Author: reissmd

I am a husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, doctor and traveler but most of all at this stage of my life I am a follower of the mantra of Madeline Albright: "Some people pursue enlightenment by sitting quietly and probing their inner consciousness; I make plane reservations."

Denver: Mile High on Baseball Day #2. Want some food?

by reissmd, posted in Denver, Uncategorized

Yesterday I mentioned eating at Elway’s in the hotel but I didn’t tell you that we scored a “touchdown” and I am so glad we didn’t “pass” it over (ugh, I hate puns, why did I do that?). 

I was not excited about going to Elway’s thinking that it would be decorated with all sorts of football regalia and the meals would have silly football-themed names and would be mediocre.

I could not have been more off-base (oops, wrong sport).  The service and food were spectacular.  We ordered too much food and thank goodness we had the common sense to not eat all of it.

Wedge Salad was perfect
Brussels Sprouts were very good but we had to leave something unfinished.
I had the halibut.
Patrice had the salmon (it was better than it looked)
We shared (aka fought over) the Lobster Mac and Cheese

This morning we were feeling guilty and had to head to the gym.  I was very pleased to see that they have the same treadmills as the type I use back home.  So I got on the treadmill and entered my usual settings.  Moments after getting started I became breathless.  My brain forgot that we were now at altitude but my body remembered very quickly.  I did a brief workout.  Nothing compared to what I usually do at home but at least enough to assuage my guilt (well, just a little). 

With my guilt buried, what should we do next?  Readers of this blog can probably guess.  Oh yes, A FOOD TOUR.

Today we went on a wonderful food tour led by our guide Rob from Delicious Denver Food Tour [https://www.deliciousdenverfoodtours.com/]. Patrice and I have been on a lot of food tours and I must say if this wasn’t the best it was a close second (Lance’s Memphis BBQ tour when we were the only guests might still be our all-time favorite).  

Rob was an amazing guide.  In addition to supplying us with great food, he had a wealth of information and never hesitated during his oration.  I didn’t hear one “you know” the whole tour. 

Rob took us to:

  1. Marco’s Coal Fired [2129 Larimer St] where we had excellent Margherita Pizza.
  2. Lazo’s Empanadas [1319 22nd Street]. Excellent empanadas.
  3. Biker Jim’s [2148 Larimer Street]. Excellent elk and wild boar hot dogs (yes elk and wild boar)
  4. Kachina [1890 Wazee Street]. Fry Bread Tacos.  This was not my favorite but I was getting close to being stuffed by the time we reached this place.
  5. Ice Cream at Union Station.  There is always room for ice cream and how can it be bad?   

We are going back to the room for a while to chill, then it is off to Coor’s Field for baseball.  

Denver: Mile High on Baseball Day #1

by reissmd, posted in Denver

In our continued quest to attend baseball games in all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, we are traveling to Denver this weekend.  

When planning the trip, I searched for hotels while sitting with my friend, Michael.  I found a Courtyard near Coors Field which is the home of the Colorado Rockies. There is also a Ritz Carlton located about the same distance from the stadium but at twice the price. I told Michael about the difference in cost and he looked at me and said. “Do you want to take all your money to the grave?”   So here Patrice and I are at the Ritz Carlton in Denver and it is GORGEOUS.  Definitely not worth the extra money but as Michael put it, “David, Lindsay, and Erica (our 3 children) are treating” (with their portions of our inheritance). 

For dinner tonight we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant which for obvious reasons they call, “Elway’s”.  If the reason for the name is not obvious to you it is because you are not a football fan.  John Elway was and still is a Denver legend.  He played quarterback for the Denver Broncos for 16 seasons and led them to 5 Super Bowls, winning twice.  He was the first player chosen in the 1983 NFL draft.

My good friend Gary got to meet Elway many years ago at a Super Bowl.  Gary had the good fortune to be on the field before the game and was introduced to the Bronco hero.  Gary asked him, “So what position do you play?”.  When Elway realized that Gary was not joking he gave him a hug and said, “I love this guy”.  Needless to say, Gary is not a sports fan.  Typically when he is asked who will win the big game his immediate reply is “Who’s playing?”.    Well, the answer to that question for this trip is the Colorado Rockies and the San Francisco Giants.  

