Places...Part 1

Hong Kong, Seoul, Prague, London, Paris, Fountainbleau, Cuzco, La Paz, Machu-Picchu, Cancun, Baja California, Lake Victoria, Namibia, Capetown, Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Capetown, Botswana (from the car and at multiple check-points), Garmisch, all around the coast of Ireland (driving a stick shift, no less), Rome, Florence, Sienna, Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, Madrid, Lisbon...

Make me think of the Beatles song:
"There are places I remember all my life,
Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain.
All these places have their moments"

Publish Post

Vamoose to NYC - or should I Bolt?

$25 to go from DC to NYC - in 4 hours no less.
AND 3 bags + 1 carry-on allowed - take that you airlines!
Now, I won't need to bring that much luggage, but if I did happen to make some purchases in NYC, well, I won't have to worry about how to get it back to DC.

Will let you know how it goes. Vamoose is one of a number of bus companies with express buses to NYC. I selected it because it has a bus running from Arlington (and Bethesda).

DC2NY leaves from to locations in DC. Both drop-off and pick-up at Penn Station in NYC.

Prices for Bolt Bus look to be even lower - around $15-20. In addition to DC, BoltBus makes runs to NYC from Boston and Philly. Bolt also offers WI-FI, power outlets and extra leg room.

Like Bolt BusTripper Bus also offers WI-FI, power outlets. It leaves from Rosslyn, VA and Bethesda, MD to NYC and says it has fares as low as $1, but all the ones I saw were $25.

Death in a Strange Country

Loved Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon and her Commissario Guido Brunetti of Venice. The lifestyle of Venetians are woven throughout the story -the canals, walking and boat transportation instead of cars, seemingly casual schedules and the sense that there is much more going on that what we (as visitors) or Commissario Brunetti know.

An American soldier from the nearby base in Vincenza is found stabbed in the canal, Rio dei Mendicanti, with robbery the assumed cause. Commissario Brunetti teams with Maggiore Ambrogiani of Vincenza to uncover what really happened.

The image of the US bringing "America" to its overseas bases was spot-on and the refusal to have all end well reminded me that right does not always prevail.

ALS Funding and Research..what!?!?

Yup, that's an important topic to me. Amidst all the large sums in the economic stimulus package passed last Friday was an additional $10B for NIH (National Institutes of Health).

The ALS Association, noted, that this "...represents a nearly 18% increase in funding over 2008 and will help to increase support for ALS research at the NIH, which is the single largest source of ALS research funding in the world."

Lou Gehrig's disease is nasty, cruel and affects as many as 30K Americans. It occurs throughout the world with is not limited to any racial, ethnic or socioeconomic group.

To help find a cure for ALS, please donate to:

• ALS Association (national)
• George Vinall Foundation - in honor of a close friend on mine
• Or find your local ALS chapter

Add yourself to the mailing list for ALS Advocacy.

Sail On, George!

The Uncommon Reader - What happens when the Queen reads?

It throws everyone into a tizzy, that's what happens. And it turns her life and Norman, her book coach/attendant, life upside down - for the better.

At 120 pages, this short novella by Alan Bennett , actor, playwright and author of the History Boys, is a quick entertaining read. Having worked in a bookmobile as a teenager, I was drawn to this story because the Queen's initial foray into reading comes via the mobile library which she stumbles upon when tracking down her dogs. Her politeness compels her to borrow a book and so her journey into the world of literature begins.

Over time, those around are dismayed and perplexed at her obsession for reading and the questions it raises about the status quo. While they strive to stifle this reading madness, books, of course, prevail.

Superbowl: Rust Belt vs. the Sun Belt

Not that I really think that because rust implies old and decrepit. But may it is new vs. old in more ways than the history of the teams. Steeler fans worldwide (and they are everywhere) will gather with other faithful to watch the game in a mixture of excitement and anxiety. After the hard knocks over the past 30 years with the demise of the steel industry and exodus of many natives, we suffer from a bit of an inferiority complex.

Though we may leave in body, our hearts are still in Pittsburgh with our families and with our teams. A stranger who is a Steelers or Penguins can quickly become a friend. We may not be the most sophisticated folks, but Pittsburghers (current and former) are amoung the friendliest people you'll ever meet.

Just as our team reinvents itself while remaining true to its values and itegrity, so does the city as it changes to become a center of health, education and high tech.

So, as I leave to watch the game with 10-15 other hometown, Steeler fanatics, knowing it's a scene repeated in many places...I'm thinking...Steelers are the "new" black - and we all know black never goes out of style. GO STEELERS!