Almost Done with 2008

Only a few more days left till 2008, and my last destination for the year will be Milwaukee (Oak Creek) Wisconsin. As not fun as that is, it does add another state I've visited for work in the last few months. So far I've been to these places on Jimmy's dime:

Michigan
Ontario (not specifically for work, but a side trip)
Illinois
Florida (two weeks!)
Colorado
Pennsylvania
Ohio
Wisconsin

8 states/provinces in three months...not too shabby. Two more states in the next month. I definitely feel well traveled thus far, and hope to see lots more places in 2009. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Years.

Palos Heights, IL

I'm working in Palos Heights this week. Boring. But I do have some interesting places to go in January, including Alabama, Georgia, and Colorado, so that should be fun. Or at least Alabama and Georgia will be warmer, and I've never been to Alabama so I can add one more state to my list.

But yeah, I'm in Illinois these next couple of weeks, so let me know if you're around. I'm probably venturing to Indianapolis for New Years, but that's about as far as I'm going until January 4th.

Maybe something exciting will happen in the south suburbs to post about, but if not, I'll be missing my own room (my sister is back from college, so sharing a room again), a work out room and pool I'll never use, and little bottles of crappy shampoo until January.

Cleveland/North Olmsted, OH

I was slacking this week on posting in Cleveland mostly because I was out every night. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cleveland. It was really nice and in a really pretty building called the Arcade. Big rooms, valet parking, but the only bad thing was they charged for everything. $5 for a bottle of water, $10 a day for internet, a ton for room service, $10 for internet/printing...luckily I could steal free internet and print things out at JJ's.

Tuesday we went to a Cleveland Cavaliers game that was a lot of fun. They killed Toronto. And the stadium was less than a five minute walk from the hotel so we could partake in happy hour beforehand to get ready.

Downtown Cleveland is not really a party spot. We were right next to a street full of bars, and the only busy one was the 4th Street Bar which doubled as a bowling alley. The Winking Lizard was also a decent bar nearby, and Flannigan's was a good Irish pub, but they were really lacking people. Saturday trying out all the bars, Sunday lazy day, Bowling Monday night, Cavs game Tuesday night, general drinking Wednesday night, watched the Bears game Thursday night, then 7 hour drive back on Friday. It was a busy week, but more fun than some on the road.

Off to Cleveland, OH

Recap on Canton, OH:

Munson's was our bar of choice, mainly because it was literally in the hotel parking lot. It was owned by a someone Munson's (famous baseball player) son, had decent bar food, and decently priced drinks. Nice place.

Besides the water issue, the Courtyard was a nice one.

We didn't make it to the Football Hall of Fame, which it seems is Canton's only claim to fame. The rest of Canton is a completely generic town with little to no personality. Tons of retail, some offices, by an expressway, boring.

Did the 50 mile drive to Cleveland in the snow, and this week we are staying at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Cleveland. We are within walking distance of bars, stores, the basketball stadium, etc, so is a decent location and a nice hotel. I'll judge more after I scope out the place a bit more.

Now I have tonight and all tomorrow off before work in North Olmsted on Monday. Thinking we might head to the House of Blues tonight, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tomorrow. Any other Cleveland suggestions?

Caught by Google Alerts

Haha, well, just so all you bloggers out there know, hotels know when you write about them. Apparently Google Alerts let them know when someone mentions their name and what they say.

Today I got back to my room to bottles of wine, traditional Buckeye candy, and a very nice apologetic note from the Front Desk Manager. Not just a "sorry for the inconvenience" note, but a full out letter. Just so Dawn sees how much I appreciate the sentiment
"Marriott Courtyard Canton, Ohio". Thanks Dawn. I have hot water today and now you have every other hotel I've been at so far beat on the customer service. I am quite impressed, and next time any of our crew comes out this way, I'll be recommending this hotel and probably writing a very nice review on the travel websites. It's nice to know that customer service still does exist in America.

Canton, OH

Well, after a 7+ hour drive to Canton, OH through snow and sleet, we arrived at the Courtyard Marriott. Seems very nice, extremely pleasant reception, nice rooms with a mini-fridge, free internet, nice lobby, indoor pool, nice workout room, has a lot of things within walking distance...but the damn shower wouldn't get hot, and when I called the front desk, they said it's cold out so it's hard to get warm water. Hmm. If I am taking cold showers all week, I'm not going to be a happy camper at all.

