HOSPITALITY'S SWEET; A silver bullet joins the long-term fleet.(News)

Byline: DUTCH MANDEL

Baby boomers are a funny, consumptive lot. We strive to do better than our parents: We want to make more money, give more to our kids, build bigger houses and spend more on the stuff that floats our boat.

The stuff we want is what we remember that was cool from our childhood. Like Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Vespa scooters, Mini Coopers, Mustangs and Porsches.

And Airstream trailers, the silver bullets of wanderlust whose romance was wrapped up in an aluminum tube and sailed down the highway with nary a care in the world. Back then, our noses pressed to station wagon windows, when you saw an Airstream you could hear the theme to The Honeymooners and envision Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer. Everything was right in the world.

That's true now that AutoWeek has taken custody of a long-term Airstream trailer, a special one-off concept vehicle that's not so much for sidling up to a KOA as it is a lounge on wheels for serious entertaining.

Don't know how we got so lucky, but now that the AutoWeek Mobile Headquarters is in our fleet (along with a highly specified and fully loaded Chevrolet Suburban dressed in matching silver mist as a tow mate) it will be tough to pry the keys from our hands.

The trailer was built for the annual Recreational Vehicle Industry Association trade show back in 2004, and it highlighted not just the customization capabilities of the culturally hip firm, but showed how truly flexible the company can be. Forget beds and heads-there are none in this 28-foot-long lounge. There are two flat-screen TVs. There are two couches at either end. ...