I tried this sports bar near the intersection of Sand Lake and I Drive last night. It is on the top floor of the building a half a block south on I Drive. It is a chain. I know they have another in Vegas. It opened a week or two ago. I had the All American Cheeseburger for $18. It was ok. Preformed, but, acceptable patty. Earthy tasting. Over a 1/4 lb. You could not adjust the temp. It was medium well. Sweet and sour pickle slices. Good brioche bun. It came with a choice of fries or tots. I chose tots. Good. Alot. Crispy. Not oily. Served in a wire basket with a plastic cover sheet. Side of ketchup. It came out quick. Not bad for 10pm. The menu has few surprises. Tacos, fried chicken sandwiches, prime rib sandwich, salads, mac and cheeses, etc. $18 to $24. The apps (nachos, hummus, etc) ran from $14 to $18. The service was attentive and polite. The space is large. High ceilings. L Shaped. Black is the main tone. Concrete too. A long bar with seating. The area near the kitchen is a little unsightly. An area up a staircase that was closed. An outdoor space with its own bar on the I Drive side. Views on three sides though. Seats over 200. About 1/4 full. All types. Even kids and babies with bad parents. The walls are lined with screen and projection tvs. Three regular tvs between them. The sound is ear splitting. They haven't evened out what level the announcers are on and what level the crowd is on. The crowd noise is too loud and drowns out the announcers. Plus it gives you headache. And it is annoying when you are watching one of the other events. I would rather have no audio or music. You may have to pay for parking. I parked aside it. At other times, this lot may be full. They are only open for lunch on the weekends. 4pm to 11pm otherwise. Not a bad addition to our community.
*Travel Notes - Germany: I flew to Frankfurt via Santiago DR and Boston (return) on Jet Blue and Condor for $630. Neither gave me record locator numbers (a first). Jet Blue finally did with a last minute email and I could check in online and it also checked me onto my Condor flight. Which was good because their website is a clusterfuck. So bad that I had to take the train to the airport in Frankfurt to use a kiosk to check in on the way back because it was the first segment flying that portion and Jet Blue's website couldn't save me that time. The Condor site kept hanging up on the chose luggage page. They tried to charge for everything. Jet Blue did how ever almost fuck me by not informing me that the idiots in the DR (the transit point) make even transferring passengers fill out some form (plus go through customs and back). And their idiot counter people just call it an eticket. Don't you think they should be using the term entry form or something like that? Eticket sound like a boarding pass. In the Dr, they listed (never fixed) the flight to Frankfurt as Puerto Plata. I've already written too much on this subject.
You can take an S Train (above ground) from the airport to the Main Train Station for 6.30E. I paid in cash. It made change. It takes about fifteen minutes and is the last stop. No one checked my ticket. FYI - the exchange rate was about 1E for 1.08 US. I stayed the first two nights at the pretty decent Ramada Central Station (Expedia 7.6) about four blocks down on the main road out of the station (Kaiser Strasse) for $69 a night. It was a bit drizzly (was most days) the first day. I got some food at the market (Tegut) and went to sleep. The next day I bought a 35E ticket from a machine at the station to my next destination. These idiot machines in Europe ask for a pin on a normal credit card! Luckily, the bullshit number I entered on my AMEX fooled them. Didn't work with other cards though. These machines did take cash too. They had an English language option. I will have to go into a lengthy explanation of the fare structure, etc at the end. Then, I walked a few block into the city center (where the skyscrapers are) and took out some cash at the Commerzbank. Then right towards the river at some point. The street that has the Klein Markt Halle and the Dom and the Moderne Kunst Museum. Then down to the Main River and over a bridge to this area that has apple cider bars. Then back and across the iron bridge and back to the Rathaus and back to the main street and down it a bit more. It is a busy shopping street. It was a bit rainy and there isn't a ton to see and I knew I'd be back, so, I called it quits and did another market run again. I should add here that the area around the station is a bit annoying. Druggies, homeless, etc. There are also many refugees here as well. BTW - tell them you are there on business to avoid the 2E a night hotel tax.
The next day, I grabbed a frankfurter (because you gotta) at Wurst Heldon at the station and left (I took 11am-ish trains that got me into the next place at check in time at the hotel) for Koblenz. The Rhine and the Mosel meet here at a Kaiser Wilhelm statue point called Deutsches Eck. There is also a castle across the Rhine that you can take a gondola to. I stayed near the station at the tiny and poorly valued Trip Inn City Hotel Hamm (Expedia 8.2) for $112. And they were the cheapest! It was a Saturday. I thought the Eck was close to here. But, I read the map wrong. No bother. I went to the station and bought a 31E ticket for the next day and took a pleasant walk through town and along the Rhine. Down there, I just walked down the Mosel side a bit and back and perused a food truck festival and saw the St Kastor Basilika. On the return, I took the route through the middle of the peninsula/city. Saw the Rathaus, etc. Got dinner at a Lidl near the station. FYI - I would stay here and do day cruises or take buses down the Mosel instead of staying in the towns (unless you have a car).
