Good Morning!!!

My travel woes are even more woe this morning than they were last night. My US Airways flight leaving MKE at 5:20am was “delayed due to mechanical problems” so instead of having us wait for our plane to arrive, the pawned us off onto Delta.

And that’s where shit got real…

I’m really starting to change my mind about Delta. In a bad way. I don’t know. We will see. I am calling Delta customer service today. That’s for damn sure. And Sky Miles, as well.

Is Hilton *the* most bad-ass company out there hen it comes to customer service, or what? Or maybe Mariott. Starbucks. La Quinta. Infiniti. Wal-Mart. Dutch Bros. Sprint. The New York Yankees. (I’m serious. Yankee Stadium is a dynamite experience, to say the least. From the ticket agents, to the info people, to the ushers, to the concession stand peeps AND vendors! They make you feel like a friend vs a customer!)

Yes. I am prone to bitch and rant but I’m not opposed to praising and raving!

Well… I’m in an exit row and maybe, just maybe… This day will be a better day than yesterday.

Looking back to my evening in the terminal: I was wondering why I didn’t see my flight on the screen for upcoming morning departures! And as soon as I got the automated call at 4:00 am on the nose, EVERYONE in line started reaching for their phones as well. Funnyyyyyyyyy

Well… I was totally signing off and now I’m babbling again. I will let you go, though. For real, this time.

Oh!!! Damn!!! There is a flight attendant on this flight who is either Ethiopian or Somali and she is STUNNING. She sounds like a Cali girl, but her features are classic East African. Unmistakable. Beauty.

Okay. I’m done now. For real. No, really. I am. Out.

TRAINWRECKED!!!!!

That is what the name of the latest Hollywood blockbuster movie is going to be. It’s a movie about a day where nothing goes right.

Oh, my, god, I can’t even describe how bizarre this day has been. And I did it all to myself. There is no one to blame. No one but me. Although American Airlines did not do anything to help me out. They suck. As does Greyhound. They were not to blame for today but they sure didn’t make my day ANY easier.

I literally ran around in a circle several times in Chicago’s Greyhound terminal, camera slung over my back, carrying a monster shopping bag with several pounds of clothes, towing my 48 pound duffel bag. Yup. Like a dumb dog, chasing its tail. And then I stopped, bent over and took several breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths that didn’t help at all.

I finally made it to Milwaukee. Late. Too late. Much too late. I was told by a close friend that there was some kind of eclipse that put the whammy on a lot of things, cosmically. Hmmmmmmmm………..

I have SO many whys. Not a lot of answers, though. Shit just wasn’t making sense today and when asked, people could not tell me WHY things weren’t making sense. I was just told that’s the way it is.

Shit got so fucked up and out of hand that I can’t even tell you the full story. You wouldn’t even believe it anyway, even if I was able to put it into words. But it all started with me trying to pinch pennies. Penny pinching muthafuckers are ALWAYS rubbing me the wrong way and then *I* get it into my head that *I* am going to do some wild and crazy, out there kinda shit to $ave a buck or two??? And: BAM!!!!! A ton of bricks falling right on my fucking head.

Right. On. My. Head.

All because I wanted to take the cheaper way out. And what did I get??? I got the opportunity to know what an American Airlines plane ticket tastes like. And it wasn’t very tasty. I’ve thrown away WAY more money than the co$t of that stupid ass plane ticket but the fact that I am still in Milwaukee until 5-sumthin’ in the am isn’t sitting too well with me. And it’s not that I don’t live Brew City. It’s the fact that I *needed* to be on my way to Washington DC like…hours ago.

But I have to thank someone very special who helped me find a way out of this hot mess that I created from scratch, LOL!!! My day started sooooooooooo well and then it turned into a big, steamy pile of heaping shit. And it sloooooooooooowly turned. It was not an “all of a sudden” type of deal. It was a slow motion kind of transition.

Again. I really wish I could be specific but it’s too difficult to summarize in such a limited forum. I need a blackboard that goes from floor to 50 foot ceiling, wall to wall and a lotta lotta lotta lotta LOTTA chalk!

It doesn’t pay to be cheap. And sometimes, being cheap actually CO$T$ you even MORE money!!!

That’s it. Forgive the profanities. I really, really, REALLY needed to vent!!!

Nite Nite and I will see you all in DC

I told you I was going to do it!

Navy Pier!!! I’m jumping!!! Buh-bye, cruel world!!! Tonight’s Knicks loss was a little more than I could take My heart is broken and my dreams for a Knicks Championship have been crushed by Frank Vogel, Paul George, George Hill and the ghost of Reggie Miller Knick Killer.

Buh-bye!!! And sorry about the typos earlier. It was an early morning posting and I was hype over tonight’s game that ended up being a crushing defeat that I blame on YOU, Reggie Miller!!!!!

