My Story in Lists|Places I've Been|Ann Arbor Michigan

It's not a place that has been on my list of places to visit. From what I can tell, it's never made Trip.Advsiors or any top 10 list that I'm aware of. If it had not been that we opened an office in Ann Arbor, I would have missed the opportunity to visit the lovely little college town.

Our office was located off State Street, smack dab in the middle of the quaint downtown.  It was an easy walk from the hotel I was staying at, called the Campus Inn. The president of our company who is quite familiar with Ann Arbor, after all, he owns a house bordering on a mansion there, recommended that I stay there. Although there were likely cheaper options since that's where Ron recommended and I wouldn't need a rental car as it was walking distance to the office, I decided to heed his advice and book a room.

I arrived on a Sunday night and was scheduled to leave on Thursday or Friday of the same week. I was a bit apprehensive about the trip for several reasons. It was after my trip to Doheny Beach. I was feeling much better having changing the chemo treatment regime, I was still feeling the side effects. Dealing with anemia was the most bothersome as it left me extremely short of breath and tired.

Room Service the First Night I Arrived Hit the SPOT!!

Good or bad, my way to deal with it was ignore my concerns or pray about it leaving all the dirty work in God's hand and hope for the best. Not the best thing in the world, but it's important for me to keep on moving. It's better than doing nothing and waiting for things to change on their own.

Followed by Breakfast at the Coffee Shop the Next Morning Made Me feel like a Queen!

Tim offered to pick me up from the hotel my first morning in Ann Arbor. I wasn't going to be foolish enough to turn down the offer. Tim was staying at a hotel on the outskirts of town. He stopped by the Campus Inn the first evening  each of us arrived. He shared with me his experience with some other NWP folks that he drove around the quaint town of Ann Arbor and how they were late the first morning he picked them up. Note to self, be ready on time!!

I was downstairs, waiting in the lobby at our agreed upon prescribed meeting time. It was a quick 5 minute drive from The Campus Inn to the office parking lot. After an escalator ride to the street or basement level of the building, one could go straight to the office or turn to the left to the nearby Starbucks...score another one for Debbi and her handy-dandy trusty Starbucks App.

My Home Away from Home

As we walked from Starbucks to the office, we ran into a little alcove filled with artwork that employs, spray paint as the main art medium.

Spray Paint is a Form of Art Media

 
The old, boring, staid Debbi would have walked by with my nose up in the air appalled at how the walls were defaced. The newer, more savvy with it Debbie found it beautiful and fascinating.

I do notice things...don't I?

The other concern I had was in regard to my hotel reservations. Once, again, I waited too long to book the hotel and there was no room at the inn on the last night of my stay. I had a few choices, book another hotel for the entire stay, book two hotels, one at the Campus Inn for the nights available and then one elsewhere for the last night, book one room for the nights available at the Campus Inn and try to get a room for the last night while I was there. After all, whose going to turn away a friendly face like mine?!?

Passing Thru the Other Side of Town

Let's just say, I didn't get lucky and ended up having to change hotels on the last night I was there. This entailed a long, long walk from the office to the car rental office. While the route displayed on Google maps turned out to be on the money, the travel time was significantly off. The anemia I had didn't help. By the time I arrived at the car rental office, I was wiped out. On the plus side, the jaunt to the rental office took me to a different side of town where I passed fire hydrants prettied up with spray paint and upscale stores and restaurants. How I wished I had more time to spare.

Fire Hydrants prettied up with Spray Paint as the Art Medium

Classic Building Seen Around the Streets of Ann Arbor...Oh, So, Lovely

My final concern was in regard to the transportation to/from the airport and Ann Arbor. It's not a hop-skip-jump between the two. The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel was almost $70.00. Thankfully, I took the taxi-driver's business card when he dropped me off at the hotel. He took the time then to ask how I was getting back to the airport, handing me his card, he offered to drive me back to the airport if I needed. I had hoped one of my co-workers would be able to give me a ride, but no such luck. Turns out the taxi-driver was true to his word. He not only answered the call the first time I dialed his number, but he showed up at the appointed time.
 

Watching an Early Morning Delivery

All of this boring detail to say how much I loved Ann Arbor. As I mentioned before, it's definitely a college town, but with a good mixture of young and old. I was surprised at the number of older residents, but taking into account the number of instructors, professors and business owners, it makes sense that there would be a good size population of older folks. It felt good not to feel over the hill at a town that caters to college aged populations.

All the parked bikes are indicative of a college town

Tim, a co-worker who works remotely from Denver was also in Ann Arbor at the same time as me. He was kind enough to pick me up and drop me off at the Campus Inn the first night I was there. After that I was able to walk the blocks between the Campus Inn and the office.

