An Amtrak Adventure I wouldn't want to be on!!

It seems my favorite mode of transportation across the U.S. hit a "bump on the tracks" yesterday.

I have only been unfortunate enough to experience two delays on my numerous train trips thus far. One was on the way back from California on the "Zephyr" when one of the engines broke down just outside of Denver, Co. on the way back to Chicago. The wait out on the frontier edge of Co. was only about an hour or so but in that hour, there was no electricity and the toilets also got to be quite messy....and people were not allowed to disembark to strech their legs. I do remember it got a little warm inside the train car I was in, but other than that, it wasn't much of an ordeal.......

The other delay was on my way home from NYC this past fall. We sat at the train station in Syracuse NY for about and hour and a half due to a delay of another train that was meeting up with the train I was on. But thankfully on that delay we were at the train station which had a restuarant and a gift shop. The time passed by rather quickly.

I do feel for the passenger's discomfort on the trip delays that are talked about below though. I know that when one is on a train and toilets tend to get yucky, and you are not allowed to get off the train and if your cash is running short and you do not have "supplies"...it can get pretty darn dismal pretty darn fast. I made the mistake of not bringing much cash on my first trip out west and since then I have always carried extra cash and my ticket stubs as well as my c.c. to stay comfy.

Train travel can be very enjoyable if one is prepared. I have learned to be prepared for things like this. But it doesnt sound like alot of folks on these trips were......

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Thousands Aboard Six Amtrak Trains Endure a Long Ordeal

By BRENDA GOODMAN
Amtrak passengers along the busy corridor between Florida and New York were delayed for up to 20 hours after eight freight cars derailed on Thursday near Savannah, Ga., blocking the tracks in either direction.

The cars were finally cleared from the rails, but about 2,000 passengers on six trains - three headed north, three south - were still traveling yesterday more than 30 hours after embarking on their trips, said R. Clifford Black, an Amtrak spokesman.

Mr. Black said that the freight train's derailment had occurred at a "choke point" and that the Amtrak trains had therefore been unable to pass around it.

The tracks are maintained by CSX, which said it was investigating to determine the cause of the derailment.
By last night, passengers aboard at least one of the trains, Amtrak 98 from Miami to New York, were broke, hungry, exhausted and, barely having reached South Carolina, still many miles from home. They were also incensed, all the more so since they had been required to pay for whatever amenities were available throughout the ordeal.

"One woman had to pay $15 for a blanket," said Eleanor Meyer, 53, who was headed home to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., after a vacation at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., with her 19-year-old triplets.
"I can't believe in this day and age, for this amount of time, to go this short a distance, people are treated this way," Ms. Meyer said by cellphone.
Ms. Meyer said the first indication that anything was wrong occurred at a station in Jacksonville, Fla.
"They told us there had been an accident on the tracks ahead of us and that we were in for an extended wait," Ms. Meyer said. They had no idea.

The train sat in Jacksonville for 12 hours before it finally started moving again early yesterday morning. But only two hours later, at 6 a.m. in the middle of a forest south of Savannah, it stopped again because of the heavy traffic resulting from the derailment. The second delay was about eight hours.

During the wait, the toilets became clogged. The crew offered no food or water, passengers said, except what was available in the dining car, for a price. Those who could not pay were told they could charge their food, but only if they presented ticket stubs with their credit cards, said one passenger, Nancy Johnson of Washington.
An angered Ms. Johnson called her sister and enlisted her help in contacting The Associated Press. Ms. Meyer and other passengers joined in the effort, and soon news organizations were reporting accounts of the distress.

But despite those reports, Amtrak 98 passengers said at 6 o'clock last night that they still had not been offered meals or a rest stop of more than five minutes to stretch their legs.

Tracy Connell, a spokeswoman for Amtrak, said the company was working to provide free meals at the next stop, in South Carolina.
And Mr. Black said of the ordeal, "We regret it deeply."
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A Couple Very Cool Christmas Cartoons....and "My Christmas Wish List"

A few of my friends sent me a couple "cute" christmas cartoons and I just had to share them here....

http://www.friendsoffoamy.com/index.php?id=151
(click on link to go to site where cartoon will load and then click on play)

Merry Christmas
(click on link to go to site where cartoon will load and then click on play)

The first cartoon: Beware there is alot of foul language so if anyone is offended by "naughty words"....you have been warned.
....And on a dial-up internet line both cartoons may take a while to load.....aka....grab a cup of coffee..walk around the block and change your cat's litter box...and maybe get it some food. By then it should be ready to play.
(For those of you on broadband....take a sip of coffee while they load).

I feel the cartoon says it all...

The second one is a little more "tame"......

And then there is MY "Wish List" f0r Santa.
Here goes...

-A new laptop (the old one is fine but it has been a few years)
-A DVD Recorder with all the "Monster Wires"
-A new and improved "Home Theater System" (the one I have now is ok but I want "Wall Rattling sound" and all the new stuff that is out there....
-A model train set (Amtrak train set would be nice)
-A new internet service which includes "Freedom Link WiFi access" at Barns and Noble
-A trip to see the snow and xmas tree in NYC sometime this winter yet
-A Flat Screen "Plazma" TV (prefer a 52 inch Silver colored)
-An I-Pod Player
-A new Truck (the 2003 is wearing on me...I am bored)
-A "log cabin" type house with a "wrap around porch. Open concept with a loft for my bedroom
-A mountian view with a lake in the distance for the above home.....
-A "Mission Style" dining room set (my glass table is a pain....arrrg!!)
-A "Mission style" dresser to go with my "mission style" bed I bought a few years ago
-And finally a bigger raise than the one I know I am getting this next year in order to pay Santa for everything on the above list....

That is all I am asking for....
I don't think that is too much is it??
Ok...so I will be nice and share everything with my friends.
Santa..can you hear me?????


Soon to be Merry CHRISTmas.....

The Year in Review

As 2005 draws to a close it is time to recap the year.

So many things have happened this year and though all years past have their "big news stories" and milestones, I feel this year has been one where so many things of lasting importance have happened.....

-The world has witnessed some of the most destructive forces that "Mother Nature" has unleashed unto our planet in recent memory... with Katrina and the other hurricanes, the earthquakes, the flooding ect.....

-The only pope that I clearly remember as the head of the Catholic church passed away and we are now entering a new Era with a new "spiritual leader" of the world's largest religion....

-The "Ongoing War" on "Terrorism??" that doesnt seem to be lessening terrorism any (maybe I am wrong here...but I don't think so)....

-The President (Yes...Mr. George Bush) of the "Most Powerful Nation on Earth" trying to make himself into a "King" or worse yet a "dictator" and consistantly digging himself into more and more "holes"....oh when will it end??
(Someone should just "shoot him" and all the misery (his and ours) can come to an end).......

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/YEAR_IN_REVIEW?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME
(click on link above for some of the highlights of 2005)

And then there is little old me....what things have meant the most to me??

-My year of finding new friends (Hi Julie, Benny, Marlyn and more...)
and getting to visit with old friends (Hi Jasmine and Jason)
and being able to spend time with other friends that mean alot to me (they know who they are).

-Discovering "train travel" and being able to be lucky enough to see a good portion of our country this past year. The Coast of California, the Sierra Nevada's and views of the Rockies that I never got a chance to see when I lived out in Colorado(and becoming hooked on "Amtrak" and all things "train related).
(I am actually contemplating buying one of those model train sets for my apt.....yes there is still some "kid" in me)....

-The "Big Apple"...... taking a road trip with a very cool traveling companion (Hi Robyn) and seeing and spending time in magnificent New York City and spending time in Conn. with my friends is something that I will never forget and I will hopefully be able to make it out there again soon.

-And so much more.......

I am thankful for all of my friends and family and for their health.
I am thankful for my job and my peers. I have the best job I could ask for and I have the coolest people to work with and for.
I am thankful for my very "cool" companion (Scrappy Doo)...who has pretty much taken over my apartment and a good portion of my waking (and nonwaking hours). Thank you Doris for my little "ball of fur".....
I am thankful for my health.

And last but not least I am thankful that there are "a few people" who care enough to click on over to this blog every now and again.

I know I can be pretty boring, and at times some of my comments and views about things tend to border on the "fringe", but to me that is what life is all about....to explore, ask questions, and wonder about mysterious things.
To learn as much as possible about life and all it's mysteries and wonders and to hopefully better ourselves in the process...
Isn't that what life is all about????

What do I regret?
-Not spending as much time as I would have liked to with my dad and his wife and with my other siblings.
-Not getting up north to visit my mom's gravesite
-Not getting up north to Green Bay as often as I would have liked to visit with two of my oldest friends who live up there.
Other than that there is not too much else I can think of that I really wanted to do in 2005 and didn't get a chance to....

