New York State of Mind

Last year during my “Year of Travel” my friends and I spent three nights in New York City on our way to Egypt and then one night there on our way back home to Reno.  Due to the limited time we had we decided we wanted to see as much as we could in the short amount of time we had.  It felt like I was a contestant on the Amazing Race TV show.  We raced everywhere and we saw as much as we could.  My friends walk incredibly fast so we were able to see the highlights of New York City in just a few days, and I may have burned a few calories racing around the city that never sleeps. 

These are a few of my favorite moments and observations from NYC.

Embassy Suite Hotel, New York City – This is one of the hotels we stayed at.  It was a lovely hotel.  We heard while we stayed there that they were going to remodel and open under another name.  I believe they will reopen in 2012 as Conrad New York.  I highly recommend this hotel because it had nice accommodations and the location was fantastic!  We were in the center of the Financial District and especially close to World Trade Center.

Central Park – We went to see Central Park one morning.  The boys went for a run and the girls just walked around and took pictures.  We were there towards the end of November.  The weather was perfect, around 60 degrees.  The leaves were still changing which made the park rather enchanting.  After exploring Central Park we tried to find the coffee house on Friends.  After a lot of walking and a quick google search on our iPhones we found out that Central Perk Café was a fictional café that was located in Greenwich Village on the show Friends.  We were so disappointed because we are big fans of that show and we were so excited to have coffee at Central Perk Café like our favorite characters on Friends.

Ron, Jason & Andy

Me & Shayna

Broadway – Amazing!  I had no idea what Broadway was about.  I thought it was a big theater that showed Broadway plays and musicals.  I had no idea that it consisted of several theaters with simultaneous shows.  Ron and Jason went to see Rain (the Beatles Tribute) while the rest of us went to see Wicked.  Wicked is a musical told from the witches of Oz perspective.  It was fantastic!  I can’t wait to see it again someday.

Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty – We took a morning tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.  It was humbling to see the landmark that stood as the gateway to America for so many people.  First we walked around the Statue of Liberty and walked up the stairs to the Observation Level.  The views were breathtaking.  After walking around and taking pictures we boarded the ferry for Ellis Island.  We were able to see the Main Building which is the Immigrations Museum and a little of the hospital.  I found it fascinating and humbling to hear stories of people immigrating to America.  It reminded me that the human spirit is strong and that we are a nation of immigrants.  They told us on the tour that over 100 million Americans can claim ancestors who came through Ellis Island. 

Rob, Shayna, Me & Bridget

Bridget & Me

Times Square & Comedy Show – Sunday night we went to Times Square and saw the All Star Comedy Show at the Times Square Arts Center.  There were 3 or 4 comedians.  They were all very funny, but my favorite told the jokes about how guys needed time to wake up and get going in the morning.  He advised us to always give our dads, brothers, husbands, boyfriends and friends time to wake up in the morning or at least 15 minutes to get used to being awake.  I took note and tried to let my vacation roommate be the one to say hi first every morning.  Sometimes it took half a day. J

Chris, Shayna, Bridget and Me in Times Square

Brooklyn Bridge – We walked over the Brooklyn Bridge in the middle of the night.  Bucket List – Check!

Empire State Building – We went into the Empire State Building but we didn’t go to the Observation Deck.  It cost $20 to go to the Observation Deck and I just think that is a rip-off for an elevator ride, so we passed.  We did go have drinks at a nice bar that had a lovely patio that overlooked the Empire State Building so that was a nice consolation prize. 

Hotel Carter – This is one of the worst hotels in the world, it is famous for being a bad hotel.  We found Hotel Carter, I believe near Times Square.  We had heard about this hotel and how bad it was from other people that had been to NYC and by travel websites.  So we decided to see what all the hubbub was about.  We entered the hotel and asked if we could see a room.  The clerk sent us up with a couple that wanted to see a room because they were interested in staying there.  We went up a few floors and then got off the elevator.  The hallways were dark and dingy.  We entered the hotel room and it was horrible!  There were holes in the walls, broken tiles and lots of rust in the bathrooms, and a weird stale smell.  As we left we went back to the elevator.  The doors wouldn’t shut and the elevator was stuck.  The clerk came into the elevator and proceeded to jump up and down, he told us this was how to get the elevator unstuck.  We high-tailed it at this point to the stairs, no need to experience an elevator accident on my first trip to New York.  We were pretty happy to have survived our encounter with Hotel Carter and it was everything we dreamed it would be and more.

