My Travels

On my way back to LA, I stopped by to visit a friend who lives in the city. He recently moved into the downtown area in the "gentrified" area near SLU (St. Louis University). Kinda sketchy at times but the loft space was coo. The high ceilings help give the place some light.... My friend seems to have matured in his selection of furnishings. I remembered when he lived with only two pieces of furniture in LA. A cool art effect on the wall.... The bathroom is the size of a bedroom...yikes!!! Washer/Dryer, shower, loo, why ever leave? In any case, nice enough city but I still have an affinity for Kansas City or Madison, WI.

Never been here and haven't gotten to the city yet. Seems like a nice enough town though. Am in a Hilton Garden Inn and it is your typical room. I've forgotten how easy it is to stay at an HGI - microwave, internet access, mini-fridge. The TV is pretty nice though, a flat screen widescreen tube TV. Suprisingly, it is raining this week. Ain't used to rain in June, must be a midwest thing....

I have to say, I'm not a huge fan of Philly. Seems like a nice enough city but nothing memorable. Stayed at the Sheraton Society Hill and the place definitely shows its age. Ate at two places that was very enjoyable, Soho Pizza and Amici. Both are on Market Street between 2nd and 3rd streets. Soho Pizza is NY style pizza and I love the garlic flavor on the crust. Amici is an Italian restaurant, had the Satchetti Rose. They also great garlic knots and regular bread. Had the Riesling, wouldn't recommend. Spent some time in the Reading Terminal Market. On a friend's recommendation, had a roast pork sandwich from DeNic's. Had the last sandwich of the day before they closed. Pretty good and different from the cheesesteaks.

Ok, this isn't about going anywhere but about a game I find vastly amusing. www.tangerinepanic.com. Avoid the orange balls.... Anyways, will be heading out to Philly end of this week. Gonna catch up with my friend who'll be getting married in October. Yikes!!! Also, some of my old old colleagues when I worked at USC will be in town for a conference. Maybe I'll hit them up.

I'm in Tucson this week. Hot and dry...typical Arizona heat. Not much to the city, suprise surprise. The only bright spot is that the conference meals have been of good quality. Gorgeous resort but I have opted to stay at an Embassy Suites nearby. Typical setup, although I found the brick walls interesting. I always crack up when the bathroom vanity is outside the bathroom....