Touristy Tuesday: Chicago, Edition (Version 3.0)

(So obviously I’m a little belated on these final Touristy Tuesday blogs from the road, especially given that the job has been done for a month! Oh well. Better late then never!) 

This half of the job Chicago has been an interesting destination to be in with the Wienermobile. The first time was tourist trap overload. I went on my own make-shift Ferris Bueller adventure and our off days were jam-packed with the quintessential Chicago experience. When Eliot and I came back to Chicago in March it was the total opposite. I don’t think I even did a Touristy Tuesday post that week because there wasn’t too much to write.

Well, I guess we didn’t do nothing. We did take the Wienermobile through a Wendy’s drive-thru. Check that off the bucketlist!

And we did decorate the Wienermobile for St. Patty’s day, which was kind of awesome.

Although, it took a ton of work.

Our last stop in Chicago fell somewhere in the middle. This week we did less items that might be featured on a “Top 5 Things to do in Chicago” list, and did Chicago more like a local – mostly from the help of some locals!

On our first off day I headed to the City Winery in the west loop with my friend David. When I found out I would be coming back to Chicago and let David know he suggested we check out this urban winery he had heard about.

He had me at winery, but the urban part made it sound even cooler. For spending the first seven months on the road in the Southwest – wine country – it is probably surprising that I haven’t been to a single winery.

The City Winery ended up being more than just a cool venue. While looking into it David found out about an event series called The Dinner Party, described as a dinner conversation with three national or Chicago celebrities and a well known local chef. “It’s an evening filled with food, wine, chocolate, and various performances.” This probably doesn’t paint the picture I’m going for, so I’ll just put it bluntly – three really cool people plus a portly chef essentially sit up on stage and chat while sharing a meal and just talk about cool stories and the neat things they do. There is an element of engagement as well. It is broadcasted on the local public access TV station and then people watching or members of the audience can tweet in questions for the guests or comments using the hashtag #thedinnerparty.

I was really looking forward to it because it sounded like an event right up my alley. Interesting people and wine! It got even better when David and I walked in the door and I didn’t have time to even take in the extravagant lobby because I spotted a familiar face instantly. Adam Hickey – an old Hotdogger! Adam is a Mizzou grad and Hotdogger, one who I just keep running into. I first ran into him in Chicago the day I found I got the Wienermobile job, then again at a bar in Columbia, and now again in Chicago. We’ve also hung out at the Hotdogger Reunion and in Chicago our first time in town.

Adam was at The Dinner Party with his friend Stephanie, who moonlights as a Chicago food blogger. Since I’m an amateur blogger, talking to her was just as much fun as the Chicago celebrities. You can read her post about the evening, which does far better justice to the event than I could, here. 

The night was absolutely incredible. I felt like I was watching an NPR broadcast, but it was even better since the food was so good and the company was great! At times it even felt like a graduation commencement speech, about seizing opportunities and making the most of your life. Perhaps being almost one year out of college exactly, but I found it motivating and invigorating, perhaps a little determined to one day end up on that stage telling interesting stories myself!

After the cultural experience the night before, the next day at work was a 180 and entirely all-things silly at a Bologna Birthday Party. Birthdays are typically something we don’t do, unless it is on our own time. This was a special exception and once we arrived Eliot and I understood why. HOLY BOLOGNA! As we turned the Wienermobile down this family’s block it was like stepping into a magazine, the decorations were Pinterest-perfect! Oscar Mayer themed everything – from their outfits, to the Bologna sandwich bags they created.

We brought some birthday gifts ourselves – more than 50 packages of the lunch meat, which were stacked high, overshadowing the cake.

Talk about a great day at work. I got a hot dog balloon hat and hung out high fiving little kids all day! The couple is from Iowa, and they had speciality Sterzings potato chips brought in, so Eliot and I snacked our way through those, bologna sandwiches, and of course we had some hot dogs too.

Even though I would barely call that a work day, since we really just hung out and ate a bunch of homemade snacks, the next day Eliot and I had an off day. One thing I had not done on any of our trips into Chicago was go to the beach. Hello Lake Michigan!

Eliot passed on the invitation, so David and I headed out for some sun followed by frozen yogurt. Talk about the perfect off day!

That night Eliot and I drove up to spend the night in Madison. We had an early video shoot the next morning and figured it would be easier just to come the night before. On the trip up we stopped for dinner in Rockford, IL – where I went to high school. We had dinner with Maggie, my oldest friend who has known me since middle school. Since she has known me since the awkward teenage years I was hesitant to introduce her to Eliot. Luckily, she kept most of my embarrassing moments to herself and we had a good time at dinner.