We lived!  I took this picture once we reached the first floor.

Me, Bridget, Shayna & Chris

Wall Street, NYSE, Charging Bull – I was so excited to see Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange because I had always wondered where my money was going.  I thought the Financial District was really nice and of course while I was there I had day dreams of what it must be like to be a trader on the market and to live in such a high stake competitive world.  My favorite thing to do on Wall Street was to people watch.  I liked seeing all the traders because they were dressed exactly like the guys in the movies.  I swear I saw Gordon Gekko walking down the street.  I can see how people have gotten wrapped up in the “Greed is Good” mentality there because it was like its own island where everyone in the streets look wealthy, it isn’t like any other street in the world that I have seen.  The only thing I was sad about while visiting Wall Street was that I really wanted my picture with the Charging Bull.  The only way to get that picture would be to take it with me and a million other tourists so I passed.  Maybe next time I am in NYC I will get up before the sun and go take my picture before the tourists arrive.

Greenwich Village – We had so much fun taking pictures in the park and it was really neat to see the village that acts as a muse for so many musicians and artists.  It was rather quant and I can see why celebrities really like this area and want to own property here.  It is a nice little community.

Soho – Shopping!  We went shopping in Soho and walked by NYU School of Business.  The shopping was really fun.  I don’t think I bought a thing but it was really fun checking out the stores and all the Christmas displays that they were designing.

St. Paul’s Chapel & WTC Ground Zero – Our hotel was very close to Ground Zero and the memorial was still under construction.  We couldn’t see much but every time we walked by I felt it was hallowed ground and that I have a lot of respect for New Yorkers and what they had been through.  9/11 was a day that brought us all to our knees as Americans.  It has left a scar on my heart because it took away my innocence and left me a little less naïve about the world.  While we were in NYC we explored Ground Zero and we went to St. Paul’s Chapel.  Seeing the Chapel brought tears to my eyes but it also made me proud to be an American.  St. Paul’s Chapel has a long history. It was built in 1766 and was the location of George Washington’s first church service as President of the United States.  It has stood up to many tragedies including New York’s Great Fire of 1776 and September 11, 2001.  The church escaped both events with no damage.   After 9/11 St. Paul’s became a place of refuge.  Over 14,000 volunteers were given food, medical attention, space to rest and support in the church as they worked on the recovery effort after the Twin Towers fell.  Seeing St. Paul’s Chapel and Ground Zero is something I will never forget.  I hope to go back in a few years now that the memorial has opened.    

China Town – Best Dumplings Ever!  We tried both steamed and fried dumplings from this place that basically was the size of my closet.  It was a little takeout restaurant with no seating, just counter space.  I wish I knew the name because I would like to go there again someday.  All I remember is the restaurant was across from a school or playground of some sort and it had the best dumplings and pot stickers that I had ever had!  They were cheap and delicious! 

Little Italy – We went to a great dinner in Little Italy, again I have no idea what the restaurant was called but it was really good food.  A few of us ordered dinner “Family Style” so we were able to try a lot of different menu items.  I knew the food was going to be good when a few minutes after we arrive a few NYFD fire fighters stopped by with a fire truck to pick up dinner.  Those guys always know the best places to eat.  After eating way more than I should we realized we had a lot of food left.  So we got a to-go box and figured we would find a homeless person and give them the rest of our dinner.  You won’t believe this but I swear, we couldn’t find a homeless person that night.  We walked for hours and we never saw any homeless people.  In fact everywhere we went the streets were clean and there were no signs of homeless people anywhere.  I felt bad because I had to throw away the food.

Rockefeller Center – When we got back from Egypt and Jordan we had one night to stay in NYC.  So we stayed near Rockefeller Center.  We walked over to the center to see 30 Rock and the Christmas tree and ice skating ring.  I am not sure if it was because we were tired and cranky or if it was because we just saw Pyramids in Egypt but Rockefeller Center’s Christmas Tree was a little underwhelming and the ice skating ring looked tiny.  I couldn’t believe this is what I had been watching on the Today Show all these years.  The center was still beautiful and we enjoyed ourselves, but it just didn’t seem as big of a deal as it was on TV.

