tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93065932012-02-16T06:23:15.605-08:00mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.comBlogger831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-20306753196562020572007-12-15T03:15:00.000-08:002007-12-15T19:47:28.445-08:00

Before this trip, I did not know this Australian phrase. One of the people on our tour, Wayne, said it all the time, but it wasn't until Dee brought it up that I started hearing it. "Fair dinkum" (imagine it with a strong Aussie accent) is used to express surprise at something the speaker has said, along the lines of "Really", but less a question and more an exclamation. Rarely, it can also be

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-71790332670945405362007-12-15T03:07:00.000-08:002007-12-15T19:25:01.893-08:00

Before leaving Vietnam, I need to mention how much the Vietnamese love Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho, as they often call him. There are statues of him everywhere, and many billboards and signs all around Vietnam contain his picture along with some communist propaganda and often pictures of a farmer, a soldier, a student, a child, and a sheaf of wheat. Apparently, he loved children, as he is often

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-62004096118064493332007-12-14T06:12:00.000-08:002007-12-14T06:40:13.211-08:00

Our new, larger group and new tour leader, Matt, took the bus to Chao Doc, a fishing town in the Mekong Delta near the border with Cambodia. Soon after we got there, we all hopped on the back of motorbikes and took a trip up to a nearby mountain named Sam Mountain. The drivers didn't hold back much, and it was fun speeding through the countryside and up the mountain as sunset neared. At the

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-57201965342935175592007-12-14T05:13:00.000-08:002007-12-14T05:44:21.591-08:00

For our first farewell dinner in Saigon, our tour leader, Tan, took us to a dinner place that offered many kinds of meat that you grill yourself at your table. We decided to see how many different kinds of meat we could eat in one meal (i.e. increase our kill count), so many of us ordered different things. Because I had a shrimp spring roll as an appetizer, I ended up with the biggest kill count

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-90811397820194541572007-12-10T20:10:00.000-08:002007-12-15T19:25:56.056-08:00

Our next stop was Ho Chi Minh City, renamed after the Northern Vietnamese took over in 1975. We had been led to believe that the name Saigon was a bit offensive to the Vietnamese due to the history, but fortunately, this more pleasant name lives on even among Vietnamese. They use the names somewhat interchangeably, and anyone from District 1 says they are from Saigon. The train schedules and

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-57491897991306288302007-12-09T17:48:00.000-08:002007-12-10T20:04:39.053-08:00

After our busy days in Hanoi and Hue, we took a bus ride over a high pass to the leisurely town of Hoi An. We were lucky to have missed the recent floods, which seem to be just a part of life in this riverside town.The old streets are literally on the water, and when the tide is high, the river actually overflows and the street fills with water. A recent monsoon flooded the entire lower floor

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-9010327870756402262007-12-04T02:47:00.000-08:002007-12-09T17:48:03.764-08:00

Hue is a former capital of Vietnam and is home to the old imperial complex, called the Citadel. On the first day, we got a tour of this walled and moated area that has many intricate buildings dated back to the early 1800s. Our tour guide was Mr. Tang, a very knowledgeable and quite funny person who spoke English pretty well, except for a few eccentricities.After he made a joke, which he often

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-11744757569740087362007-11-30T18:08:00.000-08:002007-11-30T19:21:43.298-08:00

After returning to Hanoi, we were taking the overnight train to a city called Hue. We were sharing a sleeping compartment with Rob and Michelle, the younger Australian couple, and Rob had the bright idea to buy a case of beer to bring on. We found one in our neighborhood for about $10.It was a small compartment and there wasn't much to do, so we just sat and talked for hours while digging into

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-82626147289503207202007-11-28T20:07:00.000-08:002007-11-28T20:37:36.051-08:00

On our last day in Hanoi, we met the group that we would be traveling with in Vietnam and Cambodia. We went through an Australian travel agency called Intrepid that does many small group trips, and our group has seven people including ourselves. There's a younger Australian couple and an older Australian couple and their daughter, and we all get along well.The next day, we took a bus trip east

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-46223520614957892082007-11-28T01:03:00.001-08:002007-11-30T18:23:12.046-08:00

Our first day in Hanoi, we decided to go to the post office to send home the wood carving we bought in Bali, along with some books and clothes that we decided we didn't need. We walked from the hotel to Hoan Kiem Lake, a big lake in the middle of the city with a nice bridge to a temple. The post office was a large government building on the eastern side of the lake, and we walked up to the

