CONTEMPORARY EXPLORER

  There are long walks in medicine through the sterile walls of clinics and hospitals. Thoughts of diagnosis and treatments bounce in your head, dealt out by doctors and nurses you only see for a short time. A physician once confided that in medical school, you are taught to treat the patient. To always cure the ills you see. For the patient though, the cost of the cure may be greater than the benefit, not just the money, but the depths of the side effects, length of time spent.  There are dragons that live in the depths of hospitals. There to help, but breathing fire. There are times when the medical matrix confuses. What are the next best moves. Sometimes it feels like no one is there to answer the questions. You look for promised miracles. In high end stylish clinics with all the decor and appearance of warmth, you can become a ward of the cure. The care you are given craved and repeated until you find yourself there more than away at the life you knew. I like many have gre...

  I admit to liking oak paneled decor and warm lighting. So upon entering the new AC Hotel and finding no wood paneling, I had to tack to relate to the place, moving my thoughts back and forth. It was a gray taupe upon gray, even the sparse decor items, a vase, a book, a few plants were such a dark green as to evoke no variety. I’ve always found you can learn most about a hotel from the lobby level one, the vibe of the place. Level one of this place did not disappoint, perhaps the still closed kiosk shop outside the entry should have prepared me. OK, the floor to ceiling LCD display with alternating colorful artwork impressed. So much that I looked around for a cup of coffee. I just wanted to sit in front of the display to avoid my being blended into the gray decor, lost forever.  At the small circle semi bar, lobby snack and coffee spot my mood began to change. Three affable patrons sat across from me, getting a last cup before heading to the plane. They were engaging, ex...