After tomorrow we will have been to 18 stadiums with just 12 to go.  Patrice asked me if I wanted to go to another game this year.  Late September would be a possibility but I wouldn’t want to risk getting a covid infection and jeopardizing our October trip to Spain when we will visit our youngest child, Erica. Patrice being the supportive partner that she is, said “Maybe we could go in November?”  Yes, Patrice is a great person but obviously not a baseball fan.  Gary, I’ll explain to you later why I am saying this. 

Baseball, BBQ, and Blog Day #3 “Getaway Day…… Maybe” June 6, 2022

by reissmd, posted in Kansas City

Our plane leaves tonight which leaves us time for ………..MORE BBQ. 

Today we had lunch at Q39 which gets its name because they specialize in BBQ and they are located on 39th street. [1000 W. 39th Street; Kansas City, MO 64111] The place was recommended by my friend Jeremiah with the Astros.   Judging by the quality of the food I have to say that Jeremiah must enjoy the team’s trips to KC. They don’t serve our favorite (baby back ribs) but their spare ribs left us with nothing to complain about.  

Prior to heading to the airport, we made a short stop at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library.  We had previously been to 8 presidential libraries [JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush] and this one didn’t disappoint.  They had some great videos making me feel like I am not as much of history-phile as I thought.  It was quite hot when we arrived at the library but luckily we were able to hydrate while at the library. Please check out the photos on arrival and departure.

Dehydrated upon arrival at the library.
After a little hydration, we look and feel better.

I am sure you realize that was just a little playful fun.  The photos were complements of Nick Nikkah in KC.  We met Nick and his incredible store that makes figurines using a 3D printer and the same technology that he used to make those photos that I inserted in front of the library.  In addition to being a nice guy, he also has an amazing shop.  Check it out at:

3DHQ (3D Headquarters) 

www.3dheadquarter.com 

Www.Facebook.Com/3dhqkc 

Instagram @3dhq.kc

Then it was on to Kansas City International to board our flight to LAX via Phoenix.  Upon arrival, we were informed that our flight was delayed and we would not make the connection to LA meaning we would have to spend the night in Phoenix.  Is this a joke?  Is this really happening?  As you know, I married up and Patrice suggested we try to get a different airline.  The check-in agent looked up United and Delta without success.  I pulled out my phone and found a flight from PHX to LAX on Southwest.  American doesn’t have an agreement with Southwest so if we don’t get to PHX in time, we are out of luck. I hope this works but I am mentally ready to spend the night in Phoenix. 

One last tidbit, I was stopped at TSA because I forgot I had a small bottle of water in my backpack.  The TSA agent couldn’t deal with my bag because he was intensely reviewing another traveler’s backpack.  He was removing everything and finding NOTHING.  I finally asked another agent if she could just remove the water bottle and give me my bag.  She helped me out and I said I was very thirsty and could I just drink the water in front of her.  No sir, you will have to go outside and go through TSA again.   So read carefully friends.  A doctor, with 3 wonderful children, 4 wonderful grandsons, and a family with an impeccable record of service to others is stopped from drinking some bottled water beyond the TSA monitors.  Do you feel safe now?

Hopefully, you will next hear from me in Los Angeles.  Don’t bet on it. 

Baseball, BBQ, and Blog Day #3 “Play Ball!” June 5, 2022

by reissmd, posted in Kansas City

If my papa was still living, today would have been his 108th birthday.  He died back in 1989 at the age of 75 and I am convinced that he died because he hated baseball and couldn’t bear the thought of watching another game.  I, on the other hand, love baseball.  As a kid, I used to listen to the Dodger games and calculate batting averages per at-bat. I still remember listening to Vince Scully describe the action in 1960 when Norm Larker was battling Dick Groat for the NL batting title.  If you have heard of Norm Larker I would be shocked.  Larker had modest success in MLB but one thing of note is that he was the Houston Colt 45’s first 1st baseman.  The Colt 45’s became the Astros and they are part of the reason that we are in KC.  We saw the Astros play the Royals today thanks to the kindness of my friend and REISSTRAVELBLOG follower Jeremiah who works with the team.  

