Day 26 – The Grand Hyatt
East 42 Street
Another massive mid-city hotel but this place holds a special significance for me, as it was the location of the first children’s book writers and illustrators conference I attended in New York.
Way back in Feb of 2013, when we’d been in town barely 24 hours, I headed here for three days with my portfolio tucked under my arm. Back then it was all Widodo the tree kangaroo, but whether it was due to a latent hostility towards marsupials in the target readership, or perhaps his adventures were just a little too cutting edge at the time, or maybe the story just totally sucked, the project got no takers.
So it was with a hint of sadness, I must confess, I re-entered this modern marvel of a hotel. Not only that, but having worked at a Hyatt many years ago, I am always struck by a slightly nostalgic air whenever I see their logo and I remember a simpler, more innocent time. Actually, not that innocent, come to think of it.
Once Roger got underway, however, all nostalgia and marsupial reminisces faded from memory (not unlike Widodo’s particular species one day, should they keep cutting down his habitat. Avoid the palm oil if you can, folks) as the plucky 14 year-old hero continued his epic quest against the forces which will do him harm (and an awful lot of London too, if I can reveal so much of the upcoming tale so soon).
Today’s word count: 2158
Word count to date: 63,543
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