Pirates in Denver

Headed back to Denver, and stayed downtown on the 16th Street Mall for the first time (I am typically out near the Federal Center in West Denver).  Same city, different view, but not much different.

I was in Denver for a short trip to attend the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Conference; an interesting mix of professionals, including mediators, academics and lawyers trying to change their practice to focus on dispute counseling... that means that you never have any idea what "type" of theory and skill will be discussed or promoted.  Still, the conference typically offers several excellent sessions to balance out the tedium.  This year was no exception.  Temple Grandin was a guest speaker; Dr Grandin is an animal scientist at Colorado State University and known for animal behavior research, cattle processing designs.  It made for an interesting dynamic, an animal scientist talking to a room of lawyers!  There were some skeptics before the talk began; what could she offer a room of attorneys.  She noted the uniques disparity right away.  Her talk was funny, poignant, emotional and her delivery was spot on... telling the room that not everyone thinks alike and we as people need to do more to engage those that do not think in words but in pictures.  (Dr Grandin is autistic, and made quite famous outside of the animal science and ranching worlds from the HBO movie last year.)  That session alone made the trip worth it.

Having gone to Denver more times then I can count over the last 7-8 years, there was not much that was new.  The view was fantastic and having downtown choices for food made dinner easy.  BUT, I have been there and done that tons of times before.

French Quarter Fest and Music in the Park

Spent a week in the Big Easy... I love New Orleans this time of year.  The weather is perfect.  Not too hot, festivals abound, but not Spring Break yet so you don't have tons of drunk college students stumbling the streets.  This was my first opportunity to visit NOLA for French Quarter Fest.  Locals had told me that it was a "must," some even saying that it was better than Jazzfest.  I found that hard to believe but it did have one leg up on it... "FREE"!!!

Come late spring early summer, Lafayette Park (in the Central Business District) has a free concert series on Wednesdays, Music in the Park.  I was there for week one, and a free show by New Orleans legend Trombone Shorty.  I have seen him a few times and always enjoyed it immensely, but this show was just amazing.  The park was so crowded you couldn't move and everyone was just grooving to the music.   Shorty commanded the audience, playing jazz standards and some new funk...  and on the stage, you could see Kidd Rock and Lenny Kravitz giving the man his due!  At one point, Trombone Shorty played a Louis Armstrong classic and held a note for well over 2 minutes - the crowd went silent and wild.  It was just fantastic.  And like any great Music in  the Park event, there were a few artists showing their wares.  I visited with the glass artists from UP/Unique Products and the unique silver and stone jewelry of Golden Wagon.

Air travel venting

I have lots to write about (and I will)... for the last two weeks I have been traveling the skies to New Orleans and Denver... attended French Quarter Fest, went to a Trombone Shorty concert in the Park, saw the Pirate exhibit at the Denver Science Museum, and heard a lecture by Temple Grandin ... but what I want to write about now are a few airline annoyances:

• So, if you have a flight at 6am, is it safe to assume that the plane would be ready to go?  It is the first flight of the day; it was on the tarmac.   It thought it would be... Well, according to US Airways, the answer is no.  Just because you take off first thing in the morning, and you get there at 4:30 for the 6am flight - they do not have to start working on the plane until you are supposed to start boarding.   This plane was just going to Philadelphia; it was filled with people catching connections.  And after we waited 1/2 hour extra to be ferreted on a bus to sit on the tarmac for another 1/2 hour+ , we all were well on our way to missing our connection.  Is it too hard to ask that the first plane of the day work?

• This wasn't enough, US Airways had such a significant delay coming home, they had to find me another flight.  They couldn't get me to National Airport, so they sent me to Dulles; double the taxi fare and no compensation ... gotta love that airline.  

• What is up with people's need to recline their seat all way back... especially in first class.  You have so much space.  Tonight, I was stuck behind someone that managed to put their seat so far in my lap that I could not open up the tray table... they even kept their seat down when we hit massive turbulence and the captain instructed everyone to put their seats up.  At one point the steward asked them to put up their seat a little, and my neighbor to the north put it right back down.  The person sitting next to me could barely fit to get out of the row.   Looking around the cabin, almost no one put their seat down, and those that did only reclined it a bit.  This is simple airline etiquette.    You get such a small amount of space.  Planes are so packed, you would think that people would be respectful.  You are not entitled to all the space you want.  We share it in the cabin.  Seriously people, your comfort is not more important than anyone else's.  And no, the answer is not to put  my seat back to make up for it... that just bothers the one behind me.   If you have to put your seat back - only put it back a little... no one should be in someone's lap unless you know them (or you pay for it).

Lots to Plan and Do

A crazy couple of months are ahead... I love to travel, but it can be exhausting.  The packing and unpacking, the time zone switches, the airports, the extra hours at work because of it... it is a love-hate relationship.

I I leave for a week in New Orleans on Sunday... I am excited, because after work, I am flying my mother out and we will "do" French Quarter Fest.  I have been to JazzFest a few times and done Marti Gras in the rain and in good weather, but I have not been to this festival yet.  I am a big fan of New Orleans - lived there for a few months for a work detail and explored more off of the surrounding areas and try to get out whenever I am lucky enough to go.... this trip, I threw my hands up and said enough was enough, my mom  needed to go (she has never visited).  It will be good to be back...  and she will love the art and architecture of the French Quarter,

I then am headed back to Denver the following week.  I will be spending 4 days downtown for the Bar Association Dispute Conference.  I hope for good weather and some evenings with good friends.

