Pack a Nite Lite

I almost fell out of bed in the middle of the night.  Sleeping on the “other” side of the bed from my usual, I rolled over and awakened with a start at the edge of the bed.

Fortunately, I had my nite lite plugged into an outlet by the vanity.  Reorienting myself quickly to unfamiliar territory, I fell straight back to sleep.

Hotels seem to think pitch-black is appropriate for guests to get to sleep and stay asleep.  Unfortunately, strange surroundings are disorienting and disturbing when you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or awaken to a blacked-out day. 

Pack a nite lite.  It's tiny and fits in your cosmetics bag.  And the best place to plug it in is typically in the outlet in the vanity/sink area.  Unplug it and pop it back in your cosmetics bag when you switch on the bathroom light to brush teeth, blow-dry hair, etc, in the morning.   It's a traveler's essential travel equipment. 

Road Warriors’ Need for a Fast Feed

In Asia, food fast means a trek to the nearest hawker stalls.  Europeans take their food so seriously they sorely disdain the very notion of food-on-the-run.  Unless you grab a gelato from a handy cart, you’re may be out of luck when you need to grab some food fast.  The fast food industry is biggest in the US.  Americans often eat on the run. 

And wherever you go, there are times you just want something familiar – an old reliable standby, rather than risk more strangeness.  After months in Indonesia, where any ground beef was jokingly referred to as “roo” (as in kanga-), the first stop on leave in Singapore was McD’s for “real” burgers.  The best McDonald’s cheeseburger I ever ate was in Moscow the day the city ran out of bread.  McDonald’s had burger buns: they owned wheat farms and controlled bun-making with typical McD’s precision.  They grew fantastic tomatoes (like Grandma’s garden) and leaf lettuces in the deep, rich Russian soil, too.  Very satisfying after months of riding the rails through China, then Siberia.

Road Warriors need fuel, and sometimes have to fuel up on the run.  Five Guys Burgers & Fries currently tops various lists of best burgers or best fast food.  I think they are hideously greasy.  Manhattan prices, when outside of Manhattan, do not sit well with my wallet either.

A better answer is Steak & Shake – an old chain founded in 1934.  Sparse on the ground – they are not present in every town or crossroads – they’re still worth tracking down if one is near wherever you land.  Roadside diner service at less-than-McD’s prices.

The Cheesy Cheddar Burger is a double steakburger with enough genuine Wisconsin cheddar to swim over burger, plate and fries.  Lettuce and tomato tops the burger.  The fries are skinny and good enough to disappear down the hatch even if you swear your diet is not going to allow you to tackle the entire pile.  Not so greasy – neither burger nor fries.  And really quite tasty.  At $4.99, it’s such a good deal.

If you are on the road Stateside, Steak & Shake beats McD's, Wendy's, Five Guys, et al.  On the fast food scale, it rates fabulous.  The burgers are thin, so do get doubles. 

Beat Jet Lag!

Changing time zones is one of the most difficult adjustments for the Road Warrior.  And nothing is more hazardous to your health, no less your career, than that brain-dead jet-lagged nodding out in a business meeting or mission-critical event.  But a few simple steps help you lick it and stay on top of travel-induced fatique.

1.  Start taking Echinacea.  It boosts your immune system.  Before you head for the airport, pop three of them.  Take three more with your last sips of water or beverage just before landing.  Take three on arising your first morning.  Otherwise, one or two a day will do it.

2.  Landing early in the morning “their time”?  Eat a high-protein breakfast promptly.  Eggs with ham, bacon, sausage; cottage cheese; drink a glass or two of milk instead of fruit juice.  This is your occasion for a ham & cheese omelet.  Skip the hash browns, cereal, muffins, or other carbohydrates – limit one slice of toast without jam on the carbs.

3.  Make lunch light.  Cottage cheese, salad with grilled chicken breast – stick to fresh salads and other veggies and protein.  Skip the carbs again.

4.  Make dinner carbohydrate rich.  Spaghetti, Singapore noodles, fried rice, baked potato, even a pile of pancakes.  Carbs set you up for sleep!  Feel free to indulge in a high-carb dessert like cake on your first night in your new time zone.

You probably need another day on this protein early, carbs later plan to more fully adjust.  Especially if your switch is three or more time zones.  Just remember, protein helps you stay awake, carbs help you sleep.  Monitoring your diet will help you keep your head from crashing into your PowerPoint presentation and wrecking your trip.

May your road rise up to meet you!

Ann

New Novel’s Scenes Set at NYC’s Library Hotel

One of my favorite hotels in the world, The Library Hotel at 41^st Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, is featured as a setting for several scenes in a recently published novel.  Jennifer Jeppison, the novel’s main character, sometimes with members of her extraordinary extended family, sojourns at The Library Hotel for several NYC trips in Make Me Beautiful by Kelsey A. Campbell.

Jen, an artist, particularly loves the Painting Room, of course!  And the hotel’s wealth of books everywhere from the lobby to the 14^th floor Writers’ Den Jen finds particularly useful while recuperating after surgery in a New York hospital.

