Boston and Newwww Yooork

Ever since the Jay Z and Alicia Keys song "Empire State of Mind" came out, I can't say New york without singing it. I have to say, "In Newwww yooooork, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do, let's hear it for neeewwww yoooorrrk".

But that was the end of my trip. Let's start at the beginning.

Boston. Cue the Augustana song, "I think I'll go to Boston.... I think I'll start a new life, I think I'll start all over, where no one knows my name... I'll get out of California, I'm tired of the weather... I think I'll get a lover... and fly him out to Spain...."

And I think I really would go to Boston if I wanted to get out of CA. I love Boston. Even in the dead of winter with snow falling on the ground, Boston is beautiful. I love the people there - they have such heart. Die-hard sports fans. My cab driver had the thickest Boston accent and chatted my ear off the whole way to the airport, telling me how much he loved Boston, the four seasons, all four major sports, and the best colleges in America. I agree. Boston is a great city. Which is why I jumped on the chance to head out there and cover for one of my colleagues.

When I arrived in Boston, it was a gorgeous evening. I hopped in my little rental car, let the GPS warm up a bit and headed for my hotel in Downtown, near Quincy Market. The hotel itself left much to be desired, but it was all about location. It was an easy walk to nearby restaurants and bars, and I was wishing I could stay longer, so I’d have more time to enjoy Boston. I had plans to meet up with a friend of mine who now lives there, so I called up Dr. Boston and we headed to the Ames hotel for a nice dinner and a couple glasses of wine. It was the day after Valentine’s Day and approaching his 30th b-day, so we had a little toast to that, and I enjoyed a delicious plate of seared scallops, while he opted for a gourmet grilled cheese and bacon sandwich with tomato soup. In all, it was a beautiful night, sitting by the window and the fireplace, looking out over downtown Boston.

The next morning, I awoke to soft, light snowflakes falling, and it made me think of that song, “These are a few of my favorite things”. :) I’m not sure what it is about Boston I like so much, but it’s one of my favorite cities to visit in the U.S. and let’s just say I was not at all disappointed when I got “stuck” there for an extra night, due to snow and heavy rains all up and down the east coast. I got to hang out with Doc Boston for a little longer and rest up a bit for the next part of the trip – NYC and Jersey.

Flying over Manhattan, I am always amazed at how they fit all those gigantic buildings on one tiny island. Why is it that so many people want to live in NYC? I love New York, don’t get me wrong, but it is a little crazy how crowded it is. I decided I was going to take public transportation everywhere so I could save a little money and feel what it was like to live like a real New Yorker. I did well on the subway, and even took the bus out for a night (which you would never do in LA, but everyone seemed to be doing it in NY). The bus was a funny experience as I sat across from this young aspiring model/actor boy who was totally trying to hit on the older woman sitting a few seats away from me. He had to have been all of about 19 years old, and she was maybe 29/30, and clearly not interested. He thought he was so impressive telling her that he was just in a couple of commercials and was auditioning for some lame TV show. She said, “Oh, is that where you’re headed now?” And he goes, “Nah, I think I’m just going to go get high with some friends. Wanna come?” I’m in my seat, trying desperately not to crack a smile, but I am about to lose it when he says to her, “There’s a couple of great clubs in the meatpacking district. Will I see you there, later?” This kid had no shame whatsoever. Everyone on the bus was trying not to laugh. It was good entertainment. And although the bus and the subway were cool for getting around the city, I decided to skip the train the next day and rent a car for my trip to Jersey. Honestly, it was a piece of cake, and much more tranquil than my rides in and out of JFK and LGA with the SuperShuttle guys. OMG – I almost needed a Xanax, and would have liked to have slipped the driver one if I could have. Seriously, the driver on Xanax would have been safer (and much calmer) than he was on whatever he was on – pure stress, I’m thinking. Do they have more heart attacks in NYC than anywhere else? I’d be willing to bet they do. The stress can kill you out there. And if the stress doesn’t get you, the food will…. But at least with the food you will die happy. :)

Every time I go to NYC, I was I had four stomachs. It’s a good thing I did walk so much while I was there, because I could have gained 10 pounds if I’d eaten all I really wanted to. It all started on my layover at LGA to BOS, when I ordered a barbequed chopped chicken salad at the airport (yes, even the airport has near 5-star food). This was no wimpy salad, and I come from California where salads are an art and a science. These two huge mounds of lettuce were covered in chunky blue cheese and balsamic vinegar, and topped with fresh tender slices of barbequed chicken. It was so artful and delicious that I took a picture of it. :) The stage was set for some feasting in NYC.