C'mon Ohio, I'm determined that these two weeks won't completely suck, but I need some help here. Like hot water and less snow.

Traveling again

I'll be off to Ohio on Monday for two weeks, and I'm actually kind of glad to get traveling again. Two weeks in the suburbs is definitely enough for me. I'll update after the 7 (hopefully) hour drive to Canton when I get there. When I asked Ryan, who went to Oberlin, what there is to do in Ohio, he said "Get out of Ohio". Rachael had some better answers listed below. We'll see what I can get done.


Rachael's Ohio Advice:

I'm not real familiar with the Canton area, but when you are in N.O. (aka Cleveland), maybe check out the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. Little Italy is a cool area of town with some good food and art galleries. Coventry is the college kids area but has some good bars and restaurants. (Tommy's has good food.) You also might be able to find some cool bars in Lakewood. Oh, if you're into food, check out Westside Market. It's pretty cool. (Rachel Ray went there during her "$40 a day" show in Cleveland.)

Cleveland has this East-West rivalry. You'll be on the West side, which is considered the ritzier area. If you drive around the areas around Lakewood, Little Italy and Shaker Heights, you can find some crazy mansions. One of the houses on the lake belongs to Drew Carey (I couldn't tell you which one but my uncle drove me by it) and Patricia Heaton from "Everyone Loves Raymond" lives in Bay Village (where my aunt lives) which is right next to N.O. My aunt has seen her driving around before, so keep your eyes peeled haha. Downtown kind of divides the two sides of town... I'd avoid being directly downtown at night. I think it's scary.

Um the Browns will be playing but they suck, right? I don't know for sure because I don't pay attention. There's a lot of colleges in the area, so if you wanted to see a concert or something, it wouldn't be too difficult I'm sure. Ummm.... Cedar Point is about an hour drive but it's probably too cold for roller coasters and I'm not sure what your time is like. Of course, Lake Erie is there.

Thanks Rachael!

Just hoping the snow stays away. But at least I have a new car to get me there!

Orland Park, IL

The rest of the stay in Philly was uneventful, besides our plane getting delayed 4.5 hours before we finally got back to Chicago. Such is life.

This week I'm working in Orland Park, yay! It's nice to live at my house in Tinley again for a bit and not in a hotel. It's also nice to drive around the city and actually know where I'm going. So, there won't be many interesting updates this week or next, but if you're in the burbs, let me know!

Philly Update

Saw the Rocky steps (at the Philadelphia Art Museum where Rocky runs up in the movie), saw some scary ghetto area, and ate a Cheesesteak. Definitely beginning to get the Philly experience.

Update #2...

Saw the Liberty Bell and some other historic stuff such as the USA's 2nd Bank and Independence Hall, and ate an official cheesesteak (aka one wit' whiz, no onions) at Pat's King of Steaks. Good stuff. It's fun being a tourist in the US.

P.S. I'm going to try and get a lot better with taking and adding photos to spice this blog up a bit.

Boulder to Philly

Goodbye Boulder, it was definitely a fun week of promoting and partying. It was damn cold and we couldn't wear jackets all week, but that was probably the only negative. It was great getting to know the whole team and work together to bring back Boulder. The Best Western Golden Buff or wherever we were was decent, the deluxe rooms are nice, but definitely not the classiest place in the world. Harpo's bar was a good sports bar, and the Applebees across the street had the worst service ever. Pearl Street definitely seemed like a cool place to party at night, even though all the electricity went off on half the block when we went.

I'm currently in Philly, staying at a Four Points Sheraton in the northeast part of the city by Bensalem. For a 2.5 star hotel, it's pretty awesome. Sure, the location isn't very convenient, but super nice rooms, in door pool, hot tub, work out room with more than a treadmill, free wireless internet, mini fridge and microwave, flat screen tv, bar and restaurant downstairs with room service, and a huge comfy bed. What more could you want (besides a good cheesesteak which I am determined to get this week).