Maggie’s sister, Mari, just had a son and he came along as well. Baby Emmett was adorable. Believe it or not, I had never held an infant until that week. I think it went pretty well, and by that my standards are pretty low and I just mean that I didn’t drop him. He was pretty darn cute though!

The video shoot in Madison was a blast. It was for a meat convention coming to town, so Oscar Mayer partnered with University of Wisconsin and basically we spent the entire day hanging out with Bucky the Badger.

When we got back to Chicago that night I was met by my friend Sean from Mizzou (you know him – we run together) who had come up for a weekend away before finals.

Eliot, his friend Michael, Sean, and I all went out for drinks Friday night at a place called Revolution Bar. It was cool to see more of the Chicago nightlife side, which Eliot and I haven’t gotten too much of this half. The next morning Sean did what we always do when we get together, go for a run!

Saturday night Eliot, Sean and I all headed to Tinley Park, which is a music venue on the South side of Chicago for a Brad Paisley concert. Eliot and I were pretty excited about this, both being big fans. Sean, on the other hand, was not but tagged along anyway. The concert actually featured Lee Brice (who Eliot and I saw in Kansas City) along with a few others. We felt like we got our bang for our buck there. Brad’s actual performance was a little disappointing however. Don’t get me wrong – I loved it and had a blast – but he didn’t play some of our favorites!

It was fun watching these girls run around in short shorts when it was 50 degrees outside! I love growing up and not feeling the need to be super cute all the time, forsaking being adorable for being practical. Remember the days when it was uncool to wear a coat? That just seems so silly looking back!

Saturday was a late night and Sunday was an early morning. With about five hours of sleep, Eliot and I headed downtown for the Race for the Cure in Grant Park.

This was easily the coolest event I’ve been to on the road. We were parked right next to the stage and I can honestly say all I did for four hours was dance. I just spent the day having fun, being silly, and getting absolutely anyone I could to join in. I was glad I had so much fun because otherwise I might have spent time being jealous that I wasn’t out there running with everyone else!

Since it was a race, the work day was done by 11:00. We were already in downtown Chicago, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do a little exploring. When I was in Chicago in January I went to the Art Institute, but a week after my visit they opened an enormous Picasso exhibit.

It just so happened that Sunday was the last day of the exhibit – perfect timing! Eliot drove the Wienermobile back, but I stayed in the city to check out the show. The line was tremendous, everyone trying to get in before it closed, but it was worth it. I am by no means an art connoisseur, but Picasso is so easily enjoyable to me that I had a blast!

After I left the Picasso exhibit I headed back out to Rockford to see someone near and dear to my heart – my middle school and high school yearbook teacher, Mrs. Campbell. She has known me going all the way back to the black hair days, and was a second mom all throughout my tumultuous teenage years. As an amazing role model, Mrs. Campbell has always been someone I have looked up to and I try to see her and her family whenever I can. It came down to the wire, but with only a few weeks left on the Wienermobile I was able to drive it out to her house.

The Campbell’s may claim they got the better end of that bargain, rides in the big dog and having it parked outside their house, but I think I easily won out. I spent the afternoon catching up with the Campbells and eating delicious homemade food! Plus, Mrs. Campbell sent me with a box full of candy which kept me awake on my drive back into Chicago that weekend.

Overall, the week in Chicago was easily one of the highlights of the second half, jam-packed both with seeing friends and doing really cool, interesting and unique things – everything a Touristy Tuesday post deserves!

Touristy Tuesday: The Tale of Seven Cities in Seven Days

During the month of April Eliot and I were moving around. A LOT. This coming from someone who packs and unpacks their suitcase weekly, logs at least 700 miles on the road in a seven day period, and never has a zip code to call home for more than a few days. April was such a crazy month that at one point I was in seven different cities, over seven days. This is that story.

City #1: Denver, Colorado
After our time in Louisville, KY Eliot and I criss-crossed the entire Midwest Region on our drive to Denver, CO. From our farthest East destination to our furthest destination to the West. The trip took two very long days of driving, which were more eventful than our actual two days off in Denver.

