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August Megaparty #10: The Milford Plaza!

A few years ago, when I was still working from home, I tended to go nuts, because I worked from home. The grass is always greener, and as a person prone to become a vegetable whenever the opportunity presents itself, I can't stress enough how important and healthy it is to not have beds and couches within arm's reach at all times. Point: When I worked from home, I sometimes went crazy and conjured up stupid trips just to get myself out of the house. In October of 2003, I decided to stay at the Milford Plaza in New York City, just to break the monotony. Until I started working in the city, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't really know it. I mean, I knew the certain social corners my group of friends would frequent, but beyond that, I was as good as an Arkansasawian.

Within that, I had no idea what a crappy hotel the Milford Plaza was. Comparatively speaking, at least. I was led to believe that this was the place to be -- the ultimate cosmopolitan hub. It wasn't through word-of-mouth or planted reviews on travel sites. It was all because of a dumb commercial I saw fifty-thousand times while growing up.

I'm assuming that you'd have to have lived in the tri-state area to know this one, but the Milford Plaza commercial made the hotel seem fancier and more accommodating than, shit, heaven or something. With the catchiest jingle in all the land sung by the happiest bunch of hotel hands you ever did see, I grew up believing that a two night stay at the Milford Plaza was probably the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person. I was wrong. It wasn't a slum by any means -- for the money, it was perfectly adequate -- but considering the shitty showers, the tiny rooms and windows that required jacks to open, this ad is total proof of the power of advertising. Watch the commercial, and tell me you're not tempted to start booking.

Posted by Matt on 08/10/2006. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 81 comments

Hi, first time poster. =) I’ve been reading for years, and I figure while I have a chance of being one of the first replies, I’d just say I love X-E. =D

Chestnuts roasted by Christine @ 08/10/2006 11:45 PM

Hmm… my Pokemons smell like toilet-paper…

Chestnuts roasted by gramsci @ 08/10/2006 11:45 PM

Thanks Christine – stick around!

Also, for those who keep getting the posting "limit" block, a friend of mine is very close to getting the entire blog converted into a new prog that will eliminate that problem and add a few new bells and whistles. Bear with us. :)

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 08/10/2006 11:48 PM

thanks to that lullaby, I’m sleepy now

Chestnuts roasted by random bob @ 08/10/2006 11:49 PM

I once stayed in the city at a place that had rooms so small you could piss from the bed. We also had the best view ever: a brick wall. If you opened the window and looked down you could see what would have served as a perfect movie set that was titled "Deadly Alley". We swore there were things living in that space between buildings that have not been seen by man in years. All that for probably $600-$800 a night…Gotta love NY!

Chestnuts roasted by Shuanfu @ 08/11/2006 12:05 PM

Matt, you may have covered this somewheres, but is there an archive? I only recently discovered X-E and would love to go back and read past articles. Just so I wont ask stupid questions like, Does anyone know what Tranzor Z is?

Chestnuts roasted by Joker @ 08/11/2006 12:10 PM

Matt: Huzzah! It’s about damn time!

And I 1) had work at 10am this morning and 2) invaded a buffet earlier tonight with 2 friends…So now I’m both full as hell and tired as hell. Now for watching Pee-wee’s Playhouse!

Chestnuts roasted by Invader Norbert @ 08/11/2006 12:10 PM

Welcome Christine!
After watching that commercial I’m convinced that you’re lying about the quality of the place. It’s got to be as awesome as it looks on the commercial, its just gotta! Commercials don’t lie, you just want to steer people clear of it so you can have it all to yourself! Well I’m not falling for it, I’m moving into that hotel and there’s nothing that you can do to stop me!

Chestnuts roasted by Darth Poop @ 08/11/2006 12:16 PM

Yay for new bells and whistles! Hopefully I’ll still be able to post from my mobile. Mad props, Matt’s Friend!
I always thought you tri-staters all knew NYC like the back of your hands, like it was an innate thing. It makes me feel better to know that’s not the case.

Chestnuts roasted by squee4242 @ 08/11/2006 12:29 PM

That’s the great thing about New York, isn’t it? No matter how shitty something is, the tourism board makes up for it by saying "But You’re in New York!"

And you totally buy it.

Damn movies, that’s who I blame.

Chestnuts roasted by RoadBlock @ 08/11/2006 12:35 PM

Matt, I remember that commercial very, very well. Channel 9, WOR, used to run it at least once an hour (and it would occasionally turn up on Channel 11, too). That commercial and the various elaborate plugs for hit Broadway shows like "The Phantom of the Opera" and "City of Angels" were the definition of real New York glamor to a girl who lived on the far south side of the Garden State Parkway. I still think of the Milford Plaza whenever I hear "The Lullaby of Broadway."