Empty fields located across the street from the car rental office

Upon leaving the office building off State Street, one had a choice to turn right or left. Left took me back to the hotel. Right took me to shops and restaurants and the school campus. I felt well enough to take the right turn for several nights in a row. The crisp, cool air combined with swirling orange, yellow leaves that drifted slowly, ever slowly to the damp ground made me wish I could stay there forever soaking in the ambiance, drinking in the feeling of fall that I miss so much in California.

Turning right off State Street from the Office takes one through dorms and other University of Michigan buildings

 There was a friendly coffee shop that served up tasty mochas, yummy sandwiches and delicious scoops of ice cream that I frequented. There was also the standard fare of Chipotle, Panera Bread and Billy Bob's sandwich shop.

There was also the obligatory school store containing piles and piles of school spirited paraphernalia for University of Michigan afficionados. I went into the store several times intending on buying a logod shirt, sweatshirt or other random item, but I couldn't bring myself to spend the amount of money they wanted me to spend so I came back empty-handed each time.

University of Michigan Showing Their School Spirit

All in all, considering the condition of my health and body when I traveled to Ann Arbor, the trip was a success. I would love to go back again, with someone else or in better order than I was. I was happy that I managed to keep the stress as low as I did. As a goodbye, while we were driving away from the campus, the fall foliage whirled above the ground in a lovely partnership with the wind. Mesmerized by the movement, I almost missed a chance at taking a picture of the dance. At the last minute, I managed to capture a shot of it.

Signs of Fall Slipping into Winter

 

 It wasn't quite the shot I envisioned or hoped for, but it was better than nothing at all.

My Story in Lists|Places I've Been|Vicksburg MS

 Welcome Sign as you cross the MS River from Louisiana to Mississippi

My first visit to Vicksburg, Mississippi was in late November 2007 in preparation for my brother Victor's wedding to his lovely bride, Sharonda Bristow. When they selected December first as their wedding date, if there was any doubt prior (and there wasn't) that this was a match that would last, it was completely erased.

For non-college football aficionados, in 2007, December First was the same day as the UCLA vs USC game. GASP! I know! Since Vic graduated from UCLA with a BS and then from USC with a Masters and PhD, this was a big sacrifice for him. If you met Sharonda, you would know it was an easy decision.

Vicksburg is rich in US History. It sits high on the bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi River which meant it was a stronghold for the Confederate army. The Union fought hard to take the city as both armies knew that ultimately the victor of this city would control the river and likely win the war.

On the 4th of July, 1863, the Union Army overtook Vicksburg. To this date, legend has it that there are many in the South who refuse to celebrate the 4th of July, our nation's birthday.  For one of the grooms' events for my brother's wedding, the groomsmen made arrangements to take a tour of one of the national military parks. While the men did this, the women enjoyed brunch at Kim's house. Kim is a close friend of Shar's.  After the brunch Eliz, Angela, Brie and I went to historic Vicksburg for a little sightseeing excursion.

From the moment we pulled off the interstate on the final exist to Victor's place, I was enthralled with Vicksburg. Off Vic's exit was my first encounter with a fast food chain called Sonic. Reminiscent of a brightly colored A&W, Sonic has a welcoming decor of bright yellow framed menus where cars could pull up into spaces, place their orders and a carhop on roller skates that brings your order to your car and take your cash.

The best part of the whole thing? Yummiliscious creamsicle drinks which are like a frothy, icy 50/50 that come in a myriad of flavors. I knew the moment I saw the place that we were going to have to stop and get something while we were there.

Eat in the comfort of your car without worrying about getting in an accident as you down a creamsicle

As we continued up the street, we were greeted with a rich red brick overhead crossing that screamed, photo op. I swooned as we whizzed by in our haste to end our travel for the day. The next day was a whirlwind of activity which included running errands for the soon to be newlyweds, a quick introduction to the city of Vicksburg and preparing the house for the BBQ that was to be enjoyed later that night for all the out of town guests.

Shar did a wonderful job of squeezing in the sights of Vicksburg and giving us the rundown of the history that makes Vicksburg so special. Parallel to the Mississippi River is the old town filled with quaint stores, including the Coca Cola Bottle Co. When we returned to Vicksburg a few years later, the area looked like a ghost town as it was hard hit by the recession. Many of the shops had gone out of business, including a little coffee shop that we enjoyed our first time there.

