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This is an archive collection of entries from  my main personal blog, My Mundane Mid-Life.

This collection of entries is from the Category "Travel".

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Monday, January 10, 2005

Time shifted

I hate the first few days of a time change. Our bodies are still on Central Time out here. It's pitch black outside, but we're up at 5am - because at 7am back home we've showered and had breakfast already.

Don't know what we're doing today. There's no water on the window, so maybe it'll start to dry-up. Carol's getting into the shower and is going downstairs to hit the tables.

posted at 07:09 AM | Link | Las Vegas § |

Sunday, January 09, 2005

Connected

It turns out that the Luxor has high speed Internet connections in the rooms. Cost: $10.99 for 24 hours of access. Looks like I'll be connected after all! Unfortunately, I'm having some FTP problems to one of my boxes, so I won't be able to "embellish" my entries. (Update: Crap. I lost the server itself and I can't get at it remotely - no more live webcam shots. Oh no! We can't watch Indy & Chip while we're gone! We can't see them get fed when my sister Diane comes over! Maybe I can get her to go upstairs and reboot a machine...)

Well, after some napping, we went next door to Mandalay Bay and had a quick dinner at Red White and Blue. Didn't feel like anything extravagant.

Haven't gambled yet. Well, throwing money into a Wheel of Fortune machine on the way back doesn't really count - I never sat down.

Looks like it's raining like hell outside - I can tell by the amount of water flowing down the pyramid windows.

posted at 08:26 PM | Link | Las Vegas § |
A very wet Vegas

Well, nothing much to report other than we're here in Las Vegas.

We flew out on Ted and I would highly recommend flying them. Yes, they're cheap, yes, you don't get a lot of amenities (hell, on our flight today we had no food even tough we were supposed to be able to purchase snacks). We left pretty much on time around 7am and immediately climbed into a cloud deck. The clouds were with us almost all the way across the country. We had some pretty good headwinds and even a bit of turbulence over the mountains. We landed about 10-15 minutes late.

But we're back in Las Vegas. We grabbed the Hertz shuttle and got a car from the #1 Gold members pavilion. When we landed, the sun was out. By the time we walked to the car, it was drizzling. We drove to Bellagio and carol treated me to the Champagne brunch buffet, which is one of our favorites in town (though I didn't enjoy the champagne this time around).

After brunch we walked through the casino and the shops and went outside to walk to Caesars across the street. The drizzle was getting a bit heavier. We went to Caesars for two things 1) see the expansion to the Forum Shops (and WOW! very impressive as well as all of the new restaurants! and who would believe circular escalators!) and 2) pickup our tickets for a show Thursday night.

Yes we're going to see a show, one that is actually pretty critically acclaimed.

We got 9th row Center tickets for Celine Dion. Say what you will about her (we're not fans of hers), but the production of the show itself is supposed to be OUT OF THIS WORLD.

By the time we were ready to get back to the car (still parked at Bellagio), the rain was really starting to come down. The travel down Las Vegas Boulevard in the car was tricky - the right-hand lane was flooded most of the way.

Carol went through registration at Luxor and got us a room on the 18th floor. As we were walking to our assigned "inclinator", we were greeted by the fire alarm going off (for no reason). We get upstairs to find out that our room was LEAKING from all of the rain outside, so we had to change rooms - down one floor.

We're both exhausted - Carol has been napping on the bed making all kinds or snoring noises. I'm watching the air traffic at McCarran Airport - right across the street. We need to rest and find some place simple for dinner.

posted at 04:05 PM | Link | Las Vegas § |

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Swimming pigs, cream puffs and bunnies

Carol took the day off and we drove up to Milwaukee to go to the Wisconsin State Fair.

Just a teeny tiny area of food at the fair
We love going to this thing. I would rather go to the Illinois State Fair, but Milwaukee is much closer than Springfield. Our family has been going up there for years. The draw for us has been the animals, the absolutely crappy merchandise being sold in the pavilions and the food food FOOD!!!