But before baseball, there is always time to eat. We are staying at the The Raphael Hotel, Autograph Collection (at the recommendation of Jeremiah).  This is a lovely Marriott with a storied history and we could not be happier with the accommodations,  The place is old but our room is spacious and the staff has been doting on us since arrival.  This morning we had breakfast at the hotel (which was included in our stay) and it was superb.  I had the Norwegian Benedict and Patrice had the French Toast. Both selections were excellent and the service was also A-1. 

Norwegian Eggs Benedict
French Toast

After a brief rest, we were off to see the Astros vs the Royals.  For some reason, Google took us on some small roads instead of the freeway.   There was very little traffic and the countryside was gorgeous.  We were fortunate there were few cars because at one point we saw a sign that said single-lane highway ahead.  And indeed the two lanes of traffic became one.  Lucky for us no one was coming in the other direction.

One Lane Ahead
They weren’t kidding. Sorry about the focus, I wanted to get out of there ASAP!

We arrived safely at Kauffman Stadium (named after the now deceased owner of the Royals) which I was told is the only stadium in the MLB that is named after an individual.  Are you telling me that Oracle, Petco, Citi, and Safeco are not people?  I was just informed that Seattle no longer calls their stadium Safeco.  I guess Safeco got married and changed her name to T-Mobile. 

Kauffman Stadium and the staff were great.  We were politely directed where to go and even got a ride on a golf cart from the parking area to the stadium office where we were to pick up our tickets (no mistaking this place for Dodger Stadium).  I had to show my ID to get the tickets (are you telling me that my blog has not made my face a household icon in Kansas City?).   We then proceeded to the gate. After handing my ticket to the young lady I lamented that my pockets were full of junk and she escorted us past the security monitors saying, “You are a friend of the players, you can go right in”.  Wow, I don’t get treated that well at my own office. 

The game was great.  Astro slugger, Yordan (that has been difficult to type because my computer keeps on changing it to Jordan) Alvarez had a single, triple, and a home run, leading the Astros to victory.  I was hoping he would get one more at-bat and get a double to hit for the cycle.  He did come up but unfortunately, he got hit by the pitch.  That pitch would have killed me but he didn’t seem to notice it.  Jeremiah confirmed that Alvarez was fine but they did have to check the ball for damages.  It was a great game and I really loved it. Patrice loved it too.

Patrice enjoying baseball by reading her book.

After the game, we of course had to have dinner.  Hmmm, how about some barbecue?  We dined at Gates Bar-B-Q [1325 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64110].  It was good but did not compare to Jack Stack from last night.  

Gate’s ribs. Good, not great. The beans (not shown) were very good.
Burnt Ends sandwich which was recommended by another customer in line. It was very good. As were the peach pie and yam pie (not shown).

All this eating is really wearing me out.  I need to rest.  See you tomorrow.

Hey, Patrice, want to go get some ice cream?

Baseball, BBQ, and Blog Day #2 “We Just Love BBQ!” June 4, 2022

by reissmd, posted in Dallas, Kansas City

Our plans were to have had KC BBQ Friday night for dinner, Saturday for lunch, and again for dinner.  Instead, we spent Friday night and Saturday lunch in Dallas and the only BBQ we had seen was at the American Airlines lounge at LAX (and it looked disgusting).

Our detour to Dallas was not all bad.  You know what they say: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  Well lucky for us one of our daughter-in-law’s brothers, Marc, lives in Dallas and he is a loyal follower of the blog.  Marc reached out to us and offered to meet us at the hotel to spend some quality time.  Marc was a part of our family when he lived in Los Angeles and it is always great to see him [Patrice here: That means he laughs at Robert’s jokes].  We had a nice chat about the family and the pros and cons of the DFW airport. Let me rephrase that, we talked about the cons of the DFW airport.  

Patrice is in the middle. Marc (known as Uncle Marc) is on the right. The really handsome guy is me.

