Driving Can Be Boring, Sometimes You Take Pictures To Pass The Time

For a time a while back I had to commute to Connecticut via car, so I began to get to know the Connecticut Turnpike pretty well:

Those flags are the WWF Headquarters in the distance:

More traffic for no apparent reason near Norwalk:

The adult services industry is alive and well in Stratford:

The adult services industry is alive and well in West Haven:

We went to a wedding here.

World Series Game Three

The Phillies lost to the Yankees in Game Three of the 2009 World Series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia:

We also bought this bootleg T-shirt with the only-in-Philly poignant (unintended?) double meaning at a bar in Port Richmond on Friday night the day before the game:

Phillies vs. Mets, Phillies vs. Marlins

Two games at Citizens Bank Park that we posted before the World Series moves down to Philadelphia for Game Three: Phillies vs. Mets (9/12/09) and Phillies vs. Marlins (10/4/09).

The game on October 4 was interesting for the shadows on the field, which the Times talked about during baseball’s different division series. You can see how the shadows move across the field over the course of an afternoon during the early fall:

We also saw the Spectrum before it will be demolished:

August 1-10, 2009

Mom and Dad were in town, so we spent time doing more touristy things in and around the area at the beginning of August . . .

August 1, 2009

Dinner at Agnanti in Astoria, including their Rooster specialty dish:

The kids went to Shannon Pot after dropping off the parents:

August 2, 2009

It rained in Ridgewood, New Jersey:

But we had a nice view of Midtown from the Secaucus Junction Train Station on the way back home:

August 3, 2009

One of the aforementioned Mets games at Citi Field.

August 4, 2009

The Frick Collection:

We watched the sun set from the North Recreation and Interpretive Area in Gantry Plaza State Park in Long Island City:

August 5, 2009

A trip to one of Mom’s favorite NYC stores, Fishs Eddy:

We tried impressing the parents with the soft serve at Dessert Club, ChikaLicious:

August 6, 2009

Dinner at Taverna Kyclades in Astoria:

August 7, 2009

We rented a car to go up into the Hudson Valley for the day. This was the first car, a Chevrolet Aveo:

By the way, Old Yankee Stadium is still there:

We made a pit stop at the Palisades Interstate Park Commission Visitor Center (otherwise known as a place to go to the bathroom) on the Palisades Interstate Parkway:

On the way out, we (I) hit this mammoth pothole and popped a hole in the front left tire of the Aveo:

The nine-dollar-a-day insurance came in handy, so we returned the car to Budget at Stewart International Airport. This required a detour through Newburgh, but not before a stop at the US 9W Overlook above West Point:

Everything looked different than when we visited there last fall:

The detour through Newburgh, New York:

Then returning the car at Stewart International Airport. I had never been to Stewart, so it was a chance to check it out. While there, a well-intentioned State Trooper asked why I was taking a picture of the terminal. The folks cheerfully explained that we had a website where we put up pictures of anything and everything. He was alarmed, and took a look at the pictures we’d taken. Exterior shots of the airport were OK, but this image had, in his words, “no apparent aesthetic value,” language which I remembered hearing about:

You may wonder what the purpose of the Big Map is. Fair enough. I think the pictures have many purposes, including aesthetics (sometimes!) but also in terms of transmitting information. In the above image, there is an ad for Nyack in the foreground, the airlines that fly out of Stewart in the background and people in 2009 dressing a certain way and using particular types of luggage (carry-ons!). Many years from now people might be interested in these details. When I look at archival photos I’m often more interested in details that the photographer probably overlooked — stuff like clothes, cars, advertisements. Our own photos have adjusted over time with this in mind; it used to be that I’d avoid cars in a street scene until I realized that those details were what made images. Places like strip malls then become interesting — this is how we live today and what it looks like. Spots like IKEA that you wouldn’t normally think are interesting then become interesting — incidentally, I think the reverse is also true: sometimes those closeups of historic cornices are lame in that they’re interesting to contemporary audiences who get jazzed about old stuff, but they’re chronologically out of context (I’m not judging, either — I get sidetracked by cool old cornices all the time — but I also know that series of images of landmarked neighborhoods have a staleness about them; those are places that by definition remain static, and there’s less of a reason to run out to photograph them — of course those are the places that people love to look at). It goes on and on. But anyway, like I was saying, I think the purpose of photos changes over time. The utilitarian look of Stewart might be interesting years from now, even if it looks pedestrian today. In a way, it’s silly to talk about stuff like this, but the State Trooper made us think about it, so it’s worth remembering as you peruse the Big Map photos. (By the way, I’m smart enough not to take photos of the security areas, but those kinds of images will be interesting one day, too, in showing among other stuff how we live today.) For me, why do I want to take a picture of Stewart? Because I’ve never been there and I want to know what it looks like. And I want to fill in the spaces of the Big Map . . .

