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Meeting Butler County, Ohio

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  I was invited to spend a long weekend in Butler County, Ohio, just after they became Wheel The World certified for accessibility. The tourism board wanted me to write about how wheelchair accessible the region is. I hadn’t been there before, and it sounded like an interesting area, so I made plans to go. My trip to Butler County turned out to be one of my most unusual adventures, with new experiences, and a lot of donuts!   I brought Teddy and my friend, Heather, along for the ride, about three and a half hours from home. We had a nice welcome basket waiting for us at the hotel. Our home base was the Marriott Cincinnati North in Westerville. I was happy at the start with a flat entrance and automatic doors. They didn’t have any accessible rooms, so we had two connecting rooms. Teddy loved going back and forth between the two rooms. Mine had plenty of space for me to wheel around, a well-equipped desk area I could reach, and a large bathroom with a shower chair. The hand...

Apple, Xfinity and the Defective IPhone

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Update 2/16/26: Ten days after I finally received my IPhone back, it stopped working again! This time I was in California and I was unable to make or receive calls.  I contacted Apple and, after some troubleshooting, we determined I once again had a hardware issue. I went the next day to an Apple store and they immediately wanted to send it in for repair (once again, Xfinity would take not responsibility. I reminded them that the phone was only six months old and it had been kept a month for the last repair. I felt it was time I got a new phone and that's what I was told would take place if this happened again. They claimed that wasn't possible. The trip home was a bit tricky without a working phone and I went into my local Best Buy to see if they could fix it. I was told the insides of the phone would once again need to be completely replaced. The part took a week to arrive and I had to bring it back, then precede to reset my entire phone for the third time in six weeks. Needl...

An Unforgettable Hotel Before Surgery

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I was able to sleep late in the morning because my surgery wasn’t until the afternoon. It was the first time I had been told before surgery that I could even drink clear liquids until a few hours before I went in. I was in the right place for the best coffee, and to spend a free morning. Have you ever walked into a hotel and just said out loud, “I love this place?” That was the reaction the first time I walked into The Verb . I booked it because it looked unusual and accessible, but it certainly went beyond expectations. I have never been in a place quite like it and I doubt I ever will.   The Verb is all about the music, mainly Rock. It’s about the feeling of relaxation through the music and how music and life intertwine. You’ll see it everywhere: in the lobby which looks like you remember the 70s, with colorful couches and tables; on the walls full of pictures from concerts and moments of the stars you’ll never forget. The check-in area looks more like a bar top. You can take...

Boston Trip 2: Busy Day Back in Boston

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  My second trip to Boston in the 21st Century was for surgery. I wasn’t going to waste a trip to a city I Ioved, so I arrived two days early, and filled the schedule with as much as I could. It was a cross between being dedicated to seeing more of Boston and trying not to worry too much about my upcoming surgery. It was just before the holidays, and the downtown hotels were pretty expensive. I found a deal at a hotel in the Fenway Park area that looked interesting. It turned out to be directly in front of Fenway Park and interesting was an understatement.   I had arranged an accessible ride with Go Airport Shuttle. The driver was waiting for me at Logan Airport when we arrived and took me to The Verb. An attendant greeted us. There were no steps to get in, and I wheeled right into the lobby. Soon after I checked in, I went out to explore. I couldn’t be this close to the iconic Fenway Park and not check it out. I was told the tour was not accessible—but you can get accessi...

Visting Superman’s Hometown

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  Illinois is filled with small towns with their own personality. Even after 17 years of living here, I still have a list of many I have yet to explore. Toward the top of that list was Metropolis , the hometown of the character of Superman. I recently had the opportunity to visit Metropolis, and it met my expectations. I took along my friends, Amanda and Heather, and my service dog, Teddy.   We stayed at Harrah’s Metropolis Hotel & Casino . It’s a large property within walking distance to everything in town. Amanda and Heather shared a room, while Teddy and I had a larger accessible room with two beds and a big bathroom with rails and a chair in the walk-in shower.  After check-in, we headed downtown to the Superman Museum . The entrance to the museum is filled with photos in the window and something you’d expect the Man of Steel to need—a phone booth.  You first walk into the store. I can’t imagine there is anything related to Superman you will not find for ...