It has been awhile since I have written about an airport. I figured that since I will be flying into one this weekend, I might as well write about it! I will be flying to Boston, MA this weekend to visit a bunch of people and to have a mini-vacation. Logan International Airport is where I will be flying in to. Some quick facts about the airport are that is has over 27 million passengers a year going through it (and I am now one person of those statistics), is one of the 20 busiest airports in the US, has around 16,000 employees, etc. The map image shows the airport in great detail. If you zoom in, you will see tons of airplanes all over the airstrips...very cool to look at! Since I will be leaving very early for my flight, I will not get to post tomorrow. Also, since I will not fly back into Buffalo until Monday, I am not going to be able to post until Tuesday. Have a good weekend!

Google map image: Logan International Airport

The talk this week about the PGA Championship is not very normal. Usually, the talk would be mainly about who everyone is expecting to win, and who will shine in the tournament. This week though, the talk is all about the first 2 rounds of golf regarding Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson being grouped together! Two rivals that also happen to be the best in the game will make for a very good pairing. After the first day, both men shot 69, and are 3 strokes behind the leader. It seems that they Phil and Tiger have been feeding off of each other, and are trying to play the best golf that they can! Even better, it is the first time I have ever seen the starting day of a tournament look as if it was the final two players on a Sunday walking down the 18th hole being tied...it is that tense! The PGA Championship is being held at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. Being close to Chicago, I would expect the tournament to draw in a lot of spectators. The country club has 3 18-hole courses in it, but it is best know for Course #3. Tiger Woods won the last event here (The PGA Championship in 1999), so I am sure he would like to repeat himself at this course! This should be a great weekend for golf, so keep a close eye on the leaderboard!

Google map image: PGA Championship - Medinah Country Club

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to head to a park or someplace relaxing just to browse the web? There has been a few cities that have done this, but only Mountain View, CA gets to say that Google is footing the bill for the service! Last year, Google made an announcement that they will be setting up access points all throughout the city for people to use for free. If anyone would like to use it, all they have to do is select GoogleWiFi from their wireless card, and then sign in using their Google account. Google accounts are free, so all anyone has to do is sign up for it if they do not have one yet (same account used for gmail and other products.) Everyone has their own ideas as to why Google is doing this, but I feel it is just a small way of giving back to the community that has been very good to them. Other ideas that I have heard (and go against the "don't be evil" motto) is that Google is doing this to be able to watch what people go to and from where, and that they will start putting ads up with every site you visit that are related to that site's content. In the future, I can see Google creating 2 accounts...1 for free with ads, and 1 for a monthly fee that is ad-free and faster. I will be keeping a close eye on Mountain View, CA to see how this free service does!

Google map image: Mountain View, CA

I decided to meet up with my old roommate on Monday to hang out for a little. We decided that we would meet half way (between Buffalo and Rochester), and that put us in a small city called Batavia, NY. One problem is that we forgot that Batavia was a lot smaller than both Buffalo and Rochester, and that there really is not a lot for "visitors" to do! We got lucky though. It was opening day at Batavia Downs...their horse tracks. We were able to watch every race, gamble a little, and just have a lot of fun! The track was nicer than I had expected. We stayed in the clubhouse area that was very well kept, and relaxing to sit in. Before we left, we went to check the schedule of races for the rest of the summer. From now until the end of November, the races will be on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with a few of the weeks having extra race days. If you are worried you will not enjoy watching the races or you might get bored through the night, Batavia Downs has a slot-based casino setup right in the facility! My dad went with us on Monday, and I don't think he even watched one race. Well, it is a really fun time to watch the races, so I hope you get out to see at least one night of it before the summer is over. Check your local area for races happening around you. Any guesses where I will be tonight?

Google map image: Batavia Downs

Step by Step, we are getting closer to football season again! For people that are big fans of football, the Superbowl is always bitter-sweet. You love to watch that big game, but when it is over, you know the season has ended. Then comes the NFL draft. This is a sign of life the upcoming season. The next step (where we are right now) is the camps for the players to start getting ready for the new season! I am lucky to be near one of the best camps in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills practice at St. John Fisher College. They started holding their camp there since the 2000 season, and it has been a hit! They get fans to attend from 3+ different states (NY, PA, OH, etc.) and get people to also show up from Canada. I know the daytime practices are free, but I think there is a charge for night practices. Not only will you get to see the Bills practice here, but you will get a chance for some autographs, be able to purchase the new Bills attire, purchase game tickets, and be able to "test your skills in the "Bills Experience". It is a great event, so I hope you get the chance to check it out! If you are not around the Western New York area, check out what your local NFL team is doing for their training camp!

Google map image: Buffalo Bills Training Camp