A Nibble of the Big Apple, January 2008

View of the Chrysler Building from my hotel room:



Sights in Central Park:







Favorite things seen at the Met:






























Things seen after the Met:

Dallas Zoo July 2007

Cactus League Spring Training 2007

I have vowed to be more diligent in promptly posting from my trips . . . so here I am, posting from Scottsdale, Arizona, where is am comfortably ensconced in a cool and lovely hotel room with a bright bougainvillea-dotted-dotted view of the pool. This year's spring training visit has, thus far, been even better than last year's . . . perhaps due to more temperate weather (70's and 80's during the day, and no rain yet--knock on wood), lack of speeding tickets (so far as I know--I may again receive some in the mail when I return home) and the fun baseball-loving company of several comrades from bleedcubbieblue.com.

My hotel is located near Camelback Mountain:

Photobucket" border="0">

As the inhabitant of a very flat part of Texas, I find the presence of such an imposing mountain both comforting and somewhat cartoon-like.

The traffic to Ho Ho Kam on Friday afternoon was surprisingly heavy, so I entertained myself by looking at the stunning sky:

Photobucket" border="0">

I was grateful when I finally found myself settled into the left field lawn area, with this remarkably good view:

Photobucket" border="0">

Here are the team lineups for you:

Photobucket" border="0">

I was able to photograph a few players during the game . . .

like Derrek Lee:

Photobucket" border="0">

and Matt Murton after a good play:

Photobucket" border="0">

and Alfonso Soriano, with the bullpen behind him:

Photobucket" border="0">

Zambrano started the game and appears fully ready for the season to begin:





Kerry Wood had a nice relief appearance:



He looks as fit and trim as the youth who threw a 20-strikeout game:

Photobucket" border="0">

Despite the action on the field . . .

Photobucket" border="0">

. . . a small Cubs fan slept nearby:

Photobucket" border="0">

He apparently feels so confident that the Cubs' offseason moves will make a difference that he doesn't need to nervously watch a spring training game with the rest of us. Perhaps he was right, as the Cubs won handily, 6-2.

****************************************

Friday night brought a lovely dinner out at Don and Charlie's, one of my favorite baseball haunts in Scottsdale. I felt very lucky to see one of the better-known Cubs fans, George Will, who was also dining there. Or rather, he was waiting to dine, as apparently even George Will must wait his turn at Don and Charlie's unless he has a reservation.

*****************************************

Saturday's game was Cubs v. Giants (again), this time at the Giants' park in Scottsdale Stadium. One's first sight of a park like this can take the breath away momentarily:

Photobucket" border="0">

I arrived earlier for this game and was able to catch the Cubs during the last part of their warmup. Derrek Lee was taking some throws at first:

Photobucket" border="0">

Here I captured Lou Piniella's watchful eye without even realizing it at the time:

Photobucket" border="0">

The national anthem brought fans and players alike to their feet:

Photobucket" border="0">

We sat on the left-center field lawn for this game, right next to the Giants' bullpen. Watching Barry Zito, the Giants' starting pitcher, warm up was a special treat. Just before this picture was taken, Zito was sitting on the nearby stool with his head in his hands, seemingly willing himself to pitch well:



And here he is in action:



Soriano did well at handling an obnoxious Giants-fan heckler, though here he appears to be saying, "What, me?":



Floyd, in right field, was lucky enough not to have to run very much:



Watching the ball go by . . .



It was a good game for the Cubs, with a solid outing by pitcher Wade Miller (who struck Barry Bonds out twice!) and a 3-2 win that wasn't even that close, until a late-in-the-game 2-run homer by the Giants' Mark Sweeney.

******************************************

Saturday night's dinner was a real treat. Al of BleedCubbieBlue.com was kind enough to include a few of us readers in his dinner at Kona Grill with Bruce Miles, Cubs beat writer for the Daily Herald. We were able to coax Bruce, a humble guy who quietly but devotedly loves the game of baseball, into sharing with us a few stories from his years of covering the game. It was a really special evening and we appreciated his graciousness in allowing us a peek into what we all believe is a truly charmed way to make a living.

That's all so far, folks . . . but I will be updating this post with a few more pictures from these games, as well as photos from the remainder of the trip. However, I'm off to the ballpark now. Have a great rest of your Sunday!