The weather isn't the best - cloudy, breezy and temps in the high 60's.

The Poultry and Rabbit Palace Checking out the Black and White Dutch entries
We try to go on a day when the rabbits are being judged so we can see all the breeds. It's always a highlight for us.

We started walking around to get an idea of food choices. Every year there's more and more and more food stands, which of course make the choice even harder. I thought I read somewhere that there are 172 stands here. We got a few ideas and then it was post time for the pig races. Carol hadn't seem them before, and this year they added a swimming pool. Yes, the last race was also a water race as the pigs swam the length of the pool. No, seriously!

Reuben Rolls with spicy mustard Potato pancakes and pierogi
So, after the races, we picked-up some Reuben Rolls (like eggrolls, but filled with corned beef, sauerkraut... everything to make a reuben sandwich), potato pancakes, brats, and pierogi's.

Well, we needed to walk that off, so we walked all the way down to the exhibit halls to look at the real bad merchandise for sale. Now, yes, there are a few good products, but how many juicers, mops and pieces of fudge do you really need?

A banged-up AHL Calder Cup Trophy
The Milwaukee Admirals had the AHL Calder Cup at their booth. Boy, is it in bad shape!

Well, we got what we were looking for - a pet carrier - and started heading back across the park, stopping for a World Famous creme puff along the way.

The HUGE Cream Puff facility THE Cream Puff
Creme puff.... augggllllll.....

Anyway, it was getting darker out and it was getting later into the afternoon, so it was time to go pick-up our purchase and take him home.

read more of this entry »


posted at 08:07 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Sunday, July 18, 2004

AWAY

I am sitting on the deck of my sister's house in Michigan. It's not completely dark yet, so I'm taking what little time I have just to sit back and enjoy the semi-quiet.

read more of this entry »


posted at 08:11 PM | Link | Travel § |

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Lazy pain

So, at 2:30 this morning, my left leg which has become numb, decides to throw me a cramp in my left calf. The ol' Charlie Horse at 2:30 in the morning. Carol get up and tries to get the cramp to stop while I'm trying not to scream. It felt like I didn't sleep all night long.

Well, here it s the fourth and we've got nothing really going on. The girls go out shopping while I stay home trying to sleep/recuperate. I feel like crap. I sleep on the couch while watching Ground Force America. Diane & Melinda spin-up another great meal and the day just passes on.

There's no "local amateur" fireworks in the neighborhood. The night is quiet...

posted at 10:12 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Saturday, July 03, 2004

Let's celebrate

Well, as I was getting dressed, I realize that my entire left leg from above my butt to my toes is slightly numb. No tingly sensation, no pain, just everything feels simultaneously cold and hot and muted. Crap, I'm screwed-up.

There was NO traffic all the way to Diane's house. It only took us about 1:45 to get there.

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:10 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Sunday, May 09, 2004

Mother's Day and home

St. Agnes in Sawyer, Michigan
Well, we went to church this morning in this wonderful small church in Sawyer. Great sermon from a priest that was visiting - my guess is that he teaches medical ethics at Notre Dame.

When to the butcher and bought tons of meat (that Carol vacusealed immediately). We just sort of hung around the house, took naps, and basically just got ourselves ready for the long drivve home. The Sunday traffic wasn't too bad, but it still took us about 3 hours.

I just love being up there...

posted at 06:15 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Saturday, May 08, 2004

Tulip Time in Holland Michigan

Today we took about an hour's drive up to Holland Michigan for the 75th Diamond Anniversary of the Tulip Time festival.

read more of this entry »


posted at 06:11 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Friday, May 07, 2004

Getaway to Michigan

Friday night at the Red Arrow Road House
Carol got off work a little early and we packed up the car and drove to my sister's house in Michigan. I love going up here... just to get away. Diane picked-up mom and Melinda and got there about 5 minutes after us. Tonight we had dinner at the Red Arrow Road House. (Had a long wait - well over an hour just standing in one place, waiting for a table the seats 5 people to come open). I had the House-Made Blue Cheese Potato Chips
Hot, seasoned potato chips with melted Maytag blue cheese, sour cream & chives followed by the Stir-Fried Beef Fillet Mignon with Shiitake Mushrooms Shredded carrots, red onion, zucchini, tri-colored sweet peppers, garlic & ginger tossed in an Oriental hoisin sauce…steamed white rice. Pretty good for a "Road House"!

posted at 10:26 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Wednesday, December 31, 2003

Did hell freeze over?