After seeing art, we stopped by Woodbury Common Premium Outlets to run errands:

Oh, and in case you hadn’t heard:

August 8, 2009

I took the car back to LaGuardia early in the morning, and waited for the bus home by the MTA Bus LaGuardia Depot. Again, a security guard asked why I was taking pictures, but he seemed satisfied when I pointed to this cool old bus:

So you see, an old timey-time bus is fair — and fair enough, more reasonable people will look at that and think, “Oh, cool!” and it makes sense that you’re taking a photo of it. But there are also the newer buses there — and in time they will become cool, too. Or maybe transportation will look totally different years from now and all these vehicles — or even the idea that there’s a depot to begin with — will have a different meaning to people. We — I — don’t know.

You can’t take pictures from the upper levels of the Guggenheim, but that leaves a lot to enjoy in the big rotunda on the ground floor of the museum:

Later, a drink at Pier 66 Maritime:

August 9, 2009

A visit to the TKTS booth in Duffy Square:

We got tickets to South Pacific at Lincoln Center:

I think Mom and Dad had a nice visit.

Jersey Shore, July 24-26, 2009

Late July down in Cape May County, New Jersey — Wildwood and Ocean City. We got down there by taking the new ACES Atlantic City Express Service from Penn Station, which is nice and pretty cheap (for now at least — $29 each way), though it does follow a circuitous route into North Philadelphia and back out to the Jersey shore along the Atlantic City-Philadelphia line (it’s still faster than the bus, I believe, and obviously more comfortable):

First order of business was an evening on the Wildwood Boardwalk:

Watch the Tram Car, please:

We dined on Curley’s Fries and Kohr Bros. frozen custard while watching the Friday Night Fireworks, and enjoyed the Wildwoods Sign before going big at the Gateway 26 Casino and Olympic Casino. We did not spend long at the Boardwalk Chapel, though the folks there seemed nice enough.

Wildwood is always a little bit of a crapshoot. In 2004 we caught the infamous “Wack The Iraq” display before it was taken down:

This time there were some slightly embarrassing T-shirts for sale, and I don’t mean those of the “Flip Cup Master” variety:

Elsewhere, some remnants of Wildwood’s “Doo Wop” style remain, though the old 50s-style architecture is endangered:

Day two was Ocean City, where we saw a giant tuna being taken apart on a dock. It smelled like a sushi joint:

The main event of the weekend was Ocean City’s annual Night in Venice celebration, a rare night of partying in this dry town:

The idea is to decorate pleasure craft and parade them through the inlets on town’s bay side. Bay side residents typically have big parties that last well into the evening. It’s kind of difficult to photograph, but this YouTube gets across the basic idea:

Night in Venice 2009 YouTube Video

Fourth Of July Weekend, 2009

Three states (four if you count a wrong turn near Bristol, RI), four days via car and ferries . . .

July 2, 2009: Queens to New London, CT

I have been to the Interstate 95 Northbound Service Plaza at Fairfield more than once. And while in Fairfield, don’t miss Super Duper Weenie.

We drove through Mystic and had dinner at Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough in Noank, Connecticut (highly, highly recommended):

Alas, spent too much time enjoying ourselves at Abbott’s, so we got to Monster Mini Golf in Groton too late to play a round . . . but we did sleep at a Holiday Inn.

July 3, 2009: New London, CT to Newport, RI

Breakfast at Kitchen Little in Mystic, Connecticut, then to Newport, Rhode Island, over the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, where we drove by the mansions on Bellevue Avenue and walked a portion of Newport’s Cliff Walk, where it was cloudy up there on the hill:

We also took a sail around Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay:

We finished the day watching the Fourth of July Fireworks over Bristol Harbor . . .

