Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Las Vegas

What Happens in Vegas...sometimes gets taken across state lines in shopping bags

You might think that I'm crossing the line, posting photos from Vegas.  You might protest, "That's not even on the East Coast.  They don't even have foliage, for crying out loud!"  You might think that Vegas has nothing to do with New York.

You would be wrong.

My good friends Alpha, Beta and Maycho gleefully booked us into the New York, New York hotel for our girls' getaway to Vegas.  This resulted in several enjoyable exchanges such as the following exchange between me and my taxi driver when I first arrived:

Taxi Driver (with great enthusiasm):  Welcome to Las Vegas!!  Where are you headed?

Me (with equal enthusiasm):  Thank you!!  To New York, New York!

Taxi Driver (enthusiasm undiminished):  And where are you from??

Me (enthusiasm floundering):  Oh...New York.

Taxi Driver (flatly):  Oh.  Well, at least you'll know what to expect.

Which also struck me as a funny thing to say.  I mean, did he get many tourists who arrived at the New York hotel screaming, "Oh my God, NO!  I was NOT EXPECTING A GIANT STATUE REPRESENTING LIBERTY!"

Perhaps to ease the pain of those unsuspecting tourists, the hotel thoughtfully provides a softer, kinder statue of liberty made out of jelly beans.

For those of you loyal readers who recognize this as my second posting of something made out of jelly beans, you get a gold jelly bean each.

Anyway, the hotel created some pretty good approximations of New York, like this fire-escape facade (which I think is supposed to be somewhere in Chelsea).

But the hotel also woefully misfired on other attempts at New Yorkisms.  As Megaphone pointed out to me even before I saw the sign, there is no such place as "Soho Village."

Alpha, Beta, Maycho and I decided to honor New York by doing what it knows best - shopping.



New York would be very proud of us.  I'm sure the Las Vegas economy was pretty pleased as well.

Maycho, Beta and Alpha as we wait for a taxi to haul our purchases back to New York (hotel).

I bought a new purse!  Although I went through a pretty lengthy period of buyer's remorse after we got back to the hotel, based entirely on my concerns that the new purse was too heavy.  My neuroses forced Alpha, Beta and Maycho to invent a game to test the heaviness of our purses.  The game pretty much consisted of one person closing her eyes and holding out her arms, and the other girls pelting her with purses.

Just before we watched Mystere (a Cirque de Soleil show), we grabbed a super yummy dinner at the fake palazzo in the Venetian hotel.  I must say, sitting under a false blue sky has its advantages - no wind, dust, dirt, bugs or threat of rain.  Can't prevent the humans-pretending-to-be-statues, though.

Alpha and Beta at dinner.  Don't they look identical?  And yes, those are my attempt at leaves - I'm trying to include some foliage for you New York-addicts!  I do concede that they look a little like peppers.

More photos after the weekend.  Happy Halloween!

Las Vegas.  On Canon Powershot.

Chicken and Waffles, You've Got Competition

I've been hearing a lot of buzz about this waffle truck recently.  They serve waffles topped with pulled pork.  I don't know what's wrong with me, but that sounds really good.  Doesn't it?  Artery screams notwithstanding?

Soho.  On Canon Powershot.

Fashionable Recycling Programs

If you're ever at a loss as to how to reuse your old Macy's shopping bags.

Also, I just noticed the two mannequins in the back, standing on top of a ledge.  How is that helpful for anyone?

Herald Square.  On Canon Powershot.

Inside the Artist's Studio

A painter working on the sidewalk in Soho.

Soho.  On Canon Powershot.

Nibble-sized.

The first time Sarni and I walked by Melissa's Cupcake stand in Soho, we were sucked in by the allure of eating teeny tiny cupcakes.  Seriously, they're minuscule.  We quickly realized that all we had done was pay several dollars for less than a bite of cupcake each.

Now Melissa has a brand-new store near Union Square.  To quote Sarni, "Do you think this Melissa person's just sitting at home, laughing at all the suckers who pay money for her cupcake crumbs?"  I think the answer is yes.  She's probably eating the real cupcakes that these cupcake crumbs came from.

After I took the above photo, Sarni and I went to the nearby ironically-named Crumbs, where we got a monster cupcake that we shared.  We were halfway done eating it by the time I realized I hadn't taken a photo.  Take our word for it, our cupcake could have eaten Melissa's cupcakes for breakfast.  (I think I feel a cupcake war coming on.)

