Bruce Was Great, but Mady Is The Boss

I spent all last week looking forward to the weekend, and I must say I wasn’t disappointed. From babysitting and spending time with Mady to spending time with my kids to watching an awesome Bruce Springsteen show in Louisville to grocery shopping, I had a great weekend.

I’ve already written about babysitting Mady Friday night, so I won’t rewrite that. We spent the day with Trav, Ashley, and Mady on Saturday until time to head to Louisville for the Springsteen show. We had a great day. When we got to the KFC Yum! Center, we bought a snack of homemade potato chips covered with BBQ pulled pork, green onions, bacon bits, cheese sauce, sour cream, jalapenos, and tomatoes. It may not sound that great, but it’s amazing, and I told Jimmy that we would have to learn to fix those homemade chips so we can make this at home. I can’t wait until a trip to the Yum! Center to get them because those are few and far between.

As for the show itself, Springsteen outdid himself. Jimmy and I have seen him five times together. Jimmy already had numerous Springsteen concerts under his belt before we even met. For me, this was probably the best show, even though we were not by the stage like we were in Nashville. This one seemed to have more energy. He played nonstop for three hours and fifteen minutes, a total of 26 songs. From the moment he took the stage, it was music, music, and more music. He’d go straight from one song into another. He moved all over the stage, as well as through the crowd. Bruce and the E-Street Band are awesome musicians. I wish I could play an instrument half as well as any of them do. This was our first show without The Big Man, Clarence Clemons. In Nashville, we were right in front of Clarence. The moment of silence and the video montage almost made me cry. Clarence’s nephew Jake now plays the saxophone for the band, and he did an excellent job. The thing about this show is that Bruce could have played another hour or longer and the crowd would have been content to keep on rocking.

We finally made it back to Trav’s just as the time was changing, thanks to Daylight Savings Time coming to an end. I was very glad to go to bed. Today after we left Trav’s, we went to pick Nic up so we could spend some time with her. We went to eat at Chili’s, one of her favorite places, and then we just made the rounds doing some grocery shopping at Gordon’s Food Service, Sam’s Club, and Super Wal-Mart. Groceries are so expensive here in Jackson, that we have to do most of our shopping while we are out of town so we can get the best deals. After filling the Explorer with groceries, we took Nic back to her apartment and headed home. It took a while to get all the groceries put away, but now we’re relaxing and watching The Next Iron Chef on Food Network (I’ll be pulling for Alex Guarnashelli in this one).

All in all, it was a good weekend. I’m disappointed that I only got to see Cody for about three minutes for the whole weekend, but next weekend, I should get a lot more time with him. And I get to see Byron every day, but I do prefer the weekends when they are all home and all at my house at the same time. I’m happy that I don’t have to get up and go to work for the next two days. It’d be nice if Jimmy had a day off, too, but I guess we can’t win them all.

As you’re counting your blessings through the month of November, I hope you remember things like family, love, food, and music. Be sure to thank the Provider for all these things.

Hotel Internet Comes with a Price

I didn’t get to do a blog yesterday, which bums me since one of my resolutions is to post to the blog daily. Even though I had some issues and didn’t get to post daily back in April while on senior trip, that doesn’t make me any happier to miss a day now. And why did I miss a day? Because while I was at the Galt House in Louisville yesterday, I wouldn’t pay for the wi-fi service.

Most hotels where I’ve stayed offer “free” wi-fi service. I’m not naive enough to believe that it’s really free. Obviously, they simply add in a charge to the room rate that will cover the wi-fi service. Why can the Galt House of all places not do the same? I’d been in meetings all day, then went out to dinner, so by the time I got back to the hotel, I would have been paying to use the Internet for only about three hours. I refused to do that, even if it meant no blog.

I could, technically, do the blog on my phone. I have a WordPress app on there, and I could have used my QWERTY keyboard and typed up a blog, but honestly, that is difficult. It’s much easier to post with the app after I have already saved a draft to the WordPress site, which means all I did last night was to check Facebook on my phone and call it a night.

A place like the Galt House, which hosts multiple conferences every week, needs to offer guests “free” wi-fi. When we called the desk to ask about wi-fi service, we were told we could get the slower connection for $5.95 per day or the faster connection for $9.95 per day. When they’re charging $115 a night for a room to start with, how hard is it to just add $10 to the room rate and let guests have “free” wi-fi? If it’s part of the room rate, so be it, but don’t charge $115 a night and then ask for another $10 for Internet access. Since we were attending a conference, we had the “conference rate” for our room. Normal rates for the Galt House are more than that. Rooms booked at a non-conference rate range from $145 to $255 per night. And then they want to ask for a nominal daily fee to use the Internet?

