Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Poughkeepsie (Again)

 

The doors of the Holy Comforter Orthodox Cathedral in Poughkeepsie, just a few steps away from the train station

Waiting for the return train again early on New Year’s Eve morning, I had another short investigatory stroll through the center of Poughkeepsie. It was sunny and much warmer than than ten days prior. The walk across the Hudson is enticing and I make a mental note to think about a future trip.

The sun does not significantly brighten the prospects of this Hudson town. The security cameras that are prominently identified brings the words of the Uber driver as he dropped us off at the train station, “I hope Poughkeepsie didn’t scare you too much.”

The signs about town evoke times past, which were likely more prosperous. I stopped by The Poughkeepsie Grind for a takeaway coffee and hot chocolate, inwardly smiling at the easy and friendly interaction between the staff and the regulars. The woman taking orders offered New years greetings in English and Spanish, depending on the clientele.

Quebec City: Notes and Itinerary

 

Quebec City from our hotel room Christmas morning

A seven-day family Christmas trip to Quebec City. We stayed in the Delta Hotel in Quebec City (690 Boulevard René-Lévesque Est) and took Ubers and walked around the city, particularly Old Quebec.

December 22 – bitterly cold and windy, Angie and I had lunch at INOX Brewery – Shared Platter European Hot Dogs. Everyone else arrived after 10pm, it was a full day of travel for them.

December 23 – Exploration of German Christmas Markets across the city. Made our way to the Petite Champlain, ride the funicular, lunch at 1608 Bistro good charcuterie and french onion soup. Breakfast and Evening meals in the hotel.

Angie and I shared the Charcuteries & Formages fins du Terroir – Pour 2 at the 1608 Bistro


Christmas Eve: the high temperature was only in the mid-teens, but without wind it was very bearable, one can almost say that it was pleasant. The old aphorism, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” applies. Brief stop at Second Cup Café in Place D’Youville. Shopping for food and snacks at Metro Plus. I felt like we were cheating a little because I already felt at home at the Richelieu, a smaller, more intimate grocery store near our hotel.  We walked through interesting neighborhoods, while Miranda and Liam played in the snow. We bought bread at Boulangerie artisanale Epi-Fanny (Rue Saint-Jean). In the afternoon, walk to the Plains of Abraham, where famous battle between the French and British colonial forces took place in 1759, to see the Saint Lawrence River. Dinner at Sapristi…bistro bar, a popular Italian place near St. Jean Gate.


Christmas Day: Breakfast buffet at the hotel, continuing conversation about ground cherries. Walk on the Plains of Abraham, overlooking the Saint Lawrence River. Dinner at the Cochon Dingue (1614 Rue Saint-Jean) with French Canadian Cream Pie.


Boxing Day: Aquarium de Québec with arctic foxes and polar bear (ours blanc). I walked along the citadel and found the memorial to the Irish famine. Café Félin Chat-Nous (cat café) for hot chocolate and coffee.

The view of the Saint Lawrence River, over Petit Champlain

Irish Famine Memorial in Quebec City

Shy Iris

Having hot chocolate and tea

Beautiful Bianco 

December 27
– Miranda and I went to a record store (CD Melomane Inc – 248 rue Saint-Jean), I bought Steve Terre’s Rhythm Within, and Bowie’s ChangesOne for her. Lunch: L’Atelier (in the bubbles). Musée de la Civilisation. We had dinner at hotel with Mom and Beau. While Christian, Heather and the kids had dinner with friends who were also visiting the city.

Eating in the bubbles at L'Atelier

December 28 – Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral. Lunch: fondue at Restaurant Le Petit Château. Maple Taffy at the Château Frontenac. Sledding at the Plains of Abraham. Angie and I went to the Dufferin Terrace Tobogan Slide. Late dinner (appetizers) at Bistro Hortus.

