Category: TRAVEL (Page 12 of 45)
I’m finally having some success with updating this blog in a timely that has been delayed with internet and computer problems with my Go Daddy site. I’ve been able to catch up this morning without any glitches in the system. An electrician is coming to work on the Ring wiring, so that hassle is also out of my hands.
My running times were consistent this morning, all three miles in the fourteen-minute-per-mile range. It’s still a maddingly slow pace but better than I’ve seen in some time, certainly due to the cooler temperatures in Indiana relative to Florida. I don’t have much to do today, anticipating a late afternoon get together with friends at the Mousetrap. With only a limited time in Indy, we thought that a no-host get together would give us a chance to see everyone in a single setting. I hope we get a good turnout, but for me it will be as exhausting as any reunion. I will strain my faltering voice to try to keep up and struggle with hearing, so the event will likely take everything out of me.
As it turned out, about 30 people, including the two of us, showed up for the no-host reception at the Mousetrap, far exceeding expectations. Most were media people that we’ve worked with through the years:
Mike & Wife (FL)
Peter & Beth (FL
Russ & Judy (FL)
Terri & Arch
Amanda
Tricia T.
Marc
Julie D.
Donna
Brian & Marsha
Jason
Greg
Kathy C.
Tom & Kathy (FL)
Jim & Cynthia
Robyne (FL)
Lynn
Carol & Anthony
Linda A.
John W.
Nine of this group has gotten together in Florida this past year, while another 8 we’ll see down there in the next year. To reunite with everyone else in the Indy area, It was an efficient way to catch up on gossip in a single sitting, since we’re headed to Illinois next and short on time.
We then met my wife’s sister and friends for Tenderloins and ice cream at Murphy’s at Flynns and had a nightcap before ending Day 7 of the Summer Tour.
I ran the familiar route over the Geist Reservoir bridge to start the day. It’s where I started “The Streak” nearly fourteen years ago. I did it in a wine fog, after my brother-in-law plied me with Cabernet the night before. I was in a drinking mood after nearly a week on the road, but had been so good these past few months. We went to dinner at Eddy’s, near their home, where my wife and I had our first “date” years ago. Each anniversary of this occasion we celebrate what we call a Eddiversary, in honor of this restaurant. (See Post #1504).
After my run, I started to install a Ring doorbell that my wife’s sister had recently purchased. They usually try to give me a small project to do when we stay at their house. I was familiar with the device since I had already put in three of them at my homes these past few years. However, for some reason, I was experiencing some hassles with this one because a lighting strike had disabled their previous doorbell. I decided to take a break and regroup while we did some other errands.
Our plan for the day called for a boat ride with my good friend that rescued my wife’s jewelry in Nashville. After a brief downpour and a trip to a Carmel consignment store to drop off some clothes for resale, we arrived at his condo on Morse Reservoir, another popular Indy area boating hot spot. We then rode in his woman friend’s pontoon to Wolfie’s Restaurant for lunch. My wife was just thrilled to finally get her jewelry back, so lunch was gladly on us.
My brother-in-law grilled chicken for dinner and we got together with my wife’s two nieces and the eldest one’s two boys. I’m known as GUM – Great Uncle Mike. The younger niece brought her soon-to-be fiancé that we had yet to officially meet. While dinner prep and conversation was going on, I was still struggling with the doorbell. It was working on a charged battery but we still couldn’t find a power source. It was more electronic hassles that I’ve also been experiencing on this trip with my computer. It too has been a pain in the butt!
I got back on track in Bowling Green with my new running shorts and completed a 3.1 mile course after two days of time restricted shorter jaunts. The Streak lives on at 4,960 consecutive days. I’ll be on a familiar Indianapolis course tomorrow where it started nearly fourteen years ago.
We’ve covered most of my wife’s favorite restaurants including Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel, and Uncle Bud’s, however we’ve yet to get to a Freddy’s on this journey. The biggest trauma for her so far was discovering that she left all her jewelry locked in the JW Marriott safe back in Nashville. Fortunately, security rescued the goods and my Nashville friend will deliver them to her in Indy. I, of course, had just cancelled the personal articles insurance, so this might be my doing. Thank goodness they aren’t lost!
My wife has certainly endured more than her share of dealing with my biological family on this trip. Three straight days of meetings including three half sisters, plus their two kids. My bio-dad’s wife joined us for lunch, along with a son-in-law on the way to my brother-in-law’s house in Indy, our home for the next few days. “Back Home Again in Indiana.”
