San Francisco Woman Takes Her Heart to Des Moines
Des Moines is putting its best foot forward, providing an expense-paid weekend for Elise Rychlewski, 32, of San Francisco. She won the trip in a Chamber of Commerce promotional contest that is part of a friendly feud between the two cities. Her winning entry: “Girl seeks city for brief but meaningful affair. Must be interesting, friendly, traditional (but full of surprises). In short, a city like Des Moines.” When Rychlewski’s plane landed, her bags were missing, but her anxious hosts whisked her by limousine to the “Intimate Apparel” boutique at Younkers Department Store for replacements. “I never bought underwear before with everybody watching me,” she said. But the bags showed up at the hotel Friday night, and she was given a key to the city and attended a reception with civic leaders. Saturday’s schedule included a tour of the stately Victorian residence of Gov. Terry Branstad and a chat with his wife, Chris; a visit to the Polar Bear Open golf tournament on a frozen lake; a tour of Salisbury House, a 42-room mansion housing valuable art objects, paintings and a library of rare letters and first editions, and--the high point--a ballet performance by Rudolf Nureyev and dinner with the dancer.
--Cloe Curry, a 78-year-old grandmother, can bring her knitting back to the Burger King restaurant in Salem, Ore., from which she was bounced a few days ago for loitering. Robert G. Boss, owner of the franchise, called her to invite her back. Almost every day for the last five years she has spent hours at the fast-food outlet, knitting, sipping coffee and chatting with customers and staff. “It got me out of the old, dumb apartment,” she said. Curry did not think she was in the way, she said, since she arrived about 9 a.m. and left before the noon rush hour. Boss had seen it differently, complaining that Curry used senior citizen discount cards to obtain free coffee and stayed for “an unreasonable length of time.” But public reaction made him think otherwise. “I told her I’m only human, and I made a mistake,” Boss said after calling to apologize. Curry said: “I told him I would have to think about it.” She said she received an invitation from a nearby McDonald’s.
--America’s Cup fever has benefited Boston. Leonard F. Greene, owner of the 12-meter Courageous 4, which successfully defended the cup in 1974 and 1977, has donated the boat to a sailing center for Boston children. Mayor Raymond L. Flynn said the $500,000 Courageous Sailing Center will be phased in over three years, with Courageous 4, which was recently outclassed at Fremantle, Australia, as the centerpiece of the 30-boat training facility.