July 4, 2009: New London, CT to Nassau County, Long Island via Bridgeport, the North Fork and Montauk

An early wakeup to catch the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry Across Long Island Sound:

Lunch in Riverhead, then out to the North Fork to Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck and Croteaux Vineyards in Southold — both are excellent. Shinn has started selling nice wines under $20, which was different than when we visited there in 2005 and Croteaux has perfected Long Island Rosés, which is great for summer. Croteaux has a nice tasting, and the sangria they made was unusual and fantastic (recipe at the link). The grounds of Croteaux are beautiful as well:

Then the North Ferry to Shelter Island, and the South Ferry to the South Fork, and we were on our way to Montauk, where we made a pit stop to buy shoes and I saw a man steal an American flag at Gosman’s Dock:

No kidding! Who steals American flags right out of the planter?

Then the Montauk Point Lighthouse:

Dinner at the Clam Bar at Napeague just outside of Montauk, then ice cream at Scoop Du Jour in East Hampton, where we walked around a little before heading back to our Nassau County base for the night . . .

July 5, 2009: Nassau County

An afternoon at Jones Beach followed by lobster at Jordan’s Lobster Farms in Island Park (not as good as Abbott’s, but then again, there is probably nothing as good as Abbott’s south of New Haven). Oh, and ice cream in Lido Beach.

June 19-21, 2009

Another visit to Philadelphia and environs . . .

Dinner at Rib Rack in Northeast Philadelphia:

Dessert — radioballs (Jen wants to know when the local name “radioball” turned into “gelati”) at Custard’s Last Stand nearby:

To Bethlehem to see the Bethlehem Steel site and the new Sands Casino:

Another Phillies game, just before the team went on its huge winning streak before the All-Star Break . . . finally getting video of the Fan Warning after the end of the first inning (although you can’t hear it as well as I’d hoped — maybe try again later):

(Now I have video of that, the SEPTA subway race, the national anthem and the home run-signaling Liberty Bell ringing . . .)

Then dinner at James on 8th (recommended!):

We missed the train back home from Suburban Station, so we walked across the John F. Kennedy Boulevard Bridge to 30th Street Station to kill time:

June 13-14, 2009

We made yet another trip up to Malouf’s Mountain Sunset Camp in the hills next to Beacon, in Dutchess County:

Malouf’s website explains the deal:

Wow!! Camping without a car? No camping gear? No problem! Welcome to Malouf’s Mountain Sunset Campground, a hike in, hike out, fully catered camping resort. We can supply you with almost everything needed to spend a relaxing weekend in the woods.

Whether coming from the south or north, enjoy a scenic train ride on the Metro North Hudson River Line. From the Beacon train station our shuttle will take you to the hike of your choice. Hikes range in duration from a half hour to five hours. While you hike in to the camp, enjoying the views, we transport your gear to the campground and place it at your site for your convenience.

They didn’t mention the stop at the trailhead at the general store where you can buy your beer, which they’ll also transport to the campsite; that’s also important.

More:

Upon arrival, the first thing you’ll notice is the privacy of each site. You will find a stack of firewood and your fire pit for cooking. You will see your covered platform which is especially nice because you’re not stuck in your tent if it rains. There is also a cover over your fire pit. You can bring your tent or rent one of ours. Then, there is our chow box — it has everything you will need for your stay, from pots and pans to a pad of paper and a deck of cards.

They also have a bathhouse with showers and toilets, big sinks for cleaning and dryers, too. Basically you need your sleeping bag and that’s it. This season they added a shuttle service to and from the train station at Beacon. It’s fantastic and we’ve been there three times now in the past couple of years. It’s about $60 a night for a site for two people. Highly recommended.

The idea is to do a long hike, and end up at the campsite. Here’s the portion of the map of the trail we took:

(You can buy the map here.)

