"expo"sé

First up, a nearly 3'x3' Duke logo that has been cut out and turned into a stencil which, when combined with some nifty spray chalk, will be used to mark up the race course in front of the State Street Crocs store for our marathon raceday grassroots efforts.



This event is by far the biggest event we've had since I joined the tour, and the scale of everything is probably ten times that of any other event. Just check out this expo floor plan.



The expo is at McCormick Place, which has 4 main buildings all individually larger than most convention centers, a hotel built in, a food court, two Starbucks, two FedEx Kinkos, and much more. The massive buildings feature glass fronts and appealing architecture.



Oh, and I should mention that the last photo is approximately where I was nearly run down by an umarked police car this afternoon. I was crossing (with the crossing guard waving me on) when we both heard what sounded like an ambulance siren start up nearby. I figured my best bet was to run to the other side of the street to get out of the way since I couldn't see the siren source, but just as I began to do so the unmarked cruiser whipped around a car at the light at high speed and missed me by perhaps two feet. Yikes. The crossing guard's jaw dropped.

Anyway, more architecture.



One of the buildings had a very simple, elegant fountain that is one of my favorite fountains of all time as of today. It was simply arches of water that would shoot out of a shallow pool and form an arch back into the water. The clean, crisp look and sound of the fountain was very refreshing.



Now, the expo itself. Dealing with union labor wasn't great, but was still an improvement over Philly. It struck me during load-in just how much transformation the expo room undergoes in only a day. Take these photos as examples.

A complete mess.



No mess whatsoever.



Did a tornado come through?



And today.



The size of the event brings bigger vendors with better booths to the expo. Some of the highlights were VW filming personalized commercials that get posted online for viewing...



Bank of America filming the entire race course by car and running it as a time-lapse style video (also interesting to note: I was confused when I watched the vehicle filming repeatedly cross into the wrong side of the road until I noticed police cars creep into the edge of the picture from time to time. That's a pretty serious effort if it involves getting a police escort just to drive the course)...



Nike has a space many times bigger than any other vendor, but their area was packed the entire day. Hundred upon hundreds of people made it impossible to move around their area. I'd call it a booth, but that wouldn't even begin to describe it. They had at least 20 cash registers. We have one.



And for further comparison, our setup during load-in:



And the finished product (you can play "where's Molly?"):



Cheer signs are often popular, but today things devolved into an all out kids coloring party at one point. We're having to ration greatly because we only have 400 for the weekend though we could easily pass our 1000.



After a long expo day with some rush hour driving, parking tickets, and arguing with various people, we finally got back to the hotel and went to a place called Big Bowl for dinner. You know this city takes its marathon seriously when restaurants provide high-carb menus for carbo-loading atheletes. I didn't order off this one, but I can think of many times in the past where I would have.

I'll take your word for it.

The last time-deadline drive is nearly over! We're only 30 miles from Chicago, and we'll be heading into the city in the morning for set up for the biggest event I've worked yet, the Chicago Marathon. Along the way today, lots of random quirky things.

Nate, Molly and I started off the day with a 6 mile run. That definitely helped to clear out my lingering cold.

This pump seemed fishy...



Had an encounter with the left lane hog. This white van was the bane of my existence for a good 45 minutes. Not once did he leave the passing lane. While in the passing lane, his speed was inconsistent and he'd slow down while passing other cars and then speed up to the point that I couldn't accelerate around him. I watched as nearly a dozen different cars tailgated him trying to pressure him into the right lane to no avail. I spent a while flashing my lights at him, but with no effect. I eventually managed to pass him (on the right) but was not able to implement my master plan before we pulled off for lunch. I really wanted an open stretch of road with no cars behind him so I could pull in front of him and slow up until he was either going very slowly or was forced into the right lane to go around. I'm really curious what would have happened.



We washed the trucks (about time!). Note that cleaner spot on the back - that's where I took a window squeegee and wiped off a spot. They were very dirty.



In the truck getting scrubbed and sprayed.



And ta da! A bright shiny truck!



I checked four different floors of our hotel this evening, and they all have complimentary empty bowls. I'd take one, but I don't have much use for a bowl.



