I suspect there is some parable of the “patient panda,” and I’ll get to that in a second.
There’s an interesting juxtaposition between “panda as logo” for fast food, and “panda as high art” fit for a fancy hotel.
This same juxtaposition is also hinted at with the metal detector to the right. The hotel lobby was swarmed with Secret Service (how do I know? They display, proudly, they are secret. Oh, irony.), SFPD, plain clothes women with obviously highly trained German speaking dogs, press corps, and staffers. Oh my the hordes of staffers.
I waited for a bit, patiently you might say, to see if I could get a glimpse of POTUS retiring for the night after a fundraiser. But alas, he didn’t come through the front door. A suspected outcome, but the side door wasn’t exactly open for onlookers.
The metal detectors and security protocols will be gone tomorrow. Like “Fast food.” Quick, fleeting. Temporary. Still, the panda sits, patient.
My time wasn’t just hopeful waiting, however. A coworker, now batting .500 for trips to the US (from Canada) where he’s slept in the same building as the President, and another waited, too. Aside from the eavesdropping we naturally got tricked into talking about work. Somehow that always happens.
- 2023/10/27