The next day I took the train to through the Mosel region (it was flooding its banks) to Trier. After this is France. It is the oldest Roman settlement in Germany. I bought a 46E return ticket to Frankfurt at the station. I stayed at the perfectly placed Hotel Porta Nigra (Booking 8.0) for $73. I should add that it was a Sunday and many shops were closed. I walked to the Porta Nigra (a black Roman gate) and down that main street to Haupt Markt. Then left to the Dom and onto the Konstantin Basilika and Kuefurstliches Palais. Through the garden to the Kaiser Thermen (Roman baths). Don't pay. You can see the whole thing from around the corner. Onto the Mosel and the Romer Bricke (bridge). Back to center and the Karl Marx house, Markt Kirche St Gangolf and Karl Marx Statue. A deparate 9E tuna sandwich dinner at Subway.
The next day I walked through town a bit more. I got screwed again because it was some holiday. Back through Boulay and Cochem to Koblenz. Those two towns are suggested stopping of points for the Mosel. But because of the flooding, high hotel places, etc I chose to bypass them. I will tell you that the train only follows along the Mosel to Boulay. South of that it goes inland. I planned on staying in a town south of Boulay. When I found out a bus was required, I just cut bait. The wineries also didn't seem that accessible. The train was a nightmare. Had to stand the whole way from Koblenz. Back in Frankfurt I stayed at the noisy Concorde Hotel (Expedia 8.6) a block to the left of the station for $47. I bought a 46E ticket and walked to the Opera House, Goethe Museum and along the river (everyone was there because of the holiday) to the Stadl Museum and back. The hotel was in the red light district. It was pathetic shell of itself if it ever was notorious. Dinner of chicken schnitzel sandwich and egg and salami on mei seicke (a popover like pastry) from Quicker's at the station.
The next day I went on to Nurnberg through Wurzburg. I stayed at the Privat Hotel Probst (Expedia 8.8) just inside the walls in front of the station. I walked to the St Lorenz Kirche, Pegnitz River, Haupt Markt, Rathaus, Schoner Brunnen (fountain), Frauen Kirche, Albrecht Durer Haus, Kaiserburg Castle, St Sebald Kirche and up Karolinen Strasse. Dinner from Lidl. The next day I bought a local train 4E ticket (I freeloaded the return) to where the Kongress Halle/Documentation Center and Zeppelin Field are (a few stops from the central station) and a 28E ticket for the next leg. They held some of the Nazi rallies you see in film here. Exit left from the exit and look for a lake. Wasted 6E on a ticket for some shit museum when I could have just entered the building for free. BTW - it is all being torn apart. The stands, etc are gone. It is just an empty horseshoe. I think they are renovating it to be a new political building. I walked around the building to the Zeppelin Field. There is a hockey rink and a football stadium aside it. At the other side was a bunch of stone work that I think was the seating area for their parades. They were also working on that. I continued on (around the lake that is there) to the station. It wasn't really worth the effort. Back in town, I walked past the Konigs Tor, Modern Art Museum and Germanisches National Museum. Back to Karolinen Strasse and had a Drei im Weggla (three shitty sausages in a roll) at the Original Nurnberg Kiosk. It's a local specialty. Around the left side of town. Walls, bridge, castle again, etc. Dinner from Lidl.
The next day I took the train to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It is a medivil town. I stayed at the noisy Hotel Gasthof Post to the left of the station and outside the walls. I bought a 20E ticket for the next day at the only kiosk. No workers at the depot. I walked into town. Entrance, Rathaus plaza, Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store, Berggarten, St Wolfgang Kirche and Walls. At the end of the walls, I walked back into town and bought some wine at Frankischer Brennereiausschank and a LKW Burger Fleischkas with Kraut Salat and Gebratenen at Metzgerei Erich Trumpp because you couldn't pass that up. It was a fat slice of some big wurst that I saw being sold in Nurnburg. A little more walking through town center and the St Jakobs Kirche. Dinner from Aral gas station market because I didn't see the great big market next to the station when I came in.
The next day I went onto Wurzburg. Known for wine. I bought a 26E ticket. I stayed at the very nice Hotel Franzikaner near the Dom and Residenz (Expedia 8.0) for $85. I walked down to the Main River. Left to a bridge and around the farther side of the Fortress Marienburg. This took forever and I thought I'd have to turn around. Luckily, I found a passage through the vineyards at the farthest end and cut across. Through some very pretty areas. I doubt many take this route. I did screw up coming back. There was a park about half way to town. I thought I'd get better photos if I stayed farther away from the fortress. That whole way was blocked by buildings. Maybe the park was not? Back across the Alte Main Brucke to Dom Strasse. Marien Kapelle, Falken Haus, Neu Munster and the Dom. Dinner from Tegut. I started to rain heavily.
