Vacation in Chicago

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope that all of you have a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Surprises

For the first time in our traveling history, we crossed paths with two of our road colleagues. Our regions are typically separated by hundreds of miles. These past couple of days, however, the four of us were in San Francisco!

A Place Called America

After taking the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to downtown San Francisco, we walked to Chinatown. San Francisco is known for having the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. Somehow we missed the turn for the tourist part of Chinatown and we found ourselves in the thick of, well, China. I felt like I had tumbled off the plane into Asia, except jet lag wasn't an issue. We had stumbled upon the marketplace of Chinatown. Unfamiliar vegetables were being tossed between store fronts and fish (and toads) lined aquariums. Much to my dismay, I even witnessed a huge fish being clobbered to death with a chunk of lumber.

We maneuvered through the packed streets with hopes of finding the Fortune Cookie Factory. Of the twelve people we asked, no one spoke English or seemed to understand what we needed. Finally we conversed with someone in Spanish (how unusual!) and received accurate directions. After turning down a small, dark, alley, we found the factory (or closet-like shop). I am happy to say, however, that they were indeed making fortune cookies by hand. I am forever amazed by how many cultures can be experienced right here in America.

Sweet Tea

Most of you are aware that in January I will move to a new region of the United States, as well as switch co-workers. Today I found out that I will be in the South! I have never been down South and I am excited to see what new adventures await. Our regions are very general, however, so I am not sure exactly which states I will be visiting.

Dazzling Sights

On the drive from Orange County to Bakersfield this morning we drove through mountains covered with snow! This is my first sighting of snow for the winter. There was only about a half inch on the mountains, but it was quite the sight. I'm passing through Bakersfield for a couple of nights on the way up to San Francisco. Bakersfield is two hours north of LA.

Southern California

Today marked my last official day off in Southern California. The rest of our days off will be in San Francisco before we switch regions. Given this situation, I have been trying to take advantage of the weather and location. I spent the day biking along the coast. It was warm and sunny with a slight ocean breeze...perfect for a bike ride. There is a bike path that connects a couple of the main beaches such as Newport Beach & Huntington Beach.

Desert?

I have never seen so much rain in the desert! Yesterday I drove from Las Vegas to southern LA. It rained the entire trip! In my life experience, it is not too unusual to drive in and out of storms. However, yesterday there was not a moment in the drive that it was not raining. This was my first experience with rain in the desert. The five hour drive turned into seven hours due to all of the accidents on the highway. I am excited for a sunny and dry day today!

Tonight we are working at a Christmas parade on the other end of town. Apparently we are supposed to decorate the WB, so that is the endeavor for the afternoon.

Thanksgiving in Las Vegas

Thanksgiving and the celebration of my 22nd Birthday were part of the festivities of my week off work in Las Vegas. My favorite part of downtown is the Fountain Show at the Bellagio. The shows are synchronized to music.

My Thoughts on Las Vegas

There's much more to do in Las Vegas than gamble. The entire city, on the strip and off, is littered with casinos. And, for your convenience, there are even slot machines in the grocery stores and gas stations. However, I stand by my opening statement that there are other entertainment options in this city. My favorite part of going down "the strip" (main downtown Vegas) is touring the different hotels. The hotels are themed and extremely extravagent. One hotel has a botanical garden inside and another hotel has live lions on display. Just the other day I went to a Shark Reef within a hotel.

"In Las Vegas, smoking is a fact of life." -Las Vegas Tourist Guide

Smoking is a huge part of Las Vegas. If you don't like breathing in filthy air, Las Vegas is probably not for you. Honestly, you can avoid the smoke for the most part if you steer clear of the casinos, but the air is not the cleanest (and the streets aren't either).

Outside of Las Vegas, I intend to visit Lake Mead/ Hoover Dam. There are also some gorgeous national parks anywhere from 1-3 hours outside of downtown. Southern Utah provides a beautiful escape from the chaos of Las Vegas.

For those of you who did not already know, I am spending Thanksgiving in Las Vegas. I have about a week off and I am excited to relax and do some extra sight-seeing. In case anyone wants to take an impulsive trip to Las Vegas, I have two extra beds in my hotel room. :)

Hotels

"Never lose a chance of saying a kind word."
"Dream--then do!"
"Let the past drift away with the waters."

The above quotations were compliments of the shampoo bottles in my hotel. Who would have thought that they'd start putting inspirational sayings on those?

One of the common questions I get on the road is, "What is it like living out of hotels?" (This is usually asked with a contorted and slightly pained expression). Actually, I love trying out all of these hotels. Each time we move to a new hotel I get excited all over again. It's like being on a bunch of mini vacations--there's always a new adventure.