Heading from the exit off interstate 20 towards historic Vicksburg

Vicksburg Courthouse

It was my intent to return to Vicksburg a short year or two later, but my plans were derailed by my cancer diagnosis. After Mason was born, I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to go again and see my newest nephew. I regret not visiting Victor earlier. I didn't want him to comment years later that I didn't visit at all...and the wedding didn't really count. About a week after Mason made his appearance, Brie, mom and I boarded a plane eastward bound.

The telltale sign that chances are good for an on-time departure...plane is at the game at least 30-minutes before flight time

This time, we rented a car which worked out really well. It allowed us the opportunity to go out and explore the area when Shar and Vic took a nap with Mason. Much to my pleasure, Brie and I got along really well during the trip and she was agreeable to many of my suggestions when it came to exploring, not just Vicksburg, but the surrounding cities.

On one hand, I was disappointed that historic Vicksburg showed the signs of our distressed economy like no other place I had seen to date. Up-to-that point, the clearest signs I had seen were the dirt cheap rates I was able to get at hotels through Priceline. Here most of the shops on the street were boarded up and there were very few pedestrians roaming the streets.

It's not apparent from this photo, but many of the shops we enjoyed during our first visit were out of business as a result of the recession.

On the other hand, we were able to do things we didn't have time to do during our first visit. We went to the Vicksburg National Cemetery Park, drove into Louisiana, ventured to Clinton, MS which at 30 miles away had the closest Starbucks to Vicksburg where we imbibed on a hot drink from Starbucks and spent some time in Jackson, the capital of Mississippi.

Vicksburg National Military Park

While the weather wasn't cooperative this trip, we didn't let the cold wet rain stop us from having fun. Brie humored me by agreeing to drive across the Mississippi River one rainy afternoon. Before heading west to Louisiana, we stopped at the visitor center to get a few shots of the canons overlooking the bluff.

Canon overlooking the Bluffs at the Mighty Mississippi River

Then we continued on, across the bridge which was a huge feat for me, as I get scared crossing water bridges especially when the wind and rain are threatening to pull the car over the edge. We talked and laughed most of the drive as Brie attempted to get shots of signs welcoming us and bidding us goodbye to and from Mississippi and Louisiana.

Welcome to Louisiana Signage upon crossing the Mighty Mississippi River

This also included public safety signs with the shapes of the states incorporated into the message.

Signage which incorporates the shape of the state in the message

In addition to take control of my camera for many of the drive by shots, Brie was willing to go a a few photo shoots with me. Thankfully on the day we chose to go on our photo shoot, the sun finally decided to cooperate and play with us a bit.

Before we knew it, it was time to leave. Mom was going to stay a few extra days so on a cool October morning, Brie and I packed up the car to head back west. Our flights were uneventful. I was tired, but extremely happy at the results of our trip.  Especially since the main focus of our visit was to see this little guy who was precious to our sight.

Suddenly it seemed I was on a roll as my next trip to Vicksburg occurred the following year in celebration of Mason's first birthday. I was able to coordinate the visit with a business trip to our office in Austin. Mom travelled straight from SoCal to Vic and Shar's, while I left a few days before mom to participate in some meetings with our Customer Service team in Austin.

The soon-to-be birthday boy!

Once, again, I rented a car in Mississippi. This time, however, I didn't leave the house very much and it was always in the company of Vic and/or Sharonda. The trip started off on the wrong foot and my first day in Austin was spent in misery at the Omni. I was able to somehow gather enough strength to make it into the office the following two days, but it was obvious to my co-workers that I was uncomfortable and in a fair amount of pain.

Things did not improve while at my brother's house. There was one night in particular where I could barely move from the living room to my appointed bedroom without excruciating pain. Somehow, the next morning, the pain subsided enough that I was hopeful I would be able to return home without the need for a stretcher. I was never so happy to return home from a trip as I was to head back from Vicksburg. I was afraid this was my last trip to Vicksburg, if not my last trip ever.

Flash forward to 2013 and the annual customer service meeting was to be held in Austin, again, and my presence was being requested, again. Even though I was apprehensive about the trip, I looked forward to the opportunity to see my co-workers and possibly squeezing in another visit with Vic and Shar.

This time, it would be just me alone, a luxury that I had not yet enjoyed. This time, too, instead of flying between Austin and Jackson, I would fly into Austin, drive to Vicksburg, stay for a long weekend and then drive from Vicksburg back to Austin. It seemed something doable, after all, Google Maps calculated the drive to be a mere eight hours and that's about the same thing I do when driving up to visit Eliz. Piece of cake, right?

