BRUNSWICK

The year was 1966 — the war in Vietnam raged, gas was about 32 cents a gallon and Larry and Diane Coughlin honeymooned at the Sheraton in Boston. Now, 50 years later, the Sheraton welcomed the Coughlins back for their anniversary.

Coughlin’s brother and best man even paid for the room — a steep $19 a night in 1966. Coughlin kept the receipt, a copy of which Diane Coughlin sent to the Sheraton a couple of weeks ago asking if the couple could return for the same price.

They said yes — a far cry from the $350 a night they now fetch.

“We got it for $19 and the next night was about a third of the (regular) price,” Coughlin said.

The story was picked up by WBZ in Boston, putting the Coughlins of Brunswick in the spotlight. Coughlin said it was great to have all those memories and “for whatever reason have somebody care about it.”

In the interview, the couple were asked what has held them together all these years. Diane responded, “deafness.” Larry Coughlin said that he’s the one who is deaf and that he didn’t hear her response in the interview and so replied to the reporter, “love and respect.”

Coughlin said the experience 50 years later resembled little of what their honeymoon memories contained. For one, the Sheraton is now attached to the Prudential Center and the Hynes Convention Center and as many as four separate malls by Diane Coughlin’s count.

“We spent five hours walking around and we never left the building,” Coughlin said.

Diane Coughlin said the stores went on forever and with choices like Sachs Fifth Avenue and Lorde and Taylor, she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity for some high-end shopping. It was a far cry from their honeymoon night when the couple took in a movie and had to run back in freezing temperatures to the Sheraton.

“Now, I have no idea what level the walkway’s buried under, but it’s quite a ways down,” Diane Coughlin said of the modern maze of shopping spaces beneath the streets.

Coughlin said the whole Sheraton staff were alerted regarding their golden anniversary and they received special treatment from the moment they told the desk who they were.

“Many of them seemed to be genuinely interested — they seemed to really care about us and where we’re from,” Coughlin said. To celebrate their arrival, a plate of handmade chocolates were sent up to their room by the hotel staff.

Coughlin said he actually enjoyed his 50th anniversary more than he did his honeymoon. Diane Coughlin paused a moment, shrugged and agreed the couple had indeed more fun after five decades had passed.

dmcintire@timesrecord.com