DistrictWineGuy

Use Somebody

2009-08-28T13:09:00.001-04:00

Viognier

2009-05-29T23:15:00.000-04:00

2006 Cougar Crest Viognier - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (5/29/2009)
VERY pale straw color, with strong aromas of honey, brioche, lemon and even a little bit of cucumber. Very smooth, silky mouthfeel. Very nice acidity throughout the wine with overwhelming pineapple, and honey suckle. Finish is smooth and firm. This is a very well structured viognier - reminiscent of $40-$60 condrieu's from the Rhone. (90 pts.)

Chianti Classico

2009-05-16T22:59:00.002-04:00

After drinking chianti classico for a week straight in Tuscany late last year, I fell in love with it. I think it's POSSIBLY the most underrated wine right now. Over the last two nights, I've had a couple glasses of Chianti Classico and it's reaffirmed my love for this wine. I recommend trying the 2004 Vigna Vecchia Chianti Classico - this can be found in the $15 range in my eyes, is an 89+ point wine. Pair it with some sharp cheese and cured meats and you're in business.

Wine Bar Review: Vinoteca

2009-05-16T14:55:00.003-04:00

Vinoteca
1940 11th St. NW
Wash, DC 20001
www.vinotecadc.com

My first installment in a running series started at Vinoteca in the U Street Corridor. I've been to Vinoteca a number of times, and have always been a fan of its wine program and vibe.

1) Bottle/Wine by the Glass Selection: 38 points
Vinoteca's bottle and wine by the glass selection is exciting. While its selection of the "standard" types of wines is, well, standard, its selection of "unique reds/whites" is where they excel. The Trivento torrontes from Mendoza on the menu (glass is $7) was showing well last night as was the Paco & Lola albarino. I think Vinoteca should continue down this path of finding value driven wines from regions of the world that are sometimes unknown to the casual wine drinker. Vinoteca's reputation around DC is that it's the place to go to find a unique offering of wine, not just the standard Napa Chardonnay's and Pinot Noir's. It also offers tastes of their wines for half of the glass price - a FANTASTIC way to experience 10+ wines in an evening.

2)Staff Knowledge: 14 points
The easiest way to judge the staff behind the bar at a wine establishment is to ask them what they recommend. If they immediately offer a suggestion without asking what YOU like, they lose major points. After asking this question last night I was given a glass of the Stag's Leap Viognier (I'm a big viognier fan, so on paper it was looking like a good recommendation) - problem was the wine wasn't showing well at all. I think the bottle might have been open too long...and for $16, I wasn't impressed AT ALL.

3)Ambiance: 8 points
I like the bar area of Vinoteca, but it can be a bit tight during their busiest times. Our group of 4 felt squashed a bit, and we were asked to shift our bar stools around a number of times to allow for more guests to pack in and to move out of the staff's way.

4) Price: 16 points
Finding reasonable prices in wine bars isn't easy. Vinoteca's offering of the K Vintners Milbrandt Syrah is a great example of this - I have 4 bottles at home and I paid $80 for all of them. If I bought the same bottle at Vinoteca, I'd pay $84/bottle. I understand the markups on wine, but this is a bit excessive in my opinion. What saves Vinoteca is their tasting option. The staff is generous with their tasting pours.

5) Stemware: 10 points
Vinoteca uses over-sized Bordeaux glasses for most of their wines and also have over-sized pinot noir glasses. I'm a big fan of over-sized wine glasses, so Vinoteca scores points with me here.

OVERALL: 86 points
It's worth noting that Vinoteca offers a great Tuesday night wine class. I've attended these classes to anyone interested in wine. $35/person may sound steep, but you do receive a $5 gift card and are able to drink A LOT of wine during the class - definitely a GREAT value.

Drinking Wine the Next Day

2009-05-14T20:03:00.002-04:00

I left about half of last night's bottle on my kitchen counter. I used my VacuVin to remove air from the bottle - but the characteristics of the wine change nonetheless. The smokiness of the wine is almost completely gone, replaced instead by dark licorice and mocha. Overall the wine is a little more challenged on the nose, but the mouthfeel of the wine has become even smoother over the past 24 hours. A lot of black and white pepper showed up on the wine overnight - a very nice change.

Amazing Spanish Wine Value

2009-05-13T20:22:00.003-04:00

Not surprisingly, Spain is full of value driven wine. While a generalization, I think Spain is the country leading the way on outstanding value wines. The wine I opened tonight is no exception to this "rule". I won this bottle at auction for $10 - tastes more like a $30-$50 Merlot-based Bordeaux.

2005 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell Jumilla Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil Juan Gil - Spain, Murcia, Jumilla (5/13/2009)
A fair amount of wood smoke dominate the nose with raspberries, and cranberries tucked in. The mouthfeel is nice and silky - this is a remarkably smooth wine for under $12. The fruit easily stands up against the alcohol and the finish has lingering flavors of chocolate and coffee. Great QPR - find this wine. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Syrah: New World vs. Old World

2009-05-03T17:09:00.002-04:00

New World vs. Old World
I’ve been a big supporter of Californian syrah over the past 6 months or so – bought a lot of bottles and enjoyed my fair share as well. I think it was the classic sour cherry and overall balance of these wines that really did it for me. Friday night I took part in a new world vs. old world syrah tasting at Think Café in Chicago.
An amazing selection of syrah was on display Friday night – ranging from a youthful monster out of Paso Robles to an explosive and thought provoking Cornas from the Northern Rhone (there was even some First Growth Sautuerne to round out the meal).

2000 Saint-Cosme Côte-Rôtie – This was a great wine to start the night off with. The nose was full of bacon fat, tapenade, and sour cherries. This wine was pure silk, with coffee and blackberries throughout. Interestingly, the flavors were subtle, not muted, just reserved and mature. Seemed like this wine was in a good place right now – 90pts.

2003 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie – The nose of this wine reminded me of Sunday morning breakfast. Rich bacony flavors were wrapped around ground coffee, cooked meats, and blackberry jam. Again, outrageous mouthfeel with this wine. The wine itself had lots of blackberries, sour cherries, and dried tobacco flavors with a long finish. A fair amount of burly tannis on this wine suggest it still has a number of years before it plateaus. – 91pts.

1996 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas – Wow. What a wine. The nose was rocking with massive dried tobacco, lead pencil shavings, and pepper. I cannot say enough about this wine, the body of this wine was full of cooked meats, and pepper…LOTS of pepper. Paired this with a steak and it was absolutely perfect together. The backend of this wine is still youthful, and lasted for nearly a minute. If you have the opportunity to get this wine, jump on it – 95+pts.

1999 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - The nose took some time to open up and compared to the Cornas was slightly lacking. A fair amount of leather, coffee, and dark, ripe cherry came through – had this along with a steak and it worked really well together. Like the other wines, this had a really nice structure and balance to it – 91pts.

2001 Kongsgaard Syrah Hudson Vineyard – This was the first New World wine of the night and immediately you could tell the difference. Nose had overpowering black indelible marker. Might be a turnoff to some, but I enjoyed it. This was a massive wine full of blueberry reduction sauce. Combine that with other dark fruits and you get a massive, baby of a wine. What really surprised me about this one was the balance. Yes, it was a New World “fruit bomb”, but it also had nice acidity – I think this has a number of years of to continue maturing – 93pts.

