Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
26th Oct 2024 11:43 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
And greetings from the Big Apple!! Really nice Amtrak train run down through New England, off at Penn Station and straight into pro/anti Trump protests as he of the fake tan had a rally at Madison Square Gardens. Come back nice and sleepy Boston, all is forgiven. Off today round Manhattan by ferries, down to Staten Island (free ferry) and to Brooklyn. Plan rejigged once chief itinerary planner realised that Brooklyn wasn’t in the Bronx!
Gratuitous pic for now from near hotel.
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Oh, and it a tad parkie, only 4c.
28th Oct 2024 12:38 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
And a few pics from NY. Only have 3 nights here so heading on tomorrow.
Hotel is mid town, 42nd & 8th, just a block from Times Sq. Certainly a great cityscape view from the room.
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First nights scoff was the pilgrimage to Joe’s Pizza on Broadway, just S of Times Square. Fantastic pizza, went for the full pie between the 2 of us, well and truly stuffed.
Big queue line but worth it.
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Mmmmmmmmmmmm!
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Yesterday was Central Park based. Good wander around the N end of said park. Not quite as golden as the trees in Boston but still pretty good.
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It’s such a quiet space you forget that Manhattan surrounds it.
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Then to The Met. We ran out of steam after a couple of hours but managed to cover about a quarter of what we’d have liked to see. That means we have at least 3 more visits next time we’re here. A few highlights.
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In galleries we have a bit of a spotting theme going on for beheaded noggins. That stared after seeing the John the Baptist by Caravaggio in Madrid. Once you get your eye in they are in most galleries. In The Met it was Holofernes (Assyrian General) 3 - John the Baptist 1 - Goliath 0.
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Back around Times Sq noticed this NYPD veeeeeeehickle. Not sure what you’d think if you got this for the day rather than a nice chunky SUV.
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Today was down to Brooklyn. No, they hadn’t moved the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens to The Bronx but hey ho, maybe for next time.
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Lots of really nice bonsai trees. Full size varieties of tree, just made to grow tiny.
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And this afternoon across and back on the free Statten Island Ferry. Great views, and did I say free?
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And up the E river by NYC Ferries.
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Back to hotel town via bus and subway. Mid afternoon, thinking ahead of the rush hour but hadn’t thought of school kids release time. Amazing how many peeps can squeeze on a NYC bendy bus!
Something that Joe’s pizza refuses to do, but John’s Pizza on 44th don’t have a problem with, the holy grail of pizza, the Hawaiin! And that wine was scruuuuuuuumy!
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Why are the Italians, who after all invented pizza, so upset by the Hawaiin? Coz they didn’t think if it first.
And finally, after pizza Times Sq. Lots of lights, even more peeps and an assault on the senses big time.
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Somehow ended up on a lineup with a load of chaps of similar age/height/build/hair style. Managed to get away before it started getting scary!
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Off tomorrow. Enjoyed NYC, short but sweet stay.
PS Gratuitous Halloween pic. Not sure if they are breaking in or out!
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29th Oct 2024 11:48 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26774
Just noticed you’ve left the nest again!
Sorry but missed the start due to an un scheduled medical occurrence leaving me in hospital for a few days! On the mend now, so I’ll let you do the travelling and I’ll read all about it! My Thailand trip has had to be cancelled. 😠
30th Oct 2024 7:17 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
That’s not good, neither medical issue or Thai trip being cancelled. Hope nothing serious and you’re back out in the big wide world soon.
30th Oct 2024 11:55 am
Rescue01
Member Since: 14 Jan 2008
Location: Aberdeen
Posts: 2514
Gareth wrote:
Just noticed you’ve left the nest again!
Sorry but missed the start due to an un scheduled medical occurrence leaving me in hospital for a few days! On the mend now, so I’ll let you do the travelling and I’ll read all about it! My Thailand trip has had to be cancelled. 😠
Here’s to a speedy and full recovery Gareth Its not the height of the fall but the sudden stop at the bottom that hurts!!
