The Network Effect of Happiness

Warning: I'm going to get goopy, gloppy, mushy and soft in this post. 

To start and as a bit of a review for some of you - my employer has allowed me to work remotely from IL in order to be closer to family. On the recent trip back to the Midwest (huzzah!), I had time to think about what this gift I've been given truly is, and jot some thoughts down below. 

In a nutshell, this opportunity is HUGE... but, for reasons that have only recently dawned on me. Sure, it's great for me that they're flexible enough and trust me enough to do this. It will also allow me to help my family, which is great for us. 

But, the thing that's only recently dawned on me is something I'll call "The Network Effect of Happiness" TM. Let me explain - Not only am I happy about this change, and my family is happy (save for one cousin:), but from texts, calls, and emails I've received from people back in the Midwest, many more people are now happy too. It's like this one little act of kindness from employer to employee is making many people happy as a result. I'd like to do my best to keep this going, and also have it come all the way back to the employer in California - stay tuned.

And what about this - what if all/many/more employers and employees could create this kind of feeling or relationship throughout their company? How productive would everyone be? How happy would employees be? How happy would customers be?! I don't know if it would be easy to do, but I also don't think it would be so hard.

City Images, Chicago, IL

With a number of happy hours and other jaunts over the last few weeks, I've had a chance to re-visit some of this majestic city. Below is simply an amalgamation of those pics, feel free to flip through. If you can identify all the buildings, you might win something.

That's a good start! I look forward to more happy hours and more pics.

Union Pizzeria, Evanston, IL

As any good girl or boy should, I love pizza. Any style, almost any day. Luckily for me, there's a 5-star rated joint across the street from me. It's pretty fancy, upscale pizza, made right in the wood oven on-site, but dang is it good. It costs as much as you'd expect it to, maybe more, but that still won't stop me from enjoying it at a reasonable frequency (daily?).

Great one-pager for the menu... I loose concentration easily in pizza places.

Check out the tasty-making embers!!!

Count the lights while you wait...

And then it starts to arrive... Mangia!!!

This was their Pizza of the Week selection...

Great people-watching, great service, nice folks all around. The food speaks for itself and I can totally taste why they have a 5-star rating on Google/Yelp. The really swell part is I had enough to take home for another meal the next night. Gotta love leftovers. Union, I will be back!!!

Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko, NV

When you're in a town of 20,000 for a night, in the middle of the Nevada desert, you find things to do. Lucky for me, Elko has a very cool museum on the main drag. I was happy to plunk down $8 for the privilege of sauntering through this place. I only wish I could have dressed up in period garb to feel more like the folks that founded the area. I'd have really liked some cowboy boots and a poncho. I made due though, check - it - out...

This is by no means all they offer, and they have a very large and cool giftshop as well, with many items sourced from local craftspeople. Very cool, Elko.

St. Burch Tavern, Iowa City, IA - Part I, Lunch

Stopping for lunch in Iowa City was on my list as I made my way across the western US, back to the Midwest.

I saw this place from the short drive into their downtown and made a mental note to check it out for lunch. Sure enough, it easily passed the visual test as I walked in, even the patio was busy and airy.

I was seated on my own and picked through their lunch menu quickly - Whole Grilled Cheese and a Green Goddess side salad please... with an on-tap peach-basil kombucha on the side. Perfect!

This is easily now in my rotation during travel through Iowa. What a great little spot - I'd even hope to be their for dinner in the near future. They seemed to take everything serious and were even showing a oyster bar inside. I can't wait.

Dairy Chef, Elkhorn, NE

During a recent visit to a sibling in Omaha, we HAD to make a trip to this nearby town for a visit to their local dairy bar. This one is called Dairy Chef and they're known for the over-the-top heights of their cones and cups of soft serve.

I was ready, but a bit full from dinner. Never-the-less, I had to step-up, literally, to the counter and order a "Tower". I chose chocolate ice cream and Oreo crumbs surrounding it.

This thing was a perfect capper to the night's meal. I believe I got through about half, then the sibling and his family took over - Phew. Note: this is not even close to the biggest/tallest cone or cup we saw that night. And Cone-watching is a legit past-time while you eat - looking at other people's cone heights.

If you're in the area, totally stop by Dairy Chef, I don't think you will leave disappointed or hungry.

The Star Hotel, Elko, NV

Have you ever wandered into a new place on your own, thinking it would be a boring, quiet night, only to have this thought smashed and an evening unfold in front of you? The last time I can recall a night like this, I was in Madeline Island MN, it was some time ago.

I started this evening by asking at the hotel which place is the most popular in town for dinner. She replied immediately that The Star Hotel is the place to be. I took a Lyft to the location and sauntered into the bar, only to be greeted warmly by Angie Lawson, who would take care of me the whole night. 

This is a Basque-style restaurant as many Basques had moved to Mexico, California and Nevada during the start of our country's history. Think gold. As such, Basque was kind of on the menu all night. I started with their Basque cocktail, then a beer and some charcuterie at the bar.  

Once I recovered from that delicious starter, I gave Angie the nod and she took me to their main dining room. They sit everyone family style and while I did sit with two others initially, they picked up and left (their meal was over) and I was on my own at a back table. It worked out fine, I could concentrate on the food. 

Everyone gets fresh-baked bread, soup, and salad along with your decided main course. I loved it all. Very tasty, very friendly folks... 

Mmmm, pork chops...

Once my main meal was completed, I quickly returned to the lively bar area. I sat back down at the bar and had some more drinks, and the bread pudding below - which is awesome, btw!

All in all I believe I ate, drank and chatted with folks for 5 hours that night. It was a great way to spend a solo evening out in the small town of Elko, NV (which is still known for their gold mining to this day). I would 100% recommend The Star Hotel and make sure you tell Angie, "Hi - Marty sent me!".