I had a great time and I really enjoyed New York.  The people were nice and the city was clean when we were there.  I hope to go back again someday!

 

A year ago today I was on my way to New York!

It is hard to believe, but a year ago I was on my way to New York City to kick off my Egypt / Jordan vacation adventure. 

We left Reno early in the morning on 11/20/2010.  I was so excited!  Our goal was to head to New York City and stay for a few days before we left for Egypt and Jordan.  On my way to the airport I picked up my friend Jason who was my vacation buddy / roommate.  Jason has been my friend since I was a Freshman in High School.  He is also my best friend’s older brother and one of the funniest guys I know.  There were ten of us traveling together on this vacation, me, Jason (Bridget's Brother), Bridget (my best friend), Andy (Bridget's Husband), Chris and Ron (Bridget's Folks) Rob and Shayna (our friends),  and Libby and Jeff (Rob's Folks).  As time goes by and I have gotten older I haven’t been able to spend as much time as I would like with my friends, so I was really excited to go on vacation with them and spend some quality time together. 

I am not sure Jason was as excited to spend quality time together as I was, especially at 5am on our departure day.  I had forgotten how Jason wasn’t really a morning person.  In high school when he picked me up for school sometimes he barely greeted me when I got in the car because he wasn’t a morning person.  This day refreshed my memory so I tried to give him time to warm up for the day, which was challenging for me since I am always excited to see my friends no matter what time of day it is.  My brother and I picked Jason up at 5am to head to the airport.  He was out front waiting for us and ready to get this vacation started but he wasn’t really smiling at 5am when we arrived. 

Things went pretty well at the airport as far as I can remember.  We met the rest of our friends at the front counter and didn’t have any problems checking our bags.  TSA didn’t frisk me or make me go through the naked scan line so I was pretty happy about that. 

We arrived in New York after a quick stop in Texas and a long day of travel.  When we got to New York I was a little overwhelmed for about five seconds, then I was in love with the place. 

New York was simply amazing to me.  I liked the people and the diversity of culture, experiences, and opportunities.  I felt like New York City was this amazing place where anything could happen, you could accomplish dreams and conquer the world, or you could lose everything.  The city was like nothing I had ever seen or experienced and I absolutely loved being there.  The excitement and the natural buzz of energy that makes New York great inspired me.

Diamond Club - Happy Hour!
Ron, Andy, Rob, Shayna, Me, Bridget, Chris and Jason

After we arrived in New York we checked into our hotel.  To save money we squished four of us into a room made for two.  It was cozy but we are all good enough friends that it wasn’t a problem to share a room with four of us. 

Because our friend Jason travels for work so much he is a member of the Hilton Honors Diamond Club.  Traveling for work all the time probably sucks, but being a Diamond Club member is awesome!  Because of Jason being such a frequent traveler we got all the benefits of the Diamond Club, including using some of his points to save us money on the hotel room.  Jason is the best vacation buddy ever!  But the best benefit from the Diamond Club was the happy hour with free drinks we received every night of our stay.  Free drinks in New York are hard to come by, hell affordable drinks in New York were rarely seen on this trip.  So we thoroughly enjoyed our Diamond Club benefit of free happy hour drinks every night we were there.  Jason was our MVP!

After happy hour at our hotel we decided to go explore the city a bit and have dinner.  We walked by Ground Zero for the first time which was still under construction.  We walked around the city and we found a nice Italian restaurant.

After a great dinner we walked around more and then headed back to the hotel to call it a night. 

I was so tired, but so excited to be in New York City!

BOAT = Bring on Another Thousand

I wanted to take my boat to Donner Lake this year for the first time.  I used to go to this lake with a friend of mine, and I had another friend from Rotary reminding me what a great lake it is, so I decided it was time to take the Tige to Donner Lake.   

I brought my friends Cassandra, JW, George and Kym with me on this day at the lake.   We had a really nice day.  The weather was good but the wind picked up in the afternoon.   The water was cold but not so cold it was unbearable. 