And no day is complete without some gelato!



During dinner we did a talk-through of the weekend. It's going to be a long one, but should be fun. There are also plans to revisit Weber Grill and Lou Malnatis for food, plus some new eateries that are yet to be determined, but will be of the utmost deliciousness.

Where was I?

So the lack of posting in the days prior can mostly be attributed to not having internet at the hotel we were staying at. That is, the hotel had internet, but it cost $14 a day. The upside to the hotel we picked is that it could not have possibly been closer to our finish line tent.



The event was business as usual. While our job isn't perfect, we could certainly be doing a lot worse.



Then after the race (Lyndsay and Stephen both ran. Congrats!) we hit the road immediately and drove well past dark to get to Elko, Nevada.



After a brief stop for some sleep, we hit the road again and put in another 650 miles today to get to Cheyenne, Wyoming. This picture was supposed to be of the wind turbines, but it's kind of amusing what happens with the slow iphone shutter speed and road signs. This one definitely stands upright, in spite of appearances to the contrary.



During our last fuel stop of the day, Molly was involved in a hold-up.



But eventually we made it.

I forgot to mention that last night I lost my voice in a head-cold related incident, and it has only partially returned at this point. The good news is the cold itself would appear to be fairly minor. I should hopefully be back to normal by the time we get to Chicago.

"Luxury"

Today we set up for the expo, which is a million times easier when we have friendly teamsters who are willing to work. The San Jose teamsters are much easier to deal with and actually seem to want to do something to get paid.



After the exceedingly smooth set-up (other than that we're still missing a truck and two team members), we checked into our hotel. The hotel is the Fairmont San Jose. Fairmont claims they're the largest chain of luxury hotels in the world. I don't doubt this... if luxury means a telephone in the bathroom.



And of course a vanity mirror so Nate and I won't have any problems applying foundation in the morning.



I watched the VP debate, talked to my parents for a bit, and wandered around until I found a burrito place for dinner. Nothing spectacular, but enjoyable nonetheless.

My other major bit of excitement for the day was that I splurged a bit on a camera. I purchased a Canon Digital Rebel XSi with some lenses, filters, carrying case, and tripod. I should have it in a week or two, at which point I'll detail the new toy and you'll probably start noticing the picture quality on the blog going from good to insane. Not that the iPhone doesn't take blog-worthy pictures. But in the future when you click on them, you'll get full high-res photos. At least until I run out of storage space on my blogger account.

Doing nothing in particular...

Today got started with some breakfast off the breakfast buffet at our hotel.  Not just continental breakfast, mind you, but full buffet-style meal for free.  I was really imressed with the Marriott Residence Inn in general.  They are suite style hotels with living rooms and kitchens in every room (intended for long-term stay travelers, or perfect for people like me who are on the road all the time).  They serve full breakfast and do free dinner meals four nights a week as well.  Plus, they've got an extensive workout facility complete with basketball court and mini volleyball/tennis court.  Not to mention they give you a little jar full of mints in your room.

We got on the road and drove the long 40 mile stretch to San Jose, where we got around to doing some work and non-work errands.  I searched for a new pair of jeans, which ended without purchasing anything.  I tried on several pair of Levis, but the closest fit I got to what I was going for was a 539 classic straight, and they didn't have any of the 529 low rise straight that I like.  I headed over to GAP next and tried on several pairs there, but didn't find a wash that I really liked.

We got Lyndsay outfitted with a pair of Sea Blue Beaches and blue shorts for our grassroots activities, and while at the mall I wandered around a bit to see the sights.  I got to see the new lineup of brightly colored iPod Nanos.

And I thought this was some interesting co-branding.  Puma and Ducati?  I guess I can see it.

After lunch we headed to FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinkos - but no more!)  We printed out and mounted a huge Crocs logo that will be turned into a stencil as soon as we get to cutting it.

We spent far too long looking for spray chalk (for use with the stencil) at hardware stores.  I called ahead to one that said they had it, only to arrive and have no one know what I was even talking about.  They didn't have it.  It was worth the trip though if only to see the art nouveau hammer/screwdriver/are you kidding me?