Along the way we took more pictures of and from the old Casino site up on the ridge:

Then we checked in on the Rusted Red Car along the Casino Trail. It’s still there:

And the animals on the trail, what I think was a “Red Eft Newt” and a “Black Rat Snake”:

On the way back to town the next day we had time to poke around the Beacon Farmers Market, held Sundays on the ferry dock next to the train station:

Then one of us dropped by the 7th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party at Madison Square:

The other one of us was way too tired . . .

Paris, France: May 22-May 27, 2009

Five days in Paris at the end of May.

Day One

Lines were way too long at the Eiffel Tower on a Saturday of a holiday weekend (Friday had been a bank holiday throughout France):

But the morning sun was good for a picture at least from Champ de Mars:

Went to Rue Cler, where we got a “tranche” of gold medal-winning Fromage de Tete (head cheese) at Charcuterie Jeusselin:

Then walked by or through the Esplanade des Invalides, Petit Palais, Champs Elysees, Place de la Concorde and the Jardin des Tuileries, where we visited the Musee de l’Orangerie:

And then the Musee d’Orsay:

After, we went back to the Hotel Malar, the hotel in the 7th Arrondissement where we stayed, via Place du Palais Bourbon.

We had dinner at Bistrot Victoires in the 1st Arrondissement, then walked around by the Louvre, Eglise Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois, La Samaritaine (which is closed until 2010 or something) and Place du Chatelet before getting Maison Berthillon Ice Cream on the Ile Saint-Louis. Then we walked by Notre-Dame at dusk:

Day Two

Pere-Lachaise Cemetery:

An Antiquite Brocante street sale outside the cemetery:

Lunch at L’As du Fallafel in the Marais:

The Musee Carnavalet city history museum, where you can see Proust’s bedroom:

A Bateaux-Mouches river cruise:

Snack at Lenotre and dinner at Restaurant Ma Bourgogne in the Place des Vosges:

Day Three

We delayed our Trip to the Top of the Eiffel Tower until Monday, and fortunately the weather was just as nice as it was on Saturday when the lines were too long. It still took a long time. We got in line at 12:33 p.m., reached the second level (first elevator) at 1:42 p.m., then waited in line for the elevator to the top for at least 45 minutes and finally got champagne on the top level at 2:42 p.m.:

Yes, you can “do” the Louvre in under two hours, at least if you hit the highlights:

Dinner at Les Fetes Galantes in the 5th Arrondissement (recommended):

We swung by the Pantheon and Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, stumbled on a night of street art at Place Saint-Sulpice, and saw the Eiffel Tower at night from the Hotel National des Invalides:

Day Four

Picked up victuals at Rue Mouffetard:

Ate a breakfast in the Jardin des Plantes before boarding a RER train at Gare d’Austerlitz for Versailles. We didn’t realize that the employees who hand out audioguides would ever go on strike, but there they were, on strike:

The other group of workers on strike that day were the people who sold tickets, but the work action only meant that instead of being able to buy a pass for all the Versailles attractions in one place at a reduced price, you had to pay separately for each. And that is when France turns into a parody of itself.

Dinner at Chez L’Ami Jean in the 7th Arrondissement (highly, highly recommended):

A note about the 50 Euro tasting menu at Chez L’Ami Jean: It is totally, totally worth it. Remember that the service is included in France (and most of Europe), so 50 Euros (which today is $71.09) is really reasonable for a meal of this caliber. For comparison’s sake, a tasting menu at WD-50 is $140 and one at Momofuku Ko is $85 — those are just two examples of places we’ve eaten at that seemed (sort of) similar in experience (and that we’ve like a lot). Chez L’Ami Jean was $70, service included. Unbelievable value, and as fantastic a dining experience. Like I said, highly, highly recommended.

Day Five

Food shopping around the Place de la Madeleine was just window shopping except for macarons from Laduree, which were consumed just before visiting the Palais Garnier, or Paris Opera:

Then we took in the view from the roof of Galeries Lafayette:

A final croque-madame at a place in the 7th Arrondissement:

Also . . .

We saw the Arc de Triomphe and Sacre Coeur but didn’t visit either one. At least one of us used one of those fantastic free Sanisettes on the street. And not only is the Paris Metro a convenient way to get around but they also have funny cartoons of rabbits:

Las Vegas: 5/12-17/09

Las Vegas from May 12 to May 17, 2009.

