Duke Reviews the World

[Dukefrukem]

So, my new job requires a lot of travel. I work for EMC as a Quality Hardware Engineer, and we are sent out on the field to customers who are experiencing problems with our products in hopes to fix the problems. We travel in every state and even internationally... (Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, etc)

My first business trip is this weekend, and I thought it would be fun to give my initial impressions of the city and my experiences, pics included/ as well as ask for suggestions on what to visit, eat, see, etc.

First up; Wilmington, DE: I'm actually flying into Philly (which I've visited before) but this is my first time spending time in Delaware that wasn't just passing through.

[Ezee E]

You know. I actually look forward to reading this.

[Dukefrukem]

You know. I actually look forward to reading this.

I plan on updating this thread the day of or after I return home. We are given Monday's off to re-coop when we travel on weekends... which is pretty sweet.

[number8]

I love this already.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Awesome idea Duke.

[D_Davis]

Very cool.

You should try to find an arcade to review in each city - that would be awesome.

I remember when X-Entertainment was awesome (a long, long time ago), and they would often review arcades and game rooms in various hotels.

I have a feeling they are much harder to find now.

[Spinal]

Yeah, great idea.

[Mara]

I think that everywhere you visit, you should order buffalo wings at one regional eatery, and then rate it according to heat and sauciness.

This matters to me.

[Dukefrukem]

I think that everywhere you visit, you should order buffalo wings at one regional eatery, and then rate it according to heat and sauciness.

This matters to me.

That is such an awesome idea... problem is I'm a vegetarian.

[Mara]

That is such an awesome idea... problem is I'm a vegetarian.

We won't tell anyone.

[Derek]

First up; Wilmington, DE: I'm actually flying into Philly (which I've visited before) but this is my first time spending time in Delaware that wasn't just passing through.

No sales tax, w00t!

[Dukefrukem]

just checked in to my hotel.

Free wifi on my netbook is fantastic. Going to a brewery for lunch. bbl

[Scar]

Make sure to sign up for all the frequent flyer miles/hotel points programs you can. It adds up quick when you travel!

[Dukefrukem]

Going to the site; Enjoy these pictures for now. Comments on my Picasa are welcomed.

[Dukefrukem]

When visiting new places, impressions will always be related to what you have already experienced. So I just wanted to list quickly some of the other East Coast cities I’ve visited. I’ve been to every state on the East Cost, including their capitols with the exception of Raleigh, Tallahassee and Richmond. Other notable cities include; Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, Miami (and S. Beach), the Keys, Philadelphia, Rochester, DC and everything in New England. Pics here with map tags on exactly where I was. Let me know if you can't access it. I'm pretty sure I set it to public.

Wilmington DE: What do you first think about when you hear the word Delaware? When I found out I was going to Delaware, nothing came to mind. I didn’t even know what major sites were in Delaware. It took me a few min to sing the song and remember the capitol of Delaware. Then I realized the capitol was the city I was visiting.

I had a 6am flight with a co-worker and flew into PHL, which is between Philadelphia and Wilmington. It took about 15 min to get to Wilmington from the airport. Initial impressions were very positive. It was early in the morning, the city looked clean, well groomed and filled with more buildings than I had imagined there would be. Wilmington trees, flowers and shrubs are also more in bloom than anything up in Massachusetts so it already had a positive and warming feel since Mass trees are still recovering from the huge ice storm last December and are taking forever to blossom. We were also flying into Delaware in the middle of a temperature rise on the EC so when we landed it was considerably warmer in DE than MA. Right away things feel good.

I checked into my hotel and asked the hotel clerk what some points of interest were. We were told to check out the boulevard near the Christina River. We were also warned to take a car there (which was only about 1.5 miles away from our hotel) instead of walking due to some bad neighborhoods we would have to walk through. Now things didn't feel so good if the hotel people are warning us about the crime in the area. Wilmington has a high crime rate, even though it’s not listed on the most dangerous cities in the country or highest crime lists. Apparently there is high volume of drug trafficking which spawned mainly from Philadelphia and the result of this is also a high HIV infection percentage.