Union Square.  On Canon Powershot.

I just wanna dance.

An impressive drummer-pianist-tap dancing combo in Washington Square Park.  Plus, you don't often see tap dancers that are also properly dressed for a round of one-on-one basketball.  As Sarni keeps saying (primarily to tick me off), "That's New York."

Washington Square Park.  On Canon Powershot.

Nice Wheels

Park Avenue, closed down for a bicycling event.

Midtown.  On Canon Powershot.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Newport, RI

I think it's time for me to reveal just how much Sarni and I loved Newport.  We LOVED it - we wish we lived there!  Except that we love New York too.  So maybe we wish we had a house in Newport.  And a yacht.  And maybe one of those cute convertibles . . . .

I'm back.  Anyway, we especially enjoyed exploring Bowen's Wharf.  There's something so calming about being near the water, even when the water is barely visible through the parking lot of boats and yachts.

We also loved the Bowen Seafood Festival.  We had New England clam chowder (of course), calamari (shown) and crab cakes (shown).  We also had the world's best lobster roll, which is not shown because we scarfed it down too quickly to take a photo.  Instead, I give you this:

"Is that a teddy bear inexplicably dressed in a lobster suit?"  Why, yes.  Yes it is.

This is a story about a photographer . . .

. . . and his favorite model.  Seagull, you're so fierce.

We also finished the Cliff Walk along the water next to the Newport mansions.  I was relieved to realize that if I ever get lost, the arrow on my face can point me in the right direction.

Don't the clouds look like cartoon clouds?




Oh, little butterfly.  Aren't you cold?

Okay, so I know there's an entire blog out there devoted to the misuse of quotation marks, but I still found this amusing enough to post.  This sign was sitting on an antique table at an antiques market in Newport (I took this photo just before Sarni asked, "Dude, why is this stuff so overpriced?")  I like to pretend that whoever wrote this card was deeply conflicted about whether or not anything should be put on the table.

Newport, RI.  On Canon Rebel SLR and Canon Powershot.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Newport and Providence, RI

If it seems like Sarni and I have been traveling a lot recently, well, that's probably because we have been.  All these fall weekends beckon us away from the city.  It's really the perfect time to get away and explore the New England area - the trees lining the roads glow with the changing colors of autumn.  Breathtaking!

I've spent an obscene amount of time culling just a few of my favorite photos of the fall foliage we enjoyed on the way to Newport, but remember that these photos are just a fraction of the real-life beauty!  (i.e., don't judge the poor trees based on these photos)

Note to self (and to you guys):  taking photos of foliage in a moving car is a lot harder than it might seem.

I love how this set of trees looks almost like a rainbow.  See it?  Do you see my vision?

Here we have Sarni executing a cartwheel in front of our house.  Just kidding.  He's doing a round-off.  Oh, and also, that's not our house, that's the house of our old friends the Vanderbilts.  (We call them the Vandies.)

We had a lot of fun visiting the historic mansions in Newport (even Sarni - and he's not usually the type to enjoy visiting historic mansions, unless someone has promised him that there will be beer and a rugby game inside).  Man, those Gilded Age rich really knew how to conspicuously consume.  The mansion above (the Breakers) had 70 rooms including a Roman palazzo, and the other mansion we visited (Marble house) had something like 500,000 cubic feet of marble installed.

Don't you hate it when your neighbors crowd you?

In the evening, despite some gentle and tactful words of wisdom from my mother ("You are so dumb."), we embarked on a bone-chilling ghost tour of Providence.  Bone-chilling primarily because it was FREEZING.

"This is the coldest and scariest evening of my life!"  That's what my expression says.  Except you can't see it.  Sorry for the lime-green coloring, although it's coincidentally fitting.  Slimer?  Ghostbusters?  Anyone?

Sarni and I calmed ourselves down after the ghost tour by taking these haunting (oh I am so punny) photos of Providence at night.

Day 2 tomorrow.

Newport and Providence.  On Canon Rebel SLR and Canon Powershot.

Your Move, Pawn.

On one of our excursions around the New York City, Sarni and I couldn't help noticing what a chess-ridden city this is.  Seriously.  There are cess-pools of chess ("chess-pools") all over the place.

King me!  No, wait, that's checkers.  Checkmate!

Not even the chessboards can escape the ol' baseball rivalry.  I wonder which players are the kings and queens?

West Village.  On Canon Powershot.