I promise I'm not paid to advertise, but my co-worker and I are faithful guests at the Holiday Inn Chain Hotels. Out of that chain, the StayBridge Suites are always my first choice. The StayBridge has apartment style room with a lobby that is designed in a more residential, rather than business, fashion. Right now, however, I am in a Holiday Inn Select which is extremely nice as well.

My Favorite Hotels Have A...
+Private balcony off each room
+Grand piano in the lobby
+Bowl of fresh fruit in the lobby
+24 hour pool and fitness room
+Beach within a half mile

Snapshot

Picture this. We pull up to a local radio station and find a place to park our 27 foot vehicle outside the station. As we walk up to the studio, the door is flung open, a myriad of introductions are exchanged, and suddenly the entire crew is racing out the door and down the stairs like little children on Christmas morning. Within seconds, the radio station starts broadcasting their morning show from inside the WM.

Not all DJ drops, or stops at radio stations are as picture-perfect as this one, but I thought you'd enjoy this snapshot of a media day.

HD Challenge

This week is the official "Challenge" or competition between our teams. Spread across the country, there are six Mobiles and a team of two in each Mobile. Usually, we follow a tentative schedule of events set by our boss. This week we are responsible for scheduling all of our events. The team with the best events wins the Challenge.

Jeff & I set up events at a retirement home, a couple of hospitals, an outdoor mall, as well as an amusement park. Today we interviewed with 8+ media outlets across Bakersfield. Though we pitch our story to many different people, my favorite are the editors at small-town newspapers. We have a busy, but fun week ahead of us!

The "Country" of Arizona

Typically when I think of driving in the "country" I picture miles of corn fields or grasslands. In Arizona, instead of corn, cacti litter the countryside. I have never seen so many towering cacti! The mountains are covered with cacti and other desert plants as well.

Today my co-worker and I went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Besides being located in the gorgeous outskirts of Tuscon, the museum had desert gardens and a small zoo. My favorite animal was the javelina--a desert pig. More than the mountains, however, I enjoyed watching the sun melt behind the mountains. The colors of a desert sunset are breathtaking.

Phoenix, Arizona...Round 3

I was shocked to discover that the other evening was cool and pleasant. As many of the locals have already said, now is the time to be in Phoenix. It is warm during the day and quite pleasant in the morning and evening.

TV Filming

The other night my co-worker and I had a unique opportunity to be part of a television show filming. Have you heard of Overhaulin' on the Discovery Channel? It is similar to Extreme Makeover, except the hosts choose a car to completely re-do. The Wienermobile has a star role...and if you look for the two people in red polo shirts, you might even see me and Jeff.

Anyway, it was incredibly interesting to see the process of filming the show. I was amazed to realize how involved it is to organize these television shows. We had a lot of time throughout the night to talk to the hosts and producers of the show and get the entire "behind the scenes" experience. There is never a dull moment on this job!

The Weekend

Contrary to most individuals' schedules, my weekend started yesterday. This week I actually have Monday through Thursday off. Usually I work five days and have two days off, but occasionally, like this week, my days off all fall together.

We spent the day at a filming of the much-loved show Jeopardy in downtown LA. I am amazed by the volume of trivia that people can recall. Much thanks to our all-American vehicle, my co-worker and I had a police escort to the back stage of Sony Studios. We were also gifted front row seats at the show, as well as some other souvenirs. Mark your calendars to watch Jeopardy January 3rd and 4th.

Wienermobile in the News

Here's a clip from our afternoon in Tehachapi:

http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewPost/34205

Small Town vs. Big City

When we pulled into Tehachapi, California (a tiny town between Lancaster & Bakersfield), we became instant celebrities. Residents of Tehachapi were ecstatic to see the Wienermobile. After dropping our luggage at our hotel, we stopped by the local newspaper only to find that the photographer had already been snapping pictures as we were checking into the hotel. The photographer climbed aboard and we drove to the local park. The phones in the neighborhood began ringing and soon much of the town had stopped by the park.

Small-town Tehachapi provides quite the contrast to overpopulated Los Angeles. Traffic is non-existent, other forms of civilization are not within sight, and most everyone has time to stop and say "hello."

On the Road Again

Our summer promotion is officially complete. We have finishing debriefing and are ready to begin new activities. Tomorrow I will fly back to LA and continue our journey around the West coast.

Time with the rest of the team in Madison has been refreshing! Fun times have been enjoyed by all as we connect with each other. After all, there are not many who share the same unusual job of traveling the country in a 27 foot long hot dog and operating a public relations firm on wheels.