We went and checked into the hotel for the night and worked on weekend logistics for a bit after we learned that Molly and Nate broke down AGAIN in the Middle of the Nevada desert.  This came right after the truck was in for inspection and service in Salt Lake City.  They're stuck until at least sometime tomorrow waiting on an alternator, so we'll likely be setting up without them.  Luckily, we have the truck with all the most important stuff.  I feel for them, however.  Being stuck is no fun.  At the same time, I realized that of the three truck breakdowns that have occurred in the last 1500 miles, I have not been in any of the misbehaving trucks when the problems first began.  At least I can rule myself out as the curse.

I've also taken to turning on CNN in my hotel room anytime I'm hanging around.  There's enough political and world news happening right now that it's rather interesting to hear some commentary and news as it breaks.

For dinner I went with Lyndsay to a Hawaiin place right across the street from the hotel.  It brought back memories of Hawaiin Time in Eugene.

Then Stephen got into town and we went for some night caching.  I learned how to fully utilize my iPhone as a geocaching tool (the entire process from looking up caches to finding and logging them).  We went three for three in the dark, which isn't bad.

Tomorrow we'll set up.  thus begins one of the busiest stretches of the tour.  We'll work all weekend and then rush off to Chicago where we'll immediately set up for the Chicago Marathon next weekend.  It'll be 11-12 days straight of work.  I suppose that's not too bad given the fact that we just had nearly a full week off.

The Unexpectedly Perfect Day

Today I headed downtown about noon and planned to walk and see where the day took me. I ended up matching my 20 mile walk in Boston with another 20 miler, only with lots more hills thrown in.



I started out at the Public Market and Ferry Terminal



Headed up Telegraph Hill



To Coit Tower



Got some good views towards the main part of downtown San Fran



Saw San Francisco's steepest street (Filbert) with over 30 percent grade. Note that the sidewalk is stairs.



The famous curvy brick section of Lombard Street



I headed over past the Palace of Fine Arts Theater into the Presidio of San Francisco, with my eventual goal being to end up at the Palace of the Legion of Honor (art museum).



But I unexpectedly stumbled out of the Presidio into a beautiful day with no fog and a clear view out at the ocean.



And an even clearer view of the Golden Gate Bridge.



I hopped on a trail that turned out to be the Batteries to Bluffs trail. It drops down to several different beaches, some rockier than others.



I saw some of the abandoned military batteries.



And crossed Baker Beach on my way towards Lincoln Park.



To get to Lincoln Park, I took Sea Bluff Drive and El Camino Del Mar, which features some of the nicest real estate in the city, mixed with some absurdly large mansions. While I'd pass on the houses that were just too big and without a view, many of the houses on the bluffs were amazing with 3-4 stories of picture windows looking directly out towards the bay and ocean.



I got to the area near the Legion of Honor about 5:00, which wasn't the best timing considering it closed at 5:15. That's alright though, because all the cool stuff I stumbled upon was an unexpected surprise. I hopped on the coastal trail through Lincoln Park next.



And as you can tell, I walked a good distance away from the bridge.



All the way to the beach on the Pacific Ocean. There were nice 6-8 foot waves that surfers were making sure to take full advantage of.



I thought this turned out rather well, given the fact that I was taking a picture directly at the sun. The sailboat is a little small. It makes me wish I had an SLR and some lenses. Much of the day's walk made me want a better camera, actually.



I turned back to the East and headed through park of Golden Gate Park. I'm not sure why there is a windmill in a tulip garden, but there is.



Homer Simpson makes an appearance on Balboa Street.



Drunken Sushi anyone?



Nearly 7 hours and 20 miles later, I got a chance to rest my legs while watching Joey's softball team in their final game of the season. Joey had a big night at the plate with 3 homers and 10 RBIs.



He also pitched the game. They won the game courtesy of the mercy rule when they were up by 15 runs (21-6).



We grabbed a drink and parted ways until we meet again. Now I'm back at the hotel getting reorganized to move to San Jose tomorrow (assuming the truck is ready in the morning, that is).