After I got home, I checked their website, and it does say on the website that the wi-fi is free in the public areas of the hotel but is available for a nominal fee in the guest rooms. Really? When you’re traveling, if you have work to do that requires the Internet, do you really want to sit in the lobby and try to work, or would you rather work in the privacy of your room? Obviously, the Galt House knows that for the most part, people will pay the “nominal fee” for the privacy of working, or just Internet browsing, in their own room. However, it seems to me it would be more prudent and make more sense to simply charge $10 more for the rooms and allow guests to have wi-fi in their rooms without that nominal fee. It doesn’t matter how accommodating the suites are, how comfortable they are, or how private they are, if the guests have to leave the room to have free wi-fi in the public area of the hotel. With that, there’s no changing into your pajamas and settling in and making yourself comfortable to check your email or browse the net in the privacy and comfort of your own room.

And some may wonder what the big deal is. Why does it matter if you’re going to pay the nominal fee of $9.95 or if you pay $10 more for the room? Either way, you’re paying $10 to use the Internet. For one thing, the Galt House gets the fee whether the guest uses the net or not. For another, the guests will appreciate not having to go through the extra steps of paying for Internet services every day they are there. As I said before, I’ve no doubt that the hotels offering free wi-fi have absorbed the cost of that into their room rates, and not everybody who checks in will use the net, but everybody has the option of using it in the privacy and comfort of their room.

It’s really quite simple. Everything costs so much these days, and while even the places that have “free” wi-fi are getting their money from the guests in some way, it does make the guests feel good to hear the word “free.” A place as nice as the Galt House should be able to offer free wi-fi services in the rooms for their guests, even if it means that their conference rates become $125 and their regular rates become $155-265. Most guests would feel better about paying that kind of money for a room if they knew free wi-fi was part of the deal and not extra. Honestly, if you’re paying $255 for a room, wi-fi should be included.

Of course, if there’s another conference I need to attend, I’ll be back at the Galt House, and I hope by that time, they will have figured out how to offer wi-fi free throughout the hotel.

Turning the Page on More Great Concert Memories

My husband and I spent last Thursday evening with Bob Seger at the Yum Center in Louisville. It was our fourth Seger show; the other three were part of his Face the Promise tour. For two of those former shows, we had the best seats ever. For the first, we were in the second row; for the second, we were at Rupp Arena, and our seats were front-row, center-stage, right in front of Seger’s microphone. We realize the probability of ever getting such great seats again is low; however, that did spoil us, so while we were happy with the good seats we had at the Yum Center, 19th row with an excellent view of the stage, Seger, and the band, we were also disappointed that our seats were not what we’ve gotten used to.

There were some interesting things about being 19 rows back, though. When you’re in the front, you miss a lot of the other stuff that goes on at concerts; being in the front allows you to focus entirely on the on-stage performance, with very little distractions. Being farther back, I discovered, provides many distractions.

Before I talk about the distractions, let me address the Yum Center. It’s a huge building and very nice. The only real problem I could find with it was that there was just a little too much red for my tastes. I’m aware that’s because the Louisville Cardinals play their basketball games there, but nonetheless, it’s was way too much red for me. I’m a girl who prefers blue. The Yum Center provided access to some fast-food options rather than just your normal concession stand fare, offering KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. You might be aware that Papa John’s is Louisville’s favorite pizza, and to prove it, you can still get some Papa John’s pizza inside the Yum Center.

Let’s start with Guy in the Checkered Shirt. I wish I could say I felt sorry for this guy, but I don’t. He showed up wasted. My guess is he won’t remember he was even in the building to start with. This man and his entourage were sitting in row 18, about 5 seats to the left of where we were. Thankfully, they were not directly in front of us. His buddy was also drunk, but was not wasted. The group gets over to their seats, and Guy in the Checkered Shirt’s unfortunate wife/girlfriend (no idea which) had to help him sit down. Yep, he was so far gone, he couldn’t even manage to sit himself in the seat. And this was before Seger even took the stage. This guy’s night doesn’t get any better. When Seger finally takes the stage, of course, everyone in the arena is standing, even Guy in the Checkered Shirt, who manages to stand on his own for all of about 30 seconds before Unfortunate Girl has to hold him up. Both of these people were of average size, and while she tried to look understanding, it had to be difficult to support his dead weight.

