Week 25 - On to Birmingham, AL with a pitstop in Atlanta! Go Cubs!

Well, lucky me! We had a few days off and had to travel from Greensboro, NC to Birmingham, AL. And it just happens that I had to travel through Atlanta and had a few days off. I've been so busy with work that I didn't know there were tickets left, but Gen told me so I got tix for the first two games at Turner Field!! But first, I visited Courtney Cauldwell in Atlanta. For those of you that know her, and don't know...she moved there a few months ago for work. She has a great apartment about 15 min. north of the city, and sounds like she's loving it! We went out to dinner and to watch the Bears vs. Packers debacle. At least we have the Cubs to cheer for!








Cubs WIN!



I had some time to kill during the day before game 2, so I just did some running downtown to see some Atlanta's sights including Georgia Tech campus. Atlanta is a beautiful city.

After a crazy two days, I had to get to Birmingham for yet another Southern Women's Show. And, of course, there was another "Bachelor" there. This time it was Jamie from Chicago. He actually lives at North and Wells of all places. I also met Carter from Trading Spaces. Both very cute! ha ha





I am now in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and my vacation officially starts tonight! I have the weekend off to go to my friend Todd's wedding and a bunch of my friends are flying in for it. It's a much needed vacation and it will be great to catch up with everyone. Nothing better than celebrating my birthday on the beach with friends!

Oh...and I almost forgot...on my way down to Ft. Lauderdale Carolyn and I stopped in Tampa for Monday Night Football. I'm catching some luck with witnessing sport games going down in the record books with the addition of the Colts comeback against the Bucs! It was an amazing game. Carolyn is friends with Dwight Freeney and he gave us some tix in the Colts section. The Bucs fans were just livid! Afterwards, we met up with Dwight and some players after the game before boarding their bus. It was pretty cool...and felt weird being at a football game in 80 degree heat! I haven't downloaded the pics yet, but they'll be in my next update.

I hope everyone is doing well!

Week 24 - Greensboro, NC

After rafting I made it to Greensboro for the next show. One of our temp staff from the Charlotte show, Christy, actually lived there. So we ended up going out to dinner one night and then I went with she and her friends to see Sam Bush play in Winston-Salem. What I love about traveling is meeting local people who can show me the true experience of the area. Sam Bush is a rockin' bluegrass band which was great. We met some great people. As Christy would say, "I have just enough hick in me to be fun!" And she definitely was fun! Stay in touch Christy!




After a long weekend of work, I decided to take an hour ride up and do some hiking at Hanging Rock state park. It's a beautiful area in the mountains with loads of hikes to choose from that were very desolate. It may have not been the smartest thing to go by myself, but I loved it. Here's a few pics. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it!






We have our first long drive in a while...going from North Carolina to Birmingham, AL for yet another Southern Women's Show. We have two vehicles now since we load in our vehicle to the shows every weekend.

Week 23 - Charlotte, NC

I figured that North Carolina and Alabama were going to be a little less than exciting, but found that I had a great time. It's definitely slower paced than home, but I took advantage of doing some things that I'm not able to do in Chicago.

We had a long weekend of work at another Southern Women's Show in Charlotte, but we were able to get out one night with one of our temp staff. A couple of the places we went were pretty cool, and I met some people that have recently moved from Chicago so it was great chatting with mid-westerners! The city is pretty small, but clean and beautiful.

Since there wasn't much to do exactly in Charlotte, for my day off I decided to travel a bit to do a 6-hr whitewater rafting trip. It was incredible! I've only been once before and this was a level 3&4 course with a drop 5 at the end. I had some great people in my raft from Seattle who were fun. Here's a few pics:





I decided to take the scenic route out to Greensboro, NC (to our next SWS show) and I drove through the Smokey Mountains and made a few scenic pitstops along the way. I'm really liking driving across the country, and I never thought I'd say that considering I don't even own a car!

Weeks 20, 21, 22 - To Hartford, back to NYC, back to Connecticut and on to North Carolina!

I had some issues with my camera and lost my pictures from Connecticut. We didn't have much free time, however I was able to go to a great Cajun dinner at a jazz place called Black-Eyed Sallys, and I was able to meet up with Lee Abdella's brother, future sister-in-law and friend while there. We went to a good mexican restaurant for some food and margaritas before heading to meet out a bunch of their friends at a bar that had a Dave Matthews cover band playing. It's not only Chicago that has the cover bands..only this time, the band sounded EXACTLY like DMB!