*********************************************

Sunday's game was at Ho Ho Kam Park, against the Angels. Jessica of BCB Fame was there with this charming artifact:



We saw another relief appearance by Woody, but he did not look strong and we later learned that at least in this instance, appearances were not deceiving:











But I did enjoy testing the shutter speed of my camera, as you see above. Woody tried to entertain himself by picking off a runner:









But we could not forget that Woody appeared a shadow of his former self, both physically and skill-wise:



There was chatting at third base:



And a kid with a faux mohawk:



I am always intrigued when I see a sidearm pitcher:



And this instance was no different.

Sadly, the Cubs lost, 3-2, marring their perfect record during my 4-game visit to Spring Training.

************************************************

Monday came all too quickly, marking my last day at Spring Training with the Cubs. Today they would play the Angels again, this time at Diablo Stadium in Tempe:



I think this may be my favorite park of the three I have visited in the Cactus League, though I cannot exactly put my finger on the reason. It may be that it is so cozy (seating only around 9,000, as opposed to Ho Ho Kam, which seats around 12,000) . . . you can't beat the feeling of intimacy that comes from being so close to the field. Speaking of that, we enjoyed really great seats at this game, thanks to Jessica, who had procured two extra seats that were spitting distance from the Cubs' dugout. I think you'll see the difference in my photographs from this game as a result.

Here is the pregame stretching and chatting:











Ryan Theriot, looking sharp as always:



As did Rocky Cherry:



The Anthem . . . during which the sun highlighted how very, very red Matt Murton's hair is:



Mike Quade, ready for the game to begin:



Jason Marquis arrives:



Marquis did not take long to hit his stride:





Those are two different pictures, by the way--notice how his expression is identical in each?





Ronnie Cedeno runs for the dugout:



Alfonso Soriano comes in from the field:



As does Jacques Jones:



In the Cubs' turn at bat, Murton hits:



If Ryan Theriot keeps playing like this, they will know how to spell his name:







Quade and Blanco consult:



The team appears to have solid camaraderie . . .



. . . and they all seem to be looking to the coaches for actual, well, coaching--so unlike last year!



Theriot moves along the bases, finding time to be social:



Lou Piniella is deep in thought:



and then goes to the bullpen for Neal Cotts, who my friend Chris the White Sox fan says earned extra time on their team due solely to his smoking good looks:



It's possible.

Cotts soon gives way to Rocky Cherry:





And Derrek Lee gets a chance to run:



Here's how the third base line looked from our seats:



One of the benefits of our seats was the ability to take a quick peek into the dugout. Notice something odd here?



Yes, that is Matt Murton, chatting with the little bat boys . . . could he be nicer? The rest of the dugout crowd looks to be at peace:



Aramis Ramirez looks especially trim this year . . .



he surprised us by pulling up his pants in Soriano-style, which makes him look even taller and thinner:



As the team looks on . . .



. . . Scott Eyre finishes it out:



The game was duly recorded by a Meticulous Scorekeeper Extraordinaire:



And the end result was a good one, with the Cubs winning 8-7 behind the strength of winning pitcher Rocky Cherry.

This set of young men may have a huge impact on the season--we shall see:



Lou Piniella meets with the press gaggle, including Carrie Muskat (in orange shirt, behind Lou), Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald (in striped shirt, with faded red hat) and Paul Sullivan of the Sun-Times (whose arm is showing at the far right of the photo):



and here are Your Chicago Cubs:



That's all for this year's Spring Training, folks. Hope you enjoyed the pics, and that you, too, will make it to sunny Arizona next year to join in the fun!

NYC in July: Day Two--Brooklyn

So, I grabbed a cafe latte and a bagel, then caught a train to Brooklyn. Here is what Joe, the excellent photographer whose work can be seen at Joe's NYC, told me about DUMBO:

Well one of my favorite spots is DUMBO, the area between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges which has a couple of new waterfront parks, the Best Pizza in NYC (Patsy's), some galleries, the incredible JacquesTorres chocolate boutique, and lots more. But best of all, the areaunder the bridges is still undeveloped, ragged, and beautiful. Take theA to and walk toward the water or the F to York and likewise.