30th Oct 2024 12:02 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
And greetings from Philadelphia!! Amtrak ride yesterday, bus to hotel and a world away from NYC! Much calmer, crossing the road doesn’t feel like an adventure. Hotel is next to Liberty Bell, lots of Revolution & Freedom museums which I take as a reference to freedom from us.
And as a special treat to the good peeps of Philli (sp?), shorts are on for the first time in this jolly. I thought that treat would be reserved for the Texans but peeps here get it first! Reason for shorts deployment is temps up to 28c this afternoon, which peeps say is plain weird, plus it hasn’t rained on over a month. Booooootiful.
Will bung up some pics later once out & about (just finishing breakie), if we survive Halloween. Weirdest thing so far is couple of dudes wearing carved pumpkins on their heads. A couple from Florida we were talking to came back into the hotel to warn us there were strange peeps around and it was only going to get weirder.
31st Oct 2024 12:25 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
Greetings peeps back home, this time from Washington. DC variety, not Tyne & Wear.
And it is a boooooooootiful day here, as it was yesterday when we enjoyed a light scoff on the terrace, as you do. Temps have been up into the high 20s (new money, not old) and wall to wall blue sky.
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And the important news here in DC, how the election is progressing. Well Trump is in the least with 2 “sightings”, a garbage truck with his name along the side and a MAGA cap, while Harris is trailing with just one “sighting”, a cammo ball cap with Harris Walz. It’s getting tense, but that’s it! TBS I thought we’d be dodging bands of marauding supporters for either side but naff all!
Apart from the extra barriers going up around the Whitehouse.
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Will bung up some pics from Phili and today’s wanderings around the Monument area but need to have a bit of a break after 12kms on our feet.
Oh, and a fair few Secret Service dudes. Why, if they are secret, do the have Secret Service all over their body armour and veeeeeeehickles?
3rd Nov 2024 9:09 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
OK, Philadelphia pics. Sooooooo much quieter than NYC, it was a breath of fresh air. And 27c plus blue sky all day, fab!
Prison time. Eastern State Pennitentiaty. Time to do some time.
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Inmates that were killed in WW1. Note no names, just prison numbers.
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On walk to Mus of Fine Art these two flew over. VH-3D Sea Kings belonging to HMX-1, call sign Marine 1 when POTUS is on board. OK, not the best pic but first sighting for me. Second sighting was 2 thundering past at room level (4th floor) last night on their way back to Quantico from the Whitehouse. Sadly no pics.
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Mus of Fine Art, prob best known for the steps Rockie ran up in the film.
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Deffo beating Rockie on the pastie legs front!
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The stage is for a pre-election shin-dig in Phili. It was causing absolute chaos with traffic days before and a complete PITA for us trying to use buses.
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Plus there was miles and miles and miles of Portaloos. We were told there were 75,000 peeps expected but I can imagine the spin on that from the Trump camp!
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Some other pics from around Phili. Can’t do Phili without a Phili Cheesesteak sarnie. This from what is reported to be the best place to get one, and only 5 minutes walk from our hotel.
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Liberty Bell is a bit of a national icon but it’s seen better days.
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And where it used to hang before it started developing a hairline crack. The honking great gap rather than crack is a bodged repair.
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A groundhog, with no sign of Bill Murry.
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Sadly we only had 3 nights/2days in Philadelphia but next time we’ll explore the river area. A couple of old warships on the Phili side.
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And over the other side of the Delaware, in New Jersey, is the honking great USS New Jersey. We did think about going to see it but the local ferry had stopped for the winter season and by bus or train was going to be a right pain. Next time.
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That it for Philadelphia, yesterday was a short Amtrak train ride down to DC. Bus to the hotel was half as planned, half totally messed up coz of a demo march.
3rd Nov 2024 11:16 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
And today’s wandering in Washington DC. Lot of walking (over 13km so far today) from hotel in Wharf area to Lincoln Memorial to Washington Monument to White House to National Gallery and back to hotel. Feet are a tad sore!
Korean War Memorial.
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View up the ponds.
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Abe himself.
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And his view.
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Vietnam memorial and 3 soldiers statue.
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Squirrel getting ready for winter.
