1. American Airlines got me to and from in one piece, on time, and got the checked luggage out faster than any airline ever had. By the time I walked to the baggage retrieval area in Nashville, the suitcase was waiting for me.

2. At Reagan, my backpack was flagged for search. The guy started looking through it and seemed surprised that he didn’t find anything remotely incriminating. Then one of the X Ray gals tapped him on the shoulder and said, “We done got the wrong bag.”

3. If you have a rental car, good idea not to hike from the state Capitol to the Parthenon. Especially with a 30 pound backpack.

4. If the rental place gives you a choice between a minivan now or a Hyundai Sonata in 10 minutes, wait 10 minutes.

5. A waitress at P.F. Chang’s on West End had one of the best sales pitches I’ve ever heard. Roughly: “If you have any questions, ask me. I eat here all the time and we have the best Chinese food in the world.”

Her name was Brooke, by the way.