I know you are supposed to have a hot dog in Central park, and a slice of pizza from one of the many NY-style pizzerias… yada, yada, yada, but when I got o New York, all I see are the schwarma and gyro stands, the little Vietnamese place with hot steaming bowls of Pho, the kosher delis with bearded guys in yarmulkes serving matzo ball soup, and this amazing Peruvian restaurant on the upper East Side that is a favorite of my good friend Heather’s and mine. I just got hungry thinking back on all this deliciousness.

New York is an intense place. The people are intense, the traffic, the food, everything. And then there's the noise. Horns are honking at all hours of the night. Why is everybody in such a hurry? I actually think they should get rid of all the cabs in NYC and everyone could just walk around in peace. Haha, yeah right. I love New York, but after a few days... I was ready to go back to San Diego.

Airport / Airplane Etiquette, please!

I've been wanting to write this one for awhile. Obviously, when you fly nearly every week for business, you are confronted with all sorts of human behaviors that you wouldn't normally be confronted within a given week. Right now, for example, I am sitting right across from a very obnoxious, short-tempered man who has chosen the airport seating area as his venue for clearing the air with his colleagues about some criticism they had given him at a previous meeting. He has a mouth full of a Quiznos sandwich, heavy on the onions, and is spitting lettuce as he is demanding his colleagues tell him how he can improve on his behaviors. I want to tell him that he can start by not talking with his mouth full (for one). Choosing a proper venue (like a conference room for example) to have a feedback session with his colleagues would be a nice adjustment to his maladaptive behavior. Ahh, ok, I think the nice man sitting next to him has counseled him (ever so quitely) to discuss this later. Thank you, nice (quiet) man.

So, here's the thing. People with babies, elderly people with walkers and wheelchairs.... you are not the enemy. I have all the patience in the world for you. No one feels worse on the airplane than the poor lady who is holding the crying baby. Not much she can do, and EVERYONE hates her. I give her a pass, as long as she is humbly trying to console the baby and doing everything she can. The people I can't stand are the damn salesy/business guy types who think they are so damned important that they have to make multiple business calls, whilst walking through the airport, standing in line to get on the plane and right up until the plane leaves. Yeah... such and such deal is really going to go down while you are walking through the airport shouting to everyone in earshot about your stupid business. We don't care. We know you have a blackberry with email and text messaging. Use it! No one wants to hear your convo, buddy. My other favorite is the guy who drinks several cocktails and flirts with the woman sitting next to him the whole plane ride, constantly talking about how cool and fabuouls he is. And then as soon as the plane lands, he puts his wedding ring back on and calls his wife, saying "Sweetie, I missed you. Let me talk to Junior. Daddy misses you. Are you coming to pick me up? I'm here, you can come get me now". Jackass.

Oooooh.... and these are the people I REALLY hate. Line-cutters! There is an order to how the airport and the airplane work, people. It's called, whoever is ahead of you in line, stays ahead of you in line. It's that simple. Stay in your place in line. And be quiet. Please don't be making phone calls in my ear right behind me in line, while you are encroaching ever so closely into my space. Keep your distance. Once on the plane, there is also an order. When the plane lands, passengers should deplane according to their seat row, front to back. I HATE the people who try to bolt from row 30, and stand in the freakin' aisle next to my seat, and I haven't even had a chance to unbuckle my seatbelt yet. Back up, buddy! Wait your turn. The seat rows are numbered for your convenience. This is why I always try to sit at the front of the plane. So I can trip people who try to go out of turn. Ok, maybe I don't do that, but I want to. I was just in the security line and the lady behind me not only picked up her bins before I picked up mine (WTF?) but she also tried to go through the detector in front of me, when she was clearly in line AFTER me. And I'm efficient. I've got my shoes, jacket and belt off before I even hit the bins. Laptop is out, ready to go, and I'm free of all metals, liquids and firearms. I'm quick. So, wait your turn, lady!