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I am NOT a fan…

of this weather. It’s cool, it’s wet, it’s sunny, it’s cloudy, it’s HOT and sunny and cold and blah and sunny and HOT and cool and wet and… MAKE UP YOUR MIND, ALREADY!!!!!

Knicks/Pacers tonight!!! My New York Knicks need your help! And support! And prayers! LOL!!! Maaaaaaaaaaan, did *anyone* know going into this thing how important Westbrook was to the Thunder??? I sure didn’t! And Durant is crying “I could do more.” Do more line what, dude? Sell tickets at the ticket office? Sell popcorn in the stands? Take out the trash from the concession joint? Commentate while you’re playing???

Whatever Westbrook is making, is no enough. Nuff said.

Man, continuing with the NBA: It gives me great joy when the Bulls lose but even I don’t get off seeing them get their asses beat like they have been lately. WOW!!! And every time I see D. Rose, I think pizza. I went to Giordano’s in the South Loop, on Halstead the other evening and my server treated me like I was fucking invisible. And when I told him about himself, he knocked my tab down from $14 to $8 (with a half-ass apology for not checking on me once.) Did I tip him??? Fuck no. And I LOVE Giordano’s an have gotten nothing but excellent service in the past at the other downtown locations.

Oh well…

Baseball: My Yanks are doin’ they doin’ it they doin’ it well! And they’re winning games with Robinson Cano and a buncha guys they snapped up at the Port Authority Bus Terminal! Believe me when I say: I am *beyond* impressed with the Yankees.

OMG, I think this 70-sumthin’ year old, super sweet, white lady in a wheelchair is flirting with me! LOL!!!

Hockey: The city of Boston comes back from a 4-1 deficit in the 3rd period to win their game seven against the Toronto Maple Leafs and advance in the NHL playoffs. The city of Boston makes sports history…again. And is their *any* wonder why I hate on Boston sports teams so much??? LOL!!! Fuck me!!! I’m done!!! With hockey…

This Wisconsin weather is doing a number on me and there is *something* in Brew City that’s for my allergies off the charts. It is very reminiscent of the desert reaction I get every time I go back to AZ. It’s back to Chicago tomorrow, so I’ll be straight. Or okay, LOL!!!

Pics! I haven’t posted them in a while, so enjoy. Lots of KCMO Royals/Yankees game pics. Some Rockies/Yankees action as well as food porn from my trips to Breckenridge Brewery in Denver! Also: Picasso in Chicago (which I went to on it’s very last day, Art Institute of Chicago, TOO MUCH!!! Beyond amazing!!!!!)

Enjoy! Go, Yankees! Go, Knicks! Sign Tim Tebow and for the love of puppies, can we please top talking about Rex Ryan already?!?!? Unless it’s a call for his head on a stick, Game Of Thrones style???

Speaking of TV: I was told that SouthLAnd got canceled this week

Fuck me, again…
I’m out. Nice day!

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Forgive me, for I have been slacking!

I never finished my “Oh my god, downtown Detroit is SO friggin’ awesome that you should drop what you’re doing and go there NOW” puff piece.

Visit downtown Detroit. Now. It isn’t the new ‘it’ destination yet, but it will be. Mark my words. Or mock my words. Either way. I’m right. LOL!!!

It’s early in the am and I am at Denver Intl Airport to hop on a bird back to KCMO to *hopefully* see my Yankees hammer the Royals. I say hopefully because weather and as always, my plans are always subject to change and even I am not above eating a ticket if I’m hungry enough, LOL!!!

I blew off two games here in Denver and went to one yesterday that it rain delayed so I left (and we won.) I may not be the jinx that I once thought but the season is still young. Only time will tell.

Breckenridge Brewery!!! I went!!! It’s pretty damn cool!!! Wait staff was on it. The bartender I had two days ago was WAY cool and the food was deelish!!! Two thumbs up for the Ballpark Brown which paired perfectly with the Chocolate Creme yummylicious desert! (Yesterday’s trip, I opted for the Vanilla Porter. I’ve been drinking it in bottles for years but it was nice to get it on tap.)

Support your local microbrewery!

Go, Knicks!!!!! Nuff said about THAT!!!

Hey!!! Did anyone catch that beat down that Miami put on the Bulls. I’m sure Noah’s fine ass supermodel momma felt that one. Daaaaaaaamn…….. And I am going on the record to say that LeBron James is not not just “the best basketball player on the planet” as he has been referred to millions of times by ESPN talking heads… But he I the best basketball player ever. He gets EVERYONE involved. He scores. He defends. He is complete. Again, he gets everyone involved. MJ wasn’t that type of cat. Kobe only works with others when forced to. Magic Johnson made a lot of guys look like rock stars but not like LeBron. LBJ’s vision is sickening. Dope. Sick. Unreal. Off the charts. Off the chain. Logic defying. I’m all in. LeBron James. Best ever. Period.