What I wasn't counting on was a horrendous rainstorm during 70% of my drive, turning the eight hour drive to a more than 10 hour escapade. The rain came down so hard at times that it was almost impossible to see out the windshield. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was the Texas and Louisiana drivers who seemed to either have no fear or a death wish as they continued to drive at maximum speed, pushing my heart up into my throat almost the entire trip.

Based on my projected arrival time into Austin and drive time from Austin to Vicksburg, I expected to pull into Vic's street somewhere around 7pm. Since Thrifty decided that one person alone could handle a line of more than a dozen travelers, I was already more than an hour behind schedule by the time the car key turned the ignition. By 10pm, I was just coming into Shreveport LA and after conferring with Vic and Shar, we all agreed it would be best if I found a hotel and called it a night.

It was one of the best decisions I made the entire trip. It gave my jangled nerves the opportunity to unwind. After a good night's rest, I returned to the road and made the rest of the trip in good time. Happily, I felt physically much better than I did the year before so Vic and Shar were able to spoil me by taking me to numerous places that I had never been before.

Getting ready to cross the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Mississippi

This included, a trip to Onward, Mississippi, a teeny, tiny unincorporated community which claimed the birth of the Teddy Bear as it's fame.

Onward, Mississippi, birthplace of the Teddy Bear

A trip to Windsor Ruins which houses a ruined mansion from the 1800's. It's eerily beautiful, somewhat reminiscent of the Titanic on land.

Eerily beautiful, Windsor Ruins stands still to this day

On the way to Windsor is an old church located at Port Gibson which at the top of the steeple has a large golden hand that points upward to the sky. It's a sight to behold.

I was also blessed enough to visit Kim Stribling and participate in Mason's kindermusik class. After Mason's class, Vic and Shar took me to a little restaurant they found that boasted frogs of all things as their motif. The menu was quite extensive but the thing that called my name was a tasty looking brownie sundae.

Initially, I was a bit embarrassed to order the dessert for dinner, but all doubt was erased from my mind when the young man who took our order broke into a giant smile announcing that he was so glad I ordered this because he made it in such a way that it would "rock my world." As I type this, I wish I would have taken his picture because he was true to his word. I also appreciated the pride he obviously took in the things he did. Those are admirable qualities.

The Brownie Sundae that Rocked my World

 

My Story in Lists|Places I've Been|Winnipeg

I give credit on how to incorporate personal travel with business travel to my brother Victor. I wished I would have been that I would have learned this lesson at a much earlier age. I would have taken advantage of more opportunities that I let pass me by and no doubt seen more of the world than I have.

En Route to Winnipeg

I noticed one day on Facebook that Vic would post about a business trip he was taking adding something about a museum or other sight he had taken in or was planning to see. I made a comment on a post about how I admired that he seemed to always seem to include sightseeing with his business trip. Vic responded right away acknowledging that it was something he tried to do whenever he traveled.

Preparing for Landing

Shortly thereafter our exchange of comments, I had an unexpected trip to Winnipeg Canada come up. I was determined to see more of the destination than the hotel and office this time around. It had been a while since I had left the country, but thanks to our trip to Alaska in 2009, my passport was raring and willing to go.

My opportunity to explore Winnipeg was heightened by the fact that I was going to rent a car and be there for almost a whole week. Unfortunately, I was so busy at work the week before, I didn't have time to do any research about the area before I boarded the airplane. Oh, well, that's what the internet was for, right? I wasn't about to let a minor detail such as that to get in the way of my plans.

Power Station Close to the Hotel

I had intended to go out and hit the town my first night upon my arrival, but I was tired out by the time I checked into the hotel. I ended up eating at what they called a restaurant at the hotel and went to bed feeling defeated. Yet in many ways I was even more determined that my next night would not be a repeat of the first. I was determined go out and explore Winnipeg.

The next morning, I headed out to the office, thanking God for my iPhone, Google Maps and even more importantly, my handy-dandy Starbucks app, which according to the Store Locations tab indicated there were not one but three Starbucks stores en route to the office. Within the seven minutes promised, I had parked my car in front of the closest local Starbucks and was placing my order for a grande dark roast and a cinnamon twist. Score one for Debra!

One of Three Starbucks I Visited While in Winnipeg

Generally, my first day at a new office entailed me arriving at least 15-30 minutes before the official start time, working all day long, stopping for a quick sandwich, leaving the office at least 30 minutes to an hour after the official end time, driving straight back to the hotel and eating room service food to while reviewing and responding to a multitude of emails waiting their turn like planes lined up on the tarmac. Not to make myself sound like a goodie goodie, but business trips were all about work, after all, that's why you made the trip in the first place, right?