US Airways charges $15 for checking one bag and all drinks on board, including water, are at least $2. The flight was ok, but talk about cheap. Glad we're flying Southwest on the way home.

Boulder, Colorado...Election Day

Few quick things:

The University of Colorado campus in Boulder is really pretty. It's in the foothills of the Rockies and the mountains surrounding it are so picturesque that it looks like a postcard. The rest of Boulder is a very typical college town.

I voted absentee and have been working all day, so I haven't really been keeping up with election day. We were supposed to be sampling at polling places, but there was almost no one at them, and it was really depressing to think no one was voting. It seems that early voting was a great success and got rid of a lot of the huge lines on election day.

I just got back from some drinks at Applebee's and turned on the tv just as McCain was doing his speech. Obama will be speaking in 20 minutes to accept the presidency. It's really strange to just turn on the tv and have them announce a new president. I saw tons of people (mostly some crazy 12-15 year old kids who should have been in school) screaming about voting and supporting candidates, but I feel like I missed the anticipation of the race. Has there been much of a race at all, or has it been decided for awhile now? I wonder when it seemed to be decided already.

On a different note...

Time changes are a bitch. I've gone from EST, to CST, to daylight savings, to Mountain time, all within four days. I've also gone from the Atlantic Ocean and beaches, to corn fields, to mile high Rocky Mountains, all within four days. Very strange.

Goodbye Florida

Back to Illinois tomorrow. Overall, the Marriott Courtyard on 45th Street in West Palm Beach is very ok. I would not have given it the three stars that Priceline did, but it has worked out pretty well. The weather here got a bit cool the last couple days, but it still beats the snow in Illinois. I met up with my dad in Fort Lauderdale the other day, and that was a nice change of pace. He was at a really nice Marriott for a work function, and I could read on the beach for awhile, get a free steak dinner, and do a bit of drinking for free.

Tomorrow I get to experience airports on Halloween, a three hour drive after getting up early, working, and flying home, then hopefully some Halloween fun in Champaign if I don't fall asleep super early (which I am determined NOT to do). It is strange to think I now look forward to going back to Illinois. I used to look forward to getting out of it.

Oh, and I don't like driving this rental Jeep we have. I'm not sure what kind it is, but it's huge, boxy, and keeps having things wrong with it. Colorado next week! Goodbye warm weather, palm trees, and ocean!

Florida...Week 2

I went to the beach today! It was kind of cloudy and really windy, but finally I saw the ocean that's been 5 miles away all week. Driving around Singer Island was really pretty.

Last night I went to the Hardrock Seminole Casino (where Anna Nicole Smith died) and lost $30 to the slots. The slots were not my friend. And, like Michigan, no free drinks while gambling. What the hell? Only Vegas has the right idea.

My dad is down here this week for business too, so I'll probably go out with him in Fort Lauderdale.

Now my cold needs to go away so I can thoroughly enjoy the rest of the week in Florida.

80 Degree Weather!

There is just no beating 80 degree weather in late October, seeing palm trees all around and watching lizards scampering around the sidewalk. Besides the numerous amounts of people over the age of 65 and the sometimes backwards southern way of thinking, I'm not sure why we mid-westerners don't all live in Florida. The other day I was able to read by the pool for a couple hours then go relax in the hot tub. Lovely.

All that nice stuff being said, Florida is not all that fun. I can't (or at least am not) really going out at all after work, mostly because there is no one to go out and eat dinner or have a drink with. The relaxing is nice, but I wish some of you could be here to go out with me and enjoy it.

The Marriott Courtyard here is West Palm Beach is decent. I have to use Ethernet which is sucky, and lack of fridge means I have to eat out all the time, but the rest is nice. Pool, hot tub, king size bed, and functioning business center are some of the highlights. And...ready for a shocker? I worked out today! For a whole 30 minutes!

I also found out today that instead of going to Prospect Heights for the week after Florida, the whole team is going to Boulder, Colorado for the week. Then, when again we would be going to Prospect Heights the week after Colorado, I'll be hitting up Philadelphia instead. I've never been there, and I hear they have good cheese steak and I can get my picture taken in front of the Liberty Bell, so it should be a cool time. East coast, midwest, Rockies, east coast, all in four weeks. I'm definitely getting around :-)

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

I liked the La Quinta Inn and would definitely stay at one again. Also, Flatlander's in Linolnshire was a really good restaurant/brewery that had really good food in huge portions and good beer www.flatlanders.com . I believe Darwin and Jess would agree. Definitely get the beer cheddar soup.

