You might as well live

I've been a fan of Dorothy Parker since I first read "Resumé" in high school -- on my own in the library.  (It seems I discovered most of my favorite books and authors on my own or through friends and family, rather than being formally introduced in a classroom or a textbook.  I wonder why that is?  The few exceptions I can think of are Beowulf, Chaucer, the British Romantic poets, and The Phantom Tollbooth.) 

So it was a pleasant surprise to pass by the Algonquin Hotel on 44th Street.  I had somehow forgot to add it to our itinerary, but there it was.  I wanted to go inside and look around a bit, but we were a little pressed for time since we had 170 other places to go that day.

The Algonquin Hotel, as you should know, was where the Round Table (a group of writers, critics, and actors) met for long lunches almost daily for about ten years, starting in 1919.   They were witty and entertaining.  If I could time travel, I'd go back and spend a few lunch hours with them, especially when Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley were in attendance.  But I have to say, when my extended family gets together at the holidays around our Long Rectangular Table, no one can beat us for wit and entertainment.

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