I feel today would be a fabulous day to touch on one of my favorite hobbies – procrastination.  Why, you may ask, is today a good day for this?  Because I am racked with guilt at not having written anything in the past month and a half, when I initially promised myself I would write twice a week.

I’m a writer, it’s my most favoritest* thing about what I do, and all things marketing and PR related lead back to it eventually.  One of these days I swear I’m going to toss it all aside and become a travel writer, which would combine two of my most beloved past times, writing and traveling.  The dilemma sprouts in that, because writing is my profession, I end up writing blogs for other people more than I do for myself.  Since those others are the ones for which I actually get paid and mine are just my usual silliness – well, you can guess which ones get priority.

You may also ask why procrastination is one of my favorite hobbies.  I would like to first point out that procrastination is never my intention.  I am an extremely hard worker (ask my friends who can never get me out) and I never miss a deadline.  That said, I am sometimes easily distracted.  On top of that, nearing a deadline always adds a bit of excitement when you’re working to get the perfect piece to a client.  When you add to that the fact that some things are just less fun to do than others, procrastination is born.  What can I say?  It inspires me.

I am also inspired by the weather – nice weather makes me want to sit in the sun and watch my dog Bratwurst chase butterflies.  This leads to procrastination, which leads to those panicky feelings about not meeting deadlines and this is when genius strikes (okay, if not genius, at least some darn good copy writing).  Bad weather makes me want to curl up in bed with my dog and a good book for the day.  This leads to procrastination, which leads to those panicky feelings…you get the picture.

Okay, enough stalling.

*Favoritest – my new word for the week, feel free to use it!

Mint

Mint can be used in a variety of things (my personal favorite is Mojitos), however M1NT is an upscale members-only club on the 23^rd floor of one of a myriad of skyscrapers in Shanghai.  Think internationally stylish and sophisticated, not a stuffy, senior citizen club, this place has an amazing restaurant, several lounges (including one in the rooftop garden on the 24^th) and dance floors that are jammed all night.  Members here actually own a percentage of this place, a virtually unheard of concept in membership clubs.  With three other clubs in Beijing, Hong Kong and Cannes, think international business people flying in to party for the weekend on their jets (or, for the younger crowd, on daddy’s jet). 

Want to get in?  Don’t ask me!  I’m lucky enough to be a friend of a friend of someone in the music industry who wanted to treat some of us to a fun night out on that trip (how was that for vague).  If you can afford a sneak peak and a possible membership, my advice – dive right in!

Chicken

Chicken is not just a food there (although it is served in a bowl, cut into pieces, feet and heads included).  Chicken is a way of life.  You see it being played on the streets every day.  With a population around 19 million (remember that’s not the country, it’s just one city) many people take to the streets with a number of different means of transportation.  The most popular are bus, car, moped, bicycle and foot (not chicken feet, their own feet). 

You would naturally assume that size dominates all; however that is simply not the case.  It is sheer will and the willingness to be daring that makes this city flow seamlessly.  Bicycles weave in and out of buses, masses of people cross when they choose and lights don’t seem to mean much other than, “How many cars can keep turning left in front of oncoming traffic after the light has turned red?”  The throngs of people you see in New York are child’s play to this international city. 

And the most amazing thing of all in Shanghai traffic?  No one is angry!  They do use their horns in a manner to make a Italian native blush, however it is not in anger or even annoyance, it’s more just a warning that “I’m coming through whether you move or not.”  Personally, I would rather be on foot in this town than on a bicycle because it’s easier to jump out of the way, however the tide flows smoothly through each intersection and, rather than get aggravated, the people of Shanghai accept it for what it is, which I assume is why I never saw a single accident or heard one tire screech during the week I was there (much of which was spent walking around). 

There is a beauty to this sea of people that stays completely serene in the midst of this organized chaos and I found myself embarrassed anytime I forgot myself and started yelling at a car that almost hit me (pedestrians there do not have the ultimate right of way like they do in the States).  Shame on me for not harnessing my inner chi and giving in to my true “traffic flow.”

Anyone who has traveled within the last decade is relatively familiar with the fabulous discounts which can be found online.  Ahhh…last minute bookings…you can smell the desperation of airlines and hotels hoping to squeeze in one more reservation before the final cut off.  But I ask you this…at what price?  I’m not talking monetary, that one’s fairly obvious.  At what price really?