After the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon Eliot and I were Westward bound. There was just one highway separating us from Denver, I-70 and about 800 miles of it. Our first drive day was broken up by two fun visits. The first was at my Dad and Step Mom’s house in Kansas City. They live just two miles off of the interstate and every time Eliot and I drive through KC we stop to say hello. Although we couldn’t stay long, it was nice to get some quality time in with my parents. As we pulled the Wienermobile out of their driveway I said to Eliot, “It’s great – my parents are literally on the way to every city we go to in the Midwest!”

Home Sweet Hot Dog Home

Three hours later I called my Dad and he tells me that in the time it took us to drive 180 miles that: a neighbor had told a friend my parents were interested in selling their house, the friends had come by to check it out, and that they wanted to buy it. That means that they’re officially retiring, they’re moving, and they better find the next place to live! (More on that later!) Maybe I jinxed it when I made that comment to Eliot – so much for home being on the way now!

As I let that news sink in Eliot and I made a quick detour in Topeka, Kansas to pay a surprise visit. We had an enthusiastic Wienermobile fan who blew up social media trying to see the 27′ long hot dog and since she was on our drive anyway we figured it would be fun stop and to take her around the block. Kate proved that even big kids can get excited about the Wienermobile, that’s for sure!

By the time we made it to our hotel in Junction City, KS for the night we were wiped out. As we were waiting to check into our hotel rooms I started chatting up some of the other guests, one of whom turned out to be an amateur storm chaser! He was traveling over 1,000 miles in an attempt to catch tornados that were headed to SW Kansas – right where we were driving to the next day.

It turned out he would just be the first storm chaser of many we would see. The next day we saw a number of storm chasing vehicles pass us, with crazy gizmos attached to their cars and stickers proudly proclaiming their boldness.

Because we had been seeing storm chasers pass us the entire drive across Kansas I wasn’t exactly surprised when I saw a minivan pass us with a camera mounted to the top. I was surprised though when I looked in the side mirror to see the next vehicle, which looked like an armored tank approaching.

“Eliot – what the hell is that, a UFO?! Quick! Take a picture!” We knew it had to be some kind of storm chasing vehicle, but didn’t know what and quickly forgot about it.

That is, until I checked my phone later to see this:

While we were taking their picture, they were taking ours! Turns out it was the crew from the actual show Storm Chasers from the Discovery Channel! A celebrity sighting and we didn’t even know it!

Even with the impending storms, Eliot and I wanted to stop at one roadside attraction. I feel bad even calling it that – it isn’t like the World’s Biggest Ball of Yarn or anything. It was the Eisenhower Presidential Library. If you follow this blog regularly you know that I’m REALLY into these Presidential Libraries, and am trying to see them all. I think I’ve gotten Eliot equally excited about them as well at this point.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library is located two miles off of the interstate in Abilene, KS. As we drove down the main drag we noticed signs decorating downtown welcoming marathoners for the Eisenhower Marathon which was the day before. Shucks! Even though I did my own half marathon that weekend I still felt pangs of race envy swell up.

By the time we made it the two miles to the library the whole town of Abilene must have known the Wienermobile was in town, and before we even purchased tickets there was a local newspaper reporter there to interview us!

The library itself was certainly a relic and honestly lacked the grandeur of some of the other libraries, like Nixon’s. It delivered on content though, with some really great timelines and displays of Eisenhower’s military experience. If anything, it was more than worth it to go to the museum because the volunteers told me if you become a member of any library you get into the other ones for free. WHAT?! This was the fifth library I had been to in the last year alone. I should have joined JFK’s from the start. Oh well. I am now a proud member of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. I also get a +1 to any of the libraries, so it looks like I’ll get to drag a friend to Carter’s when I’m down in Georgia.

After two long days on the road we finally pulled into Denver, only to be met with the absolute worst traffic. Worn out from the road and exhausted, I was getting squirmish – something that happens in traffic that both Abe and Eliot can attest to. In an attempt to placate me, Eliot tried to appeal to my two favorite things: running and frozen yogurt. “There are some nice trails around here!” he cheerfully pointed out as we crawled past a park. “I. NOTICED.” I probably growled back, staring at the miles left to our destination on the GPS. “I’ve been looking for some froyo – maybe we’ll pass a place on the way,” he tried to perk me up with next. “I’ve been looking too. There aren’t any. They’re miles away on Yelp. Let’s just get there.” And finally, after what seemed like eternity, we pulled into the hotel just as it started to snow. We made it! (And Eliot was still friends with me by the time we parked, so that was cool too.)

Our days in Denver were substantially less exciting than our drive to Denver. The blizzard had us snowed in and we didn’t do much besides laundry and catch up on work. We decided to save our adventure for the weekend, when we made a trip to see a former Hotdogger, Tracy.