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-68489898202962802742007-11-27T18:44:00.000-08:002007-11-28T01:29:07.734-08:00

Well, if it was chaos we were loking for, we got plenty of it as soon as we arrived in Hanoi. The taxi ride into the city was full of honking and passing, and the streets of the city were filled with cars, motorbikes, bicycles, cyclos, pedestrians, and general mayhem that after Bali seemed greatly magnified. The streets are filled with commerce from stores and street vendors, often spilling

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-10110550594269856702007-11-27T18:40:00.000-08:002007-11-28T00:51:58.776-08:00

On our last night in Bali, we had a beautiful meal cooked just for us down near the water at sunset. The food was incredible and used many local ingredients in innovative ways. It was the perfect, peaceful ending to our stay, and it gave us energy to meet the chaos in the cities of Vietnam.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-76313847057615107092007-11-19T22:24:00.000-08:002007-11-20T00:00:48.781-08:00

On Sunday, November 18, we transferred from our hotel in the hills to another Alila hotel on the beach in eastern Bali. Before we left, we did a trek through the rice paddies and down into one of the forested valleys. It was good hike with a tough steep drop, a river crossing, and a steep climb back up, but we were rewarded with a beautiful picnic lunch overlooking the fields.The new hotel is

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-89604677535877832102007-11-17T00:39:00.000-08:002007-11-18T15:18:56.475-08:00

After the usual crazy day before a long trip, Dee and I made it to the airport for our 12:15am flight on Wednesday (really Tuesday night). It was a 13 hour trip to Taipei, 2 hours at the airport there, another 5 hours to Bali, and an hour drive to our hotel, and when we got there, it was Thursday afternoon. Still, probably because we slept well on the first leg, it didn't actually seem that

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146956889495744292006-05-06T15:50:00.000-07:002006-05-07T20:32:48.396-07:00

Before leaving Argentina, I feel compelled to talk about Mate. This drink is enjoyed all over Argentina and it has a ritual associated with it that makes it a very social drink. I first noticed our porters in Patagonia drinking a brew out of a decorated gourd and passing it around. Our guide explained a bit about how it worked, and one day I got to try some. It is a bit like a strong green

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146955244272944312006-05-06T15:39:00.000-07:002006-05-07T20:28:52.186-07:00

We arrived in Iguazu midday. We were staying in the Sheraton inside the park, and our room actually had a view of the spectacular falls. Since we only had two days here, we decided to start right away with a tour. We started by going through the jungle in a four wheel drive vehicle, the guide explaining everything in three languages. I didn´t understand his English very well, so I used my

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146351528977766622006-04-29T15:37:00.000-07:002006-04-29T16:00:18.946-07:00

We enjoyed a lot of great food and visited a lot of great bars and cafes while in Buenos Aires. I feel the need to mention some of the best. Argentina is known for large amounts of very high quality beef. Apparently, Argentinians eat three times as much beef as Americans, which is saying something, but pretty much all of it is very high quality meat from grass-fed cows. Restaurants that are

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146350163239990192006-04-29T15:28:00.000-07:002006-04-29T15:36:25.876-07:00

Originally, we had wanted to go to a town in Argentina called Salta, where an amazing high altitude train supposedly ran a day long trip on Saturdays. However, we had called ahead and determined that the train hasn´t been running for at least a year. Instead, we thought we would stay at an estancia, one of the famous Argentinian ranches where you could hang out away from the bustle of the city,

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146348309173610132006-04-29T14:55:00.000-07:002006-04-29T15:05:09.553-07:00

One of our favorite neighborhoods to visit in BA was La Boca. As a whole, it is actually one of the poorest areas, but near the water, they have transformed the streets into a bustling market that complements the many colorfully painted houses. It is a bit touristy, but for a day, it was a great place to hang out, people watch, and catch some more tango and a mobile band of very talented and

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146263183151610832006-04-28T15:12:00.000-07:002006-04-28T15:26:23.163-07:00

Buenos Aires has one of the most luxurious cemetaries anywhere. Not content to die in a small grave, the famous, the well heeled, and the well connected are buried here, where the tombs are so big that the cemetary looks like a city within a city, with streets and skylines. The most famous tomb here, though definitely not the biggest, is that of the beloved Eva Perron (Evita), and we followed