What's up for 2006 (and beyond)??
-Hopefully another trip to the East Coast
-Maybe a trip to florida to visit with family and friends
-I am hoping that 2007 can be my trip to Europe that I wanted to undertake in 2004.
-Maybe finally getting out of paying "other's mortages" and buying a house of my very own

So this is my year in review.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to salvage Christmas."

So the transit strike ends in NYC just before christmas.....

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NYC_TRANSIT_STRIKE?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
(click on link for the full story)

......I am glad...because out of all the cities I have visited,I have to say NYC is my favoirite so far.
Now maybe I can start planning my winter get away to the Big Apple. Hopefully sometime in Jan. if all works out.

Happy Friday to all (and only two more days till Santa comes!!)

NYC Subway-Transit Strike!!

One of the World's Largest and Busiest Cities "felled" by the "Common Man"....

It is amazing that in one of the world's biggest cities that this can happen.
Mr. Bloomberg (and his millions) and still stuff like this.
Just another "news story" to keep everyone's eyes and ears away from probably what "Bush and his idiots" are planning next to help subvert the human population to their agenda of "New World Order"....

So the transit workers have brought NYC to its knees (more like feet) today.
I cant imagaine how all those people are getting around right now.
When I was out in NYC this fall, I did alot of walking but I would not have been able to see half of what I saw without the aid of the "public transportation system".

I hope they solve this soon.....

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NYC_TRANSIT_STRIKE?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Click on link for full story....

Happy Tuesday

Santa's reply to George Bush's Christmas Wish List

Bush's Christmas Wish List
by Paul Winkelmann

SANTA'S WORKSHOP1 CHRISTMAS LANE, NORTH POLEOR AT OUR NEW LOCATION1 FELIZ NAVIDA PLAZA, TIJUANA, MEXICOPHONE: 1 800-XMAS GUY - FAX: 1 888 XMAS-GUY

Little Georgie Bush1600 Pennsylvania AvenueWashington D.C.
Re: Christmas Wish List

Dear Georgie,
I just wanted to let you know that I got your wish list and am working on it as fast as I can. As a matter of fact, thanks to your advice on how to reduce my labor costs, I am sure to be finished with everyone's presents extra early this year. Getting rid of those pesky minimum wage elves was just the ticket. The staff, at my newly relocated toy factory in Mexico, has reported very few complaints about the wages or work hours ($5.12 per 12 hr. day), the filthy working conditions, the asbestos, or the polluted drinking water. And yes, you were right, threatening to move the factory from Tijuana to Bejing did quiet down those infrequent but annoying Mexican malcontents. I gotta tell ya, those elves were pissed when they found out what I bought with the profits I got by not paying them their bloated paychecks. A new heated magic-motion waterbed and a time-share in Tahiti, if you must know.

There really was no need to thank me for your new and improved approval rating. I had nothing to do with that. Although, I am flattered that you thought it was me who tossed you that early Christmas present. I'm crossing my fingers though, hoping that this war can last until 2004. Remember what happened to Poppy? By the way, how are all those flags and red, white, and blue lapel pins, I sent, working out for you? Did blanketing yourself in them achieve the desired result? I hope so because, as Sen. Joseph McCarthy once said, "You can never act or look too patriotic."
Bad news on the homefront, I'm afraid. My reindeer population has continued it's downward spiral. I am testing out that new oilrig you suggested, but as of yet, it hasn't had the hoped for affect on their procreation. I have even kept the spills down to the federally mandated 500 gallons a day so I'm quite certain that can't be the problem. Oh well, maybe that nice warming hole in the ozone will get their libidos heated up.
Mrs. Claus told me to let you know she's "darned proud" of the job your wife is doing. She says she was tired of all them "policies" and "ideers" that the last first lady kept bringing up. "A girl's place is in the kitchen, the schoolroom, or the maternity ward, and not in the boardroom", is what she always likes to say.

Before I let you go, I want to briefly run through your wish list and clarify a few items.

1) That heart you wanted for Dick - well, a donor heart has to be similar to Mr. Chaney's and I am having a hell of a time finding a genetic match that isn't weak, black, and cold, like the one he has now.

2) I won't be able to give your frat buddies and campaign contributors any of those big tax breaks or government bail-outs you asked for. I'm only Santa Claus, not the president.

3) I can't "make people forget things." Stolen elections, lies, and broken promises about bi-partisanship, CO2 emissions, etc, are not easily forgotten and inducing amnesia is not part of my job description.

4) No, I'm not going to spy on all those "Muslim Heathens" when I make my deliveries on Christmas Eve. I rarely, if ever, make stops at Muslim homes - them being Muslims and all. Besides, even if I did, don't you have most of them locked up and hidden away?

5) Look, I've already given you Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, The Drudge Report, The Wall Street Journal, and everything Rupert Murdoch has ever touched (just to name a few). So you can just forget about the Village Voice, The Nation, or Mother Jones. It ain't happening.

6) That make-up for Katherine Harris? Did you want Sherwin-Williams or Dutch Boy?

7) I've been asking around and it looks like I will be able to talk a few more of your daddy's friends into giving you some more businesses. Unfortunately, my lawyer friends have told me that this Christmas is out of the question. You're gonna have to wait till after you've been drummed out of office. Legalities, you know. There was a request, and I'm not saying who it was from, but this unnamed person asked if you could keep from driving your future gifts into the ground, like you did to all the previous ones.

8) How can you ask me to extend your stay in the White House? Don't you realize what I (and a few of my Republican psuedo-elves) had to go through the last time around? Be thankful we didn't all go to jail.

9) If I could "magically fill up the Social Security Trust Fund", don't you think I would have done it by now? And if I'm not mistaken, didn't you have a whole mess of money in there last Christmas? Spending all that dough on the wealthy? Tsk, tsk. You should be ashamed.

10) I can't make Dick stop pushing you around. He's the boss after all, and if you don't like it, quit. I don't have time to mediate upper management feuds.

11) Just how in the world did you think I was going steal and then transport all that Saudi oil over to the U.S.? If you are so worried about offending the Saudi's and their oil, perhaps you shouldn't have promised to go after ALL the countries who sponsor terrorism. Since you knew full well that you weren't going to make the Saudi's pay for their duplicity, the onus is on you to solve the problem. Not me.

12) I found those "risque" picture books you wanted for Mr. Starr. Swedish customs is a little slow but has assured me that I will be able to slide them under Kenny's tree in time for viewing on Christmas morning. We mustn't disappoint those who got you where you are.

13) Melbourne Zoo officials have a team of wranglers headed for the U.S. Supreme Court. They said those kangaroos are hard to round up once you've set them loose in the building. I know this is a source of embarrassment for you and I have made this one a top priority.

14) With a little more Congressional arm twisting, I think I can get Social Security into the stock market. This was one of your harder wishes to grant. So many of those leaders were very business-savvy and - whoops, wait a second here. Enron is at 36 cents a share now. Maybe I better hold off on this one for a while Georgie.

15) I'm not making any promises here but I have personally talked to Senators Dan Burton, Bob Barr, and Congressman Henry Hyde about their past miscues. They insist that if they are going initiate anymore long-winded witchhunts pertaining to the morality of our leaders, they will not get caught with their own pants down, so to speak. And as a special favor to you, they've promised not to mention insider trading, drunk driving, AWOL military personnel, or cocaine snorting frat boys who dodged the draft by skipping to the head of the National Guard line so they could defend the shores of Texas from the invading hordes of North Vietnamese.

That should about cover it. Let me know how your holidays went.
Merry Christmas,
Santa Claus

P.S. Pat and Jerry said "Hi". They tell me your doing a splendid job ensuring that the government and church become one big happy religious machine, just like the founding fathers intended.

Happy Holidays from the First Couple......

"George and I would like to offer everyone the Best of Holiday Wishs!"

Warm Regards....

Laura and George "Bush"

Another Step to Bush's World Domination Plans....and Secrets Coming out of the Closet??

So Iraq is in the midst of their 1st parlimentry elections??
I didn't think a country needed elections when they already had a government...(The U.S.A.).
So a little "food for thought" taken from a few areas on the web. These people also question the elections as I am questioning them.....read on......
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The historic day taking place now in Iraq is a curious outcome of the events of September 11, 2001. With that in mind, the question of who benefited from the events of 9/11/01 is becoming ever more clear.

It can be argued that those who wished to force Iraq into a regime change for the purpose of establishing a democracy were not terrorists who hated Americans freedoms, or people who collected and strored weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but were working with another group of people who needed the catalyst to move the US Armed Forces into the region for a longer term commitment.