The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area was surprising in a great way; Las Vegas is hundreds of square miles of concrete and I really never connected the place to natural beauty. There is actually a lot of natural beauty in the area:

But of course there is also the main reason over 37 million people visit Las Vegas each year — its pedestrian-friendly urban planning. Here is a walk down The Las Vegas Strip During The Day (a few images are from our 2005 trip to Las Vegas, but the bulk of them are new, and there are links to each spot from the page). We started out near the Happi Inn, across from the Luxor, a remnant of the “old” Strip:

. . . learned about our entertainment options:

. . . and ended our journey at the strange architecture of Fashion Show, 2.5 miles later:

Along the way we wended through Luxor, Excalibur and New York-New York, got lost in the MGM Grand (and its Lion Habitat), passed by the mammoth new construction at CityCenter, skirted by Planet Hollywood and Paris Las Vegas, stopped in the Bellagio Hotel & Casino and the World Recordbreaking Chocolate Fountain at Jean-Philippe Patisserie, scooted across one of the pedestrian walkways that rises above the ten-lane roads to Caesars Palace where we saw the odd animatronic Fall of Atlantis Fountain Show, the Aquarium and ate at Beijing Noodle No. 9, then walked by The Mirage and its Siegfried and Roy Statue, through Treasure Island and finally visited the Wynn, before heading back to The M Resort in Henderson via its shuttle bus that departs from Fashion Show. We walk a lot but this was a long day.

Feed: Lotus of Siam for the best Thai food in the U.S. (and this includes Woodside, Queens’ Sripraphai . . . highly recommended), Raku Japanese Charcoal Grill (highly recommended) and Bartolotta at the Wynn (highly highly recommended). This dish at Raku was described as “Bonito Guts”:

Oddities: Serge’s Showgirl Wigs in the same shopping center as Lotus of Siam, the Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas Sign at the southern end of the Strip, the Las Vegas Monorail (the first privately financed mass transportation system in the U.S. since WWII — it’s also really expensive at $5 a trip!) and the PG-13 Sirens of TI show outside Treasure Island.

And then of course there are the slot machines at McCarran International Airport:

May 9-10, 2009

The powerful Tiecoon at Penn Station, Midtown Manhattan, May 9, 2009, 10:00 a.m.:

Phillies vs. Braves at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, May 9, 2009, 5:24 p.m.:

Dirty Frank’s, Philadelphia, May 9, 2009, 11:42 p.m.:

The Shirt Corner, Old City, Philadelphia, May 10, 2009, 3:15 p.m.:

The exciting new Trenton Transit Center in Trenton, New Jersey, May 10, 2009, 4:47 p.m.:

Mets vs. Phillies, May 7, 2009

Another Mets vs. Phillies game, this time from Section 512:

The Section 512 seats were much better than the Section 538 seats we had, which you can see, about where the Chicago-Houston score is posted:

I’ll tell you what, there’s a huge difference between the advertisements from last year at Shea and this year at Citi Field. Last year at Shea, you had Delta, Sharp, Chevy and Verizon:

Then State Farm and of course the infamous AIG:

This year, on the food media day before the stadium opened, on March 31, 2009, there was a sort of blank slate — not sure if they didn’t put the signs up yet or if (hrm!) they didn’t know who would buy signage:

So now that the stadium is up and running, note that AIG is notably absent, and in its place, an expanded “freecreditreport.com” presence:

They’re the ones with that ad with the garage band in the basement; still not sure what the catch is, and why this is a profitable enterprise.

As for the newcomers, there’s Bob’s Furniture:

spongetech.com (what is that exactly?) and superpages.com:

The old sell-your-gold thing:

Titan Motors:

And the Arpielle Equipment Co.:

In short, the Citi Field ads look a lot like what you’d see at a minor league game.

