Tag Archives: travel

New York City from the Whitestone Bridge

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A photo taken from a moving vehicle.

New York City from the Whitestone BridgeOne of the great things about digital cameras is that you can snap as many stupid pictures as you like. You can then just delete them all without any money or film or paper wasted. But once in a while, one of those stupid pictures is a keeper. That’s what I think about this photo I took while Mike was driving us across the Whitestone Bridge, from the Bronx to Queens, the day after Thanksgiving, 2005.

Thanksgiving Day had been cold, rainy, and relatively miserable. Of course, we didn’t really see it that way. Living in Arizona, you get to really appreciate rain. So experiencing it firsthand is a nice thing, even if you had to travel 2,400 miles for the privilege.

The next day dawned clear, with blue skies. The kind of day that’s common in Arizona but rather precious in New York. We were scheduled to have our second Thanksgiving dinner in Queens with Mike’s family. Although Mike’s mom lives a stone’s throw away from the Throgs Neck Bridge in Queens, you need to take the Whitestone to get to her. As Mike drove over, I was enjoying the view of New York. I snapped a bunch of pictures and this one actually came out okay.

What I like about this picture is the ship and the airplane. I don’t know why. The plane had just departed from La Guardia Airport, which is to the left, just out of the photo.

What I don’t like about this picture is what’s missing. Since September 11, 2001, I’ve only been back to New York about five times. Seeing the skyline without the World Trade Center is still difficult for me. It was such a fixture in the minds of anyone who knew the skyline — especially people who regularly saw it from a distance in New Jersey or Queens or Brooklyn. New York seems somehow older and smaller without those two towers. Probably because the tallest building in the city is, once again, the Empire State Building, completed way back in 1934.

Anyway, I know this isn’t a great picture. The color is a bit weird and the focus is kind of fuzzy. But it’s a reminder of my roots, of life in the big city, where things are busy and vibrant and everything is moving very fast all of the time.

i-Fusion

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I buy a new iPod accessory.

It isn’t the iPod that’s costly. It’s the accessories.

Anyway, one of the things I like to do with my iPod is listen to podcasts. The only problem is that I don’t listen to my iPod often enough to keep up with all the podcasts I like to follow.

I decided that a good time to listen to podcasts was in the afternoon, when I got home from work and was doing things around the kitchen. You know: emptying the dishwasher, making dinner, cleaning up after Alex the Bird.

I used to plug the iPod into my Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, which has a great sound system. But the other day the darn thing just stopped working. (My third Mac hardware problem in 6 months. They say bad things come in threes.) I have to decide whether I want to find someone to fix it or just leave it in the living room as a nonfunctioning conversation piece.

I tried plugging the iPod into my 12″ PowerBook, which spends a lot of time in the kitchen. The PowerBook’s hard drive is too full to keep the podcasts on it. But I couldn’t get the volume up loud enough to hear over Alex the Bird or the water running in the sink.

What I needed, I decided, was a set of portable speaker that I could use in the kitchen or take up to Howard Mesa or bring along on road trips. Something that had decent sound and was very portable.

i-FusionI did some research. I found i-Fusion.

I read the reviews on the Apple Store Web site. Everyone absolutely raved about the sound quality. I was a little skeptical. These speakers were small. I don’t care what the case is made of. They can only be so good. Fortunately, I didn’t need Bose quality sound. I just needed something that would sound okay and not distort if I turned up the volume a bit.

One reviewer whined that there wasn’t a place to store the power adapter. There is, however, a place to store the iPod and the earbuds. (I normally keep both in my purse when I travel.)

The price was a bit higher than I was willing to spend. My budget was about $100. This was $149. But I found it on the Tiger Direct Web site for $129 plus shipping for a total of about $135. And I felt as if I needed a treat, so I bought it.

It came today.

I must be spoiled when it comes to sound quality. Maybe it’s because Mike used to sell stereo systems and he buys good stuff for the house. Not expensive stuff, but good stuff. Stuff that sounds good. Really good.

i-Fusion does not sound really good. It sounds fine, but not really good. Those reviewers at the Apple Store Web site really need to spend some time in a stereo shop’s sound booth. Heck, I have a Sony boom box in my hangar that sounds better than this. But I’m not complaining. It’s certainly listenable and it can be turned up quite loud.