Lunch at Restaurant Le Petit Château 

Hot taffy poured over ice, then it can be rolled up on a stick for a warm treat


Sledding on the Plains of Abraham

The toboggan run

Post-toboggan meal at Bistro Hortus


December 29 – Leave Québec; got everyone else on the way and then Angie and I took a walk. The temperature was above freezing for the first time this week. Quick snack at Sapristi…bistro bar. Train ride to Montreal, dinner at Les Soeurs Grises Bistro-Brasserie (32 McGill Street).

December 30 – Breakfast at Pigeon Café (inspired by Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!). Depart from Montreal, all day ride to Poughkeepsie.



 





Saturday, December 21, 2024

Montréal Canadiens

 

Bell Centre

It might not be your team, but one cannot help but be moved by the energy in the Bell Centre as the Canadiens take the ice at the beginning of the game. A video recording of the team’s history, founded in 1909, winning 24 Stanley Cups, and producing the likes of Richard, Morenz, Béliveau, and LaFluer, all of whom were from the city, starts the countdown to faceoff. At the conclusion of the video, the narrator argues that it is the city that made the men, and therefore the team, rather than vice versa. The people were the heart of the Canadiens, in other words.

As the last home game of the year, and the Saturday prior to Christmas, the mood in the arena was festive and celebratory. The scoreboard repeatedly showed fans wearing both Canadien sweaters and Santa hats with the team’s logo. The anglophone family sitting to my right, a mother, father, and two teenaged daughters, were very much into the contest on ice, discussing players and the flow of the game. While the parents enjoyed a couple of beers, the young women indulged in pizza and popcorn.

When Angie and I walked down to the Bell Centre Plaza earlier in the afternoon, we met a couple from Munich who were going to attend the game later. Decked out in Canadiens gear, they recounted their two-week trip to Ottawa, Buffalo, and Montréal to see NHL players from Germany play. The man was a Montréal fan, while the woman preferred the Washington Capitals. Nevertheless, they were excited about the prospect of seeing Moritz Seider play for Detroit that evening. At the game that night, I did not realize it until well into the third period, the man sitting to my left and his two companions, possibly a brother and father, were all speaking German. Perhaps a sign of the NHL’s global reach.

The chiens chauds (hot dogs) at Canadiens games are legendary. Although I had a satisfying pregame mean, at second intermission I felt compelled to sample one along with a locally brewed L’Amer IPA. The dog, skinny but flavorful, comes on a toasted bun, which is its most distinctive feature, along with ketchup, mustard, and relish. About ten days prior, when the Penguins were playing in Montreal, the broadcasters, Steve Mears and Colby Armstrong, indulged in chiens chauds during the first intermission, eating them on air. Armstrong related how during his playing days the Montreal staff would deliver a pile of dogs to the visiting team’s locker room at the conclusion of the game.

 

chien chaud

A Brief Stop in Poughkeepsie

 

Poughkeepsie Train Station

Another cloudy and cold day, and because I did not check the emails from Amtrak, we arrived at the train station two hours early. While walking in town, I heard the fragment of a conversation where one man said to another that afterhours he could spend a night somewhere, that he should not be sleeping outside in this weather. At least he would be warm and get some sleep. Several people I saw in town looked like they struggled with the basics.

There are hints that life in Poughkeepsie was once better. For instance, the Bardavon Theater, built in 1869, continues to screen movies – albeit classic films, rather than first-run features.

I stopped in at The Poughkeepsie Grind to get us a coffee and hot chocolate. Despite the bleak weather, and the state of the town, the people in the coffee shop were festive and happy. The holidays were approaching and there was a sense of relief and celebration among the patrons.

