Walking down the
streets of Vail Village during the busy season is a hazardous event.
Swinging skis, sidetracked tourists, and temper tantrum throwing
children are just a few of the obstacles one faces on the journey
from the parking structure to the ski lift. Vail ain't no city, but
the place does fill up. It’s a good thing it does, because in some
way or another, that’s how we all find work.
And do we ever find
it.
Vail is not a cheap
place to live, and since jobs are scarce 3-4 months out of the year,
people make up for it by becoming veritable workaholics when jobs are
aplenty. It’s not uncommon to have three or more gigs throughout
the winter. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of having more than
one employer—but even I seem to pick up those second jobs like a
bad habit, because, that’s just how we make it work.
I'll sleep
when...the snow melts.
But for now, the lazy
fog of shoulder season has yet to lift. The streets are empty, the
restaurants are slow, and there’s rarely a wait for morning coffee.
Yes, our pocket books are slimming but it only takes 3 minutes to
walk the entire length of Bridge Street! Which is fortunate since,
once you arrive at the bar near the end and realize they have about
as much going on as my great aunt’s house on pinocle night, the
extra time is needed to run back to the bus before it leaves for
home.
Don’t worry, this
ghost town won’t be dead for long. The lifties arrive this week and
the mountain opens soon after. Better enjoy the break now, the odds
are, in a couple months we'll be thinking of this time fondly.