Therein lay the treason of George W. Bush and his Presidential Cabinet of Advisors. Unless someone wishes to capture Osama bin Laden, the likely culprits are walking around in Washington D.C. with GOP lapel pins disguised as an American flag.

And if anyone really believes 19 box-cutters circumvented the civil air defense mechanisms from NORAD to the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 without help from inside the beltway, then you watch too much television.
___________________________________________________________________________

And another view with a web link below the excerpt....
___________________________________________________________________________

Excerpt:
....
Imagine, for a moment, that the Iraqi elections on Friday come off without a hitch. No one is killed, maimed or intimidated into voting for a particular candidate by having a gun barrel put to his head. There are no hanging chads, no mayhem or madness. What will the Iraqi and American people get out of the incredible blood and treasure we have poured into this conflict?

We will get an Iraqi government dominated by known and notorious terrorists. We will get an Iraqi government dominated by Iran. The Shia will walk away from Friday with the lion's share of control over the Iraqi government.
The two most powerful Shia political parties, the ones that will come out of this with the big wins, are the Dawa Party and the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which is known by the initials SCIRI. Both were founded and funded by Iran in the 1980s. Both have a history of spectacular violence against the United States and other nations. "These guys are murderers," says former CIA agent Bob Baer, who dealt with Dawa during the 1980s. "They were the core element that blew up our embassy in Beirut in 1983."

Paul Mulshine, writing last week for the New Jersey Star-Ledger, encapsulates this amazing turn of events. "What would you call someone who wants to hand over control of Iraq to a group of terrorists that first made its reputation by blowing up a couple of American embassies?" wrote Mulshine. "I'd call him President Bush.

The group is called the Dawa party. In the early 1980s, Dawa terrorists bombed our embassies in Kuwait and in Lebanon. They were universally recognized as vicious America-hating, Iranian-supported terrorists.

Now they're part of the coalition that is expected to win control of the new Iraqi parliament in Thursday's elections." "The other coalition partners aren't much better," continued Mulshine. "The sanest group on the Shi'a side is the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
A 1984 Washington Post story portrayed the group, known by its initials SCIRI, as 'a kind of parent organization for four operational terrorist groups.' SCIRI was founded in Iran a couple of years earlier by the Ayatollah Khomeini with the goal of taking control of Iraq.
Now, they're about to do so, courtesy of George W. Bush."
....Link:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/121405A.shtml

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And then there is the stuff that old "Georgie Porgie" is screwing with back at home. He just can't seem to keep his hand out of the good old cookie jar.......

First this........
___________________________________________________________________________
Bush Spied on Thousands of Americans!
Secretly LIFTED Ban on Spying!

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 ­-
Months after the Sept. 11 attacks, President Bush secretly authorized the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States to search for evidence of terrorist activity without the court-approved warrants ordinarily required for domestic spying, according to government officials.

Under a presidential order signed in 2002, the intelligence agency has monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants over the past three years in an effort to track possible "dirty numbers" linked to Al Qaeda, the officials said. The agency, they said, still seeks warrants to monitor entirely domestic communications.

The previously undisclosed decision to permit some eavesdropping inside the country without court approval represents a major shift in American intelligence-gathering practices, particularly for the National Security Agency, whose mission is to spy on communications abroad. As a result, some officials familiar with the continuing operation have questioned whether the surveillance has stretched, if not crossed, constitutional limits on legal searches. "This is really a sea change," said a former senior official who specializes in national security law. "It's almost a mainstay of this country that the N.S.A. only does foreign searches."

Click link below for more from the NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/15/politics/15cnd-program.html?ei=5094&en=0a4739ca3ab6d63b&hp=&ex=1134709200&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1134720853-wPdninxEljZxyAY0uvAxoQ&pagewanted=print

And then this......
___________________________________________________________________________
Pentagon May Be Tracking Activists
From Reuters
December 14, 2005WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has a secret database that indicates the U.S. military may be collecting information on Americans who oppose the Iraq war and may be monitoring peace demonstrations, NBC reported Tuesday.

The database, obtained by the network, lists 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the United States over a 10-month period and includes four dozen antiwar meetings or protests, some aimed at military recruiting, "NBC's Nightly News" said.

The network said the document was the first look at how the Pentagon had stepped up intelligence collection in the U.S. since the Sept. 11 attacks. The report quoted what it said was a secret d! ocument as concluding: "We have noted increased communication between protest groups using the Internet" but not a "significant connection" between incidents.
Americans have been wary of any monitoring of antiwar activities since the Vietnam era, when it was learned that the Pentagon spied on antiwar and civil rights groups and individuals.

Congress held hearings in the 1970s and recommended strict limits on military spying inside the U.S. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the report. However, he said: "The Department of Defense uses counterintelligence and law enforcement information properly collected by law enforcement agencies.

The use of this information is subject to strict limitations, particularly the information must be related to missions relating to protection of [Pentagon] installations, interests and personnel." The Pentagon has acknowledged existence of a counterintelligence program known as "Threat and Local Observation Notice," or TALON. The system is designed to gather "non-validated threat information and security anomalies indicative of possible terrorist pre-attack activity," the Pentagon said

A link to my older brother??

I was reviewing a few of my previous posts and found a comment on the post where I wrote about my mom's first husband and a bit about my older brother who passed away before I was even born.

I have included the comment from this person in hopes that she may look at this site again and maybe we can connect......
____________________________________________________________________________
Jennifer Heubner said...
John:I don't know you, but I am a 1st cousin, once removed from Orville Josie. When my father and I traveled Wisconsin a few summers ago to work on family history (his Mom is a Boutwell)he told me the story of your older brother's death. I am very sorry. I am also sorry to hear your mother has passed away.I am interested in any other information you might have about your brother and his family. I will share all I know also (although limited).Jennifer Heubner
___________________________________________________________________________
She can feel free to email me at
jrepinski@gmail.com

Happy Friday to all......

A Place to Stay in Russia!!

Well if I ever get to number 8 or is it 9.....on my travel list, I now have a cheap place to stay with my hotel discount.......

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Courtyard by Marriott reaches milestone

Dec 14, 2005
WASHINGTON
Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott International's (NYSE:MAR) moderately-priced lodging brand, reached the 100,000-room milestone as the 218-room Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center opened within a 10-minute walk from the Kremlin. It is the first Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Russia.
In a ceremony held today at the hotel which offers spectacular views of the Kremlin, room 713 was designated as the ?official? 100,000th guestroom. A plaque commemorating the milestone was placed at its entrance. Marriott Rewards Gold member, Mr. Curtis Howes, was selected as the first guest to stay in the 100,000th room. "I am thrilled to have been chosen to help celebrate this very special milestone for Courtyard by Marriott hotels here in Moscow. As a frequent business traveler I have come to rely on the service and hospitality that Courtyard by Marriott hotels offer around the world," said Mr. Howes. Guests staying at the hotel, as well as local members of the community and a number of Marriott executives, were invited to attend the celebration co-sponsored by Delta Air Lines.

Introduced in 1983 in Atlanta, Ga., Courtyard by Marriott now ranks as the 13th largest lodging chain in the world, represented by nearly 700 hotels in 42 states in the United States and located in 22 countries and territories world-wide. As Marriott's fastest-growing brand, two of every five Courtyards in the next three years will be located outside the continental United States. Currently, the brand offers more than 10,000 rooms outside the United States.

"When we brought the first Courtyard onto the market it was a break-through lodging product that was an instant success as travelers and hotel developers embraced its concept of consistently high-quality accommodations and services in a comfortable atmosphere at moderate prices," said Chad Waetzig, senior vice president of brand management, select service brands, at Marriott International.
He said that Courtyard was the result of more than two years of in-depth market research that probed traveler needs and interests. The brand has evolved over the years to reflect changing customer preferences, and today, it is a hotel chain that easily adapts to and reflects regional global tastes.
The Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center is located at Voznesenskiy Pereulok 7, in the heart of the city between Tverskaya and Nikitskaya Streets and is being operated under a lease-management agreement with BSK?Baltic Construction Company. It is the fifth Marriott International-branded property in Moscow and seventh hotel in Russia. Nearby are Red Square, GUM department store, the Bolshoi Theater and other well-known points of interest. Sheremetyevo International Airport is 30 kilometers away.