The Poughkeepsie Grind

The train station in Poughkeepsie was once a small-town treasure, it is still a nice a pleasant place to start an adventure although many are commuting from it for a day’s work. We sat across from a man who had missed an earlier train and was passing the time talking to a friend about movies and music. He noted that he had worked at a record store while in college and, therefore, had listened to a lot of bad music in the 1970s. My attention drifted as I was more attuned to my Poughkeepsie Grind coffee and the latest stories that purported to be news. His severe critique of the band America, their only hit in his estimation was “A Horse with No Name,” was emblematic of their entire catalog, suggesting that all their songs were with no name. It made me smile, and I returned to the news on my phone. The conversation continued with him thinking that “Dust in the Wind,” might have been one of their songs. Not meaning to interrupt, I instinctively shook my head no and he saw me. The tilt of his head and raised eyebrows inquired me. “Kansas,” I noted was the band instead I said apologetically, it was a popular song in my circle when I was a kid. Had he not been on the phone I would have added that the tendency to name bands after geographic locations, Kansas, American, Boston, meant that they were easily confused. After he ended the phone call and got ready to board his train, he looked at me and shook his head, “I listened to a lot of bad music in the seventies.”



Friday, December 20, 2024

Moynihan Train Hall (NYC)


Moynihan was lively on a Thursday evening, less than a week before Christmas. Nearing its fourth anniversary, the hall is a significant upgrade of Penn Station as a terminus for Amtrak in New York City. Since the pandemic, New York as a destination has decreased significantly, and we were only transferring to another train. There was enough time to be stunned into indecision about where to procure a snack. With its sleek design and amenities, Moynihan is an invitation to return to New York City.

Prior to getting food, I had to make a stop in Walgreens to buy band-aids after helping a woman retrieve her suitcase from the overhead luggage rack. Somehow, I cut my thumb right along nail and could not get it to stop bleeding. The inevitable hazards of taking low-dose aspirin. 

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Middletown and the Brownstone

 


The Brownstone Café, which sits in the center of Middletown, Pennsylvania, always does a brisk business and serves as a gathering place for locals. The restaurant is always busy, it is a question of will we have to wait for a table. It is good for serving uncomplicated, but good food with friendly service. Located in a former bank, the building retains many of the accoutrements of its former tenant, including the safe and tellers’ windows. The music is appropriate for the clientele, for example, a week prior to Christmas, Merle Haggard’s “Santa Claus and Popcorn” was barely heard above the din of conversation.

The locals who frequent the Brownstone can be interesting. An elderly man sitting behind me was engaging our server in a prolonged conversation about her background. She remarked that she had moved to Middletown about eight years prior with her boyfriend. It was difficult to hear the entire conversation, but the man eventually asked if her parents knew she was living with her boyfriend. She noted that she had been with her boyfriend for eight years, so yes, they were well aware of her living situation, in a assertive yet not quite caustic tone. A couple seated behind Angie were engaged in odd conversations as well, with the woman complaining that her male companion had gotten her drunk the night before. She had previously worked at the restaurant and had, at some point, left her purse, prompting the manager to comment, “some things never change.” At yet another table, a young couple were feeding each other, perhaps in the spirit of the season like a budget conscious holiday movie.

Walking through town on a cold and cloudy afternoon, the lights at Hoffer Park did not seem to dispel the gloom of winter. Likewise, the sign inviting people to take the Santa Train from the M&H Railroad was not tempting either. The overcast skies and the damp cold, mixed with a persistent wind made being outside less than appealing.

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Salt Point Brewery

 


Located not far from Cayuga Lake and Ithaca, this popular brewery utilizes the outdoor setting as well as local farmers and producers for its craft food and beer. The snack board, a modified charcuterie, is a mixture of local cheeses, olives, seeds, dried fruit, and cured meats. Even though we chose the Margherita, the wood-fired sourdough pizzas are interesting and unique. (For example, the pizza special on the night we were there was a peach and pork belly pizza.) For dessert, we had the excellent Nutella burdino, which immediately demanded a recipe search.

Uncle Hazy IPA

My beer of choice was Uncle Hazy IPA (6.5% ABV), definitely hazy with a slight bitter edge. I liked it enough to take a 4-pack home.

Nutella budino

The atmosphere is lively and convivial, making it difficult, especially on a Friday evening, to find a seat to have dinner.

