Seattle (Independence Day 2013)

My retreat from the Texas summer heat brought me to Seattle for Independence Day weekend. On the flight to Seattle, the plane passed near Mt Ranier for a spectacular view of the mountain from the plane. I stayed at Grand Hyatt hotel, in downtown Seattle.

MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry)
This museum highlights Seattle's history and growth. The Seattle Journey exhibit has many rooms highlighting the city over the years. Seattle started as wilderness, where Native Americans often settled. As more natives settled here, it became a small town. Seattle's growth took off with the Klondike Gold Rush (there is a museum in Seattle dedicated to the Gold Rush). Seattle overcame many obstacles in its growth - people took down mountains, filled in lakes, straightened a river, built passageways, and even raised Pioneer Square neighborhood to allow for easier access to the city and more building opportunities. Seattle is known for innovation - many companies that provided innovation in their industries have their headquarters in Seattle. Examples: Microsoft (software and computing), Boeing (air travel), Costco (bulk shopping), Nordstrom (high-end shopping), Amazon (online shopping), Holland America (cruise), Expedia (online travel), and Starbucks (cafes).

Lake Union
MOHAI is located in the southern end of Lake Union. The lake got its name by connecting Puget Sound and Lake Washington - something Thomas Mercer predicted would happen in 1854. Floating homes exist on the west and east sides of Lake Union, including the home shown in Sleepless in Seattle.

Tillicum Village and Fireworks
Tillicum Village is located on Blake Island, about 8 miles from Seattle. Travel to the village is by boat and during the boat ride I got pictures of the Space Needle and Seattle skyline on a clear day. The village is set up to showcase Native American life and culture. Upon arrival, visitors are greeted with steamed clams. Inside the log house are totem poles and a fire room where salmon are cooked Northwest Indian style. And yes, we got to eat the salmon for dinner :). There is also a show highlighting Native American life through stories and symbols. After exploring Blake Island a bit we returned to the boat and traveled to Eagle Harbor, near Bainbridge Island to see the fireworks show. As always, very spectacular and patriotic. One set of fireworks was shaped like a heart.

Boeing Tour
I joined a tour group to Everett, to tour Boeing's factory where they build 747, 767, 777, and 787 planes. Boeing's 737 planes are build in Renton. The factory is the world's largest building - you could put all of Disneyland inside and have ample room for covered parking. During the tour, we learned about the building process for the airplanes and visited each of Boeing's twin-aisle (aka widebody) lines. Each line had airplanes in various phases of production. For the 747, there was a cargo plane for Cathay Pacific and a completed passenger plane for Lufthansa. There was also a passenger plane for Korean that was being painted - a rare sight for visitors. We saw part of the 767 line but there was no observation deck there. Next was the 777 line and there were 2 planes being built - one for Cathay Pacific and the other for Air Canada. Finally, we saw Boeing's newest airplane, the 787. Currently, the 787-8 is in production and planes for British Airways and Aeromexico were being built. There were many 787s parked in the tarmac near the factory awaiting delivery. The 787-9 is a larger version, and we saw part of the prototype plane in the factory. There were workers in the factory and they were working on computers and inspecting parts. In the Boeing flight museum, there is an observation deck with views of the test/delivery area with a clear view of the Dreamlifter, the specialty airplane that carries the 787 parts. On the drive back to Seattle, we drove over the Highway 520 bridge, a floating bridge across Lake Washington.

New York (June 2013)

An early summer weekend trip to New York. I was mainly in New York to attend a travelers convention - which is a causal gathering of people who like to travel. I consider it a networking with other travelers. We had two events - dinner at La Bonne Soupe and an upscale dinner party at North Square. I stayed at the Omni Berkshire hotel on Madison Avenue and 52nd street. I have stayed here before and love the hotel for its rooms and location.

In addition to the traveler meetups, I visited the US Military Academy in West Point. There is a large visitors center with a museum and a guided tour of the campus and church. I had lunch at the Thayer, a historical hotel just outside the Academy. There are good views of the Hudson river at the hotel.