City #2: Boulder, Colorado
Friday night that week Eliot and I drove out to Boulder, where Tracy – a Hotdogger from last year – lives. We went out for Thai food with her and her boyfriend Sam in downtown. Eliot and I had won the Perfect Month Challenge at work and had $60 to spend on dinner. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to use it and figured it would be nice to treat Tracy and Sam to dinner since they would graciously be putting us up on their couch and air mattress for the night.

After dinner we headed to the Pearl Street pedestrian mall to a basement bar called the Sundown Salloon, where we met some of Tracy’s new coworkers, played some darts, and had a great time all around. It was fun to talk to Tracy now, when I was about 10 months into the job, and compare notes from when I talked to her in September, when I was just four months in.

The next morning I crawled out of bed, slightly dehydrated and slightly hungover – so basically in the best condition for a long run! I did 10 miles on the Boulder Creek Trail, enjoying the beautiful view of the mountains.

City #3: Estes Park, Colorado
After our night in Boulder on Friday, Eliot and I returned to Denver on Saturday to work during the day. After we handed out that last whistle I didn’t stick around too long, and instead headed up into the mountains of Estes Park, to see my aunt and grandma. I was exhausted and honestly slept most of the drive into town, but it was fun to get to have dinner and (surprise surprise) frozen yogurt with them.

In the morning we had breakfast in quaint little place in downtown Estes. There had been more snow and there were plenty of elk out to be seen on our way. That’s one thing I love about Estes – the wildlife might as well be town residents!

It was great to spend some quality time, however brief, with family. That was been one big advantage of the Midwest – I’m always seeing friends or relatives!

City #4: Lexington, Nebraska
Sunday it was back to Denver for one more day of work. Typically we have dedicated drive days, where we just wake up and drive, but this day we actually had to log a few hours that night. Because of some last minute schedule changes Eliot and I just had a day and a half to make it to Chicago.

This drive was substantially less exciting and marked mostly by bursts of song when the Pandora station came up with a karaoke-friendly selection.

City #5: Chicago, Illinois
Monday we woke up and drove. And drove some more. And some more. Or rather, Eliot drove. This was Monday, April 15th – the day of the Boston Marathon bombings. It was a rough day for me and Eliot was a champ, tackling most of the miles. If I-70 was our best friend on the way out to Denver, I-80 was our best friend on the way back.

In Chicago we were doing a video shoot for Kraft, Oscar Mayer’s parent company. We didn’t have to do too much, other than being our usual corndog selves, but we did get the opportunity to meet the CEO of Kraft. Now that was a cool day! Not many people can say they’ve done that!

City #6: Madison, Wisconsin
Promptly after the final “cut” was shouted from the video crew, Eliot and I hauled buns out of town. We continued to rack up the miles for the week with a drive to Madison. Eliot is a University of Wisconsin grad and was very active in WASB – the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board. WASB puts on a series of programs called “Dinners on Wisconsin” where UW grads buy dinner for current students and talk about what they do.

Eliot and a Hotdogger from last year, Tyler, put together a program for the Wienermobile and we stopped in Madison to have dinner at the Roman Candle, a pizza place, with about 7 current badgers. Not only was the pizza to die for, but the company was great! Since we are both so passionate about the job, it was fun to share that with other interested students. You can’t help but hope they get equally excited!

While Eliot and Tyler picked up the students in the Wienermobile I waited at the restaurant to hold the tables. While I was reading a book filled with Pizza Poems, I glanced up to see a familiar face.

I wasn’t kidding. Pizza Poems are a real thing.

In walked Louise (–SPELLING–), a girl I went to high school with. Even though we didn’t really know each other too well I had to say hello! Talk about a small world!

City #7: Oshkosh, Wisconsin aka OshVegas
While my parents live (or rather, lived) on the way to pretty much every city Eliot and I have visited in the Midwest, Eliot’s parents most certainly do not. He is from Oshkosh, WI which is pretty far North, near the Greenbay area. Luckily, Oshkosh showed up on our schedule and Eliot got to bring the Wienermobile home.

Oshkosh was our last city of the seven in seven days. Although we had two days off in town, it didn’t quite feel like it. Our first day off we had to drive from Madison to Oshkosh. Eliot’s family greeted us with a home-cooked meal, which hit the spot after the drive-thru diet that week. The next day the entire city of Oshkosh came over to Eliot’s house to see the Wienermobile. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, believe it or not. They did have a lot of friends over though, which was fun to meet every person who has ever met Eliot ever.

