Category: North America

A Cozy Getaway to Oxford: Books, Music, and Incredible Food

Oxford has always been on my list of places to visit, and I finally had the chance to experience it firsthand. From historic libraries to delicious meals, world-class music, and a unique hotel stay, this trip had everything I could have hoped for.

A Literary Pilgrimage: The Bodleian Library

As a book lover, no visit to Oxford would be complete without stepping into the iconic Bodleian Library. Walking through its grand halls, surrounded by centuries of history, felt like stepping into another world. The architecture, the weight of knowledge stored within its walls, and the sheer sense of history made this an unforgettable stop.

A Foodie’s Delight: Indian, Gyros, and Brasserie Blanc

Oxford’s food scene did not disappoint. I indulged in some fantastic Indian cuisine—rich curries, fragrant rice, and perfectly spiced dishes that warmed me up in the cool weather. A gyro stop added another layer to the culinary experience, with tender meat, fresh toppings, and that unmistakable garlic sauce. To top it all off, dinner at Brasserie Blanc was a highlight—delicious French-inspired cuisine in an elegant setting, making for a perfect evening meal.

A Night of Unforgettable Music: The Transatlantic Sessions

One of the biggest highlights of the trip was seeing The Transatlantic Sessions at the New Oxford Theatre. The blend of Celtic and Americana music was nothing short of magical. The talent on stage, the passion in the performances, and the incredible musicianship made for a mesmerizing evening. It was the kind of concert that stays with you long after the final note fades.

A Stay Behind Bars: The Malmaison Hotel

One of the most unique parts of this trip was my stay at The Malmaison Hotel, which is housed in a former prison. The transformation from jail to luxury boutique hotel is impressive—the rooms have kept elements of the original structure, making for an atmospheric and unforgettable experience. It’s not every day you can say you spent the night in a prison cell and loved it!

A Little Retail Therapy: Westgate Oxford

No trip is complete without a little shopping, and Westgate Oxford provided the perfect opportunity. From high-end brands to unique finds, I enjoyed browsing and picking up a few things to remember this trip by.

Traveling in Style: United Business Class

Traveling business class on United both ways made the journey even more enjoyable. Comfortable seats, great service, and some much-needed rest ensured I arrived relaxed and ready to explore.

Final Thoughts

Oxford exceeded my expectations in every way. The mix of history, culture, music, and incredible food made for an unforgettable trip. While the weather was on the colder side, it only added to the charm—but next time, I’d love to visit when it’s a bit warmer. Until then, I’ll be reminiscing about the meals, the music, and the magic of this incredible city.

Day 1

I am back in the saddle for my blog.    I have had several trips since my last entry, including Michigan, Peru, California, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, and other exciting locations.

It’s a shame that my blogs stopped but I am rededicating myself to entering my trips.

This week I’m in Calgary. 

The morning started quite nicely with an Uber ride from home to IAH.   The driver was amiable and focused on discussing Christopher Columbus.

Getting an Uber is always interesting since you don’t know who will pick you up.

Upon arriving in Calgary, I stayed in the Westerly Hotel.   This place is great due to its location, amenities, and rooms.  Each room has a distinct layout but is very modern and well-designed.

In the afternoon I headed over to the Sealweld office to meet with my team.

After a few hours of discussing projects I returned to the hotel to relax.  I then realized that my underwear was left at home and had to scramble to find something nearby.   Luckily, there was a dollar store where they had some available for sale.  

After leaving the purchased goods in the hotel, I went to the Bridgette Bar where we had a great meal with one of our customers.  

I returned to the hotel, spoke to Tanya, and called it a night. 

Day 2

The day started off with a great breakfast at the hotel.   The Westerly has a Latin restaurant that has great food.   I think it is one of the best Hilton hotel breakfasts in North America.

I head out to our customer’s office to do provide an overview of the DRA (Drag Reduction Agent) product to their employees.   Upon entering the conference room we were all taken aback about the view we had from this room.    As the meeting was about to start we noted the great turnout of 30 participants.   It was something that was unexpected but a great result of the team’s efforts to organize this Lunch and Learn session.

During the afternoon I worked out the Sealweld office before heading out to celebratory dinner with our customer’s Procurement team at the Charcut Roast House.   It was a very nice steakhouse where Justin Trudeau had eaten at only the week before us. 

Day 3

After having another great breakfast I headed to the Sealweld office to have a  celebratory Thanksgiving banquet with the team.   I was happy to try a new tradition involving a lot of food from the Philippines.   Getting to learn and experience new things is one the main benefits of traveling.    Everyone brought a dish and the event was enjoyed by the entire team.