After leaving Marc, we headed to the terminal and my astute wife saw there was a plane leaving for KC an hour earlier than our scheduled flight. Patrice got our flight changed but we had to sit separately, 7 rows apart.   I know this is hard to believe but after 40 years together it’s tough for Patrice and me to be separated for even an hour on our trips. [Patrice here:  Getting some alone time for even just an hour?  There is a God!]

Remember our reasons for this trip were baseball and BBQ.  So far the closest I’ve come to any quality BBQ has been to write about it.  On arrival in KC, we were greeted by rain.  What did I do to deserve this?

After a quick drive to the hotel, we set out for Jack Stack BBQ [4747 Wyandotte St, Kansas City, MO 64112].  The place was near the hotel so we decided to walk there since the rain had stopped.  This was chancy because the rain could return and because I sometimes need a gurney after eating BBQ.  

Jack Stack BBQ did not disappoint us at all.  Patrice had pulled pork mac and cheese.  

Patrice’s pulled pork with mac and cheese.

I had a half rack of baby back ribs. 

My Baby Back ribs with fries, and cream corn bake.

Wait I was supposed to get 6 ribs and I just see 5. 

I knew that woman couldn’t be trusted when it comes to BBQ baby back ribs.

Hmmm, I need to keep my eye on that woman. 

That’s enough BBQ for tonight.  Tomorrow we have some baseball. 

Baseball, BBQ, and Blog Day #1 “DFW Airport……UGH!” June 3, 2022

by reissmd, posted in Dallas, Kansas City

After a long absence trying to survive a pandemic, we are finally feeling comfortable enough to step outside of our house. If you believe public health officials (and I do) and we are not careful, we might be in for more trouble very soon. With that in mind, Patrice and I have set out on a trip. What could be more appropriate than a trip devoted to Baseball, BBQ, and Blogging? 

As loyal readers of this blog, you are aware, Patrice and I are certified “Memphis in May” BBQ judges.   My mouth is watering just thinking of the days we have spent judging.  During our time judging, we heard many people talk about the Kansas City BBQ Society as being the only true competitor to Memphis as the king of BBQ (Texas people please settle down, you’ll get your turn).  

In addition to our search for the supreme BBQ experience, we are also attempting to visit every Major League Baseball stadium. On this trip, we will be able to add one more, Kauffman Stadium, the home of the Kansas City Royals.  

Our flight on day 1 already produced some excitement.  Our flight took us through Dallas on our voyage to KC. Upon check-in, we were told our flight from LA was delayed an hour which would leave us only 20 minutes to catch our next flight. Worrier Robert already started to obsess but we soon learned that the second leg of our trip was also delayed so we knew we’d be okay. 

Our flight from LAX started out uneventful except we did have a flight attendant of note.  Do you have a vision of a curvaceous young thing with a beautiful smile?  Well, enjoy yourself but that’s not what I’m about to describe.  Our flight attendant was Dave and he had to be close to 70 years old.  I watched him move the food cart up and down the aisle at a snail’s pace.  He would offer travelers some pretzels and then get their drink orders.  I thought we would be in Dallas by the time he got to us and we were sitting in the 9th row. When he offered Patrice a blue bag of pretzels she asked if he had anything else.  Dave lumbered back to the cart and on his return, he said “I can offer you a red bag of pretzels?”.  I chuckled and then he asked for my order. I asked for club soda.  Dave said he had Canada Dry Club Soda.  Personally, I can’t tell one club soda from another so I gladly agreed to his suggestion.  Dave returned, handed me a glass and the can of soda, and cheerfully said, “I shook the can real good so it should be very fresh”.   I had found my clone.

We received an announcement from the pilot telling us due to weather we were in a holding pattern for 45 minutes (note to self: avoid DFW in the future). So I used this delay as an opportunity to talk some more to my new friend.  It turns out this is a second career for Dave. He previously worked as an attorney and was credentialed to present a case to the US Supreme Court. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to present the case because it was sent back down to the lower court (where the case was decided in his favor).  It was time to get back to my seat and let Dave do his job.  Before I left a woman approached Dave and said “I have a question”.  Dave quickly answered before she could speak another word and he said “Should you kiss on the first date?  Definitely!”   You gotta love this guy.  What else can I say except I was wrong, he isn’t almost 70, he is 80. 