Room rates between Dec. 18, 2005 and January 14, 2006 start at $295 USD plus tax. A special weekend package, "Stay for Breakfast," is being offered at $225 USD plus tax.
For dining and entertainment, the Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center offers several options including the Terraneo-Cuisine of the sun, an all-day dining restaurant with a Mediterranean flavor, and Flat Iron Bar & Road House, featuring casual dining and beverage in a rustic, oak-wood setting. Other amenities include a state-of-the-art health club, a business center, 24-hour room service, a currency exchange office, an ATM, limousine service, underground parking, same-day laundry and dry-cleaning service, and complimentary newspaper and morning coffee/tea in the lobby between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Guestrooms feature high-speed Internet access, two-line phones, a work desk, satellite television and radio, individual climate control, alarm clock, in-house movies, mini-bar, safe, and iron and ironing board. Wireless LAN is available in public areas.
For social events and small conferences, the Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center has four conference rooms offering a total of 300 square meters of space capable of accommodating up to 150 people. In addition, the hotel has the Grand Courtyard Atrium with 360 square meters of space for up to 400 persons. Ethernet and wireless LAN access is available in all function space.
General Manager is Marco Fien; director of sales is Vanja Desmonde.

The Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center, along with 2,400 other hotels, participates in the highly acclaimed Marriott Rewards® frequent guest loyalty program.

There are 27 Courtyard by Marriott properties operating in eight countries in continental Europe. Another eight are under construction and scheduled to open over the next two years.
They include:
- 100-room Courtyard by Marriott Venice Airport which is scheduled to open in mid-January 2006 approximately one kilometer from Venice Marco Polo Airport and offering easy access to Venice City Centre-San Marco by public boat from Darsena. The hotel will have complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport and will offer an indoor swimming pool; sauna; steam bath; fitness center; and a mini-spa offering massage, reflex zone therapy and physiotherapy.
- 161-room Coutyard by Marriott Prague, Czech Republic, opening in 2006
- 241-room Courtyard by Marriott Munich City Center, Germany, opening in 2006
- 150-room Courtyard by Marriott Colombes, France, opening in 2006
- 198-room Courtyard by Marriott Gelsenkirchen, Germany, opening in 2006
- 118-room Courtyard by Marriott Vienna Schonbrunn, Austria, opening in 2006
- 235-room Courtyard by Marriott Prague Airport, Czech Republic, opening in 2007
- 195-room Courtyard by Marriott Plzen, Czech Republic, opening in 2007

The Marriott International portfolio in Moscow currently includes three Marriott-branded properties and a Renaissance-branded hotel. Elsewhere in Russia, the portfolio offers Renaissance-branded hotels in Samara and St. Petersburg.

Marriott International is a leading lodging company with more than 2,700 lodging properties in 66 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, The Ritz-Carlton Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and Horizons brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; operates conference centers; and manages golf courses. The company is headquartered in metropolitan Washington, D.C. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best places to work for by Fortune magazine. In fiscal year 2004, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $10 billion, and the company had approximately 133,000 employees at yearend 2004.
For more information or reservations, please visit our Web site at :
www.marriott.com.

It is About Time......Air Marshals to patrol ground transit

I often wondered what it would take to pull off a terrorist attack on an Amtrak Train.
Not much I say.
As I have traveled extensively on our Nation's "Rail System" a few times this past year, I have noticed NO SECURITY measures whatsoever anywhere.
Pretty scarry to say the least.

Well this article talks about how the "Air Marshals" are trying some new things on the ground.....and it's about time.

I have inlcluded the entire story here as I feel it is important to read in it's entirety.

Happy Wed.....

___________________________________________________________________________




Undercover air marshals to expand work beyond Airplanes....


By LESLIE MILLERAssociated Press WriterDecember 14, 2005, 10:57 AM ESTWASHINGTON --

Federal air marshals are expanding their work beyond airplanes, launching counterterror surveillance at train stations and other mass transit facilities in a three-day test program.

As of Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration said, teams of undercover air marshals and uniformed law enforcement officers were descending on bus stations, ferries and transit systems across the country to protect them from potential terrorists. "We just want to develop the capability to enhance security outside of aviation," said air marshal spokesman David Adams.

Air marshals stepped outside of their usual role of flying undercover on airliners after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. They were sent to keep order at Louis Armstrong International Airport, where thousands of evacuees converged after the levees were breached. The so-called "Visible Intermodal Protection and Response" teams _ or VIPER teams _ will patrol Amtrak's Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles rail lines; ferries in Washington state; bus stations in Houston; and mass transit systems in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore. The teams will consist of two air marshals, one TSA bomb-sniffing-canine team, one or two transportation security inspectors and a local law enforcement officer.

American Airlines pilot Denis Breslin, spokesman for the airline's pilots' union, said air marshals ought to stick to airplanes. "I don't think there's enough air marshals to cover commercial aviation as it is," Breslin said. "That's what transit police are for." Adams said there is no new intelligence indicating that terrorists are interested in targeting transportation modes. Rather, the TSA is trying to expand the role of air marshals, who have been eager to conduct surveillance activities beyond the aircraft, and tighten security at public transit stations over the holiday. Some members of the team will be obvious to the traveling public and wear jackets bearing the TSA name on the back. Others will be plainclothes air marshals scanning the crowds for suspicious individuals. "TSA expects to find new ways to quickly deploy resources, in the event of an actual threat, that adds complexity to security measures outside of the aviation domain," the agency said in a statement.

Thousands of air marshals were rushed into service after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The service has been shunted among different agencies since then, starting out at the Federal Aviation Administration, moving to the TSA, then to Immigration and Custom Enforcement and, recently, back to the TSA. Though the exact number of air marshals is classified, pilots estimate that they cover only a small percentage of flights.

Efforts were made to expand coverage by cross-training other law enforcement officers to perform air marshal duties, but Congress put a stop to it. Air marshals last week shot and killed a passenger in Miami who they said made a bomb threat. The Washington

Post first reported the deployment of the VIPER teams. ___P> On the Net: TSA: http://www.tsa.gov
Copyright © 2005, The Associated Press

A White House Christmas Video??

So it seems the folks at the "Whitehouse" are up to their cute little shenanigins again....


The video below says all....

http://mfile.akamai.com/5913/wmv/whitehouse.download.akamai.com/5913/2005/12/barneycam2005.v.asx

It is close to 10 minutes in length.......
They must really love their pets.....

Glad they have nothing better to do with their free time....

Happy Holidays.
I got to get going....have to make a "Very Scrappy Xmas Video"!!!

Winter snow-Drive to Midway Airport means getting hit by a Plane!!

I am sitting here at the local Barns and Noble Bookstore in Racine enjoying a nice cup of "Christmas Blend Coffee" and watching the snow come down.....a window seat in this store is hard to come by usually, but tonight it seems I have the whole store pretty much to myself except for a few other brave souls that are trouncing out in the little snow storm we are currently experiencing....there is about 4 inches on the ground and it is still coming down pretty heavily.

In a few minutes, I will have to go outside to brush off the flakes from my truck and warm that up.
But for now I am inside, enjoying the view, the coffee and the "Wifi Connection" that I have come to very much enjoy in this bookstore....esp. in the winter.

Intersting stories in the news....

A plane comes down at Midway Airport in Chicago and slides off the runway and hits a car on the street...next to the airport....
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/08/chicago.airplane/index.html

Ouch!!! And they were probably trying to drive carefully in the snow...."oops..honey...I think that vehicle is coming too close to us...it looks like a plane.....what the .......???" I can just imagine.
According to the news story above, someone from that car is in serious condition. All kidding aside, my prayers are with them.....

And then there is a man with Wisconsin connections who gets shot dead while "supossedly" saying he has a bomb while running down the aisleway of a jetliner........too weird.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/08/airplane.gunshot/index.html

I feel sorry for him and his wife and all the others that had to endure this tragedy unfold.

Well that is about it for tonight. I am going to go out to brush off some snow and then try to find a bite to eat somewhere before heading home and contemplating a day of work on friday after having had two wonderfull days off in a row.

Happy Friday to all.......

Another Cat's Big Adventure!!

It seems like cats have the darndest luck sometimes.

Take "Emily" who is pictured above.
She susposedly decided to take a trip to Europe-without her owners!!

The story below says it all.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/dec05/374766.asp

How cool for that cat to have such an adventure.
I hope Scrappy hasnt learned how to read articles on the internet or I may be in trouble!!

Happy Weekend...

Free Internet for the "Big Easy"...that is soo Very Cool!!

They say that with disaster comes the opportunity to rebuild things. And if this latest artice about New Orleans is any indication, it seems that the "Big Easy" is going about it in a good way.....

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WIRELESS_NEW_ORLEANS?SITE=WIMIL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

......and hopefully this will give ALL of the residents of this "once awesome city" a chance to bounce back from tragedy. I think this is about the "coolest" thing I have heard about in at least a few weeks.

Way to go New Orleans!!!

