AMERICA IN A BOX

Just wrapped up a cross-country road trip. On top of meeting new, prospective printing vendors and doing some face to face with existing clientele, I got to enjoy driving across this great country of ours, again. The idea of driving cross-country from coast to coast sounds daunting to a lot of people. Me? I love road trips, love to drive and saw it as a chance to break from the normal hum-drum and get out there. Being able to work on the road – smart phone, occasional lap-top connection at a hotel stay – is the ultimate in the on-going saga of work-life balance. No worries: I drove hands-free with the ear buds plugged in, wheeling and dealing banner stands, EZ Tube displays and other trade show exhibit materials while shooting across the U.S. on Interstate 40. Even had a two-day verbal slug-fest with UPS while on the road, but I’ll save that for another blog-rant.

My wife and I made the east coast to west coast drive way back in 1997 – the dial-up years, kids. No cell phones, no GPS. Took the same route: Down through Virginia, then across the rest of Tennessee where we connect to the 40. From there it’s on through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Amarillo, Texas, over to Albuquerque. Watching the terrain change and feeling the humidity turn to dry heat is all part of the experience.

As is watching Hardees become it’s sister chain, Carl’s Jr., once you hit Texas. The corporate scenery wasn’t much different 

from back in the late 90’s; endless sightings of the Golden Arches then too. I swear, though, there were more independent restaurants and stores. Fast-forward to 2015 and every cluster of civilization at the highway exits are all looking the exact same: CVS, Staples, The Home Depot, Walgreen’s, Wal-Mart (of course), Denny’s, Burger King, Best Buy, and so on. Subway is right up there with McDonald’s as far as locations are concerned – you would think!  Cracker Barrel has grown. They were mainly in the South (south of Virginia where I moved from in 1997) back in the day. Now, they’re everywhere between the south and the very left end of the mid-west on the U.S. map.

The Flying J Travel Plaza’s and the Pilot and Love’s truck stops are welcomed sights. No, I didn’t stop at all of them. But, there’s a sense of comfort knowing that they’re there and that one of them is bound to pop up within the next few miles.

Driving through, you just know that all these large chains replaced some independent store that probably stood right where the Lowe’s building is now, even back in 1997. I wasn’t really paying attention to this issue back then, but I’m pretty sure it’s the case. I passed by a lot of broken down or closed mom & pop restaurants and cafes. Some are still open, but you can tell they’re just hanging on. It’s sad.

Same with the hotels and motels: Days Inn, Best Western, Super 8, Hampton Inn – what a competitive market! Seemingly just as tough as this trade show exhibit industry. But, then there’s the lesser-known ones sitting amongst all these whose parking lot seems more full. Like the Fifth Season Inn in Amarillo. Not pretending to be an expert on the hospitality industry, but I know a lot of these are being bought up and brought under the umbrellas of larger companies, like JW Marriot. Whatever. It’s hit and miss staying at any of them. Some Holiday Inn Express hotels are run like clockwork, everything is just right. Then you get to the one that seems like it’s in the middle of being renovated and the building structure hasn’t been touched since the 70’s or 80’s. And, the staff reflects the mood as well.

Once past Texas, along the 40 you’ll start seeing the signs for the historic Route 66. Not going to retell that story, but from 

 what I know about it from reading (and not just from watching Disney-Pixar’s ‘Cars’), that road was chock-full of independents. America’s glory days? Sure. But had that route remained the main vain between Chicago and Santa Monica, I’m pretty positive the mundane cloud of corporate takeover would’ve happened to all of those hotels, motels and pancake restaurants.

Anyways, made it out to Southern Cali. All-drought, no rain. Took a different route back once done with business there. Connected to Interstate 15 taking me from Riverside, CA, into Las Vegas. Saw the same, except the welcomed yellow arrow of the In-N-Out signs. Still: The Home Depot, CVS, Panera Bread, Staples, Target… Only dined there once, but Peggy Sue’s diner out in Barstow near the Yermo Marine annex base is always nice to see.

With the outside temps wobbling between 106 and 113 degrees, I have to ask: How does anyone LIVE out there? You gotta love the desert. That’s the only way. People of Hemet, Daggett and the rest of the Mojave Desert, please share with me. I trained with the U.S. Army out there twice at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin. That was hell. Nothing but the utmost respect to the soldiers and Marines that have had to trudge through even worse in the 125-degree heat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Wrapping up. From the 15, made our way through the upper-left corner of Arizona on into Utah. (Never went below 100-degrees the entire ride.) Took it from beautiful Utah – visited the awe-inspiring Arches National Park – on over to the scenic Rocky Mountains of Colorado. With snow still up at the top of the mountains and the Colorado River running down below, I still couldn’t help but notice: The Home Depot, CVS, Subway, Staples, Target, Cracker Barrel… Took the Interstate 80 through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, to the 76 past Pittsburgh, PA and home to Maryland via the 70. There they were the whole way, here and there: The Home Depot, CVS, Subway, Staples, Target, Cracker Barrel…

Yes, there are independent restaurants and stores out there. I know they’re there. I saw them. But, they seem almost dwarfed by the presence of the monster chains – overwhelmingly everywhere. I know those chains provide jobs. It’s hard to argue against them for that fact alone. However, it makes America look like we’re in a box owned by these corporations. Look around, see for yourself. What to do?

More on the trip later. Back to hawking our banner stands, Step-n-repeat pop-up media walls, literature racks and fabric graphic displays. Salesman mode (have to do it): Plus free ground shipping to all those states along the Interstate 40 and elsewhere in the lower 48. Come save!

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