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 08/11/2006 12:45 PM

I wonder if I could stand to stay there if the staff really were that happy. I think I would snap after the first hour.

Chestnuts roasted by mnpchan @ 08/11/2006 1:25 AM

Those waiters were close enough to that grease pan fire to have their eyebrows singed off and they were STILL happily singing. Wow.

Also, for those who keep getting the posting "limit" block, a friend of mine is very close to getting the entire blog converted into a new prog that will eliminate that problem and add a few new bells and whistles.
Yay!

Chestnuts roasted by Mars @ 08/11/2006 1:28 AM

Yea, that place… not so nice. You’re free to stay at my place in East Village if I can trade you for a trip to the creepy ass mountain home with the cool gag store.

Chestnuts roasted by Bryan @ 08/11/2006 2:21 AM

Joker, there is technically supposed to be an archive…but isn’t. Your only hope is to use the search feature with random things.

Chestnuts roasted by Ragnarok @ 08/11/2006 3:02 AM

The perfect jingle to send me off to sleep – which I should’ve been there hours ago.

That song sounds really familiar, but I dunno. I severely doubt that one would’ve played way down here in MD. Heh…

Thank you, Sweet Jesus, for the man with the new Blog Plan! I can hardly wait!

Time for bed. Ahhhhh! I’ll pretend I’m living it up at the commercial friendly Milford, tonight. :)

Chestnuts roasted by Ryane @ 08/11/2006 3:24 AM

I’d stay there — as long as they had an arcade that featured air hockey, as well as a vending machine for late-night snacks. There’s nothing better than eating salted peanuts in a carpeted hallway far from home..

Chestnuts roasted by Review the World @ 08/11/2006 3:34 AM

I love hotels. If it has indoor hallways, it’s a good one as far as I’m concerned. I’m not sure if It’s just a southern thing or what, but most of the hotels around here, all the doors are outside and each one has a seperate rickety stairway to it. I hate hotels like that. But any hotel with the indoor, carpeted hallways reminds me of good times.

Chestnuts roasted by Hazzard @ 08/11/2006 4:29 AM

I know what you mean, Hazzard. When I went to Movie World (Australia’s Disneyland, but with a Warner Bros theme- best attractions were Gremlins: The Ride and the Police Academy stunt show) as a kid I was expecting to stay in some plush hotel with elevators and bellhops and shizz, but we stayed in one of those awful sickly green hotels with the outside staircases and the dirty pool. It looked like something from Mike Brady’s portfolio.

I must admit, though, that my impression of hotels is largely informed by Home Alone 2 and Dunston Checks In.

Chestnuts roasted by Daniel85 @ 08/11/2006 4:40 AM

Call the travel agent, I’m going to the Milford Plazaaahhhh!

I know a lot of this belongs on the last thread but:
1. No tattoos for me. It’s funny that that became the topic though since I joked to the kids that I was going to get a Bartolome de las Casas tattoo in class today.
2. Not sure but I think the Doho/Manicurse only applies to SNT. Doho, back me up.

Thanks Matt for all that you do and let the Megaparty give meaning to all of our lives.

Chestnuts roasted by The Manimal @ 08/11/2006 7:32 AM

Joker: If you’ve really got a lot of time on your hands, I’d start at
http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/3.html
and then when you’re done reading that article, delete the "3" and replace it with a "4." There are quite a few broken links that far back, and once you get up to article #11, for example, it will just boot you back to the main page. So back up and try #12. Have fun, and say "hi" to the Green Bamboo Mystery Peanut for me.

Chestnuts roasted by Jedoc @ 08/11/2006 7:47 AM

There are just some nights when I feel like staying in a hotel, though that happened before I worked from home. Working from home is awesome, but perhaps I just say that because all of my other jobs have been unenjoyable.
That one girl has the best 80s bangs of all time. All. Time.
Hooray for bells/whistles – I’m not even a frequent poster and I get banned sometimes.

Chestnuts roasted by Jessica Marie @ 08/11/2006 7:48 AM

Where is doho?
I suppose I’d be willing to pay a whopping 43 dollars a night per person if a guy in a tux threw my luggage around.
I’ve lived in mid-sized cities (Minneapolis and Seattle) most my life, but I think in NY I would feel like I was always on a movie set. Cause that’s the only way I’ve ever seen it.

Chestnuts roasted by kb @ 08/11/2006 7:49 AM

Arkansasawian, that’s good stuff.
On my trip to New York last year, I wish I stayed in a place that nice.

Chestnuts roasted by Dino @ 08/11/2006 8:13 AM

Hey Joker, there’s blog archives here:

http://x-entertainment.com/updates/entries/archives/index.html

and those entries alot of times link to stories. Happy reading! :)

Chestnuts roasted by Todd @ 08/11/2006 9:11 AM

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 10th, 2006 at 11:42 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.