Enough fun on the plane.  We finally arrived at DFW to find out our flight to KC was canceled and we get to spend the night in Dallas.  Our luggage is spending the night somewhere at the airport.  They offered to find it but would only promise that the bags would arrive sometime between 4 and 8 hours.   We will rough it with what we have. 

Please see me and my new pal, Dave.

A Conference in Hawaii Day 6 “Home Sweet Home” December 9, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Hawaii, Uncategorized

We took an early flight home. Things went smoothly at Kona Airport. It is small and they don’t have a lot of traffic leaving at 6:25 AM. We needed to route through Honolulu (I won’t bore you with the reasons why) but the plane we were taking brought passengers to Kona. Surprisingly they had what looked like a full flight arriving in Kona at about 5:45 AM. Most of the passengers looked like workers rather than travelers. A tip for you if you fly through Kona (and possibly other Hawaiian airports) be cautious at the agricultural inspection. The inspection was a breeze but they tagged our luggage with tape that has been virtually impossible to remove without leaving a sticky residual on our luggage handles. We just bought this luggage and it is very annoying that we now have handles that will remind us of Hawaii whenever we travel. Possibly if you get a reasonable agent they can apply it to your luggage tags instead.

As usual I will end this blog series with some photos I found of interest.

Hertz asking you not to soak their keys. I guess it is tough on the battery.
Interesting privacy tag. You can watch TED talks on the room television.
Warning not to jump off the 442 foot Akaka Falls. I saw this just as I was about to change into my bathing suit.
Looks like Kona Joe is a bit behind the times (dated July 24, 2008) when it comes to minimum wage. This was their posted sign keeping in line with labor law requirements.
I had a staring contest with these guys.

It is good to be back home as always. Patrice is off to her choir meeting and I am going to get ready for going to work tomorrow. Work? Ugh, I need a vacation.

A Conference in Hawaii Day 5 “I Need to Learn to Trust My Wife” December 8, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Hawaii, Uncategorized

Followers of this blog know that I have often had doubts about Patrice’s suggestions for activities on our vacations but in the end I have a fantastic time. Today was another example. Patrice signed us up for an around the Big Island tour. We needed to get to the lobby at 7 AM for an 11 hour excursion via Kailani Tours [(808) 938-4057]. Lucky for us most of the group were staying at our hotel so we only had to make one other stop before we were on our way.

We had a great time with stops at Kona Joe’s Coffee Farm; Punalu’u Black Sand Beach; Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; Rainbow Falls; and Akaka Falls. The sights were great and our tour guide was spectacular. If you decide to take this tour try to get Mike as your guide. Other guides might be just as good, but it is hard to imagine anyone being better,

Naalehu; not part of the tour but Mike stopped to give us a great view of the ocean.
Patrice and I at Naalehu
At Punalu’u Black Sand Beach.
Our tour group. Can you even see us?
Rainbow Falls
The rainbow at Rainbow Falls.
Patrice and I holding hands at Akaka Falls. Aren’t we cute? Don’t you just want to pinch us?
Beautiful but unknown plant seen at Akaka Falls. Can anyone out there tell me what this is?

We got back to the hotel at about 6:15 pm just in time for DINNER! Speaking of dinner, last night after dinner we decided to go see the Tom Hanks movie about Mr. Rogers, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”. It was excellent but much to my surprise (and Patrice’s) I didn’t cry. Am I getting hardened in my old age?

We head for home tomorrow. Patrice is not looking forward to that because as she put it, “Robert you are so much fun on vacation”. I guess that settles it, we will need to go on more vacations.

A Conference in Hawaii Day 4 “Free at Last” December 7, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Uncategorized

The conference finished today after a half day event. I don’t want to pat myself on the back too much (who am I kidding, yes I do) but I started off with another 3 mile run before starting the academic symposium. The final lectures were very poorly attended. Supposedly 90 people signed up for the conference but there couldn’t have been more than 20 in the audience today and at least 6 of those people were faculty members. They had one individual attend today who I am sure was not registered. I took a picture of the bandit attendee, see below.