PS: Racine County is also in the process of trying to roll out "County Wide WIFI" but from the stories I have read on that, it will not be free to residents or companies. Too bad. This is just what the Giant Telecoms and Cable Companies need....if there were more services such as these, then maybe the average "Joe" wouldn't be "nickle and dimed" to death by unreasonalby high cable bills!! I dont even have all the extras I could have with Time Warner here in Racine and my bill is still over 100.00 a month! And that is after dropping to "Road Runner Light" and getting rid of HBO and Cinimax.....hmmmm.

Exopolitics??

Has anyone ever heard that word?

I have read a few articles about "exopolitics" in the last few years and some of the reading has been very interesting. Almost mindboggling to be honest. What if there is an advanced alien race that is currently in contact with our political leaders in the highest realms.

They say that it is hard to believe in something you can not see but I think something is really going on out there. Too much evidence and too many people speaking out on things that do not fit into the mainstreem per say. As is with the following article I just pulled off the web.....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20051124/bs_prweb/prweb314382_1

Another author who has alot of background information on some very interesting related subject matter is David Icke. He has a few books out and I have one of them. A very interesting person with quite a bit to say about alot of different things. And after reading parts of his many books and digging into his web site...I have lots of questions.........

http://www.davidicke.com/


I hope that our government can come clean and let us all know what the "truth really is" because as Chris Carter (the creator of the X-Files TV series) says "The truth is out there".

That is my rant and rave for today.
Happy Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Big Parade with High Winds...oops!

Well another holiday and this one that starts the big holiday season.

It seems that winter is hitting full force for us up here in Wisconsin today as it is 14 degrees outside right now and the wind is howling.

The "Macy's Parade" is on tv and the whole thing takes on a brand new meaning for me as all the boloons and floats are winding their way down "Times Square" as just a month ago, I was walking down that same street as the floats (and my hero Scooby-above-making his first appearence)are riding down right now.

......And just as I am watching the parade on numerous tv channels, I see a float has just hit one of the "lightposts" due to the wind and the light came crashing down on the people watching on broadway.....it seems some lady was hit by the lamp.....I guess the winds are pretty high out in NYC also....it seems the parade has hit a bit of a snag in recent years due to those "sometimes" high winds.......

I really love NYC and honestly hope to make another trip out there very soon. Maybe this winter yet. If I can scrape up a few $$, I may just use my "Holiday Hotel Gift Program" to enjoy some more of this magical city that never seems to sleep.

I have to work this day and will be feeding approx. 150 people their dinners at the hotel. Get ready for some turkey and ham and all the fixings. My chefs do a spectacular job in making our dinner one of the best in Racine.......

Happy Turkey Day!!!

A boring week...more travel on the horizon??

It has been a rather boring week and though there is not much going on in "John's Crazy World"...he has many ideas on things to do to spice up his life (again).

More traveling perhaps. My goal is to get most of the U.S under my belt by 2007 and then to try and finally make my much "WANTED" journey across the "pond" to Europe.....

So far in my life, I have traversed and or passed through the following states besides my own home state of Wisconsin: Ill, Minnestoa,South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, California, Nevada, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indianna, Ohio, Pennsilvanya, NY, Conneticut, Virginia and DC, and Florida.
So that is 23 states. Almost half....and only 27 more to go.


The company I work for has a very cool "Holiday Trade out program" available to all of it's associates.
The Marriott Hotel Corporation offers it's accociates the ability to stay free at the majority of it's U.S. hotels over the holidays. One can use the program as many times as they from now until the end of Janruary but can only stay at "one specific hotel" only two nights. So if one were to string a vacation together, like I have done many times now, one can "theoreticly" stay "FREE" at all of their destination hotels....kind of cool ha??

So I am thinking of planning a little road trip to the southern U.S. during the cold month of Jan. 2006 and maybe even get a chance to visit my extended family down in Florida.... if I go down slightly and across to the east I could probably get quite a few more states under my "belt" along the way.
And from the Tempurature picture above (of Florida), it is alot warmer down there than it is up here in Wisconsin right now.......

Another idea is another "Amtrak Trip" out to the NorthWest where I have some friends that live on the upper portion of the West Coast. I could take a train called the "Empire Builder" out to Washington State and then spend a few days with them on the coast.

I am just in the planning stages right now so...stay tuned.

The First Snowfall of the Year!! Deaths in my "Realm"....

My front steps with snow on them!!! (Photo taken at 2AM on Early thursday morning)

So today is Wed, November 16th and the weather is surly "winter-like".
The tempurature is currently just 30 blissfull degrees and the first snowflakes are falling throughout our midwest area of the U.S.

We are supossed to be getting some snow falling here in wisconsin, though I havnt seen any flakes coming down yet as of 1pm. Maybe the snow is missing us here in Racine. The weather forecast is calling for some of the white stuff in our area though and the tempurature is supossed to be dropping to a "chilly" low of 16 degress tonight along with a wind advisory.

To me it seems a bit early for this kind of weather but it is only a week or so till thanksgiving and I remember snow around this first holiday in years past. Don't think I will be making any snowmen today though.
They say more snow showers on friday and saturday also.

What else has been going on....
Not alot. Things have been kind of boring since my NYC Vacation.

One of my "childhood neighbors" passed away this last week.
His name was Mike Nash. The local paper wrote a very cool story about Mike and I am including a link to it below.....
http://www.wisinfo.com/dailytribune/wrdtlocal/288539924844523.shtml

I grew up on a block on the west side of Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin that was like "Mr. Rodger's Neighborhood".....everyone knew everyone and for the most part everyone was friendly with each other. Of course there were the arguments among the neigbors, with disputes about "mainly small things" here and there, but overall the biggest things I remember about my "neighborhood" was how everyone seemed to be there since FOREVER and all of my friends were right there...on my block or not more than one or two blocks away.
I grew up with Mike being my neighbor and his daughters Chris, Amy, and Sarah,being childhood playmates of mine. I remember Mike being such a strong man with such goodness in his heart. He tought alot of the neighborhood on 15th Avenue, that I called home in my youth, what it meant to be a good neighbor and honest,loving human being.
I am so sorry to hear about his passing.I am sure he will be missed by all.He left a lasting impression on me for sure.He probably didnt realise it, but he left a very lasting impression on me as a child.
When my mother passed away a few years ago, we couldnt afford a gravestone of quality for her.Mike Nash gave us, at a very affordable cost, one of the most awesome "monuments" to mark my mother's resting places that one could want.
Thank you Mike for touching so many people's lives.

Another death that also hit kind of close to home. Though I only met him once, his was a name that was mentioned many times while I was growing up.
Orville Josie passed away this last week also, and he was also from the Wisconsin Rapids area.
He was my mother's first husband and they had a child together before I was even born.
I think my mother loved this man very much as she talked about him quite often as I was growing up.

My brother's name was Terry. Terry was only 5 years old when he left this earth.
My mother and a few friends along with my big sister and Terry were out at a local lake picnicing.
Terry decided to take a walk along the lake shore. After a few minutes, my mom was looking for him and she kept calling his name but Terry didnt answer back.
It wasnt until hours later that it was realised that my "Big brother" had slipped into the lake and got pulled under water by a "wirlpool effect" and drowned. The authorities dragged the lake and from what I remember my mother telling me, my unlce Clyde was in the sherrif's boat, when they found him in the lake.

I drempt about this "unknown brother" may times throughout my childhood and often fantasised about what it would have been like to have an "older brother" to look up to.
I remember a few months before my mother passed away, she would say it was only a matter of time before she would be back with her "Terry". We would visit him often at the cemetarty in Stevens Point where his resting place is right next to my mother's parents.

Time to get ready to work.
I am still editing my photos from NYC and will have some posted in the next few weeks.
Stay tuned.

A Murder-A Multi Million Dollar Lawsuit....Funny Business?

I am going to make this short because I firmly believe that law enforecement in Calumet and Manitowoc County are as crooked as they come. And I hope people stick by Mr. Avery in his claim of innocence.
These investigators had 4 plus days to "plant" whatever evidence they wanted to plant, to implicate this poor guy.

Steven Avery is being set up for a murder that seems like it comes right out of a "Novel".
I believe he is innocent. I just shudder to think how far police will go to get away from having to pay for one wrong.......

http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/nov05/369538.asp

See story above......

Steven Avery-Manitowoc County Shenanigins

From the Milwaukee Journal Online just a few minutes ago....

_____________________________________________________________________________

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9, 2005, 1:21 p.m.
Avery: 'I'm going to jail'; reason unclear

Steven Avery, who has been a focus of an investigation into the disappearance of a 25-year-old woman, told the Journal Sentinel shortly before 1 p.m. today that he was being taken into custody.
"I'm going to jail. I can't talk to you no more," Avery said.

Calumet County Sheriff Gerald Pagel, who is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Teresa Halbach of Hilbert, said "I have no knowledge of that right now.

