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