where their parking passes are... the winner is that the company left them at "will call" and I'll only be a few minutes...(sorry, go to public parking and shuttle to event and pick up your tickets...no, $10 will not get you a spot). The look of hurt and frustration on these people's faces that they can't park close (to pick up tickets they didn't even pay for) is comical... it's like "what if someone sees me on a SHUTTLE to the event!" That just won't do...
So most of my day is spent explaining to people without passes that they can't park in the lot closest to the venue... (the public lot is less than 3 miles away) and turning them around to leave... Most of my regulars are chatting me up because they see me everyday when they come in in the morning and leave at night...Some of these volunteers are here almost as long as I am and have been working the event for almost 30 years...
The "Bird's Nest" officially opens tonight at 6 pm with an invitation only dinner... The "nest" is this H-U-G-E tent set up across the valet lot from where |I am "parked". It's a party tent with numerous bars, music and entertainment and will open to the public starting Thursday at 4pm... The valets that work in Lot 3 (which I also check passes for) are working split shifts and will be there until midnight...(our company does security for the "nest" but only will help with parking when it opens to the public...and only the "vets" will get that gig)...The call comes in to pack it up and I sign out at 6pm (13 hours)... Another cloudless sunny day...(buy stock in chapstick and sunblock---I'm using it like a junkie uses heroin)... a little under 500 cars (487) went into lot 4 (that doesn't include the valet lot) so I talked to a lot of people... met most of the local media celebs and lots of PGA people (who didn't give me the time of day) and made it home to shower, hot tub and sleep by 9 pm... Man, that bed felt good...
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