Jim と言えば、この春、彼の像が博物館近くの鉄道基地に設置されたことを書かないわけにはいかない。街(ダウンタウン)の活性化のために活動する、ボランティア・チームである、Kingman Main Street によって、Jim の長年に渡る街と文化への貢献に対し、Jim そっくりの?等身大のブロンズ像が奉納された。ツアーガイドとして多くの観光客を楽しませてきた、インタラクティブなダウンタウン・ウォーキングツアーの最初のストップ地として今後は利用されるようだ。
We have always been an unusual business, founded not to make money but to save special places. For twenty-five years we have poured our lives and revenue into improving our properties, our communities and our staff with little regard for the bottom line. We are so proud of what we have been able to accomplish, and so very grateful for the support of our loyal guests and lovely towns. Everything is different now. We have had so many cancellations we cannot process them right away. Please be patient and kind. If you believe in our common future, buy a gift certificate for a future stay or meal. If you already have a reservation we would love to give you a gift certificate or reschedule your stay when things get better – which they will. We understand that many of our guests are in crisis too, so if you have a reservation and need a refund we will get that to you as quickly as we can. We are doing all we can to support our staff too. We will pay out all benefits and will keep 24-hour security and live-in at all properties. Most of these fine people have been with us for years, some for decades. It is heartbreaking. Tina and I are working without pay. We will borrow and use every penny we have so we can all recover together. La Posada opened in 1930 as the depression overtook an unprepared nation. Working together we brought La Posada back and made it an oasis of kindness and beauty, and then the same for the Plaza, Castaneda and Legal Tender. This crisis too shall pass. We will all travel and dine and laugh again.
オーナー夫妻である Kevin と Nancy も私の大切な友人であり、将来的に何かお手伝いが出来ればとも話しているだけに、決して他人事ではない。もちろんルート66沿道の全てのビジネスが大変であろうだけに、想いはこのモーテルらだけではない。かく言う私自身もホテル業界に勤務しており、相当に大変な思いを経験している真っ最中なのだ(泣)
We are sad to announce that due to increased concern for the well-being of our guests, employees and ourselves, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close the motel, effective Friday, March 27th. Please understand that we do not make this decision lightly, but we feel it is impossible to ensure that any of us will not be exposed to the COVID-19 virus during this time of unusual and extreme risk. Additionally, we are simply unable to provide the experience of sociable hospitality that the Blue Swallow has become famous for under the kind of interactive restrictions that are currently in place. The experiences of sitting out with your neighbors under the warm glow of the neon, or sharing travel stories around a campfire, are ones that we are unable to facilitate at this time. It is not entirely clear when we will be able to resume normal operations, but we are targeting April 12 as a day to review the status of the current crisis. A decision will be made at that time on whether to reopen or extend the closure.
We encourage you to not travel during this time, but if you must be on the road, and decide to stay in Tucumcari, please first try our other historic motels, such as the Safari Motel, Roadrunner Lodge or Historic Route 66 Motel. We do not know what their plans are, but for now, they remain open.
We hope and pray that we all come through this crisis safely together, and that we are able to resume normal, fun operations in the very near future.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and hope to see you at the Blue Swallow for a future visit. Until the time that we see you back on Route 66, please stay safe and healthy.
少し前にルート66沿道で開催される、2020年のイベントを紹介したが、現在世界中を巻き込んでいるコロナウィルスの影響で、30年以上に渡って行われている毎年恒例の「Arizona Fun Run」(5月1日~3日開催予定)が中止となってしまった。 ここ数週間、アメリカは勿論、イラン、イタリア、中国、そしてスペインを筆頭に150か国近く感染者が出ているパンデミック状態では、CDCC やアリゾナ州知事の推奨に従った形で、それは感染の拡大と多くの人の命を尊重する大切な決断と思う。
Arizona Fun Run は毎年約800~900台のカスタムカーが参加し、アリゾナ州セリグマンをスタートし、同州西端のトポックまで走る一大イベントだ。