Here is the fair I am going to be working at this weekend in Orange County.

http://www.thekidsfaire.com/costamesa.htm

Madison, Wisconsin!

We're back at headquarters for some meetings with our co-workers and bosses. We also have some time to share and compare stories from our unique travels across the country. Since we have not seen each other since training in June, we are thrilled to re-unite!

Phoenix, Arizona

Have you ever been to Phoenix? If not, allow me to provide a tangible analogy of the weather. When I slide open my balcony door, it is like I am opening a 400 degree oven to check on the food cooking inside.

I'm back in Phoenix and thankfully it is no longer summer. My above description of Phoenix is more applicable to when we drove here last June with no air conditioning while trapped in a traffic jam and roasting in a vehicle which oddly resembles a hot dog. I am happy to report that the AC is now functioning and the weather has cooled down to a comfortable 90 degrees for autumn.

We will be working here for the weekend. Then we'll drive back to Los Angeles to fly out of LAX for meetings at headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

Work & Leisure

Many of you still do not believe that I actually work since I am constantly sight-seeing and touring new areas. Luckily, a reporter caught me in action the other day.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/oscar-mayer-jingle-1850310-sing-people


After a busy week of work in LA and Orange County, my "weekend," or days off, began today. We spent the day at Disneyland! Determined to get our money's worth, we went on nearly every ride and watched almost every show in the park. Space Mountain and Mr. Toad were among my favorite attractions.

The Jingle

Sing the Jingle, Be a Star

Many of you are probably wondering what I actual do at my events. The current promotion is a singing contest which familiarizes Americans with the company songs. Don't remember the tunes? http://singthejingle.com/

At the event today, I heard the Jingle over 300 times! There were a record number of entries. Everyone at the annual Route 66 Roundevous (a giant car show in San Bernardino, CA) wanted a moment of fame.

Recent Media

Want a glimpse at the "Sing the Jingle" performances I see every day?

http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2007/09/10/news/photos/3_oscar_070910.txt

The other week we took our friends to the Oregon beach with us on our off day. On our way, a man flagged us down in his pick-up truck by motioning wildly, pointing to a badge, and turning on his one yellow flasher on top of his vehicle. He had been following us for over 30 minutes hoping to get a picture.

http://tillamookheadlightherald.com/index.asp

Tourist Stops

Favorite Tourist Spot in Portland: Multnomah Falls

...620 foot waterfall from Larch Mountain...second highest year-round waterfall in the U.S. Breathtakingly beautiful. And yes, we did hike to the top of the falls.

The City: Portland, Oregon

After having spent the day in Portland, I have concluded that it is a quaint city with convenient public transportation, and a wide variety of entertainment options given its size.

1. Today I stopped at the Portland Market. It was reminicient of Bolivian markets--lots of people and merchandise crammed in one spot.

2. The river which runs through the city was the next tourist stop of the day. I like all of the bridges in the city of Portland.

3. I also visited the Classical Chinese Garden. It seemed rather unusual to have a quiet, tranquil garden in the midst of the city.

4. Finally, I ended the day at an Oregon Symphony Concert. The cool evenings of summer in Portland make for perfect outdoor events.

A Week's Work

After having spent the last week of work at various country clubs for golf tournament, yesterday's events were a welcome change of scenary.

Most of our event schedule is booked by our boss, but every once in a while we have plan days in which we decide what events to set-up. We started the day at 4:45 in the morning with a "dj drop" at the local radio stations. A couple of the radio stations interviewed us and broadcasted our locations for the day. Later on we stopped at the local Ronald McDonald's houses in Portland. We ended the day at the Doernbecher's Children's Hospital. The families and kids were thrilled.

Today marks our first weekend without work. Due to a scheduling error, my co-worker and I have been working for the past ten days. Consequently, our off days have stacked up so that we will not have work today, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. We are looking forward for the chance to see the city and, of course, relax.

Oregon, at Last

After three days of driving, we arrived in Portland, Oregon this afternoon. The drive through Northern California was gorgeous. We drove through many mountains and forested areas. Oddly enough, it is raining here. We have not had any rain since we started this job so we hardly knew what to do when we woke up in the rain and drove in the rain.

We will be in Portland for the next ten days working at a golf tournament (LGPA).

Highlights from the Drive:
-Driving through a town known nation-wide for their Split Pea Soup
-Seeing a sign in small-town Oregon for a Spam Festival
-Passing a sign advertising a town's Rubber Duck Race

Introduction

All of you have been asking for a website with updates, so I am going to try using this format. Hope you enjoy!