Post-Thanksgiving in New York

The Greater New York Dental Meeting beginning Thanksgiving weekend is one of the biggest dental trade shows in the country. I was going, so I decided to enjoy the trip outside the trade show. I rented my next dream camera lens, a Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8. Below are a few photos I took between Sunday, November 25, and Wednesday, November 28. 

My flight was delayed due to mechanical problems with the plane in Alaska, before it came to Salt Lake. That put the plane into New York JFK just about sunset, around 5 p.m. And the traffic into the city on this Sunday night following Thanksgiving was a nightmare.

John and Elliot took the train down from New Haven, looked around Rockefeller Center and went to the Top of the Rock while they waited for me to arrive. 

We met at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where I was staying, and walked a mile or so to the Hide-Chan Ramen restaurant. I really enjoyed the chance to see John and Elliot if only for a short time. We then walked to Grand Central Station, where Elliot's legs were ready to fall off. It was a quick walk, but they caught the 8:34 train with 20 seconds to spare, so they didn't get home too awfully late. 

New York. 

Hot dog, shish kabob, nuts and other street food carts are on nearly every corner in the busier parts of the city. 

And pretzels. 

I can't come to New York and not get a 99-cent hot dog. 

Shish kabobs.

The food carts are popular. 

A lot of buildings from Times Square to Rockefeller Center are decorated for Christmas. These lights are each about the size of a small person. 

And more food carts. 

The Hershey and M&M stores are a must-see, and shop. 

This is Rockefeller Center done in Legos. 

And so is this. 

This is a real building. 

The building across from Rockefeller Center features a light show every few minutes. The Rockefeller tree was up, but lighting was planned for Wednesday, when I would be at the airport coming home. Dynamic road signs and the TV news reported that the city would be in gridlock up to and during the lighting with all the people coming to see Rod Steward, other entertainers, and the tree lighting. 

New York also offers plenty of pizza joints. 

I ate dinner at this build-your-own burger (1/3-pound burger with blue cheese, baby spinach, lettuce and chipotle sauce for me) joint on Tuesday evening before I went to see the Evita Broadway show at the Marquis Theater. 

Further down Broadway is Macy's Department Store with its fabulous Christmas displays in the outside windows. 

Yes, Virginia...

The escalator from the first floor of Macy's to the basement (where you can buy men's socks if you forgot to pack any) has a wooden escalator just like this one in the window display. Maybe the other floors do, too. I didn't go up. 

Kids watching for Santa. 

A young policeman directing traffic. 

Macy's shoes. 

Oh, yeah. There is plenty of garbage piled in the streets at night. 

Policemen riding horses and talking on the cell phone. 

Such a New York attitude. 

A street artist creating Twin Tower scenes with spray paint and putty knives. 

More street artists. 

And more. These are along the sidewalks at Times Square. 

The LDS church features this "Christmas Is" ad on a large billboard at the south end of Times Square, on a large TV screen right at Times Square, and on the TV screens in taxi cabs. 

Times Square. 

Good Morning America from my hotel room on Wednesday morning. 

Good morning America near China Town on Wednesday morning. This sushi is sitting here with no one around. I suppose it is free for the taking. 

7-Eleven. 

China Town fruit stand. 

I suppose these show pressure points for massages or acupuncture, at a drug store. 

I had to chase down this fast-moving guy to get a picture of him transporting four little pigs from his truck to a restaurant. 

This isn't the Year of the Rat, but four years ago was, and seven years from now will be again. 

Lots of fire escapes. 

Not many playgrounds.

This Subway was closed. Maybe open later in the day. 

Do not park or leave your bicycle on this street. 

Yeah, man, I want a massage. But I think I'll take two one-hour massages rather than one two-hour massage. 

Construction is a way of life in New York. I have never been here when this wasn't a typical scene. 

Wall art on a cafe. 

Same cafe. 

New York legs. 

I couldn't come here without capturing a picture of the Empire State Building. 

Union Square was full of Christmas vendors selling everything from fresh bread to handbags to spices. I'm not sure what those have to do with Christmas, but that's what the theme was. 

And vegetables. 

This is called a watermelon radish. 

I forgot the name of this fruit. 

People could buy signs. 

And puppets. 

Back at Times Square, I discovered mobs of Albanians driving down Broadway with horns blaring, people hanging out the windows and sun roofs and crowded into Times Square dancing, cheering and waving flags. Apparently Wednesday was the 100-year-anniversary of Albania's independence. 

Lots of steaming pipes sticking out of the roads. I assume the steam is coming from the subways. 

