I was in Minnesota for Angela's wedding in Sandstone, MN. I stayed in Hinckley, at the Eagle Bed and Breakfast Inn. Several of Angela's wedding guests stayed here as well. This place is actually a house with old world charm that is modernized and converted into a bed and breakfast lodge. I highly recommend the place - great interior designs, awesome breakfast, and all the comforts of home.
Took 2 hikes in Minnesota, one along a paved trail in Hinckley, and another in Banning State Park. Best hiking trail in Banning State Park is along the Kettle River, from the picnic areas to Wolf Creek Falls. It is very beautiful especially with the fall colors.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Seattle (Labor Day Weekend)
Labor Day weekend trip to Seattle to enjoy a nice break from the Austin summer heat. I stayed at the Hotel Monaco, a boutique luxury hotel located in the heart of downtown Seattle. I booked the Monaco by taking advantage of a summer weekend sale offered on the hotel's website, which was actually cheaper than rates on Hotwire.
Activities:
Downtown Seattle, including a visit to Chinatown, Waterfall Garden Park, and the Gold Rush Museum. The Gold Rush Museum has this scale where you could see how much you're worth if your entire body is made of gold. I would be worth over $2 million :)
Tour of Underground Seattle. After much of downtown Seattle was destroyed in a massive fire in the 1889, city leaders decided to rebuild the streets to be 1 to 2 stories higher than the original, to protect against floods and to ensure proper sewage flow. That is why the hills exist in downtown Seattle. The new elevated streets resulted a network of underground passageways (below the new street level) that is now known as Underground Seattle. This area is mostly unusable, but parts have been restored for the tours. Although Underground Seattle is now below street level, it was what Seattle was like before the fire.
Day trip to Mount Ranier National Park. Great day of hiking, enjoying the outdoors, and seeing waterfalls. It was cloudy, so the mountain was invisible. But on the east side, which is drier, the clouds broke and we could see Mt Ranier.
Activities:
Downtown Seattle, including a visit to Chinatown, Waterfall Garden Park, and the Gold Rush Museum. The Gold Rush Museum has this scale where you could see how much you're worth if your entire body is made of gold. I would be worth over $2 million :)
Tour of Underground Seattle. After much of downtown Seattle was destroyed in a massive fire in the 1889, city leaders decided to rebuild the streets to be 1 to 2 stories higher than the original, to protect against floods and to ensure proper sewage flow. That is why the hills exist in downtown Seattle. The new elevated streets resulted a network of underground passageways (below the new street level) that is now known as Underground Seattle. This area is mostly unusable, but parts have been restored for the tours. Although Underground Seattle is now below street level, it was what Seattle was like before the fire.
Day trip to Mount Ranier National Park. Great day of hiking, enjoying the outdoors, and seeing waterfalls. It was cloudy, so the mountain was invisible. But on the east side, which is drier, the clouds broke and we could see Mt Ranier.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Hike in Talcott Mountain Park
I was in Hartford for Dan's and Melody's wedding. I stayed in the Farmington Inn and Suites, a country inn that combines New England elegance with luxury hotel amenities. This hotel is 15 minutes from West Hartford Center, a community hub with restaurants, shops, offices, and condos. I recommend Elbow Room for brunch, and The Counter for build-your-own burgers. The Counter also serves onion strings, sweet potato fries, and crispy regular fries.
I also went on a hike in Talcott Mountain park with 2 friends from Austin. The views are definitely worth the hike. Most of the hike is under trees, so there is lots of shade. Fall would be the best time with the fall colors in full swing.
I also went on a hike in Talcott Mountain park with 2 friends from Austin. The views are definitely worth the hike. Most of the hike is under trees, so there is lots of shade. Fall would be the best time with the fall colors in full swing.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
St Louis
Short weekend trip to the Gateway city. St Louis was where the Louisiana Purchases was signed and the city often is a starting point for expeditions west, including the Louis and Clark expedition.
Missouri History Museum. Includes an exhibit about Charles Lindbergh, who became the first solo pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic.
Old Courthouse, site of the Dred Scott case.
Riverboat tour on the Missouri river
Museum of Westward Expansion
Gateway Arch - commemorates the westward expansion of the US
Missouri History Museum. Includes an exhibit about Charles Lindbergh, who became the first solo pilot to fly non-stop across the Atlantic.
