I don’t remember
every town I’ve ever visited, but lately I am trying to. It’s because as Ferris
Bueller said long ago: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look
around once in a while, you could miss it.” Especially if you are a business traveler as I am.
I usually cover
150,000 air miles a year (domestic), and it’s not unusual for me to be in
hotels 120-150 nights each year. There are some weeks I am in five hotels in
five days. So I have had to come up with a way to find the time to explore the
areas I am in and to make them memorable. To me, after the business, traveling
comes down to food and fitness. Yeah, the people are usually pretty interesting, but I am
mostly a solitary adventurer.
The easiest thing
to do is to eat at the hotel when possible and to work out in the hotel
gym. Believe me, there have been more
than a few nights when those were my only options. And I put on the weight as
proof. But there is a better, though more challenging choice, and when I have
made it, it’s made all the difference.
On week-long
business trips, it seems you are eating every meal from or in a restaurant. I’ve
taken to seeking out Farm-to-Table restaurants for dinners when I can. They
usually have a broader menu with fresh offerings. And the chefs seem to take
more care/pride in the meals. And from cities such as Grand Rapids, MI to
Murfreesboro, TN, heck even Daytona Beach FL, you can find some great culinary gems.
I remember a particularly tasty roasted brussels sprouts dish at Bistro Bella
Vita in Grand Rapids. It was a wow!
The second part
is the fitness, and when I look back over the last five years, I see the times,
when I have escaped the hotel gym for a spirited walk or run that I have found
so many great locations or slices of history. Places that stick in my memory in
ways that another night in a nameless Hampton Inn will never do. I’ll share
just a couple of the more memorable runs first, then the dinners. A couple
happened at the same nightly stop!
I was in PA, for
a conference and staying in King of Prussia.
After hanging out in my room working on a web site and editing product
videos for two days, I was going stir crazy. So, about 11:00 a.m. I opened my
curtains and looked out on a cold,
cloudy spring morning. I forced myself to slip into running gear thinking I
could not remain in my room for another minute. I looked at the satellite image
on google maps and saw a large open area about ½ mile away with what looked
like paths through it. I headed out, crossed a busy, narrow road and looked up
to see a sign at the entrance to Valley Forge National monument. It took a
moment for that to sink in. I had no idea I was near this historic spot.
I cannot fully
express what I felt as I ran along the south ridge. I had to stop and read the
monuments as I went. It was cold enough to make me want to keep running, but
reading about the travails of those soldiers and militia men experienced in
that cold winter I appreciated the clothing I had put on. I felt it was such an honor to be in that
place at that time. Had I not struck out on that run I never would have learned
as much as I did that morning, and I never would have come to appreciate how
important it is to take some time for yourself, move out of your comfort zone and
be open to what’s around you. It was far from the fastest run I have ever
taken, but there are few that I can think of that have meant more to me.
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