We spend the day tubing, a little wakeboarding, and a lot of lounging around on the boat.  Things were going great but I noticed the boat wasn’t performing as well as it should.  I was having a hard time getting George up on the wakeboard which was odd.  It felt like the boat didn’t have enough power but I couldn’t see anything in the gages that would explain what the problem was.  I see any signs of trouble so I didn’t pay much attention to it and we just kept on enjoying the day. 

JW helping George take off the wakeboard. 

Cassandra & JW ~ just celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary in October!

Kym & George

At about 3pm we decided to call it a day and head back to the dock.  About 20 yards away from the dock the boat completely died while we were in gear.  I was a little panicked but I didn’t let my guests know.  I was able to get the boat running again, thank God, so we took it to the dock.  We tied off and I brought the truck and trailer around to load the boat.  When I got back in and started the boat it started fine.  I knew something was still wrong so I figured I had better take it into the shop when I return to Reno. 

It isn't a normal day at the lake unless I get a talkin to from a Sheriff

After a lot of diagnostic work at the boat shop they determined I had a fuel injection and sensor problem.  The famous boat saying is “Do you know what boat stands for?  Bring. On. Another. Thousand.”  And boy is that saying correct!  It was so expensive to fix the boat that I decided to just winterize it and call it a year.  I will fix all the problems in the Spring when I have more money and more time to use the boat to make sure it is running correctly. 

I was bummed the boat was broken but I feel like my last day of the boating season was a fabulous day on the lake and I couldn’t have asked for a better boating day to end my boating season.

Catching up on old blogs and remembering a season gone...

Now that it is October and the weather is getting colder I have more free time so I have decided to catch up on my blog a bit.  I already miss summer so I decided to write this blog to remind me of the fun I had back in July.  

Last weekend I saw my friends Justin and Krista and it reminded me of how much fun we had on our Bullards Bar camping trip last summer.  I had a great trip and I hope we can go again next year. 

We arrived at Bullards Bar Reservoir on Saturday, July 23 mid-morning.  The lake was gorgeous!  The weather was warm and the water looked very inviting, the water temp was about 75 degrees.   When we arrived at the lake we launched the boat after quickly packing it for the day.  My friend Rob helped me with the trailer.  This was the first time taking my friends Rob and Shayna with their children to the lake.  I love taking kids to the lake because they have so much fun.  Grown-ups have fun too but they don't get as excited as the kids.  After launching the boat Rob and Andy unhooked the trailer and parked the truck.  I was so impressed!  Before I even had the boat tied up at the marina the boys had the trailer unhooked and put in the perfect parking spot.  Talk about MVPs!  Usually I have to fight with the trailer and do a lot of work, which is fine by me because I enjoy it, but I felt spoiled on this trip because the boys did the work for me and I didn't even have to direct them. 

We spent the day on the lake and had a lot of fun.  The two youngest members of our crew were troopers.  They went all day without a nap and were still so well behaved and happy.  We had a great time watching the little kids and big kids on the tube. 

Hailey and Carter

Andy, Bridget and Hailey

Andy & Bridget

Me & Krista

After spending the day on the lake we went back to the campground and settled in for the night.  We had a great potluck dinner and ended the night with a round of S’mores and campfire games.    

Me & Justin

Kristin & Carter making S'mores

After getting a good night of sleep we got up and headed back out to the lake.  The first thing we did at the lake was feed the fish.  Then we spent the day on the water and headed back home to Reno.

Rob, Hailey & Shayna

Day 2 as we wait for the trailer to pick the boat up so we can go home.

Another great trip to Bullards Bar. 

Krista & Justin leaving Bullards Bar

A year ago today I was at Burning Man



Me and my brother Tom



Yes, you read that correctly, I went to Burning Man last year. 

For those of you that haven’t heard of Burning Man it is an annual event held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.  Participants use the event as a celebration of community, radical self-expression and self-reliance.  The attendance cap per BLM is 50,000 and the city becomes the 5^th largest city in Nevada during the event.  

In the past I never really understood Burning Man.  The Burners (people that attend Burning Man) always seemed like glorified hippies or extreme counter culture types and I could never understand why they would want to go hang out in the extreme environment of the Black Rock Desert and waste all their time and money on this event.  The event has a reputation as being a celebration of drugs and going against societal norms which I just don't get.  The reputation is so far from the truth about Burning Man. 