The next day I walked to the Residenz Palace and back through town. I got lost and ended up more north on the river and got some better angles of the fortress and made a right that brought me back to the station. I took the train (1 hour late) to Stuttgart. I bought a 66E ticket. I stayed at the ok Hotel Bawu (Expedia 8.8) right across the front of the station for $66. They are doing alot of construction at the station and around town. I got lost trying to find my way to the Mercedes Benz Museum. That and the Porsche Museum are the main draws. It was good because it started to pour an hour later. I ended up finding this park (Schloss Garten) that had all these buildings (opera, ballet, etc) around it. Dinner from Tegut. I think you need to use the subway to get to both car museum. A big hill blocks you from Mercedes and the Porsche seemed even farther away.
The next day (I bought a 2pm because it was the cheapest and I arrived so late the day before) I walked the other way around town. I saw the Rathaus, Stifts Kirche, Markt Halle (closed because a Sunday), Porsche Store, etc. A plaza was hosting the Hamburger Fisch Market. I had sauteed Kap-Seehecht (Cape Hake) at the Hamburger Bratkartoffeln stall because it was the busiest. Past the palace on Konig Strasse. Back to the station. The train was late. I arrived at Frankfurt with just enough time to do the river walk (farther) again. I got caught in the rain. Had one of the beers I bought under a tree. Had to buy groceries at the Zam Zam Halal Supermarkt. I stayed at the nice Victoria Hotel (Expedia 8.6) for $128 for two nights. Three blocks up from the station. The next day I had to do that BS at the airport and there was some issues with the trains, so, that took hours. I had to buy a two way local ticket for 12E. I got lost trying to find the Marshall Plan building. It's a college now. It was called the IG Farben Building. They planned and carried out the WWII rebuilding scheme from here. Back through town. Dinner from Tegut. There was S8 train scarcity the next morning, so, I took some other train to the first stop and connected with one there. I didn't pay because the machine wouldn't take my card and had no cash option. No one checked me. Had I stayed on the first train, I think I would have been found out and had to pay a 60E fine. Getting to the gate was no issue. Flight was late because (once again) some dipshit didn't show up and we had to unload their bag. Jet Blue was late by an hour because they claimed the flight before needed extra security time because it came from the DR. Doesn't it always? Didn't you know this? Why didn't you say plane leaves at that time then?
The weather was cloudy to drizzly 75% of the time. Not enough to worry about. It was hot enough. I never needed my sweater or long pants. Daylight started before 5am. Sun set late. All hotels had poor pillows, curtains and noise making maids. The meals I didn't speak of were the usual charcuterie, cheese, wine, beer, hummus, rolls, etc from markets or McD's. I drank every night. Local wine or beer. I tried these items for the first time: Meats - Parmesan Salami, Weisbauer Beskada Gerbraten, Schwarz Walder Schinken, Knoblauch Salami (I've probably had this), Cheese - Stilfser, Berg Bluten Kase, Bread - Chia Spitzerl. I had a ton of every kind of 1.50E Ritter chocolate bars because of the price. As usual smoked salmon was around 4E, prosciutto 2E, cheese 4E, cold cuts 2E, wine 3E to 7E, beer 1E to 2E. You have to just make your own sandwiches, et al! It so easy. Don't buy premade ones for 6E! It was good seeing the southeast part of Germany. Hotels were cheaper than I expected. Trains continue to be expensive. The quality of life is deteriorating in the cities. Still safe enough though. They never jaywalk. I kept calling them "Guter Hund".
Some thoughts on the trains. I still don't get it. They have ICE and IC trains that are the fastest and most expensive and mostly long distance. They have the RE that stop at every town and are cheaper. What I don't get is the price swings. Sometimes Flex (refundable) were cheaper. Sometimes I got a ticket for unlimited travel that day (the 46E ones). You must write your name on those. Sometimes they had limitation warnings yet they offered them up for sale and it seemed did not apply to that travel day. Why scare us? The lines for people to talk to were usually ridiculous. Why I just went to the machines. They also make it seem that it makes two or three stops. Nope. Dozens. You should also hit the print schedule button before you buy the ticket to find it where the transfers are. The screen won't tell you. You can also print out the three or four trains that are leaving in you time window. Many times seats were hard to come by. Sometimes no one checked my ticket. Sometimes it looked like the whole train was full of freeloaders. Transfer times were usually really short (like 5 minutes). There is supposedly a 49E a month unlimited pass you get online. A CS guy in Trier told me it automatically bills you every month. Not sure how hard it is to get out of or its limitations. The 3, 4, 6, 8 day passes seemed expensive. The internet said a six day was 248E. At 41E a day at that rate, almost all my day before purchases were cheaper.
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