METAIRIE LA - In planning a vacation, there are things I can't control (road construction, weather) and there are things I can (Chad... to a point, obviously ( Read more... )

BINGHAMTON NY -- Mental note: Don't stay at this particular Rodeway Inn, because the neighbors are noisy. Not across-the-street neighbors, but other-side-of-the-wall neighbors. And what I thought was the garbage truck's first visit of the night was actually a tow truck taking their vehicle away ( Read more... )

CHICAGO -- The trip started off Sunday evening across the river from downtown, as I headed to the train station. I was able to procure a parking space, then waited for the now-35-minute-late train.

I popped in a Little Mosque on the Prairie DVD and watched several episodes before deciding to turn in. And that's when the woman in front of me and ( Read more... )

jour 3: 27 décembreOTTAWA -- Once again grateful for Montréal's underground city with winds and snow swirling above, I toted my baggage to the train station, where I ended up in the rear car with only five other people ( Read more... )

UP IN THE AIRFirst off, happy 36th, li'l bro ( Read more... )

THE LONG ROAD BACKLAS VEGAS -- Before the long haul back through the desert, we stopped across the street from our hotel at the BYU campus. We poked our noses into both the football stadium and the basketball arena (named for J.W. Marriott), and then headed down to the student center ( Read more... )

THE ROOK OF MORMONSLC -- During my morning paper run, I was very impressed with the convenience store clerk. He had no arms below the elbows, yet was able to take my $2 and return 50 cents change. I shouldn't be complaining anytihng ( Read more... )

TOP OF UTAH

SLC -- Despite starting the day in Ogden, we hadn't hit our northernmost site. That belonged to the campus of Utah State University, which sits atop a hill overlooking Logan ( Read more... )

24-HOUR PARTY PEOPLEWith a 5:30am take-off and 3:45 wake-up call, it was an early start to the day on either coast ( Read more... )

[FRI] With Moammar's death being front-page news today, I made a note to pick up newspapers at our stops along the Thurway. The first was at a gas station outside Rochester, knocking off Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle and the Buffalo News.

Once in Buffalo, we found a parking spot near the First Niagara Center, home of the Sabres. We were a ( Read more... )