The case seems sturdy, the storage spaces are a bit silly but functional. I agree about the power adapter. It seems that they could have built the DC converter into the box (perhaps where the earbuds are supposed to go?) and made a retractable cord. That would have been a better design decision. But I can certainly imagine taking this little bugger on the road. With its built-in, rechargable litium-ion battery, it’ll be great for Howard Mesa, which doesn’t have electricity (yet).

Happy with my purchase? I think so.

I’ll let you know when I catch up on all those podcasts.

Brew and Go

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I get a new coffee maker…again.

It’s disposable products all over again.

Brew and GoI’ve been using a Black and Decker coffee maker called “Brew and Go” (formerly, “Cup at a Time”) for about fifteen years now. I like fresh-brewed coffee every morning, but Mike doesn’t. It’s silly to make a whole pot — even if I do want a second cup, I won’t take it from a pot that’s been sitting on a burner for 30 minutes. So I make a single fresh cup every time I want one.

(And in case you’re wondering, I usually don’t drink brewed coffee in restaurants. Burner sludgification is one reason. The other is that most restaurants out here don’t know how to put enough coffee in the brew basket to make a strong enough cup. I think it’s because it’s pre-measured and it comes in bags. This is the same reason I’m avoiding those “pod” coffee makers. You can get decent restaurant coffee in New York and on the west coast, but in the midwest, southwest, southeast, and elsewhere, the only way I can get a cup of coffee that’s strong enough for me is to order a latte at a coffee shop.)

The other day, I bought my fourth or fifth one of these coffee makers. They work fine for about two years, then they start getting unreliable. The usual symptom is that they stop brewing before all the water in the reservoir has been heated and pumped up to the grinds. You wind up with a 2/3 full cup of coffee with leftover water. It isn’t a big deal to push the button again — usually that’s enough to get the rest heated and brewed. But experience has taught me that this is only the first of the pot’s symptoms. The next step is that button getting broken. And when that happens, the coffee maker won’t work at all.

So I consider the funky button a warning sign. I’ll need a replacement soon. So I went online and found a replacement for a good price on Amazon.com. (Note to my critics: Sadly, you can’t buy anything like this in Wickenburg, so shopping locally was once again out of the question.)

Oddly enough, they showed two models and the only difference I could see between them was the size of the machine. Since both were under $20 with only a $4 price difference and I figured that I could use one in my hangar, too, I bought them both. I was curious to see how they differed.

They arrived yesterday. Their boxes are identical with two exceptions:

  • One box says “Deluxe” (that’s the $17.99 model) and the other doesn’t (the $12.99 model).
  • One box illustrates and identifies a stainless steel travel mug (the $17.99 model) and the other one illustrates and identifies a plastic travel mug.

I opened the deluxe model and got a good whiff of the plastic aroma that accompanies many new appliances made primarily of plastic. I pulled out all the packing material, plugged it in, and brewed through some plain water. Then I decided to read the instructions for some tip to get the smell out. The instruction book only had four pages in English — not much to instruct.

Of course, the unit is made in China. I’m not sure if the original “Cup at a Time” was made in China. It was a long time ago. It was probably Taiwan back then.

I brewed up a cup of coffee using the built-in filter basket. I usually don’t use that thing because grinds get through it into the coffee. I like my coffee very strong and usually grind the beans to the first “Fine” setting on the machine at the supermarket. The “gold” filters that come with many coffee makers simply aren’t fine enough to prevent the grinds from going through. But I figured I’d try it a few times. If I could make a good cup of coffee with the reusable filter, I’d save a few bucks on paper filters — not to mention the time it takes to cut the #2 cone filters down to size. I’ll experiment over the next few days and maybe even get some coffee ground a litte coarser.

The first cup of coffee tasted a bit like the plastic I smelled. Or at least I assume so — I don’t make a habit out of tasting plastic. There’s a puddle of finely ground coffee at the very bottom of my cup, like mud on the bottom of a pond. The first problem will be remedied with time, the second will probably require a grind or filter change.

But the coffee maker performed flawlessly, using up all its water and making a nice, hot cup of coffee.

The old coffee maker is now sitting in the trash like the three or four that came before it. As we all know, it’s usually more expensive to get these things fixed than to buy a new one. That’s how the disposable economy came into being.

