Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Too hot for Bob Evans

So, I'm in Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the "Southern Michigan Travel Journal." I'm sure this will be thrilling…

Destination City, 10:20 pm
It is still brutally hot here. You know it's hot when Bob Evans' restaurant is the scene of police action, as it was a few moments ago. I went out to the store to get some Diet Coke and some Pringles, and on the way back to the hotel, three police cars pulled into Bob Evans and there were people out back pointing and shouting. It's a Bob Evans people! It's got to be about the safest place in the world. I mean, who's going to get pissed off enough to shoot someone at a Bob Evans?

As an aside, I don't know what it is, but the only time I ever eat Pringles is when I'm traveling. If I'm on a long drive or staying in a hotel, I'll munch on a tube of Pringles. The other 350 days of the year are Pringles-free.

Tags: Bob Evans Crime Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- No way out of here

So, I'm in Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the "Southern Michigan Travel Journal." I'm sure this will be thrilling…

Destination City, 9:30pm
All I want to do tomorrow is get home earlier than 11:00pm. My meetings tomorrow were cut short, so I can get out earlier than planned if I can get an earlier flight. You'd think that would not be a problem, since there are flights from Detroit to Boston every two hours, but apparently Northwest wants to make flying on standby as thrilling an adventure as possible.

I figured that since I'm less than 24 hours away from my scheduled flight (about 7:30 pm) and therefore have the option to check in via the Internet, that I'd have the chance to put my name on the standby list.

No.

I did have the option to spend $133.00 to change my seats, however. Apparently you can only request standby the day of the flight, or in person at the terminal, or after demonstrating an aptitude for biophysics or who knows what, but you can't do it when checking in online 22 hours before your flight.

On another note, in the otherwise bleak downtown of this city, there is an absolutely beautiful Wendy's restaurant. It is housed in a classic turn-of-the-century brick building that looks like it could have been an old train station or post office or something. It's entirely possible that it is a new building and not a classic structure, but either way, it's a pretty good-looking place, as Wendy's go. I'm not sure what it is with the beautification of chain stores here in Michigan, but it works at some level.


Tags: Northwest Airlines Detroit Wendy's Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Destination City

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Destination City, 10:30 pm
Because I’m traveling on business and I refuse to write about my work on this blog, the name of my final destination shall remain a secret. Let’s just say that it’s like a mini-Fitchburg only bigger, if you catch my drift.

I took the old highway here from the Detroit area (as opposed to taking the interstate). As usual, it was worth the trip. I found out that the car was equipped with XM radio, so I cruised down the old road through bypassed towns with classic country on the radio. As it should be. I was fighting with the GPS system the whole way, as the voice kept yelling at me to turn onto the interstate, but I ignored it.

There was a couple of old 40s and 50s era motels with their big neon signs along the way. Entering this city I passed an Arby’s with an original sign, which was cool. Reminded me of the old sign that used to be in Webster Square in Worcester. Otherwise, there isn’t much of anything in this town. About the only other thing that stood out was that they have a huge self-service recycling center right in the middle of downtown. If you are envisioning a park full of dumpsters, you would be correct.

Oh, and the hotel has free wifi, which makes this place better than Logan Airport.

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Hoarding toothbrushes

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Canton, MI, 6:45 pm
Just dropped five dollars and change at one of the most beautiful Wal-Marts I’ve encountered. Not inside, of course—they’re all the same once you get through the doors—but the façade is brick with a gabled roof and attractive windows. I stopped to pick up some travel-sized toiletries—I try to travel without them since the whole three ounce, quart bag crazy rules aren’t worth the trouble. While scanning the display of travel-sized items, a very talkative, very annoying young lady asked me if I was going on vacation. I made the mistake of answering her, and she proceeded to give me all sorts of advice as to which toiletries were the best deals.

I attempted to pick up a travel toothbrush (for some reason, she had about eight of them), and she suggested that if I was just going to throw it out anyway, I should by the 50-cent model around the corner. I thought about asking her why she had a handful of the more expensive toothbrushes, and how she knew so much about Wal-Mart’s toothbrush inventory, but I decided that fleeing for the checkout was a better bet.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because I wasn't going to hang around Wal-Mart looking for a place to post.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- The rest of me is also on fire

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Canton, MI, 6:23 pm
Well, that was quick. In and out of the restaurant in about 25 minutes. Can’t complain about that.

What I can complain about is this heat. When I got in the car at around 5:20, the on board thermometer read 98 degrees. While driving to Canton, it hit 100 at one point. I’d guess it’s probably not that hot, since the direct sun and the radiating heat from the pavement probably added a few degrees, but it’s still hot. I had to wait in the parking lot for about five minutes for a car, and it was hot. (Have I mentioned it’s hot? Yes?)

Got a full-size car (only two dollars a day more than the standard), and it ended up being a Pontiac Grand Prix. Whatever. I was hoping for something a little better. I tried to talk the attendant into giving me a Cadillac, since my car wasn’t ready and there were a number of them just sitting out front, but no dice.

Oh, and it's hot.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because as good as Don Pablo's is, it doesn't have free wifi.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- My Prairie's on Fire!

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Canton, MI, 5:50 pm
My prairie is on fire!

