A walk back in time

Last night, I was driving near the Hillcrest neighborhood and found an old time dinner restaurant, Rudfords.  I stopped in and found out the restaurant has some interesting history.  It opened in 1949 and truthfully, it looks like nothing has changed. 

They have pictures of JFK's presidential motorcade drove down the street with JFK standing up in the motorcade, waving to the people.  You can see Rudford's in the background, it looks exactly the same.

I had such a good time, I had my picture taken at Rudford's. It's open 24/7and is famous for home-style cooking.

Jeff Wasserman at Rudford's in San Diego



Sunday at the Hillcrest Hoedown

I will have the bus at the Hillcrest Hoedown on Sunday from 9 am till 8 pm.  If you are in the San Diego area, stop by and introduce yourself.  I am looking to introduce Life Coach Radio to over 20,000 attendies.  The Life Coach Bus will be parked in the middle of the event, near the main stage.





Radio Show from San Diego California

I arrived in San Diego on Wednesday.  The motel I am staying at is very nice and is conveniently located off I-5.  I drove to the Mexico border and observed the border crossing.  As you stand at the border, you can see Mexico, it seems so close, yet so far away.

I broadcast a show from the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  Overlooking I-5.

I recorded Life Coach Radio Shows # 12 & # 13 today from San Diego.





Click here to listen to Life Coach Radio Show # 12...

Click here to listen to Life Coach Radio Show # 13...

The Life Coach Road Trip in Las Vegas

I flew to Las Vegas and picked up the Life Coach Bus.  I usually stay on the strip, but this time, I decided to stay off the strip, so I choose Eastside Cannery on Boulder Highway.  I have never stayed there before and have never heard anyone talk about it.   So I gave it a try.

When I pulled up in the Life Coach Bus, I had no idea what to expect.  Considering my last trip to Vegas a few weeks ago, I stayed at Mandlay Bay, I know how it feels to be spoiled.  I have stayed at the Wynn, Las Vegas Hilton and several other hotels on the strip.

The hotel is unique in architecture and the rooms are beautiful.  The rates are reasonable and the staff in the restaurant and buffet are very nice.  My only problem came from the security guard on his bicycle.  I left the bus on the far edge of the parking lot, while I checked in.  I asked where I am suppose to park and was told to park on the other end of the casino, in the far lot. 

I asked Heather the front desk attendant to call security and let them know I would be moving the bus as soon as I took my luggage to my room.  I came down to move the bus and found a parking violation on the windshield.  It gets worse, as I returned to the bus, within 15 minutes, a security guard on a bicycle pulls up and really let me have it.  Lucky the parking violation is from the security guard and is merely a warning.

I spoke to several security guards and the assistant security manager, only to be told that is there policy. 

So if you plan to stay at this beautiful and friendly hotel casino, watch out for the security guards on bicycles.  I spoke to the valet guys on the day I was leaving and they shared story after story about guests being upset with the security patrol.

After leaving Las Vegas, I headed towards Barstow California.  I stayed at a new Holiday Inn in Barstow ( Lenwood). 

I am now in San Diego California.  I often comment about the staff and management about hotels and restaurants along the way.  I plan to write a management training manual entitled, " Stories From The Road."

I understand, not all hotels and motels are the Wynn.  Steve Wynn understands hospitality and customer service and he charges accordingly.  One of the least expensive improvements a hotel or motel can make is improving customer service.  Mandlay Bay management understands this concept, as well as several Holiday Inn's that I have stayed at.  But here and there, I find hotels and motels that by changing the company customer service philosophy, they can change the entire stay for the guests.

Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas Nevada

If you follow my travels, you know I travel a great deal.  I stay in roadside motels, downtown hotels and resorts.  Having been in the hospitality business for years, I can't help but observe how staff and management handle problems, request and challenges. 

On my way from Little Rock Arkansas to Las Vegas, I had a poor experience at a Holiday Inn.  The employee at the front desk was the first person I spoke with and she set the tone, simply, we don't care at this hotel. 

When I spoke to the front desk manager the next day, she informed me that normally the owner of the hotel won't give more than a 10 or 20% discount on complaints.  The front desk manager said that their hotel does not offer a guarantee like Hampton Inn. 

I suggested that this hotel look into some coaching or training, since I stay at Holiday Inn Express hotels often and I have never experienced such poor attitude.


By comparison, I arrived at the Mandalay Bay Resort only to find the parking lot for oversized vehicles was blocked off for the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction.  Even though I was told on numerous occasions that I could park the Life Coach Bus at the resort, the lot was not available. 

A really nice security guard Terrance, apologized and you could tell he really felt bad.  Then I spoke with a security guard, Gene, who escorted me to a parking space at the Excalibur, which is down the street.  Again, Gene was truly sorry for my problem.

The next day I contacted management of the Mandalay Bay Resort and to my surprise, management handled the matter in a very professional and customer service manner.  Management of Mandalay Bay Resort handled this problem to my satisfaction and Jeffrey and Marc at the valet stand went above and beyond to help me find the perfect spot to park the Life Coach Bus this week. 

I would like to personally thank Alice and everyone at the Mandalay Bay Resort for helping make my stay wonderful.  Life Coach Media was a sponsor of the ICF 2011 Conference held at Mandalay Bay Resort September 24th -27th, 2011.

Life Coach Media sponsor for the International Coach Federation 2011 Conference

For the first time, Life Coach Media is a sponsor of the International Coach Federation Conference. 

So much has changed in the 16 years since Thomas Leonard started the ICF.  This year, attendance was between 900 and 1,000 coaches.  I met coaches from so many countries, including four new friends from Japan.

Jeff Wasserman with Ayako Kunii

Jeff met with Ayako Kunii, Tensei Yoshida, Yoshiko Nojima and Hideko Tanida all from Tokyo Japan.

Interesting idea on my trip to Chicago

I go around the country talking to folks of all ages and all walks of life.  I hear people often say, but Jeff, you don't know how hard it is to make a living, let alone a fortune.  I understand, but I like to remind those who take the time to listen, that people are not climbing under fences, traveling hundreds of miles, risking their life, to get into Mexico or Iran, they are risking their life to get to America, the home of opportunity.

We forget that we live in the greatest nation on the earth.  Sometimes you have a run in with a police officer who forgets his job is to protect and serve or a building official who forgets his job is to help make buildings safer and more energy efficient, not try to make the obstacles in life more difficult.

On my trip to Chicago for the 2011 NAB Radio Show, I went out for a walk around the city and on the corner of Michigan Ave, there was the cutest puppet show built on the back of a bicycle. 

No begging for money, just providing entertainment and ingenuity.  When I walked past, there were people of all walks of life commenting and watching.  It had nothing to do with the quality of the entertainment or the pieced together bicycle show, it was the idea that one person stopped complaining and got out and did something to earn a living.

Then I noticed the best part...... this person has a website, Puppetbike.com. 

Again, it has nothing to do with street entertainers, it has everything to do with using your ingenuity, if you can dream it, you can build it.  If you have a minute, check out this guys website, it is amazing for a street entertainer.