Another business trip. Some of my readers might be familiar with the song 'From Rochdale to Ocho Rios' by the 10cc, a British art rock and pop band from the 70's.
From Rochdale to Ocho Rios
From Ocho Rios to Dorking
From Dorking its back to Rochdale
From Rochdale to Ocho Rios
You spend half your life in transit
But that's just the way God plans it
Pack a shirt and some fresh pajamas
That's all you need
Asleep in a stream of sunlight
Awake in a dream at midnight
I'm rushing to wait for jumbo
Oh where am I now
In my profession I really get to see exotic places. My itinerary of the last four days looked like this:
Sunday: From Vancouver, BC via Chicago, IL to Buffalo, NY
I spent one hour in US immigration for no apparent reason. Nothing to worry about because the plane was delayed anyway. During transfer the carrier lost my luggage, I filed a claim and was finally in bed by midnight. My business meeting needed re-scheduling due to early morning shopping for bare necessities which got sponsored by my company and United Airlines.
Bonjour, tristesse! Greeted by gray skies, I ended up in the Eastern Hills Shopping Mall, probably built in the 70's and already ugly looking in its prime time, it looks like one more business center struggling for survival, or so it seems. At the GAP and BON-TONS I managed to acquire some half decent business attire.
Not sure, what purpose this monument is supposed to serve, but I like it.
The
Garden Place Hotel, where I stayed claimed to be 'One of the best hotels in the world'. The rooms were quite o.k., but hello? How would a kitsch hotel in the town of Williamsville be perceived as such? Maybe somebody had a sense of irony when putting up that slogan...
Monday: From Buffalo, NY via Detroit, MI to Kalamazoo, MI
On my Blackberry I was informed that my flight was canceled, and I had been scheduled for a later flight. So, I had some mediocre dinner sponsored by Delta. My travel day ended at 1AM.
Yes, Kalamazoo does exist. I couldn't believe it either. A clean little University town (Western Michigan) with lots of heritage fabrication or warehouse buildings which are or have been undergoing a transition into apartments and lofts. The origin of the name is obviously native Indian, from the Potawatomi, meaning 'boiling water'.
A personal highlight was certainly the beer sampling at the
Bell's micro brewery.
Tuesday: From Kalamazoo, MI to Chicago, IL
I arrived at the Kalamazoo "Int'l" Airport only to find the whole place deserted, very much like in Stephen King's Langoliers, the movie I had seen the night before. The flight got canceled, too. I hired a limousine plus driver (sponsored by American Airlines) and could add another state to my list, while grazing Indiana on I-94 on my way to Chicago.
My last view before falling asleep.
My last meeting was at the outskirts of Chicago, close to the airport. Nothing interesting struck my eye, hence no pictures.
Wednesday: From Chicago, IL to Vancouver, BC: Arriving on time, with luggage finally in my possession, and hubby waiting outside: Home, sweet home.
Conclusion: Road trips are way more fun!
US states visited: New York, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois
Sorry for being slow with responding to your comments. Please don't let that discourage you and keep 'em coming. It's just that business trips are time robbing.