OK, so that might not mean much to some of you, but others will appreciate that I’m at a Don Pablo’s Mexican restaurant, eating Prairie Fire bean dip. And enjoying it very much. Were I smart enough to have remembered my cell phone, I’d call my friend Stacy and yell, “My Prairie is on fire!” through the phone. But I can’t so I’ll keep eating.

And my food is here, just five minutes after I ordered it. Adios.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because as good as Don Pablo's is, it doesn't have free wifi.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Flying in Limbo

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

38,000 feet over New England, 3:17 pm
I have completed the crossword puzzle in the in-flight magazine in record time. To be fair, this was far and away the easiest crossword I’ve done on a plane, and that’s saying something. Apparently Northwest either caters to dumb people, or they want everyone to feel good about themselves. I feel accomplished, so I guess they’ve succeeded.

I’m sitting in the third row behind the first class section, and frankly, this has to be the cheesiest “first class” section I’ve seen on a plane. Instead of a curtain, or a door separating the important people from the rest of us, there is literally just a two-inch swath of fabric draped across the cabin. It appears more like the set-up for an in-flight limbo contest than a barrier to movement. Bet those folks wish they hadn’t paid extra for that. Although, we peasants are blocked from using the lavatory at the front of the plane, and can only watch the hoi poi relieve themselves. It certainly won’t do anything to keep the noise of the two children across the aisle from me from disturbing the folks in front.

I’d be apt to be annoyed by the kids (who appear to be about 2 and 4), but we’re taking Jackson on his first flight in November, and I’ll hold back any judgment until we see how he fares. Right now mom is moving the older boy from the aisle to the window in an effort to keep him from annoying the people around. Which means the child that just abdicated the window sat is angry about it.

But since he’s younger he gets over it by standing in his seat and trying to get the man behind him to laugh at him. The man (who is wearing an orange shirt and reading glasses attached with a gold chain, with faux-stylish sunglasses perched on his head – talk about a mid-life crisis) is playing solitaire, and does not appear to be interested in small children.

And someone needs his diaper changed! I’d suggest the mother check into her kids, but she’s probably got enough to do just to try to keep them in control. I suppose it could be mid-life crisis man, although soiling oneself seems to be more of a late- or early-life crisis.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because if I tried to post from the air, the Feds would track me down.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Still stewing about Logan

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Boston, 2:03 pm
There is a sign right next to me saying that Comcast provides the airport wifi. I’m a Comcast subscriber. I’m already paying for my Internet access through Comcast. Why can’t I get on here?

Looks like a family I used to have in the Little League where I umpire is also on this flight. Bet they are not going where I am going. (In fact they are headed to Detroit for a basketball tournament. I’m not. Sigh.)

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because Massport blows.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel

Southern Michigan Travel Journal -- Leaving Logan

So, I’m off to Southern Michigan on business for a couple of days, and to pass the time and to deal with the boredom, I present the “Southern Michigan Travel Journal.” I’m sure this will be thrilling…

Boston, 1:15 pm
You’re looking live at Logan Airport where…oh, wait, you’re not looking live anywhere, because Massport insists on charging me $7.95 for the privilege of using the same internet that countless airports around the world provide for free. So there won’t be any live updates, because apparently Massport has decided that letting you and I use the Internet for free will help the terrorists strike. Or maybe they just want to take another $8.00 from connected fliers.

Anyway, I’m flying Northwest to Detroit, and then getting a car for the remainder of the trip. I was going to visit family in Lansing tonight in advance of our business meetings tomorrow, so I got an early afternoon flight out. Then I realized that the family is on an Alaskan cruise, so I get to kill time on a pleasant peninsula.

Northwest’s gates are in the international terminal. As I’ve never flown Northwest or internationally (one of those has been a dream of mine, I’ll let you decide which), it’s my first time in the terminal. It’s unusually quiet, except for the Best Hits of the 70s, 80s, and 90s playing on “Logan Radio” over the loudspeakers. (I’m surprised they don’t charge us for that too, although I think they should pay me to listen to this stuff.)

I looked for someplace to eat, but apparently Logan has decided that the best way to greet international travelers is to immerse them immediately and totally into our most prized cultural icon—the mall food court—so my choices are Sbarro’s, McDonald’s, au bon pain, Starbucks, and the Wok and Roll. Meh. At least Atlanta has a Chili’s--and where is Cinnabon when I need one? I eat at McDonald’s for the first time in I can’t remember when. As McDonald’s go, it’s decent. At least the fries are fresh, which is all I ask.

Looking around, it’s pretty clear who here is traveling home to Europe, and who is touring from America. Europeans are drinking beer at 1:00 and generally look like ABBA. (Yes I know that sounds incredibly trite and stereotypical, but I'm telling you, I'm sitting across from these four beer-drinking, designer glasses-wearing, bleach blondes with Germanic accents. If I called out to Annifreda, I expect one of them would answer.) Americans look like Americans (and bonus points to the old lady wearing a straw hat with flags and buttons. She’s probably been trying to find her way to the airport since the Democratic convention.). I’m guessing there is some traveler in Paris making exactly the same note about how the Americans stand out in de Gaulle airport.

The guy behind the counter at Sbarro’s looks an awful lot like Julian Tavarez.

(Posted from Southern Michigan, because Massport blows.)

Tags: Boston Detroit Massachusetts Michigan Travel