I followed his lead and emerged from the train at York and Jay Streets, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The area is still very much under construction, providing for many interesting sights, including construction pictures like this one:



and this one:



I was transfixed at the sight of this mystical-looking Brooklyn Bridge:



Likewise, I appreciated the Manhattan Bridge peeping over the buildings:



These are some other views of that bridge that I liked:





Several interesting shops reside between the train station and the water. The first was a Chinese antiquities shop where they have these interesting wall hangings:



I especially liked the darker brown one on the right and am considering purchasing something like that for my office. I found myself inexplicably entranced by this Chairman Mao clock, complete with waving arms of the people, especially after the owner told me the story of Chairman Mao and the guy on the right side of the clock:



I am now the proud owner of the clock. A cool Danish furniture store caught my attention as well. They have interesting displays like this one:



I forged ahead to the water, finding that at first it could only be viewed through chain link fence or from the buildings at the waterfront. How great would it be to have an office here?



But then I found a little surprise. Who knew that Brooklyn has a beach facing Manhattan? Here it is:



I sat on the adjacent pile of rocks for a while and thought deep thoughts while admiring the details surrounding me:



Artists can be found in the lovely park that extends beyond the beach:



This artist gave me permission to take his photograph:



The walking path winds through the park and back to the water:





There is also a beachfront with small rocks, being enjoyed by humans and birds alike:







What is it that makes every little boy instinctively want to throw the small rocks into the water?

The bridges loom large over the park, where many people were chatting on this Saturday morning:









This park even has a charming boardwalk:





I found these doors, found in the building anchoring the Brooklyn Bridge, really interesting and beautiful:









I reluctantly left the relaxed and gracious park and wandered the Dumbo neighborhood for a little while. I could picture myself living in this apartment:



I found a nice urban grocery store, complete with a corner table at which one could sip lemonade and read the paper while watching the world walk by:



While sitting there, my friend Jay and I made plans to meet up in Madison Square Park, where he was scheduled to buy lunch for a friend's nephew. So I jumped back on the train, which turned out to be a blue train running on the orange train's route, leading to me criss-crossing the city for way too long before finally climbing out of the subway and catching a taxi to our meeting place. I'll write more about that next!

NYC in July: Day One

I arrived at Newark airport at 10:30 a.m. on a Friday and thought to myself that this is the perfect time to arrive in New York--the week's busy-ness is still in the air, but there is also a palpable anticipation of the weekend. I caught a cab and immediately liked my cab driver, a very tall and ruggedly handsome guy from Haiti. Just as we were beginning to chat, he received a call on his cell phone and I was treated to an animated conversation between him and his mother. Actually, the conversation was mostly on her end, as I heard a whole lot of nothing, other than him saying something like "maman" while nodding vigorously. He explained to me sheepishly after hanging up that he was supposed to pick up his mother to take her shoe shopping the other day, but couldn't make it, and that she was very eager for him to fulfill the shoe-shopping promise. We continued a pleasant ride into the city with talk of baseball and football and other things, like the progression of Haitian slaves brought to this country via Louisiana. I have often wondered what we could do to change this country if we harnessed the collective wisdom of the country's cab drivers.

Before I knew it, we arrived at our destination, the Washington Square Hotel:





I had never stayed here before, but it is in the middle of the Greenwich Village/Soho area that I know and love so well, is very convenient to the subway and the price is right. Sadly, I was not able to check in early, as my room was not yet ready. So I checked my bag and trotted across the street to Washington Square Park, where I conducted business with a client via cell phone for the next 30 minutes or so. Business concluded and feeling hungry, I began looking for the Sullivan Street pizza place recommended by my friend Jay, when I realized I was really craving the salmon and feta omelette found at my favorite French cafe. Washington Square is as quaint as always:



On my way out of the park, I saw this sign at a church across the street:



I thought I was finished with organized religion, but I would like to know more about a church that would post this sign.