At least he could have been looking at the speaker instead of at the “chick” behind him (stop groaning, it wasn’t that lame of a joke).

After the class we headed out to explore the island. Just a little north of the hotel we stopped for lunch at Bamboo Restaurant and Gallery (55-3415 Akoni Pule Hwy, Hawi, HI 96719). Sorry no pictures but we both enjoyed the catch of the day (Ono). Patrice had it as part of a stir fry and mine was on top of a Caesar Salad. Both were excellent and we would recommend you dine there if in the area. After that we headed to see the statue of King Kamehameha. This is not the one that you see on ads and during the opening credits of “Hawaii Five O” but it was created by the same sculptor (Thomas Ridgeway Gould). This one, I was told, is located near the birthplace of the king.

The king welcoming Robert and Patrice to his birthplace.

We also found some interesting visitors to the King’s statue. See below.

A gecko paying homage to the King.

We then headed to a viewpoint, recommended by the hotel concierge, called Pololu Valley Lookout. On arrival we were amazed how many cars were parked along the street. When we approached the path we were greeted by a plethora of signs warning of the danger of the pathway: “Warning, Falling Rocks”; “Warning, Hazardous Cliff”; “Warning, Flash Flood”; “Warning, Dangerous Shorebreak”; “Warning, Strong Current”. All they had to say was “You might not want to do this”. If the signs weren’t discouraging enough we took a gander at the trail and saw this.

Do you agree that this is no place for a 70 year old wearing sandals?

So of course we headed down the trail. It was hot and neither of us were encouraged by those going in the opposite direction so we stopped a little over halfway down and got this picture

Pololu Valley Lookout
Then we got this picture with the help of a fellow traveler.

We then headed inland from Pololu Valley and climbed to about 3,500 feet. The scenery was lovely but the opportunities to stop were limited. We were on a rather busy two lane highway with a narrow shoulder. Sorry, but I wasn’t prepared to risk my life for my followers.

We saw something very curious from the highway, a herd of black cows, each one having its own group of pals which were white birds. I can’t tell you much more but look for yourself.

Are those ducks hanging out with the cow? There were plenty others as well.

I’d love to share more but it’s time for my favorite travel activity………… DINNER.

A Conference in Hawaii Day 3 “Write Baby, Write” December 6, 2019

by reissmd, posted in Uncategorized

Day 2 of the conference was much better. One of the lectures was on “Psychological States and Heart Failure Health”. Apparently if you write in a journal daily it lowers your cardiac risk. So my blog is helping me live longer! Having gratitude is also supposedly helpful, so thank you to everyone that reads the blog and makes comments. I need to focus on the good things in life so I can maintain good cardiac health. This is not always easy for me, but let’s give it a try right now by reviewing my day.

Okay, I got up early and ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill. Thats a good start, no? It was raining, hmmmmm. Oops, that is a negative thought. I need to find a positive spin. I have it: rain in Hawaii is a great opportunity to see a rainbow. But the sun wasn’t up yet, so no rainbow. Robert STOP THOSE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS! Heh, I think I can do this I just need to try harder. The conference was running late again (Oh no! Negative thoughts!) but they cut out a session that seemed like it would have been very boring so we are back on schedule (Whew, good save!). Patrice came to visit me during the break (feeling good). I received text messages from Lindsay and Erica during the meeting. Don’t stop me, I am on a roll and feeling my heart just swelling with joy. Heart swelling doesn’t sound good. How about this instead; my heart is warmed with love. Morning session over. Time to meet Patrice for LUNCH.

Quick lunch at the Island Gourmet Market followed by a leisurely exploration of the area with my wife. Feeling great, this heart health thing is a snap. Time to return to the conference. I learned lots of great pearls to take home to my patients. My heart is getting healthier with every key stroke. And look what Patrice found while I was at the conference.

Not just one rainbow but two.

After the conference Patrice asked how the conference went today and how was I doing. See our conversation below.