Earlier in the day, the General and I discussed her accompanying me on a quick trip to North Carolina in a couple of weeks. We looked at flight schedules and immediately came to the conclusion that when it comes to flight patterns, we’d opt for different airplanes. She’d take the optimum mid-day flights that are in excess of $100 more expensive each way than the early bird or late-night arrivals.
So she’s smarter than I am, but not nearly as frugal. I figure when I’m traveling for work, it represents due diligence to get the most out of a dollar. Actually, that same mindset is characteristic when I travel for pleasure as well. The General is more attuned to opting for a better time slot and a normalized schedule. By the time we finished discussing the pros and cons of adding an extra day to the trip for us to have some playtime, it didn’t make sense based on the way I was orchestrating the preceding day.
The truth of the matter is that we need to carve out some time to exit-stage-right together at an ideal location apart from work. It really is hard to mix business with pleasure. For years, I’ve talked about our going to Chicago for a long weekend. We’ve changed flights there many times, but the General has never had her feet on the ground in Chicago.
I think she would be mesmerized by the architecture and the canal system that works it’s way through the downtown area. The history and ambience of the city make it a premium destination if you ask me. Add to that the view of Chicago from the 103rdfloor sky deck of the Willis Tower and the venue would be over the top.
I’ve been to Chicago several times and have never had a bad experience. Okay, so that’s not totally accurate. Okay, let me reframe that. I didn’t have a bad experience, but I could have had a better lunch. I was only in Chicago briefly. I was traveling with a colleague to a conference and he wanted to eat at his favorite restaurant in Chicago. He, too, had been there and could hardly wait to get back. Okay, so I can be conciliatory! Write that down. It doesn’t happen often. It doesn’t always have to be my way.
I envisioned a quaint family-owned restaurant for deep dish Chicago style pizza. My colleague had something very different in mind. We were only in Chicago for a noon meal. Our subsequent travel was taking us twenty-five or thirty miles outside the city. Would you care to guess where we went for lunch? Trust me, it is a memory I will never forget. Of all the places in Chicago that could rank a favorite, I bet most folks would never guess this one. We had lunch at Bennigan’s. I seldom see my colleague/friend without referencing the memory of that experience.
I like the windy city. A neighbor friend has nothing favorable to say about Chicago. He may have watched too many mafia movies, but he sees the city as the hub of criminal activity and the leading place for murder and espionage. Consequently, he would have no interest in Chicago even for a long weekend. He’d fear it would be his last.
Now that I mention it, I might want to rule Chicago out as a quick destination for the General and myself. The General isn’t going to opt to see Chicago from the Willis Tower. She is afraid of heights. When she worked in the Claydesta Center in Midland, she could barely make it to her office on the 6thfloor. The elevator had a wall of glass. It definitely was not to her liking. The sky deck or “The Ledge” as it is referred to in Chicago would not be the highlight of her trip. For starters there is no way she’d ever walk out onto the four foot glass balcony. That would be a deal breaker for her and if I encouraged her to do so, it might even get me hurt. The Willis Tower would activate the “fight or flight” response in her brain and I might come out a loser.
When it comes to travel in the U.S., the General and I have done bits and pieces of the West Coast and the East Coast. Frankly, I’d opt to fly to San Francisco again in a heartbeat and drive down Highway 1. Of course, if it is on my bucket list, the only way to negotiate the drive is in a convertible. I’ve driven it the other way and it was awesome, but it would be doubly awesome in a ragtop with the wind blowing through our hair. A lot of good that would do me! The General would have no part of a top down experience for an extended period. Consequently, we might as well rule that out as well.
We need a trip, but it probably would work best if we travelled to a destination that neither of us has ever been. That way, whatever we experience will be new to both of us and neither will have preconceived expectations associated to a perfect trip.
So here’s the problem, in a perfect world she’d prefer a mostly inside venue whenever we arrived at our destination. She’s not opposed to a tour bus experience, but she doesn’t want to be outside in the heat or cold for an extended period. I’d prefer a mostly outside venue. She wants to travel during prime times after a good night’s sleep and before late in the evening. I’d rather be conservative with funding the travel and take the lowest fare.
To her credit, ten years ago when the General and I took a three-week Mediterranean cruise, we were both energized by the travel. Perhaps it was because we were visiting places on the other side of the world that we never thought possible, we both had an insatiable desire to take it all in. We routinely were early risers and we stayed up way past our bedtime every night.
That’s the kind of travel experience I long for again. I guess you could say that I want it all.
All My Best!
Don