Address: Salt Point Brewery, 6 Louise Bement Ln, Lansing, NY 14882

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

The Lochside Hotel (Islay)

 

The Lochside Hotel in Bowmore, Isle of Islay

Established in 1884, the Lochside Hotel is a quaint and comfortable place to stay on Islay. Although the rooms are small, and the hallways narrow, this is certainly by the standards of a 21st-century traveler. The dining room and bar are cozy and convivial, with a whisky menu that contains virtually all the products of local distilleries, including those with eye-watering prices.

Room 6


Tuesday, June 4, 2024

BRLO (Berlin)

 


Nursing a Blurred Vision IPA for a few extra minutes of enjoying pleasant, if not threatening, weather. A sparrow is trying to manage and protect a huge chunk of bread, but rivals make that job increasingly difficult. Many people are sneezing because of the high pollen levels.


Pulled kikok chicken sandwich with red cabbage-tomato salsa, beetroot yogurt, and roasted onions. BRLO Blurry Vision Hazy IPA.

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Tapeo Gràcia

Sometimes, among friends, restaurants achieve a mythic status based upon the experience rather than the food. Of course, excellent food can help bolster one’s impression of a restaurant as well. Located on a nondescript street, behind the doors of an inauspicious building, Tapeo Gràcia is a warm and invitingly small dining area. Without a reservation, or eating by myself, I am frequently relegated to the bar, which is great as well. I can watch both the bartenders and cooks prepare meals for cheerful and expectant guests.  

I have fond memories of finding the restaurant after Sally, Niel, and I wandered the narrow streets of the Gràcia neighborhood of Barcelona for seemingly an hour. There are so many choices about where to eat, and it is difficult to decipher which ones are merely interesting from those that might have good food as well. The first time we stumbled into Tapeo, we thought we hit the jackpot. The following year, we attempted to retrace our steps, all of us forgetting the restaurant’s name. Just as we were about to give up, and Sally said, “the next decent restaurant,” as if by magic, we turned the corner and there was Tapeo.

I have had many good meals in Barcelona, but Tapeo remains my favorite. Without a doubt, it has interesting food and good drinks. But the ambiance and vitality of the restaurant makes it a fun place to visit.

 

May 2024 dinner:

Espárragos tempura con romesco ligero (Tempura Asparagus with Romesco sauce) 

Pan de coca con tomate (Coca bread with Tomato) 

Huevos estrellados con jamón ibérico de bellota (Broken Eggs with Iberian Ham, Bellota refers to free-range, acorn-fed ham, aged for over two years)  

 

Friday, May 31, 2024

An Incident at Barcelona Aeropuerto

As we approached security, a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair and silver-rimmed glasses was stopped and told that he was not allowed to take a luggage cart through. It was crowded and he was trying to hurry. When he took one bag off, another fell to the ground. His wife screamed, walked over, and kicked him so hard that the security guards instinctively moved to intervene. The man turned and took the luggage cart away. But everyone who saw it was stunned into an awkward silence.

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Taquerio (Mystic, Connecticut)

 Located in a former gas station, it is perhaps our favorite taco place on the planet(?). Last visited: April 2024.

Al Pastor, Salmon Taco, and Pollo Verde


Address: 30 Broadway Ave, Mystic, CT


Friday, May 17, 2024

Northern Lights

 


The Northern Lights seen over Nova Scotia on my flight to Iceland, after intense activity in May. Not the best photo, but my first-time seeing aurora borealis.

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Updates from the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail (April 2024)

 

Eastern Bluebird near Fish Hatchery Road

A breeding pair of red-tailed hawks have returned to their nest near the Mile 8 signpost. 

A peacock on Nealy Road

Spring dandelion 


Friday, April 26, 2024

Algy Theater (New Orleans, LA)

 


Located in the Algiers Point neighborhood, this classic 1940s neighborhood house did not have air-conditioning. As such, it probably made watching a movie in the Algy during the summer the equivalent of a steam bath. Today, the Algy is astudio and gallery for a local glassblower.