Table for One

"Is anyone going to sit next to me?  I'm melting here."

Brooklyn.  On Canon Rebel SLR.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Philadelphia

Give Me Liberty!

Sarni and I were not expecting Philly to be such an education in American history.  I mean, call me Canadian, but I just didn't realize what a central role Philadelphia played in the forming of the United States.  And Sarni especially loved all the references to defeating the evil British empire.  Anyway, it was pretty cool to see where the Declaration of Independence was first signed (and the DoI itself, although we were warned repeatedly that it could very well be a facsimile).

Okay, so this is hilarious.  See that poster above?  We ended up watching that film (Sarni was particularly enthusiastic, I think mostly because he wanted to take a nap).  That girl in the center of the photo is the now well-known actress Kristen Bell!  I never knew Veronica Mars was so involved in the American Revolution.  The things you learn.

A super-creative history exhibit.  Well played, Constitutional Center, well played.

The room where the founding fathers signed the Declaration, etc.  Not to get too political, but one thing that I thought was pretty cool was that Philly was very upfront and honest about the problematic fact that George Washington owned slaves.  Not just owned them - adamantly refused to free them.  I mean, how did he reconcile that with his authoring of the Declaration and the phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal"?  Now THAT'S a worthy People article.

Sarni and I stumbled upon the Liberty museum, which was a really good museum - moving, powerful, etc.  I have to be honest, though - the initial reason we went inside was because we heard about the jellybean exhibit (two children, made out of jellybeans, in front of a backdrop of moving butterflies).  It's probably not good that I saw "Liberty Museum" and thought "ooh, jellybeans!"

Also at the National Liberty Museum was the Flame of Liberty, a 20-foot art piece made out of blown glass.  It was pretty much as impressive as it sounds.

Finally, ta-dah!  The Liberty Bell!  We actually visited it twice - the first time, the line was so ridiculously long, we were like, pffft, I'm not waiting that long to visit some bell.  (Is it strange I'm worried that we hurt the bell's feelings?)  Anyway, the second time, the line wasn't too bad, and we ended up learning a lot about the bell.  Probably more than I needed to know about the crack.  (Insert inappropriate joke here.)

Philadelphia, PA.  On Canon Powershot and Canon Rebel SLR.

Kaleidoscope Project On Location: Philadelphia

Food, Fitness and Phillies (Fillies?)

Sarni and I made a quick visit to the City of Brotherly Love, and found it to be very...educational...but that's tomorrow's post.  Today's post will be filled (Philled!) with the random and the fattening.  Here we are in front of the famous Love artwork by Robert Indiana (living in New York, I promptly recognized it from our copy here in the city).  Please excuse our facial expressions.  Sarni has become camera shy.  *Roll eyes*  Husbands.  Amirite?

I'm sorry to have to announce it like this, but I met someone very special in Philly.  Sarni was a little upset at first, but I think he understands now.  I'm pretty sure Phillies Phanatic and I will be very happy together.  I hope our kids get his luminous complexion.  Don't lean away from me, PP!

Phillies fans are everywhere, man.

After all the fandom, Sarni and I were famished (Phamished!  okay, last one, seriously).  We stopped by Reading Terminal Market for one of Tommy DiNic's famous pulled pork sandwiches with sharp provolone and spicy spinach.  That's not grease, that's flavoring!

Apparently chocolate-dipped soft pretzels are also famous in Philly, so we got one of those too.  Or a couple.  But that's okay, because we needed to be able to conduct a taste test (see the sauces in the background?  That's science, my friends.)

After our marathon calorie-ingestion, Sarni and I decided to work out a little by running up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (aka "The Rocky Steps").  To his credit, Sarni did not go insane from my repeated renditions of "Eye of the Tiger."  Hmm.  On the other hand, he did seem really eager to run away from me.

We also walked by the Eastern State Penitentiary, where they host what's been voted as the number one haunted house in the world or something like that.  Given that I consider The Sixth Sense to be a horror movie, we quickly realized I wouldn't be able to last five minutes at ESP without completely freaking out.  But here's one of the gargoyles for you.  Ooooh.  Spooky.  (I genuinely think it is.)

How funny is this??  Just after I posted about finding numerous stuffed animals sitting around NYC, I find a stuffed bear sitting quietly on the sidewalk in Philly!  Seriously, guys.  Maybe it's me?  Are they following me?

Food for thought.

Philadephia, PA.  On Canon Powershot and Canon Rebel SLR.