2006 Saxum Broken Stones – This was a beast of a wine. The nose was more reminiscent of a cocktail than a wine. It turned me off right from the start. There was massive strawberry reduction sauce nose on this wine, and it was hard for me to pull out anything else. Strawberries, cherries, cassis, dominated this wine. Believe it or not, this has 16.3%alc! A testament to the quality outfit at Saxum, the fruit stood up to the high alcohol level. I’m not sure how I felt about this wine. Compared to the wines earlier in the night, this style seemed too over the top for me – 89pts.

The difference between the Rhone and California has been talked about a lot, and in my mind, is clear. While the Cali wines knocked me over the head with their strawberry, sour cherry, and cassis flavors the bottles from the Rhone were far more subtle in their greatness. There are certain wines that I’ve come across that I classify as “anti-social” wines (sagrantino de maltefalco, nebbiolo, and port) – simply because drinking them brings on a period of introspection. I’m adding Northern Rhone syrah to that list. Each sip I took of these wines told its own story – new flavors kept emerging adding to the overall complexity of the wine. It’s a worthwhile exercise to sit down with a bottle of big Cali syrah and a bottle of syrah from the Rhone. I think you’ll be shocked at how different the wines taste side-by-side. If you’ve done this before, I’m eager to hear your thoughts on how it went – leave a comment below.

2009-05-03T12:01:00.001-04:00

2007 Breggo Cellars Chardonnay Savoy Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (5/2/2009)
On the nose, there is subtle oak, lemon, pear and granny smith apple flavors. Very nice nose. Wow, this is an incredible balanced chardonnay from Cali. There is certainly oak in this wine, but it's controlled and the fruit stands up to the oak impressively. I think that this bottle achieves a balance of oak and fruit that I really look for. I can't forget to mention the mouthfeel of this wine as well. Super silky, quite enjoyable. The one interesting thing I can say about it is it has an impressive back end structure that I don't normally notice in Chardonnays. I think this might be able to age for a couple years....it would be interesting to try that. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2009 DC Wine Bar Review

2009-04-30T20:44:00.000-04:00

I enjoy visiting wine bars. I will be beginning an all encompassing review of the wine bars of DC over the next couple of weeks. There are many many bars in DC that serve wine, so I will be trying to focus on bars that have an increased focus on their wine program. If you have suggestions of places for me to check out (in DC/NoVa/Maryland), please comment below. As of right now, I plan on visiting the following places:
1) Vinoteca
2) Veritas
3) Mendocino
4) Bistrot LePic
5) Enology
6) Dino
7) Bardeo
8) West End Bistro
9) Proof
I plan on grading each venue using a common scale (100 possible points):
1) Bottle Selection (1-20 scale)
2) Wines by the glass selection (1-20 scale)
3) Knowledge of staff (1-20 scale)
4) Ambiance (1-10 scale)
5) Price (1-20 scale)
6) Stemware (1-10 scale)
This should be fun.

2008 Bordeaux

2009-04-30T12:35:00.002-04:00

As the last shipments of the epic 2005 vintage reach American shores, the wine industry collectively turns their gaze towards the 2008 Bordeaux futures market. In terms of futures sales, Bordeaux is unrivaled in their preselling power. I received an email today from my local wine merchant discussing the 2008 Bordeaux market, and it raised a couple questions. For those who are unfamiliar with the unique way in which Bordeaux sells their wine, here is a quick summary (thanks to the folks at Calvert Woodley for this great explanation):

1. Chateaux "release" their prices and assign the rights, or allocation, to their wine to a group of brokers in Bordeaux known as courtiers, who in turn sell to negociants in Bordeaux.
2. Negociants sell these allocations to the importers around the world who in turn sell to the retailers. In rare instances, retailers are direct importers as well and buy directly from negociants.
3. Retailers sell the rights to these wines to the consumer, who pay in advance for the rights to the wines that will be exported around the world 18-24 months later.

So basically, it's an elaborate process of ordering these wines. Add to that the fact that if a bottle/case is ordered today, it won't be received for 1.5-2years. Due to the global recession, interest in this 2008 vintage is understandably muted. The big players that dropped hundreds of thousands of dollars on the historic 2005 vintage aren't investing and global prices for Bordeaux are plateauing.

What I wonder is this; what will the current economic downturn have on wine prices? It's no secret that the 2005 Bordeaux market basically redefined the entire wine market - prices shot through the roof, demand skyrocketed, and huge profits were achieved. You have to assume that as the economy softens people will avoid buying "nice-to-have" items far more often than before...and with less demand prices will naturally correct themselves.

So what does all this mean to you? Avoid the Bordeaux futures market. Prices are still high due to the impact of the 2005 vintage and we will see prices come down from the pre-sale price (which is typically the lowest). If you are in a position to buy wine, a lot of shops and wineries are offering huge discounts to make up for the softening of demand. Seek out the values and stock up!

White Burgundy

2009-04-29T19:41:00.002-04:00

Of all the wine regions in the world, Burgundy excites me the most. Massive reds and white characterize the region. Of late, one grape in particular has been the most intriguing - Chablis. Maligned in the US for it's jug wine history, chablis remains in my mind, one of the most interesting and exciting grapes available. There are three levels of Chablis available - first being the appellation controlee, or the base level. Prices for this type can usually be found under $20. Moving up the scale you have premier cru and then grand cru chablis. At its upper levels, chablis can reach the $70+/bottle range.

Tonight, I opened a bottle of 2007 Gilbert Picq Chablis. This falls within the appellation controlee level and cost $15.98. 100& chardonnay, this wine for me, beats many $30-$40 Napa Chards out there. Here are some tasting notes:

2007 Gilbert Picq Chablis - France, Burgundy, Chablis (4/29/2009)
Light straw color. Nose is full of lemon peels and grapefruit laced with petrol. Very nice acidity with this wine. Full of lemons....just packed with them. Can see this going perfectly with big fish, scallops, or oysters. There is a nice brininess to this wine too, and the mouthfeel is quite nice. Finish is round and enjoyable. Might be a bit basic in some sense - really nice QPR wine though. (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

For those of you out there that don't think white wines can be serious wines, I urge you to look at white burgundies. Incredible wines.

2009-04-25T09:06:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty stoked about the Anwilka wine from last night. Luckily, I have two more bottles at home in the cellar. Hoping that putting some age on those puppies will yield a strong mid-90s type of wine.

My advice to anyone opening a bottle in the next 12 months...DECANT DECANT DECANT. Drinking straight out of the bottle won't allow it to open up enough. Just my $0.02.

