It Doesn't Hurt to Ask

I didn't recognize the number so I didn't answer my phone.

During a rare free moment, during a hectic Friday afternoon at school, I remembered to check my voicemail.

"Hi this is Zack, the head of maintenance for Alyeska Resort, could you please give me a call back about setting up a tour for your son."

I jumped up and walked around my office, amazed that my request worked. My whole body smiled.

For Elias's birthday, we decided to ski with Challenge, his adaptive ski school, on both Saturday and Sunday and stay at the hotel instead of driving back to Seward. A splurge for us, but we knew if Elias could choose anywhere to stay in Girdwood, he would choose the place with eight floors and multiple elevators, not to mention a pool, hot tub, tram, and spectacular mountain views.

The online booking form for the Alyeska Resort includes a "special requests" option and so I wrote: My son Elias experiences autism and cerebral palsy and is fascinated with elevators. We are staying at Alyeska for his 16th birthday and if there is anyway to get a behind the scenes tour of the elevators and/or tram he would love it. If not, no worries but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask. Thank you.

When I hung up the phone with Zack I couldn't call Nick right away because he left his phone at home but I needed to tell someone the news. Elias's teacher, who taught him for three years in middle school and then moved up to the high school with him, was next on my list.  So I went busting into Ms. Gal's room with a giant smile on my face.

At first I didn't see him and almost spilled the news, but when I noticed Elias sitting at the table I said, "Never mind I can't talk about it now."

"I'm having a great day!" Elias said, oblivious to my emotion so not at all curious why I entered his classroom beaming. "Fridays are good days for me."

"Awesome, keep it up Bud!"

(Aren't Fridays good days for most of us?)

We chose to take Sunday morning off of skiing so we could meet Zack in the lobby for our tour.

"Why aren't we skiing the full day tomorrow?" Elias asked multiple times on Saturday.

"You'll see." 

When we checked into the hotel on Saturday afternoon, the man at the desk said, " I see someone's having a birthday? How would you like four free tram tickets?"

Elias looked at me with that contagious smile of his. "Thank you, we'd love that," I said.

"Yeah, we'd love that," Elias repeated.

We ate dinner that night at the Boar Tide Deli and Bar on top of the mountain, and though Nick and I felt a little awkward loading into the tram without our skis, like tourists paying for the view, Elias chatted up the tram operator the whole ride, asking him about the maximum capacity for riders.

After dinner we visited the hot tub and pool--which may sound relaxing, but with swarms of teenagers, and one of our own who remains far from typical, I was ready to leave the moment we arrived. Not Elias, who held onto the side of the pool and walked along the edge, oblivious to the way people looked at him.

Back in the room, as we snuggled into our beds, Elias asked again, "Why aren't we skiing the whole day tomorrow?"

"Because we have something else we are doing at ten."

"What are we doing at ten?"

"Its a surprise."

On Elias's birthday morning, we packed up and headed down to the lobby. When we met the six foot seven head of Maintenance, I quickly told him: "He doesn't yet know what we are doing."

After introductions, Zack said to Elias."So I hear you like elevators?" 

Elias looked down and said, "Yeah."

"How would you like to get a tour of the elevators here at the hotel?"

Elias looked up and grinned, "That would be great!" His whole body bounced.

We rode up to the 8th floor in a crowded elevator in which Elias announced to everyone, "That's a lot of stops. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He pressed the door open button every time we stopped, followed by the door close button.

From the 8th floor, Zack led us up an "Authorized Personnel Only" flight of stairs to the secret 9th floor filled with air ducts, storage boxes and another flight of stairs to the elevator mechanical room. We watched as the three motors worked their magic from above, constantly moving, as the hotel guests far below rode up and down, up and down.

After the tour of the 9th floor, Zack led us to the tram building, where instead of riding the elevator up, as we have many times to ride the tram for skiing, Elias pressed the Employee Only button and we walked through the elevator to the tram's operating room on the ground floor.

We watched as the giant wheels turned, pulling the continuous cable loop around, so the passengers could climb up the North face to the roundhouse above.

"Was that worth missing a morning of skiing?" I asked Elias when our tour ended.

He smiled: "Yes! That was so cool!"

A huge shout out to Zack and Alyeska Resort for answering our special request, for giving us your time and expertise, and for letting us go behind the scenes--we will always remember the secret 9th floor. 

Comments

[Valerie Demming]

Hi Christy...I was thinking about Elias the other day. He would be the one that would know the answer to this question. There is a object that looks like a peep hole on every elevator in my building. It is located high on the door so it can’t be a peep hole. Can you ask him for me please and let me know if he knows what this is. Thanks. Valerie

[Christy]

"Oh I know what it is! It is a firefighter/worker key hole!" Yes, Valerie, Elias knew what it was. "So if power is out they can still open the door."

[Tracy]

What a truly fabulous birthday gift! We are trying to figure out what to do for our Robbie's 16th (later this month). He isn't very verbal so we have no real idea at this point. But I am still brainstorming!

[Kristina DeKoz]

Love this story!! I am grinning right with you... sounds like an amazing birthday weekend for sweet Elias!! ❤️🎂❤️

[Ginna]

No wonder you guys were eager to get going! So glad I got to talk to all of you on Sunday morning and so glad he had such an awesome surprise! ❤️❤️❤️

[Kate]

I love when strangers step up for him about his love of elevators. So glad you all had a great time for his birthday.