Planes, Trains and Automobiles
April 26
- May 2, 2007
Boston, MA to Ballston lake, NY to New York, NY to Boston, MA
By: Scott Stillman
Boston, MA
I was invited on a trip by one of my product partners to Boston. (financial stuff) To be invited on a trip mean that you sell a lot of their product and they invite you to their head quarters to visit with their people who make the product. In a nut shell it is product familiarization. For me it's a really cool trip.
They put me up in Boston's Long Wharf hotel. Very cool. The only down side is that we had to pay for all Jennifer's expenses. Bummer. So I had meetings for the first two days. Thursday they picked us up at the airport in a limo. very cool. Then dropped us off at the hotel. Got settled then off to meetings. I met with money managers that manage over $550 Billion, with a B.
One of the money managers I met with was from France, spoke 5 languages, and travels all over the world buying companies. Not once while we were talking did he surrender. I was amazed.
Jennifer on the other hand spent the two days touring around Boston. She spent the day at the New England Aquarium
We were told by several people to eat a Legal Seafood. I heartily give it a thumbs up.
Ballston Lake, NY
After my meetings I picked up the rent car and Jennifer then headed off into the great wilderness of New England. This is where Floridians come from.
We drove from Boston 3 hours West to visit Jennifer sister, Kristina, brother-in-law, David, and nephews, Sebastian (11) and Vincenzo (18 months), The Decrescenzo's.
We arrived late checked into our hotel then headed out to eat. Kris and David work at a very cool restaurant named Fabio's, surprisingly owned and operated by Fabio and his family. This is one of the best places we have ever eaten. Special thanks to Marisa and Peter. I still drool thinking about it.
The next morning we got up early and went to bother the Decrescenzo's. We spent a very exciting day visiting. We played Frisbee golf with Sebastian. They brought out the Nerf guns and we played fetch with Vincenzo. We walked over to the park and watched the kids play.
It was fun sitting on the park bench with David making fun of the helicopter mom's at the park. Oh Oh be careful, don't fall, don't touch that, oh, oh. I think they got upset with our comments and left.
After a full day we sat around the fire pit in the back yard, had pizza, and just relaxed.
New York, NY
Your probably wondering how all this relates to sailing. This is a sailing log right.
The day after I received my invitation to Boston I received an e-mail from Capt Hank who I have been in contact with for about a year letting me know he was selling his boat and that it was available for viewing. So off to New York we went.
We left The D's early the next morning. Vinny wasn't feeling well and we decided to head south a little early. So, we showed up at My cousins a little early. 6 hours early. :) My Cousin, Adrienne (Fuzzy), lives at W 91st St & Broadway, New York, New York. It is a very cool place.
What do you do in New York when you have 6 hours to kill. Walk. We dropped off the luggage with the bell man, returned the rental, then walked to the park and watched people.
It still amazes me how much the city has changed. When I was growing up the thing to do, when we went to visit, was to throw water balloons at the prostitutes, or make wagers as to how long it would take them to get back. Now a 2 bedroom 1 bath condos in that neighborhood go for $1.5 to $2 million. There was no trash or graffiti, and the people were nice. We sat next to a guy on the bench who said " have a nice day" as he left, and meant it.
Around 4 we went to collect our stuff and head up. Fuzzy's place is on the 12th floor of the building. I can sit and stare out the building for hours. It has a roof top garden and a great view.
Fuzzy is a life coach. She help's people get their lives in order and on track. Evidently she if very good at it and has a growing client base. When she isn't helping people straighten out their lives she teaches Yoga. We visited for hours then off to bed.
The next day we piddled the morning away while Fuzzy worked then off to Oceanside, New York. Why you ask. To see a boat of course. We took the subway to Penn Station then hopped on the Long Island Railroad out to Oceanside.
Capt. Hank picked us up at the train station and took us to see his baby. "Catnap"
Catnap is a 36 foot PDQ. Stands for Pretty darn quick. As I type I am still drooling.
The next day we went on a walking tour of New York. Well our indecision forced us on a walking tour. We got off the subway at 42nd with the idea of seeing a show. After a few stops watching people and a few "just a few more blocks" we went to the movies across the street from ground zero. We saw "Next" We are such losers.
We ate some local Italian in the theater district.
We sat and watched people.
There is so much growth in New York. The city bird is the crane. Ground Zero is a nest of activity. There is a new building going up on every other corner.
During our walking tour of New York we were accosted by Greenpeace missionary's preaching to us about how we are destroying the planet. While trying to convert us to their religion they kept showing us the "proof" of their religion by waving the picture below in our faces. After a quick "GOOGLE" search I found Rush's explanation and the original post by the scientists who took the picture. Click the Picture.
That picture has been totally misrepresented.
It was of two polar bears on what looks like a melting glacier, a little ice
floe that has split away, and they are supposedly stranded. That picture was
taken back in 2004, and the caption for the original picture talks about how
these polar bears, a mother and her cub, are playing around on an ice sculpture
created by waves! An ice sculpture created by waves, a phenomenon that occurs
when you have real cold water and cold air in the north like at the Arctic
Circle. Now, nobody can tell me that waves are part of global warming, because
waves have been in the ocean ever since there's been the ocean. So global
warming had no impact whatsoever on where those polar bears were!
They chose to be there. They swam out there, swam up on the ice floe. They can
swim hundreds of miles, on top of the water, the surface, underneath. The whole
thing was a fraud, and it is a great little microcosm for the entire global
warming escapade. Credit
Rush
After my disillusionment at the religion of global warming, I bought a carbon "debit" and a tee shirt. :)
Click above to buy carbon debits
The next day we got up way too early, took a cab to Penn Station, then took the Amtrak Acelaexpress from New York to Boston.
Nice Seats
A few Pictures of New York Skyline as we left.
As you can tell from the map. Almost the entire ride was on the water. Very Cool, relaxing ride.
Back to the gravel pit.
College Station, TX
25 May 2007
Taking a break from the gravel pit for Jennifer's Birthday, she displays Scott's culinary prowess. Much chest thumping was seen. I will not, under threat of violent pain, and with holding of certain marital benefits, reveal how old Jennifer is.
Revised: August 25, 2007
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