In Times Square, tourists can have their picture taken with two or three Minnie Mouses, a couple of Mickey Mouses, several Tickle Me Elmos, and five or six Statues of Liberty. And Woody. And the naked Cowboy. And some Chinese guy dancing in his underpants. That's New York. 

San Francisco Bay and Around

I decided to drive to Sacramento for a half-day seminar, partly because the seminar was on again, off again, and I needed more flexibility than I could get with a nonrefundable airline ticket, and partly because I just wanted to drive. This is my photo journey.

The Sierra's received a lot of snow over the past few days, but the day we drove through was sunny and nice. This is Donner Lake, near the summit. I say "we." Did I mention that Randy came with me?

Any trip past Fairfield, California, requires a stop at the Jelly Belly factory and store. Do not try the Baby Wipes, Rotten Eggs or other bizarre flavors. As with any Jelly Belly, their flavors are true to their labels. 

A trip to the Bay Area also requires a visit to Santa Ramen in San Mateo. I have to say, I was a little disappointed that the pork has gone from its former large thick slices that fell apart when picked up to thinner, round slices. Otherwise, the tonkotsu (pork-flavor) soup was superb, and the noodles were perfect. 

A number of artichoke, pumpkin and Brussels sprouts farms run along Highway One and the ocean between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. I think these tracks once carried trains that transported the produce. 

It looks like the artichokes are about ready to harvest. You can just see the ocean in the top left corner of this picture. This farm runs up to the edge of the cliff about 50 to 75 feet above the beach. 

A visit to San Francisco wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. This fog hung around all morning and suddenly burned off in about 10 minutes. 

Golden Gate Bridge

This monument at the Vista Point just north of the bridge commemorates the many sailors, including my dad, who have passed through the Golden Gate. 

This is San Francisco at sundown as viewed from the Marin Headlands. 

And San Francisco under a nearly full moon. 

I owned one of these Kawasaki 900s (Z1) in 1974, the second year they were out. At least a hundred classic and other old motorcycles, scooters and motorcyclists gathered at Fort Point below the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday Morning. Then they all fired up their bikes and rode away. 

Some had a little harder time firing up their bikes than others. 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse on the U.S. Pacific Coast, is between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz on Highway One. The U.S. Government tried to sell it to a private party several years ago, when we lived in California, but it has now donated the lighthouse to the California Parks, and it's open to the public. 

We started the coastal ride in Santa Cruz and stopped at Barbara's Fish Trap in Half Moon Bay for some clam chowder and sourdough bread. The bread was delicious. The chowder was dairy-free and okay, but it would have been better with cream. 

The Coastal Redwoods are not as big as the Sequoias, but they hold their own. This is at Muir Woods in Marin County. 

The educational signs in Muir Woods are vey realistic. 

Sorry for the focus; I took this on my iPhone. This is Ristorante Allegria in Napa, where I had Pappardelle Allo Zafferano, which is fresh homemade saffron pasta with jumbo prawns, wild mushrooms, artichoke hearts and shrimp bisque. Mmmmm, definitely worth the drive to Napa. 

The advertisements for the Mont Bleu Casino and Spa bragged about the jacuzzis in the rooms. This sounded relaxing after four days of driving, sitting through a seminar and hiking up and down the coast. And for $55 via Hotels.com, it wasn't a bad deal. What the ads didn't say was that the jacuzzi was actually in the room. This wasn't going to work for two guys, and I didn't want to sleep in a steamy room. What a waste. 

Lake Tahoe in the morning. I think if you click on this picture you'll get a bigger panorama view. Otherwise, squint. 

This is what's left of the Shoe Tree, along Highway 50, The Loneliest Road in America. Some bozos cut it down in December 2010 and set it on fire, burning the tree, the shoes and the grassland behind it. The legend of the tree is that a newlywed couple on their way to California stopped under this big cottonwood and had a fight. The bride got out of the car here while the husband drove down the road to cool off in the Middlegate Bar. When he came back, she was still angry, so he threw her shoes into the tree and went back to down a few more beers. She finally cooled off, and they went on their happy way, but they never retrieved her shoes from the tree. Over the years, the tree filled with shoes. I even threw a pair up there a few years ago. Other people have started a new shoe tree next to the old one, but the legend may have died with the vandals. 

Someone lives along Highway 50. 

We stopped in Austin, very close to the middle of Nevada, and ate lunch at the International Cafe. I don't know why it has that name. I do know that a day later I am not eating anything solid.