I also visited the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. This museum is located inside the USS Intrepid, a warship used in World War II and the Vietnam War. On the flight deck are fighter planes and helicopters. Inside, there are control rooms, a ready room, and a food court located in the ship's dining area. In addition to the USS Intrepid, there is also the submarine USS Growler, Space Shuttle Enterprise (the exhibit is currently closed for repairs from Hurricane Sandy), and a Concorde. There is a tour for the Concorde where you go inside the supersonic airplane to see the passenger cabin and cockpit. Inside the Concorde, it feels like a regional jet with the seats arranged in 2x2 with the legroom of American's economy extra seats. In order to achieve the high speeds, the Concorde is basic - no inflight entertainment systems (other than altitude information) or fancy chandeliers. However, the service is first class with gourmet meals and attentive service (5 or 6 flight attendants for up to 100 passengers). Celebrities, doctors, lawyers, and some business executives fly on the Concorde. Speed is the main luxury of the Concorde - it can fly across the Atlantic in about 3.5 hours where other jets take 7-8 hours. When flying the Concorde sounds like a fighter plane and the sonic boom sounds like a cannon.

More New York pictures.

Las Vegas (May 25-28)

Memorial Day weekend trip to Las Vegas.

Hotels:
Luxor the first two nights. This Egyptian theme hotel is shaped like a pyramid. The elevators are located in the corners of the hotel and due to the diagonal shape of the building the elevators move diagonally. At night, the top of the Luxor lights up like a beacon.
Excalibur the third night. This castle theme hotel has a connection to the Luxor enabling easy transition between the hotels.

Highlights:
* Bellagio conservatory and fountain show.
* Volcano eruption at the Mirage.
* Venitian shopping area with the ceilings painted like the sky making it feel like you're outdoors.
* Titantic exhibit with items from the ship. There are mockups of the 3rd class stateroom (2 bunk beds) and 1st class stateroom (like a suite). There is also a replica of the Promenade deck with the ceiling looking like a clear night with stars and you could hear the sound of the sea. There is even a model of the iceberg and it is made of real ice.
* Criss Angel Believe magic show. The magic acts happen very quick and it is hard to believe what you see (ie motorcycle appearing in a box)
* Stratosphere tower to see a birds eye view of the strip. The south stripis partially visible. There are also rides on the observation deck and a skyjump where you're tied to a big bungee cord and you jump from the top to the bottom.

More Las Vegas pictures.

Eastern CaribbeanCruise

A cruise in the Caribbean. We departed from Port Canaveral, Florida (about 1 hour east of Orlando) and made stops at Bahamas, St Thomas, and St Maarten.

Freedom of the Seas
We sailed with Royal Caribbean, on the Freedom of the Seas. This ship has many amenities for cruisers, including a full-sized gym, swimming pool, 2 hot tubs, surf simulator, theater, ice skating rink, rock climbing, and lounges. For dining, there is a coffee shop, pizza place, the Windjammer Cafe with buffet meals, and a dining center. The dining center consisted of 3 levels - we were on the middle floor. Our evening activities on the ship were: a show featuring live acting Broadway style, 3-course dinner, and hanging out at a lounge. My favorite dinner was the seafood plate featuring lobster. My favorite shows were the ice skating show and the magic show. Some memorable events were the captain's speech, ice carving, and a singing performance by the restaurant staff. We had staterooms on the 8th floor, near the center of the ship and with balconies. The housekeeping staff made animals out of the towels, including a stingray, dog, swan, and bat.

Bahamas
We visited Cococay, an island in the Bahamas that Royal Caribbean owns. The island offers beach and water activities as well as a bar-b-q lunch. We did snorkeling, and saw many colorful fish, a sunken boat, and a sunken airplane.