2009-04-24T22:15:00.001-04:00

2007 Anwilka Stellenbosch - South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch (4/24/2009)
Really enjoyed the 2006 vintage of this wine, so was excited to get my first taste of the 2007. Immediately, I get the sense that I'm tasting this FAR too early. That being said, it's still tasting quite well. Dark, dark, dark color - oneo of the blackest wines I've ever come across. Nose is full of tar, plums and sour cherries. There are some blueberries mixed in as well. Very complex wine from start to finish. Great mouthfeel - silky smooth. The wine starts off strong with cassis, cherry, and a dusty tar taste. The end is a massive tannic explosion. Huge backend to this wine and quite dry at this stage. Could see this wine easily cellaring for 7-10 years. Very nice potential here. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2009-04-23T22:29:00.001-04:00

2007 Weingut Spreitzer Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Rheingau (4/23/2009)
Light golden color with an intense granny smith apple on the nose. After letting the bottle sit out and warm up a bit, the apples melded in nicely with pears and tropical fruits. Very nice mouthfeel with this riesling with subtle sweetness and bracing acidity on the backend. I found this wine to be far more enjoyable as it warmed up - the tropical fruit flavors, apple and pear really began to express themselves at that point. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2009-04-23T22:05:00.000-04:00

2007 Château Anniche - France, Bordeaux, Bordeaux Contrôlée (4/21/2009)
Pale straw color. Nose fresh pear, but not too much else. This is a nice little fresh wine...good entry level white bordeaux. The acidity on the backend is somewhat surprising - would probably be a nice play with fish/oysters. The pear is augmented with lots of fresh lemons and a bit of minerality. Niice QPR on this one. (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2008-12-30T11:05:00.001-05:00

New Favorite Video

2008-09-04T15:25:00.001-04:00

My New Favorite Video

2008-08-06T17:21:00.001-04:00

Nickels and Dimes

2008-08-04T19:06:00.003-04:00

A couple of years ago, Southwest Airlines introduced a commercial that made fun of those little fees the other airlines had begun charging their passengers. I always thought it was a funny and I'm sure did a great job for Southwest. I thought of this commercial again today upon hearing the news that both JetBlue and USAirways will begin charging their passengers $7 to use a pillow and blanket on a flight.

The continuing nickle and diming of airline passengers continues as the airlines continue looking for ways to bolster their revenue. Hard to see an end in sight...shame that all these fees continue to build up. The large majority of these fees seem targeted at the everyday traveler...not the business traveler - making air travel more and more difficult.

Virginia Wine Tasting

2008-08-01T17:43:00.002-04:00

Virginia Wine Country - Trip ReportJuly 31, 2008

Picked up my car at DCA and made it down to the Horton Vineyard around noon. This place was recommended as a starting point by wine afficiando Gary Vaynerchuk. He circled this vineyard as exhibiting the most promise of any in the state of Virginia and with its proximity to Keswick & Barboursville it would be easy to see all three.The first thing that jumped out to me when I got into their tasting room was the 40+ wines they offered. I’ve been wine tasting all around the world and had never encountered a place (outside of a wine expo) with this many choices. Jumped right in with a couple of their white wines and enjoyed their estate Viognier the most. Horton was the first Virginia vineyard to plant Viognier grapes and after a couple years of struggling with it, it’s finally starting to take on some of the classic characteristics that are now being seen from Paso and the Rhone Valley. Amongst their reds, the Horton Norton was the most interesting to me. The Norton grape is native to Virginia, and a varietal I’d never heard of before. VERY dark, with flashes of inkiness – this was a seriously heavy wine! I learned that the Norton Vineyard sells a TON of fruit/desert wine – both of which are not too interesting to me…so I stayed away from them. Overall, I liked Norton and after having some awful Viognier’s from Virginia over the past 2-3 months, was pleasantly surprised at their effort.

We drove 1 mile down the street to Barboursville Vineyard. Adjacent to a nice restaurant, this tasting cost $4/person (but we got to keep our snazzy tasting glasses). We were offered 16 wines, and I really enjoyed their Riesling and Cab (both were, 89+ points in my book0. I was very happy however, with the overall selection of wines being offered at Barboursville. They produced un-oaked Chardonnay which I really enjoyed and a Cab Franc Reserve that was drinking very well. Their signature wine, Octogon ( a proprietary blend driven by Merlot, with elements of Reserve Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot) was tasting quite young, but is showing nice structure on the backend. We were told this would drink best after 2012. Overall, a more solid selection of wine than Horton…very enjoyable.

Last was Keswick. I’d never heard of this place before, but before heading back to DCA I searched wineries on our Neverlost console and it popped up just down the road. This boutique vineyard was set off the road on a gorgeous estate. Cost was $8 for a tasting that included their reserve wines. This vineyard was a bit disappointing as only two of their wines I found to be enjoyable. First was their reserve Viognier and next was their reserve Merlot. Both were just fantastic, and were tasting very well at this time. I ended up buying a bottle of the Viognier reserve to bring home…so I will try it again tonight.

I got a sense from speaking with a couple of winemakers that the Central region of Virginia is about to come into its own. For so long they were forcing grapes that just weren’t suitable for their environment. It sounded like over the past 3-5 years the winemakers have begun to discover the wines that will really do well and are running with those. I think we’re just a couple years away from Parker or Wine Spectator giving some big scores to one or two Virginia wines. The price is still an issue, but we were able to find a fair amount of decent wine under the $17-$20 price range which was good.

It was a great day of tasting for the two of us. My girlfriend had never been tasting before, so this was a fun learning experience for her. The drive back to DCA was miserably, and after we got home the only thing we were complaining about was the amount of time we needed to spend in the car getting down there.

We're Back

2008-07-10T12:46:00.002-04:00

After many months of not tending this blog, I've carved time out of my daily grind to begin writing again. This space will become a place for me to talk about things that are happening in my day-to-day - hopefully, some of which, will be of interest to you.

The Countdown of the Best Philadelphia Sports Athletes (of my lifetime)

2008-03-01T00:33:00.004-05:00

Another list - this time devoted to Philadelphia sports. The list below serves as my rundown of the greatest Philadelphia pro athletes I've seen in my 27 years.

10. Wes Hopkins/Andre Waters - these guys are the reason that I love the Eagles like I do. Never afraid of contact or confrontation, they were the most intimidating safeties of their era (imho) and again, in my opinon, easily trumped the all-pro combo of Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis on the early 2000s.

9. Jameer Nelson - such an incredible talent at St. Joeseph's University. I'm not a huge SJU fan, but much found myself pulling for them because of the leadership and play that Nelson exhibited during their incredible run in 2003-2004.

8. Eric Lindros - overhyped? overpaid? loved getting concussions? perhaps. but what i do know about #88 was that during his Hart Trophy Award year, I'd never seen anyone play hockey like he did. My mother (a rabid Flyers fan) remarked one time, that if he'd been on the '87 Finals team, they would have beaten the Oilers (that had Gretzky, Messier & Kuri at the time). Lindros did something to the NHL that's still felt today - an electric player, with "off the charts skills" that is also incredibly physical....that was new to the NHL at the time...you have to remember that.

7. Jimmy Rollins - my favorite baseball player of all-time. he's got the talent and guts to be a MVP threat for the next 5 years. Amazing glove, speed, power, and leadership - there was no one happier than me when it was announced that he had won the MVP...totally deserved it.

6. Mark Macon - back in 1988 I didn't root for a particular college basketball team. i remember watching march madness for the first time with my dad that year, and with Temple University dominating with Macon - I naturally fell in love with the team. To this day, I am a HUGE Temple fan, and Macon is the cause of that. Back to Mark - he was ABSURD that year. Since I was only 7 at the time, I've looked back (thanks YouTube) at his highlights, and it's only reinforced my feelings surrounding him. For me, he's the greatest college player I've seen in the Philadelphia area during my life (both Jameer Nelson and Lionel Simmons are close behind).

