Last Weekend, Upstate NY and a day at the Cape!

Kate and I had a long weekend as we both took Friday and Monday off. Friday our summer adventure began by heading towards Schenectady, NY to visit with Kate's Mom, Donna and her Aunt Nancy. On the way we stopped for lunch in Worcester at Moe's Southwest Grill for a Burrito. Afterward we made an off-the-turnpike jaunt to Chesterfield Gorge. This location was nice, but honestly was a little over rated. It took us a while to get there and it isn't comparable to many similar sites in NH and Maine. The park was very small, and was more like a roadside attraction/ rest area then a full sized state park. Fees for visiting were collected on the honor system. A picnic area consisted of two tables and a lawn. Sites were the gorge, which was pretty but small and difficult to access, and the abutment of a pre-revolutionary war era bridge, which was over grown and difficult to find. I'm not sure I would have noticed it at all had it not been pointed out in a poorly constructed brochure that was available at the parking lot. There was a nice spot for the locales to swim downstream from the Gorge. One man was down in the churning water fly fishing. Our time spent at the Gorge was brief, however the country side was pretty, even if the ride was longer than I anticipated.

We were expected in Schenectady at 6:00, but due to some poor time budgeting by yours truly, we ended up being 15 minutes late.

Kate's Aunt & Mom had cooked us a nice bow-tie pasta dinner with bread and some salad. We even had some ice cream for desert. We talked around the dinner table for a couple of hours, before we wound down and prepared for bed.

Saturday, Kate and I were headed north to Glens Falls to meet up with Kate's high school friend Chris, and her husband Mark. We were scheduled to meet at the Olive Garden at 4:00 PM, and had some time to kill before hand. Kate found Monroe Lake outside of Albany. We intended to swim or kayak there, however when we arrived around 12:30 PM, the park was filled up, and we were turned away by a hot-headed police detail who could have been easily replaced by something, such as, A SIGN!!

We felt a bit defeated and tried to pull over on the gravel embankment to figure out where we wanted to go. The officer felt it necessary to ignore the confused traffic piling up at the gate (the task he was assigned to) so he could yell at the couple of us who were out of the way, trying to get our bearings. When I saw the officer yell at the guy in front of me, I decided I was next and sarcastically thanked the officer as I drove away. Kate and I pulled over on another street in the bicycle lane. We talked about some options, visiting a museum (one of President Grant's private homes) which unfortunately was on prison grounds. Other options were heading up to Lake George, or just going to Glens Falls and walking around. We agreed that we really didn't have the time to go to Lake George because of potential for heavy traffic, and we didn't want to go near the prison for obvious reasons.

Upon arriving in Glens Falls we stumbled upon Haviland's Cove by accident. We decided to walk along a trail by the Hudson, which eventually led to a nice beach with facilities (Haviland's Cove). The trail followed the river and went between the Hudson and a canal. Some teenagers were swimming in a fast moving portion of the canal near the dam. We stumbled upon the beach after walking a 1/2 mile or so from where we parked the car. After exploring the beach and confirming that there was parking there, we quickly turned around, got the car, and drove to the beach. The water was fantastic, and there was even a deep section with an anchored raft that we could dive off of. Kate ran into an old friend and spent quite a while talking to her, while I swam around aimlessly. It was nice because the designated swimming area wasn't too crowded. Before leaving, Kate and I made several trips to the floating raft to dive off.

After showering up and drying off we had dinner and spent a couple of hours with Kate's friends. They are very nice people. Both of them are volunteer fire fighters which is how they met, and they are heavily involved in various types of community service. Their demanding hobbies provided us with many interesting stories to hear over some pasta and drinks. We spent an hour or more after dinner together while Chris purchased some arts and crafts supplies at a nearby fabric store. After we went on our separate ways, Kate and I walked around Glens Falls for a bit, taking in the picturesque mill town in the foot hills of the Adirondacks. Glens Falls was essentially Kate's home city growing up, the busiest area close to her home town of Lake Luzerne. Kate lived there herself for a while after high school. The walk that she and I embarked upon was one that Kate used to frequently take when living there.

Sunday morning we had a nice brunch near Schenectady with Kate's Mom and Aunt. Afterward we began our journey back to Boston. On the way home, we stopped in Stockbridge for a while. We initially were going to go hiking, but after a little difficulty finding the trail we intended to take, we instead walked around Stockbridge center. It is a picturesque town in the middle of the Berkshires. The Main street is lined with galleries, old colonial and Victorian homes, a couple old inns, some bed & breakfast establishments, and many dining options. With the plentiful amount of activities in the area, it would be a great weekend get away for the future. We decided to check out the Norman Rockwell museum just outside of the town center. It was a great experience that gave me a new appreciation for this artist who I had admittedly dismissed simplistically as an illustrator, when he was so much more. His ability to capture the emotions of the people he painted is unmatched. His art showed an amazing understanding of humanity. He found beauty in his subjects causing his audience to look inward at themselves in relation to the depictions on the canvas.