Over the course of the first set (Seger takes a mid-show intermission to refresh himself and put on a clean, dry shirt), they were up and down. Briefly, she stood while he sat, and she was trying to enjoy the show, but she had to keep checking on him. Once she sat down, and he just laid over on her. Finally, Seger’s intermission arrived, and Guy in the Checkered Shirt could take no more; he puked all over the floor. I felt sorry for Unfortunate Girl and for the people sitting directly behind them, in front of them, and to the right of them (his drunken buddy was to their left), but I did not feel sorry for Guy in the Checkered Shirt. He ruined a great concert, which he will remember nothing of, for Unfortunate Girl. After he puked, Unfortunate Girl and Buddy helped him out of the arena. Buddy eventually found his way back; we never saw Guy in the Checkered Shirt or Unfortunate Girl again.

Here’s what I don’t understand about Guy in the Checkered Shirt. Why pay $150 for floor tickets and get so wasted you won’t even remember having been there, and you ruin the evening for your date? My guess is he’s just lucky he didn’t actually puke on the folks around him.

Then there was Grandpa and his granddaughter, who were sitting in the seats beside me, to my left. Seger is great for family bonding, I suppose. Grandpa and Granddaughter enjoyed not only a Seger concert but also drinking together. They had five cups of beer, each, over the course of the show. It’s interesting at these shows to look around and see all the middle-aged fans there to watch an old man and his band play some music; it’s also interesting at the number of young people who attend, so it was good to see them enjoying some family time at a Bob Seger concert.

When the second set started, the folks who were sitting directly in front of us stayed out in the aisle. Security asked them to clear the aisle and return to their seats, and they told Security they’d be glad to do so as soon as Security clean up Guy in the Checkered Shirt’s puke. So for the next three songs, we’re getting to watch the show and watch Security cleaning up the puke. True to their word, as soon as it was clean, those fine folks returned to their seats. While they were in the aisle, though, we could see clearly the people two rows in front of us. There we discovered Dancing Grandma. I’m telling you, this woman was as old as my mother, and she was dancing like she was twenty. I noticed her for the first time when Security was there cleaning up puke, and she was the woman sitting directly in front of Guy in the Checkered Shirt, so I couldn’t decide if she was dancing because she was enjoying the show so much or because she was so excited somebody was finally getting rid of the puke in the floor behind her.

So, what of the show itself? It was great. Seger looked younger and more energetic than he did four years ago. I attribute this to his having great hair going on. Four years ago when we saw him, he was sporting a short haircut; I’ve always preferred Seger with longer hair, and while it wasn’t as long as in the early ’80s, it was longer than it was four years ago, and I loved it. I’m sure the longer hair left him more energetic and feeling younger, hence the more energized show. In addition to enjoying watching Seger perform, I love to watch Alto Reed play the saxophone; listening to “Turn the Page” live gives me chills. For a couple of guys in their mid-sixties, they do a great show. You can’t truly appreciate their musical abilities and talents until you’ve seen them live. And when speaking of their talents, I can’t forget to add that Seger is the master of the Fist Pump, often throwing in a Double Pump to keep the crowd rocking.

The show had a few missteps along the way, but that just provided some extra personality. Seger and the Silver Bullet Band take the stage, get ready to start their first song, and some perhaps now unemployed stagehand had forgotten to turn on the keyboard. Later, Seger dedicates a song to all the guys there, but it was the wrong song. Later in the show, he had to do it again by saying, “This is the song for all the guys out there.” The stagehands bring in Seger’s stool and guitar so he can do a song, but it’s the wrong guitar. Seger walked all around the piano just to get back to the microphone and tell us, “It’s not time for me to play the piano yet.” And they get ready to play a song we might remember, and we wait, and he says that we don’t have a piano. When the issue’s resolved, we immediately find out how important the piano is since the song was “Old Time Rock n Roll.”

When the show was over, we headed back to Jackson since I had to work the next day. We’d enjoyed a great show and thought our adventures were over, until we returned to the parking garage. Of course, traffic was backed up, making us dependent upon the kindness of some stranger who just happened to be a fellow-Seger fan. We sat in our vehicle for probably twenty minutes before any traffic moved at all. A group of four young people decided to amuse themselves during the wait. So, they took pictures of themselves; some from outside their vehicle, some inside, some together, some by themselves, but they took a ton of pictures. I must give them a shout-out, though, because when the line of traffic finally started to move, they let us pull out in front of them. So, thank you, fellow Seger fans; by your kindness, you give me hope for the young people out there.

I drove back to the rest area just outside Louisville, and we stopped for a bathroom and snack break, and for Jimmy to take over the driving so I could sleep. After I left the restroom, I told Jimmy that I speculated the two women who’d been in there were drunk; they were just a little too excited about the hand dryers in the restroom. As we’re walking to the vending machine, the two women are standing there smoking. As we approach, they move along the walking path. As we walk through where they had been standing and smoking, I catch a whiff of what they’d been smoking and told Jimmy to scratch the idea that they were drunk; they were just high instead.