5. Reggie White - most consider him the best DL of all time. he played his best years in Philadelphia....does anyone out there remember the 1989 team? just thinking about the starting lineup on defense makes me laugh! Reggie was the leader of that team (perhaps the greatest defensive team in the history of football), and on most occasions, disrupted the quarterback/running back on every down.

4. Allen Iverson - the most controversial member of the list, but certainly will go down as one of the best. in terms of pure scorers, AI is hard to top in the NBA. A friend of mine from Massachusetts said to me one time, "do you realize how lucky you are to have Iverson on your team? Every night he's bound to score at least 30 points, most of which are acrobatic shots. Fans of other teams dream about watching a player like that." Well put. He never got us a championship, but when he stepped over Tyron Lue, I was sold!

3. Julius Erving - Julius.....The Doctor.....EEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRVVVVVVVVING. Probably the 2nd best SF in NBA history (behind Larry Bird). He retired in April of 1986, so my experience with him was limited. I attended his last game at the Spectrum and saw all of the other NBA players saying things about him. The one that stood out to me was a young Michael Jordan saying, "people compare me to Dr. J, and......and, that's the biggest compliment I've ever been paid." (you can look that quote up too).

2. Michael Jack Schmidt - the greatest third basemen of all time played before me when i was under 13 years old. the perfect time for it all to sink in. when i went to Phillies games, i usually saw them lose, but at the same time i saw MJS hit deep home runs & throw across the diamond with the ease of a royal assassin.

1. Brian Dawkins - I don't even feel like writing anything in his defense here. If you don't get why he's my #1 then you'll never get it. Leadership, intimidation, & "physicality". He'll be my favorite Eagle the rest of my life.

Car Review

2008-02-25T09:13:00.002-05:00

Since beginning my heavy business travel in November, I’ve rented countless cars – all being from Hertz. On a typical week, I will rent three different cars (I’ve rented so often that I’m in the Hertz President’s Circle of customers) – almost like a continuous test drive, except my car doubles as my office and I have no intention of ever buying it. I wanted to put together a review of my favorites as well as the ones I didn’t enjoy.

2007 Chevy Impala LS – This is the car I get the most often. Hertz classifies it as an “intermediate” car, and I’m almost always happy with them. I’ve gotten so comfortable with these cars that I can behave like I would in a car I own; can program the radio without looking, can adjust the temperature easily, know how to pop the hood or trunk when necessary. The engine has always done the trick for me, it’s got enough power to respond when necessary, so no complaints there. Overall, I’m always happy to find the Impala in my spot – it gets a score of 89 points.

2008 Chevy Impala SS – This is the big brother of the LS, a much bigger, meaner, version. I loved driving it. I’ve only had it once, in Tennessee, and luckily, put about 350 miles on it over two days. It’s engine is strong, with over 300 horsepower – and it’s really fun to put it to the test. There was an on ramp just outside of Knoxville…I was going 30 mph or so, and decided to floor it. The horses kicked in, and the power actually made the tires spin (something that the LS can only really do when you’re at a stop). The interior is much like the LS except there are some nice “SS” logos throughout and the one I drove had leather seats which is always a good thing. The SS gets a score of 95 points.

2006 Mazda 3 – I hate getting this car. There’s nothing really BAD about it, but its engine feels weak and when I need to pass a car, it struggles to respond. The interior is supposed to be sporty, but I hate the red illuminated dashboard…I find it hard to see the speed, rev’s, etc. at night. If there was a way for me to never get this car I’d make sure that would happen. It gets a score of 71 points.

2006 Mazda 6 – Better than the Mazda 3, but still not like my Impala LS. Certainly larger, with a more robust engine, but I am just not a fan of the dashboard…until that changes, my irrational hatred of the Mazda cars will continue. Scores a 78.

2008 Volvo S80 – The car I rented had 13 miles on it; so I was most likely the first renter. Renting these cars on paper is such a great idea, but when you only have them for a day or so, you really don’t have enough time to actually figure out how to use some of its more complicated features…satellite radio, navigation system, etc. I shouldn’t complain though, this was an exciting car to drive. Very well appointed interior with an almost white leather throughout…very 1982. Stereo system was great too, as I drove around Philadelphia and Northern Jersey in it, I was able to pick up all my old radio stations in crisp HD radio…so that was cool. Scores a 93.

2008 Audi Q7 – When the attendant at the LAX Hertz asked if I wanted the new Audi SUV crossover, it didn’t take me long to answer, “yes”. The first thing that stands out about this car is the massive moon roof. Maybe it’s not even considered a moon roof…just the roof, but it’s all glass and driving on the PCH with the glass roof retracted and the windows down is something everyone should try. Engine is quite strong and the stereo system is obnoxiously robust. Scored a 96.

2007 Ford Windstar – I was in Ft. Smith, AR and I got a minivan. It wasn’t very fun to drive, the interior was nice enough, and luckily I only had it for roughly 18 hours. I did take a nice picture of it too, it’s what you see above. Scored a 79 pointer in my book

2007 Nissan Altima GLE – The attendant in Reno told me this car was “supercharged”, and while I knew she had no idea what she was talking about, I’ve always loved driving Nissan’s so I looked forward to getting it. This car had a pretty sweet interior, with a push-button ignition which I always find peculiar. The stereo was legit on this car too, and on my drive from Reno up to Lake Tahoe I played the music nice and loud. This is certainly a fun car to drive, and out of all the cars I’ve rented is probably the most realistic purchase option for me in the near future. Scored a 90 for me.

2008 Ford Freestyle - Not only was this the first time I’d driven the Freestyle, but it was the first time I’d ever heard of it. I was actually impressed. The interior was laid out very well, and everything was easy to use while driving. The satellite radio wasn’t working in the car, so that wasn’t good, but overall, a fun, sleek car by Ford that probably won’t catch on in the US car market. I give it 89 points.

2008 Ford Taurus – Wow. I hadn’t been in a Taurus for a number of years. A friend of mine had owned one in college that remember quite well, and it’s incredible to see where these cars have come. Now, this is no 1995 Ford Taurus SHO (my all-time favorite pure American sports car…BJ, I bet you’re laughing right now), but this wasn’t the same car I remembered from college. I cannot remember which model I was in, but I was impressed by the engine. The interior worked for me, and I thought the new body design was fresh too. Scored a 87 with me.

2008 Pontiac Grand Am – Along with the Chevy Impala LS, I enjoy when I get these cars. They kinda remind me of my father’s Chrysler Concorde from back in college – a pretty inconspicuous car that has a sneaky fast engine. I rented one of these the other day in Oakland, and when I wasn’t stuck in traffic enjoyed how it drives, really like the power of it, and the handling is probably only topped by the S80 and SS. This is certainly not a classic sports car like the Ford Taurus SHO, but they’re fun, and that’s good. It gets a score of 90 points.

2007 Chevy Malibu – I’m not going to write a lot about this car. It’s a classic example of how boring American cars can be these days. Typical interior, typical engine, typical handling….all I wanted to do was equip some nitrous tanks, put on some super-soft racing tires, lower the suspension to only a couple inches off the ground, throw a supercharger uner the hood (probably lifting the HP to 250 or 275), and put a massive fin on the back (to increase downforce so I can corner more effectively). Then we would have had a fun car. Oh well. The one I drove scored a 81.