Old Courthouse, site of the Dred Scott case.
Riverboat tour on the Missouri river
Museum of Westward Expansion
Gateway Arch - commemorates the westward expansion of the US
Thursday, August 5, 2010
New York (July 30 - August 2, 2010)
I was in New York for Solar's and Karen's wedding reception. Since I was already going to be in the Big Apple, I made a trip out of it. Weather for my trip was very good - mostly sunny and pleasant temperatures in the 70s and 80s. I walked a lot and hardly broke a sweat.
July 30
Arrived at New York's JFK airport on American Airline's non-stop flight from Austin. Took the JFK Airtrain to Jamaica station to connect to the E subway line to mid-town in Manhattan. An Austin friend of mine traveled with me and we shared a room at the Hilton hotel on 53rd St/6th Ave. This Hilton is in an awesome location - walking distance to subway stations, Times Square, Central Park, Whole Foods, Rockefeller Center, etc. Right in the middle of the action in New York. We had a comfortable room with lots of space and a view of 6th Ave.
After settling in walked around Times Square, then 5th Avenue and made my way to Rockefeller Center. I went to the Top of the Rock, an observation deck with great views of the city, including Central Park and the Empire State Building. There is also a room with colored lights that feels like Times Square.
July 31
In the morning, I went for a walk in southern Central Park then went to Whole Foods (inside the Time Warner building) to buy fruit and water - by the way, water fountains are scarce in New York. Early afternoon, I walked to Grand Central Station to meet my friends Dan and Melody who were coming in from Hartford, CT. We then went to Chinatown to have a dim-sum lunch. Then we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed views of downtown Manhattan. We closed our afternoon together with bubble tea drinks.
I then went to the evening showing of the Lion King broadway show at Minskoff Theater. It incorporates the same themes and characters of the animated movie. I liked the acting, costumes, and music. The Lion King is one of the best shows out there - it is so popular that tickets rarely make it to the discount booth. If you want to see the Lion King, get your tickets in advance. The only drawback is during the parts where the lion roars, the actors simply shout "Roar", as if you are reading from a book - using simulated lion roars would give a much better feel for the action. But other than that, Lion King is a great show.
August 1
In the morning, I went on a tour of the Radio Music City Hall. It is one of the largest, if not the largest, theater in the world. The auditorium is designed with no pillars in order to maximize views, and the acoustics actually allow people sitting in the top row of the mezzanine section to hear conversations on the stage. The tour consisted of going back stage, to get a feel for what goes on behind the scenes. We visited lounges, a private studio, and even met one of the Rockettes. As an added bonus, we got to go on stage, a treat normally not available for tours because it is usually packed with props and stuff for shows. We were definitely one of the lucky tour groups.
We were at the reception at Swing 46 during the afternoon. Good food, live band, and a swing dance lesson where I learned a new dance sequence. I met some new people there and of course talked to Solar and Karen. A great way to send them off into marriage. Afterwords, I walked around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir in Central Park before grabbing a late dinner in Times Square.
August 2
I visited the Chrysler building in the morning. It consists of 77 stories, mainly offices and residences with a few stores on the bottom floors. There is no observation deck but the main draw is the indoor murals in the lobby. Then I went for a walk around the pond in the south east corner of Central Park.
July 30
Arrived at New York's JFK airport on American Airline's non-stop flight from Austin. Took the JFK Airtrain to Jamaica station to connect to the E subway line to mid-town in Manhattan. An Austin friend of mine traveled with me and we shared a room at the Hilton hotel on 53rd St/6th Ave. This Hilton is in an awesome location - walking distance to subway stations, Times Square, Central Park, Whole Foods, Rockefeller Center, etc. Right in the middle of the action in New York. We had a comfortable room with lots of space and a view of 6th Ave.
After settling in walked around Times Square, then 5th Avenue and made my way to Rockefeller Center. I went to the Top of the Rock, an observation deck with great views of the city, including Central Park and the Empire State Building. There is also a room with colored lights that feels like Times Square.
