Louise Carroll: Hotel stay was just ducky
My son Michael and daughter-in-law Linda and I started our journey to New Orleans by flying from Pittsburgh to Memphis and spending the night at the Peabody Hotel before leaving for our boat trip down the Mississippi in the morning.
Our night at the Peabody was part of our vacation package so we had no idea what it cost but one couple decided to come a day early and spend more time at the Peabody; their extra day cost them over $500.
Oh honestly! It was utter and complete luxury at the legendary 4.5 Star hotel in the heart of Memphis. My room was beautiful and included complimentary blue bottles of water, and in case I forgot to bring everything I needed, it was all there from deodorant to conditioner. Who knew? I didn't even need to unpack my toiletries.
Your dog or cat is welcome at The Peabody where they enjoy specially equipped rooms with amenities including room service dishes for discerning dogs and finicky cats. I hope pets get a special rate. The Peabody is famous for its marching ducks which have been featured in magazines, on TV specials, and on a number of TV shows attracting people from all over world.
I was absolutely stunned when by 10 a.m. the huge lobby was filling with people for the 11 a.m. duck march. Seriously, people were lined up three or more deep and the balcony was packed with people. I shook my head in wonder. We have ducks in western Pennsylvania, I've seen lots of ducks in my life. No, they didn't march but why should they? They can waddle, swim and fly, but there I was crowded against a wall. I had to laugh at myself. Why in the world was I standing for more than an hour just to see ducks walk?
Two men in hotel livery guarded the elevator. A red carpet was rolled out. The elevator door opened and the Duck Master accompanied the ducks down the red carpet to the fountain in the center of the lobby. Children were allowed to sit on the floor beside the carpet and everyone was taking pictures of ducks waddling down the red carpet. The ducks remain in the fountain until 5 p.m. when they march back to the elevator, again surrounded by crowds of duck watchers.
Yes, I watched them leave. I don't know why, maybe the ducks made me do it. Michael said, "I didn't know watching ducks march was a spectator sport."
The Peabody Ducks are five North American mallards, one drake (male) with a white collar and green head and four hens (females) with less colorful plumage. When off-duty, the ducks live in their Royal Duck Palace on the hotel's rooftop. The $200,000 structure is made of marble and glass and features its very own fountain with a bronze duck spitting water. It also includes a small house, replica of the hotel, where the ducks can nest in a soft, grassy front yard. I know it's true because we went up to the roof and looked.
They not only live in luxury they have a great retirement plan. The ducks are raised by a local farmer and a friend of the hotel. Each team of Peabody ducks lives at the hotel for only three months before retiring from their duty and returning to the farm, where they are free to live as wild ducks. With a return to the great outdoors in mind, the hotel recognizes its resident waterfowl as wild animals and does not domesticate them or treat them like pets. Needless to say, duck is not served anywhere at The Peabody and has not been seen on the hotel's menus since its 1981 reopening, quite possibly making Chez Philippe the only French restaurant in the world that does not offer duck.
The duck tradition began in the 1930s when Frank Shutt, general manager of The Peabody, and a friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had a little too much Tennessee sippin' whiskey and decided to bring their live duck decoys and put them in the fountain and made the Peabody Hotel internally famous.
I've been there and spent a couple of hours of my life standing around waiting for ducks to march and I can't explain why. Is it because "when in Rome?" or "Louise, you just aren't as smart as you think you are?"
This article originally appeared on Ellwood City Ledger: Carroll: Hotel stay was just ducky