Arpielle Equipment Co. also sponsors the Mets’ version of the ubiquitous [blank] vs. [blank] race, that computer-generated doodad where digitalized items “race” each other and the results are randomly generated. I think it’s supposed to elicit a crowd response, but I don’t feel at all bad not rooting for a computer program. At Yankee Stadium last year (haven’t been there this year yet) the B, D and 4 trains “raced” each other to the stadium. The Phillies do a similar thing with SEPTA and its joke of a subway system. At Army football games at West Point, they race tanks. Spectators at other ballparks seem to enjoy the eternal ketchup-mustard-relish match. But the Arpielle [blank] vs. [blank] at Citi Field is just inexplicable — it’s a fork lift against a light tower. I’m not even kidding:

I guess that stimulus money is good for something . . .

Mets vs. Phillies, Section 538, Citi Field, May 6, 2009

We saw our first game at Citi Field, the Mets vs. Phillies.

First off, Citi Field is cool. And I say this as someone who appreciated Shea Stadium and feels that too much of our 1960s architecture is being decimated and that one day we will all regret callously tearing it down. But you can’t argue with the amenities and the general atmosphere of the new stadium. The food is much, much better, as is the beer ($7.50 for Danny Meyer craft brews definitely beats overpriced Budweiser — and believe me, I drink more than my fair share of Budweiser when I’m not watching baseball). And for the most part, the Mets’ home has been updated in a way that lends itself to the ballpark experience. Good for them. You step off the 7 train and walk into this fantastic new stadium that isn’t a dump. That’s cool.

That said, the view from the upper rows of Section 538 is, well, crap. That big out-of-town scoreboard in left field must be wonderful to consult, but when you climb up to your seat and see a fancy high-definition screen on the back side of it, it’s a pretty good indication that your view is obstructed; Citi Field features amenities, but they wouldn’t include some amenities unless they had to:

Keep in mind, these are not considered “obstructed view” seats — the face value of these tickets is $19. Which is fine, whatever, but it’s strange that a new stadium — any new stadium — has obstructed-view seats. We can kill a terrorist in Waziristan from a drone piloted by a person in Tampa but HOK can’t figure out how to make the upper rows of Section 538 not feel utterly claustrophobic? That disappoints! Another beef: our Section 538 tickets were the “best available” when we got them. So where was everyone? There were so many empty seats around the stadium that the Mets skipped the “Guess the Attendance” feature. (By the way, I see Mike Lupica already found a way to fetishize and Terkelize Section 538.) But at least it’s not New Yankee Stadium, because that place sounds insane.

OK, and speaking of New Yankee Stadium — and its absurdly ridiculous prices for the best seats — the Mets don’t seem to be doing much better. I know the weather was funky and it’s early in the season, but, jeez, it’s the Phillies — you’d think this would be a hot ticket. But check out the difference between the field level section behind the dugout and the field level section behind the on-deck circle:

So being that this was a Mets-Phillies game, we expected heated emotions, though we didn’t see much of it until the walk — the long walk — down one of Citi Field’s long stairwells (no ramps?) where Mets fans commenced with the customary “Ass-Hole” tomahawk chop at hapless Phillies partisans:

Yeah, yeah, of course “Philly Sucks!” But let’s just recap for a second: Sure, Johan Santana pitched really well, but then so did Chan Ho Park, who gave up only one hit through six innings. Chan Ho Park. Chan. Ho. Park. And the one run the Mets did score was off a terrible throwing error on what should have been just a single. You’re chuffed? I don’t know that I would be. What’s more, you’re still in third place.

And I can’t wait for more games at Citi Field.

Pertinent Link: New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Citi Field, Section 538, May 6, 2009.

Phillies vs. Rays . . .

. . . just not during the World Series. This was the first of what will be several games we’ll attend this season, an exhibition game just before opening day. Chuffed from their World Series win, the Phillies Team Shop was selling unsubtle “Two Years Running” shirts that depicted Mr. Met chasing the Phanatic:

Pat Burrell, who left the team on a high note after becoming a free agent at the end of the 2008 season, spent his entire career with the Phillies suffering the abuse of Philly fans notoriously unforgiving about underperforming, overpaid players. He signed with the Rays in the off-season. He led off the game with a home run:

The fans there gave him a standing ovation — and they weren’t even being facetious! Then again, it was an exhibition game.

See also: It’s Not Just Pat Burrell’s Charles Atlas Physique That Intrigues Me . . .