The real hotel is a gem located just one block from Grand Central Terminal and one block from the famed New York Public Library.  It’s part of the HK Hotels chain, which also includes the Casablanca Hotel near Times Square.  Great place, lovely facilities for anyone who loves a good book, and fine service are hallmarks of this elegant little boutique hotel.  I can hole up there in vast comfort for days, just as the fictional Jennifer Jeppison does!

The book is available as an Amazon Kindle Edition, published by AngeLines Publishing.  Look for Make Me Beautiful by Kelsey A. Campbell, and load up your Kindle.  Great bedtime reading for a Road Warrior, and you can dream of traveling to places like New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Cambodia along with Jen.  It’s the “Ultimate Makeover” story, tremendously uplifting and inspiring, and a joy to read.

May your road rise up to meet you!

Ann

Cut Your Losses

When I first joined the Road Warrior class, I quickly lost a hat, hair dryer, Georg Jensen sterling silver ring with a large smoky topaz, a bottle of pricy perfume, and more.  The ring was the clincher.  With a job involving tightly scheduled near-100% travel, I clearly needed a system to hang onto my stuff.  So does every Road Warrior.  Here are my “rules of the road.”

1.  Write a packing list as you pack.  Keep hard copy in your wallet or attaché, and save one as a draft in your email – don’t email it to yourself.  I keep a standing list used for each trip & just add that trip’s special items, e.g. parka when heading for wintry weather.

2.  Only unpack what you immediately need, for example, for that night’s stay and the next morning’s attire.  And NEVER stick anything in any drawer!

3.  Whatever you use, put it away immediately.  Never leave anything lying around your hotel room.  As soon as the nail polish is dry, plop implements and polishes back into their pouch in your suitcase.  When you put on your nightie, drop the day’s laundry in its section of your suitcase.  (I dump laundry in a plastic bag and stuff bag into suitcase.)

4.  Before you check out, take a minute to survey your surroundings.  I’ve found the best order to do this is tub/toilet area for shampoo, razor, et al, left on the tub surround, then the sink & counter area, clothes hangers, bedside table, credenza and/or desk for phone-computer-power supplies.  I turn out the lights at each stop so I know I checked the area!  It also keeps me moving from the rear of the typical hotel room toward the door, loading up as I walk out.

With these put-it-away-instantly habits, and this quick system to gather up luggage as I head out, I haven’t lost anything in years.

May the road rise up to meet you!

Ann

Some Places Are Meant to Be Magic

In Medieval England, the lichgate framed the entrance between church and cemetery, creating the symbolic division between the mundane and spiritual worlds.  Long considered sacred and magical, lichgates now are favored places for meditation, psychic readings, and simply communing with nature. 

Dr. Laura Jepson, late professor of English Literature at Florida State University, built one at Lichgate Cottage, her property surrounding a magnificent live oak tree.  She became enamored with the live oak tree, and borrowed funds to purchase the acreage surrounding it.  Then she built an enchanting little Tudor-style cottage with a lichgate between her cottage and garden.

Today, the sparsely visited Lichgate Cottage is a public park owned by the Lichgate Foundation, formed to preserve the historic-landmark live oak tree, gardens, and cottage.  Local psychics and tarot-card readers often schedule readings, seated on the benches sheltered by the lichgate.  Stretch out under the massive live oak to meditate or commune with nature.  Walk the maze, or explore the Children’s Shakespeare Garden.  Truly a mystical, magical moment.

Lichgate Cottage, 1401 High Road (between Tallahassee Street & Tharpe Street), Tallahassee, FL.  Driving north on High Road, keep a sharp lookout for a white stake proclaiming “Lichgate” at a rustic driveway between condo complexes.  Totally hidden!  But totally serene, and worth every effort to visit!  For more info, google “Lichgate Cottage” or call 850-383-6556 for event details or to arrange rental of the cottage and grounds for weddings, receptions, events.

Foodie Adventurer Finds Best Pizza in Florida Panhandle

One of the greatest rewards of traveling is finding little-known local foodie favorites.  In Shanghai, I  discovered the only New York pastrami-on-rye sandwiches available in China.  The best Singapore Noodles in Singapore were called Hong Kong Noodles, and were far from the beaten Orchard Road path, but the best Singapore Noodles in Hong Kong were at the Foreign Correspondents Club.

Now I’ve found the best pizza in Florida’s Panhandle - best I've encountered in a couple dozen countries so far.  Many of their customers swear it’s better than anything they’ve devoured in the Pizza Capital of the World – New York City.  Mike’s Stone-Baked Pizza is tucked away in a lime green building just a five-minute walk south of Doak Campbell Stadium.  Popular with FSU students, foodies, and members of the music scene, Irish Mike spins out the most delectable pizza crusts while you watch.  The salads are picture-perfect beauties, and taste even better.

 

But the best surprise at Mike’s is his Garlic Knots.  No leftover pizza dough, these are melt-in-your mouth knotted dinner rolls liberally laced with garlic and butter.  Perfect accompaniment to Mike’s salads!

V-e-r-y reasonable prices for delicious pizza, calzones, strombolis, and salads in a very casual, very friendly hangout.  Don’t miss it!  1313 Jackson Bluff Road, Tallahassee, FL 32304.  Delivery to hotels, college campuses, downtown, and most of the city.  850-575-3000.  Be sure to “friend” Mike on Facebook at Mike’s Stone Baked Pizza.