Maybe this is why they have bars at airports. It's 11am and I could use a drink. ;)

Trying to find an apple in Albuquerque

So, as I mentioned before... eating is a big part of this whole Up in the Air thing. I gained several pounds on the road this past fall when I was travelling every week for fairs from WA to CA, not to mention the 2 weeks in Australia and New Zealand with three meals out at nice restaurants every day. The challenges of eating on the road, are: really bad (and expensive) airplane/airport food, a lack of healthier eating choices in cities where you just don't know what you'll find, eating on the go which means you just grab whatever you can fin, eating way too many starches and carbs at the fairs (because they serve you a big ol’ sandwich at damn near every fair)

• ... and then there are the dinners out with advisers and other providers (where everyone tends to indulge). Meals are often eaten at irregular times due to time changes, airport delays, busy fairs, or all of the above. I try to walk a little here and there, and choose a hotel with a fitness center... but sometimes the demands of the job outweigh exercise and healthy food choices. I’ve ordered a lot of room service over the past six months... because frankly, if I can eat from my room and work at the same time, I get more done. Glamorous life, huh?
  
  It’s not all bad... and I am learning how to find balance and make better choices on the road. I don’t need to be a “road warrior”. The burnout factor in these jobs is high, and the fun, exciting, sexy part of travelling can get old if you don’t allow for some real life fun, or even rest and exercise. I’ll be honest... as much as I would love to hit up the nightlife (or even have a nice dinner) in every city I visit, there have been many nights where I am in bed with my laptop at 7pm.
  
  Albuquerque was one of those places. I flew into El Paso on a Tuesday night and drove into Las Cruces. My hotel was close to the New Mexico State campus, but aside from that, I had no idea where anything was. I figured I was in South New Mexico and I needed some good Mexican food. I really didn’t have time or energy to figure out the “hot spots” in Las Cruces... so as luck would have it, there was a place called Chilitos right next to my hotel. Not pleased with the outside appearance of Chilitos, I decided to get in the car and drive around until I found something that looked better. After driving in circles and finding nothing more than a few AM/PM mini marts and some scary looking spots with bars on the windows... Chilitos it was. And it really wasn’t bad. Chicken Fajita Salad to go, and I was back in my hotel Very sexy, I know. ;)
  
  New Mexico State turned out to be a great fair. In typical Danelle fashion, I had some trouble reading the maps and finding my way around campus, including finding parking, which is often an issue on college campuses (and I would know since I have visited over 40 of them by now). Eventually I just parked in a metered spot and hoped I wouldn’t get a ticket when the timer ran out. I was wrong. $20 ticket (but could have been worse – I got one for $50 at UCSD, and then talked it down to $10). I actually really liked being in New Mexico and hearing all the Spanish being spoken. It reminded me of my study abroad experiences in Spain and travels to Mexico. My ears perk up every time I hear Spanish – I just love it.
  
  Headed up to Albuquerque after the NMSU fair, and hit a bit of hard rain and a few accidents between Las Cruces and ABQ. Fortunately, I have learned (a little) from past mistakes and did not schedule anything for Wednesday night. Previously, I may have tried to get there and speak to classes or student orgs, but I’ve since realized that scheduling too much just stresses me out. See, I’m learning! ;)
  
  I honestly can barely remember Albuquerque. I had the idea that I was going to try to explore downtown if I could and see what ABQ was all about, but when I finally got there, I bought some cheese and crackers and a tiny bottle of wine and called it a night. The UNM fair was the next day, and it went really well. Food options at UNM were quite good. They had this great middle eastern place on campus and the chicken shwarma, hummus and pita really hit the spot. That night I decided to skip the wine and cheese and try to find a healthy meal. All I really wanted was some fruit and vegetables. If I could just find an apple, I would be happy. What I often do is go to Safeway or other supermarket and just buy some healthy food and take it back to my room. Couldn’t find a grocery store, and didn’t want to go to a restaurant chain like Applebees or Fridays. I just wanted a salad and an apple. I drove around and around and still couldn’t find anything more than a 7-11. I figured I’d give it a try, but still... no apples. Finally I broke down and went to Arby’s across the street. I figured even if it was iceberg lettuce, they’d probably have some form of a salad. And I was in luck – they did have an iceberg lettuce and chicken salad.  I walk up to the guy at the counter, and he’s got piercings in his eyebrows, lip, ears and maybe his tongue. He has tattoos covering both arms. He smiles and asks if he can help me. I look at him and say “I’ll have the chicken salad (grilled, not fried)”, and he says, “anything else?” I half-smile/half-smirk and say, “you don’t have any fruit, do you?” And he says, I’ve got an apple in the back if you want that”. Why yes, kind, tattooed and pierced all over young Arby’s counter guy, “I would love an apple”, I say. It really is the little things. 