St Thomas
As we neared St Thomas, we passed many other islands in the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico. We watched the ship approach St Thomas from our stateroom balconies. We also saw someone using a water powered jet pack to soar above the sea. Upon arrival at St Thomas we joined a tour group for an overview of St Thomas. The tour started out with shopping, then climbed the mountain for spectacular views of the coastline, the cruise port, and other islands nearby. Finally, we visited Magen's Bay Beach. This beach is one of the best beaches I have been to - clear blue water, good sand, and free of debris and rocks.

St Maarten
St Maarten is divided between two nations: the south part is Dutch, part of The Netherlands and the north part is part of France. The island gets many visitors; its airport is the second busiest in the Caribbean - only San Juan, Puerto Rico is busier. We did a tour of the island, including many views of the coastline, bay, Great Salt Pond, cruise port, and beaches. We also did a party boat ride along the Simpson Bay. The boat ride included drinks, music, and a narrator who also served as an entertainer. There were views of the bayside residences - great place to live if you could afford it.

Many more pictures.

Whistler 2013

I joined a group of 88 people on a ski trip to Whistler in Canada.

My travels went smoothly, with all my flights arriving on time. On the Dallas to Vancouver flight, I had an aisle seat in the exit row (lots of legroom) and the middle seat was empty (even more space) so was almost as good as first class. On the return, I got upgraded into first class - very nice treat on the 4 hour flight. I flew into Vancouver, and this airport has glass jetways - first time I've ever seen such jetways. I booked my transfer between Vancouver airport and Whistler via RideBooker, an online tool for booking transportation to/from Whistler. Ridebooker partners with various transportation companies to arrange ground transportation to/from Whistler. Ridebooker ensures frequent service to minimize waiting times. Highly recommended.

We all stayed in Aspens condos. This ski in/ski out property is near the base of Blackcomb mountain, and is a short walk to Whistler village. There are two hot tubs, valet for checking in skis overnight, and even a ski shop for ski/snowboard/boot rentals. Whistler village has lots of restaurants and shops, a great place to look around after a day of skiing. One restaurant that we liked is El Furniture Warehouse - here, all entrees costs $4.95 though some have additional options that cost extra. Still, that restaurant has reasonably priced food and the food is good.

I spent most of my skiing time on Whistler mountain, which has more variety of trails and the trails are wider. I traveled between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains on the Peak-to-peak gondola. There are 2 units with glass bottoms, allowing you to see the ground below. There are some breathtaking views! The glass bottom units come by every 15 minutes, but we once got lucky and there was one approaching right as we arrived at the gondola entrance. My favorite run starts at the peak of Whistler mountain. There are some amazing views of the mountains up there. You take the Peak Express lift to get there, and although signs on the lift say expert only there is a green (easiest) trail to get down from the peak. That trail is not shown on the map. After getting off the Peak Express lift, turn left, then follow the markers with green circles.

One night, 32 of us traveled up the Blackcomb mountain to go on a sleigh ride. The sleigh is pulled by Perchoeron draft horses through Whistler's snow covered forested trails on a 50-minute sleigh ride. At the midway point, we went inside a warm hut and drank hot chocolate.

New York: Christmas 2012

A visit to New York during Christmas to take in the festivities of the Big Apple. The city goes all out with their Christmas decorations. I stayed the first night in the Roosevelt hotel on 45th/Madison, then changed to the Omni Berkshire on 52nd/Madison for the remaining nights. The Roosevelt has a nicer, more elegant lobby while the Omni has nicer, more modern rooms with more space. The rooms at the Omni have a brighter feel and have plenty of electrical outlets.

Window Decorations
My favorite displays are the Lord and Taylor windows, with windows featuring the Christmas theme, including:
* China
* Central Park
* Christmas shop
I also liked Bergdorf Goodman, with their windows making good use of animals. Macy's had some New York themed displays, and Saks had a window display of computers.