On Monday Kate and I at long last had a beach day on the Cape, and we couldn't have asked for a better one. We went to Craigville Beach near Hyannis. The water temperature was spectacular, and the swells were gentle and inviting. We probably spent over an hour swimming before breaking for a while to catch some rays, and then getting lunch. Afterward we drove to Hyannis and walked around the town. We had some ice cream at Katie's home made Ice cream. Kate had "Cape Cod Mud" which I believe was a coffee based ice cream with various chocolate goodies within it. I quenched my craving with a chocolate shake. After checking out a couple nearby beaches, we decided to head back to Craigville beach and did some more swimming to close out our day.

As I drove home and the sun set behind the Cape's twisted pine trees, I felt truly relaxed. Kate and I had a pizza from "Pino's" in Brighton which we ate at her apartment, and then sadly, another great summer weekend was complete, and will have to live on in our memories.

P.M. in front of the Monstah!!

As some of you know, I fulfilled one of my dreams of seeing Paul McCartney this past week. I invited my Aunt Gigi to go with me, who I've been lending music to through the years. I was very close to her as a child and I really looked forward to giving her the opportunity to see Paul, and spending some time together, which we don't get to do very often anymore.
(Picture shows the approximate view from our seat behind Pesky's pole- as you see we arrived early, however the weather was spectacular, so it was all good! This was taken with my cell phone which was all I brought, I was totally kicking myself when it was apparent they were letting people take pictures with real cameras!)
McCartney performed Fenway park to a energetic crown that spanned all generations. The opening act was fairly well received, despite being a new generation of artists represented in NYC band "M.G.M.T.". They have a sound that at times seems to reflect both Mick Jagger and Prince. A crowd of enthusiastic women danced in front of the stage during the act, and I didn't hear any baby-boomers hissing, which was a good thing.

McCartney played a nice mix of tunes that contained selections from almost all of his career.




I found this clip of live & let die which apparently was taken at the show I was at, which actually doesn't quite capture the craziness of the pyrotechnics during this song. The initial flame throwers near the start of the song were pretty much blinding. Tsk tsk.. not very green Paul. Who am I kidding, I was totally into the spectacle... this from someone who generally prefers intimate clubs and smaller venues.

A link to the song list, which I question its accuracy. Paul McCartney Fenway Park - night 2, full soundcheck, show report (set list) - photo slideshow #1

I'm really convinced that McCartney played Hi hi hi at this show... second tune, which I wasn't familiar with.. (Hi hi hi or not, I'm certain a song is missing from the link) but upon trying to figure out what tune it was, I'm fairly certain that was it. However, maybe I'm high, because I can't seem to find it on any of the lists I've found. Then again, the other list I did not link to had "Michelle" amongst it, and I know that was not played... because I was anticipating a potential dedication to Mrs. Obama, which I thankfully, did not have to endure.

The show was great, and I could detail every bit of it, but alas, no one probably wants to hear that. Favorite moments? Well McCartney is a funny and engaging guy, so his general stage demeanor is far above pretty much any other performer I've seen, who usually limit their talking to thanking the band, or commenting on something rather mundane like the weather. I did like "here today" a tribute to John, which is admittedly, sappy. A sped up version of Paperback writer really cooked. A jam at the end of "Let me roll it" leading into Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" was good stuff. McCartney performed "Calico Skies" which is another tune I was unfamiliar with, however I think it stands with some of his best work. Its simplicity is its strength, as is often true with McCartney's songs.




I had taken Thursday and Friday off so I had a great long weekend. I took a couple of swims at the Melrose pool. Saturday night I saw Julie & Julia, which was a light hearted drama. Meryl Steep did a nice job portraying Julia Child. Kate and I went kayaking today, so a very full weekend. I am very, very tired, so, alas, I must retire and get my beauty sleep for Monday.

End of DC/Maryland Trip

On this last full day of our vacation we were car free. Due to some increased weekday rates we had to drop off the car in the morning. The people at enterprise were kind enough to drive us to the train station. The Marc train from the Baltimore airport was great, I'd advise people to stay there when visiting D.C. however the locale train only runs on weekdays which is unfortunate it seems that there could be support for at least a reduced schedule on the weekend. It was a quick, and very affordable ride.