After working in the hotel and another customer meeting I took the team out for dinner to Major Tom.    This is probably my favorite restaurant in Calgary.   A client met us for dinner and joined us for a nightcap at the Rooftop bar.   It is great getting to hangout and relax with the team.  

Day 4

After having a great breakfast I headed out to a customer lunch at Calgary Petroleum Club.   This is a great to place to have a meeting.   It has great amenities, food and service.   What was amazing that someone on my team, Marie Ocampo, aunt was serving us.   I took a photo to share with her and the team.

Before the next customer meeting I had a craving for an ice cream.   I made my way to China town and tried a rolled up ice cream.   It was a different take on a traditional ice cream but very tasty.   Unfortunately I could not finish it due to the customer meeting was about to start.

Afterwards I headed back to my room before going to dinner at XX.   I am big fan of their gyros.  I take a Bird scooter to this place as it makes it a lot easier than walking or Uber.

Day 5

I woke up at 3:00 AM to get ready for a 6:00 AM flight back to Houston.   Once I made it Chetan appeared after having an all night reunion with one his former co-workers.   This guy has an internal power source that seems to never run out.

On the United flight I was upgraded to First class by using my Plus Points.  These Plus Points are about to expire and thought it would be good to start using them now.

I am happy to be returning home today and am ready to relax this weekend.   

Day 1

I arrived into Minneapolis at 3:30 PM.   As I entered the National Car Rental garage their employee told me that most of the 4X4 vehicles were parked in a different row.   It then dawned on me that there must be a reason he is providing me this guidance.  As I loaded my suitcase and backpack into a Toyota Highlander the cold began to seep through my coat and undershirts.   As I was leaving the garage the attendant informed me that a record Winter storm had just started.

I immediately began thinking about the customer visits that would now have to be rescheduled or cancelled. Then started to think if it was even going to be possible to meet with Kevin, the Minneapolis sale rep.    I recalled looking at my Weather app the day before and it had only predicted 1 – 2 inches of snow.    The weather forecast was now showing a snowfall accumulation of 2 feet over the next 48 hours!    This would make the roads very hazardous to drive.  

As I checked into the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomington the employee behind the registration desk told me she was surprised to see me traveling this week.    This seemed to be theme of my trip.   A lot of people questioned how smart it was to be in Minnesota at this time.   The thing was that this trip had been planned 6-8 weeks prior and it would have been difficult to reschedule.

After getting into my room I began to look for any local tennis clubs that had drills going on that evening.   I found the Minnetonka tennis club.   This is a place that I tried to play at on my previous trip but it was not yet open for the season.    As I drove to the club I found the roads to be really dangerous as the snowfall from earlier in the day was still on the ground.    There were small snow flurries and the wind brought up a lot of snow drift into my line of sight.   This made the drive even more difficult.   After 20 minutes I arrived to the club and was impressed to see 7 other players ready to go.   These people are used to the cold and as passionate to play tennis as myself.    The drill started at 8:00 PM.    After warming up it became clear to me that there were not going to be any drills.   Instead we were going to be playing doubles for the entire session.    After 2.5 hours of great play we were able to finally call it a night.   I returned back to the hotel and basically had the highway to myself.   It was an eerie feeling but was finally glad to see the hotel after another 20 minute drive.

Day 2

The next day I met Kevin early at the Minneapolis Service Center that is located in Chasksa.    We had a couple of customer visits scheduled and drove out to Delano.    After completing the customer visits we went to eat lunch at Brickside Grille and Tap.   As it was Ash Wednesday I decided not to eat any red meat.    To my dismay everything that appealed to me on the menu had beef as part of the meal.   The Margherita pizza had a vinaigrette on it which gave it a sweet taste.   This did not really appeal to me since I am used to eating the real deal out of Naples.   After completing another customer site visit we headed back into Minneapolis.    On the drive the heaviest part of the storm began and we slowed down from 60 to about 40 miles per hour on the highway.

It took 2.5 hours to get back to the Service Center.   As we arrived the snow had began to fall a lot harder and was accumulating.    Kevin and I called it a day around 4:00 PM and we headed our separate ways.

I did have a tennis drill scheduled for that evening but received a notification that it was cancelled due to the storm.   I remained at the hotel for the evening and watched season 5 of Better Call Saul.

Day 3

The next morning I worked out at the hotel, took calls and responded to emails.   I had scheduled lunch with Kevin at the Cov restaurant which was located at the Galleria Mall.    The was a very nice location and the mall came with a lot upscale stores.    Kevin later told me that we were in Edina which is considered an upscale part of the city. 