To prepare for that event Eliot’s mom, Carol, and I created a Wienermobile centerpiece – a rice crispy masterpiece.

The Wienermobile is made out of rice crispies, licorice, thin mint tires, and some marshmallow headlights. In case you’re wondering, it was just as much fun to eat as it was to make!

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Seven days later, we had covered quite a bit of ground. Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. It was a long stretch, but worth it because of all the diverse experiences we had along the way – from friends and family, to future Hotdoggers and the CEO of Kraft!

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To finish up our travels in April, I’m just going to mention a few of our other stops along the way.

Once we made it out of Oshkosh, we headed to Milwaukee. We might as well have been in Eliot’s hometown still. He has more than 30 first cousins, so we continued to meet people left and right at work.

I was headed back to Kansas City on our off days that week to see my folks. Why would I fly back to KC after just seeing them just a few weeks prior? Well remember how I mentioned they decided to up and sell their house? Just as rapidly as they made that decision, they had to move out! By the time I would be back in KC in May, they would have to be out of the house. Luckily I had packed most of my belongings before I left to drive the Wienermobile, so I didn’t have too much work to do.

Once I packed up my few remaining boxes we went on a road trip to check out their new house, down at the Lake of the Ozarks. Let me first admit I was pretty leery at first. It is in the middle of nowhere. I don’t mean it’s kind of isolated. I mean, literally the middle of nowhere. As in 22 miles to the nearest grocery store. As in no cell phone service and dial up internet. Why would they want to move out to Edwards, MO!?

Then I saw the view. HOLY. MOLY. You are greeted by floor-to-ceiling windows when you walk into the house, which overlook the lake and beautiful foliage. The house is spectacular and they have a ton of land to garden on. Since my parents don’t mind the whole living-in-the-boonies thing, this is perfect for them! I left KC very happy for them to start their new adventure, and slightly bitter that they wouldn’t be just two miles off the interstate any more for me to visit them.

After seeing my parents, I then got to see my sister in Milwaukee. She drove in from Madison one night and we did a little bit of bridal gown shopping and a little bit of celebrating for her birthday. In one month I got to see my aunt, grandma, dad, step mom, and sister. With the exception of my mom, who lives in Europe, that’s pretty much everyone! (A big shift from the SW region where I never saw anyone I knew!)

She didn’t get this dress so I’m allowed to post this picture, right?

We ended our time in Wisconsin the right way. First by working this event called Stein and Dine, which is a beer, sausage, and cheese sampling event in Milwaukee. Naturally I had to get my picture taken with the Brewer’s Racing Sausages after work.

Our final stop was at the Cheese Castle, right before the Illinois border.

After copious amounts of cheese sampling, I felt it was only fitting to get a good cheese head photo to mark the occasion.

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And that was pretty much all of April. I know I crammed it into one Touristy Tuesday post, but it seemed to move so fast that you could barely distinguish one week from the next. April, probably more so than any other month on the road yet, was when I felt the most like a road-warrior. I’m glad I had friends and family to see along the way, because that helped make it as enjoyable as it was. Packing and unpacking was almost fun, knowing we would get to see familiar faces at the each new destination!

Touristy Tuesday: Madison, WI Edition

Touristy Tuesday takes a big leap across the country this week to Madison, Wisconsin. After three months on the road, it was time for Abe and I to head back to the Hot Dog Headquarters!

Our flight out of LAX was an early one. We were in a hotel nearby, but the time we saved driving to the airport was lost when I had to engage in the Art of Repacking to get my bag down from 68lbs to under 50lbs. (Oops!) Luckily, Abe packs light and is able to fly overweight bags for free (thanks again military ID!) and so I loaded him up with shampoos, makeup, and hair accessories galore.

He got me back for that hassle though with some pretty embarrassing photos from the flight. In my defense, it was a very early morning! Just one more to add to his “Sleeping Beauty” album of pictures of me catching ZZZs across America!

Our first night in Madison we headed over to RK’s Burger Lounge, which was actually one of our bosses’ apartment. She’s in her 20’s and yet has managed to create an absolutely “Pinterest Perfect” home! If my house could look a third as cute as her’s did, I’d be happy.