Okay. Back to the Chicago Bulls. Leave Derek Rose alone and let that man run his pizza empire! LMAO!!!

Thanks to everyone for sticking with me and be on the lookout for pics, pics and more pics. Not dirty pics. Those are on my Tumblr page: http://www.karsinknightly.tumblr.com

LMAO!!!!! A little shameless self promotion action there

Well, it’s boarding time. Be well. See ya in Kansas City. Kansas City, here I come.

LOTS of fellow Yankees fans, following the pinstripes, btw! Go, Yankees!!!!!

As promised: Is Detroit America’s Best Kept Secret?

I know most of us have heard the stories. The young, ambitious mayor going to prison for corruption. The city that declared bankruptcy because they didn’t even have enough money to keep the street lights on. Blocks and blocks of burned out houses. The backpage serial killer. The fact that one person gets murdered every day on average.

Do I need to keep going?

I’m talking the birthplace of the automobile. Motown. Home of the Coney Dog. The Motor City. Detroit Rock City. Eminem. 8 Mile. Bob Seger. Kid Rock. Anita Baker. Barry Sanders. Parliament-Funkadelic. Home of the Bad Boys of the NBA.

Before I ever visited the Detroit Metropolitan Area, I always had visions of Robo Cop in my head. Unchecked violence and lawlessness abound, blood in the streets and utter devastation everywhere you look. I vowed never to venture into the city for anything. On that first trip, I was curious enough to jump off of the freeway however. Riding up and sow the streets that were full of pot holes, I saw burned out shells of what were pretty nice houses at once. I saw boarded up houses. I saw foundations that were filled with the charred remains of houses and houses that I asked myself “How the hell that wreck still standing?” I got scared and jumped back on the freeway and sped off to the burbs. Never to set eyes on Detroit again, except to glance over at the long-empty high rise public housing projects. Towers windowless and haunting, staring down at the freeway. A reminder of times long gone.

Canton, Warren, Farmington Hills, Southfield. That became “Detroit” to me. Until this last trip.

I had heard the stories a couple of years ago that billionaire owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers Dan Gilbert was buying up anything and everything that was for sale in Detroit. He was turning old abandoned buildings into luxury condos, office space and retail. That was after the building of “the new Tiger Stadium” and Ford Field. I was told by several people that there were now casinos downtown as well as some places to eat. Hmmmmmm…… Sounds interesting but not interesting enough for me to check it out.

Until now.

I’m sometimes guilty of having that “been there/done that” attitude that we get when we have been a lot of places and done a lot of fun things. Show me something I haven’t done! Now is the time to seek out new places and meet new people and explore new surroundings. After spending a night in the burbs, I decided to venture into downtown Detroit for the first time ever!

WOW!!!!!

The architecture was the very first thing I noticed! Grandeois and awesomely awesome, LOL!!! The Book Tower and the Old Train Station (which is fighting for it’s life) stuck out the most. Eateries? Yes!!! Comerica Park??? YES!!! Historical markers told me many stories of a city that was once so full of live, love and innovation. A city that has since fallen on the hardest of times. A city that is ramping up for a comeback of the ages!

Detroit!

I pointed at Motor City and said “WOW!!!” Asking my cabby “What is THAT!?!?! Is that a shopping mall!?!?! It’s HUGE!!!!!” He laughed and said “No, that is a casino. We have [two/three/a dozen/a number] of them now.” I was like: “Oh! Cooooooool!” He dropped me off at Comerica Park where I was attacked by Tigers, LOL!!!

Hey… This is getting really long and I am getting really hungry. We are going to call this part one of ??? I actually left a lot of stuff out. (Like the shady cat who *thought* he was going to rob me as I left the train station. Think again, buddy.)

Anyway, enjoy these pics while I grab a bite to eat and some more coffee!

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I just witnessed an Amtrak police dog…

go BEZERK over something that was in this guy’s backpack and I’m *pretty* sure that it wasn’t Scooby snacks, LOL!!!

shaking…my…head…

Hope you have an MMJ card or a good bail bondsman, dude!!! LOL!!! Legalize it in ALL 50 states!!! (Says the person who hardly ever smokes weed.)

Hey! Milwaukee and Chicago??? Waaaaaaaaaay too short But I will be back in Chicago next week Yay!!! Late breaking news. Wait… No, on second thought? I’m holding off on the major announcement. LOL!!! Sorry!!! Don’t want to jinx it

I will say this: I am NOT going to be at the Yankees/Blue Jays game tonight. So the Yankees have my permission to win in my absence, LOL!!! Motor City Mambo/Dougie…right…about… NOW!!!

Detroit, baby!!!!!
O.U.T.

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