Did you see what happened in my favorite town - Las Vegas - yesterday?

It snowed.

OK, it snows there every once in a while. Not a big deal. It rarely accumulates.

This time it was 1 to 3 inches of snow. It was supposed to rain instead, but the temperature was just right. But, alas, it didn't last. I mean, this is the desert. Still... it makes you wonder what the hell is going on with the weather...

posted at 09:07 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Saturday, September 27, 2003

LAX-ORD

Terminal 7 at LAX. The Hertz shuttle bus driver was nice for so frickin' early in the morning.

read more of this entry »


posted at 01:47 PM | Link | Travel § |
Oh, that was a short night...

Ooooooh, craaaaap...

I went to bed around 1am. I just got up at 4:45am...

Well, at least the sleep was solid and deep. It's still black outside. Time to get dressed, checkout, and turn in the car at the airport...

posted at 05:04 AM | Link | Travel § |
Oh, this is a long day...

I left Universal and got on the 101 West. That's when I saw the sign for Highland and decided that I needed to get off and see what Hollywood and Highland looked like.

read more of this entry »


posted at 12:37 AM | Link | Travel § |

Friday, September 26, 2003

"A Foreign Affair"

Coupling THEME

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posted at 10:25 PM | Link | Travel § |
Good Bye, Uncle Babe

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Montclair, CA. The nieces and nephews
I'm dressed and on the road at 7:27am, out amidst the fog again. I drive to Montclair. What a lovely little town. Clean, nice. The church, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, is this nice, small mission-style church. Children were going to school as I pulled into the parking lot.

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:22 PM | Link | Family § |

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Placentia

Well, I'm finally at my hotel in Placentia - a Holiday Inn Express. Since I'm trying to do this trip "on the cheap" for my mom, I needed a cheap place to stay. My sister Diane said she'd recommend the Holiday Inn Express and I have to concur. This is a very nice facility, complete wit a continental breakfast in the morning. It's clean and looks pretty new. If this is what the chain is like, I'd highly recommend them.

So, now I have to find some place to eat and settle down for the evening. Placentia doesn't seem to have that big of a choice for food. In fact, all I saw was a Jack In The Box, which I wouldn't mind going to so that I can get my Jack In The Box taco fix.

I'm still going to have at least a 17 mile drive in the morning to get to Montclair. I may have found something closer, but may not have been cheaper or cleaner.

I need a taco... Survivor is coming on in a little while...

posted at 06:40 PM | Link | Travel § |
Warner Brothers Studios

It's 9:30am and I pull off of Olive into the parking structure that's also gate 3 for Warner Brothers Studios.

I'm here to do what Carol & I did the last time we were out here - take the Warner Brothers Studios VIP Tour. But, this time, instead of a tour that takes about 2-2˝ hours, I'm going to do the Warner Brothers Studios Deluxe VIP Tour and take about double the time. I am soooo excited about this. My sister Diane and Melinda were just here a few weeks ago taking the regular VIP tour, and when I found out they had this Deluxe tour, I had to sign up for that.

Look,if you enjoy movies and/or television, and want to see what a real working studio is like (no trams, no fake or staged productions), you must do this tour.

There's a nice waiting area on the first floor of the parking structure. At about 10:00am, a gentlemen comes around to walk us across the street to go into the main gate - Gate 2. We had to go through a metal detector, and then get on an extended golf cart for the trip across the lot to the tour offices.