This trip was going to be different, which meant, there would be a leisurely stop at Starbucks in which I drank my coffee and ate my danish at a table in the store like a civilized person. It also meant I walked into the office just a few minutes before the official start time and left a few minutes before the official end time (yikes! I know!). This was not the Debbi, Deb and/or Debra that my boss and co-workers knew and loved so well.

Driving Thru Downtown Winnipeg

In preparation for the sight-seeing excursions, I had packed my DSLR which I planned to carry with me everywhere as to not miss a single photo op. Imagine my dismay when I made a pit stop at my hotel to look up tourist stops in the area and discovered my camera was MIA. My stomach tied in a jumble of knots as I retraced my steps in a valiant effort to find my camera. Happily, I learned that my camera was securely locked in the supervisor's office of the office I was visiting, having left it on the desk in which I was using. Thankfully, I had my trusty iPhone with a newly downloaded app which promised to take my photos to a new level.

By this time, the sun was beginning to set and temptation to head back to the hotel began to rise. I knew that if I gave in for a second night in a row that I might as well admit defeat. I wasn't ready to do that. Determined, I pushed my foot down on the gas as I passed the hotel, heading to an area in Winnipeg called The Forks.

Heading Towards the Forks

The Forks promised to delight tourists with places to eat and shop. I was not disappointed. There was a building called The Lofts which reminded me of quaint shopping areas located in Seattle and San Francisco. I wandered first down to the river bank, taking in the view, framing shot after shot with my iPhone, using a new app I discovered called Hipstamatic. Not worried what others may be thinking (perhaps that I was looney tunes), I moved from here to there like this would be the last day on earth that pictures would be allowed to be taken.

The Mighty Red River

Ultimately, I ended up across the parking lot and lo and behold found there was an "Old Spaghetti Factory" located in the other side of the Forks. I had already eaten dinner which meant one thing...I was coming back the next evening for dinner. A quick call was also made to Brienne, excitedly telling her my luck at finding out that our favorite restaurant had a location here. How could it be we had no idea one existed in Winnipeg?

The Old Spaghetti Factory

The sun had long since set as I headed back to my car, a happy kick to my step and, as luck would have it, silver charms for our charm bracelets which gave proof to the visit, tucked safely in the zippered pocket of my purse. By the time my card key slipped into the slot, I was exhausted but exhilarated. I didn't open my laptop that night at all. I believe it was the first time ever while on business travel that I didn't go back to my hotel and put in more work at the end of the day. 

Added to my delight was the fact that this was only Monday and I wasn't leaving town until Friday which meant there would be ample opportunity for more exploring the city.

The next day, work couldn't end soon enough. It was the first time I went on a business trip and didn't concentrate 110% or more of my time on the business aspect of the trip. It was as if a monster had been unleashed. On Tuesday, I didn't even stop at the hotel after work. Instead I headed back to The Forks to further check out the areas I missed from the evening before.

The Shops at The Lofts, located at the Forks

Ultimately, my sense of adventure peaked at the Forks and spent not just Tuesday evening, but Wednesday evening, too, roaming the familiar grounds. Each evening I would venture out a bit further, even at one point crossing the suspension bridge that connected one side of the city to the other across the Assiniboine River.  There was one rainy evening, but the rest of the visit was blessed with clear blue, albeit it cool, skies.

Crossing the Assiniboine River

If there was one thing I wish I could change, it would have been that I would have expanded my exploration radius earlier. On the other side of the river was a whole different side of Winnipeg. One with beautiful stone churches, storied cemeteries, quaint shops and restaurants with deliciously intriguing menus.

On the Other Side of the Assiniboine River

By the time I crossed the bridge by foot, my hip was hurting something fierce. I had to turn around earlier than planned so as to get back to my car before I needed to call in the calvary. Despite my best efforts,  I got to my car, the sun had set. There would be no opportunities for pictures of the world that awaited on the other side of the Assiniboine River.

As I drove around the quiet streets of the other side of the Assiniboine River, I pondered my next move. Most of the work I set out to accomplish at the office was complete. I could end the trip a day early, save my company some money or stay until Friday as originally planned. Since the fact finding mission for work was completed, it made more sense for me to return home on Thursday no matter how much I wanted to return for one more sightseeing excursion.

The next morning I checked out of the hotel, went into the office to see if there were any final pieces of information I needed to follow up on and say farewell to the customer service team that so graciously worked with me for the past week. From there I went to another local Starbucks and went online to change my flight from Friday to Thursday.

Goodbye, Winnipeg...as much as I loved your hospitality, there is no place like home.