After dinner we played the Newlywed’s Game, but with our Hotdogger partners. The girls of the Midwest team blew everyone out of the ballpark, with 18/20 questions right about each other. I mean, they knew everything down to each other’s favorite type of jeans! (I still claim they had an unfair advantage on some of those – only girl partners would know that about each other!) It came down to Abe and I in the SW and the NW team, tying for second. It was pretty impressive, when asked Abe’s favorite breakfast cereal, we both put “Eggs” down for the answer! I mean, that’s when you REALLY know your partner!

Enough trips to IHOP and the continental breakfast and you just know each other’s egg orders by heart! OM, hashbrowns, and sausage for Abe!

Tuesday was our big day in the office. After a summer wearing khakis, a polo, and tennis shoes, it was hard for me to remember what exactly “business casual” was. It didn’t help that I kind of forgot the weather wasn’t perfect everywhere in the world. I still had my suitcase packed (68lbs and all) with California clothes, which don’t exactly work when it is in the low 60’s in Wisconsin!

We did some recap discussions, about the summer on the road, and it was fun comparing notes with all the different teams about their experiences on the hot dog highways. Then after lunch in the OM cafeteria (no, we don’t live on an all hot dog diet, even back at corporate) we saw the magic of making hot dogs first hand.

We toured the plant, which was producing bun-length hot dogs and square sliced ham and cheese cold cuts. To be honest, I wasn’t fazed in the slightest – food has to be made somehow!

Once we finished the tour we had some serious business to take care of – the Marketing Challenge presentations. Yep, after walking through lunch meats being made which is not exactly a glamorous process, we would then have to present marketing promotion concepts to both of our bosses and three brand managers! There’s nothing like that to get your confidence up!

For the Marketing Challenge each team comes up with a summer promotion concept, which is judged on creativity, feasibility, and newsworthiness. The best part – the winner receives an extra day off, tacked on to one of our vacations! Because the prize was so awesome each of the teams was very hush-hush with what they had planned, so the grand reveals were very fun.

The judges all independently rate the presentations and the tallies were done right on the spot. Drum roll please…….

The Southwest Team won! Whoo!

As if the day off wasn’t prize enough, I also left the office with another present – my new Mizunos!

I had them shipped there and decided to just wait until I could pick them up, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting their arrival for weeks now! I upgraded to the latest model – I’m not sure if it was the allure of even better support or the fact that they screamed badass by being bright pink and green. We all know how much I love those watermelon shoes!

After work, we headed out for another delicious meal. That’s the blessing and curse of coming back to Madison – just like Hot Dog High – it’s always a feast! But hey, it beats the Subway Diet so who am I to complain about a week of free, fantastic meals! It gives me a reason to get some use out of the Mizunos!

To celebrate finishing the marketing challenge and the hardest part of fall staff meeting being over, the team went out to State Street Brats in downtown Madison. It was flip night, where you flip a coin and if you call it right you get 50% off your tab. Of course I would call it right when I was just getting one drink for myself, but the round of shots I bought I called the coin wrong! I should have gone with that old trickster standby my dad taught me when it comes to coin tosses and said, “heads I win, tails you lose!”

The next day was an easy day because we all had to do our 1:1 reviews. With plenty of time to kill during the day I laced up the new kicks and hit the road. It was nice because even though we were at a different hotel than Hot Dog High it was in the same area and I at least knew the roads.

As for running, because I feel obligated to at least mention it on this running blog, my pace had slowly been creeping up these past weeks. Not sure if it was from overtraining (maybe a few too many 50 mile weeks?) poor shoes, or the few extra lbs that have appeared on the road. With the new shoes though, my pace dropped a solid :25 seconds! I even did an 8:19 mile midway through the run. I realized at mile four, on my way back, that maybe the shoes didn’t deserve all the credit, as I was greeted by massive headwinds that I fought the entire way back to the hotel!

On Thursday we wrapped up the staff meeting and were issued our winter gear! I’m a little sad to be in the SW region because I won’t get the chance to wear these awesome winter coats too much around here!

Normally once the staff meeting is over the we would all head out, but with the 25th Year Reunion of Hotdoggers that weekend we got to stick around. Leary of what mischief we might get into in town and under the guise of team bonding, they sent us up to the Kalahari Waterpark Resort in the Wisconsin Dells for two nights – we obviously weren’t upset about that! When we got there the four gentlemen on our team were even able to talk the front desk into upgrading them to a Boy’s Club Suite – lucky dogs!

We had dinner with both of our bosses and did a little cosmic bowling.