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146262289097359762006-04-28T14:49:00.000-07:002006-04-28T15:11:29.113-07:00

Sarah (from Patagonia) had an Argentinian friend tell her that this phrase is used constantly as a greeting in Buenos Aires. We only heard it once, uttered by a kid to nobody in particular, but it seemed an appropriate phrase for this story.As I said earlier, we rented an apartment in BA. However, nobody works here on the weekend, so, deciding we didn´t want to pay the high price of the hotel

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146259530672715882006-04-28T13:33:00.000-07:002006-04-28T14:25:30.733-07:00

After all the moving around in Patagonia, Dennise and I were ready to stay in one place for a while. The Patagonia tour ended in Buenos Aires, and we stayed on for a while longer. Buenos Aires is a huge city, and we did many different things. I will try to sum it up with some pictures and stories.Because we were staying so long, we took the advice of the Canadians we had met in Mendoza, and

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1146256273980357912006-04-28T12:53:00.000-07:002006-04-28T14:31:35.390-07:00

The hiking tour we did through Patagonia was through an outfit called Mountain Travel Sobek. This was the second trip I did with them, and I highly recommed them. Even though their normal minimum for this trip was 6, they were willing to do it for just two of us. In the end, we were a group of four, which was a great size. Besides Dee and me, there were Sarah and Alex, both women who live in

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1145400197681216652006-04-18T15:23:00.000-07:002006-04-18T15:43:18.616-07:00

Okay, here's the situation: I got lost on our South American vacation. Yes, that's right, lost. It all started out fairly innocuously. We made an early morning start for a hike in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, near El Chalten. We were staying in a lovely little hosteria named El Pilar, and the weather was gloomy and overcast, but I was excited because our guide Pedro said it was a pretty

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1145397993682738352006-04-18T14:47:00.000-07:002006-04-18T15:08:41.186-07:00

On Monday, April 3, we drove to El Chalten, a small town just inside the northern end of Los Glaciares Park. For four days, we hiked in this area, staying two nights at a place just outside of town and two nights in town. Unfortunately, the weather during this time consisted mostly of rain and occasionally very high winds. Fortunately, these were the nights we were not camping. We never did

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1145328880727434842006-04-17T19:28:00.000-07:002006-04-17T20:00:17.196-07:00

On the first day of April, our group ended our stint of camping and drove across the wasteland between Chile and Argentina, crossing the border and landing in El Calafate, a town that has clearly flourished with the influx of tourists flocking to see the glaciers nearby. The most magnificent of these is Perito Moreno, a massive field of ice that is unlike anything we've ever seen. It is one of

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1145316009934051792006-04-17T15:48:00.000-07:002006-04-17T19:23:01.330-07:00

Patagonia is best described with some adjectives and a lot of pictures. Adjectives: harsh, desolate, windy, rocky, icy, stunning, unique, brutal, glacial, beautiful, lonely, awesome. We did four great hikes in Torres del Paine, an incredibly beautiful park on the Chilean side. Though we experienced some ridiculously high winds and some clouds and rain, the weather was amazing and we got to see

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1144796533772454352006-04-11T15:38:00.000-07:002006-04-11T16:02:13.790-07:00

Saturday morning, we walked around the different squares in Mendoza to get another look at a great city. We would have loved to stay longer, but we had a bus to catch back to Santiago. This time, we took a big bus that was a bit more comfortable. There were even movies during the ride, though they were Walking Tall, starring The Rock and with Spanish subtitles, and The Longest Yard dubbed into

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1144538179965785362006-04-08T15:27:00.000-07:002006-04-08T16:16:20.016-07:00

We decided to rent bikes and check out some nearby wineries, so we found a rental place in town and took off for Maipu, a town a few miles away that has many of the bodegas, as they are known in these parts. Our first stop was La Rural, which we had heard has a great wine museum. It was a little further than we had expected, and we had to pull out the map a few times to navigate the countryside

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1143393693356757222006-03-26T08:39:00.000-08:002006-03-26T09:21:33.390-08:00

We arrived in Santiago on Thursday morning tired from the long trip, knowing we still had to drive 6 hours over the border to Mendoza, the wine region of Argentina. We got our bags, cleared customs no problem, and headed to the car rental agency. As he was filling out the form there, I mentioned that we were going into Argentina. Dee had read that they need to know and might charge you a

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1143081356367754992006-03-22T18:32:00.000-08:002006-03-25T19:47:00.840-08:00

Dee and I are off to South America for the next 6 weeks. We had a pretty hectic morning finishing packing. Neither of us are sure we brought the right stuff, but it's too late to do anything about it now. We're in Dallas getting ready to board the flight to Santiago, Chile. Stay tuned for more....