Tomorrow I'm flying out of Midway and spending two weeks in the West Palm Beach, Florida area. (We're staying at the Marriott Courtyard in West Palm Beach and working week 2 in West Palm Beach, but in Palm Beach Gardens for week one). So far I've heard I need to go a restaurant called Banana Boat. Anyone else know of good places out that way? I'm quite excited to get out of Illinois just as it's getting chilly and spend some time in 80 degree weather, although it would be nice if some of you could join me relaxing on the beach. I know, I know, I'm there to work. But might as well enjoy the scenery.

It was great getting back to Champaign this weekend for fall fun. I missed everyone and everything and wish I could stay a little longer. I need to get a Halloween costume before I come back next time! Any ideas?

Oops

Not much to report besides I accidentally went to Highland Park High School to sample right after they had a bomb threat. I thought it was strange that there were so many police cars outside and they were checking people's bags to get into a high school. Great timing on my part.

Highland Park, IL

This week I'm working in Highland Park, IL and staying at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Bannockburn. My room is really nice and way too big for just me. Definitely hitting up the pool and hot tub later.

Ann Arbor Hot Spots, part 2

Now that my time is done in Ann Arbor, I have two hot spots to add to my list.

6. Blimpy Burger...see previous post.

7. Ashley's. It was a bar/restaurant on State Street with a ton of different types of beer on tap, probably at least 100. They let you sample them too, which was pretty cool. I do not recommend the chocolate beer.

I'd add whatever club we went to on Saturday night to my list, but I have no idea what the name of it was. Was a good dance club though.

Overall, Ann Arbor was pretty cool and my apprenticeship was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Time to be a guerrilla marketing specialist!

Mmm....burgers

I was told before and during my stay here that I needed to eat at Blimpy Burger...a local burger joint known for their multiple patties, greasy toppings, and mean chefs. It was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVTcAkfuRFw

I got a double with cheese and bacon. It was delicious. And they weren't mean to me at all, but I made sure I knew how to order and got a burger, as opposed to Kelsi who they made fun of for getting chicken at a burger place.

Gambling in Detroit

We're about a half hour from Detroit in Ann Arbor, but we've pretty much heard to stay away from the city. Last night we decided to give it a try and visit the MGM Grand there. Not as classy as Vegas of course, but definitely a lot of fun. Some cool clubs inside, a huge variety of tables and slots, and a good atmosphere. I inspired a $100 bet on red at the roulette table as soon as we walked in and he won, but then lost later with the same theory. Betting that much is scary. I'll stick with my nickel slots. So, in summary, I still can't really judge Detroit, but the casino was cool. I think we're going to try a Redwings (professional Detroit hockey team, I think it's Redwings or something like that) next week.

This week is my last week in Ann Arbor!

Ann Arbor Hot Spots

I have not been out and about in Ann Arbor nearly as much as I should be, mostly because I'm tired all the time and go from the store back to the hotel and back again.

However, I have a few favorite spots thus far, and hope to add some by the end of the stay.

1. Nichols Arboretum . Very pretty 100+ acre gardens, river, trails, and lovely spot on campus. Watch the canoe-ers go by and laugh as they get stuck or sit and read a book for an hour.

2. Charley's (I think it's Good Time Charley's or something like that) is a restaurant/bar that have had good food both times we've had dinner there. I still need to try the 64 oz Long Island, but they have a decent selection of beer as well. Whatever blue shot I had was also good (even though it was blue).

3. The Blue Leprechaun is a new bar, but seems to be a pretty happening spot (Michael Phelps was there the night I didn't go out) and was a good mix of classy and collegy.

4. The campus itself has the same feel as U of I, so I guess it feels pretty homey to me. Driving around campus sucks and people walk wherever the hell they feel like it, but there's a good mix of older town feel and trendy college areas.