Hartford is a very small, but pretty city. I was very surpised as I had no idea what to expect. At the CT Women's Expo, Matt Cedano from Days of Our Lives was there doing a guest appearance. Again, another picture I don't have! For you soap opera fans, he's just a good looking in person.

We had a few days off so we decided to head back to NYC since there wasn't much going on in Hartford. I spent a full day hanging out in Central Park. I did some running around the lake there and walking through the entire park. I wanted to go to the Metropolitan Art Museum but when I got there, I found it was closed being a Monday. I bought a couple framed photos of Central Park I loved it so much. Overall, an enjoyable day!

Tuesday I needed a lazy day and just spent it at the hotel sleeping in late and watching TV. Seeing as though we had to get up at 4am to head to the Today Show the next morning..it was a good call as it was a long day!

We arrived at The Today Show at 5am with our posters and rawhide dog bones. We wanted to try to stick out so we made posters geared toward Al Roker since he's the one who's outside the most. One poster read, "Hey Al, How dense are your bones?" And the other read, "We drove 15,200 miles to meet you." Since we're doing bone density screenings, we thought Al may wonder what we're talking about as well as where we came from that we had to drive 15,200 miles. (That's the total miles driven to date on the tour) Well, it didn't work...we did meet him, however being the day before Sept. 11, he talked to those who had quilts and pictures of lost loved ones...and rightfully so. We were, however, able to get our client's logo on tv since we put the stickers on the back of our signs and when the camera panned us the logo was captured...so they were pleased. I got some calls from friends saying they saw me on tv during the Conan segment. Too fun!

The Today Show was a good one! The guest star outside was Conan O'Brien due to his 10th year anniversary. It was a crazy segment if you didn't catch it on tv that morning. They had a camel, Chippendale dancers, sheep with party hats, a marching band and presents and cake. Here are a few pics:




After the show, I stayed downtown and took the NBC studios tour. We visited Dateline and Saturday Night Live sets which was pretty cool. I was also picked to do the weather segment with a teleprompter and everything. It was interesting to learn facts about many of the shows I watch on NBC.

After that I went to Shea Stadium to catch the Mets vs. Marlins game. They lost...as usual...but it was a good way to spend a sunny afternoon. When I got there, I met a girl named Jordan. We ended up getting tickets together and hung out during the game. Afterwards, we went down to Little Italy for dinner. Once again, an instance where it's been very easy to meet cool people while on the road!





After dinner, Jordan had to take off since she had to catch an early flight the next morning...and I went to a bar in the lower east side which was cool. I made friends with the bartenders and some other people there. Again, great, cool New Yorkers! I ended up going across the street later and seeing a band called The Ritchies play. A very jam-packed but fun day. Had to go out of NYC with a bang!

We then headed back to Connecticut...this time it was to the Fairfield area to work some retail stops. Overall an easy week. We didn't do much as there's not much to do there and we only had 3 days. All I did was work, workout and sleep. My wallet also thanked me for laying low since NYC wiped me out.

We left from NYC and started our journey south to North Carolina. We had to go to Charlotte to work at the Southern Women's Show. From here on out, we are basically going to cities following the SWS. It's a huge 3 or 4 day event with vendors geared towards women's interests. It involves working 10 hour days, giving bone density screenings and educating consumers on the "power of soy". It turns out being long, exhausting days and I found I didn't have much energy after work.

Charlotte is also a very pretty and clean city. It's a bit slower paced that what I'm used to, but it was still enjoyable. We were first worried about Hurricane Isabelle but were assured that it wouldn't be heading inland to Charlotte, so we decided to still attend the convention. It was a big nerve-racking to be there, but besides the day of the storm the weather was beautiful! We did get the energy to head out one night with one of our temp staffs to a lounge and a club. It was a pretty good night...met some guys that used to live in Chicago...but as I said, definitely lower key.

A highlight at the Southern Women's Show was the guest appearance of Charlie from "The Bachelorette". For those of you that don't remember, he was the guy who lost to Ryan for Trista's heart. ha ha Well, I met him and he seemed like a genuine, humble guy. He now works for Extra as an interview host. It was interesting to hear how he got on the show and how his life has changed since. That makes 3 bachelors I've met on the road so far.