So here’s the ranking of the cars I’ve driven.

Audi Q7 - 96
Chevy Impala SS – 95
Volvo S80 – 93
Nissan Altima – 90
Pontiac Grand Am – 90
Chevy Impala – 89
Ford Freestyle - 89
Ford Taurus – 87
Chevy Malibu – 81
Ford Windstar – 79
Mazda 6 – 78
Mazda 3 – 71

Some cars on my wishlist to drive include:
Audi A6
Hummer H2
Ford Shelby Mustang
Audi A4 Cabriolet
Chevy Corvette (there are rumors that Hertz will be acquiring some of the new Chevy Corvette Z06)

My L.A. Story

2008-02-16T11:38:00.001-05:00

I haven’t been to too many places in LA yet, but I think the scariest part of town is the Hertz rental car lot at LAX. If you’ve been there, you’ll probably know what I mean. If not, here are the quick details. Most planes that land at LAX fly in from the East – directly over the Hertz lot. Usually the planes are only a couple hundred feet in the air at this point, and depending on what time of day you’re there you can have A LOT of larger, wide-bodied planes right overhead.

The sound of these planes is excruciating! Not to mention the exhaust that’s deposited directly onto you from above – but this isn’t a gently sprinkling of exhaust, nope. The wind that hits you, by my estimation, is usually approaching 50-70 mph, nearly hurricane force. So after a long flight to LAX, you get hit by these jet blasts as you struggle to find you car. Always a nice way to begin your trip!

Ultra Conservative Christian Radio

2008-02-15T10:21:00.002-05:00

I think Ultra-Conservative Christian radio is the most entertaining type of media these days. I am neither Conservative nor Christian – so some might find this fact surprising. It’s become my #1 habit when driving around the country. - there’s always a station that’s within range whether I’m in Mobile, AL or San Francisco, CA. What really excites me is listening to people that are so elitist and single-minded that they don’t even realize how absurd they’re being.

I was listening to a broadcast today as I drove from Pleasanton, CA to the Oakland International Airport and it was probably the best Conservative Christrian station I’d heard yet. A woman was on the line that had written a book about Paganism in public schools. She talked for about 90 straight minutes about how public schools are leading children down a primrose path to hedonism, irresponsible sexual promiscuity, paganism (was she serious?), and ungodliness. It was a call-in show, and I was SO close to giving her a ring to just chat…like we at a slumber party. She also claimed that the number of “witches” (yes, she used that word) has increased considerably over the past decade – I think I was laughing out loud at this point.

I always find people like this fascinating. Their arrogance is the first trait that I always notice. They’re always 100% convinced that they are absolutely right and EVERYONE that doesn’t agree with them is absolutely wrong. It must be so boring to be that closed-minded! I mean, I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan, and everyone that doesn’t like them is evil to me….oh wait….shit.

I may joke about these shows/people, but in all honesty, they fascinate me more than most people do. Since I disagree so strongly with just about everything they say, it’s almost like I’m a scientist examining a new species of centipede that was discovered in the Amazon…it’s such a peculiar type of ethos, that I just have to stop and stare…er, listen.

Plus or Minus

2008-02-14T19:48:00.002-05:00

Things I Like:

California – Yeah, it’s crowded, expensive and wrought with natural disasters. But having spent the last couple weeks there I’ve become a fan. It’s without question, the most dynamic state in the country, with culture, unique food, exciting cities, and incredible scenery for days.

Having an Assistant – Having a “right-hand-man” is a great asset. Able to react to situations when I am on a plane or unable to be reached, it’s the ultimate piece-of-mind. I recommend everyone getting one.

Tuna – I am happy that all of this “tuna is bad for you because it has mercury in it” news has come out. Hopefully, it makes prices drop so that I can eat more. What’s the problem with mercury again?

First Class Seats – It’s just annoying sitting in the back of the plane. Why should I wait to board or deplane when I travel? All that is to me is a hassle. Plus, what’s the deal with paying for food in coach? I’m not really interested in doing that either.

Things I Don’t Like:

People who think Annie Hall is a romantic comedy: I heard someone say that on tv last week and I wasn’t happy. Annie Hall happens to be one of the most serious, important movies of the 20th century – calling it a romantic comedy makes me think of a two-bit movie that was shot on a $10 million dollar budget.

Airplanes that break: I’ve been sitting in the Oakland airport for 5 hours now because a plane wasn’t working properly. No reason for me to explain why this doesn’t excite me.

Brake Lights – People are so scared of brake lights…as soon as they see one ahead of them (on a car) they go bezerk and slam on their brakes…causing traffic. Ease off the gas, and if necessary use your brakes….what’s so hard to understand here?

People who stand on the left side of a moving walkway or escalator: Just recently I was in the Memphis International Airport and this couple was standing on the left side of the moving walkway…directly on the “walk on this side” sign that was painted on the walkway. Perhaps they were blind, didn’t understand English or cannot read.

People who are walking briskly in an airport terminal then decide to stop immediately to “look around”: I encounter this type of person FAR too often. It got so bad in O’Hare that I decided I’d ram into the next person that did it. When it happened, it was so funny – they guy was perplexed why I ran into him and I looked at him and asked, “why did you suddenly stop walking in the middle of the busiest walkway in the 2nd busiest airport in the country?” I didn’t stick around to hear his response, but I hope that it was his last time doing that (true story).

Trick-or-Treating For Adults

2008-01-23T13:04:00.000-05:00

The title of this entry is a quote from my friend Dave. This was how he described wine tasting in California. We'll start there.

This was my first time out in California since the late 1980s. Much has changed out there since then; the tech industry exploded, the 49ers franchise has collapsed, and the wine industry has taken off. I was most concerned with the changes in the wine industry.

After a couple days of bouncing around the city, my friend Dave, his roommate Jeremy and I headed north to Napa. The drive was totally easy, not what I was expecting from both a traffic prospective and a geography prospective. I had visions of the road from SF to Napa being dominated by small inns, massive grape fields, rolling hills, and singing birds. Nope. A lot of it was marsh lands - something I hadn't known even existed in California before I saw it up close. We of course made our way to the inns, and grape fields, but the journey up was just different.

We began trick-or-treating on the early side - 11am - at Cakebread Family Vineyards. This is one of those wines that started as a big cult wine and has exploded across the country. Bottles now are between $100 - $200 at restaurants. The three of us had a private tasting in a very fun private wine room. Enjoyed some good stuff - picked up a bottle and headed further north.

This process continued for the next 5 hours.

We made friends along the way too. Namely a 55-year old tipsy woman from San Diego. Here's the story. Dave, Jeremy and I stopped at the Silverado Brewing Company for lunch and the opportunity to catch some of the Pats v. Chargers game. It was packed, and we were forced to sit outside (by ourselves) and watch through a glass door. Next thing we knew, this woman from San Diego came out and took it upon herself to find us a place to sit. First, she got us two seats at the bar, then came back over to us and said she'd saved a table for us right in front of the big screen. The three of us were in awe of her dedication. Perhaps earlier in her life she had been a hostess at a restaurant - that was the only explanation we could think of.