July 31
In the morning, I went for a walk in southern Central Park then went to Whole Foods (inside the Time Warner building) to buy fruit and water - by the way, water fountains are scarce in New York. Early afternoon, I walked to Grand Central Station to meet my friends Dan and Melody who were coming in from Hartford, CT. We then went to Chinatown to have a dim-sum lunch. Then we walked the Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed views of downtown Manhattan. We closed our afternoon together with bubble tea drinks.
I then went to the evening showing of the Lion King broadway show at Minskoff Theater. It incorporates the same themes and characters of the animated movie. I liked the acting, costumes, and music. The Lion King is one of the best shows out there - it is so popular that tickets rarely make it to the discount booth. If you want to see the Lion King, get your tickets in advance. The only drawback is during the parts where the lion roars, the actors simply shout "Roar", as if you are reading from a book - using simulated lion roars would give a much better feel for the action. But other than that, Lion King is a great show.
August 1
In the morning, I went on a tour of the Radio Music City Hall. It is one of the largest, if not the largest, theater in the world. The auditorium is designed with no pillars in order to maximize views, and the acoustics actually allow people sitting in the top row of the mezzanine section to hear conversations on the stage. The tour consisted of going back stage, to get a feel for what goes on behind the scenes. We visited lounges, a private studio, and even met one of the Rockettes. As an added bonus, we got to go on stage, a treat normally not available for tours because it is usually packed with props and stuff for shows. We were definitely one of the lucky tour groups.
We were at the reception at Swing 46 during the afternoon. Good food, live band, and a swing dance lesson where I learned a new dance sequence. I met some new people there and of course talked to Solar and Karen. A great way to send them off into marriage. Afterwords, I walked around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir in Central Park before grabbing a late dinner in Times Square.
August 2
I visited the Chrysler building in the morning. It consists of 77 stories, mainly offices and residences with a few stores on the bottom floors. There is no observation deck but the main draw is the indoor murals in the lobby. Then I went for a walk around the pond in the south east corner of Central Park.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Colorado (July 2010)
A weekend trip to Colorado to enjoy the mountains. I spent the day in the mountains and evenings in 16th street mall in downtown Denver. This was my first summer trip to Colorado (my previous Colorado trips have been in the winter for skiing and Campus Crusade for Christ's Denver Winter Conference).
July 16
Arrived in Denver in the late afternoon and checked into the Sheraton Denver hotel in downtown Denver. This hotel is along the 16th street mall, a great place to find restaurants. It has a great gym with lots of weight machines.
July 17
I joined a tour group for a day trip to Colorado Springs. The tour started with a visit to the Air Force Academy. Admission is highly competitive and prospective students are strongly encouraged to commit to applying when they are freshmen in high school. The Air Force Academy emphasizes building leadership as well as training to serve. Next was a visit to the Garden of Gods. My favorite sites were the Kissing Camels and the balanced rock. Afterwords, I had lunch at the Trading Post, where there was a reserved table for my tour group with our own wait staff - very nice touch. Next was the highlight of my tour - climbing Pike's Peak via the cog railway. The train ride was very scenic and we had a knowledgeable, friendly tour guide who gave many details on what we're seeing. At the summit, the weather was sunny so I got to enjoy very nice views. There was a small house on the summit, which consists of a gift shop and food court. I got the donuts (recommended by the train tour guide) fresh out of the oven and they were delicious. Important note: in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, a college professor, took a trip to the top of Pike's Peak. There, she wrote a poem which became America the Beautiful. Two warnings about going to the top of Pike's Peak: dress in layers (the summit is 30 degrees cooler than the bottom) and drink water to minimize altitude sickness.
July 18
I joined another tour group for a trip through the Rocky Mountains. I sat in the first seat on the tour bus, to get the best views. The young lady sitting next to me is from Russia and we helped each other out with taking pictures of ourselves in front of the beautiful mountains and scenery. First stop was at a river in Idaho Springs. At a Conoco gas station near Dumont, I bought a Blueberry Xing Tea. This drink is very rare but my friend Chad loves this drink - he is always drinking one when I see him. The Xing tea is good, and uses no high fructose corn syrup. Now I can understand why Chad loves blueberry Xing Tea. Next, we climbed the mountain to Berthoud Pass. We then visited Lake Granby and had lunch at Grand Lake. The remainder of the tour was a scenic drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. For all pictures in Rocky Mountain National Park, start with this picture (number 33) - pictures 33 to 71 in this album are of Rocky Mountain National Park.