"Walt Kelly, a Milwaukee attorney who represents Avery, said he fears that investigators are arresting Avery in order to pressure him into making statements about Halbach.
"This is looking more and more like a persecution not an even-handed investigation."Kelly said he did not know whether Avery's arrest was directly related to the investigation. But he said he thinks Avery was arrested because of a weapon found in his car, which was seized Sunday by the investigators.

Halbach was reported missing Thursday and investigators have said that Avery was among the last people to see her. Halbach, a photographer, visited Avery's home Oct. 31 to take pictures of a vehicle he was selling.

Pagel had said Tuesday that law enforcement officers were no longer considering Halbach's disappearance as merely a missing person case. He had said he expected evidence within 48 hours that could lead to a suspect.

Avery is suing Manitowoc County for $36 million over his wrongful conviction in a 1985 sexual assault. While Pagel is leading the investigation of Halbach's disappearance, Manitowoc County sheriff's deputies are involved in the investigation.-By Tom Kertscher
________________________________________________________________________

I feel something very strange is goin on here folks.
First this guy spends years in prison because this county's sherrif dept. bungles a rape case and then Avery starts proceedings to sue this county for 36 million dollars.
How would one try to get rid of a lawsuit of this magnitude?? Pin some other crime on said person!!
That is all I have to say on this.

I beleive that Steven Avery is being set up by a very crooked police agency.......

MY NYC Vacation Journal

So with my "New York guide" as pictured above, my trip began.
Ok, so alot of this will probably be very boring but for me it was another exciting adventure and one that, for me, was one of the most pleasurable and satisfying trips that I have taken in the last couple years.

Following my travel journal (below), I will be trying to post some of the many photos I snapped while out East. I also took quite a bit of video and still have to figure out a way to put some of that on the web. In the mean time I am having the video footage transfered to DVD so it will be easier to put the footage on the web when I figure out how to do that.

Some of my friends will probably have read some of the things that I have written already but I know I have a few people who I didnt get a chance to email while I was out there and there are also some things I did which I didnt include in my emails.
On to my trip...................
___________________________________________________________________________
Day one-Friday the 28th of October

Robyn (my traveling buddy) and I started out from Racine around 2pm and due to that delay, we ended up running into Chicago rush hour traffic. By the time we got to the middle of Ohio, we realised that we should probably stop and rest for the evening (as we both had only slept for about 3 hours the night before) and start out in the early morning and try to get to Saratoga Springs by 3PM which would leave very little time for me to catch my train to NYC.
I had to call Amtrak and get a different train as my original one was supossed to leave Saratoga Springs at 1235PM that saturday. The folks at the Amtrak number were very cool and found me another train that was leaving a little later in the afternoon which gave us more time to get to our destination which was to be Robyn's new home.

The following is a blurb from an email I sent to a few friends once we got to Cleaveland late friday evening:
In Cleaveland right now. staying at a Marriott. Its 1154pm eastern time...running a little late becuase my driver out to NY State ran late...so we are staying overnight and starting out again in the morning....had to call Amtrak and ask them if they could get me on a later train as there is no way we will be out there by 1230pm saturday...so I am now taking the 330pm train out of Saratoga Springs and arriving in New York around 737pm.......but as the trains are now 3 hours later, it will be 3 hours more for me to get to Comn. and I will probably miss dinner with my friends in Shelton. Oh well.

___________________________________________________________________________
Day two-Saturday the 29th of October

Robyn and I got on the road about 630AM and though it was a bit cloudy, it was overall a nice traveling day. Lots of fall colors and we made pretty good time, allowing for potty breaks and coffee and a few stops for gas and breakfast. We made it through the rest of Ohio, were in Penn. for approx. 20 minutes on our way into New York state and I have to tell you that New York interstates were very pretty and scenic. The fall colors just added to the drive in such a positive way. And Robyn was so cool to drive with.

We got into Saratoga Springs with barely 10 minutes to get me to the train station. Wow, what a very cool little town. Outdoor cafes, shops, old buildings and tons of amazing mansions that are just too majestic to even describe. We pulled up at her friend's (Phillip) house and she jumped out, I gave her a hug, she said hi and by to Phillip and he rushed me to the Amtrak station. It was with 5 minutes to spare that I got to the ticket window and the agent said that the train had been delayed by about 30 minutes. Holy wow!! How lucky was that?? So I called Robyn to thank her while I was waiting for the train to arrive and then I decided to walk around the station and take a few pictures when who comes driving up the road but....Robyn and Phillip!! They had gotten my call and then found a box of cookies that my dad had baked for me which I left in her truck. They came to the train station to give me my cookies!! How sweet. They hung out with me on the platform for a few minutes and then another goodbye and then the train pulled up.

So I hopped on the "Adirondak" which got me to NYC around 730pm. After getting off the train at Penn station and then making my way over to the Subway to get over to Grand Central Station (which took me the better part of an hour with the help of a very nice young New Yorker who just happened to be going my way) I picked up my train ticket to Shelton on the "Metro North line" which was leaving at 935pm, I decided to take a walk outside and kill some time and as I walked out the door of the station, I was right on 42nd and Lexington Ave and NYC was staring me right in the face. I walked up the street, found a place to grab a quick bite and got back to the train station with a few minutes to spare. I really wasnt even hungry but I knew I had to eat something as there probably wouldnt be too much open by the time I got to Shelton.

As I got on the train heading up to Conn., I was putting my suitcase on my seat and heard a girl across the asileway say "Your smoking!" and I looked back and I was indeed SMOKING!!! My camera bag was SMOLDERING! It seems someone had threw a ciggerette butt into my bag (how I do not know!!) so there I am on the train, my bag is smoldering and filling the car with smoke and I am trying to put out the smoke by grabbing the butt inside my bag and pressing it in the palm of my hands!! Everyone is laughing and I made my first impression on my travel mates in a most unusual way!! I pulled out my camcorder and video taped my departutre on that train, making sure to catch my "savior" who alerted me to my earlier "smoking problem" on tape. The above really DID happen!!!

I got into a train station in Stamford around 1145pm where my friend Jasmine picked me up and whisked me off the hotel in Shelton where I spent the evening. Jason (her boyfriend) was MOD that evening and once we got to the hotel, he gave me the 10 cent tour and I then retired to a very nice suite they set up for me. Before going to bed, I took my video camera and did a video tour of the hotel so everyone back home could see where two of our past coworkers were now working. That Courtyard is a pretty spectacular property. Totally remodeled from top to bottom. Pretty impressive.

___________________________________________________________________________

Day three-Sunday, the 30th 0f October

I got up around 830AM and met Jasmine down in the restaurant around 10AM for breakfast. Jason was working so it was just us for breakfast though he did say hi and we talked for a few minutes. After breakfast, Jasmine took me on a little field trip of her part of Conn. First stop was to our corporate headquarters which are just around the corner from the hotel. We then drove over to their place so she could feed her cat and so I could see their place and then she asked me if I wanted to go to "Yale". Hmm....I thought, man I cant afford it! (That is a joke). So we drove about 20 minutes to New Haven and spent an hour or so walking around the "Yale University Campus". I took some pictures of some pretty cool old buildings and of the downtown area and also some video and then she took me down the shore of "Long Island Sound" in New Haven. We walked along the shore and picked up some shells and just enjoyed the wonderful sunny fall day in Conn.

After that, she took me up above New Haven to a state park that overlooks the city and the sound. What views!! The colors of the trees and the harbor in the distance and hills all around. It was pretty amazing. We spent a bit of time just wondering around and I took quite a few pictures and some video and then we drove back down and she got me to the train station in Stamford with just a minute to spare. and that was around 310pm. My train was actually pulling up to the platform of the station as I was getting out of her truck. I said goodbye and gave her a big hug and hopped on my train to get me back to NYC.
What a day.......




__________________________________________________________________________
Sunday evening, the 30th of Ocotber

Once I got back into NYC around 430pm, I walked around Grand Central for an hour or so and then I managed to grab a cab over to my hotel in Brooklyn. Grabbing a cab isnt as easy as they make it seem. I was on the wrong side of the street and a few drivers said I needed to be on the opposite side and then a few rude people decided that they would "butt" in front of me in the "que" to get a ride. That was an interesting concept in and by itself....

I got to the Marriott on the Brooklyn Bridge early evening and after checking in and realising I was put on "the 7th floor, which was the Concigere level-how cool", I decided to relax for a bit and went down to the bar at the hotel. I had a few beers and conversed with a very cool "Irish" bartender and ended up talking to another guy (Brian) who was staying there.

I was thinking about just staying in the hotel and just relaxing for the evening and having dinner there but as I was talking and looking at the menus, The bartender mentioned some street just around the corner from the hotel where there were alot of restaurants and little shops and stores and an area called the "Promanade" which overlooks the East River and the lights of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.