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And the Washington Monument, the place we secured tickets for yesterday.
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4 x 2 small windows but stunning views.
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And looking N to the White House. It’s a tad underwhelming!
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And a few more pics from DC. No Secret Service peeps were photographed as they are supposed to be, er, secret but they looked mean and ready for either action or lunch. Beige chinos, grey t-shirt, black body armour (with Secret Service) and black ball cap is deffo a good look, esp with cool dude shades!
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Also lots of film crews around but not a lot happening.
Lots and lots and lots of food trucks.
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And to go totally left field, my fave pic at the Nat Gallery. Can’t remember who painted it but I liked it. (Bellotto after discussion with Mrs DSL, painting is View of Munich).
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And finally, a cool sunset from the room’s terrace. OK, it was setting at 5pm rather than 6pm but hey ho, that’s the change of clocks last night for you.
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Night all.
PS And had a few more Marine One type helis hammering past in the dark, almost knocked the wine bottle over for the first one trying to get a better look. Now they just get a “Pah, there’s another one”. Hopefully might see them closer in the daylight.
3rd Nov 2024 11:47 pm
Down&Dirty
Member Since: 17 Aug 2012
Location: Somewhere out back
Posts: 1293
Great pics del
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4th Nov 2024 6:45 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
A few pics from the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.
Second meeting with the bit of Apollo 11 that came back. Saw it as a little ‘un in Edinburgh when it toured. Then ISTR you could touch it!
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There should be lots of pics of other stuff but 60% of the museum is closed for a multi year renovation. And what was enticingly visible was wrapped in polythene!
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Bit underwhelming tbh. Felt like half the space available for exhibits was taken up by Merch Opportunities.
Back in hotel room later, bit of an airshow. Missed pic of Blackhawk, but got this USCG Dauphin.
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And a couple of VH-92s possibly carrying Sleepy Joe just down the river.
Lots of stuff after dark but it’s just noise and flashing lights.
And taking of the election, going to be interesting tomorrow as we’ve got a tour of the Capitol Building booked! And re the sighting election, its neck and neck as spotted someone in the Smithsonian cafe proudly sporting a Harris Walz cap. That’s 2 all!
It’s going to be tense!
PS Anyone after an early Chrimbo pressie?
5th Nov 2024 1:56 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
OK, I’m going to call the spotting election for Harris. One more bright green ball cap in her favour and she’s got an unassailable lead. That’s even counting this Jeep chap in front of the Capitol who I’m crediting as a Trump chap.
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Fair number of Capitol Police around, all looking a tad bored but ready for action or lunch, whichever comes first. We were a tad nervous about staying here at this time but you’d struggle to tell anything was happening. Just the odd poster telling peeps to vote. But we’re off from here tomorrow evening, the night is but young.
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
Apparently the other election, the spotting election got it wrong! My career as a US election (spotting) pundit was short and sweet. Lesson learned, more VC needed!!
Lots of pics from DC but the “history moment” is what looks like Harris returning to the White House. That was the first Marine One white top heli to hang a right, not left, after the I395 bridge. Bit of history.
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More pics to follow, off to get another train.
6th Nov 2024 7:30 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73079
And last pics from DC. Liked here, lots to do (all free), good public tpt and even a free shuttle bus from the Wharf area to The Mall, then easy walk to most of the central stuff. Great air shows when in the hotel, clocked pretty much all of the Marine One types apart from the Ospreys.
The Capitol tour was really good, deffo worth doing. Lots of security, but no long lines, once in pretty easy to move around the visitor areas. Pics in no particular order.
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This statue has only been here a few weeks, reminds me of the one Johnny Cash 8-track that was played repeatedly on long trips.
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Dome looked fantastic from the outside, and inside.
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SWEEEEEEEET!
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Great sunset over the river. Weather has been fantastic. 28c in early Nov, not complaining!
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Now sitting in Union Station waiting on our train. 27 hours in the train is going to be fun. Still, heading south so should keep the toastieness.
Last edited by DSL on 6th Nov 2024 10:37 pm. Edited 1 time in total
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