July 19
I spent the day in downtown Denver before taking an evening flight home. I took a tour of the Colorado capital and climbed 99 steps to the observation level of the golden dome. Yes, the dome is made of real gold. I then concluded my Colorado weekend trip with visits to Cathedral of Immaculate Conception and the Firefighter museum. The firefighter museum has some information about fire stations and what firefighters do, as well as historical fire fighting vehicles including a historic fire truck, from the 1950s, that still works - a museum staff person drove the truck into the garage.
July 16
Arrived in Denver in the late afternoon and checked into the Sheraton Denver hotel in downtown Denver. This hotel is along the 16th street mall, a great place to find restaurants. It has a great gym with lots of weight machines.
July 17
I joined a tour group for a day trip to Colorado Springs. The tour started with a visit to the Air Force Academy. Admission is highly competitive and prospective students are strongly encouraged to commit to applying when they are freshmen in high school. The Air Force Academy emphasizes building leadership as well as training to serve. Next was a visit to the Garden of Gods. My favorite sites were the Kissing Camels and the balanced rock. Afterwords, I had lunch at the Trading Post, where there was a reserved table for my tour group with our own wait staff - very nice touch. Next was the highlight of my tour - climbing Pike's Peak via the cog railway. The train ride was very scenic and we had a knowledgeable, friendly tour guide who gave many details on what we're seeing. At the summit, the weather was sunny so I got to enjoy very nice views. There was a small house on the summit, which consists of a gift shop and food court. I got the donuts (recommended by the train tour guide) fresh out of the oven and they were delicious. Important note: in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, a college professor, took a trip to the top of Pike's Peak. There, she wrote a poem which became America the Beautiful. Two warnings about going to the top of Pike's Peak: dress in layers (the summit is 30 degrees cooler than the bottom) and drink water to minimize altitude sickness.
July 18
I joined another tour group for a trip through the Rocky Mountains. I sat in the first seat on the tour bus, to get the best views. The young lady sitting next to me is from Russia and we helped each other out with taking pictures of ourselves in front of the beautiful mountains and scenery. First stop was at a river in Idaho Springs. At a Conoco gas station near Dumont, I bought a Blueberry Xing Tea. This drink is very rare but my friend Chad loves this drink - he is always drinking one when I see him. The Xing tea is good, and uses no high fructose corn syrup. Now I can understand why Chad loves blueberry Xing Tea. Next, we climbed the mountain to Berthoud Pass. We then visited Lake Granby and had lunch at Grand Lake. The remainder of the tour was a scenic drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. For all pictures in Rocky Mountain National Park, start with this picture (number 33) - pictures 33 to 71 in this album are of Rocky Mountain National Park.
July 19
I spent the day in downtown Denver before taking an evening flight home. I took a tour of the Colorado capital and climbed 99 steps to the observation level of the golden dome. Yes, the dome is made of real gold. I then concluded my Colorado weekend trip with visits to Cathedral of Immaculate Conception and the Firefighter museum. The firefighter museum has some information about fire stations and what firefighters do, as well as historical fire fighting vehicles including a historic fire truck, from the 1950s, that still works - a museum staff person drove the truck into the garage.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
San Francisco (Independence Day weekend 2010)
A trip to San Francisco during Independence Day holiday weekend, to enjoy the beautiful cool weather of San Francisco, take in the holiday celebrations, and retreat from the Austin summer heat. I flew to and from San Francisco on JetBlue, a small but fun airline with free TV at your seat and lots of free snacks to choose from. There is more legroom than your average coach seat. And the first checked bag is free. Even though JetBlue is all coach class, I consider it a hybrid between coach and business class. American is my primary airline but for this trip, JetBlue had a non-stop Austin-San Francisco flight and it was significantly cheaper than American.
