A Bottle of Mouthwash at the Jack Tar

Staying at a hotel as a kid is a totally different experience than an adult. I'm sure a hotel or motel is seen as a place to sleep and shower by most parents, but for a little kid, it's a whole new world to explore, with different rules. You just gotta see how bouncy that bed is, and when do we go swimming?
I was going to just write a little piece on packing up when I go out exploring or on an overnight, and a few hints and tips on hotel stays, when I remembered staying at The Jack Tar in Durham when I was very little. I think my family was going to the National Track & Field Championships at Duke, and left me with my grandmother for the day. I probably got the better end of the deal.
What little I do remember was the experience of staying at such a fine hotel. I believe we must have actually stayed in the old Washington Duke, because we were fairly high up, and had to take the elevator to a high interior floor. The elevators in the Washington Duke had buttons that you merely need to brush, or perhaps breathe upon, to activate. Such joy there was in turning on those delicate chrome buttons that my brothers all got to enjoy the privilege of doing so, while I, the baby of the group, never got the chance. I did, however, get to buy something from the amazing vending machine in the Duke.
While most places would have a Coke machine and an ice maker, the old Washington Duke offered so much more. They actually had a machine that sold sundries, toothbrushes, sewing kits, rolaids, and, magically, a little glass bottle of mouthwash. I think I wanted it as much for the bottle as for the taste of the mouthwash itself. I remember it being a bit of an argument among both my brothers and my parents as to why I would chose that, but, upon reflection in hindsight, it still seems like the most logical choice. It was a quarter, expensive at the time, but I was able to use the mouthwash for weeks, barely taking a sip, just to experience the taste, the smell. What did I need a razor for?
The lesson I learned from this, as a parent now, it to let your children have these experiences. I don't mean you have to buy them everything they ask for. But there is a joy in knowing something will be yours, a reminder of the trip, an exercise that the kid gets to do. I thought of having my daughter, now that she's just old enough to make simple decisions, to have money on her own, just change to spend as she sees fit. it won't break the bank, and I still make sure she's not getting something that will be a total rip, Hopefully she will have the same memories I had of those times I got to stay in a hotel, a new world to discover, and treasure to take home.