In early 2009, I was still recovering from the frantic pace of the 2008 election and the “Big Tent” event hosted by Daily Kos at the DNC convention. There was stress followed by sleepless nights and, finally, the joy of seeing President Barack Obama being inaugurated in D.C., even if that too was a challenge due to the extremely cold weather. A virus swept through those D.C. crowds like wildfire, knocking me on my rear end for weeks after the crowds dissipated. Simply put, I was fried.
So when a dear friend asked if I wanted to road trip with her across the country, I leapt at the chance to get away. She departed New York City and traveled more than 10,000 miles around the country. I was lucky enough to join her for three weeks as we slow-rolled our way from Kansas City to Seattle, never wanting to drive more than three hours per day if we could help it.
After a couple of days exploring Yellowstone National Park, we were northbound toward Glacier National Park. Daily Kos’ own Joan McCarter tipped me off to Livingston, Montana, and suggested we drive a bit further north to stay there rather than the tourist-heavy town on the northern side of Yellowstone where we’d originally intended to stay. Am I ever glad she made that recommendation.
By the time we reached Livingston, I was in serious vacation mode, embracing the care-free road trip, actually stopping to smell the roses. We checked into the Murray Hotel and discovered it was a rather famous Western hotel. Opened in 1904, it served the likes of Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane, and the Queen of Denmark. In more recent times the Murray hosted Whoopie Goldberg and Robert Redford, who frequented the hotel while filming A River Runs Through It. From the stuffed buffalo on the wall in the main lobby to the old-fashioned sign asking guests to check in their guns at the front desk, this place was filled with Western history. You could actually smell it.
We made our way to the 2nd Street Bistro next door to the hotel for dinner and oh, my! It was fabulous. According to my notes and photo diary, I had pan-seared scallop with crawfish risotto. DEEEEEEE-LICOUS! We took our time and shared a bottle of wine, perhaps even indulging in dessert.
As my friend was waiting to close out our check, I stepped out onto the sidewalk to stretch. I looked over to see a man sitting on a bench by himself. Nobody else in town. Actual tumbleweeds blowing down the street. I'll be damned if it wasn't Anthony Bourdain sitting there watching the tumbleweeds go by. I looked at him and said, “Anthony Bourdain?”
He smiled and acknowledged it was indeed him. Being a travel hound and a foodie of the highest order, I was absolutely floored. He graciously chatted us up for quite some time, especially around Kansas City BBQ and his love for Oklahoma Joe’s (now known as Joe’s Kansas City.) He talked about his daughter and how he’d quit smoking for her. As we left him to head to the rooftop of the Murray Hotel to watch the sun go down, we laughed so hard about the fact we’d gotten so lost that we found Anthony Bourdain! It still seems surreal. We intentionally set out to take the road-less-traveled, to literally stop and smell the roses, drink the local brew, taste the local fare. We had so many miles to go, but hanging out with Anthony Bourdain felt like we’d already arrived at our destination.
He was in Livingston to film an episode of No Reservations with one of his personal heroes, author Jim Harrison. I’ve since learned that this was one of his favorite episodes to film. He called Livingston “possibly the most awesome place on earth.” High praise, indeed!
In fact, Bourdain returned to Montana in 2016 for an episode of his CNN series, Parts Unknown. He had this to say about his earlier 2009 trip. From the Montana Pioneer:
“When I look back on my life and career…I’ll look back on the Montana [No Reservations] show with no small amount of pride,” Bourdain wrote in August of 2009. “I will smile and be proud that I had the honor, the privilege, the sheer joy of having Jim Harrison on No Reservations…I’ll be grateful that a painting by the awesome Russell Chatham now hangs on my wall. That the fishing guide, wilderness cook, jack-of-all trades Dan Lahren showed me around. And that I got to spend many happy hours drinking at one of the world’s finest saloons, The Murray Bar.”
Bourdain was back in that immediate neighborhood this time around, too, staying at The Murray Hotel—in the Peckinpah Suite, to be exact.
“I wake up in a lot of hotels, so I am fiercely loyal to the ones I love,” Bourdain said in a post on his Facebook page on Dec. 7. “A hotel where I know immediately where I am when I open my eyes in the morning is a rare joy. Here are some of my favorites.” And in the accompanying list of his 10 favorite hotels in the world that included notable establishments like the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, Le Continental in Saigon, and the Park Hyatt in Tokyo, the Murray was listed.
“You want the Peckinpah Suite,” Bourdain wrote regarding the Murray.
He’s not joking about that saloon. We met so many wonderful people (and dogs) in that saloon. By the end of the night, the locals made us feel like we were home. The drinks were flowing, the laughter was raucous, and the dancing was good, old-fashioned, care-free fun. Before we left, we had invitations to join a morel mushroom hunt and an afternoon of tubing and living it up on a nearby lake. We had to mosey to get to Glacier National Park, but oh how we wanted to stay in Livingston.
I will always treasure the memory of this encounter and I will always carry the lessons of traveling that Anthony Bourdain taught us all, most especially his respect for the cultures and traditions of people around the world. [EDIT: I’ll add that also means using my own white privilege to stand up for people of color and the less fortunate, something Bourdain did fiercely throughout his life.] For those of us who were Bourdain fans, he’ll still be traveling with us. I’ll be lifting one in his memory tonight, watching the tumbleweeds go by.
I’m planning to return to Livingston and the Murray Hotel one day and you can bet I’ll be staying in the Peckinpah Suite.
Rest in peace.
via GIPHY