CHICAGO - I normally pen a diary only when I’m out of town. But I’m making an exception for my coverage of Rodel Mayol’s quest for the IBF flyweight title, which will be held here in my neck of the woods this Saturday.
Besides Rodel Mayol, another Mandauehanon, Mercito Gesta, will also see action at the All-State Arena. They are in the undercard of the Erik Morales-David Diaz WBC lightweight championship.
Mayol and Gesta got here on Tuesday night. They are billeted at the swanky Chicago Hilton on 720 S. Michigan Ave., just a brick’s throw away from the famous shopping district, the Magnificent Mile.
I requested an interview with Mayol and Gesta at their hotel, and after checking their training schedules, I was told to come at 8 p.m., dinner time.
Traffic was light when I began my journey at about 6:20 p.m. I took Lake Shore Drive northbound, exited at Randolph St., and made a left at Michigan Ave. A few green lights later, I turned right.
The hotel has seven stories of parking, and the rates petrified me. But it was too late to turn back.
One-hour parking at the Chicago Hilton is $16. One to three hours is $24, three to six hours is $28, six to 12 hours is $30, while 12-to-24 hours is a cool $41 bucks.
Valet parking? Forget it, $26 for the first six hours, $45 after that.
As soon as I found a slot, I ran like my pants were on fire.
A four-star hotel, the Chicago Hilton is drop-dead gorgeous. I walked on marble lobby floors and my neck craned as it gazed at the high ceilings. Fancy lamps and chandeliers littered the place, and it swarmed with beautiful people.
I called Mayol’s cell phone to announce my arrival, but I got a voice mail. I tried his room in the 10th floor, but “the guest is not answering” said a recording.
I kept darting at my watch. Eight o’clock came, Mayol and Gesta didn’t.
I decided to wait at the Lakeside Green Lounge by the lobby. Sipped coffee for $3.03, $5 after tips. I left 45 minutes later, my notepad empty.
When I got home, I found out that Mayol and Gesta were caught in heavy traffic and weren’t able to return to the Hilton until after 9 p.m.
We planned to meet again today. Good luck to me. (Homer D. Sayson)
