A Long Walk Home

The sad reality is that I work -- a LOT. Today (a Saturday) was no different. My team and I were working away when all of a sudden an announcement was made over the loudspeakers... the elevators were down for maintenance. This wouldn't really have been a problem except for the fact that it was after 5pm.... we wanted to go home soon... and we work on the 33rd floor!

By the time we were ready to leave at 6, Lindsay checked the freight elevator just to see if it was working...

... it wasn't.

Realizing he was about to carry an entire bag full of files and supplies down 33 flights of stairs, Brendan made a few last minute adjustments.

But Oscar was feeling good.As I waited for everyone to get their stuff together, I ate all the Hershey's Kisses out of the candy bowl at the front desk....

... I needed my strength, after all.

Everyone seemed pretty confident...

... until we realized how far we had to go.

Even though my lazy ass hasn't seen a gym in months, I tried to remain optimistic for the sake of my team.

The first ten flights weren't bad.

Around Floor 22, Oscar really boosted our spirits by playing "Eye of the Tiger" on his phone. It definitely helped.

Halfway point.

By floor 6 my legs were reaaaaaallly burning.
Five and half minutes and one rendition of "Eye of the Tiger" after starting, we had all made it down!

Thanks for the unexpected workout, Republic Plaza.

It was a long way down... but a small price to pay to go home.

Smackdown: Avon vs. Detroit

There's no denying my trip to Detroit was amazing. I mean, it's not everyday you can visit a foam factory... or encounter the Mafia... or find a piece of gum on your plate at a restaurant. But when I found out I was going to work in Avon (just West of Vail), I had a feeling it might just live up to Detroit.

Let's take score....

Accommodations:

I'm auditing a company that develops hotels and condos in resort towns, and they recently built the Westin in Avon....

... which is gorgeous. Although we worked in the Westin, the room rates were a bit steep for us ($600/night!!), so we stayed at the Sheraton:

I was really surprised to find out my room was actually a suite that's almost as big as my condo.

Although the Hyatt in Detroit is nice AND right across the street from the Red Ox, I'd still say Avon wins on accommodations.

Food:

There is a definite sophistication to the mountains that is just a bit.... lacking... in Detroit. And there was no one better to tap into my classy side than Miss Lindsay Montoya.

Lindsay is my co-worker and definitely the classier Lindsay on our team. She influenced me to put down my Coors Light and pick up a glass of wine.

The food is all really good, too. Check out Lindsay's fancy scallops:

Even my chicken and spinach was upscale.

In this race, I say Avon wins... again.

Team:

It's pretty impossible to choose my favorite team considering there were so many characters on both. One such character is Brendan:

Brendan is a new staff, and one of the funnier people I've worked with. On our first morning, he drove us from our hotel to the Westin, and almost killed us twice. That's pretty talented considering it's a three minute drive. When we got out of the car, I asked him to please pose for a picture in front of his car to which he responded, "Um.... why?"

I also really enjoyed working with Ryan, our intern. He's super sharp, and gets as much work done as a regular staff, which is awesome. AND he likes taking pictures with me. Which is a plus. Here we are showing how beautiful the view from the lobby of the Westin is.

And of course there was Miss Montoya. I've missed working with her since she left the Aimco team, so it was fun to be back on a team with her. And I love being able to say, "Gooooooo Team Lindsay!" Hopefully she likes it, too. Because I say it. A lot.

Even though this team was great, my Detroit team was pretty memorable as well. I mean, who could forget Johnny? And Oscar?! And Nick, who wrote the most amazing rap about our time in Detroit (Seriously. A rap about auditing that he recorded and everything). It's hard to choose one team over another, so I'll call this one a draw and chalk it up to the fantastic recruiting efforts of Ernst & Young.

Atmosphere:
As awesome as the abandoned buildings and gray skies were in Detroit... Avon has a definite edge in terms of atmosphere. Right outside our office was a chair lift!! That's crazy. And particularly sad when everyone around you is on their way to ski and you're stuck working 12 hours a day.

This is the view out my hotel room window. So pretty.

Here we are walking to lunch.

The next day, we bought sandwiches for lunch and sat in the Westin lobby to eat and enjoy their gigantic fireplace. Ryan got particularly comfortable.Brendan asked me again why I was always taking so many pictures.And the Lindsay's enjoyed a moment of relaxation before going back to work.Score again for Avon.

I suppose this sunset says it all....

.... Detroit got smoked.