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:46 PM | Link | Travel § |
LA Rush Hour

I-10 Westbound in the morning
My flight gets in a little early. I find the men's room for a pit stop and then look for a gift shop to grab something to eat. A large 3 Musketeers bar is exactly what I needed. It's been at least 16 years since I've been here. I'm in Terminal 6 and it looks really run down compared to it's hay day. It's off to Hertz to get a car - I need to get to Burbank.

read more of this entry »


posted at 08:46 AM | Link | Travel § |
Uncle Frank

Uncle Frank at the Santa Monica Pier - July 1969 Mark, Laurie and Michael - July 1969
Well, here I am. I've been up for more than 3 hours now. I am sitting in seat 21F on an Airbus A320 which is United Flight 101 from Chicago to Los Angeles, a 4 hour and 14 minute flight for 1,750 miles. I've got to tell you, I never thought I'd be doing this, but I'm feeling good about this. Why am I here? It's because of my Uncle Frank.

read more of this entry »


posted at 06:46 AM | Link | Family § |

Sunday, July 06, 2003

Getting home

This turned out to be a long day for no good reason.

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posted at 09:21 PM | Link | Mundane § |

Saturday, July 05, 2003

Milly's (mostly music) Hootenanny II

It was a late start this morning... everyone is taking time waking up and getting ready for the day.

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:55 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Stormin'

Been up for a few hours now, off and on. A pretty bad thunderstorm system has been moving through since 4am. Lots of lightning, thunder, rain and wind. Pretty dark outside during all of this, but it looks like it's moving on.

posted at 09:17 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Friday, July 04, 2003

Happy 4th!

What a great, relaxing day. Carol & I picked-up my mom just before 9 o'clock and drove up to Diane's house in Michigan. Traffic was almost non-existent. We hung around, had lunch, and went into the pool.

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:35 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |

Saturday, June 21, 2003

Liki Tiki Village

Liki Tiki Village

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posted at 09:59 PM | Link | Travel § |
American Trans Air 536

Well, here I am, stuck in seat 26A on ATA Flight 536. We're somewhere in the air - have no idea where - on or way to Orlando.

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:22 AM | Link | Travel § |
VA-CA-TION!!!!!

I'm up early to go pick up Barry & Buffy - We're on our way to a week in Orlando!!!! I am off for a WEEK!!!! Hopefully I will fill you in during the week - if not, you'll know where I am.

See ya!

posted at 05:04 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Thursday, November 07, 2002

So long, National

A National Airlines jet at Las Vegas McCarran Airport executing an aborted landing. This photo was shot from another National Airlines flight taking off on a parallel runway, September 2000
Our Favorite Airline to Las Vegas™, National Airlines, shut down last night. We've traveled a few times with them and absolutely loved their service. It's niche was serving Las Vegas. They flew only 757's and the cabins were always clean and well kept. We had great meals on their flights when they first started up. Like so many other airlines, they discontinued meal service slowly, then altogether. The crews were great as well. The airline started on May 27, 1999 and filed for bankruptcy December 6, 2000. When 9/11 hit, it just killed the carrier. They filed for a loan with the Air Transportation Safety Board, but got rejected and that just about sealed the deal. We're going to miss the airline.

posted at 07:29 AM | Link | Las Vegas § |

Thursday, September 19, 2002

Sleepy drive home

Last day in Michigan. Woke up and packed to get on the road early (do you belive Carol has to go to work today?). Drove to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. and then drove home - got to our house around 11:15am. Carol went to work and I crashed hard on the couch, with Indy wanting to lay next to me (she missed us!).

