Who Would You Travel For?

So much better a question than what book would you take to the deserted island... Who would you be willing to travel to see? Forget family and friends. I'm talking celebrities here.

Years ago, for the first out-of-retirement concert, I marveled at neighbors' decision to fly from Dallas to Los Angeles for Barbra Streisand. My neighbors had promised themselves to make the effort for Streisand if she ever performed live again. Happily, by the time the opportunity arose, they had the resources to make the weekend trip to L.A.

Another household in the same neighborhood went to see the Letterman show several times. They would send in the requisite postcard and then, when selected with a couple of weeks' notice, purchase plane tickets to New York. This was in the day of $167 round-trip flights, a level of economy that may not be so unusual this year, again.

These stories probably say something about my old neighborhood. Yes, boomers.

So, who would I travel for? I always thought Bette Midler but when I checked out the prices for her upcoming Vegas show ($250/person), I determined I didn't care so much, after all.

So, who did I travel for recently? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In some circles, he is every bit the super star as Bette. (And because I think MC would chuckle, I've provided the link to his entry at Wikipedia.)

You want to know at what cost I traveled for MC, right? The one-day conference fee was $49 (Claremont Graduate University). Hotel was the Doubletree Clarement, for $110 per night or a rounded up total of about $250. Meals were purchased at the neighboring Trader Joe's grocer for about $40 total. Taxi from Ronald Reagan Airport was $120. Taxi to Ontario Airport was $40. Airplane ticket was $5 (because I used miles) and baggage charge was $30 (not anticipated because through flukes I had avoided such charges up until this winter).

We all have our favorite celebrities. (And mine was worth the 48-hour trip.)

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.