Midtown Manhattan
* FAO Schwarz toy store, featuring a model of Statue of Liberty build out of Legos.
* Apple store, featuring an all-glass elevator which looked futuristic. We loved the Macbook Air - it is very light weight and is like an iPad with full computer functions.
* New York Public Library, which had an exhibit on lunch hour. Lunch as we know it got its roots in New York. Before lunch came around, people had a snack in mid-day then dinner in late afternoon. But with workers working longer hours, dinner came later in the day and workers were given a designated time in mid-day to have a light meal, which became known as lunch.
* Palace Hotel lobby
* Helmsley building, which looks like the Empire State Building when lit up
* Christmas Spectacular show, featuring the 85th anniversary of the Rockettes, at Radio City Music Hall.
* St Patrick Cathedral

Downtown Manhattan
* Sunday service at Redeemer Church with my friends, and I also attended their Christmas Eve service at 10:30pm - the room was packed even at that late hour.
* We had lunch in Chinatown, then grabbed ice cream at The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I loved their green tea ice cream.
* Firehouse Museum with old fire engine replica and an exhibit about Ground Zero

Holiday Train Show
This was held at the Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, and featured models of New York landmarks(past and current) made out of twigs, bark, and leaves with model trains running around. There are models of landmarks in other places, including San Francisco, Egypt, Greece, and Turkey. Very nice displays. Worth the price of admission. My favorite NYC models:
* Collection of Empire State Building, New York Stock Exchange, St Patrick Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall, and Chrysler Building
* New York Macy's
* Yankee's Statuim including the baseball field
* JFK Airport, including a Concorde and a Boeing 747
* Statue of Liberty
* Guggenheim Museum
* Old Penn Station
* Castle in Central Park
* Brooklyn Bridge
* Manhattan Bridge
* George Washington Bridge

Israel: Jerusalem area (Nov 14-17)

Jerusalem is the holy city of Israel and is the heartbeat of Israel. Though much of the city has been modernized, there is the Old City which is surrounded by a wall. You can see elements of the city’s past (in Old City), present (most areas outside Old City), and future (ongoing construction projects). We stayed in Dan Panorama hotel. Jerusalem hotels are like New York hotels: due to high demand and limited landspace, rooms are small (by US standards) and expensive. There is an outdoor shopping mall which is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.

Nov 14: Today, we made our way north to Jerusalem. On the way, we visited Genesis Land where we rode camels to a Bedoiun tent where we had a full course lunch. It was a reenactment of Abraham’s hospitality. We all received camel riding licenses. After arriving in Jerusalem, we went to The Israel Museum where we saw the Model of the Second Temple Jerusalem, visited the Shrine of the Book (where the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts are kept, and visited the Archeological Museum that had numerous artifacts dating back to biblical times. There is much to see at Israel Museum – you could spend a whole day here.

Nov 15: We spent today in the Old City of Jerusalem. We started with the Western wall where many people gather to pray. Next was a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Catholics reflect on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We then walked through the Jewish Quarter and then had lunch. We then visited the Jerusalem Archeological Park where we walked to the Southern Steps of the Temple which goes back to Jesus’s time. In the evening, we had dinner at King David hotel which often hosts presidents, diplomats, and celebrities during their visits to Jerusalem. Dinner was a formal full course meal with salad, bread, entrée (I had the fish), and dessert.

Nov 16: We visited the Yad Vashem, Jerusalem’s version of a Holocaust museum. The museum contains lots of artifacts as well as information on the Holocaust. In addition to the museum, there are memorials and there is a Garden of Righteous with trees dedicated to those who worked to save the Jewish during World War II. We then visited Jesus’s home town of Bethlehem and had lunch at Sheperd’s Valley Village Tent Restaurant followed by a visit to Church of Nativity, site of Jesus’s birth.

Nov 17: We started the day by going up to the top of Mount Olive and enjoyed panoramic views of Jerusalem. We then visited the Church of all Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed before being arrested. We visited the Garden of Tomb – a possible site where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. No one knows for sure the exact site of those events. In the Garden, we had communion to remember Jesus and his mission (same as having communion at church) and then a tour. Finally, we returned to our hotel where we had our final Israel dinner then headed for Tel Aviv airport to fly home.

Jerusalem pictures