5. If you're going to stay around these parts, the Residence Inn really is awesome. They do your grocery shopping for you for free, internet, printing, free breakfast and dinner as well. Only complaint thus far is they were closing the hot tub literally as we were in our swimsuits, book in hand, walked down there, and they were draining it for the season. Oh, and they almost always have cookies sitting out at the front desk.


I still need to hit up Blimpie Burger, which was apparently on Diners, Drive-In, and Dives. Not sure what other spots are a must go-to here, but plan to find some.

Turning left in Michigan sucks.

Oh Canada!

Yesterday Kelsi and I decided to do something with our day off and go do a Canadian Wine Tour. We drove through Detroit, took the Ambassador Bridge over the river, went down through Windsor, and hit up some wineries in southern Ontario. This map at www.swova.ca and GPS got us through six wineries, bought 12 bottles and four glasses of wine between the two of us, and a lovely day. The first winery (that we skipped once we saw it, it looked really crappy and after the we went through the other five and decided to stop by, was, indeed, crappy) was only an hour and 15 minutes away from Ann Arbor.

No, Canada is not known for its extraordinary wine, but I got some that is really good and pretty affordable. I also found out on the Canadian wine scale, I like a sugar content of 2. The merlot/chardonnay mixes were surprisingly good and icewine, a dessert wine, is way too syrupy.

On the way back to the USA, border control seemed to think we were smuggling marajuana in. They took 10-15 minutes searching my car, asking us all kinds of questions, telling me my car was too messy (that part was true) and saying it smelled like beer and dope. His search didn't result it anything obviously, but it was a bit nerve-wracking, and I'm glad to be back in the US and not in a Canadian jail (like my mom thought I would end up in).

FYI, they have duty-free gas on the border for about $.40 cheaper than the regular gas stations. Also, conversion rates for Canadian money and US Dollars are about even now. What happened to our money being worth double?

The Apprentice

So, a month later, and I'm back to documenting my travels.

For the previous two, and next two weeks, I'm in Ann Arbor, Michigan where I'm apprenticing at the store on South University. I'm already sick of being referred to as "the apprentice" all the time, but most of the time I just tell the in-shoppers I'm training to be a manager. It's easier.

Ann Arbor is a nice town, very collegy, and reminds me a lot of Champaign. The downtown area and campus area are pretty much the same place, so there are always a ton of people around. Don't worry Illini fans, I have stayed true to my school spirit and refused to cheer for Michigan in any sort of way, and next week when the Illini are here, I am wearing my Illini gear whenever I am not physically in the store.

My days consist of getting to the store between 5am and 7am, work work work, then leaving between 5:30pm and 6. They are long days, but I'm pretty used to it now. It makes this three day weekend I'm about to have (was supposed to be four, but I got sick one day and messed it all up) all the better.

Other exciting news, I found out my schedule for the four weeks after my apprenticeship, which includes two weeks in the north suburbs of Chicago, and two weeks in West Palm Beach, Florida. I'm psyched about Florida, and there had better not be any hurricanes when I plan to go.

I think whenever I'm done with a town, I'm going to list the bars and any of points of interest to remember for anyone other travelers out there. Oh! If you ever get the chance, stay at a Mariott Residence Inn. It's awesome and doesn't even feel like living out of a hotel.

Two more weeks in Ann Arbor, the whore.

The Beginning: Champaign, IL

Inspired by www.rae-does-contiki.blogspot.com , I have decided to log my travels during my time as a guerilla marketing specialist around the country so, 1. I don't forget where I've been and when, put down some thoughts about said place, interesting happenings, etc, and 2. So anyone saying to themselves, "hmm, I wonder where Kathryn is this week" will have an answer. I'm not anywhere as exotic as Cambodia, but as I could feasibly be in over 35 states this next year, I want to at least record some of it.

There won't be many posts these next 6 weeks because I am training and then doing an apprenticeship before beginning my marketing travels. I am currently about to begin week 2 of training over on Green Street. This week is all openings, so it will be some very early mornings. I'm sure I will be quite happy on Saturday night when I won't have to set an alarm for 5:45am (or earlier).

So, here begins my life of travel in Champaign, IL, living in my lovely townhouse with Amy, Nymph, and Dina. This will be my home base, then traveling 5 days of week to a new place every week as of October 12th or so.

More to come.