The Man in a dust storm

Now that I have been to Burning Man I understand that this event is so much more than meets the eye and the stereotype of the event is not at all what the event is about.   Thanks to Black Rock City organization I was able to attend with members of my Rotary Club on the night of the burn and they gave us a behind the scenes tour that taught us about the principles and logistics of the event.  The people who plan Burning Man are the best event planners I have ever seen in my life.  They do a great job.  I am thankful for the tour they gave us, it was fascinating and it educated us about their ideas and values as well as their motto of leave no trace which is a huge accomplishment and one that all Nevadans should appreciate.

On September 4, 2010 we left Reno at about 10am on a bus bound for Black Rock City.  We had Happy Hour all the way to Gerlach, NV (roughly 110 miles).  It took some time for us to get into Burning Man once we arrived.  We had to check in at the gate and wait for our guides.  Then we were welcomed into Burning Man.  We parked our bus and then we jumped on a two story tour bus art car thingy (not sure how to describe it because it was a little out of our realm).  The tour bus took us around the playa and showed us the sights while the guide taught us about Burning Man, the challenges they face, logistics, law enforcement and emergency responders, and basically how to live in the Black Rock Desert for a week.  The guide showed us the art, taught us about the temple, the man, and the customs of Burning Man. 

The 2010 Temple



Me in one of the famous Black Rock City dust storms.



The main principles of Burning Man are radical inclusion, gifting (sharing and giving gifts to others), de-commodification (no cash transactions, nothing is bought nor sold among attendees), self-reliance, self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leave no trace, participation, and immediacy (being a part of the event and experiencing what is around you to develop and explore your own relation to the event).   Participants express themselves through art, clothing, mutant vehicles, bikes, buildings (temple, jungle gym, etc.), and theme camps.   

Below are a few of my pictures and notes about fascinating experiences I had. 

The art was amazing! 
Artists and Engineers come together and build magnificent art.

While at Burning Man we had the pleasure of surviving a big dust storm that lasted hours. 

It was so thick that at one point at night we couldn't see people standing three feet away, even with flashlights and headlamps. 

There was so much to see and experience.

Art Cars were really neat and they were everywhere.

Jerry, Kim and Tasha

Ron & Me

Brother Tom

Tammy and Me

 
Gifting is a concept unique to Burning Man.  The principle is that instead of cash event participants exchange gifts unconditionally.  Everywhere we went people offered us drinks and trinkets.  My whole life I was told not to take anything from strangers so this concept was a little foreign to me.  I felt guilty when people gave me stuff like I owed them something or inside my mind I questioned their motives because that is my natural instinct and the survival skills I learned as a child.  I didn't take anything from strangers except one guy gave me a glow stick.  He actually ran up to me and tied it on me, which pissed me off at first because I have a bubble and I don't let strangers get too close, but once he explained himself I thanked him and took the glow stick.  It was a funny exchange, I wish I had been nicer to the guy but he caught me by surprise when he ran up to me and started tying a glow stick on me.

After the Man burned we got a little lost.  You usually use the Man as your compass and read street signs to find you path home.  After the burn you can’t use the Man because he is just ashes, and participants quickly steal the street signs.  I figure we walked a mile or two out of the way but we finally found our bus using our famous family circling in technique.  

On our way home from Burning Man



I had a great time at Burning Man.  I think anyone that has an open mind should attend the event at least once.  Attending the event really opened my eyes to what Burning Man is and how it helps our community.  In 2011 it is predicted that the burners will spend $10 million in Reno so this event gives a nice boost to my hometown.  I thank Black Rock City, LLC for the tour they gave me and my fellow Rotarians and I know it built good will towards Burning Man and taught us not to believe the stereotypes about the event. 



My favorite part of the experience was watching the Man burn.  Below are three short videos.  The first video shows the scene before the burn when all the art cars circle the Man and park to watch it burn.  They all have their own soundtrack and it is total sensory overload with the sights and sounds but it is a wonderful feeling and exciting to watch. 

The second video is the fireworks that begin the big show and the third video is the burn.  Sorry I held my camera sideways on the third video.  I was so caught up in the excitement I didn't realize I was using the camera on its side. 

If you ever get a chance to go to Burning Man… GO!!!