Is your sanity worth it?  I recently purchased a roundtrip ticket from Phoenix to Shanghai a month before I wished to depart and got a fabulous deal.  As a person who prefers to leave the country any time a three-day weekend is on the horizon, online search engines are like a warm blanket that soothes the sometimes-wintry frost of my bank account.  A current favorite is Kayak.com, which compares several other websites for you and lists them conveniently on one page.  As a multi-time user of these sites, I have never before had a problem and I understand that no system is perfect.  And yet, I will still explain to you how my sanity almost escaped me.

This particular ticket was booked PHX to SFO and then SFO to PVG.  The U.S. legs are on a different airline than the trans-continental, and scheduling seating assignments online for the first portion was fine.  It was when I attempted to book my seats between San Francisco and Shanghai that my meltdown began.  This portion is on United Airlines who, for the record, I have always had pleasant experiences with.  But after multiple failed attempts online and after wading through several minutes of automated prompts, I received a woman who needs a serious lesson on etiquette and customer service.  Laughing through a conversation on how you can’t find a reservation for the passenger on the phone and you have no idea how that happened is hardly appropriate.  Queue brain overload and steam streaming from ears.  She finally tells me she sees that I purchased the ticket, however the online company never “confirmed the space” for my seat.  Really?  In this day and age of technology overload, wouldn’t that be assumed?  Why on earth would I purchase a ticket for a flight on which I do not desire a seat?  Queue headache and pain behind the eyes.

After that incredibly obnoxious woman told me I had to call the company with whom I purchased the ticket, I hung up and dialed again.  After several minutes on hold I was connected to a gentleman who continually put me on hold without telling me (actually, I think he was just muting me, because after several prolific rounds of swearing on my part he was suddenly on the line asking me to hold because it would be a couple minutes).  He finally told me my flight had been cancelled.  I said that wasn’t possible, because I was looking at United’s website and could see the flight.  He said no, not the entire flight, just my ticket.  And, for that matter, not the entire ticket, just the parts between San Fran and Shanghai.  I don’t have a clue how this happened, but I can tell you I never got any money back.  He tells me he has to make another call and he’ll call me back in an hour (like I believe this for a second).  Queue nervous shakes and upset stomach.

And…30 minutes later all was resolved!  I sat nervously wondering if I was going to be charged extra fees or the difference in fare price (which was now almost $700).  But no!   The lovely gentleman Shane called me back saying everything was in working order.  After attempting to bow down and kiss his feet through the phone, we parted ways and I ran to my computer.  Lo and behold, my reservation number with United Airlines worked perfectly and I was able to reserve my seat (of which only 6 remained – scary!).

So the moral of my story is – traveling last minute can be loads of fun, is always an adventure and is sometimes a little hairy, even before you leave town.  And even with the best companies, mistakes can occur that need some serious resolution.  And if you don’t have a cast iron stomach, keep the Tums nearby.

This is a clarification which will probably oft be made.  Bratwurst is my dog.  He is the sweetest, most lovable Doberman on the planet.  Weighing in at just over 70 pounds, he is also the heaviest lap dog I have ever encountered.  I absolutely adore him, although he is the bane of my traveling existence (I also adore road trips and he is afraid of the car).  I hope that this will not cause too much confusion; I have no other animals named after food, just a snake named Elvis, but that’s a story for another day…

Hi there!  I am Holly, also known as Girl Anywhere, and I welcome you to my blog!  Here you will find information on several different levels: I will post on professional topics and services that relate to marketing and and travel and tourism; there will be a lifestyle component which will be more about me and my dog Bratwurst (the sweetest Doberman that ever lived); and I will also be posting travel tips, especially quirky ones that I find as I am out exploring.

I explore for work but, more importantly, I explore for fun!  I believe we all have the opportunity and the obligation to learn more about our ever-shrinking world and meet new people.  Don’t let the recession get you down; there has never been a cheaper time to travel!

You can find my company, Anywhere, LLC, on Facebook and I am on Twitter and Flickr as Girl Anywhere.  I look forward to meeting new people through this blog and am excited to make your acquaintance!