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Our initial plan for Day 4 was the popular Jugg Sisters comedy team on the NashTrash bus tour. However, the bus lost its air conditioning system and our money was refunded. Instead, we headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, just down the street from our hotel. The highlight for me was Honky-Tonk artist Webb Pierce’s car with six-shooter door handles, a rifle spoiler, saddle between the front seats, 1,000 silver dollars on the front dash, and an additional silver six-shooter as a hood ornament. It was right next to Elvis Presley’s gold plated Cadillac.
We walked down Broadway Street and by hundreds of bars on Music Row, past the Ryman Auditorium, original home of the Grand Ole Opry, the Music City Center, and Bridgestone Arena, home of the Predators. Next, we stopped for a macaroon treat, shopped the Nike store for a new pair of running shorts (somehow I only packed one pair that was getting a bit ripe), and walked the bridge over to the Titan’s Nissan Stadium.
My good friend’s daughter lives about 15-minutes from downtown so we stopped by for a short visit to see their new home. On the way, we parked near the Vanderbilt University baseball stadium to take a picture. Dinner was at Texas Roadhouse near our Towne Suites lodging. Day 4 was in the books.
I continue to have computer problems updating my site in a timely manner. This coupled with our tight travel schedule has made for maddening frustration. I’m supposed to be doing this for my own personal enjoyment, hoping that someone else might like to read it. Unfortunately, it’s too often more troublesome busywork than comforting personal therapy. I’m constantly losing content and experiencing screen freezes to the point of giving up. I’m forced to rewrite, restart, and repeat my typing efforts. So, please bear with me.
We’re still trying to get used to driving my son’s Chevrolet beast. It’s different than anything I’ve ever driven, so I doubt that a second career in truck driving is in my future. Old age has also made me more paranoid behind the wheel, so we’re having second thoughts about long drives in heavily populated areas. I can’t imagine the stress of driving a camper, fifth-wheel or RV. We’ve had a couple of narrow escapes with 19 more days to go on this adventure.
We had a great time with my half-sister in Tuscaloosa touring campus, eating BBQ, and at the bar. Roll Tide! The next day we would drive together to Huntsville sharing stories of our very different childhoods. We met my wife at Newt’s and joined my biological half-nephew for lunch. It was then back in the road in search of Uncle Bud’s Catfish & Such, a favorite for my wife in the days of accompanying her oldest daughter to horse riding competitions. Unfortunately, it was closed but we found their new location near the Grand Ole Opry in time for dinner before the show. We had already checked-in to the plush downtown Nashville JW Marriott.
The performances were of course spectacular, but even more impressive was the live radio broadcast heard round the world. This was special to me because of all my years in the business and understanding what all goes on behind the curtain when the “On Air” light goes on. The standout artist of the evening was Edwin McCain, who made his historical debut in the distinctive circle on the famed stage. We also saw John Berry, Smithfield, Mike Snider, Dan Tyminski, John Conlee, Killer Beaz and Charlie McCoy do their hits and/or comedy. It was a great way to end an eventful Day 3 of our Summer Tour.
We left Panama City with stomachs filled with Egg McMuffins and drove to Selma, Alabama where we walked the Edmund Pettis Bridge in 90 degree temperatures. “Built in 1940, it is named after Edmund Pettus, a former Confederate brigadier general, U.S. senator, and state-level leader (“Grand Dragon”) of the Alabama Ku Klux Klan.” What a guy! Thankfully, there are plans to change the name of this historical landmark.
According to sources, “six hundred marchers assembled in Selma on “Bloody Sunday” March 7, 1965. They were led by John Lewis and other SNCC and SCLC activists and crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge over the Alabama River en route to Montgomery. Just short of the bridge, they found their way blocked by Alabama State troopers and local police who ordered them to turn around. When the protesters refused, the officers shot teargas and waded into the crowd, beating the nonviolent protesters with billy clubs and ultimately hospitalizing over fifty people.”
The protest was over voting rights and social injustice. It led to the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act reinforcing the Fifteenth Amendment and assuring that the right of citizens of the United States to vote is not denied or abridged on account of race or color. The state of Alabama had interpreted the law in a racist manner.
We had time for the Selma detour because a glass blowing demonstration on the University of Alabama was cancelled due to Covid. The group headed to A&W (Archibald and Woodward’s) for BBQ instead. My half-sister then took my wife and I on a campus and downtown Tuscaloosa tour, ending with drinks at The Hunt Club. It was great to spend time with my Banister favorite, as we also planned get togethers with other Bio-family members in the upcoming days.
I was a bit tense during the first day of our road trip. Driving someone else’s car or even a rental takes some time to get used to, especially in the Florida coastal traffic. We also had a lot of last minute packing and I had to shorten my run to a mile in our to get a 10a start. Our first leg was initially 7 hours up to Panama City, but we stopped for a long lunch at Peck’s Old Port Cove. The service was slow because a local biker club brought in a 100 riders for lunch. The out-of-the-way restaurant is on a Gulf of Mexico outlet off a snake-like road perfect for motorcycles. They serve blue crabs as a specialty.