The first game we bowled regularly and I ended with a paltry, yet mildly-respectable-at-least-triple-digit score of 105. The second game we bowled under new rules: odd frames left handed, even frames right handed, and the 10th frame was both hands, backwards, through the legs. Not only did I end with a higher score – 107 – but I got a strike in the 10th frame and ended with the highest score out of everyone! Whhaatt??

That night we spent hanging out in the Boy’s Club penthouse suite. Somehow Abe and I both made it through college without ever playing flip-cup, which was corrected that night. I did make for a decent partner in pong with Emma, from the MW team though, as we unseated the reigning four-round champion duo from the NW & NE teams!

We also headed down to the hotel bar for a bit. It’s so weird at those resort hotels – half families, half conventions. The bar was filled with a mix of chiropractors and psychologists – talk about an odd combination. Although they weren’t the most exciting crowd (it must be the orthopedists who really shake a leg) the DJ did play every song we requested, including Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You.” When Jessie, from the South team, requested that I could not have been more thrilled. (I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I started playing holiday music about a month ago!)

The next morning was rough, but somehow we all managed to get out of bed for breakfast at Mr. Pancake – which promised to be the best breakfast place in The Dells. I was not disappointed once I tried the peanut butter pancakes they offered, which were unreal.

After breakfast, we did some sight seeing around The Dells. I got a few pains of nostalgia passing Tommy Bartlett’s, Noah’s Arch, and all these other attractions that my dad took my sister and I to back in the day!

While the group stuck around The Dells for one more day, I took off back to Madison to see my sister, who had recently bought a house and a dog. Her and her fiance have done a great job making improvements on the place each week and I was excited to see it after the flow of before and after pictures they had been sending. (Of course I forgot to take any of my own pictures!)

That evening we headed back to the Holiday Inn & Suites in Madison – where Hotdogging all started for Class XXV. This was the hotel we stayed at during second round interviews and where we spent Hot Dog High. And now we were back – for the 25th Year Reunion of Hotdoggers. The Hotdogger program started in 1988 and even celebrating the silver anniversary there are still more people who have been to space than driven the Wienermobile! (You will NOT see Paul Ryan’s name on the invitation list, for the record.)

It was an absolute blast meeting Hotdoggers from Class I all the way up to Class XXIV! Everyone came with Wienermobile apparel from their days driving the big dog.

After doing pictures with the Wienermobile and its little brother LIL LINK, the Mini Cooper Wienermobile, we headed in for the hot dog reception.

What a blast! We watched old recruiting videos (the hair!!) which promised future Hotdoggers the chance to see the country one Superbowl and Mardi Gras at a time! While it’s true we do go to some pretty awesome events, one Hotdogger pointed out that the video failed to mention all the grocery stores we spend our days at!

One speaker (Amit, nicknamed GuAmit since he got to take the big dog to Guam that year) joked about how we have to plead with hotel managers like homeless people to achieve our hotel rate, which come to find out has not changed since the 90’s! We also heard countless stories from past Hotdoggers from their days on the road. Since they are no longer behind the wheel, we got to the real meat of stories too. Let’s just say they got away with a lot more back in the day before GPS tracking. But they also had maps, pagers, and faxes – there are always tradeoffs I guess!

We also heard part of Robin Gelfenbein’s comedy routine called ‘My Salvation has a First Name.’ Hilarious! She writes for the Huffington Post and frequently defends the Hotdogger program’s reputation, especially after the Paul Ryan hulalbaloo.

I also scored a sweet Wienermobile Belt Buckle during the raffle from Tammy, a Mizzou Hotdogger from Class XII. She won it but didn’t think she would ever use it. Hurray! It’s literally the ONE thing I wanted! I think I felt the same level of excitement as the guy in the movie Santa Clause when he finally got his Wiener Whistle!

After the program we all stayed around for drinks. That was the best part – meeting everyone!

Mizzou has been producing Hotdoggers for more than a decade, so of course we had to do a Mizzou Hotdogger Picture!

I even met Ron (pictured in the green shirt) a Mizzou J-School grad who also had a geology degree. Small world right?!

The pictures start get blurrier along with the memories toward this part of the evening!

Abe and I stuck around longer to keep chatting up all the early Hotdoggers – I mean, how often do you get the chance to talk to the Hotdoggers who went to Hawaii, Guam, Europe, and Canada? Later, we ended up joining Class XXV and some other Hotdoggers out downtown at the Essen House, another favorite of the team!

I wouldn’t say the night actually ever ended. I suppose we all got to bed eventually, but Abe and I had to be up about an hour later for our early early flight out of Madison, so it certainly felt like an all-nighter. (Another strategically planned decision to keep us from getting too crazy! haha!) Luckily we caught up on our sleep during a full day of travel!

