Flowers in bloom, tax filing doom, laundry in hall, kids bouncing off wall – why, it must be Spring Break! During this week off, some families hit the road to visit relatives or theme parks while others hunker down at home to TSP their walls (don’t laugh, I know where these people live and they are NOT me). We chose the divide and conquer method of tackling the time off – sent the 17 year old off for a great trip to visit a faraway friend, the husband stayed home (to work and, more importantly, keep the cat company) and my son and I drove off into the sun-bleached desert for Elevator Tour 2010.
Yes, you read that correctly. We toured elevators. Specifically, Otis Elevators in Las Vegas, Nevada. Two days. 16 hours. Logging approximately 12 to 15 miles on our shoes. Before you call us crazy, know that this is our second year to do this. Part Deux. You may now pass the baton of madness our way.
One of the primary traits of autism is specialized interest in unusual things … and my 13 year old son’s passion is elevators. Otis elevators. My boy did extensive research to locate as many Otis elevators as he could in his most favorite city, then made a list of what he needed to see on his special tour: Mandalay Bay, Harrah’s, Flamingo, Bally’s, Four Seasons, Venetian, Palazzo, Circus Circus, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Stratosphere, Southpoint, Trump and the Luxor with its inclinators. As official Tour Mom I made him an official tour t-shirt (obviously, still holding the baton of madness).
When we “tour” the Las Vegas elevators, it’s not just the guest elevators my son wants to see, ride, photograph and videotape. We walk around the ENTIRE building seeking out handicap elevators and “secret” elevators (employee and service elevators). We don’t ride the “secret” elevators – we’re not like crazy rock fans that tour with the band and trash locations, just so you know. Our tour is civilized (weird, but civilized).
Once back home, my transcendental tourist uploads all of his photos and footage to his computer so he can create movies complete with soundtrack and credits. Odd and quirky, perhaps – but David Lynch and that round fellow with the baseball cap have made whole film careers by that same description.
As for me… elevators are so NOT my fancy (nor is the whole walking until every fiber of my being hurts, without raising money for a good cause). But when I arrived home tired and beat with wounded feet, my heart was full -- knowing that my boy had the time of his life during his Spring Break. Elevator Tour rocks.