I have off until Friday when we head to Greensboro, North Carolina for another Southern Women's Show. I drove down to the border of South Carolina and Georgia today and I am going on a 6-hour whitewater rafting trip tomorrow! Details to come!

Kari

Weeks 18 & 19 - New York City!

What have I done in NYC? I think the better question to ask is "What DIDN'T I do in NYC!" This really is a great city, and if my income allowed it, I could definitely live here. I think the best part is the diversity of people. I've met great people from all over the world. Since my co-worker had family in town visiting, I spent my two weeks in NYC hitting the city solo...and I had a blast! Practically everywhere I went I met great, friendly people that I spent some time with..whether it be at a concert, walking around the city, at a bar/lounge or standing in line for an event.

I think the highlight was MTV's Video Music Awards! Since they were held in NYC and I had that day off, I decided to head to Rockefeller Center early to check out the scene and see where I could stand to see some stars. I got there about noon and stood in line by an area along the pre-show stage that looked like a place where fans were going to be allowed to stand. After four hours of waiting and meeting plenty of people, we were told that people were "casted" to be in certain areas. Not really knowing how it all works, with no one giving much information to help, I started to scope out a new spot. I figured I could see the stars walk into Radio City Music Hall so I camped out there. Then I started noticing people with different colored braclets on their wrists and started asking questions. Turns out, you had to find casting staff that had the bracelets in their pockets and then talk your way into getting one while also fitting a certain demographic to..so I started hunting. I met some new friends during the day so I told them to save my spot and I'll search for bracelets. I was able to find a pink and a purple braclet, and come to find out that purple gets me along the red carpet next to the podium that all the stars stop at for their MTV interview! The girls I met were ecstatic that I got these bracelets for them. We were able to watch the preshow as well as the red carpet! I got to either see or meet EVERYONE who came down the red carpet. Here's a few that I can remember: P. Diddy, Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson, Real World and Road Rules Cast, 50 Cent, Nelly, Kelly Rowland, Good Charlotte, DMX, Simple Plan, Kim Cattrel, Jason Biggs, Hillary Duff, Kelly Osborne, The Olsen Twins, Snoop Dog, DMX, Ashanti, Mary J. Blige, Mya, Donald Trump, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Nick Lache, Carson Daly, Gideon, Sway (MTV veejays), Serena and Venus Williams, Tony Hawk, LeBron James, Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit, Avril Lavigne, Sean Paul, Black Eyed Peas and some others. BUT..in order to get access, MTV had to take my batteries from my camera...so no pictures were taken. I only have these from before the red carpet.



I also had a run-in with 50-cent twice before the VMA's. I was caught in the middle of a fight in the NYC streets between a guy in a car and a guy in a suit that claimed he was almost hit, so he punched the guys car. Cops came and wanted to talk to me since I was there..and once I was done I turned around and 50-cent walked out of a jewlery store...you know he was there to buy some bling-bling! ha!

I also had another celeb sighting at the Yankees game. I was fortunate enough to witness the Sox kill the Yankees 11-2! I had my Cubs visor with me and made sure I wore it to the game and got quite the attention. It was a great time. I had great seats close to the Yankees dug-out and a few times I ran into Bobby Bachala (Steve Schirripa) from the Sopranos! He wasn't as big in person...but he was very nice to the fans. He stopped for a picture for me, but it didn't turn out! Again, quite the tourist!

Picture me, in NYC, with 5 different maps navigating my way around the city. I did most all of the tourist things there are to do! I hit the spots including Empire State Building, Central Park, Ground Zero (very eerie, by the way...couldn't stay long), Staten Island ferry out by the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, saw the Broadway show "Rent", went to the Christina Aguilera/Justin Timberlake concert with Carolyn, went to see the John Mayer/Counting Crows show at Jones Beach, hit the Bowery Ballroom to see The Damnwells and the Ben Taylor Band, learned to salsa dance from a French guy, met up for dinner with a friend, did some shopping in Jersey and Chinatown, went to Atlantic City in New Jersey to meet up with Jen Sanders, Kelly Varga and Kristen Lenda who were in town from Chicago, and surprisingly my former boss, Hertha, was in town the first weekend I was here so I went out with her and her friends. Overall, a fantastic time! But I'm broke..I've got to leave soon!