So after an hour or so, I left the hotel and decided to spend the evening walking around that area of Brooklyn.
I stumbled upon a cute little street called "Cort St" and it was just a perfect evening. There was cute little restaurants, deli's, bookstores, benches on the streets, townhouses with big "stoop" type porches...a wonderful neighborhood. They even had a Barns and Noble bookstore!! (I took some video) and then I came upon a very cool looking restaurant and I walked in to check it out. It turned out to be a Japeneese restaurant. I had never ate Japaneese food so I decided to try it. Suffice to say I didnt like it, but it was an experience all the same. (Note to self...no Sushi ever again!!).

After I left there, I was walking down the street and I stopped at a Starbucks to get a coffee and as I came out of the store, I was doing some video taping and who comes into my feild of vision?? The guy (Brian) who I had met a few hours earlier at the hotel!!
We ended up walking down to the "Promendade of Brooklyn Heights" together and I got some very cook views of the nighttime skyline (also some video of that) and then we decided to look for a bar to grab a beer or something together.

We stumbled upon an Irish Pub and had a few beers, ended up getting "befriended" by a local drunk, who decided we were his buddies and he bought us a few beers and pestered us the rest of the night, I had a very good and big pub burger and on the way out of the bar aftetr 2am in the morning, we were trying to pay our bar tab which was pretty enourmous and the bartender said it was all taken care of my our resident drunk friend...it was only then that we realised that "Terry" was one of the owners of the place!! How funny. "Eimens Irish Pub" and Terry the owner made my first night back in the city a very awesome evening indeed.

It was well past 2AM by the time we got back to the hotel and I said goodnight to my new friend and fell asleep in the most comfy bed imaginable after having read a little bit of some guide books and making some "plans" on what to do in the morning....
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Day four-Monday, the 31st of October-Halloween

I woke up a little later than I had anticipated, and made my way to the Concierge lounge" and got some coffee and a little breakfast. It was looking to be a wonderful day. The sun was out and it was in the low 60's already. So it was probably just after 10AM when I walked out of the hotel and started my day by walking to Manhattan from Brooklyn, via the Brooklyn bridge! What a way to come into the city. I reccomend it to anyone and everyone as a must do!!

As I walked across the bridge, my senses started to become overwelmed by the sheer enormity of what I have only seen in movies and tv up to this point in my life. The views of the skyscrapers, the bridge itself, the other bridge to the right of me, the people walking, biking and running across, the blue sky with just a few whispy clouds, helicopters and planes flying over head and in the distance, the Statue of Liberty, and the sun hitting the Manhattan skykine...it was just like the "guide book" said and more. I managed to get a few photos and some video of that experience. A nice german couple took a picture of me on the bridge with a view of the Manhattan skykine as the background and then I continued my walk across and into Manhattan. There are many benches along the way on the bridge where you can sit and rest and I did that a few times. It took me just over 30 minutes to get across, but as I had mentioned in my video, I probably could have spent the entire day staring at all there was to see from the bridge. To the left was that Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island and then to the right was the center of Manhattan, which was still shrouded in bit of what I can only describe as "smog" and if one looked really hard into the distance, you could make out the Empire State building.
The closer I got to Manhattan, the bigger everything got and it was just so cool.

I came off the bridge and right onto what I think was the "Financial center" area of Manhattan and it was just beginning to be the start of the lunch hour (11AM or so) and though there were not as many people as I thought there would be at that hour of the day, they soon started emptying out of the buildings and onto the streets. One of the first buildings I saw was a very cool looking colonial type structure. It was white with big steps and looked pretty majestic....I wondered what it was. It was gated with a big driveway and a booth with police at the entrance. I asked a passerby and he said it was "City Hall". There were TV crews massing inside the grounds so I stood and watched for a few minutes from the street. A few seconds later, the mayor of NYC walked out of the building and started talking to some people on the steps. Unfort. I didnt get a very good view of him but it was cool all the same to just catch a glimpse of one of the richest billionare mayors of the world (Michael Bloomberg I think is his name).

I was then walking up the street, trying to find my bearings and I was trying to figure out how to get to the South Shore Sea Port to pick up my "City pass" to view all of the attractions, when I came upon one of those "double decker open air red tour buses". I stopped to ask what it was all about and she explained that for 75.00, I could "take a tour of the entire island, hop on and off at will, and get some passes to most of the attractions I wanted to see" so I decided to hop on the red bus.....and away I went.
I sat at the back of the bus on top, the wind and sun on my face and though there was so much to see everywhere I looked, I feel it was a very neat way to get a "taste" of this humongous city. I took alot of pictures, got quite a bit of video, learned alot about the city and various landmarks from listening to the tour guide and had some of the nicest views of some of the coolest parts of Manhattan. We went past Wall Street and Battery Park and then the Sea Port and the docks, came up into the lower east side via China town and Little Italy and then came upon the "United Nations Buildings" and up through central Manhattan and the shopping districts and Times Square. It was totally "numbing" to be seeing all the things I have seen in different movies and tv shows throughout my entire life. We passed Rockefeller Center where I saw the "ice skating rink and the golden sculpture, the NBC building, Radio City Music Hall, Tiffany's and oh so much more. Once we got up past Central park and back down to Times Square, I departed the bus and walked around the Square for a bit.

I did a little Suvenier shopping and walked around and then decided to hop the uptown tour bus. We passed alot of other cool landmarks, went past the "Dakota" where John Lennon lived and where he was shot, and at one point even passed the "headquarters of Sesamie Street!!" We rounded the corner onto Central Park and stopped in front of the "Museum of Natural History" and that is where I disembarked. I figured I was in the perfect area to do some foot exploring of the museums and Central Park.

It was getting late already, middle afternoon, and though it was a very nice day, I realised it would only be a few hours before darkness set in, so I decided to check out Central Park. (The museums were pretty much closed on mondays anyways. The tour guide said the History museum was open but none of the special exhibits).
So I walked into the park and spent the rest of the afternoon in this "oasis" in the middle of the city. It is amazing how quiet it was in the park. I mean hear I am in the middle of this gigantic city and all the cars and noise, and I am only a few feet in to the park and I cant hear any of the city noise. It was almost "sureal". I was lucky that I came upon one of the coolest areas of the park almost immedietly.....an area called "Belvidere Castle". There was an overlook there that looked out upon a good portion of the park and in the foreground was what was called the "Great Lawn" where people layed out and played sports and stuff. The highrise apartment buildings and trees in the foreground after that and the sunny day, the trees starting to change color...it was all just as I had imagined and more. A nice couple took a picture of me of the setting I had just described. I then decided to walk down to the "Great Lawn" area and ended up stumbling upon another landmark that I had wanted to see. An ancient Egyptian Obleisk that was brought over to NYC from Alaxnadria in the late 1800s. It is called "Cleopatra's Needle" and it is said to be from the time of Moses ect....now that is old. Jut looking at that relic was making me get goose bumps. There was egyptian writing on the stone obleisk and plaques with descriptions of what the writing meant. There are three or four other obleisks that are similar and if my memory serves me correct, one is in London, one is in Paris and I think there is another one in Cario Egypt.

After spending some time looking at this monument and taking some video and some pictures, I continued my walk through the park. I came upon the "Great Resevoir" which is a gigantic body of water in the middle of the park, surrounded by an elevated running track and all sorts of neat highrise apartment buildings on the outer fringes. There were alot of people running around the "lake", some I am sure getting ready for the NYC Marathon which was coming up that weekend. The sun was just starting to set and the way the sunrays played upon the water and the buildings in the background was so cool. So one one side of my vision there is sunset and darkeness setting in and then when I would turn right, there was alot more light...it was like being in two different worlds at the same time. I dont know how else to describe it. I then walked around a little bit more, walked under some pretty cool bridges (some looking familiar from movies), walking through some fall leaves, sitting on the various benches lining the walk ways and just watching all the different types of people walking through the park (young, old, athletic, crippled, rich, poor, cute, ugly), and lots and lots of dogs! They shoud call it "Doggy Central Park"! Amazingly I didnt step in any "doggy doo doo"!!
So, it was getting dark and I was quite a ways from where I had entered the park. I ended up trying to make my way back to the entrance where I had come in and of course I got lost. Eventually I ended up somewhere in the general area of where I entered but I was still a bit unsure. A kind lady saw that I seemed a bit confused and she asked where I was trying to go. I told her I just wanted to find a subway that would get me to "Greenwich Village" to the Halloween Parade.
She took me straight out of the park and to the subway entrance off of 72nd street, told me which lines to get on to get to the "Village" and a minute before the parade was to begin (7PM), I was right there at the start of the parade route!!