When I get back, a good friend and I are day-tripping to Richmond to see the Picasso exhibit at the Virginia Art Museum.  We both have a hectic schedule, and the only week that lined up with the showing and our schedules was after 2 weeks on the road.

In May, I am gearing up for 2 weeks in Alaska.  For the first time I will be headed to Fairbanks.  I am hoping that some tours open a little early since I am getting there the week before the official start of tourist season.  I want to take a weekend and see the Arctic Circle with my own 2 eyes.  When I am in Anchorage, I will catch up with a few friends.

June will likely have me returning to Colorado... and I hope to like that to a new state for the year... Maybe Oklahoma???  I have to go there before the end of the fiscal year for a few days, so I should plan that and time a few days to explore.

And I still not have been home to Jersey for the holidays.  =-(

Good thing I just bought new luggage.

Rough Seas to the Islands

The week after the crazy week that took me from Vegas to Denver, I returned to the Pacific time zone for a week in Ventura County California.  The week took me from the the sun in the lower 70s to snow in Denver, to the 60's (in Denver - gotta love the weather there) to the 40s and rain, now brought me back to warmth and the 70's sun in California.  All LA traffic aside, it is not a bad gig to be sent to southern California.

After a full day of travel and a battle on the 101, I ate a very late lunch at Ventura Harbor, stopped by the National Park Visitor Center to buy postcards and check out island maps, then headed to the beach.  Instead of checking in and hanging out in a hotel room, I sat on the beach, listened to my favorite sound (waves rolling), and read my Kindle.  What a great way to decompress from a long day's travel and relax for a week of training and outreach.

One Day in Vegas

I nicknamed last year my Texas year since I visited the Lone Star State more than ever before.  This year, while only 2 1/2 months in, might turn out to be my Nevada year, or better yet, a Vegas year.  Yes, I have been to Vegas before - a few times over the years - for my 33rd birthday, for a wedding, and to celebrate a divorce.  This year, I have already visited 2x; once for a quick weekend date/spa trip and now for a quick girls' night out.

Ever been to Vegas for 1 day?  Well, I can say yes to that now.  Not sure I recommend the endeavor, but, I definitely had fun, and it was a needed break.

So what does a day in Vegas look like?  Well...

I flew in on Sunday evening/Monday morning - arriving to airport traffic and a hellish taxi line.  Finally making it to my hotel (the Westin) after midnight.  Starving after all that travel, I check in and grabbed a light bite at their restaurant that thankfully had fresh fruit and a grilled chicken sandwich for my late night meal.  While not on the Strip, the Westin is close enough for me and, most importantly, smoke-free!  Plus, the sweet sleeper beds usually mean better sleep than anywhere else.  Just lovely!

A few hours sleep and I had some time to kill before meeting up with my friend for dinner and a show... in Vegas that means shopping.  Of course it is raining in Vegas; it does that maybe 3x a year, so of course when I need to walk around it rains.  Good thing I don't melt and it was warm outside; I can handle some raindrops falling on my head.  I bounced between a few casinos, looking for inspiration for a birthday gift for a friend I was seeing in Denver the next evening.  I was hoping I could find something here and not resort to the mall in Denver.  And in a city where you can find almost anything, I knew I just needed some time.  After visiting the shops at Caesars, the shops of Paris, and the shops of Planet Hollywood, I found what I wanted.  With some more time to spare, I wandered back to the Mirage (home of Terry Fador, whom I saw in January) and visited a boutique that caught my eye.  Glad I did, I found a few things that were too cute.

Headed back to the Westin to head to my friend's hotel... what a step down.  There is no comparison between the Westin and the Rivera; just the smoke smell alone was enough to stop me in my tracks.  I was only staying there for a few hours, but wow!  I will admit, the rooms were nowhere near as bad as the casino floor; the smell was not as bad and they were clean.

Getting Ready for the Next Trip

Headed on for a work trip to Denver on Sunday... well, that is almost true - what I am doing is flying to Denver for work, but taking a quick side trip to Vegas to visit a friend for one day and then going back to Denver.  Yep, you read that right, I am headed to Vegas again and I am going for a WHOLE DAY! 

A girlfriend will be in Vegas for work and asked for me to join in on the fun.  I could not go the whole time, but I was able to squeeze in one day.  Luckily, flights from Denver are cheap enough to justify this insanity.

I know I was just there for a quick weekend in January, but this time is with a different friend.  Scheduling doesn't afford us much time to goof-off together.  And, let's face it, work has not been kind to either of us.

I plan to window shop on Monday - looking at all the expensive things.  I actually like window shopping at super expensive boutiques and galleries; there is no chance I can be temped to buy anything that I see.   I just collect business cards and note what I like.  I can't justify some of those price-tags on a federal salary... but it is still fun. (maybe when I hit the lotto.)  That evening, we have tickets to see the Jabbawockees. Dinner and a show and maybe something else.   It will be a quick girl's trip before I have to get down to seriousness in Denver.

I know I am going to be exhausted (have a 6 am flight from Vegas to Denver).  I will sleep on the plane and hopefully my hotel in Denver will let me check in early to get cleaned up.