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Fall 2025 – LOCAL695.COM 11 us how important it was to get it right. When Betty arrived to rehearse her portion of the show, Ed asked again if we would measure the stand height before she came on camera. Betty was ready to rehearse. She walked to the Schoeps stand mic and began her speech. "I..'ould..'ike..oo..ank..ever..body" cutting her own audio in and out. Ed yelped from the booth. Debbie and I were on the floor laughing. And Betty. Oh, Betty, you gave us a memory we will always cherish. Thanks to Patricia for choosing the credentials that spiked these memories. And thanks for everything else, too. I haven't traveled internationally for work very often. Mexico and Canada, but no further. My Canada experience was interesting. Someone from HBO's Reverb TV series wanted a person on stage to patch each band to their music mix truck. Someone they knew. I flew into Vancouver, didn't know anyone else on the show. Bought a work permit and seemed to give some money to everyone else I met. The next day, at 6 a.m., I ran about two thousand feet of 27-pair cable, set up my patching area, and got ready for Edgefest, featuring The Foo Fighters, Green Day, and a lot of bands I can't remember. It was a long rainy day. By midnight when I returned to the hotel, I needed a Molson. Maybe two. As for travel within the US, I've worked in about half of the fifty states. A surprising amount considering I've never worked in the sports world. I owe a great deal of that travel to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! From the time I did the 1998 Jeopardy! College Tournament at UC Berkeley, until our last Wheel of Fortune remote at Epcot, in 2017, we crisscrossed the country. Some years, doing as many as six remotes. I've always tried to take advantage of seeing and doing interesting things around the country while traveling for shows. On several occasions, I have flown in a day early, stayed an extra day, or taken a late flight out on a travel day. There are things to see and to do to satisfy just about any interest. I will never regret taking advantage of the opportunities. Without going into detail about each show that facilitated travel, here are some very good memories. It's no secret that I like baseball. Work trips have taken me to Arlington Stadium, Candlestick Park, Busch Stadium, The Kingdome, Oakland Coliseum, Yankee Stadium (the original), and Veterans Stadium. All have been retired. Plus, Nationals Park in D.C., Wrigley Field (for opening day 1999), and Camden Yards. That one was very special. The host of a well-known television show offered his personal box to an A2 working on the show. The A2 generously asked a few of us to attend the game. Thank you, Mitch Trueg, that was amazing. For those who don't know, Mitch is famous for putting mics on Jeopardy! contestants, encouraging them, and making them feel comfortable. I believe there is a social media presence for Mitch the Jeopardy! Mic Man. On a trip to work in Philadelphia, we had a dark day, so Mitch and I did a self-guided historical tour. We got in line behind a bunch of school kids to see the Liberty Bell. At the front of the line, the Park Ranger asked us if we wanted to touch it. Gently. We did. We touched the Liberty Bell! I don't think they let tourists do that anymore. That same day, after lunch at Bookbinder's, a famous restaurant with a long history, we went to Independence Hall, where both The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution were signed. Some months later, Mitch and I were working at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. After work, we walked to The National Archives to see both of those documents in person. I love being a tourist in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian Institution consists of seventeen museums and galleries in D.C. (and a few elsewhere), most of them on or near the National Mall. Many government buildings offer interesting tours, and when the weather is pleasant, take in some of the monuments and statues. Noel Roberts, my sixth-grade teacher's favorite is The Jefferson Memorial. Go there. Last December, before The Kennedy Center Honors, my cousin David and I spent most of a day at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Their collection is amazing, including the Space Shuttle Discovery. It is close to Dulles "Boondoggle" Airport and getting there requires some effort, but it is very much worth your time. The next day, I visited 695 member Joe Kendall at Arlington National Cemetery. We did a lot of shows together. He is missed. I wonder if there are other 695 members at Arlington. The day after the show, I booked a late flight home so I could see a special exhibit featuring Impressionists at The National Gallery of Art. It was wonderful, but I was surprised that they inexplicably left out my favorite, Frank Gorshin. Other memories, in brief. A snowshoe trek near Aspen. Renting a bike in Hawaii and riding on the island for a week. Traveling to IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center to tape Jeopardy! Getting up close with alligators on a swamp tour near New Orleans. Hiking on Mount Charleston, near Las Vegas. And, on May 27, 1999, watching the launch of the aforementioned Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-96, the first mission to dock at The International Space Station. I know. You wonder when I had time to work. One of the other ways I've tried to make work travel interesting is by exploring local cuisines. I could never understand eating at a chain restaurant. Period. End of sentence. Try Joe's KC BBQ and Jack Stack in Kansas City; have breakfast at The Loveless Café in Nashville, then make time for a drive on The Natchez Trace; don't miss Acme Oyster House (sit at the bar with Hollywood Broadway, master shucker), Cochon, and Jacques-Imo's Café in New Orleans; while in Washington, D.C., make time for Old Ebbitt Grill, Zaytinya, and Peter Chang (in Arlington); Las Vegas is loaded with great choices like Izakaya Kennedy Center Orchestra in rehearsal.