The restaurant/bar was recommended by a friend who also suggested today’s destination. A&W (Archibald and Woodrow’s) BBQ in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. My wife was impressed that I ordered a dozen crabs because I hate all the cracking work. It’s messy and frustrating for often little reward, but in retirement why not smell the roses or rather the stinky clawed creatures? I had pieces of shell all over my face and on the protective bib tied around my neck. It was reminiscent of visiting my wife’s daughter at a seafood joint when she was in college twenty some years ago. I left with remnants of the meal in my hair, probably the last time I ate pre-cracked seafood. It probably won’t happen again for another twenty years!
We gained an hour with the time change and arrived by sunset, exhausted from the day-long journey. We shared the time behind the wheel but I never took the time to blog. I’ve been having trouble with my Go Daddy site, so writing has become more of a chore rather than a pleasure. I’ll go to post but will experience screen freezes and lost paragraphs. In the hotel room last night, the internet wasn’t cooperating, unusual for a Mother Marriott property. I may very well have a virus, and will try again tonight in Tuscaloosa. Our stop before we get there, other than pricy gas (although “only” $3.59/gallon here in Alabama) will be historic civil rights hotspot Selma, Alabama.
I knew there was something special about the Marriott brand, dating back to my childhood and the downtown Elkhart Root Beer Barrel. I was recently made aware of the connection by a Facebook friend from my home town who posted a picture of the iconic A&W Root Beer stand and provided a little history:
It all began in 1927 with an A&W root beer stand. Founder J. Willard Marriott and his wife, Alice, got their young business off the ground by quenching people’s thirst during Washington D.C.’s hot, muggy summers. Good food and good service at a fair price became a guiding principle for Hot Shoppes restaurants–and for Marriott International as it grew.”
As time went on, “the Marriotts added hot food items to their menu–a first for A&W franchises–and the name “Hot Shoppes” was born, opening two more locations, including the East Coast’s first drive-in restaurant. By 1937, in flight catering debuted when Hot Shoppes begins delivery of boxed lunches to passengers at Hoover Airport, south of Washington, D.C.” The stock became public in 1953 at $10.25/share and sold out in two hours of trading.”
“Marriott made a historic shift into the hotel business in 1957. The world’s first motor hotel opened in Arlington, Virginia, under the management of J. Willard Marriott’s son, Bill. Over the next 25 years, Marriott became a diverse global enterprise, and Bill Marriott became a visionary CEO whose leadership transformed the hospitality industry. The first international property then opened in Acapulco, Mexico in 1969 while a partnership with Sun Line in 1972, allowed the first lodging company to enter the cruise business. Also that year, J.W. Marriott, Jr. was named Chief Executive Officer of Marriott, adding the Courtyard brand for business travelers by 1983 and by building the first JW Marriott in Washington DC.
“One company, many brands–that’s the innovative model that Marriott began building in the late 1980s. From pioneering the extended-stay business to launching distinctive brands geared toward the business traveler to increasing its presence overseas, Marriott International broke new ground in its quest to become the #1 hospitality company in the world.”
“In 1987, with the opening of the first Fairfield Inn and Marriott Suites hotels, Marriott become the first lodging company to offer a portfolio of brands, also acquiring Residence Inn to pioneer the extended-stay lodging business. 1988 then saw Marriott open its 500th hotel in Warsaw, Poland, the first western-managed hotel in Eastern Europe. By 1995, a famous, historic luxury brand was added into its portfolio when it acquired a 49% interest in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Two years later Renaissance and TownePlace Suites were part of the group, followed by SpringHill Suites by Marriott in 1998 and ExecuStay corporate housing in 1999,”
Alice Sheets Marriott – “Mother Marriott” – passed away in 2000, but growth from her A&W roots continued as the first Bulgari Hotels & Resorts opened in Milan, Italy in 2008 and the EDITION brand was launched in 2008. “Marriott was on a mission to shape the future of travel through technology and innovation. From mobile check-in and lobby Greatrooms to transforming the meeting experience with the Coat Direct app. Gaylord, MOXY HOTELS, AC, Protea in Africa, Delta Hotels in Canada, and Starwood positioned Marriott as the world’s largest hotel company in 2016 with over 5700 properties, 1.1 million rooms, and 30 brands in over 110 countries. It was the year that my wife and I joined the Marriott Vacation Club, using our Bonvoy card to travel the world under the care of Mother Marriott, to whom we raise a frosty mug!
