I have worked in the hospitality industry for many years and part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was that it gave me the ability to meet new and interesting people all the time. It would also give me the freedom to plan trips with vacation time or to use two or three days off at the end of one week and two or three days off at the beginning of a week. I have taken road trips all over, flown around the country and even took a Greyhound to a friends wedding in Omaha once upon a time.
The one and only trip on Greyhound and it is a trip that I will never forget. We went through many small towns and picked people up at gas stations, bus stations, KMart and fast food places. There was this one stop that a guy got off and stood next to the bus before suddenly kicking the sides of the bus. Now the bus driver had gone into the McDonald's and missed this little show and before he could come back out, the guy went running towards McDonald's and around it and than chased a car through a parking lot. Then he did one more lap around the McDonald's and back to the bus which he than climbed on went to his seat and acted completely normal. When the bus driver came out a few people met him outside the bus and told him what happened and he talked to the guy to make sure he was okay and since he seemed normal he let him stay on the bus.
Another leg of that trip we stopped at a truck stop for a pickup and the driver said we could get off for a few minutes to get food, drinks, bathroom breaks, etc. One guy goes inside and comes back out with some food and a few things in his pocket and after getting back on the bus started asking anyone and everyone if he could borrow their ticket which of course nobody would do that. Just as we were getting ready to pull off two of the workers ran out and told the driver the guy didn't pay for his food or the other things. So, the driver ask him about it and he denied it and than he finally admitted it and the was kicked off the bus and the police were called. While all this was going on the guy walked across the parking lot and talked to an old man who let him climb into his pickup truck and away they went. We finally had to get back on the road and we heard that they had caught him shortly afterwards and he was still with the old man.
I met a lady who had been riding the bus, with her 4 kids, since Mexico and was actually going somewhere in Canada and I couldn't help but feel sad for her because she was exhausted and still had a very long way to go. The whole trip seemed like we were going through the twilight zone and to top it all off, as we were coming back into Nashville our driver said he had never driven into Nashville and didn't know where the bus station was. Thankfully a few of us knew and we talked him in and gladly got off the bus and headed for home. I'm glad I did it but I don't know if I ever will again.
I used to run around with some great people named Chad, Leslie and their brother Scott, I think that was his name...sorry, who lived in Shelbyville Kentucky and we spent many days and miles going to see the Grateful Dead here and there. We always had a blast while seeing the country or just staying around their house and having fun. One of the trips from their house back to Nashville I picked up a hitchhiker on the road and while talking his experiences while hitchhiking we saw a cop behind us who after a few minutes turned on his lights and sirens, which freaked us out since we both had long hair, beards, tie-dyes, wild eyes and driving a '65 VW Beetle. He suddenly whipped around us and we saw Ky. State Troopers come out of nowhere and stop this car in the middle of the interstate and get the guy spread eagle on the road. Turned out he had lots of cocaine in his car and I'm sure served many, many years for that.
Chad once gave me a rain stick, that I still have to this day, and soon after that we lost track of each other. He had started to make the rainsticks along with didgeridoos and drums while going to shows and was becoming quite the artist the last time I saw him. I recently did a search online for him and came across his website and as it turns out he went on to became an amazing artist, got married and now him and his wife create these amazing pieces of art. I have yet to touch base with them but I will soon and perhaps think back to our adventures and all the good times we shared. I look forward to buying a didgeridoos from him since I had planned on doing that about 13 years ago.
Well, that is not even the tip of the fun times I have had with friends, family and strangers while traveling around this great country of ours and I hope to have more soon with even better stories to tell.
If anyone has a travel story they would like to share, please feel free. I would love to his quite a few.
Chad and Carrie Schott's website for their art...check it out!
http://www.drumzrguruven.com/
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
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8 comments:
Not a travel story, more of a question. Can't remember how I stumbled across your blog but the fact that you are a concierge makes me interested in your opinion. I am coming to Nashville end of Oct and I am staying at Union Station. I have always wanted to stay there. Other than from an aesthetic view, is it a nice place to stay? Thank you if you have time or inclination to answer.
You know it has been a long time since I stayed there so I don't have a fresh perspective on that. I did call today to make reservations so give me about a week and I will have more information for you. I felt the best way to tell you what it was like would be to visit there for a night and to find out. Keep in touch.
I will. Thanks.
I made a visit to the Union Station hotel to look around but did not get to spend the night due to the cost. I will post some pictures tomorrow. I was impressed with their friendliness and knowledge of their property. I was surprised at their lack of flexibility in working with me to get a feel of their hotel. With that being said, the people I talked to were great. If their service one on one when you are staying in their hotel is like that, you will have a great visit. It is in a great location and is within walking distance to major attractions downtown. They have a bistro inside the grand lobby area and I think you will be impressed with the architecture and the overall look of the place. They are also in the process of doing renovations that cost approx. 12 million dollars.
Thanks. I had actually booked the room before I asked. I found a "deal" for $125/night if I pre-pay with no cancellation. Guess I'm locked in though they haven't took the money out of my account. Again, thank you for the effort. Although I figure your tastes are quite a bit above mine (I'm more of a blue-collar guy), I find your blog interesting. I just may have to venture away from Hooter’s and my other usual haunts this time.
Hey nothing wrong with blue collar and casual restaurants. If you change your mind about the hotel, most places will allow you to cancel the reservation as long as you dont wait until the night you are due to check in. Are you wanting to stay downtown and are you looking for anything specific in a hotel? If you like casual restaurants and you want to try something good and locally owned, check out Jack's Bar-B-Q on Broadway, Arnold's on 8th Ave. South and Star Cafe on the northern side of the city.
I usually stay at the Pear Tree Inn on Harding because it's cheap and somewhat convenient being just off the interstate. Ten years ago during my first trip to Nashville, I drove past Union Station and just loved it. I work in printing and a few years after that we were printing an airline magazine that had pictures of the inside which made me want to stay there more. It’s usually out of my budget since I tend to stay in town for a few days. A couple of weeks ago, I worked 72 hours in 6 days and thought I’d blow the money for a room there. It’ll be my birthday-vacation so I’ll splurge. The rate is the cheapest I have found for that place in years. I’ll be in town for at least 5 days this time, maybe 6 so I am sure I’ll tire of my usual Sbarro’s, Mafiaoza’s, Café Coco, etc. I’ll try your suggestions. Thanks for your help.
Mafiaoza's is a good place and for a good but cheap meal try the Hermitage Cafe. They only take cash but it is good little diner that is open from 10pm until 1:30pm. That isn't a mistake, that really is their hours.Salathai is really good Thai food and is on West End Avenue. I will put a list of restaurants up soon for you and others to look at. I will make it a post so it will be obvious and easy to find.
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