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First and last

4 Apr
The other day, as I packed for a short work-related trip to Milano, I realized this would be my last business trip ever and I could not help recalling to my first, in 1978. That trip had not crossed my mind in years but it was remarkable and the memories now recalled are vivid even these 37 years later.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. Image courtesy of Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee. at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
In 1978 I was working for the Bell System in Minneapolis as an instructor. Why at the age of 25 anyone thought I had anything to teach anyone I don’t know, but I was sent to Washington, D.C., to represent my company in meetings with AT&T and develop a new national training program for our accounts people. Needless to say I was very excited and thought I was a real hotshot. I flew on the now-long-defunct North Central Airlines (whose vestiges live deep inside Delta after many acquisitions) and rented a car at National Airport. (Reagan hadn’t even been elected yet so the airport was far from being renamed.) It was winter. I rented a car and proceeded through the dark city. The rental car broke down on Connecticut Avenue, in front of a church. On a Sunday night there was little traffic. Panic! No cell phones in those days. What to do? As I fretted a man approached the car. More panic! He motioned from the passenger side for me to roll down the window. I cracked it an inch. “I don’t expect you to trust me,” he said, “but it appears you are lost or…” he let the sentence dangle. “I am the pastor of that church. How can I help you?” I explained my situation. He went to the church, called the car rental company, and returned with instructions: leave the car and take a taxi. They would deliver a new car to me in the morning. The pastor even called me a taxi and waited with me until it arrived.
My first business trip was on an airline that no longer exists.
My first business trip was on an airline that no longer exists.
I never got his name, and I doubt I could even find the church any longer, but the kindness of this stranger has not been forgotten. The situation and his kindness made for a memorable experience.
I am hard-pressed to figure out how many business trips I have made over the years. In the 1978-1983 period I often traveled around the upper-Midwest for my employer. Later in the 80s Denver, Phoenix and Seattle figured prominently as the Bell System broke up and I worked for the “Baby Bell” called U.S. West. There were 14 states and 26 cities I had to visit on a regular basis as Vice President of Sales for a division of that large company. Ric and I courted while he flew west and I flew east meeting in Denver’s Red Carpet Club.
In the 90s I had a job in information technology consulting as a managing director requiring travel about 46 weeks a year, often hitting two cities in a week. I sometimes had to look at the phonebook in the middle of the night to remind myself where I was. I was gone so much that our dog quit sleeping on my side of the bed and switched her allegiance to Ric.
I logged over 100K miles each year on Delta for several years.
I logged over 100K miles each year on Delta for several years.
My final career business trip is memorable for other reasons: I am in Italy of all places, not something I would have even dreamed of back in 1978. I took a train, not a plane, and there was no rental car. (It would have cost Euro 40.00 a night to park it!) I will carry memories of terrific co-workers who aided in a difficult task, and of a hotel that tried to charge me extra for checking out early (that’s one I have not heard in 37 years of business travel), and it will be the last time I stay in a luxury hotel paid for by someone else.  No more frequent flyer/sleeper/driver points earned by my employers’ dollars.
How I travel now....
How I travel now….
I am a little nostalgic for those days when airline travel was something one looked forward to. We dressed up, we got reasonably palatable meals served at least some of the time on real china. You could check all of your bags for free! Ric and I were fortunate to take many first class flights on vacation trips, courtesy of those hard-earned miles. The real price of the trip was having to get back on a plane for “fun” after weeks of business trips.
Milano, the Duomo...far removed from D.C.

Milan, the Duomo…far removed from D.C.

Milan, the Duomo…far removed from D.C.
First and last: what a (pardon the pun) trip it has been!

Milano Musings

2 Mar

2 March 2014

When you arrive in Milan after living in Rome for awhile, the first thing you notice is how tall the buildings are. (If you are coming from, say, Seattle or Denver, you won’t even notice.)

The Duomo in Milano, during a brief rain-free moment in the evening. It truly is spectacular!

The Duomo in Milano, during a brief rain-free moment in the evening. It truly is spectacular!

In Rome nothing can be taller than St. Peter’s Dome, so the buildings all top out at about 6 floors. This lends an interesting sameness to the architecture of Rome, a unity in height if in no other manner. Also, in Milan, there is a “newness.” As the city was heavily damaged in WWII, one doesn’t find as many old buildings.