I know I rambled a lot, but I've done so much, that if I went into detail about all of it, this would be a novel. Just trust me, that if you haven't had the opportunity to spend time in NYC, to get out here and do it! I love it. Each city I compare to Chicago, and the only ones to come close so far are NYC and San Francisco...but Chicago still tops my list! I'm heading to Hartford, CT for the weekend and then back to NYC for a few days. I'm hoping to get a run in at Central Park and also go to the Metropolitan Art Museum.

Here's some pics:





(Ground Zero)







Love it, love it, love it! But, I'm still missing Chicago and you all! 2 months and counting! I've got an apartment all lined up in Wrigleyville and am living with Lee Abdella...and starting to think about what exactly I want to do when I get back!

I hope you are all doing well! I can't believe summer is officially over!

Love,
Kari

Week 17 - Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is another city that I never really gave much thought to...and I was pleasantly surprised! It is a smaller city, but a beautiful one. With three rivers making the "point" in the city there it was easy to navigate. I took a day and traveled the city by foot. I went running along the river and went to lunch on the South Side and took the incline up to Mt. Washington. This spot is a very scenic overlook of the entire city. I then went to Station Square, which is similar to Navy Pier. Here's some shots:





I also had time to get in a Pirates game at PNC park. One of the best ball parks I've been to as far as technology goes. There's a Hi-Tops there too that we hit after the game.



There is a bunch of contests throughout the game, and a guy lost, so he won...Fabio!


Saturday night Carolyn didn't feel like going out and I still hadn't seen "The Strip" area, so I decided to head down solo. Besides going to events, it's the first time I've gone out to bars by myself. I went to dinner at Primanti Bros. which has great sandwiches and then I went to a sports bar to watch some of the Phillies vs. Steelers game. There, a guy started talking to me and got my story and then introduced me to his entire group. People seem to be so amazed by this adventure they ask a ton of questions. This group was so nice they invited me to go out with them. So the night turned into a "Where can we take Kari next?" night. We all had a blast, hit a lot of spots and ended up being a very late night! Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera out with me that night!

We were only Pittsburgh for 5 days but I really enjoyed that city. It's probably my favorite city on the east coast so far. I just arrived to New York City and am the true tourist here with all my public trans maps, etc. I think come November I'll be looking forward to coming back to the city where I know how to get everywhere...or maybe I'll forget!

Miss you all!

Weeks 15 & 16 - Philadelphia, PA and a day trip to Cape May, NJ

It is true..they do have the best cheesesteaks in Philly! I personally enjoyed Jim's the infamous joint but also liked the steaks at the ballpark. It's a good thing they don't have them on every corner in Chicago otherwise I'd be in trouble!

We did a lot in Philly. It was a pretty cool city. The night life was alright..kinda small...but there was plenty to do during the day. We worked a lot while we were here. Carolyn and I went out downtown one night for dinner and hit a few lounges. It seems to be the popular thing. Among the cobblestone streets there's plenty of lounges and restaurants all in a 3 or 4 block radius.

The second week Carolyn went on vacation and I had a couple days off. I hit Veterans Stadium for a Phillies game. I got pretty good seats and talked to many of the locals and the Phillies won! The new stadium is being built next door, and is supposed to be finished for next season. I think they are making it like Wrigley. Here's a few pics...



And here's Liberthal at the plate...


When work days came around, Carrie from the office flew out to cover for Carolyn. We had a great time. We were insanely busy working federal buildings, but we did have a day to take a day trip to stay with Jen Sanders parents in Cape May, NJ. I've never heard of it, but it's an amazing Victorian beach town. The homes there are amazing! Jens' parents were gracious enough to let us stay in their home, and her mom took us around town to see the sights. I definitely want to go back. There's great seafood restaurants, beaches, shops and bars. Jen's dad even caught fresh crabs for us that we had for dinner. It was great having a home to be in and a few home cooked meals! Here's some pics...





We then headed back to Philly for a couple days of work and before Carrie had to fly back to Chicago we did some shopping due to a down pour which also forced us into an Irish Bar downtown. Jen's friend Joe met us out and took us to Cuba Libre and introduced us to Mohida's...they are great!


My final day there, I was solo again waiting for Carolyn to get back into town so we could head to Pittsburgh. I went to a place about 6 miles our the the city center to Manayunk. It is a cute, cobblestone street with over 60 boutiques and restaurants. I walked though the shops, rented a bike and took about a 12 mile ride along the river, got a pedicure, and had sushi. A great day! On my ride I rode through the zoo, museum campus and witnessed the infamous "Rocky stairs" Check it out.