YES there is a Kalamazoo!

It is true, don't I know!

This week marked my sixth trip to Kalamazoo since early June. Some trips are as short as one day while others were as long as six days.

Kalamazoo, or Kazoo for short, is a smaller city. Much of it it reminds me of a middle income suburban neighborhood. That is not to say that it lacks variety. As the home to Western Michigan University there is a significant student population giving the city its nightlife. Other sections of town can simply be described as "ghetto".

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Usually when staying we are fortunate to have a room in the Raddisson, a local four star hotel http://www.radisson.com/kalamazoomi .The last few trips there have been conventions and meetings held there filling up the rooms forcing my workmates and I to explore more distant areas of the city.

To get to Kazoo from Newark only requires a two hour flight. The adventure starts at noon when the limo service picks up my coworkers and I for the ride to the airport. It is not often that flights at Newark are on time so we are no longer surprised when the wait is longer than scheduled. I've been told by fellow passenger pilots that the airlines schedule an extra hour for each flight at Newark just to deal with these delays. That is fodder for a different day.

To save a little money we will frequently fly into Grand Rapids, a mere 40 minutes from Kazoo. A quick pickup of checked baggage and rental car keys and we're on our way. We arrive at the hotel around 6pm and quickly decide on a dinner location.

You can spend $5 at McDonalds or $50 at Websters. One requires a dress code, the other requires you to be dressed. Kazoo has a couple of brewpubs to choose from, as well as pubs and fine restaurants. I much prefer the less pretentious locations such as the Roadhouse, Burdicks, and Olde Peninsula. We discovered McGiddicks the other day and will return. They provide a beer list that is eight pages long and outdoor patio seating during the summer.

Next week I will travel to Knoxville for the first time on Tuesday before going back to Kalamazoo on Thursday. Now that I have committed to writing a blog on my travels, I hope you will join me since No road is long with good company!