
The Best $18.70 I Have Ever Spent
By Paul Wein
Usually, when I attend a South Park Mini-Con, I stay in the home of the person who is hosting the gathering. Since my first Mini-Con, I have had the pleasure of staying at Montel's house in Alaska, Dan and Kandice's house in Chicago - and Mek's house in Ohio. For this particular Mini-Con, instead of staying at Michael Green's house, we rented a six bedroom house in Orlando's Four Corners Community - that is without a doubt the most amazing house I have ever been inside of.
The fact that I am writing this column while sitting in a heated Jacuzzi that is attached to a heated swimming pool which is located in the rear of the house under a screened-in backyard should give some indication of how amazing this house is - and how badly I would love to make it my permanent home. Besides the outdoor accoutrements, the house has three bedrooms on the first floor and three upstairs. Each of the five bathrooms has either a huge stand-in shower or hot tub - that easily accommodates more than one person. The kitchen has a dishwasher, double sink and a garbage disposal. The house also has a washer and dryer, barbecue grill, cable television with a DVD player and a VCR - and even a full set of golf clubs if we chose to play a few holes.
If this house was in Brooklyn, New York, it would be, combining property and the house itself - at least one million dollars. According to Michael Green, this house here in Florida would cost around $250,000, which to me is a steal. But considering all this house has to offer - it is worth every penny no matter how much it cost.
The most amazing part of this house, besides the house itself - is the price that it cost us. For four nights and five days - the house cost an unbelievable $169 per night - which translates to $18.70 per person per night. If I stayed in any hotel anywhere in the world - it would pale in comparison in both luxury and price.
The true heroes of this Mini-Con have been Michael Green and his wife Krissy, who acquired this house for the weekend. Instead of booking rooms in a hotel, or allowing us to stay with them, they rented us the home of homes to put the icing on the cake of one of the greatest Mini-Cons I have ever attended.
Unfortunately, tonight will be the final night that we will be staying here, and I am sure that when I am back in my apartment - which is smaller than the swimming pool - I will miss this house tremendously. But more than this wonderful home - what I really will miss are the people who stayed here with me.