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102602437863851362004-12-09T06:27:00.000-08:002004-12-09T06:27:17.863-08:00

My last view of Samuel for a while.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102541475224670462004-12-08T13:31:00.000-08:002004-12-08T13:39:48.663-08:00

We were glad we didn't have to rake these leaves.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102541339243976342004-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:002004-12-08T13:28:59.243-08:00

Near Prospect Park.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102541208077782882004-12-08T13:26:00.000-08:002004-12-08T13:26:48.076-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102532927922863812004-12-08T11:08:00.000-08:002004-12-08T11:08:47.923-08:00

Lookl closely at the eyes on this bus-side advertisement.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102515800307038472004-11-29T21:50:00.000-08:002004-12-08T06:24:23.346-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101792808212973682004-11-29T21:33:00.000-08:002004-11-29T21:33:28.213-08:00

Samuel and grandma

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101792565203787652004-11-29T21:29:00.000-08:002004-11-29T21:29:25.203-08:00

Dee and I took the F train opposite ways to do our own shopping.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101757287728195772004-11-29T11:41:00.000-08:002004-12-08T05:28:23.466-08:00

After passing up one French bistro near our hotel, Dee and I walked far and wide through the village for a place that served French onion soup. Finally, we found the West 10th St Eatery at 10th and 4th.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102515190014843632004-11-28T19:00:00.000-08:002004-12-08T06:17:30.840-08:00

We got rid of our post-museum haze by drinking a little beer at the Heartland Brewery.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101696970103525982004-11-28T18:56:00.000-08:002004-11-28T18:56:10.103-08:00

This was painted using chocolate. Mmmm.... Art.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101696772902399952004-11-28T18:52:00.000-08:002004-11-28T18:52:52.903-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101696661281563382004-11-28T18:51:00.000-08:002004-11-28T18:51:01.280-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101696523680312762004-11-28T18:48:00.000-08:002004-12-08T05:29:19.133-08:00

After a terrible experience at the worst designed coat check ever, and a guard who accused me of touching a painting , our experience at the newly reopened MoMA was great. This is a viw down from one of the upper levels.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101695586176735392004-11-28T18:33:00.000-08:002004-11-28T18:33:06.176-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101668790206312832004-11-28T11:06:00.000-08:002004-11-28T11:06:30.206-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101667900295697452004-11-28T10:51:00.000-08:002004-11-28T10:51:40.296-08:00

We had brunch at our favorite Ukranian diner in the East Village.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101667804150656272004-11-28T10:50:00.000-08:002004-11-28T10:50:04.150-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101667713631978982004-11-28T10:48:00.000-08:002004-11-28T10:48:33.630-08:00

My favorite poster in our hotel.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101617660664516552004-11-27T20:54:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:14:04.323-08:00

After a long day of walking around Manhattan and killer pizza at Lombardi's in SoHo, Dee and I are exhausted.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102515100446764142004-11-27T19:00:00.000-08:002004-12-08T06:21:58.923-08:00

In a bar in Little Italy while waiting to be seated at Lombardi's.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102515051310878242004-11-27T18:30:00.000-08:002004-12-08T06:18:56.876-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101606059826324762004-11-27T17:40:00.000-08:002004-11-27T17:40:59.826-08:00

More Christmas cheer near 33rd St and 6th Avenue.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101605817823638032004-11-27T17:36:00.000-08:002004-11-27T17:36:57.823-08:00

In full Christmas colors.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101605714470263612004-11-27T17:35:00.000-08:002004-11-27T17:35:14.470-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101605596043100652004-11-27T17:33:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:15:15.140-08:00

The north side of the park is well manicured and has cool courtyards like this.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1102514600214393462004-11-27T17:32:00.000-08:002004-12-08T06:05:32.146-08:00

My friend Kyle took this picture of us and some geese on the north end of Central Park.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101605456681744112004-11-27T17:30:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:15:44.506-08:00