The second thing you might notice is the streets: they are wider overall than in Rome, and fewer are winding alleyways. Some areas have broad flat sidewalks without loose stones so you can walk without watching your feet. And it is flat. Rome’s famous seven hills won’t exactly test the legs of someone from Portland, but Milan makes Omaha look hilly.

Not your average mall restaurant....

Not your average mall restaurant….

I had need to go to Milan for work, and Ric came to join me for the weekend. Two days in the office passed easily enough and I didn’t have time for any culturally significant outings. Upon Ric’s arrival we headed to Centro Storico to wander around, taking a quaint little tram that dated to 1928.  Now some real behavioral differences began. In Milan, those waiting to board a tram or a Metro train actually let those exiting get off before shoving their way on. Ric and I turned to each other in wonderment! What a delightful change in comportment!

We shopped a bit – after all Milan is the shopping Mecca of Italy – then proceeded to supper in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. To call this a “mall” is like calling Villa Borghese a “playground.” No food court or discount stores here. Rather the likes of Prada, Valentino and Versace. For the record, we didn’t buy anything in the galleria.

Saturday dawned like a Portland March day, but even colder and wetter.

The rain did not deter the crowds waiting in line to enter the Duomo. Glad we arrived before the line was so long.

The rain did not deter the crowds waiting in line to enter the Duomo. Glad we arrived before the line was so long.

It never stopped raining, making for a good museum day. We were impressed at the number of people out despite the rain. Long queues of umbrellas waited patiently to enter the magnificent Duomo, and we narrowly beat the crowd both at the Duomo and for an Andy Warhol exhibit nearby, handily avoiding the long queues because we are early-birds. The Warhol exhibit was eye-opening as we discovered some of Andy’s less-known work, all from the private collection of Peter Brant. Truly amazing that one person could have amassed such a collection from a single artist.

The pillars in the Duomo of Milan are about the size of sequoias.

The pillars in the Duomo of Milan are about the size of sequoias.

As to the Duomo, this is the fourth largest church in Europe and quite a contrast to most of those we’ve seen in Italy. Ric said “This church seems almost Lutheran,” which is quite insightful as it is predominantly Gothic, reminiscent of the Protestant Churches of Northern Europe. Of course the Lutheran churches in our hometowns lack marble, entombed remains of cardinals on display, or pillars the size of sequoias.

Yes, that's the body of a Cardinal, with a silver death mask. Nothing like this in St. Paul, either.

Yes, that’s the body of a Cardinal, with a silver death mask. There’s nothing like this in St. Paul, MN.

4th longest nave in Christendom, so says my guidebook.

4th longest nave in Christendom, so says my guidebook.

There's nothing quite like this in St. Paul, MN.

There’s nothing quite like this in St. Paul, either.

The afternoon took us to a more obscure museum, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana  where the building was as much art as the contents. This is a fabulous palace with amazing mosaics and inlaid floors. Regrettably, no photos allowed so I cannot show you. Again, a private collection, this time of none other than a Cardinal from the 17th century, Borromeo.  In this vast collection of 1600 items there’s a Caravaggio, Raphael’s original charcoal drawing for his Vatican fresco “The School of Athens,” a Tiziano, a Botticelli or two, a DaVinci, several Brueghels, and a lock of Lucretia Borgia’s blond hair. Oh, and Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus in its 1119 page glory is in the library at Ambrosiana. We saw 22 pages carefully displayed. (It’s only 500 years-or-so old.) Church work was very profitable back in the old days…. I don’t think Papa Francesco would approve today.

For those looking at this post as a travel guide, we stayed at Hotel Teco, a sweet and relatively (for Milan!) inexpensive hotel at about €137.00 per night including breakfast. We were able to get a VAT exemption as diplomats. To my Embassy friends: don’t overlook the paperwork needed before you travel.  A 17 minute walk or €10.00 cab ride from Milano Centrale, Hotel Teco is convenient to the Metro (5 minute walk to the Rosso), and Tram #1 to the Duomo is about a 7 minute walk. Numerous restaurants including Ristorante Sabatini (the woman at the front desk said “ottimo pizza” and she was right!) are a short walk away.  I also like Osteria Mamma Rosa nearby, although we didn’t make it there this trip.

I’ve been to Milan four times for work, and once prior in personal travel. I’ve either lacked time or weather sufficiently pleasant for a trip to the roof of the Duomo. I think we’ll have to take advantage some sunny summer day and hop a train to Milan just for the day and make our way to the top. 

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