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Jiro

Jiro

If You Know What I Mean
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Hotel guest checks out after 10-plus years
Joy Bricker spent the better part of her adult life in New Hampshire, but the Beltway is where she has felt most at home.
Falls Church, Virginia (CNN) -- Garrulous and active, 79-year-old Joy Bricker presides over her hotel suite in a manner befitting a grander home. She offers tea to the staff and media with the ease of a person schooled in proper etiquette.

Like many hotel guests, Bricker has learned to make herself feel comfortable, making her room a home away from home. Only, Bricker has called the Towne Place Suites by Marriott, in Falls Church, Virginia, home for more than 10 years.

A former pilot, the 5-foot tour de force is finally turning in her key card, as movers wait to carry off the few labeled belongings she'd brought in to room 202.

"I had this chair brought up from my condo in Florida," says Bricker.

A divider serves as a mantel for framed pictures of family, separating the kitchenette and living area of her 500-square-foot suite. She's made the hotel furniture, identical in all rooms, more personal with a blanket on a sofa and stuffed animal over a lampshade.

Extended hotel stays are not so unusual, according to Carla Berberich, a general manager at the Towne Place Suites, especially for business travelers. This Virginia location is nearly half-filled, at 46 percent. But, no one has stayed as long as Bricker, who checked in on August 4, 2001. She is the longest extended-stay guest any Marriott hotel has seen.

What brought Bricker here was a job with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the second politically-appointed position the onetime homemaker says she accepted. But this one came when she was 68, when many senior citizens are well settled into retirement.

But, Bricker began her professional career at 50. Years of political organizing she says led to a friendship with Elizabeth and Bob Dole and ultimately to her first job during the Reagan administration in the Department of Transportation in 1981. A stint followed at the White House, where she worked in the campaign for A Drug Free America starting in 1986.

For the Pennsylvania native, who spent the better part of her adult life in rural Ashland, New Hampshire, the Beltway is where she has felt most at home.

The death of her husband, Glenn, from cancer gave her no pause in returning to work in 2001, which landed her at the Towne Place Suites. For less than the price of many apartment rentals in the Washington metro area (roughly $1,500-$1,700 a month) Bricker's room was supplied with wifi, which fueled her hours of daily online research and reading a day, and the added benefit of daily room cleaning, and round-the-clock security. Though she says she still makes her bed each day, though not nearly as well.

Bricker has become a pillar of the transient, makeshift community. She's made friends of staff and short-term neighbors alike. Next door, her new Kuwaiti friend brings traditional meals of spiced stew for them to share.

"It's helped my appetite," says Bricker as she acknowledges her frail frame. "I call it community planning," she adds, "I turned it into a community."

Her daughter, Chris Winton, explains further, "She turned them into family, and they accepted."

And, it was this family of hotel staff who came to her aid when last year a late-night fall landed her in the hospital with a broken hip. General Manager Bobby Bellinger was the first person Bricker saw when she awoke in her hospital bed.

"It ran through my mind how many people would have been this lucky," says Bricker as she holds Bellinger's hand on what will be a final visit together.

Now, compounded ailments of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis are forcing the fiercely independent Bricker to move in with her daughter in upstate New York.
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I've always thought of living at hotel at any location cuz it was simpler and cheaper. I like to be mobile and simple.

only need one permanent place which is a nice little cabin house somewhere in PA or VA if I ever need to chill for weekend or to chill.
 
Wow. And when you think about it, she didn't have pesky other bills like utilities or Internet or landline, etc. All that comes with the room!
 
AlleyCat said:
Wow. And when you think about it, she didn't have pesky other bills like utilities or Internet or landline, etc. All that comes with the room!
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yea it's just a matter of finding hotel in a certain location that can be affordable.
 
I did same when I was living in San Jose. It was cheaper to live in long term hotel than renting an apartment.
 
Very shrewd lady. I like the fact she had no utility bills to pay and her room was less than the cost of an apartment ..... 24 hour security .... I mean ..... WOW .... Very smart.
 
It's not a bad way to live, at all, considering the services and the security. Towne Place Suites is designed for long stays, so her space was larger than the average hotel room.

See how simple life can be when we are not weighed down by a lot of possessions! She sounds like a very smart lady.
 
Had she been attempting to maintain a home,hang onto possessions (and accumulate more), and all of the other things that go with most folks' daily lives, she probably would have not been able to work and continue to assist others for as long as she did. We have been brainwashed to believe that we "have" to own the home with the white picket fence and manicured lawn with all the latest of whatever is on the market. Most of it is not really for our comfort, but to keep up with the Jones. This woman knew what was important to her, and she did it. Kudos. I wish everyone knew themselves as well as she obviously did, and lived true to themselves the way she does.
 
Beach girl said:
It's not a bad way to live, at all, considering the services and the security. Towne Place Suites is designed for long stays, so her space was larger than the average hotel room.

See how simple life can be when we are not weighed down by a lot of possessions! She sounds like a very smart lady.
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A big house with tons of furniture is hell to maintain. I speak from personal experience as I grew up in such a home and it's a factor in why I don't want a large home cluttered with tons of things.
 