The parade was like Mardi Gras. Very exciting and the air was full of fun. Ghools and goblins and lots of cool people walking down the street. My video camera started dying (battery) so though I managed getting a few minutes of footage, alot of what I saw got missed being recorded. It was one of the highlights of my day though. Around 9PM, I decided to head back to my hotel, freshen up and just relax a bit. I caught a subway pretty much right away, and got back to Brooklyn and then around midnight I decided to head back into the city to check out Times Square and that area.

I was hungry and realised I had not eaten almost all day so I stopped at a street vendor and got a hotdog, a hamburger patty and a pretzle. I sat on one of those cemet blocks on the sidewalk and street edge and it was probably the best meal I had. Taking in the night and seeing the people walk by (I was sitting out in front of Grand Central Terminal) on 42nd street was NYC in it's prime. I then walked down 42nd and passed some pretty cool things on my way. The NYC library and I think Bryant Park on my left, and then eventually I came upon Broadway and there I was right in the middle of "Times Square"!! I spent the rest of the evening walking around, having a few beers, people watching, walking through the theatre district and up and down all the city blocks. At one point I made it all the way down to 31st street and all the way up to 52nd I think.
It was close to 5AM by the time I realised I needed some sleep if I was to do anything on Tuesday morning, so I caught a late subway back to the hotel and hit the sack around 545AM.
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Day five-Tuesday the 1st of November

I got up kind of late, went over the lounge and had some coffee and then checked my bags at the Bell Station and then took off for the subway and headed into Manhattan around 11AM.
I got down to Wall Street area and headed towards Battery Park which was very cool. It was just about lunch and there were lots of people in the park. I came upon the "Sphere" that had been in one of courtyards of the World Trade Center Buildings (and had been damaged but survived all the destruction) and is now in the park as a memorial along with an "eternal flame" and some plaques. It was very moving. I took alot of photos and also some video.

I then headed towards the harbor to get to the "circle line cruise of the Statue of Liberty" which I had a ticket for.
Along the way, there were two people dressed up pretty cool like the Statue of Liberty and one motioned me over to her. She took my hand and lifted me up on a pedestal in front of her and I didnt know what the heck she was up to. The next thing you know I have a crown on my head, a flag over my chest and am holding a torch in my hand!! (Too funny)
And another lady grabbed my camera and snapped a picture of that goofy scene! She then asked for $2.00! I had no cash on me so I promised her I would come back after having visited some vendors along the parkway.

I was running late and knew that the entry gates for the cruise was straight ahead so I got there and walked into a white tent and got into line. There were Port Athourity Officers making people take things out of their pockets and put their bags in bins to be x-rayed.
I took the stuff out of my pockets and put my cameras in the bins and then they asked me to also take off my belt so I started to do that and then they said to also take off my baseball cap....I said "What the heck?? I am not going to take off my cap for you or anyone!!" ..they wanted to know why and I told them that "I am sorry but my baseball cap is on and unless the wind blows it off, it will stay on my head!!" (I hadnt done my hair that morning and it was a mess and that was the main reason I was wearing it. Plus when I put my hat on, I dont just flop it on....I arrange the rest of my hair to kind of "whisp" out of my hat a certian way) so after a few minutes of bantering back and fourth with these morons...I told them they could take their cruise and "shove it up their asses" and I moved myself out of line and on my way out the tent, I saw another officer and informed him that they had alot to learn about how to treat people and what to ask people to take off...I mentioned that next thing you know they are going to want people to strip naked before going on their boat.....and I left the tent.
I was so pissed. I went over to the ticket booth and told the agent there how I felt about their "search methods" and left the park. I did take out my video camera though before leaving the park and took some video of the Statue from the Harbor and tried using my "zoom" to get a close up. That was my "Statue of Liberty Experience". Oh well.
I then left the park and walked down towards the "911 site". It was getting close to 1pm and as I walked down the street I passed the "Stock Exchange" and came upon the "Golden Bull" in the middle of the street and took some photos and some video of that. I also passed "Old Trinity Church" and got some neat photos and video of that.

I got down to the "911 site" and there were tons of people and police milling about. Alot more than I thought there would be. When you come upon the site from the way I did, the fencing is covered by "blue plastic tarping" and you cant see anything. So I got up on one of those "parking barricades" in front of the fencing to get a better view. Funny thing is as soon as I did this, a few others did the same. I managed to look inside the site and...holy shit....there was The Prince of England (Charles) and his wife Camilla getting out of a limo, along with what looked like a bunch of security and other guys in suites. I got a bit of footage before a police officer came by and told me I had to get down. Damm. Oh well. So I moved over to the front of the site where the fencing was unobstructed but there were people about 5 deep trying to see the royalty that was visiting as well as looking at the site. I felt I needed to get some video of that...how often does one get a few mere feet from honest to goodness royalty?? My arm and hand were shaking but I think (I havnt looked at the footage yet) I got some pretty good footage of them as well as the site. (They were there unveiling a plaque commemorating the 67 britons that died in the collapses of the buildings). After the commotion calmed down, I managed to get in for a closer look at the site. Wow. How utterly devestating to this day. I overheard some people saying they should leave it like that. I tend to agree. It is probably one of the most profound moments of my life, seeing the site along with some of the steel debris still in the hole in the ground, as well as what is left of the Subway line in the distance. I probably took close to 6o photos if not more and quite a bit of video. There is 4 boards on the fencing with all the names of the people who perished in the collapses and alot of other info on the fencing. There is a highrise to the left of the site that looks like it was burned or something and has netting all over it. It was numbing to say the least.
I looked at my watch and realised it was getting late and that I had to get back to the hotel to get my bags and get over to Penn Station to catch my train home, so I left the site, walked back up towards Battery Park and got a subway headed back to Brooklyn.

As I was on the subway platform waiting for the train, I decided to do some video taping to show my friends back home what the subway system looked like. As I was recording, a police officer came over and asked what I was doing. I explained I was recording the subway sysytem as part of my vacation and to show my friends. He said I couldnt do that and asked if he could look at my video.
I showed him what I was recording. He then told me that I had to EREASE THE PORTIONS OF MY TAPE THAT SHOWED THE TUNNELLS AND STUFF!!. I was like "What...your not serious??" and he said that because of 911 no one can film the tunnels and stuff in the subway system. He also asked to see my i.d. and asked what I was doing in NYC! I was like...."I am on my vacation dude, and if you dont let me get on this next train, I am going to miss my train home and I will have to be living in "your subway tunnels!!"...so he let me go.

I got back to the hotel at 230pm, got my luggage and the bellman got me a cab. The cab driver took the "scenic route" and as all I had on me was a $20.00 bill, I told him that if he didnt get to the station soon, there would be no tip for him. (The cab ride from the station to the hotel only was 14.00 and by now this ride was already approaching 20.00). He stopped the fare at 19.00 and pulled up to the station a few minutes later. I told him I was sorry but all I had was 20.00. He said ok, no big deal.
I honestly think he was "taking me for more money...knowing that I wasnt a city person and probably wouldnt realise that he was taking the "long way" to the station. But for as many tunnels and streets we went down, I figured that is what he was doing.
I got to the station and had about 40 minutes before the Amtrak left so I wondered around the station.

The train left on time, I had a comfy seat in coach, and other than being delayed in Albany for two hours, the trip back home was uneventful. I had a few cool people sitting around me to talk to, watched a few movies, napped a bit, took some pictures of the fall foliage and some video ........
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Day six-Wed. the 2nd of November

........and on wed. morning (probably somewhere in Ohio) had breakfast in the dining car with an older couple who were on their way home to California after having taken the "Queen Mary" to England and back.

I got into Chicago about noon. A few hours late. By then I was so ready to get back to Racine. I was exhausted. So I went to get a METRA ticket to get back to Kenosha. They wouldnt take CREDIT CARDS!! and I didnt have any cash. It was only 6.00 but they wouldnt budge or anything. Oh great....now I am stuck in Chicago! Some guy walking by overheard my "plight" and gave me the money to get my ticket. Wow...a good samaritan in this day and age. I was so thankful.
The next METRA was set to leave at 1235pm so I ran up to the platform and got on that train and by 230p I was back home.
I had to wait a few hours for Bill to pick me up and got back to the hotel around 430pm and finally got home around 530pm.
And that is pretty much the just of it.
I didnt get to see a broadway show
I didnt get to the top of the Empire State building
I didnt get to experience any of the museums
But I did manage to have the time of my life.
And now I know a little more of what I want to do the next time I visit this "city that never sleeps".
Maybe another trip in the later winter or spring. Who knows for sure, but one thing for sure is that I WILL be back.
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