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.