Overall, the trip to the Bay Area was fantastic. The weather was great, the food was incredible, and the wine was top-rate. The one disappointing part of the trip was that there wasn't an earthquake. I had been hoping for at least a small one - what's cooler than saying that you've been through a San Francisco earthquake? Not too much.

I'm out in Tuscon, AZ now and will be updating this space more frequently.

Headphones

2008-01-03T18:59:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, I received a pair of Bose noise-cancelling headphones. I had been looking forward to getting a pair of these for years now - and now that I use them all the time, my life is a lot quieter.

For those that haven't had the opportunity to use these yet, let me assure you that they work. I put them on as soon as I step onto an airplane, and I suddenly feel like I'm in an orb of quiet - my own secret garden. It's incredible. I've enjoyed using them so much, that I walk to the Metro with them on, ride the bus with them on, ride the Metro with them on...and sit at my desk in the office with them on (usually without music playing).

It got me thinking.

I remember when I was using my first iPod, with my neat little in-ear earphones that made all the noise of the New York City streets fade away. No longer would people ask me for money on the street as they'd notice my white earbuds, people wouldn't ask me for directions either - I became very insulated. Now, as I walk around in even more quiet around Washington, DC - I feel like the city has disappeared around me.

By their nature, cities are noisy places - honking horns, screaming people, public transportation, and the unmistakable drone of air conditioners in the summer. As more and more people put on headphones, more and more people are redefining the city experience...in a way. As much as I've enjoyed wandering around Philadelphia, Washington & New York listening to Robert Plant and or/ Mick Jagger sing to me - what have I missed? People asking for help? Sirens? Someone sneaking up on me? Laughter?

It's time for me to take off my headphones and pay more attention.

Year in Review (Part 2)

2007-12-30T15:20:00.000-05:00

Over the holidays, I received feedback from my father that he was upset at my first attempt at a "year in review" column. So, in my continued attempt to satiate my father's hunger for my writing - I'll write more.

Best Dinner of 2007: This happened before I moved to Washington. I was with my mother in Philadelphia - we tried a new Spanish restaurant near my apartment called Tinto. What a place! Amazing wine, amazing service, amazing food. My mother and I started the meal off with some Spanish cheese and honey. A combination that obviously affected my mother - during Christmas she had various cheeses and honey for appetizers two different nights. It's a restaurant that I'd recommend to EVERYONE that has time for dinner in Philadelphia.

Best Book of 2007: This is an easy one for me. I read Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point over a couple days in June. I had just moved to Washington and had about 10 days before my new job started. Each day I'd hang out at my pool and read Malcom's book. Really great stuff. Very easy to absorb, and totally applicable to everyone's everyday life - much like Tinto, it's something I'd recommend reading to EVERYONE.

Worst Airport: This is a very hard category. I've been to so many awful airports this year....I think I'll break this into a couple different categories.

Worst Airport Late at Night: This is a no-brainer. New Orleans International Airport. After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina a tornado hit the airport just a couple weeks later. It hasn't recovered from either. It's a HUGE airport - with the capability of processing thousands of people a day. After the flood, flights were slashed into MSY and after the tornado, the infrastructure was in trouble. Even at peak times during the day, the airport feels empty, vacant, and kinda creepy. Late at night all of those feelings are multiplied. You walk into an airport designed to compete against the largest, busiest in the country, and you find yourself alone, a stranger in a quiet superstructure.

Worst Airport Overall: This is a tie. It goes to RNO & BNA (Reno, NV & Nashville, TN). I hate both airports. Reno is under so much construction/renovation that you feel like you're walking down Chestnut St. in Philadelphia while a new building is being built alongside you. Uncomfortable, crowded, and unnecessarily glitzy - I pine to figure out what the airport's GM thinks on his drive to work each morning. Nashville's airport is different. It's being redesigned as well and I just hope it's for the better. BNA is a skelton of what it used to be. American Airlines used to have significant operations here, but after they pulled out, the airport found itself with about 30 more gates than it needed. Much like New Orleans, it's empty, quiet, docile, and annoying. Security lines are long for no reason, there are hardly any food options once inside security, and the highways around BNA aren't easy to navigate.

Best Domestic Airport: Of the airports I visited this year, this is a hotly contested category. Here's my Top 5:
1. Washingon - National
2. Tri-Cities (TN)
3. Denver, CO
4. Ft. Smith, AR
5. Rapid City, SD
Besides Denver, these airports are all small, efficient, and friendly. After growing up in Philadelphia, the idea of breezing through both check-in and security still gets me excited. At TRI, FSM, RAP, & DCA this is a reality of everyday travel. It's also nice to be offered free wi-fi at these airports (at DCA I access free wi-fi at the Delta Crown Room Club) - it's great to be able to do work prior to getting onto the plane.

Favorite Destination of 2007: Chicago. I'd never really spent time there before November 1st. I had to go there for a conference and despite only being there for one day, really enjoyed everything about the city. The airport (ORD) isn't too fun - but it's an easy cab ride to downtown - and once I was checked into the Westin Michigan Ave, I felt very much at home. Great restaurants, shopping, nightlife, and living opportunities were all close by - hopefully, I'll get the chance to spend more time there and learn more about the Second City.

One last thing - the picture at the top of this column is from Salt Lake City. Taken on my return trip to Washington this past week, it made me really want to hit the slopes....ideally, in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

2007 Travel Year in Review

2007-12-17T14:07:00.001-05:00

I wanted to put together a year in review column to document the highs and lows of the past year I've had on the road. Below is the first installment:

Favorite Airline: Delta Airlines - began flying them for the first time this year and have never had a bad experience with them. I was sitting next to a Delta frequent flyer on a flight from CVG-ORD a couple months ago and he characterized the airline in the following way. "With United, Continental, and almost all other domestic airlines", he said, "you have lots of good experiences and lots of bad experiences. But with Delta you just have a continuation of average experiences without all of the drama of the bad ones. It's this consistantcy that I value." Well put.

Favorite Hotel: Westin Memphis Beale Street - Been at this property three times over the course of the year and always love it. It's a brand new property so all of the rooms are fresh and clean. I usually get upgraded there to large suites which is always a plus. I was at the Daily Grill last week and a server stopped by and we began talking about a conversation we'd had the last time I was there a couple weeks before - it was nice being recognized. The one thing that threw me off was their in-room food offerings. On the tv stand is a mini-bar along with a small little container of goodies. If you're like me and like to see what your options are, you may pick up, say, the canister of cashews to see what exactly is inside. Well, even the act of picking up the food out of its resting spot results in your bill automatically being charged. A very sneaky practice.

What's New?

2007-12-05T21:46:00.000-05:00

There's something different about walking off a plane in Memphis. It's the smell.

No other airport I've been to comes close to comparing to what faces the millions of passengers that transit through Memphis. It hits you as soon as you leave the plane, the smell of barbeque. It's shocking just how strong the smell is, but it's quite possibly the best welcoming a weary passenger can receive after being on a plane.

The Memphis airport is filled with BBQ shops. Most notably are Corky's and Interstate BBQ. Everytime I'm there, I go to at least one of them. Earlier this week, I stopped by Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ - had a glorious meal of pulled pork and baked beans. Despite not really loving Memphis, it's always nice to get off a plane there because I know a great meal is just yards away.