Driving to the boulevard was pretty intimidating. For a 4-5 blocks there were townhouses set pretty close to the street, and people were lining the sidewalks or just sitting on their front steps. Some walked out in the middle of the street as we drove through. They don't even look up to see if a car is coming. Weird. It was Saturday morning so people hanging out on their front porch isn't too unusual, but the city is absolutely dead. You couldn't wait for us to pass by before walking across the street? For people who are new to the city I can see people being uncomfortable.

The boulevard looked impressive. The area was obviously newly renovated with brand new sidewalks, vegetation and a small mall with some shops. We walked up the boulevard, did some shopping and learned a little history about Wilmington. Wilmington was the first site of the LSM (Landing Ship Medium) where World War II ships were built and dropped in the Christina River. (see pics) On the boulevard there were some decommissioned ship cranes still stood with plaques explaining the significance.

After walking for a while it was time for lunch. We hit up the Iron Hill Brewery which was also right on the Christina River. I sampled the local brews and ordered a plate of Nachos and some fried Calamari. The Nachos were very plain, with little cheese. I don’t recommend them, unless you like unfulfilling nachos. I prefer a huge tower of stuff falling off my nachos. The fried Calamari was quite good, with some excellent dipping sauce. I also recommend the Belgium White Ale. Ask for Corey the bartender on the first floor. He knows his beer.

After lunch I slept for 6 hours because I was working that night from 11pm to 6am. When we were leaving for dinner around 8pm, we got hit up immediately right out of the hotel by a local asking for money. Or at least that’s what I thought he wanted. I couldn’t understand him at all. For dinner we chose a local Mexican chain, La Tolteca. It was very generic and nothing special. Three soft shell fish tacos were alright. Caso was spicy and enjoyable. I didn’t get a chance to sample the Margaritas because we were working after but I believe I saw at the bar they store buy their Margaritas. Time for work.

Real quickly about my work. I can’t say who the customer was or where the building was but it was pretty badass. It was straight out of terminator or the matrix. A building with no names or signs on it, a friggin huge fence and gate and security up the ass. Inside, the data center reminded me of the matrix; the scene with neo asking for “guns… lots of guns”. Completely state of the art and filled with servers, and storage units. Air conditioned at a crisp and constant 70 degrees. Technology in here was absolutely insane.

Anyway, exploring the city was over. I got out of work at 6am, took a 2 hour tap and took a ride back to PHL for a 11am flight. There really is no good reason to visit Wilmington, DE. There are no real attractions and the city is not too interesting. You can get by if you’re there for work or passing through, but Wilmington Delaware is indeed… boring. Avoid it.

Rating: 2/10

[Dukefrukem]

Seattle next weekend!

[D_Davis]

Seattle next weekend!

Gimme a call if you have some time.

I'll pm you my #.

[Dukefrukem]

Gimme a call if you have some time.

I'll pm you my #.

Rgr that.

[Dukefrukem]

Been a while since I've been in an airport near NYC. These places have become fully automated when it comes to food and restaurants. iPads at ever seat. Don't ever need to talk to anyone. Close and open tabs at will. What an excellent experience.

[bac0n]

I flew into the Newark Airport last summer. About as easy to get in and out of as any airport I've been to. And more importantly, good beer selections at the in-terminal bars. heh heh heh.

[Dukefrukem]

I flew into the Newark Airport last summer. About as easy to get in and out of as any airport I've been to. And more importantly, good beer selections at the in-terminal bars. heh heh heh.

That's exactly where I am right now as I'm typing thism. I've been here before but I don't remember it being this efficient. Also, getting drunk soon. Someone bump the drunk thread.

[MadMan]

That's exactly where I am right now as I'm typing thism. I've been here before but I don't remember it being this efficient. Also, getting drunk soon. Someone bump the drunk thread.

I should look for it, considering my booze habits.

[Scar]

I do not miss international travel.

I DO miss international travel pay.

[bac0n]

The one time I traveled internationally for work, it was to Bangalore India. It was a blast. Hope I get the chance to go again.

[Scar]

The one time I traveled internationally for work, it was to Bangalore India. It was a blast. Hope I get the chance to go again.

I seem to recall your flight home was less than pleasant....