Address: 446 Vallette Street

 


Sunday, March 24, 2024

Cats on Vacation (Rehoboth Beach 2024 version)

Coco enjoy "her" new ottoman in room 119.

From their perspective, the cats think that Delaware is a room at the Residence Inn at Rehoboth Beach. While the car ride is scary, being in a new place is, at first, exciting. There are new places to explore and hide, a cubby hole beneath the sink for example. In fact, Coco got caught behind a dresser drawer and was trapped there for several hours. Our mistake was that we left the drawer wide open, there was not enough room for her to jump into the drawer and then out of drawer onto the floor. She was getting a little panicky, and I even went and asked the manager if he knew how to remove the drawers from the dressers. Although we are not engineers, Angie and Coco eventually figured it out.

At first, Pip was at peace. The territory that is a hotel room is much easier to monitor than the territory at home. There was no prompting him to use the litterbox, and he slept soundly in bed with us. He was gregarious and cuddly. But as the week went along, he let us know that he was ready to go home. He is a sensitive cat, who likes his routine. And he is not shy about reminding us of that.

Pip on the comfortable bed that, from his perspective, can only be found in Delaware.


Saturday, March 23, 2024

Snow Geese in Rehoboth Beach



Sometimes we are just lucky. After driving four hours, we three cats who are all reluctant travelers, I was unpacking the car when I noticed a huge flock of geese, descending not too far away. I paused to watch for a few minutes, noticing that there were flashes of white as birds descended and ascended – they were migrating snow geese. The birds were on their spring migration north to their breeding grounds in the Arctic.

With the roof bag unloaded and stored, the cats were relatively happy in Room 119, their temporary home for the week, I got in the car to go for a walk on the trail. In Rehoboth, walking any distance other than on trails can be difficult. As I waited at the light at the hotel, I noticed geese flying a few feet in the air from time to time and decided to investigate. Less than a quarter of a mile from the hotel, a multitude of snow geese were gathered in an empty field between medical buildings. Cars were slowing down or stopped to observe the spectacle, many people made eye contact and we knowingly returned smiles and grins with one another. Worried that I would frighten the birds if I got out, I pulled the car over watched the birds and took a few photographs. While there were a few stray snow geese for the remainder of the week, I did not see any large gatherings. It was just fortunate timing. 






Saturday, January 20, 2024

A Provocative Quote

Bertrand Russell (c. 1950): “One of the painful things of our time is those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision.”[1]

Russell, the eminent sociologist and philosopher who gave thought-provoking lectures via the BBC in 1950, worried about the balance between passion and reason when it came to the future of humanity. His concern about willful ignorance is a concern for any age and remains a source of consternation today.  



[1] Living in the Atomic Age (1950) by Andrew G. Bone. The Collected Papers of Bertrand Russell, Volume 26.

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Waiting for the Trolleys

 


I suppose I look like I know what I am doing. Waiting for a trolley at St. Charles and Martin Luther King Boulevard in New Orleans, two couples were milling around the stop. It was an odd place for a group of older tourists to be. I suspect they were not in the area to see the location of the 1900 Race Riots. One of the men, after some quiet conversations among the four, got up the courage to ask him for if I were local. The other man stood a couple of steps back, as if backup. “I am not,” I confessed, “but if I…”. I did not finish the sentence. They wanted help figuring out how to ride the trolley. I explained how on the app you could buy a pass for unlimited rides for $3, versus $2 per trip. He wanted to know if he could buy passes from the conductor; he could not. They are only available on the app. His response: “I’m old, I don’t like to put apps on my phone.” One could always delete the app as soon as you leave town. He acknowledged that was a possibility, “but still…”  he drifted off, and I meandered away. When I boarded my trolley, going the opposite direction, the four stood remained in the middle of St. Charles Avenue debating what to do.