And the winner IS...

presenting...
"THE TRAVEL TROPHIES"
...brought to you by tiff.

These "Bests" are based on the following states I have traveled to for work: Minnesota, Illinois, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Texas & Florida.

Best Airport:

Phoenix

Worst Airport:

Dallas-Ft. Worth - not once have I left on time from this darn place!

Most Frequented (Best) Restaurants:

1.) Ruby Tuesday - the best alfredo sauce ever!
2.) Champp's - love their Tortellini Sylvina & Messy Sundae!
3.) Portillo's Hot Dogs in Chicago - yummy dog with delicious greasy crinkle fries & an awesome chocolate shake!
4.) Noodles & Company - Wisconsin Mac 'n Cheese, 'nuf said!
5.) The Olive Garden - all you can eat Pasta e Fagioli soup & breadsticks...or their penne alfredo.
6.) The good ole DQ! It's very rare if I don't have some form of ice cream EVERYDAY!
7.) any place that will deliver to my hotel room :)
**Other foods I tend to consume often, but wouldn't consider the restaurant to be a "favorite," include BK's Cinni-Mini's, McDonald's Cinnimelts & Godfather's Cinnamon Streusel dessert pizza.
**Hmm...notice a theme above? I LOVE ME SOME PASTA! Yeah, that Atkins Diet cutting carbs would pretty much starve me to death.

Best Hotel:
Chicago Lombard Fairfield Inn - great service, employees, location, breakfast, fitness room & hot tub!

Best Gym:
YMCA - since I'm a member of my local YMCA, I can work out at any of 'em in the country! Coolness, huh? Keep that in mind if you ever travel for work! :P

Biggest Gripes:

1.) Unprepared travelers going through airport security checkpoints! This is NOT the time to wear lace up boots, layered tops, complicated belts & an entire carry-on bag full of toiletries more than 6 ounces... The TLC show What Not to Wear needs to do an episode at an airport someday!
2.) Airport delays & cancellations
3.) Being stuck sitting over the wing on an airplane
4.) Idiot drivers who don't know how to drive in the city! No, you CANNOT slow down while entering a busy interstate!
5.) Toll booths - there's nothing worse than having to stop in the middle of a 70mph cruise, especially when in a hurry!
6.) Having night college fairs during NY Yankees MLB playoff & World Series games!
7.) Always having to miss Simpson's Homecoming...particularly my 5 year class reunion this year. :(
8.) Having night college fairs during March Madness NCAA Tourney basketball games!
9.) Not being able to meet with my students who are visiting campus while I'm gone

Easiest Cities to Drive In:

1.) Chicago - when comparing to other cities...
2.) Phoenix

Worst Cities to Drive In:

1.) Minneapolis-St. Paul - they have way outgrown their roads & have a million potholes!
2.) Miami-Ft. Lauderdale - just plain CrAzY traffic!

Best Rental Car Company:

Enterprise


Best Rental Car (since I've driven a different vehicle every time!):
1.) The new '07 Toyota Camry
2.) Pontiac G6

Best College Fair:
Western Slope College Fair in Aspen, CO - a.) it's in gorgeous Aspen, CO b.) it's so well organized with such friendly & appreciative staff c.) they provide us with great food & an incredible host condo/hotel with a balcony overlooking the main street, plasma t.v., stainless steel appliances & huge shower! d.) they offer free hiking, rafting & other recreational activities the day before the fair & e.) it's in gorgeous Aspen, CO! ;P

Best Ways to EnTeRtAiN Myself:

1.) Hottubbin' it at night in the hotel while catching up on the latest celebrity gossip from In Touch magazine or reading the hotel's copy of Newsweek & USA Today
2.) Crossword puzzles
3.) Laughing at products in the SkyMall catalog that could only be realistically sold to someone trapped in an airline seat for 3 hours!
4.) Text-messaging my brother
5.) People-watching in the airport - by the way, I think I'm the only business traveler that dresses for comfort on the road rather than a suit & high heels!
6.) Mall-walking isn't just a senior citizen activity anymore...
7.) Facebook & MySpace
8.) Sight-seeing, even if it is by myself!
9.) Photography
10.) Sitting & enjoying the view on one of Chicago's Lake Michigan North Shore beaches
11.) Checking out local boutique shops
12.) My iPod, whether it be listening to tunes or playing solitaire for the hundredth time...I actually caught myself accidentally singing aloud on my way to an airport gate, oops! :P
13.) Driving around the really fancy & wealthy neighborhoods admiring the really sweet houses

Coolest Lookin' High Schools:
1.) Hastings High School - Hastings, MN
2.) Wayzata High School - Plymouth, MN
3.) Lakeville South High School - Lakeville, MN
4.) The Woodlands High School - The Woodlands, TX
5.) Providence Academy - Plymouth, MN
6.) Omaha Central High School - Omaha, NE

Enjoy some pics of my past Admissions travel AdVeNtUrEs:

This is a large "globe" sculpture in front of Colorado Spring's Olympic Training Center

A view from inside the Olympic Training Center grounds

Pure serenity at 13,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies

I survived the super scary drive along Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road!

I thought this was funny - a dead tree log made into a caterpillar :P

My li'l travel buddy, a penguin, at the Rockies' Continental Divide

A rock shaped like a face profile in the Garden of Gods, Colorado Springs

Green Mountain, CO - Gee, I wonder how that town got its name?!

Inside the U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs - breathtaking isn't it?!

An exterior shot of the U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel, Colorado Springs

"I think I can, I think I can..." - during a break on the Pikes Peak Railway

"Honey, I shrunk the shoppers!" Me & some Student Ambassadors outside the Mall of America, Minnesota :P

Watching an MLB Spring Training Game on a beautiful March evening in Phoenix

Who says a load of fries doesn't make a good breakfast?!

Ocean Drive of South Beach Miami, FL

Chillaxin' on a South Florida beach

Ok, so I don't have the cartwheel form I used to have...

The new travel season of new people, places, photos, problems & 'ph'un is just about to begin!...

Did You Know?
'88 Simpson graduate Ric Coy appeared on Cheers, Married with Children, Santa Barbara & Rescue 911.

"Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else." - Lawrence Block