I've also been surrounded by obnoxious drunk people this week. On my flight from Memphis to New Orleans a 40 year old woman locked herself in the bathroom during taxi - which resulted in us stopping while the flight attendants and her male companion tried to coax her out of the bathroom. It was actually pretty funny - and I had a nice laugh while sipping a gin and tonic up front! Next was my flight from New Orleans to Chicago. In the boarding area, 5 guys showed up completely intoxicated - to the point that they were stumbling around the terminal, yelling and carrying newly purchased Corona's with them. I was almost positive they'd be kicked off the flight or not allowed to board at all - but I failed to remember that I was in New Orleans, and this stuff happens all the time. As people were boarding the plane, about half of them complained to the flight attendant about them - and warned them that, "the drunk college guys are about to get on board!". Oh well, they weren't booted off, and we took off ahead of schedule.

I had the fortune of flying through O'Hare during a snowstorm. Always fun. I sat a terminal bar, having a glass of beer - staring out the window at the deepening snow and thought that my night may just end here, in Chicago. We had 3 gate changes, 3 hours worth of delays, and about 3 inches of snow on the runway during takeoff - all of which contributed to a FUN night at O'Hare. In retrospect, I wish I had just stayed at my cozy terminal bar and enjoyed a couple more Goose Island beers. I'll know better next time.

I'm heading back to Washington tomorrow - a short flight from Knoxville, TN to Washington Dulles. Next week, I'm going to Arkansas - A FULL WEEK THERE. Hitting up the cities of Paragould, Harrison, Ft. Smith (possibly) and of course, Little Rock.

Remember, all those that wander aren't necessarily lost.

Comfortably Numb

2007-11-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

I had never listened to Pink Floyd before I met my friend Bob.

While in college, I had the privledge of meeting him. He and I coincidentally grew up together but hadn't seen each other in 13 years - the next thing we knew we lived a couple doors down from one another on the same freshman hallway.

Bob had the unfortune of going to an awful high school - a rival of mine. Luckily, Bob worked hard in high school and was able to escape the abysmal conditions he grew up in. I'm convinced these tough years shaped Bob into the person I grew to know.

Bob knew far more about Pink Floyd than anyone I'd met before or since. We'd sit in one of our rooms, listen to Roger & Syd's lyrics and talk about "what it all meant". If you're familiar with Pink Floyd, you probably know these discussions can last hours - or months actually. I was always happy when Bob and I had these conversations because I wouldn't just learn about the imagery of the poetry of the lyrics, but I'd (as sheepish as it sounds - you like that imagery Bob?) learn something about myself.

Common misconceptions abound about this band. These guys were writing music about what was happening to ordinary people; oppression in Great Britain, capitalistic abuses, the advancement of industry, drug abuse, & the plight of humanity were common themes in their music - ideas that 18 year olds in rural Ohio found ways to relate to and understand. These discussions were, in all seriousness, a very important part of my personal development.

One of my favorite Pink Floyd quotes comes from their "The Wall" CD (not one of my favorites):

"There is no pain you are receding A distant ship, smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves. Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying. When I was a child I had a fever My hands felt just like two balloons. Now I've got that feeling once again I can't explain you would not understand This is not how I am. I have become comfortably numb." - from Comfortably Numb

It was quotes like these that separated Roger Waters/Syd Barrett from the other frontmen of their day. There's no doubt, that bands like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, & The Grateful Dead all produced profound music - but in my opinion, none of their music reached the high desert plain that Pink Floyd was able to reach. Much of their music was hard at first to digest. But with Bob in the room - forcing me to "listen closer" - I began to understand the genius of the band.

I was on a train from Washington D.C. to Metropark, NJ two days ago, listening to "Comfortably Numb" (the live version) and began to realize that genius and creativity that was a part of Pink Floyd is much harder to find these days.

Realizing that doesn't make me sad - it makes me appreciate all that Pink Floyd has done even more. And remember:

"When the fat old sun in the sky is falling
Summer evenin' birds are calling
Summer's thunder time of year
The sound of music in my ears
Distant bells, new mown grass
Smells so sweet
By the river holding hands
Roll me up and lay me down
And if you sit don't make a sound
Pick your feet up off the ground
And if you hear as the warm night falls
The silver sound from a time so strange
Sing to me, sing to me
When that fat old sun in the sky is falling"
- Fat Old Sun

Chevy Impala's and Aerosmith

2007-11-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

I've been in Tennessee a couple times, and every time I've been there I've rented a Chevy Impala and heard Aerosmith on the radio. I like both the Impala (the car, not the agile mammal) and Aerosmith....but it's crazy how often Aerosmith was played over the radio in my Impala!

I haven't heard "Walk that Way" on the radio since, well, I don't think I've EVER heard it on the radio before. Western Tennesse LOVES "Walk that Way". Furthermore, radio stations in Nashville leave a lot to be desired. I don't consider myself a fan of country music, so maybe Nashville and I just aren't meant for one another. But seriously! How many country radio stations can a city of 607,413 have?

Let's put that in contrast to New Orleans. Landed around 9pm and hoped into my Dodge Charger and headed into town. Not sure if I had satellite radio in the car or not, but the channel that was already on played 6 straight Grateful Dead songs! How perfect was this?!??!? I had just left a city that played nothing but country music and had arrived in a city that directly appealed to my bizarre taste of music. The playlist I heard was "grate" too; "Touch of Grey", "Box of Rain", "Samson & Deliah", "Sunshine Daydream", "Sugar Magnolia" & "Attics in my Life".

Perfect start to my trip to New Orleans.

Chicago O'Hare International Airport

2007-11-12T23:03:00.000-05:00

Let me offer up some advice. Avoid O'Hare at all cost. I just flew through it, had a 90 minute layover and really didn't like it. It wasn't my first time there, and certainly won't be my last - but I'm determined to find a place somewhere within that monstrosity where I can find some peace and quiet to relax.

The crush of humanity that wanders through the corridors of O'Hare is equally perplexing. Every type of person is found there...so I ask you, where do people like me go? Do they opt for aviation museum? Or, perhaps they get on the next train to downtown Chicago for some food in between flights? Maybe, I need to check out the airport clubs next time. Instead of fighting for a table at the Fox Sports Sky Box (and being asked to move three times in 10 minutes so more people can be sat) I could take a shower at the Red Carpet Club, enjoy a gin and tonic and get some work done.

I think I've got a plan in place now - but please, if you have the pleasure of visiting Chicago in the future, go to Midway....if ORD is printed ANYWHERE near your ticket, bring some ear plugs, blinders, and enough bravado to fight for that table.

O-H-I-O

2007-11-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

Even the trees in Columbus were red last weekend. I headed back to central Ohio for two reasons. First, was because the Ohio State Buckeyes were playing a big game against the Wisconsin Badgers & secondly, to see a good friend (Karthik) and a sworn fantasy sports enemy (Vafa). After being picked up the three of us got food and made the proactive decision to have a quiet Friday night so we could have more fun on Saturday.