posted at 02:29 PM | Link | Travel § |

Wednesday, September 18, 2002

Gambling, shopping, snoozing and eating

This morning, we made breakfast. Buffy wound up doing the eggs (good omelette). Eventually we got ready and went to Falatic's Meat Market. Spent over $100 on meat (though Barry & Buffy spent about $42 and looks like the have more meat than we do). The quality of meat at this place is wonderful. We dashed back to my sister's and put the meat in the fridge for later. Then, it was off down Red Arrow Highway, to Michigan City, Indiana. First stop - the Blue Chip Casino. Buffy put a $20 in a $1 Read White and Blue Wheel of Fortune and won $300. She cashed out. The rest of us did diddly. The boat is OK, but I think we got spoiled by going to the MGM Grand in Detroit. Next stop - Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets mall where much walking and shopping ensued. Getting tired, so drove all the way up to Stevensville to go to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Went back to D&W's to buy Brie and bread for dinner tonight. Crashed back at my sister's. I decided to drive up to St. Joseph to go to Best Buy to buy Monsters, Inc. on DVD for tonight's entertainment. On the way back, stopped at A&W on Red Arrow Highway to get a half gallon of root beer. When I got back, everyone was vaccu-sealing their meat that was bought this morning (we brought our FoodSaver with us to vaccu-seal the meat). Barry cooked pork chops and steaks (that we got at the butcher this morning). Watched last season's finale of the West Wing and then Monsters, Inc., and off to bed.

posted at 10:33 PM | Link | Travel § |

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

Henry Ford Museum and drive to Harbor Country

Checked out of the hotel this morning. Has breakfast at a Big Boy's down the street. Had to stop at CVS again to get Barry some different meds (he sounds terrible), the off to the Henry Ford Museum. Somehow, even though the museum is significantly smaller than Greenfield Village, it's a harder day. We're walking on wooden floors, and never changing texture, so our legs and feet are killing us. After the museum, a quick refreshment in the Michigan Cafe, then into the car to get some gas, and then we streak westward across the state back to my sister's house. We make the trip, including a stop, in about three hours. We can't go to the restaurant that we wanted to for dinner tonight because we have started the winter season in Harbor Country and many places aren't open all week. We decide, instead, to celebrate our anniversary at Schulers Restaurant in Stevensville. Great food and a great looking place inside - sort of prairie style. It was back to my sister's to crash. We watched ABC tonight (Diane's TV can just barely pull-in WLS-7 from Chicago). We watched 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter (eh), Life with Bonnie (enjoyed and will probably watch the season) and Push, Nevada (got sucked into and need to watch more). Then we just crashed and went to bed.

posted at 09:41 PM | Link | Travel | 1 comment § |
Check out

A very good night's sleep. On the agenda for today - check out of the hotel, spend the day at the Henry Ford Museum, drive back across the state to my sisters' place, and out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary (hey, I guess I never mentioned that this past Sunday was our 23rd Wedding Anniversary?)

posted at 07:23 AM | Link | Travel | 1 comment § |

Monday, September 16, 2002

MGM Grand

Back at the hotel from the MGM Grand Casino. The buffet had a nice, wide selection of items, but - WORST. PRIME-RIB. EVER. Dry. Over-cooked. The meat shredded like in a pot roast. Blech. Put a $20 bill in a quarter Five Times Pay Wheel of Fortune slot and walked away with $100. The casino is much bigger than I anticipated. Wasn't crazy about the look of the clientele. Barry sounds really bad. Hopefully the drugs we got him at CVS this afternoon will help.

posted at 10:32 PM | Link | Travel § |
Greenfield Village

Back at the hotel. Breakfast at IHOP (oh, what a THRILL that was. *gack*) Spent all day at Greenfield Village. Had lunch at the Eagle Tavern. Took in the Space Station IMAX movie in 3-D. Wow. WOW. WOW! Breathtaking. Absoloutely. Breathtaking. Must see. Anyway, back at the hotel. Barry is coming down with something. He's been hacking-up a lung for the past hour or so. Think we'll try the buffet at the MGM Grand Casino tonight.

posted at 06:16 PM | Link | Travel § |
Not as bad as I had thought...

Well, the beds at the Quality Inn were better than I thought they would be. Got a good night's sleep after the champagne and The Sopranos. Looks like it'll be a good season - Tony's life should become unglued, I think. Wonder how many guys will still be part of "The Family" at the end of the season?

