Every time I start a new blog, I find myself needing to apologize for not getting one of these up faster. The truth is that I know that you all have enough to do in your lives to read some boring blog about me doing nothing. There is nothing worse than listening to someone tell you that they are doing nothing. I have been home for the last couple of weeks just leading my normal life. So, I am not going to try to blog about going to the cleaners and making a nice "gravy" for my in-laws. Good? Ok...let's move on.
This past week I was invited to attend an event in Detroit. Now, the last time I was in Detroit, I was 7 months prego and we sat on the tarmac at Wayne for over 6 hours waiting for a storm to clear! It was not a good experience and I was just not wanting to come back. So, when I heard about this trip... I was less than thrilled to make my way back to motor city!
I flew out of DCA to Detroit on Northwest Airlines who used "NWA" as their logo. For a girl that grew up in New York... NWA does not mean Northwest Airlines... so, I chuckled a bit. (Yes, I am a white girl... but, i could not resist) Northwest flies out of the old terminal at DCA and it is kind of bizarre in there. Its not as bad as gate 27 in Beijing (but what is?) ... but, it was kind of like a big room with gates off of it. The weirdest part are the bathrooms which are like big trailers attached to the building with toilets. The other bad part about this terminal are the food choices. They suck... so, be sure to either eat before you come or plan to starve.
I ended up meeting a colleague on the flight and it was nice to arrive in Detroit and share a cab to the hotel. I looked at the itinerary (which was booked for me) and we were staying at the MGM Grand Resort. Huh? Was I reading that right? Yup. We pulled up to what looked like an Atlantic City resort in the middle of the city. Apparently the hotel was only 6 months old... and it was considered the nicest property in the city. OK... I can handle that.
Arrival was fast and easy and the hotel has that casino feel... but, it was cleaner and was teeming with security (this is Detroit after all). I went up to my room on the 10th floor and was pleasantly surprised. It was beautiful with every modern upgrade you could imagine (flat screen TV, Cisco phones with touch panels, and a large marble bathroom that had a yummy steam shower with a rainfall head). Not bad, Detroit!
I worked for a bit and then started to get ready for the event. A few friends met me in my room for a bite of room service before heading to the event. The party was nice and it was like a big sales show for all of the Discovery Networks. Basically each network gets up and shows off their new shows for the upcoming year. The event is called UPFRONT and it is meant to excite potential advertising clients about what shows are coming up. I thought the best presentation came from Animal Planet who is doing a show with a dude who is going out to live with Lions. The Lions are awesome... but, he was adorable!
After the show, we went to a wine bar called Enoteca and it was fine. They had some nice choices... but, the food was nothing to talk about. We then made our way back to the hotel and we flew out the next day.
This week, I am heading to Orlando to see my family. AND... just for the record... I am currently in the process of purchasing an HD video camera so that I can start my vlogs and my travel videos for Travel Channel. Someone posted a comment that I am now a "silent" Travel Channel Academy grad and that I am no longer excited about what I learned up in NY that week. The truth is... I am putting together my equipment package and it takes time and money to get it right.
Enjoy your week and please submit a comment if you want to bitch about me, the shows or if you just have a travel question. I know that some of you are not happy with the latest Sam Brown Disney show and I would love to hear your thoughts.
Travel On..
Lori