I had a lobster roll but the meal was pictured different in my mind than when it came out.   There is no doubt that the best Lobster roll sandwiches are found in New England.    Afterwards we headed back to the hotel where we concluded the day in a conference room.

I was able to work for a couple of hours before going to the Inner City tennis center.    We had a total of 6 players on a single court.    Somehow the trainer was able to make it work.   As I was leaving the facility I was preparing myself for the cold.    As I ran to my car in the cold it wasn’t apparent that a pair of shoes were left behind at the Tennis center.    I didn’t realize this error until the next morning when I was looking to put them on prior to leaving for the Minneapolis airport.

As I left the airport on Friday morning I reflected on the previous 3 days.   It was good that the storm did not produce the two feet of snow that was predicted.   Instead the city only got 1 foot of fresh powder.   I was happy to be heading back to 80 degree weather in Houston.   Experiences like this help you notice the things you at times take for granted.   I’m looking forward to returning to Minneapolis when there is green on the trees and blue in the sky.

After an arduous checkin into my hotel the prior night I noted their was a Planet Fitness directly across the street. I woke up early in the morning and made my way over for a workout.

Afterwards I got ready and drove the rental car back to Laguardia airport. I had the good fortune of making great time to the airport. I had a nice breakfast at the United Lounge before heading back home to Houston. I am already looking forward to my next trip in Long Island.

The day started off with a workout at Planet fitness.   I was able to stay home in the morning due to an afternoon flight to St. Louis.

I got dropped off at the airport by my wife, Tanya, and found the airport to be fairly empty.   It was an easy process to check in and go through Security.  I boarded my flight with a full stomach after getting some food at the United Club lounge.

Upon arriving at the St. Louis airport I had an hour to make it to my tennis clinic at the Vetta Concord club.   I had signed up that evening for a Men’s 4.0 drill.   This was another great session focused on the different strategies of doubles tennis.   The main lesson for me was to be constantly approaching the net after hitting the first volley.   The objective is to always be moving forward and attacking the ball.

After the clinic I made my way to the Doubletree Hotel at the Central West end area.

I am a big fan of this area due to its proximity to Forest Park, great restaurants and places to hangout at in the evening.   I especially like Cocina Latina for its tasty Peruvian food and Up-Down for cheap pinball arcade games and beer.

This is a great place to walk around in the warm weather and people watch.

Day 2

I woke up early to workout at the local Planet Fitness gym.  Afterwards I returned to the hotel to get ready for the day. 

The local sales rep, Kevin, and I started the day off by visiting a couple of important customers.   We ended up meeting one of the clients at the Anthonino’s Taverna restaurant located within the Hill area.    This is a neighborhood that has a lot of Italian markets and restaurants.    It is one of my favorite places to visit while staying in St. Louis.  

After having a tasty Lasagna we made a quick stop to the DiGregorio’s Italian Market.    I was on the lookout for sausages with truffle shavings.   I was able to find some last fall in Cincinnati at the Jungle Jim’s grocery store.   After a brief search I was not able to find anything but ended up purchasing a couple of sausages to take back home.   One was made with red and the other with white wine. 

Kevin and I then returned to the Doubletree hotel to work on his territory and sales plan.

Afterwards I got ready to go play in my second clinic at another Vetta club.   This one was focused more on ground stroke and consistency.   Overall it had better players than the previous club.   It was intense and left me tired after 1.5 hours of constant, non-stop playing.

I was able to return to the hotel and get some rest for the next day.

Day 3

After working out at the hotel gym I met Kevin in the lobby of the hotel.   Kevin was not able to secure a customer visit so we did some site visits of potential accounts.   On the way we stopped a the Lewis & Clark Confluence Tower which marks the beginning of the Lewis and Clark expedition.   While the observation deck at the tower was closed I learned that it provides a view point where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers meet.   It is always a good experience to reflect on historic events and think about this journey helped shape the United States.  

Kevin and I then headed to Delmar loop to eat at Salt + Smoke.  It was nice to try another great BBQ place.   This time I ordered St. Louis ribs which are grilled instead of smoked or steamed.   Needless to say it was very good.   The area the restaurant is located in is also very cool and has a lot of rock n’ roll history.   This is where Chuck Berry used to play and inspired a lot of other musicians.    It is still a great place to visit listen to live music.

After our lunch I said my farewell to Kevin and headed out of the Saint Louis airport.   This airport has no United Lounge so I had to hangout at the Terminal for my flight.

I am looking forward to my next visit it St. Louis.    I hopefully will have warmer weather that will make walking around Forest Park and Central West End to make the stay more enjoyable! 