July 2
Arrived in San Francisco, took BART to the city. Checked into the Hyatt hotel in the Embarcadero. I got a room with a view of the bay. After having lunch in Chinatown, I walked around Union Square area to get an overview of the many shops and malls there. I noticed lots of multistory malls, and they are much larger than the malls in Austin. Now I know why shopping is a big thing in San Francisco. I'm not a fan of shopping so I limited my time there. I then took the cable car to Fisherman's wharf to have a crab sandwich and watch the sea lions on Pier 39.
July 3
Went to the farmer's market outside the Ferry Building to buy some fruit. Then headed to the California Academy of Science museum and spent most of the day there. This museum has a natural history museum, aquarium, planetarium, and an indoor rain forest under one roof. My favorites were the rain forest (which has butterflies flying around), the planetarium (where I watched a giant 3D movie that made me feel like I'm in outer space), and the climate change exhibit. Tip for visitors: if you take public transportation to the museum, show your ticket stub, receipt, or pass and you get a $3 discount off the admission price.
July 4
Rented a bike, then rode the bike from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate bridge, then across the bridge and into Sausalito. The bike path from Fisherman's Wharf to Golden Gate Bridge lies close to the water so I could easily take in the beauty of the San Francisco coast line. Sausalito is a small town filled with homes, shops, and restaurants. There were some hills along the path, but I had a mountain bike so that made climbing hills more manageable. Although it was still a challenge. Later in the day, I had dinner at In and Out Burger, then grabbed ice cream at Normans - it's not Ghirardelli but they do sell Mitchell's ice cream which is locally made in San Francisco. Afterwords, I boarded a cruise ship to see the fireworks. I actually saw 2 fireworks displays - 1 at Fisherman's Wharf and another near bay bridge. Cruise ship is the way to go for seeing fireworks - closer to the action and less crowded.
July 5
I went to the Japanese Tea Garden. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays before 10am, admission is free. The garden features Japanese plants, ponds, a shrine, and a tea house. I had green tea at the tea house while taking in the beauty of the garden. There is also a small well where people can throw pennies. The story is make a wish, then throw a penny, and if you hit the well your wish will come true. I threw a penny and hit the well and I can say my wish definitely came true :)
July 2
Arrived in San Francisco, took BART to the city. Checked into the Hyatt hotel in the Embarcadero. I got a room with a view of the bay. After having lunch in Chinatown, I walked around Union Square area to get an overview of the many shops and malls there. I noticed lots of multistory malls, and they are much larger than the malls in Austin. Now I know why shopping is a big thing in San Francisco. I'm not a fan of shopping so I limited my time there. I then took the cable car to Fisherman's wharf to have a crab sandwich and watch the sea lions on Pier 39.
July 3
Went to the farmer's market outside the Ferry Building to buy some fruit. Then headed to the California Academy of Science museum and spent most of the day there. This museum has a natural history museum, aquarium, planetarium, and an indoor rain forest under one roof. My favorites were the rain forest (which has butterflies flying around), the planetarium (where I watched a giant 3D movie that made me feel like I'm in outer space), and the climate change exhibit. Tip for visitors: if you take public transportation to the museum, show your ticket stub, receipt, or pass and you get a $3 discount off the admission price.
July 4
Rented a bike, then rode the bike from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate bridge, then across the bridge and into Sausalito. The bike path from Fisherman's Wharf to Golden Gate Bridge lies close to the water so I could easily take in the beauty of the San Francisco coast line. Sausalito is a small town filled with homes, shops, and restaurants. There were some hills along the path, but I had a mountain bike so that made climbing hills more manageable. Although it was still a challenge. Later in the day, I had dinner at In and Out Burger, then grabbed ice cream at Normans - it's not Ghirardelli but they do sell Mitchell's ice cream which is locally made in San Francisco. Afterwords, I boarded a cruise ship to see the fireworks. I actually saw 2 fireworks displays - 1 at Fisherman's Wharf and another near bay bridge. Cruise ship is the way to go for seeing fireworks - closer to the action and less crowded.
July 5
I went to the Japanese Tea Garden. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays before 10am, admission is free. The garden features Japanese plants, ponds, a shrine, and a tea house. I had green tea at the tea house while taking in the beauty of the garden. There is also a small well where people can throw pennies. The story is make a wish, then throw a penny, and if you hit the well your wish will come true. I threw a penny and hit the well and I can say my wish definitely came true :)
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