And here we are, back in the Golden State. This week we were in sunny San Diego and now we’re headed up to the Santa Clarita/Burbank area. As always, if you have any suggestions for where to go, what to do, or who to meet – let me know!

*Thanks to Jackie Calder, Lisa Rosenblum, and Brian Keefe for the photos that I stole off your Facebooks! 

Touristy Tues… err Thursday: Madison Foodie Edition

Well, I can officially say that I have been to more of Madison, Wisconsin’s best dining establishments than most local food critics. During my two week job training period they must have been concerned that we were going hungry, because every meal was more decadent than the last.

Breakfast and lunch were pretty standard, and by that I mean standardly over the top. The hotel we were at had an incredible breakfast bar with endless fresh fruit, countless hot options (french toast sticks every day – that I only snuck once) and tons of carbs. For lunch we would get box lunches, but when you work in the food industry they don’t just pack you a PB&J and call it a day. They were gourmet box lunches that would put even your mother to shame!

After two delicious meals each day, dinner was probably the last thing any of us needed, but with a new menu each evening no one could say no!

Here’s a rundown of all the places we went while in Madison:

Flat Top Grill
Mongolian BBQ at its finest! Not only was this place ultra cool, but the options were endless. I loved getting a lettuce wrap with my starry. We did edamame appetizers and dessert. I wish I had gotten pictures, but just imagine veggies piled on veggies!

Fat Jack’s BBQ
Fried catfish, all-you-can-eat BBQ ribs, and amazing grilled chicken, this place had all you could want if you’re a carnivore. It was a little dated and I hope you weren’t planning on getting a salad, but the food was delicious!

Eldorado Grill
I’m not sure what was better here: the Southwestern cuisine or the margaritas!

Avenue Bar
Friday night fish fry here! Make sure to start your meal with a soup though. Both the Tomato Bisque soup and the New England Clam Chowder were incredible! Skip their cocktails and go for a local beer.

Ha Long Bay
While located in a very hip area of Madison, that ambiance doesn’t quite translate inside. The cafeteria feel aside, the food was delicious! The curry was phenomenal and no matter what you order there is plenty to take home. Peanut Chicken was also a must-have!

Pedro’s East
Margaritas! Margaritas! Margaritas! And WAY too much food. But that’s any Mexican establishment for you. What sets Pedro’s East apart from the others are the fresh, homemade tortillas they make in the restaurant that you can watch them cook up! Put some butter and sugar on them and you’re set! They serve it as an appetizer, but it’s really dessert.

One of the girls in our group, Theresa, was missing her graduation from THE Ohio State to be at training, so we used this as a graduation celebration dinner!

The Merchant
Located off of Capitol Square, this place is unreal it’s so good. A farm-to-table, uber local establishment, I had the trout that was caught just 40 miles from my dinner table the day before! Served with slivered almonds and asparagus, it was the best fish I’ve probably had in my entire life. Great wine selection as well. We were lucky enough to go when they were having a bartending competition and had free drinks abound!

The Nitty Gritty
This place is known for being THE birthday destination for University of Wisconsin students because of their free beer policy. While none of us were celebrating that night, they did provide some out of this world burgers. By this point in training I was trying to cling to some semblance of healthy eating and decided to go with a salmon salad. Regrettably a poor choice on my part.

I used to laugh when I worked at IHOP and people would be disappointed in the steak they ordered. You don’t go to a pancake house and expect the sirloin to be good. Going to a burger joint and ordering a salmon salad was along those lines. The salad was alright, but the salmon was terrible. Skip that and just go for the Nitty Burger next time!

Samba
Brazillian Steakhouse – need I say more? It should go without saying that the eight different types were each more savory than the one before, but it was the cinnamon sugar grilled pineapple that took Samba from incredible to roll-me-out-the-door good!

The Betty Lou Cruise

We finished our training with a graduation ceremony on a Betty Lou Cruise. We had to take the official Hotdogger Oath, complete with a hotdog toast, and after that it was an open bar and seafood galore!

Easily the most fun evening of the night, the cruise circled Lake Mendota – passing the Governor’s Mansion, downtown, and the UW student union.

So there you have it! If you were considering eating out in Madison I hope that gave you a complete rundown and provided you some options! You really can’t go wrong at any of them!

Other notable stops along the way:

Michael’s Custard

The Ivory Room Piano Bar