Off to breakfast and Greenfield Village.

posted at 06:35 AM | Link | Travel § |

Sunday, September 15, 2002

Mongolian Barbecue

Well, we went down the street to a BD's Mongolian Barbeque - a chain that we don't have around Chicago. Nice vibe, great service, good selections of meat and seafood. Would do it again. Back at the hotel now, waiting for The Sopranos to start...

posted at 07:48 PM | Link | Travel | 1 comment § |
Deaborn

Well, here we are in Dearborn, Michigan. The drive was a breeze. We stopped in Sawyer to get some groceries for Wednesday, stopped at the Swedish Bakery in Harbert for snacks, then drove to my sister's house. All of us had lunch at Horsefeathers, then back to Diane's for a Pit Stop. Back on the road to D&W's to get some champagne & brie for tonight, and then on the road. Took us less than 3 hours to get here. We're going cheap - a Quality Inn. Clean, nice, and has HBO for The Sopranos season premiere tonight. Now, it's time to figure out dinner...

posted at 05:48 PM | Link | Travel § |

Saturday, September 14, 2002

*THUMP*

Indy hiding under the foot of the bed Indy pausing on her way down the stairs Getting the car washed at Turtle Wax
I got woken up by a large sound that seems to be coming from underneath the bed. When I abruptly sat up, Indy popped out from under the bed. It was after 8am, and Carol was downstairs cleaning Indy's cage. She must have lost track of Indy, because she decided to venture out into "BunnyLand" and came upstairs for a visit. I didn't sleep all that well - the skunk's odor didn't dissipate until after 2am.

Well, I got the car washed at Turtle Wax in anticipation of our little trip. Every year, since 1994, we've gone to Las Vegas either at this time of year, or in Spring, or sometime both. This year, with my unemployment situation being as bad as it is, there's no way we could go. Instead, we're doing a driving trip. We're going with Barry & Buffy up to my sister's house in Michigan, then driving over to Dearborn, Michigan to visit Greenfield Village on Monday and the Henry Ford Museum on Tuesday, then driving back to my sisters' and spending at least a day there, before driving home. Much much cheaper. We had to do Greenfield Village on Monday, since it is closing until June of 2003 for some underground restoration project.

Don't know how often I'll be able to Blog from the road - we'll have to see how this works out. We all need to get away for a while, though.

posted at 09:37 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Sunday, July 14, 2002

ROAD TRIP!

Janie, Jeff, and Gary on our flight to Detroit Ah... the way I like my flights - Empty! A Southwest jet trying to cut in front of us Look! Midway! (MDW) Look! Detroit! (DTW)
Carol and I get up early, drive to Riverside to pickup Janie & Gary, and then it's off to Midway Airport, where we meet Jeff and we're on our way to Detroit. I've never flown on Southwest before, and getting an "A" boarding pass, I'm told, is good, but it doesn't matter - plane is empty. The flight is really short - just barely enough time for the complimentary juice & coffee service. The Detroit airport (DTW) is... well, let's just say, now that Midway has started it's remodeling, this airport is the pits. We get on the Hertz shuttle to get our Crown Vic and drive into the city.

A main entrance at Comerica Park Gary, Janie and Jeff outside Comerica Park Unusual gargoyles on the outside of the ballpark The back of the scoreboard at Comerica Park
Finding Comerica Park was actually a bit difficult - you can't see it from a distance. Heck, you can't see it a block or two away. It's tucked into a small area downtown. We got to the park pretty early - somehow we lost sight of the fact that the game started at 2:05 (we thought 1:05). So, we slowly walked around the outside of the park to see what it looked like.

The exclusive Tiger Den seating area above the Infield Box seats The view from the left centerfield seats at Comerica Park The exclusive Tiger Club in right field The scoreboard at Comerica Park - currently the largest one in the majors One of the tigers on top of the Comerica Park scoreboard Sculptures on the concourse along the left centerfield wall Tigers "Walk of Fame" along the concourse at Comerica Park Big Cat Court, a food court at Comerica Park The Big Cat Court food court from above The tigers on the carousel at the Big Cat Court View of the field at Comerica Park from the upper deck The Brushfire Grill picnic area and 50-foot ferris wheel
We went in as soon as the gates opened, and proceeded to walk around the park. The food selection was a bit pitiful. It wasn't until later did I find the better food at "Big Cat Court", and that made things better, but within the normal stands it was a bit plain & boring (though I had a Kielbasa that was very tasty).