I found the street where my favorite cafe is located, and stumbled upon this unexpected sight:





Yes, it was a boulle tournament in honor of Bastille Day! The sights and sounds were wonderful:



















As the pictures may reflect, it was a magical scene, revealing of the special nature of New York City. I reluctantly tore myself away and found my cafe just as I left it:



After a deliciously lingering lunch, I strolled back to the hotel and found I was able to check in. The room was just as I expected it--small and cute. I was able to see the park by peering out one of the small windows in the bedroom part of my room. The window air conditioning unit was blasting away, making the place particularly comfortable on this warm day. After another call with a client, I fell into a deep slumber, lulled into dreamlessness by the sound of the Cubs' announcers. I planned to wake up at 6 p.m. so as to be able to attend the Yankees/White Sox game, but I returned to sleep immediately after fielding my wakeup call and did not wake again until after midnight. I left my room around 2:30 a.m., and realized that New York is the kind of place where one can still find a good slice at that hour. After that, I stopped by a favorite bar for a glass of wine. On the way back to the hotel, I noticed a few guitar players at work under the Arch in Washington Square Park. I stopped to listen, leaning up against the base of the arch with a few others who were not yet ready to call it a night. The music changed from the delightful to the surreal, as did the conversation: the music ended with a Pink Floyd singalong and the conversation with a fellow listener with an offer of pot and/or sex. And at that point, I called it a night (alone).

My Saturday morning was spent in Brooklyn, a place I have never visited but always wanted to see. This is one of the first sights I saw as I followed the kind and thoughtful suggestions of Joe, the amazing photographer from Joe's NYC:



I'll write more soon about the other sights I saw in Brooklyn . . .

San Diego in May . . . Oui, Oui!

24 Hours in Chicago on a Gorgeous Spring Day

For once, I thought I would write about a trip before the calendar flips on my travel month . . . so here is the tale of my 24-hour Sunday trip to Chicago!*

The trip began with a quick trip to my office (at 5:00 a.m.) so that I could request a postponement of my Monday jury service. (Feels strange--I am not usually up at this hour on weekdays, much less on a Sunday morning!) One can postpone jury service online, but in my haste to escape the office on Friday night immediately after finishing my deposition, I forgot to bring the notice home with me, and one needs the notice to postpone. So I ran up, logged in and requested the postponement on the County web site, due to out of town travel. Mission accomplished!

Off to the airport for my 6:45 a.m. flight. No need to check baggage--I learned that all it takes is a 24-hour trip to help me confine my packing to carryon luggage. Pondered purchasing some Starbucks, but convinced myself I would sleep on the plane. Too excited to sleep, I read for a bit, worked on writing about my Arizona trip for a bit and thought about what I wanted to do in Chicago for a bit.

Arrived at Midway, felt too lazy and sleepy to tackle the CTA train into the city. Caught a taxi ride; the radio was blaring what sounded like a loud and heated Arabic talk show program when I settled in while the driver placed my bag in the trunk. I arrived at the hotel and was not surprised to find that they were full and that I would not be able to check in early. So this is all you can see of the hotel for now:



I trotted over to the nearby Starbucks and settled in for coffee, a bagel and the Sunday paper. I felt the vibration of the passing L train through the wooden floorboards under my feet. There was also good eavesdropping to be had, in the form of a group of three men and a woman who seemed to be golf partners, but I couldn't be sure; there was no other clear connection among them. By the time I was finished, I decided I did not want to lug my laptop bag on my wanderings for the day, so I returned to the hotel, checked it with my other bag, and walked just around the corner (how handy!) to the L stop at Clark and Division.

Took the train south, and took some pics along the way. This one is of the guy and girl who were startlingly identical to Cher and her gay shopping boyfriend in the movie Clueless:



I loved listening to them! When I switched trains, a guy was providing soothing musical stylings on the platform. I have a clearer photo of him, but liked this one best:



One connection and a pleasant and vigorous 1-mile walk later, I was at the Maxwell Street Market at Canal and Roosevelt (just south of downtown Chicago, sandwiched between some construction sites and the University of Illinois--Chicago campus). Here is a sculpture on the UIC campus:



I was not alone--people came out in droves for the cheap shopping and beautiful weather. The place was lighter on antiques than I had hoped, but full of culture and atmosphere, as these photos show:







It was a multicultural place:







With interesting things for purchase:









Balloons for the kids:





And music for all:





Plenty of food:







Bruce Lee was there:



And an altar:



And a cow:



And "Smath":



I followed the crowds to the end of the street:



There I saw this cool band:



and this cool crowd:



Considered sitting on this couch, but didn't:



I reluctantly tore myself away because I was getting hungry and had my heart set on Gino's East Pizza for a late lunch. I sat down for a brief rest, finding a nice perch on a railroad tie flowerbed border. I saw these Navy men approaching and briefly felt a swell of patriotism:



Then I realized that they were probably headed to the market in their snappy uniforms to recruit young Hispanic men to fight in the Shrub's War Based On A Lie. This made me mad and sad and I saw them completely differently as they departed:



On the way back to the train, I took these photos:









The Halsted L platform was full of interesting things, like these guys exchanging directions:



and this sign:



and the least private urinal ever, fully in view from the L platform:



I emerged at the Brown Line's Chicago stop and it was familiar to me. This time, the paper shop I love was actually open, and I popped in for a quick but longing look at their wares:



Just a few blocks away, Gino's East was refreshingly uncrowded and it didn't take long to be seated and get a nice glass of wine:



Here is the view from my table:



(You will note that a Gino's hallmark is their willingness to let customers write all over the place.) This is probably one of my favorite seats I have had in the place, which is not the "original" Gino's, but a tourist-sized one that replaced that shabby, dark and cave-like environment several years ago. You'll see in the photo about a large photograph of the original Gino's. Gino's has some interesting memorabilia as well:



There was an odd exchange with my waiter, in which I asked if he was surprised to see me, thinking that he had a startled look when he rounded the corner to my booth. He replied, "No, I knew you were here. I just didn't expect you to be so happy," to which I responded, "I can tone it down if you like" (jokingly). I'm not sure he got the joke. On another note, as I waited for my pizza, I wondered if there was some super-secret back room, because lots of grunge-hip dressed people were led past my table, seemingly into the netherlands of the restaurant.

Sadly, it takes 45 minutes for one's deep dish pizza to be prepared, but it is well worth the wait and it makes one appreciate the meal all the more:



After this delightful gourmet experience, I headed back to my hotel, where I wanted to check in, get settled and take a nap before the Cubs' night game. I was pleasantly surprised by the cuteness of my room, which was so notable that it made up for the smallness of the place (which was to be expected, given its super-reasonable price):









Before long, I was in dreamland, dreaming of a Cubs sweep of the Cardinals:



Excited about the game, I awoke just over an hour later, took the short walk to the L and joined the throngs on the Red Line train headed to Wrigley. Thanks to daylight savings time, there was still lots of sun to be had and Wrigley was looking quite beautiful after her winter bleacher makeover:





Here are some fans peering through the new "knothole" view of the park from the sidewalk (I took this on the way in):



The players were still warming up, literally, because it was a chilly night even before the sun set:





This guy's throw to the plate in the pre-game festivities was hilariously bad, but his reaction was hiliariously funny:



Rex Grossman, the not-so-punky Chicago Cubs QB, overthrew to the plate, lest he be called a girly-man:



The lights wait to spring into action in this first night game of the season (the earliest a night game has ever been played in the season during the Cubs' short tenure as a team playing under the lights of night baseball):



This would be the debut of Sean Marshall, the Cubs' rookie pitcher:



I feel somewhat proprietary about Sean, having seen him pitch a game during the Cubs' spring training. Here is his first big league pitch!


If you are a Cubs fan, you know that the game was a thing of beauty as well--here are the box score, a story about the game (titled, "Bye Bye Birdies") and the Bleed Cubbie Blue take on it, if you are interested in knowing more! And here are my photos of a few key moments in the game:

Jacque Jones breaks his mini-hitting slump (the season is young, after all) and hits a 3-run homer to put the Cubs in the lead:



Michael Barrett is welcomed at home plate after hitting a game-winning grand slam that put the Cubs in the lead for good in the 8th inning:





The chill night air could not dampen the spirits of these fans:



Or of these, who would not leave!



This is what we were all waiting for--a Cubs win, and a sweep of the Cards!



Yes, it is true: the game ended in not only a Cubs win, but also a sweep of the Cardinals, the first one in five years! Some post-win photos:





(This is a guy who caught a foul ball while walking along the concourse behind my seat--he was holding a beer at the time.)

Michael Barrett, basking in the glow of his second-ever grand slam, gives an interview:



There was much jubilation and, rather than wait in a boring and interminable L train line, I waited for the line to subside while taking in the post-game scene. The scene included fabulous drumming and some drunken dancing and singing by happy Cubs fans:











I like to call him "Captain Underpants."

* Please forgive the widely varying size of the photos in this post. I am not sure what happened, as I treated them all the same after downloading them. I think I have screwed up the various settings on my camera through some recent experimentation--will get that fixed! :)