Hither and Yon




So, here we go:

Summerville, SC
Irvine, CA
Sugarland, TX
Columbus, GA (x2)
Clearwater, FL
Galion, OH (x2)
Pasco, WA (x2)
Anaheim, CA
Carrollton, GA (x2)
Orlando, FL
Oklahoma City, OK
Gibson, IN (x2)
Littleton, NH (x2)
Portland, OR
Holland, MI
Toledo, OH
Robbinsville, NJ
Decatur, IL (x2)

When I look at it like that, it doesn’t seem like much.

But if you take into account I didn’t travel the entire month of January, that’s ends up being 2.36 trips a month.  Which again, doesn’t seem like much.  But I guess it is, as they say, what it is.  It felt like a lot.

According to Southwest, who sent me a year-end wrap-up, I flew with them 26 times this year (that counts the trip to a place and the trip home separately).

I’m Sofa King tired, but I got home this morning and I don’t have another work trip til mid January.



So here are a few little awards based on my journeys.

Best Hospital Cafeteria:  Littleton, NH – beef stew with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables?  Curried squash soup?  Yes, please!  I loved the whole experience.  And honestly, how many hospital grilled cheese with boiling hot, tongue-scalding chili lunches can you eat?  Make mine Littleton.

Best Airline:  Southwest.  DUH.  Forget that I’m an A-Lister.  Forget that their flights are usually completely full.  They don’t charge bag fees, they rarely delay or cancel flights.   Winner, winner.  Honey Roasted Peanut Dinner.

Most Toxic:  My customers in Pasco, WA.  That’s really all that needs to be said.

Best After Hours Diversion:  Chutter’s  - Littleton, NH – the world’s longest candy counter.  I bought plenty of goodies.  There’s a little bookstore just down the street that has all kinds of amazing neat stuff.



Best Airport for Retail Therapy:  TIE – MSP and DTW – Minneapolis has the best “mall”, but the little shops along Detroit’s A Terminal are delightful.  I would include Pittsburgh, but I didn’t travel there this year.

Best Mexican:  El Maguey -  Lodi, CA – nothing fancy, just hole in the wall, but a good one.   Gabita’s Special, por favor.

Best Airport For Physical Therapy:  Portland, OR – Dragontree Spa.  Nice.  SO. NICE.  Warm neck wraps, pretty pressed metal ceiling tiles, quiet and calm.  Thank you.

Worst Airport:  Newark, NJ.  Dirty, bereft of amenities, and inconvenient.  The train into the city is a plus.  The only plus.

Favorite Cable Channel in Hotel Rooms:  Game Show Network.  Nothing like a Family Feud binge to detox from a hectic day of training.  If there’s no GSN, I can make do with HGTV.

New Favorite Expression/Inside Joke:  Germexican – coined in Anaheim after eating at a German restaurant playing Mariachi music.

There's plenty more where that came from.  But you get the idea. 

Well  - just one more:

Best feeling in the world:  Being home with this angel




Fin.

ae

Comments

Try and get a business trip to this part of the world someday. Before global warming etc sinks everything.