Samantha travels

Media at a Mile High

The Middle of a Series of Flights

Another Journey

I have begun packing for my next trek as a grad student, to Thailand. This will be my first exploration into Asia and second venture outside of the North American continent.

I’m excited, and I’m nervous.  And I cannot wait to share my thoughts and photographs. 

The Return

So it seems that every trip that I have experienced at Marietta College involves some type of unavoidable travel hitch, and in this case it pertained to our return flight. To cut a long story short, initial delays and snow resulted in an emergency landing in Pittsburgh, followed by another flight to our destination of Akron-Canton an hour later.  I did remark at one point that I was sure I would have to shovel my car out to get back to school, perhaps I should have purchased a lottery ticket that day.  

Today was certainly an interesting way to observe customer service and open communication with patrons, both of which were lacking on the part of AirTran. During this stressful time it would have been helpful for the airline to offer some light food or beverages near the gate and provide more specific information about conditions at our destination. Another feature airports should establish in all seating areas, is to have several outlets available for consumer use.  In the entirety of the gate area, there were only a handful of outlets, easily taken over by two or three individuals with multiple electricity gulping gadgets. 

To be honest, I was not looking forward to this trip, mostly due to the excess strain on my budget since I was unable to take work with me. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned, not only from the speakers, but also from my surroundings.  So much information can be gathered simply by watching and experiencing, and sometimes it takes some distance to reaffirm that understanding. 

New System of Pricing

The Blue Note

Our evening at the Blue Note was quite nice with Diane Schuur performing what she called the music of her parents generation. The room was quite crowded and had an atmosphere of which I was unfamiliar, perhaps because I had never been to a jazz club before. The food was good, although I was still stuffed from the late lunch so I was unable to enjoy it to the fullest.  

Once again I wasn’t sure on the camera policy so I erred on the side of me not having to check my bag so the above photograph is from ibizarush on Flickr. 

Passion Produces Tantalizing Taste

We were supposed to have an informal presentation by Doug Griebel, a Marietta College Alum, but he was unable to join us for lunch at his restaurant, Rosa Mexicana, due to a business meeting. Even without his physical presence, it is evident that his passion for food and Mexican culture are driving forces behind the success of his business.

We dined family style on a wide selection of Mexican cuisine, but my favorite dish of the meal was actually one of the starters, Flautas de Pollo with two different sauces. I was most surprised by the dessert, well I knew that it would be flan, I was just shocked that I liked it. No, I mean, I loved it. I am known to be a finicky eater, but there everything at the table resulted in at least a second bite from me.

Clearly, the love of a culture, and the devotion to a craft cultivate a following any business would envy.

Glocalization of Barnes & Nobel

Whenever I travel, I love to visit Barnes & Noble. Not just because I love books, but because it is a place that feels comfortable, yet unique at the same time.

I am sure my love of the local B&N flair began because of the Baltimore location, as photographed below by Tom In NYC on Flickr. For me, the major features in this space include the aquarium exhibit next to the cafe on the second floor (to advertise the nearby National Aquarium), and the use of the smokestacks as bookshelves that highlight local authors or events.

To be honest, at first I was highly disappointed by the B&N offerings in New York, they were all in the typical strip mall-esque format. The familiarity was there, but I still wanted to get the flavor of New York.  It wasn’t until I visited one of the Union Square locations that I got the experience I was seeking. This location made use of the surrounding structural features, such as decorative columns inside the building. But the most unique aspect of this store was the sheer number of patrons plopped down in the aisles for seating due to a lack of chairs for browsing. This actually caused some difficulty in maneuvering around the store, and I had to navigate around less direct ways to avoid ending up in the middle of what appeared to be a small party.

Above photo of the interesting exterior from Yelp.com. Still, this particular link in the Barnes & Noble chain does not impress me near as much as my favorite store in the former Baltimore City power plant, although as a Marylander, I’m a little biased. 

But, while on the topic of books, I need to remember to purchase:

• A guide to the customs and etiquette of Thailand
• A book on PHP

Federal Hill or Everything You Wanted to Know About Wales

As a group this morning we ventured around Battery Park, and Wall Street, thus viewing some very typical tourist sites. While on Wall Street, one student pointed out a plaque located on the steps of the Federal Hall National Memorial about the creation of the Northwest Territory.  This sign is identical to one that is located on the Marietta College campus resulting in the group of us clamoring about to snap photographs of this sister sign.

 Although architecturally interesting, with its Greek influenced columns, the inside of the memorial had little to offer compared to other historically rich exhibits that I have experienced. At first I was a little perplexed by the exhibit housed in the rotunda,  “Keeping Up With the Joneses — the Welsh in America,” but then it occurred to me that this was quite possibly an advertisement masquerading as an educational tool.  I do not want to belittle the efforts of the Welsh, but this exhibit simply smacked of a public relations project, as even the Federal Hill National Memorial’s website read like a press release noting the cultural achievements of Catherine Zeta-Jones along side the historical figures of Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. 

Providing video clips, a time-line and, of course, a brochure about visiting Wales, the visual design of this section hinted at the fact that this was slightly different than the displays in other rooms. 

 Also included in the section on Wales, a very sizable map noting proper names that have Welsh origin throughout the United States.

Overall, visiting this monument may not have impacted my view on history, but it certainly has forced me to consider how pervasive media messages are in both entertainment and education.