Carol cooling-off in Tigers Den seats behind our "real" seats Our group at the park - Gary, his sister Marty & husband Harry, and Janie & Jeff
Our seats were 28 rows behind the plate - great view, but in the sun all through the game. This caused a major problem for Carol, who got what seems to be minor heatstroke even before the game started. She had to sit in a different area in the shade and we had to help her out with wet towels, lots of water, and some ice cream to help her cool down. She was better by about the 4th inning, but we kept in the shade for the whole game.

View from behind our seats at Comerica Park Carlos Lee swinging away
The game itself was OK. It looked like the Sox were going to lose again, but Carlos Lee had two homeruns, and then Jose Valentin hit a triple in the eighth that scored two and then scored himself when the throw to third went wild (sort of an in-the-park homerun, but not really). Sox win 6-4.

Pegasus and the Greektown Casino
After the game, we walked (!) over to Greektown to have dinner at Pegasus. Well, I wasn't hungry after being out there all day, so Jeff and I took a walk through the Greektown Casino while the others ate dinner. It was weird being in Detroit and being in a land-based casino. It was a nice place, two floors - larger than I thought it would be. Sunday afternoon, almost every single table game we saw were $10 tables. I think we saw one $15 table.

Janie going down I-94 to the airport Waiting for a gate at Midway
Back to the restaurant, the group finished up, and then it was off to the airport. This time we all got "B" boarding passes - not a good omen. Sure enough, the flight home was packed. We got in 10 minutes early, and had to wait 20 minutes for a gate. Then we drove Jeff home, drove Janie & Gary home, and finally drove home ourselves. A very long day. Would we do it again? You bet!

posted at 10:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, June 17, 2002

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking...

We've all been on flights where the captain addresses the passengers from the cockpit before takeoff. But how about this United Airlines pilot that stepped out of the cockpit to make his announcement? Way cool.

posted at 10:02 AM | Link | Mundane § |

Saturday, April 27, 2002

Trouble in Laughlin

$5 casino chip from Harrah's Laughlin, NV
A little digression... last September Carol & I along with our Friends Barry & Buffy were in Las Vegas for our annual (or last year - our semi-annual) trip. After spending 4 days at the Rio, we were off driving about 80 miles to a little town called Laughlin (population 8,000) on the Colorado River, next to Bullhead City Arizona. It's a very small gambling town. We stayed at Harrah's, right on the river, where we had tickets to see Patricia Yearwood at the amphitheater. Well, it was hot. Our room faced an asphalt parking lot. We found the rooms small, almost motel-like. The air conditioning just couldn't keep up with the heat. Then we find out that the amphitheater is outside and it was 105°. Well, after being really spoiled in a Rio suite for 4 nights, we decide that we're not going to stay in Laughlin the second night and we make reservations back at Rio. We also return our Yearwood tickets (the concert was oversold, so they were happy to get them back). We just didn't enjoy being in Laughlin - I guess it wasn't our "style". We're out of there at 8:30 in the morning and are back in our rooms at the Rio by 10:30.

Flash forward to today.

At 2:15 am this morning, 3 people were killed and 13 others injured when members of Hell's Angels and The Mongols started fighting in the Harrah's Laughlin casino, escalating into gunfire. The gangs were in town for the 20th annual "River Run," an event which annually draws 50,000 to 80,000 motorcycle enthusiasts. Police, who said it was the worst shooting incident in the history of Nevada casinos, actually locked-down the town while they searched for possible combatants. Las Vegas SWAT even went room-to-room in the hotel itself.

Weird.

posted at 03:43 PM | Link | Current Events § |

 

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This Blog was last updated Friday December 18, 2009 13:03:12 CDT (-06:00 GMT)
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