If anything else interesting happened, I’ve not been told about it. After getting back in the Explorer, I took my pillow and made myself as comfortable as I could and slept the rest of the way home. We enjoyed our date night, and we’re already looking forward to an announcement of future Seger shows.

We Never Travel on an Empty Stomach

My husband and I love to eat out. Whenever we are planning to travel, one of the first things he does is to look online to see what restaurants are available in the area. When he finds one that piques his interest, he will pull up the menu to see what food choices are available. After that, he will send me a link to the restaurant’s menu and ask if I’d like to eat there. Over the years, he has found some very good places to eat. I’ll share a list of some of our favorite places to eat. Trying to rank this list became nearly impossible, so I’ll just list them alphabetically.

Aunt Catfish’s in Daytona Beach, FL – Located on the Halifax River, Aunt Catfish’s serves traditional seafood, catfish, steak, gator, crab cakes, and soups and salads. If you need a suggestion, try the catfish and the crab cakes.

Bucca di Beppo in Louisville, KY – This restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes, family style. The portions are huge, and you will definitely need to get a to-go box when you leave.

Calhoun’s in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our first visit to this restaurant was on our honeymoon. The loaded potato skins appetizer (stuffed with bbq pulled pork) made Jimmy ignore his no potato peels rule. The steak dinner was also amazing.

Dustin’s BBQ in Daytona Beach, FL – We ate here for the first time this past summer while on vacation. Our waiter had a wonderful Australian accent, but the best part was the food. The portions are huge, and the bbq pulled pork was fantastic.

Fat Patty’s in Huntington, WV – This is another new addition to our list of good places to eat. The prices are very reasonable and the food was really good. Portions here are also huge. They serve a variety of burgers; we tried the Burger on the Bayou. The onion rings provided a great side dish, and Nicole ordered a West Virginia Steak Sandwich – fried bologna and cheese – which she said was very good.

Five Guys – If you want a hamburger, forget McDonald’s or Wendy’s, you need to go to Five Guys. They make their burgers fresh as you order them, and they don’t use pre-made, frozen patties. You can order a wide variety of toppings for your burger, and the French fries are great. Jimmy will even eat some of the fries, in spite of the fact that the skins are still on the potatoes.

Japanese Steakhouse in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our honeymoon provided us with our first dinner at this restaurant as well. The Hibachi-style food is fabulous, especially the fried rice. After eating this rice, Jimmy looked for a recipe, found one that was close, and now we can have great fried rice whenever we want. I’ll warn you, though, that after having their fried rice, plain, steamed, white rice just won’t do.

Johnny Carino’s in Lexington, KY – This is my favorite of all the places on our list. I always order the same thing – Bowtie Festival. Jimmy will try different things, but I love the Bowtie Festival too much to order anything new.

Malone’s in Lexington, KY – This is Jimmy’s favorite of all the places on our list. It’s probably my second favorite. The filet mignon is definitely what you should order from here. Have the waiter butterfly it, and don’t be afraid to tell him to cook it well-done. The meat is still so tender and juicy and has such a great flavor that you’ll never want anything but a well-done steak again.

Old Chicago in Lexington, KY – For a variety of pizzas, this is the place to go. We generally get the supreme. These pizzas are loaded with toppings, and you’ll need a to-go box when you leave.

Outback Steakhouse – As you know, you can find an Outback almost anywhere. You can’t go wrong with a good steakhouse. The one thing you have to get at Outback, though, is the bloomin’ onion. Others may have a version of this wonderful dish, but Outback has the best.

Penn Station – Again, this is a place you can find all over the map. For sub sandwiches, Penn Station is the place to go.

Peking’s in Pikeville, KY – When we’re in Pikeville, Jimmy always takes me to Peking’s for a great Chinese buffet. The crab Rangoon won-tons are among the best I’ve had, as is the Mandarin chicken.

TGI Friday’s – This is another huge restaurant chain that can be found almost anywhere, and if you get the chance you should try their Jack Daniels steaks, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. It’ll be one of the best meals you will have.

Variety Pizza in Jackson, KY – The only place from my hometown to make the list, Variety Pizza is locally owned and operated. The supreme pizza with everything (except mushrooms) is the best pizza they have, but even the one-topping pizzas are the best in town.

One of the great parts of a vacation is finding a good place to eat. I hope if you’re ever in the areas listed above that you’ll give these restaurants a try. If any of these are also among your favorites, be sure to let me know. And as we are always looking for another good place to eat, if you have a favorite that’s not on my list, please share it with us.