This statue with grand piano is to commemorate Duke Ellington and the fact that he used to play in this square in Harlem on the north end of Central Park.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101585298608180862004-11-27T11:54:00.000-08:002004-11-27T11:54:58.606-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101584816892664952004-11-27T11:46:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:16:21.806-08:00

We didn't eat lunch here, but we liked the sign of the toast carrying the baguette.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101572309359653102004-11-27T08:18:00.000-08:002004-11-27T08:18:29.360-08:00

A Sample of the soft porn in our room, the Kim Novak room.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101572162916192232004-11-27T08:16:00.000-08:002004-11-27T08:16:02.916-08:00

The view of the back patio from our room at the Chelsea Pines.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101572026184833162004-11-27T08:13:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:18:29.916-08:00

We spent quite a bit of time in this great bar. They had Trivial Pursuit questions that we tried to answer, and the bartender, Andrea, kicked our asses. She bought us two rounds of Jaeger shots, though, so we forgive her. Heard from the bathroom: " This is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight 151. You're currently cruising at an altitude of 2 to 3 feet, with a visibility of several

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101569498014937712004-11-27T07:31:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:19:04.670-08:00

Me and Dee after a drunken evening with Brad at a great tapas place in Chelsea called Tia Pol and a bar called Flight 151.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101569349311511112004-11-27T07:29:00.000-08:002004-11-27T07:29:09.310-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101506946142959812004-11-26T14:09:00.000-08:002004-11-27T21:19:41.846-08:00

It looks like a cool church, but it's apparently a New York public library in the Village.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101506765487621502004-11-26T14:06:00.000-08:002004-11-26T14:06:05.486-08:00

We'r staying in Manhattan for four days in this cute and very gay hotel.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101426974250212672004-11-25T15:56:00.000-08:002004-11-25T15:56:14.250-08:00

What do Swiss people eat for Thanksgiving? Raclette, of course!

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101416491918071122004-11-25T13:01:00.000-08:002004-11-25T13:36:10.880-08:00

Our one traditional food item today is pumpkin pie for lunch. Mmmm... pumpkin pie.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101407094255634652004-11-25T10:24:00.000-08:002004-11-25T10:24:54.256-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101401198026974682004-11-25T08:46:00.000-08:002004-11-25T13:37:06.426-08:00

Due to the baby, we're not having the regular Thanksgiving meal. Our new tradition is bagels, lox, and cream cheese.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101330577735910502004-11-24T13:09:00.000-08:002004-11-24T13:14:40.566-08:00

Best pastrami sandwich ever! And I didn't have to tell them no mayo. Ilove New York. Thanks for the recommendation, Arshad. By the way, Dee and I split this, and I'm still full.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101330361936853702004-11-24T13:06:00.000-08:002004-11-24T13:06:01.936-08:00

Holy spiraling recursion, Batman!

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101330222141884852004-11-24T13:03:00.000-08:002004-11-24T13:03:42.140-08:00

I love this stuff. Look at how fractal it is. It makes me happy everytime I see it - this is in a farmer's market in Union Square.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101329972675709242004-11-24T12:59:00.000-08:002004-11-24T13:24:47.563-08:00

My lovely fiancée Dennise bundled up waiting for the Q to Manhattan.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101329809613898742004-11-24T12:56:00.000-08:002004-11-24T12:56:49.613-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101329706848555442004-11-24T12:55:00.000-08:002004-11-24T12:55:06.846-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101329631415682492004-11-24T12:53:00.000-08:002004-11-24T12:53:51.416-08:00

This tree has somehow grown around the metal fence. Amazing!

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101329467208764912004-11-24T12:51:00.000-08:002004-11-24T12:51:07.206-08:00

My brother's crazy dog Jamie made it into this picture of autumn leaves.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101328814505686162004-11-24T12:40:00.000-08:002004-11-24T12:40:14.506-08:00

I love fall on the east coast. Cool, crisp air and beautifully coloredleaves.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101318829281866112004-11-24T09:53:00.000-08:002004-11-24T12:19:48.160-08:00

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9306593.post-1101314516972082152004-11-24T08:41:00.000-08:002004-11-24T13:26:28.236-08:00

I'm an uncle! My nephew is 5 days old and he's *really* cute.

mrswisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07698765343219910308noreply@blogger.com0