Another great visit to this historic town

Day 1

I started the day off early by going to Planet Fitness at 4:30 AM. This enabled me to drive back home stress free and get ready for the day before heading out to the Houston Bush airport.  Once again I parked at the Parking Spot before headed out to the Terminal C.   I used Clear to get through security but noted for the second time that the PreTSA line had no wait.   I really think that Clear is not worth the money and most likely will not be renewing my membership.

I then made my way over to the United lounge to conduct my team one-on-one calls.   Afterwards I went to Potbelly to pick up my apple walnut salad but got notified on my phone that my flight was starting to board.

The good news was I ate very heartily at the lounge and wasn’t too hungry.  I proceeded to get on the flight and head out to the East Coast.  Upon arriving in Philadelphia I got a craving for Peruvian food and remembered Vista Peru.  I looked for the address and to confirm it was open via the Yelp app.  I saw that it was currently closed but it was going to open at 4:00 PM. This would not be an issue since I arrived at into Philadelphia at 3:30 PM.   I made my way into city and found parking to cost $27 for the evening!   Since I had already parked the car it was not worthwhile to find another location. I assumed they would all be the same rate anyway.   I paid the fee and crossed the street only to find Vista Peru was closed until Thursday! Frustrated I looked for nearby places to eat and ended up having a cheese steak sandwich at Campos.  This was a very tasty sandwich but really felt the gut bomb soon after completing the meal.

Afterwards I made my way to a Giant grocery store to pickup some fruit and protein drinks before calling it a night at the Embassy Hotel.

Day 2

I woke up and headed out to the service center to meet with my local sales rep, Angelo. After a few hellos with the service center staff we left to our first customer visit.   We decided to stop for lunch at a local BBQ spot lunch called Big Daddy’z.   The ribs and brisket was very tasty and priced at a fair price.  I really liked how the brisket was sliced so thinly.   This was my first time eating Brisket served in this manner.

After we returned to the Service Center and we worked for a few hours. After completing the day I headed back to the hotel to drop off my work gear and change into my workout clothing. I grabbed a few items and went to workout at the Planet Fitness. After an hour workout I called it a day and went back to the hotel to eat the leftover BBQ from lunch.

Day 3

In the morning I worked out at the hotel’s fitness center.  It was amazing to me that the gym had no wipes, towels or anything for people to keep the equipment clean.   Very disappointing.  Luckily I had some disinfectant wipes in my bag and was able to use it on the gym equipment.

Afterwards  I headed out to the service center to meet with Angelo.   We headed out into Pennsylvania stopping in the towns of Harrisburg and Scranton.  

We stopped for lunch at an eatery on the way to Scranton called Scottos.   I had the meatball sub which was quite tasty and hit the spot.

Upon arriving in Scranton I began to think about The Office.   I really wanted to drive around the city to see some of the locations filmed for the show. After a Google search it was clear that most of the show’s locations were not in Scranton but California! Nevertheless there were still some locations that I wish we would have had more time to go exploring.   But we were 2.5 hours away from the service center and my car.   I had scheduled a tennis clinic at the Green Valley Tennis center that started at 6:30 PM and it was 3:00 PM.

We left Scranton back to Bridgeport, New Jersey.   One thing I had not counted on was most of the way back was on a 2-line highway and the amount of traffic.  These two factors caused us to be delayed. I arrived at the Service Center around 5:45 PM.    I quickly said my farewell to Angelo before getting into my car and driving out to the Green Valley Tennis Center.

Upon arriving I had to drive around the tennis club a couple of times since there was no visible sign or entrance.   I did notice the tennis indoor bubble and knew there had to be some sort of hidden entrance. I eventually found a small driveway which was hard since nothing was lighted! 

I quickly changed into my workout clothing and went into the tennis bubble.   To my astonishment the courts were clay!   I was very surprised and excited to be playing again on clay courts.   I had a great workout with the instructors, Natalia, who were both from Russia.   I inquired with the instructor on how to pay for the clinic and she stated that only cash or checks were accepted.   I had neither and asked if she could receive a payment on Zelle.  She then put her hand up in the air and told me not to worry about it.   I assured her that my next payment would cover this and the following session.   She was so kind and very complementary to my tennis game.

Afterwards I drove back to the hotel in heavy rain.   It was a long day and was ready to hit the sack.

Day 4

I had a 10:00 AM morning flight which gave me the luxury of being able to sleep until 6:00 AM.  I was able to check some emails, bank balances and enjoy the morning.   I returned my rental car and then took the shuttle to Terminal D.   I had breakfast at the Lounge and was notified that my seat was upgraded to First Class.   I was looking really forward to being with my family and in my own bed that evening.