From Mexican Beaches to Urbana Boulders with Dan Saphiere

From the beach to the top of the boulder, my guest, Dan Saphiere, has been there and everywhere in between. Dan works in the Planning Department at the City of Champaign with previous guest Lily Wilcock, the certified nicest person in the city, but I'll tell you what, he is so nice, he may be giving her a run for the money on that title.

For lunch today, Dan chose Neil St. Blues, the soul food restaurant, on you guessed it, Neil Street in downtown Champaign. Weather was so nice today we enjoyed lunch and conversation outside. I think this is my first It's My Treat in the outdoors. What a treat it was. First, I have to mention Shannon, the server, who was as nice could be. Love the atmosphere of Neil St. Blues because of the wonderful people who work there. It starts at the top with owner, Gayle Starks. It is a family-owned business and that family atmosphere passes from owner, to servers, right down to the customers. Been there a few times and I've always been treated well and felt like I belonged.

For the meal, we went aquatic. Dan ordered the frog legs and liked them. Sometimes people give me a little ribbing because I am pretty safe in my food choices, but today I wanted something daring that I had never tried before. I chose the Alligator Po' Boy. Didn't think I'd be eating Alligator when I woke up this morning, but I'm living on the wild side now, so you never know what is going to happen with me. Ha. Have to say, I liked it. Sounds cliche, but it tasted a little like chicken with a slightly different texture. There were so many things that looked good on the menu, I think I'll have to go back and try more things soon.

Dan is an Associate Planner, but what I like most about him is he also knows about switching live TV. Before working for the City, he was employed at the CU MTD. While there he said he did everything. One of those things was doing the video switching for the monthly board meetings. As a video person that was enough for me to be happy, he joined the organization. Dan is a transportation guy, so he was in on the bus route planning and driver scheduling, but what I found most interesting (well actually second most interesting behind the video work), was that he actually drove a bus for around 200 hours. Had no idea that he knew how to drive a bus. If I ever want to pull off a caper that involves a bus, I now know who to call for help.

Speaking of things I did not know about Dan, when he was younger, his parents moved to a beach town in Mexico, where he lived for many years. While I am a big a fan of Champaign as the next guy, I don't know if I would make the move from a beach in Mexico to flat farmlands of Central Illinois. But that is what Dan did when he moved to town four years ago. He was drawn to the opportunity that he saw being in a community that was big enough to have a need for his transportation expertise, but small enough that you could really make a difference.

That is one thing that I have noticed about working for the City. I can actually see the changes being made. The workers are striving to make things better, and their work gets translated to actual projects that can be seen. Across the street from where we were eating is a good example. They are working on Phase One of the downtown plaza what will transform the character and create a more inviting space in the center of out downtown business district. I was hoping that I could convince Dan that shutting down University Ave in downtown was a good idea, but he wasn't having any of that. I'll keep working on that, but I have a feeling that I am on the losing side of that battle.

But he is in favor of making all forms of transportation in the City better, be it buses, biking, driving, or walking. It is interesting to hear how simple changes to the layout of road can make things not only flow more efficiently but also more safely.

I mentioned the top of the boulder in the open of this post because Dan loves climbing boulders at the climbing place in Urbana. My kid used to love the climbing wall at our local gym in Chicago, so I know how difficult it can be. Seems like a very technical sport that involves the use of every part of your body down to the tips of your fingers. I'm not sure I'll ever be fit enough to be climbing boulders, but I do enjoy a good walk, so I am happy with any walking infrastructure that comes along. And trees. We can always use more trees for shade, and I guess oxygen is a good thing too.

Well, speaking of trees, I'm going to make like one and leave. Ha. That is my first dad joke ending of an It's My Treat post. Thank you, Mr. Saphiere, for joining me for a nice meal and conversation on this beautiful day.