A little side story here. Our original DVD player only lasted about 5 years. We tried to get it fixed and everyone we brought it to quoted us a price to look at it that was more than the thing was worth. Then we tried to give it away to a school or electronics repair training facility so the students could use it to learn about the machine and/or how to fix it. No one would take it. Mind you, this isn’t a machine that had been abused. All of its parts pretty much still worked. It just didn’t play DVDs anymore. The only option was to throw it out.

I recently sold two very old Macs (an 8500 and a beige G3) on eBay. I got 99¢ for one and $9.99 for the other. Plus shipping, of course. Although I’d spent a total of more than $5,000 for the machines years ago, I was willing to take the money. Not because I needed the $10.98 but because I didn’t want to take the two machines — which were still perfectly functioning — to the landfill.

I guess their new owner will do that one day.

It’s time for another cup of coffee.

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Is Organic Really Good?

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An article in Slate comments on Whole Foods marketing and reality.

If you’ve ever wondered whether organic food is more than just marketing, read this:

Is Whole Foods Wholesome? by Field Maloney.

I do have a mildly amusing story about organic food, so I may as well tell it here.

Years ago, Mike and I went for a week-long vacation in Hawaii with Mike’s cousin Ricky. Ricky is heavily into health foods and the like — or at least he was back then — and insisted that we buy organic fruit for snacking while we traveled.

I had a terrible cold and we bought some oranges at a supermarket so I could suck down the vitamin C and soothe my sore throat with the juice. They were delicious oranges, sweet and juicy, and I really enjoyed them.

But because Ricky wanted organic fruit, we tracked down an organic food market and bought some extremely ugly — but organically grown — oranges. They were terrible. Tough skins and membranes, dry pulp, and not even sweet. Mike and I refused to eat them. Ricky finally threw them away.

He never bugged us about buying organic again.

Now I’m not trying to say that organic is bad. I’m just saying that it isn’t always good.

Southwest Circle Helicopter Adventure

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I offer, for your perusal, the first draft of a 9-day helicopter charter I plan to offer passengers.

Yesterday, I spent the day in Sedona, AZ. I had a charter there that morning, and while my passengers were doing a Jeep tour, shopping, and having lunch, I spent the time planning a trip I’d been thinking about for a long time.

I’m interested in getting feedback. Take a few moments and read up. Use the Comments link to let me know what you think. Don’t balk at the price; it’s actually an incredible deal for about 9 hours of helicopter flight time over one of the most scenic areas of the U.S., plus lodging, other tours, and some meals.

Keep in mind that this posting is not an actual offer. Once I fine-tune the details, I’ll be offering the tour on the Flying M Air Web site. I’ll add photos and a table that lays out exactly what’s included each day. If you’re interested in actually taking this tour, contact me through that site and let me know. It would be great to do the first tour with someone who learned about it here.

Day 1
Your southwest circle adventure begins at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, where you’ll meet your helicopter pilot and climb aboard a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter. This helicopter includes many luxury features, including leather seats, bubble observation windows, noise canceling headsets, voice activated intercom system, iPod-compatible stereo audio system, and state of the art GPS navigation system.

You’ll make the 60-minute flight to Sedona, AZ via the Verde River and beautiful Oak Creek for your first stop at “America’s most scenic airport.” You’ll take a 10-minute shuttle ride to Uptown Sedona for a 2-hour Jeep tour among Sedona’s famous red rocks, shopping, and lunch or dinner on your own. Then its back up to Airport Mesa where you’ll check into your red rock view room at Sedona Sky Ranch. Sit on your room’s deck and watch the sun set over the town.

Day 2
In the morning, return to the helicopter for the 45-minute flight to Grand Canyon Airport. You’ll start your visit to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim with a 25-minute helicopter tour over the Grand Canyon with one of the park’s licensed tour operators. At the end of the tour, board a shuttle bus for the 15-minute ride into Grand Canyon National Park. Enjoy a walk along the Rim, browse through the gift shops and museum displays, have lunch, take a bus along West Rim Drive for a variety of canyon views. You can even take a short hike into the canyon itself. In the afternoon, you’ll check into your room at one of the park’s South Rim accommodations, walking distance to the Rim and its incredible views.

Day 3
After breakfast at historic El Tovar hotel, courtesy of your pilot, return to the airport where the helicopter waits. From Grand Canyon Airport, it’s a 45-minute flight to Page on Lake Powell. Possible activities in Page include a Navajo-led tour of Antelope Canyon, (an incredible slot canyon carved through the sandstone), a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam, and a boat tour on Lake Powell. Ground transportation is available via the free shuttle provided by the park service concessionaire. You’ll spend the night at the Wahweap Lodge, where you can stroll along the water’s edge at sunset.