April 18-20, 2009

Tick Tock Diner, Clifton, New Jersey:

Ehrhardt’s Waterfront Resort, Hawley, Pennsylvania:

A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees game at PNC Field:

Driving through Scranton and seeing Courthouse Square:

Shopping at The Crossings Premium Outlets in Tannersville, Pennsylvania:

Driving back into New York through the Lincoln Tunnel where we saw the booth where someone works a full shift each day checking on traffic and watching out for accidents:

And trying to get a picture of the elusive New York-New Jersey state line mosaic:

Then dinner at Koki-Ri Restaurant in Flushing:

And after returning the car at LaGuardia, pictures of the airport from the M60 bus:

Total for the weekend, 329 miles:

Medieval Times, Lyndhurst, New Jersey

The pride and joy of Bergen County — Medieval Times:

San Francisco/Napa, March 2009

March 7-9, 2009 in San Francisco:

• United Nations Plaza and the Pioneer Monument in the Civic Center neighborhood (both have interesting stories — check links for more)
• The Sea Lions at Pier 39 (we were there at the wrong time of year last June)
• A ride on the cable car (we wondered if actual commuters ever use it; the answer is no)
• Fort Point and Crissy Field in the Presidio
• The beautiful bright lights of Broadway in North Beach
• Justin Herman Plaza and something that looked suspiciously like the Idiotarod along the Embarcadero
• A Walk Down Mission Street, the San Francisco Federal Building (check out the George W. Bush plaque), Yerba Buena Gardens, Westfield San Francisco Centre (running an errand) and Good Hotel in SoMa
• The view from Twin Peaks
• Eating at Koi Palace in Daly City, El Farolito Taqueria in the Mission and Brenda’s French Soul Food in the Tenderloin, as well as drinking at Bourbon & Branch in the Tenderloin
• We drove down Lombard Street and across the Golden Gate Bridge

March 9-15, 2009 in Napa:

• Yountville Park, Washington Street, Villagio Inn & Spa, Veterans Memorial Park, Van de Leur Park, Pioneer Cemetery, Jacobsen Orchards and Bardessono (don’t miss the toilet there) in Yountville
• Robert Mondavi Winery!
• We drank wine at Vincent Arroyo Winery in Calistoga; Patz & Hall in Napa; Cakebread Cellars and Elizabeth Spencer Wines in Rutherford; Corison Winery, Duckhorn Vineyards and Provenance Vineyards in St. Helena; and Viader in Deer Park (we made return visits to Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga; Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa; Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena; and the Miner Family Vineyards in Oakville)
• We ate at Miguel’s Restaurant in Calistoga, Ubuntu in Napa, the Wine Spectator Restaurant at CIA-Greystone, and Bouchon Bakery & a return trip to Ad Hoc in Yountville; we did not go to The French Laundry; after all that wine we ended up drinking beer at Henry’s Cocktail Lounge in Napa and Pancha’s in Yountville (we basically had a constant .04 BAC the entire time, enough to exhaust ourselves but not enough to go bananas)
• See also: McEvoy Ranch and Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, Sonoma County; Iron Horse Vineyards in Sebastopol, also Sonoma County; and Hog Island Oyster Company in Marin County

March 15, 2009, half day in the Bay Area before coming back home:

• Vista Lot on the UC-Berkeley Campus and 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley

Aruba, 2009

We went to Aruba last year and enjoyed it so much that we returned this year, some friends in tow. Last year we missed the Carnaval festivities, but this year we got to see the Tivoli Lighting Parade through Oranjestad:

Other highlights included Alto Vista Chapel (and the festively decorated house on the road there), the Aruba Aloe Factory, the Jolly Pirates Afternoon Snorkel Cruise and the Seroe Colorado Lighthouse (thanks to fellow guests for the directions — on the way to Baby Beach, make the first left just past the drug treatment center you see on the right side of the road).

Like last year, we stayed at Peter and Julie’s Coral Reef Beach — highly recommended if you want a different Aruba experience than you’d get from the hotel resorts on the other part of the island. As Peter himself might say, Coral Reef is “very nice . . . very inexpensive . . . very local.” Both Peter and Julie go out of their way to point you to some of the more out-of-the-way places on the island, and the accommodations are really charming.

Bring a snorkel and mask; we did this time and it was fantastic.