What a long, strange trip it's been

Finally back in good ol' KC. It' great to be home and see the family again. I just have a few random thoughts to close out this trip:

• Travel (especially business travel) while stressful is a great opportunity for people watching. And I saw some very interesting people during my trip from, celebutantes to redneck race fans. Lindsay Lohan's bodyguard was a really nice guy. Very genial to the wait staff and gawking fans. Even pretty decent to the paparazzi. Of course, it didn't hurt that one of the photographers slipped him a $20 to find out where Lohan and Co. were going next.
  
  
• But the best people-watching experience was seeing Spiderman walk through the lobby of the hotel last week. Seriously, your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. The hell of it was that nobody really acted that surprised. Just another day in Manhattan.
  
  
• Air travel really sucks. I took the Amtrack from Manhattan to Wilmington, DE, then again from DC to Manhattan. Great experience. No waiting, comfortable cabins, lots of room. Why anyone would want to take a plane when a train is available is beyond me.
  
  
• Speaking of Delaware, I was surprised how undeveloped it is. Very rural. Even the beach town we overnighted in seemed to be a decade or two behind the times. I think there's a lot of potential there, especially since there's no sales tax in Delaware. Of course, I was only there for two days, so what do I know.
  
  
• To the two gentlemen dining beside me at Sardi's, sorry again for spilling my water on your shoes. How embarrassing is that.
  
  
• T-Mobile hotspots really suck in Manhattan. I pretty much wasted $20 or $30 on shitty wifi connections.
  
  
• The West Village redeemed the Big Apple in my mind. Previously, my experience had always been in the Times Square area and the blocks around there. Yeah it's urban and all, but too "touristy." I'll definitely have to make a point to visit Greenwich Village again when I go back.
  
  
• How busy does it have to be for a city the size of Manhattan to have no hotel rooms available. When I arrived at the Grand Hyatt on Park Avenue and gave me their reservation number, they said my room wasn't available and the hotel was full. But if I could wait a few hours the could put me in the VIP suite on the 34 floor (rooms 44 and 45). Well, if that's the best they can do I suppose it will have to suffice. (score!)

Sometimes the lights are shining on me. Other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it's been.
tagged: travel, New York, Manhattan, Delaware, Spiderman, Lindsay Lohan, Amtrak, Sardi's