Day 4
In the morning, return to the airport and your helicopter for the next leg of your trip, a 45-minute flight along the southern edge of Lake Powell to Monument Valley. You’ll land at the airstrip at Goulding’s Lodge, a historic trading post with restaurant and motel. From there, you’ll take a 3-1/2 hour tour of Monument Valley, driving among the famous sandstone buttes with Navajo guides. Then it’s back to your room at Gouldings, with its private balcony overlooking the valley.

Day 5
The next day, you’re off to Bryce Canyon. The 1-hour flight will cross Lake Powell and miles of high desert landscape, passing by the east side of Bryce for a glimpse of the famous hoodoo formations before landing at the Bryce Canyon Airport. You’ll go into the park where you can walk along the rim, taking in the sights as you go, or descend on well-maintained trails among the rock formations. Hotel accommodations are in the park, at the Bryce Canyon Hotel.

Day 6
Start the day with an hour-long flight to a remote ranch on the north rim of the Grand Canyon: Bar 10. This unique destination is a waypoint for Colorado River runners starting or ending their adventures. If we arrive early enough, you’ll see helicopters taking passengers in and out of the canyon. When things calm down, enjoy horseback riding, skeet shooting, and a cowboy show. All meals are included for this part of the trip — the ranch is so remote, there’s no where else to eat! Even the sleeping accommodations are something special: you’ll share a covered wagon for the night after seeing more stars than you thought existed.

Day 7
The next morning, it’s off to bright lights in the big city. After an hour-long flight over high desert and Lake Mead, we’ll touch down at North Las Vegas Airport and take a taxi to a hotel along the Famous Las Vegas Strip. You’ll be on your own to explore casinos and shopping opportunities. But make sure you’re available that evening for a Neon Lights tour along the strip with Papillon Helicopters.

Day 8
The adventure continues when we leave Las Vegas for Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. You may catch a glimpse of the Hoover Dam as we cross Lake Mead and head east on the 45-minute flight. After a coach tour out to Guano Point for sweeping views of the canyon and a buffet lunch, you’ll board a helicopter for a trip down into the canyon and a boat ride on the smooth waters of the Colorado River. Afterwards, relax in the helicopter for the 90-minute flight to Wickenburg, a western town perfect for unwinding on the last night of your adventure. Unwind at a downtown motel, near shops, restaurants, and the historic area.

Day 9
Spend the last day of your trip in Wickenburg, strolling through the historic area, browsing shops, visiting through the museum, or just taking it easy. When you’re ready to return to Phoenix for the return trip home, your pilot will take you to the airport.

Package Price:
$8,995 double occupancy for two people; add $1,995 for separate rooms. Prices includes taxes and other fees.

Reservations are required at least 30 days in advance. A 50% deposit is required at the time of reservation. Cancellations within 30 days of departure date are subject to a $200 cancellation fee. Deposits are forfeited for cancellations within 14 days of departure date. (Trip insurance is recommended if you think your travel plans may change.) Flying M Air reserves the right to change hotel accommodations and some services from what may be listed here in the event of unavailability. In all instances, substituted accommodations and services will meet or exceed those offered here.

Package price includes air transportation, tours, and lodging (double occupancy) as described, some ground transportation, and some meals for up to two people. Passengers are responsible for all incidental costs not specifically included in the description, including most meals, some ground transportation, and the cost of personal items purchased on the trip.

Total passenger and luggage weight is limited to 500 lbs. Luggage size is limited by stowage space constraints; details will be provided at booking. Walking distances up to 1/4 mile is required at several stops. Some accommodations have limited facilities due primarily to their locations in remote areas. This trip is not recommended for people with health problems or special dietary needs, or people who have difficulty getting around. Trip starts and ends at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (or another Phoenix area airport of the passenger’s choosing).

Important Note:
This trip is not being offered as a tour. Instead, it is a series of charter helicopter flights, for transportation purposes only, packaged with lodging, some meals, and tours offered by licensed tour operators at destination locations. Although the helicopter flights pass over and through some of the most incredible scenery the southwest has to offer, Flying M Air is not a tour operator in these areas and is not conducting the flights as tours.