My old boss from the BBB lived in a Embassy Suites unit for 3 years. He had bought a house and then it did not pass inspection. There was all kinds of work that had to be done and it took the full 3 years. Luckily, he did not owe any mortgage payments during that time and the sellers had to pay for all the repairs and rebuilding. He paid $700 a month to stay at the Embassy Suites next to the airport.
 
Many of the larger cities have what they call "business suites" for people who come into the area on a regular basis and need more than just a night or two in a motel. Like people who live a couple of weeks in one city, and have a home elsewhere. They are set up like efficiency condos and function like where this woman was living. They can be rented for a week, a month, 6 months...whatever is needed. One price gets you lodging and amenities. I personally think that it is something that would go over well for many. People have finally started providing things like this for seniors in their senior citiizen complexes. My mom lived in a great place like that with one monthly fee that covered everything except cable and phone. Rental fees based on income. Well maintained, safe, and comfortable. Why couldn't we provide the same for people that aren't seniors but travel frequently?
 
deafskeptic said:
A big house with tons of furniture is hell to maintain. I speak from personal experience as I grew up in such a home and it's a factor in why I don't want a large home cluttered with tons of things.
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Me, as well. I find the need to keep simplifying my life so I can concentrate on other things. I don't think I will ever develop a problem with hoarding, lol.

But I do have to admit that there was a time in my life when I fell into the same trap so many do...house and yard had to be impeccable and I "needed" all the most updated things. Why? To be honest, so my neighbors would not think I was less than. Gotta keep up those appearances, you know. It is amazing how your priorities change throughout life.
 
jillio said:
Me, as well. I find the need to keep simplifying my life so I can concentrate on other things. I don't think I will ever develop a problem with hoarding, lol.

But I do have to admit that there was a time in my life when I fell into the same trap so many do...house and yard had to be impeccable and I "needed" all the most updated things. Why? To be honest, so my neighbors would not think I was less than. Gotta keep up those appearances, you know. It is amazing how your priorities change throughout life.
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Well, I have to fess up to something here. I'd be a horder no matter where i live so I have to keep that under control.
 
deafskeptic said:
Well, I have to fess up to something here. I'd be a horder no matter where i live so I have to keep that under control.
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My 11 year old neice shows the tendency, too. Had this convo with her not long ago:

"This shirt is too small. Let's put it in the "donate" pile.

But it's my favorite shirt.

I know. But you can't wear it; it is too small for you.

But can't I keep it?

What for?

Because it is my favorite!

But now it's time to get you another shirt that will become your favorite. Time to let this one go to another little girl so it can become her favorite. She will love it just as much as you do. A favorite shirt should be worn, not stuck in a box somewhere.

(Reluctantly) Okay.

Now how about all these Duplo blocks?

No! I like to play with them.

How long has it been since you played with Duplo blocks? You are 11 years old. I haven't seen you touch them for at least 3 years.

But I might want to play with them sometime.
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You get the picture! But I have to admit, I have the problem of doing the same thing with books. I have to force myself to get rid of some from time to time.
 
jillio said:
Had she been attempting to maintain a home,hang onto possessions (and accumulate more), and all of the other things that go with most folks' daily lives, she probably would have not been able to work and continue to assist others for as long as she did. We have been brainwashed to believe that we "have" to own the home with the white picket fence and manicured lawn with all the latest of whatever is on the market. Most of it is not really for our comfort, but to keep up with the Jones. This woman knew what was important to her, and she did it. Kudos. I wish everyone knew themselves as well as she obviously did, and lived true to themselves the way she does.
Click to expand...

jillio said:
Many of the larger cities have what they call "business suites" for people who come into the area on a regular basis and need more than just a night or two in a motel. Like people who live a couple of weeks in one city, and have a home elsewhere. They are set up like efficiency condos and function like where this woman was living. They can be rented for a week, a month, 6 months...whatever is needed. One price gets you lodging and amenities. I personally think that it is something that would go over well for many. People have finally started providing things like this for seniors in their senior citiizen complexes. My mom lived in a great place like that with one monthly fee that covered everything except cable and phone. Rental fees based on income. Well maintained, safe, and comfortable. Why couldn't we provide the same for people that aren't seniors but travel frequently?
Click to expand...

jillio said:
Me, as well. I find the need to keep simplifying my life so I can concentrate on other things. I don't think I will ever develop a problem with hoarding, lol.

But I do have to admit that there was a time in my life when I fell into the same trap so many do...house and yard had to be impeccable and I "needed" all the most updated things. Why? To be honest, so my neighbors would not think I was less than. Gotta keep up those appearances, you know. It is amazing how your priorities change throughout life.
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who trapped you? who brainwashed you? My family and I never felt this kind of mysterious influence to live in a home with white picket fence.
 
Jiro said:
who trapped you? who brainwashed you? My family and I never felt this kind of mysterious influence to live in a home with white picket fence.
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What the hell are you talking about?:crazy: That is a common expression used to describe the "American Dream". It is a socially created attitude. And many, many people buy into it. You included. You sure as hell worry about possessions and what you own. I don't see you living in a hotel. What's up with the motorcycle you love to show off? How about dem guns you want to show everyone?

Really, Jiro. Take a deep breath. It isn't healthy to carry the obsession to prove me wrong into every single thread.
 
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