Check out my room!
60+ Inch TV..really! Too bad I was only in the room for less than 6 hours!
Look what was in the parking lot for the Indy Car Race in Chicago
The Willis (Sears) Tower Covered by the clouds
Pigeons gone wild!
Union Station in Chicago
My train! Loved the fully reclining seats and only $40 cost to Chicago from Michigan
Thank you Grand ValleyHello Everyone,
I just got back from ten days on the road! I love speaking and entertaining, but it's great to come home and have someone waiting for me. I love knowing Kelly is there to pick me up at the airport when I get back from trips. It would be great if she could come on more trips with me.
My latest adventure was a success. Lots of smiles on peoples faces including mine. I took a brief inventory of my trip and here's how it worked out:
Days on the road - 9
Airports - 6 ( Phoenix/twice, Columbus,OH/twice, Atlanta, GA, Newark, NJ, Grand Rapids, MI,
Chicago, IL)
Trains - 2 (One Amtrak and One Chicago subway ride)
Rental Cars - 2
Hotels - 5
Sofas slept on - 2 thank you Rodger and Scott
Airport delays - 2 overnight stays in airports
People entertained - Over 5,500
Suitcases destroyed - 1 - time for a new one, old reliable held up for almost 3 years
Miles traveled - Almost 7,000
Hours of sleep - Not much
My trip got off to a good and bad start. I took Kelly out for a date before I planned to catch a red-eye flight to Ohio for my first speech in Marietta, Ohio. That was the plan. Then mother nature decided to have a thunderstorm over the airport and my flight got diverted to Tuscon. When the plane got their, the airline discovered mechanical problems. GREAT! After waiting in line and entertaining several people with my talks (good practice) for several hours I was on a my way to Ohio almost 12 hours delayed. Once I landed, it was off to get my rental car and head to Marietta. I arrived just in time for my sound check. The show went great. I loved the balcony crew. The bed in the hotel room was perfect after my long travels.
The next two days were good because I was able to see some old friends in the Cleveland area. Took a little time to join my friend Rodger and his kids to see GI Joe. Fun movie. I liked it better than Transformers.
After my Ohio, visit, it was off to New York to speak to the students of Drew University. 600+ freshman in a field house! Wow! Good times! Didn't know if we would have a winner of the hula hoop contest. After that show, it was off to the hotel for 3 hours of sleep and a 4AM pick-up by my shuttle driver back to the airport. Let me type this now, the Newark airport has the most uncomfortable seats in the waiting area for you plane.
I landed in Grand Rapids for two shows. My wonderful agent Brooke and her daughter picked me up at the airport and dropped me off at DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY to perform with my friend Rodger. I typed that in caps, because several times I said Drew University when talking to the students of DAVENPORT. Talk about a "Southwest Airlines Commercial" moment.I wanted to get away. I have never done that before. I'll be apologizing for that mistake for a long time. No excuses. The campus was amazing and I had a good time with the students. Thank you for all the students who became friends with me on facebook.
After Davenport, it was off to the hotel to lay my head down for a few minutes and do some laundry. After that it was off to Grand Valley State University to talk/perform for over 3500 freshman! Wow is the only thing that can be typed. I can't wait to get copies of the photos and videos to post on my blog. Watching 3500 people do the Electric Slide with Rodger was amazing!
After several high fives and a good meal, it was back to the hotel for another 3 hours of sleep. Rodger was kind enough to drop me off at the Amtrak station at 5AM in the morning for a trip to Chicago. I arrived in Chicago to get my rental car and head to Romeoville to work with the students of Lewis University. I love the Lewis campus and the 500+ people at the program had a lot of energy and made my job easy. I can't wait to go back. The night ended with a nice conversation with the college president while eating ice cream.
The next morning, I was off to Jacksonville, IL to end my road trip with a show on Dating at Illinois College. Before my show I worked with the student Residence Hall Advisors on event planning and motivation. The group works HARD! The show that night was full of energy. The impromptu runway show during my show was a lot of fun. After that show it was off to the student center to join the students in a pizza judging competition. After that it was back to one of the best hotel rooms I have ever stayed in. I got booked in the "Ambassadors Suite" at a local hotel. When the TV is bigger than your bed, and you have a king size bed, you know the room and the tv are HUGE.
The next morning, it was back in the rental car for a 3 hour drive through the cornfields of Illinois to return home to recharge my batteries.
Thanks for reading. I'll post more pictures and videos soon. I'm off for a few weeks, before my schedule picks up again. Be on the look out for my upcoming schedule.
I'm also posting updates on Facebook and Twitter so look for my updates. Just look for Frank Kitchen on either.
Video of the stage during sound check at Grand Valley and my train ride to Chicago!
