Buffalo Trip - Day 2

Today, I began another Installation Project, this time at the Buffalo Niagara Airport.  For several weeks, I've been thinking about my friend, Sean E., who passed away in 2020 but had taken this exact Installation Trip back when he worked for me (2014/2015 timeframe).  He is missed but not forgotten... 

The day didn't start the way I'd hoped - I was unexpectedly awake at 0500.  Fortunately, I managed to get back to sleep until 0630 (alarm needed).  Almost immediately, I started teleworking and I stayed online until about 0745 (1.3 hours towards my work day total).  I then went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Holiday Inn Express (Cheektowaga).  When my meal was complete, I got ready to depart from the hotel.  At 0830, Jennings (my colleague) picked me up and we drove together to the Airport.  It was a pretty decent day: partly sunny and temps in the 50s.  Beginning at 0845, we were joined by the other members of our Team and I liaised with the on-site representatives to get our equipment unloaded.  The next several hours were filled with inventorying, verifying serial numbers and prepping for our afternoon testing.  During this time, I got to know several new members of the larger Installation pool of resources and liked what I saw/heard.  I think we are going to have a good week!  Along the way, I skipped lunch because we were making good progress.  In fact, our Team did such a good job that we finished as early as I've yet seen (1415).  I waited for Jennings to get finished with his post-work items and then carpooled back to the hotel with him (arrived at 1430 (six more hours towards my work day). As I was headed to my room, I noticed that the pool was closed "until further notice" - I'm very glad I managed to get in some swimming last night...  I worked a bit more in my room (1445 to 1530) and closed out my work day with the last 0.7 hours - I also ate some snacks to help me reach dinnertime. With my work computer turned off, I worked on my blog afterwards and read a bit.  Outside, the weather turned rainy but stayed warm.  At 1630, I was ready to depart the hotel to search for some more local cuisine and beer.  I only had to drive a few miles before I located the Nickel City Brewz Tap Room.  It was located in the town of Depew and I found it to be a "laid back" bar, with corn hole games and probably about 40 beers to choose from.  I ordered a couple of new ones from the list (both very good) but soon got a treat: one of the other patrons had brought in some of his own craft beers  ("I cleaned out my beer fridge") and the bartender included me in the tasting.  What a surprise!  The selections were two new beers and they were both very good.  As we all tried the drinks, the bar developed even more ambiance - there was lots of camaraderie.  People soon realized I was not a local and started giving me recommendations for places I should eat and visit.  Meanwhile, there was a Buffalo Sabers replay (versus Tampa Bay) on the televisions (the bartender told me he'd been at the game and recapped the thrilling action).  I stayed at Nickel City Brewz until 1745 - by then, I was getting quite hungry.  Following the recommendation from a lady I'd met at the Airport office in the morning, I drove to a nearby franchise of the Duff's Famous Wings, which had been made famous by a 2010 visit by President Obama.  I arrived at about 1755 and, at the bar, ordered some of their medium mild (boneless) wings.  The kitchen was a bit slower than I'd hoped (by then, I was VERY hungry) but the food was worth the wait.  The taste was much better than what I'd tried at Anchor Bar the day before.  I'm very glad I followed the directions about ordering, though - "the Medium is spicy".  On the television, I noticed another Buffalo Sabers game - this time, they were playing live (versus the San Jose Sharks).  With the full "Buffalo Foodie Experience" in my grasp, I took my time eating and didn't get done until 1915.  At that point, I drove back to my (nearby) hotel.  It was still rainy and it was almost impossible to see the lines on the road.  When I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express, I walked around the building (inside and outside) to reach 5K steps for the day.  Once in my room (1945), I worked some more on my blog, did some Duolingo exercises and watched movies.  I finally went to bed at 2230.  A great day in Buffalo!