A Cold Trip Home

All the Gimbel Boys in one place!

People in Singapore pay big money to see snow

The Great Gus in action

A better butter burger then Solly's cannot be found


The boys and their Mom looking fine!

It was a balmy 86 degrees when Singapore Airlines flight 23 left for Newark on the 1st of March. I was wearing a long sleave shirt for the first time in 10 months on a non working day. I even had a sweatshirt that I had dug out from deep in my Singapore closet. The service in the air was great - nice, attentive flight crew members, hot towels and a flat sleeper seat. 19 hours, two movies (Babel and Flushed Away), many hours of iPod listening, a few video games, two big meals and a few hours of sleep later we arrived on US soil.

I had gotten a second shot at Thursday as it was still the 1st. By the time I got my bags, re-checked them to Chicago and made my way to the United Airlines gate I suddenly remembered what a different world air travel was in the US. It was about 6:30PM and the 4:30PM United flight had not yet left. The 6:30 had not arrived and the 8PM (which I was scheduled on) was on no radar screen anywhere. I put myself on the wait list for the earlier flights. The 4:30 finally left at 7:30 without me on it. I checked with the lady at the gate for the 6:30 and asked her my chances. "Not so good", she said. I asked if my Star Alliance Gold or Singapore Airlines PPS Club would move me up the list. She entered the information and 15 minutes later called my name. The 6:30 left at 8:30, took off at 9:30 and landed in Chicago at 11:00PM. It was like a sardine can and the service was like one would expect - non existent. I got to the hotel at midnight and rested. It was cold, snowy and windy but I didn't mind.

The next morning I took the train to Milwaukee. It was nice to see the snowy corn fields and the dirty salty cars on the roads. I had almost forgotten that it was still winter.

The weekend was terrific as all the family was there. Dad an Anne were great hosts at their new place on the river. It's really nice and roomy. Noah came in from Georgetown with wild hair and a shabby beard but he still looked good. The college boy popping in on his way to Spring Break in Jamaica. Elijah and Lena each grew about a foot taller since I last saw them. Josh and Julia were looking very nice and even Mom was there for a timely visit.

A visit to GRGB (http://www.grgblaw.com/)reminded me of how much I don't miss practicing law but it was great to see everyone still schlaggering out the work. Most of the crew was there so it was a real treat for me. I was sad to learn that my good friend Kim is going to have surgery soon but I think her great attitude is going to get her through and she will be added to the list, with my Dad, of cancer survivors. (http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/). Next was a quick workout and steam at the MAC
(http://www.macwi.org/), a few pops and then a family dinner at a new pizza place in the 3rd Ward. The pizza was far better then the pizza in Singapore.... shocking!

Saturday was a trip back to the GRGB offices where Gus the Great stopped in for haircuts. It was my first Gus cut in about 10 years and as expected he "brought me back" with a nice "tune up". Josh had a "consultation" and Noah also had a few pounds of hair removed. Gus looks about the same as he did when I started getting haircuts from him over 28 years ago.

After the haircuts Dad and Noah and I went to Solly's for burgers
(http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Overview.aspx?RefID=615). There are three food groups that will never be as good in Asia as they are in the US - the pizza group, the burger group and the Latin food group. After the pizza, Solly helped me get the second one taken care of. I managed to get the third in Miami with a Versailles Cuban sandwich. Saturday night we went to the Vince Lombardi Foundation black tie dinner. The Gimbel table also featured the lovely Nancy Chandler and Cathy Reilly along with their not quite as lovely husbands Tim and Stevie.

On Sunday it was off to the airport. I was lucky to get a bonus visit with Rachel and Benjie as their flight from Las Vegas got in about an hour before my flight to Miami left. It was sad to leave Milwaukee but great to see everyone in the family after such a long time!