First on the agenda, we decided to go to the U.S. Botanical garden since we had time to kill before a scheduled Capitol tour. I appreciated the garden much more than when I had seen it as a kid. I can imagine if I were locale I'd be a frequent visitor, especially in the winter months.
The Capitol tour had changed drastically since I was a child. Previously you had to get a tour pass from your senator or representative, as you still do for the white house. Now there is a new imposing visitors center which is built under the ground adjacent to the Capitol. We got passes ahead of time from the internet, but I'm not sure it really put us at much of an advantage. When I saw the capitol as a child, I got to see a detailed guided tour in a small group of about 20 people. Approximately two groups at a time were being led through the building. Our guide was intimately knowledged of the building and we had ample time to ask questions. Additionally we saw all of the chambers as well as the rotunda. For the tour Kate and I went on, about 1/2 of the time we spent in a large IMAX style theater where a watered down congressional history was told to us, while flashing various social reforms and expansions levied by our legislative body. Next a tour guide brought us through three rooms over the course of about 20 minutes. Our guide quickly rattled through a rehearsed speech. Having seen this tour before I was unfortunately aware that she was butchering it, leaving out portions, and giving little detail. For example she described the statues in the rotunda as simply "Statue of Presidents", giving no reason for why the selected presidents had been chosen, when this practice began, or where any of them came from.I wanted to get my picture with the new Reagan statue, however we were being sort of rushed through. We probably could have snuck over to it, but it didn't seem worth the risk. This statue is new this year, and is significant because only presidents deemed as having substantial historical impact are allowed a statue here. Our guide seemed reluctant to talk about it.

The National Statuary Hall has statues representing an important individual from each state in the country. It is a beautiful room and has a unique feature where someone at a distant portion of the room can clearly be heard talking at the other side of the room, even when whispering. This effect was a little lost in the steady drone of a couple hundred tourists who where in the room at one time.

After the brief tour of 3 rooms was concluded, I irritably asked the guide "That's it?" I was just blown away how casually they rushed us through. I joked with Kate that we might as well have been put on a train and taken by some singing puppets in place of a guide. Our irritating tour guide told us that we all did a good job, as though we were dogs or something. On top of her incompetence she was incredibly fake, fake smile, fake voice, with an irritating upward accent on everything she said. I had mixed feelings because on one hand I wanted to see the Halls, the Chambers, and the old Supreme court chamber, but then on the other hand I was glad to be rid of the guide. Apparently we had to go through this ridiculous process again to see these other attractions, as the tours have been split up. I think Kate appreciated it because she had not been there, so hopefully my irritation did not tarnish it too much for her.

Next we headed to the Library of Congress. This was site an attraction I had not seen as a child. It was quite good, however it is more of a history/art museum than an active library. There is an active library but it is not open to tourists, however there were windows where we were allowed to peer down on the expansive reading room. Kate and I looked down inside and speculated about who the young men and women were who populated it. The building is spectacular and is worth a quick walk through. I took a picture of this mosaic which has a topic close to my heart.

We checked out an exhibit of a Gutenberg Bible, as well as an extensive exhibit on Bob Hope that celebrated his life and career.

We were kind of tired from the busy morning, and I think both of our blood sugar levels were running low. We talked it over and decided to head over to Union Station's food court to get lunch. We found a Mamma Ilardos pizza stand which became our token pizza for the vacation. (We always sample a pizza place) It appears that it is a chain, however it seemed really popular in D.C., and personally I have not seen any of this franchise any where else, although their site claims NYC, Nevada and California have locations. I am comforted that their home address listed on the web site is out of Maryland. Kate went with the think crust, and I with the deep dish. All of that cheesy goodness and a nice soda really hit the spot.

Oooohhh an all Obama store. I'll have to see if they ship things!! Guess what everyone is getting for Christmas!

Next we took the time to head out to Washington Cathedral, which was a very cool attraction. While it isn't a real Gothic cathedral like the ones I saw in Germany per se, It was fascinating in its own right. It is uniquely American, and its decor often tells the story of not only Christ, but of American history, be it our Nation's birth, space exploration, or even pop culture. Reportedly there is a Darth Vader gargoyle some where on the church. The stained glass windows are perhaps the most stunning I've ever seen, with a type engraving and glass staining that causes them to change in appearance with the time of the day. Our tour guide was excellent, making up for the lousy guide at the Capitol building.

After visiting the Cathedral we took a pleasant walk to Georgetown, an affluent, trendy area of D.C. Below is a picture of one of its many picturesque streets. They are lined with high end clothing stores, restaurants, pubs, galleries, and the occasional antique shop.

Ben's Chili Bowl is a Washington D.C. institution that we went to for supper. And oh what a heavenly supper it was....

Your arteries are going to clog from just looking at these pictures!!

We decided to take a later train back to the hotel and walked around the monuments after eating.Here I am in front of the expansive FDR monument.

The WWII monument, one of the newest, and arguably the most elegant of the monuments.

Sunset over the Potomac.

We took our relaxing train ride back to the BWI station, and the hotel sent a shuttle bus over to pick us up. The next day before leaving the hotel we swam in the pool for a little while to take advantage of the last of our vacation and a beautiful day with crystal blue skies.

Till our next Vacation!