Saturday started early and we did what all college football fans do on Saturday morning - immediately turned on College Gameday. We got a cab and headed towards the Horseshoe for some tailgaiting. A sea of red greeted us as we neared the stadium - as both OSU and Wisconsin fans wore their team red colors - making rivals nearly indistinguishable until you were right next to them.

I made the somewhat poor decision to be the only person (probably in all of Columbus) to wear Michigan colors to the stadium area. I just like blue. We met up with some friends and decided to find a bar to get some food and watch the game.

The game was underwhelming as most OSU games are - and I spent most of the time playing pool with Karthik and Vafa. As the night wore on, the blood alcohol level of the collective city rose to alarming heights (as is expected in Columbus during OSU games). Vafa, Karthik and I went to a couple parties throughout the night and finally ended up at a BW3s for some late night wings.

The next day, I got ready to head to Memphis for work - my first time there. All-in-all, it was a fun trip to Columbus - would have preferred that OSU had lost, but I guess I blew all my luck back in Reno.

Stat of the Day

2007-11-02T14:37:00.001-04:00

Since beginning to travel for work (October 16, 2007) I have been averaging 1,172 miles through the air each day. If this pace continues, I should reach 300,000 miles flown in 2008.

Getting ready to head to my home-away-from-home National Airport for a weekend trip to Columbus. Pictures & stories to follow.

Reno, NV

2007-11-01T19:48:00.000-04:00

After finishing my work in Carson City, I decided to drive to Lake Tahoe and then back to Reno (where I had a room for the night). It was the first time in my life that I drove on a road like US Route 50. It wound its way through the Sierra Nevada Range continually offering amazing vistas and dramatic scenary. There wasn't any traffic either, so the drive was not only beautiful, but also 100% stress free. Everyone should have a similiar experience as I did on this drive.

I eventually reached Incline Village, NV - an upper-class lakeshore community on the northern edge of the Lake. I worked my way through the neighborhoods, past Sierra Nevada College, to the lake itself. Not only was it deadly silent at the Lake, but it was absolutely still...hardly a ripple. Someday I'll have to head back there to get some skiing or camping in - hopefully soon.

I decided to stay at the Reno Hilton which was situated only 7 minutes away from the airport (an ideal location for my early AM departure on Thursday). Of course, I hadn't realized the

Hilton had changed to the Grand Sierra Resort 18 months ago - so here I am, at a totally tacky, glitzy casino in Reno...on Halloween. Perfect. If any place warrants a visit on Halloween, it's the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

I decided to play blackjack. I'd only ever played once or twice before - typically either winning or losing $20 - $30 each time. I withdrew $100 from my bank account and decided that I'd play as long as that $100 was still around. Fast forward 3 hours and 3 Bud Lights later, and I find myself with $850 in my pocket. For whatever reason, I did really well.

All in all, Reno was good. Glad to be back home in Washington though - and getting ready for another long week of travel ahead.

The capital of Nevada is.....wait, is it really Carson City?

2007-10-31T00:24:00.000-04:00

I think my luck began to change the moment I stepped into the miserable Reno-Tahoe Int'l Airport Tuesday night. Got a nice upgrade to a "turbo-charged" Nissan Altima at the Hertz desk - then the first song I heard on the radio while leaving the airport was the Soulja Boy song. Should I just turn around? Was I pushing my luck already?

Weaved my way from Reno to Carson City - a short 30 minute drive down a seemingly endless dark road. In typical fashion out West, I first saw the lights of Carson City from a distance away but soon enough I pulled into the Hampton Inn & Suites. I've been actually blown away by the quality of the Hampton Inn's I've been staying at. Inexpensive and full of amenities that you don't get at Westin's, Sheraton's, or W's. Maybe it'll be easier if I breakdown the costs: room is $149, free internet, free breakfast, access to gym and pool versus last night at a Westin in Denver - $289 for the room, $10.95 for 24 hours of internet, gym access is $10.95 and breakfast isn't provided.

After getting situated in my room, I threw on my jeans and headed out on the town. Passing some antiquated gems like the "Nugget Casino" and the "Frontier Motel" - with their flashing neon lights - gave me a vision of what Las Vegas used to be. I really loved all the neon signs - some really cool stuff, I'll take some pictures tomorrow hopefully.

It took me about 15 minutes to reach the local Applebee's and I dined on a pretty miserable piece of meat and some overcooked vegetables - a dinner that I'm quickly learning is nearly par for the course on the road. Luckily, the drive home was fantastic.

The local radio station played "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent and while stopped at a red light, I turned up the music, rolled down the windows and drove nice and slow back to my hotel. Is this what usually happens when people are on the road? Do other people crank up the radio and cruise through alien towns at night too? I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I head to the Biggest Small Town on Earth - Reno.

The First Fortnight

2007-10-26T23:37:00.000-04:00

Just wrapped up my first two weeks of work, "on the road" - and I've got one story and a number of pictures to share. I was in Lake Charles, LA getting ready for my first visit at a McDonalds not too far from the hospital. A family walked in, right by me. I was situated by the front door, looking out towards the busy street.

One of the two girls runs out and across the street with the other girl not too far behind her.

"WAIT!!! WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE MONEY!!!" screamed the one sister to the one just feet away from me. At this point I was watching the two of them (considering she was screaming about 5 feet away). Well, the one sister that was across the street, turned, and ran back towards the McDonalds.

Between me and the road was a hedge, and this hedge made it impossible for me to see the girl get hit by the grey sedan, going about 30mph. The only way I could tell she'd been hit was that two flip-flops that she'd been wearing went flying up into the air. Not to make this any more dramatic than it was; but it felt like a scene from a movie.

I dropped my coffee and my precious new Oncology Roundtable 2008 Year Ahead document that I'd been intently studying and ran to her in the street. I got there before anyone else did and she lay motionless, with parts of herself covered in her own blood.

Over the next ten minutes or so, I was panicked. Called 911 but realized I had no idea what the address in this alien town was, luckily enough locals were around that we were able to figure it out. The ambulance was there pretty quickly, and by that time the girl was screaming - in apparent shock. She hit her mother at least once, and wasn't letting anyone get close to her. I suppose in retrospect, her hysterical nature was a good sign that she'd be fine.

My trip to Lake Charles came during my first solo trip for work - I'm attaching a picture I took on Thursday morning from my hotel in Denver.

First Post

2007-10-26T10:07:00.001-04:00

This space will be used to tell stories from my travels. A little background is where I guess I'll begin.

I began a new job in Washington, DC in July in health care. A large portion of my time is spent visiting hospitals nationwide to better understand their short- and long-term priorities and assist them as appropriate.

After leaving college 13 of my friends began a regular email dis-list to keep everyone aware of what new things have happened to one another, and apparently, according to NYC artist Anders Johnson and Philadelphia online-marketer extraordinaire Nick Fedor - my endless emails are driving them crazy. Nick suggested started a blog, and 30 minutes later, here we are.

This blog is very raw at this juncture, but should continue to grow and change overtime. In addition to filling in my friends and colleagues about my travels, I also intend on using this space to complain. Traveling all week can become very annoying - do you realize how many novice travelers I have to deal with on a day-to-day basis? Let's just say, I've waited in security lines longer this month than I've spent at my apartment.

At any rate, I hope someone finds this page enjoyable to read.