Up till today we have been staying at nice Hilton hotels and we have gotten spoiled. Beautiful rooms, spacious bathrooms, voluptuous pillows and soft beds have been our rewards for a full day of work. The only downside is that there is no free wifi in the room. So the hotel lobby is usually populated with riders, journalists, and assorted staff occupying the few comfy chairs. That has come to a screeching halt tonight. We are staying in a crappy hotel in the funky town of Springfield. The best way to describe this town is that it is similar to Twin Peaks from the tv show of the same name. Very odd and not really anywhere. And I can deal with that. I’ve stayed in plenty of marginal hotels before. The reward for staying in these hotels where the bed covers have cigarette burns is that at least there is free wifi in the room. Not the case here. It is another night of poaching the free wifi in the hotel lobby. I hate that. This means I am with the same people I have been with all day and generally talking about the same stuff again. Don’t get me wrong, I like the race staff and my fellow editors/journalists. However I like to be alone at times or at least with people who are not talking about the race still. All well, I think tomorrow we are staying at a nicer hotel.
Find the local Waffle House and talk to truck drivers and local folk about..hmmm…what do they talk about in rural Missouri???
I do have to wonder if the famous Browne wit will fall flat with some of the southern locals.
This should definately be in your link list…
http://www.geocities.com/waffleshrine/
Dude, Springfield sucks. JC and Columbia… and St. Louis will be better.
Having found your blog through Sara Best, I have only been reading for a few months, but today sifted through some old posts and found the Dec 15, 2006 blog “You’re so Vain…” Between that post, your zaniness and your thoughts about DZ (my fav rider for personality) I think I am in luv. You are the cat’s meow (ref:DZ)!
catherine aka cat
And you better not dis Springfield or Theresa Hanssen (the craziest cycle fan around) might take exception!!!
cat
Neil, I’ll be the first to admit, that our little berg, is not the most happening place in the state!! I was talking to some guys from Indiana in Columbia, and they were disappointed that there wasn’t more going on in our corner of the state! But, give us a break! We are 30min from Branson MO, and we make the most of it. It’s a great place to live! If JQ Hammons have given up some rooms at University Plaza, you would have been happier. I think there’s wi-fi there. You could have come to my house, I have wi-fi!!!
And, btw, I was the one hassling you at the finish in Columbia, cause you and your big camera was taking up my camera angle!
But there is hope; I have a subscription to ROAD that hits my mailbox, even here!!
Theresa
The Oasis?! That darn hotel room almost killed me! I had to get out, quickly!
–Staff