qpmarl blog

Billings doesn't seem to be much of a city. It may be big for Montana, but compared to any major city, it's tiny and a bit run-down.

I got in at 3 am thismorning (on my way to Greybull, Wyoming for Christmas). Thomas is supposed to pick me up on his way through - he's driving to Greybull from Tacoma. But he got a late start and won't be here until later in the afternoon.

So I decided that, since I'm not broke for a change, I'd get a hotel room for the remainder of the night rather than sleeping at the airport (it's not fun, I've done it a few times before) . Even though the city is small, the airport is small, and it's Christmas Eve, the hotel will send a shuttle at 3 am. I got the room for $50 with a late checkout time of 1 pm.

So I slept until about noon, got up, showered, studied the map of Billings (mapping software on my laptop), and checked out. On the map, I was looking for a place to get some lunch and somewhere to hang out while I wait for Thomas.

I looked up a few restaurants, and wanting to try something local rather than fastfood or a major chain like Perkins. There are several Mexican restaurants and being in the mood for such fare, I decided on a place called Rocket Burritos (it's called this on the map - the store front proclaims "Rockets Gourmet Wraps & Sodas"). As for a place to chill while waiting for Tom, I found a place called "Your Place or Mine Cybercafe". The burrito place is on the way to the cybercafe which is about 2 miles from the hotel. There's no need to waste money on a taxi for such a short distance, so I asked the hotel clerk if I could leave my bags there and set out on foot (even though I only have some lazy slip-on shoes which are lousy for any serious walking - I got some pretty bad blisters this way once).

On my way to Rockets, my expectations began to drop as it became appartent that I was passing through the slums. I passed a women's prison, a correctional probation and parole center, a homeless shelter, many run-down and possibly abandoned residences, another mexican restaurant that looked like it'd give you severe food poisoning just by walking in the door (that's when I decided that I may have to abandon my plans for the Rocket Burrito, but I was going to check it out anyway), and a railroad track where I had to wait a minute or two for the train to move as it was at a dead stop when I arrived at the intersection.

As I got closer to Rockets, the scenery began to loose the appearance of the slums - this gave me some hope. I got there and the sign informed me that this was Rockets Gourmet Wraps and Sodas - that's cool, burritos are a kind of wrap. Now some of you may be familiar with Chipotle Mexican Grill and possibly Moe's southwest Grill (don't go to Moe's webpage, it has the annoying background audio) - these places are good and all, I mean they have pretty good burritos, but I knew that Rockets had a certain unique something when, after choosing a steak burrito, the server asked me what kind of tortilla I wanted it on. "Oh," I said in surprise, thinking "they offer a choice of tortillas, sweet." I chose the Garlic and Herb. They have a nice selection of coffee and such, so I ordered a chai tea as well.

The burrito was good, the chai was good, the employees know their stuff, and the place has the atmosphere of a hip coffee shop. I'd recommend it to anyone who finds themselves in Billings and looking for a place to eat lunch. It's a bit off the beaten path on Business 90 (1st Ave N) between N 28th and N 29th streets at Latitude N45° 46.92', Longitude W108° 30.357' - or somewhere near there, the location in my map software may be a bit off (I could get an exact location if I went there and fired up my GPS, but I didn't and I won't).

The cybercafe was another matter entirely. It may be hip, but I wouldn't know because it was closed, but by the appearance of the building, it isn't so hip anyway (keep in mind, though, that external appearance is a poor indication of internal hipness). I can't blame them for being closed on Christmas Eve. So I decided to hoof it back to the hotel and see about connecting to the internet in the lobby.

On the way back to the hotel, I found a little used book store and decided to see what I could find - well, I got nothing better to do. I found about 7 books of varying subjects all for about $50 (one book was $20 by itself). It was a nice little book shop, nice atmosphere and all. It's called "A Few Books More" and is at 520 N 32nd St. They have a nice selection and some pretty old stuff that might be nice in a collection, but I don't know much about such things.

Then back through the slums and to the hotel to await my brother's arrival where I now sit writing this post. I took a different route on the way back to see a bit more of the city. Looking at the sky and surrounding mesas, it seems that the city exists only because those mesas allow it to exist - it seems as though it doesn't belong, but the land has decided to tolerate it.

Actually, the city grew rapidly after its founding, earning it the nickname the Magic City. It continues to grow steadily to this day while other Montana cities show a decline. It is the largest city in a 500 mile radius and is a major center of commerce for people of Montana and nearby Wyoming.