This wasn't one of those times.
Arizona Hotness
Emily & Wendy at Jilly's
me and 'my time' Emily
Wendy and tonyB
Out here in Portland Oregon for a training and I gotta tell you that the Holiday Inn near the convention center is not that bad. The bed is a little stiff but it more than makes up for it in the Bar run by a very cool bartender (Lisa). I was rockin the Meyers and Coke last night and she was not modest with the ratio. This evening I wanted to try something in the coffee drink variety. She said she would make me something not on the menu. It is called a Spanish Coffee. Hell, I'm half Spanish, so why the fuck not. She starts in on assembling this masterpiece and lighting it on fire. Several times. Lisa wondered why I was turning in early tonite. Check the ingredients. I'll be back. Bet on it.
- 151 Rum
- Sugar on the rim
- Kahlua
- Grand Marnier
- Coffee
- Whipped cream
- Add cinnamon and nutmeg
A little HI action... Portland style.
Lisa burns the 151.
top that mother off.
All kinds of happy.
I know Eric and Josh alluded to my trip here. But I gotta tell ya it wasn't exactly what I thought. The weather was indecisive as it was either sweltering humid or pelting the town with buckets of rain. And what I smelled wasn't chocolate. I tried to get close to the action (the Hershey Amusement Park) but could only find myself being stuck in endless small-town traffic being guided by hard hat donning, day-glo vest wearing oompa loompas. I turned around after hangin in traffic for awhile. I saw the lightposts (my friend tells me they used to be M&Ms instead of Kisses) and the Reeses building and all the cutesy named streets (ad nauseum). If it is located here it will be Brown and will have Hershey in the name. Bet on it.
I stayed at the Econolodge to get some extra miles. Bad move. No internet. No Hershey's Starbucks with wi-fi either. I just finished my business there (which was pretty much a bust) and mosied back to my internet-less room of a hotel and watched the standard cabled boob tube.
No Hershey Highway for all you jokesters out there.
The aliens (rightly so) begin their onslaught in Hersey PA.
Completing my task in Manhattan, I went to a deli with a colleague that sets up IT logistics for corporate events. I was telling him that I had to drive out to Hershey this afternoon and that I was a little concerned with driving through Manhattan.
Colleague: What ?? You don't like driving in Manhattan ?
tonyB: No. But I have definitely viewed my share of accidents in this town. You ever drive here ?
Colleague: Once.
tonyB: And let me guess... you would never do it again ?
Colleague: I would. I love driving in the City. It has a flow to it (gestures with hands) where you weave in and out and sort of feel how the traffic is.
tonyB: Whatever.
I went to go pick up my rental at La Guardia while pondering my apparent lack of midichlorians needed to feel the flow of messed up NYC traffic. The AVIS agent would end up being the Obi-wan to my whiney Anakin. She suggested that I take an alternate route that has more tolls and traffic but it takes you out to Staten Island on my way to the Jersey Turnpike, instead of going through downtown Manhattan.
I am now the happy traveller. And to top it off she upgraded me to a Trailblazer. Oh yes. It made my 4 hour trek through NY and NJ to PA most excellent.
Westward Ho. 
Hellish nightmare.
That is it in a nutshell. Travelling from Oakland to New York City turned out to be sort of a cautionary tale of... oh let me see.... west coast to east coast travel.... umm... carry-on versus checking in baggage.... and oh...mother nature showcasing her talents to the unsuspecting crowd below.
Let me break it down for you:
- monday 6:50am flight out of Oakland.
- layover takes place at Dulles airport DC.
- Weather not so good. Eastern seaboard is screwed and Air Traffic Control is freaking out.
- flight from Dulles to La Guardia (NYC) is delayed. 3 Times.
- flight from Dulles to La Guardia (NYC) is cancelled.
- One seat left on 5pm flight to White Plains NY. I take my chance with it.
- flight to White Plains NY delayed. 3 Times.
- Decide to stay in DC and catch plane the next day after storm passes.
- United 'can't locate but shows it is in the airport' - my luggage that is.
Did I mention Hellish nightmare ?
Stayed with some friends in DC and hopped an 8:30am flight to La Guardia... found my luggage there and proceeded to the Time Hotel.
Definitely a boutique hotel. Very small room but hey that have broadband. Rooms are either motif'ed with red, blue or yellow rooms. I get red, of course. The web site tells me:
Enter a red room, see red selectively around the room, feel red as you lie in
your bed, smell red as you open the vial of the 'red scent' created exclusively
for THE TIME, even taste red with a bite of red candy. All of your senses are
aroused, perhaps amused. How does red make you feel?
let's see... tired with a dash of annoyed accompanied by a faint hint of psychotic.
ever hear of 'Redrum' ?
I am going to take a quick nap and then get to work...
Enjoying my $35 dollar taxi ride to midtown.
Red is the new Black.
Sleep deprived and ready for bed @ 8:30am
Leaving on Monday for NYC to set up some hardware stuff for a PR event for consumer editors. Cool part is that I get to see my longtime friend Laura Bagnette/Bagnetto. It's been years, and I still had to convince her to cross 14th street to come and have a drink with me. You know me - I am all about uptown.
whatevah.
Then from NYC, I get to drive to Hershey (insert gratuitous joke here) PA for a tradeshow. I wonder what Highway I will take ??
Finally fly home on Friday for a relaxing ... no wait... wedding in Pebble Beach on Saturday.
Tru'dat.
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