Boston, Part 2 #AvisTravels

@iAmAviG

February 10, 2015

After the Irish Potato Famine Memorial I tried to go to the Boston Massacre Site and Old State House, which was unfortunately closed for the day.

And with the weather as it was (and me first wandering off in the wrong direction) I paid a few $ for a taxi to go a few blocks across town to the Paul Revere House.

No pictures were allowed inside the house, even if I was their VIP guest for the day (Important because I was the only one for the day), but there was a nice bell in front of the house…and no, I wasn’t allowed to lick this one either (a story about Philadelphia, for some other time…).

The house itself featured some of the original furniture, which were pretty impressive, and clearly things aren’t made to last like they used to.

From there I got walking directions to the New England Aquarium, which I did not go into, due to the high unnecessary costs, and more-so, the time constraints I was on, and instead found a cheap ferry that went across from the Aquarium to the USS Constitution and Museum.

They were only running one ferry at the time, the Rita, due to lack of passengers and need. 7 people got off when I got on, but I was the only one making the quick 10-minute trip across the river.

Among the sites seen on this trip, of which I spent it outside on the front deck (yes, in the cold instead of indoors) enjoying the harbor, was the Boston Harbor and a Coast Guard ship that was ready to roll as needed.
And I am not sure what it is about standing on the front of a moving ship, but it wasn’t long before I was humming Titanic music.

Once I got off the trip, it was a short walk down the pier to the entrance of the Charleston Navy Yard and the docks there, including a dry dock which led to Les Miserables songs now flowing through my head.

After waiting behind a large sightseeing group to go through security, I was finally able to go and see the USS Constitution (cutting off that group in the museum, so I could have the ship to myself), which is open to the public Thursday-Sundays in the Winter.

Those tarps on the right in the second picture were the openings to the lower decks, which you could lift up and climb down the steep staircase to.
Things to see downstairs included cannonballs as well as the “Old Ironsides” cannon which kept the ship safe in times of war.

And before I deboarded the ship, I asked one of the on-board crew members to take a picture of me, since I rarely get those when I head out on solo adventures. Look at me being all (USS) Constitutional!

Part 3 of my Boston adventure to follow, and all pictures from the trip can be found on Facebook here.

Boston, Part 1 #AvisTravels

@iAmAviG

3 comments

February 9, 2015

This past weekend I went to Boston, staying by a college friend and her husband.

I left for Boston at 3PM on Thursday after work, prepping for a long rush hour drive.

Thanks to Google Maps though, I avoided 30 minutes of traffic on the West Side of Manhattan (approaching the George Washington Bridge area) and was off on a fairly light traffic’d trip (until the Boston area itself).
For the most part, Boston traffic was slow this weekend, due to the mass amounts of snow they’ve had, leading to less lanes on the streets.
I arrived in Boston at about 7:20PM, thanks to a bit of that aforementioned traffic as I neared Boston, and two short stops on the way.

Thursday night we went out to Cafe Eilat in Brookline, and had personal pizzas.
While I don’t know what the Kosher pizza options are in the Boston area, but the pizza there was very good, and is a recommended stop to anyone going through the area.

Friday morning I started out early, battling rush hour (+ the snowy lanes) and traveled 6 miles in 45 minutes, and started off my Boston trip at Boston Commons, on a nice 7° sunny day.
<All pictures enlarge on click>

One theme that was easily noticed around town was the Patriots Super Bowl win earlier in the week, and the parade on Wednesday. Plenty of the snow was coated in red/white/blue confetti, and statues around town had been decked out in Patriots gear.

After the Commons I went to the Massachusetts State House, arriving around 8:45/9AM, well before tour times started at 10AM, but also well before anyone actually showed up, leaving me plenty of time to walk through the building without anyone impeding me, or my pictures.

Among rooms in the building were the Senate floor and Governors office. Outside of the office was portraits of all the former holders of said offices, including Gov and Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney.

Outside the building I realized that I was finally allowed to use the General Hookers entrance, instead of the Male Hooker entrance that they usually make me use.

After that I started my trek across town, passing one of the little Fox 25 WFXT Boston studios that seemingly popped up in random places, this one directly across from the State House.

From there it was a short walk down to Old City Hall and the statue of Benjamin Franklin.

I then stumbled upon a little park/memorial set up for the Irish Potato Famine, which shouldn’t be surprising, given the large Irish community in Boston. The memorial featured some quotes as well as a statue of a family flourishing, right across from the same family starving during the famine.

More on my Boston trip in a later post, and all the pictures from the trip can be found in my Facebook album here.

Magazine Customer Service

@iAmAviG

no comments

February 5, 2015

Yes, I know, I’m weird like this, but I still get (and read) actual paperback magazines.

In the last week though, combined with really poor US Postal Service (or as they call it: Another day at work), I have had to make two calls to Customer Service for my magazines, and was very pleased with the outcomes.

The first call was to Sports Illustrated, after never receiving last weeks issue, and from when I dialed the number, until after I was done with the machine and the agent, was 2:46 (2 minutes, 46 seconds), and they had taken care of it as I requested.

The second call was to Wired magazine, after getting two issues this month, to resolve that issue. I had renewed at a great rate, but instead of it renewing, it started a new subscription…a simple call to them and they combined the two accounts. Total time of call: 3:01 (3 minutes and 1 second).

I wish all customer services were this easy to deal with.

Amazon comes close in helpfulness, but it takes longer than these calls times’ to get through to an agent with them…

The NY Lottery $20 Playbook

@iAmAviG

no comments

February 4, 2015

The much hyped $20 playbook from the NY Lottery has finally arrived.

Advertised as “Like 6 $5 games for $20” and “122 chances to win” it features six pages of games, that can’t be detached and used separately.

The theme for it is “Gems” with the games being named:

Ruby Red 7s (20X Get a “7” or “Symbol” + 2 Instant Wins)
Diamond 7s (20X Get a “7” or “Symbol” + 2 Instant Wins)
Sapphire Blue 7s (Fast $20 + 18X Get a “7” or “5X” + 2 Instant Wins)
Emerald 7s (1 Tic-Tac-Toe 7s + 1 “Get 2 Like Amounts” + 20X Match a number)
Amethyst 7s (1 Instant Win + 20X Match a number)
Topaz 7s (14X “Get a 7” or “Get 2 7s”)

Good luck players, and may the odds be never in your favor…and all in mine 🙂 Sorry, gotta look out for myself first.

Two More Nights In NYC #AvisTravels

@iAmAviG

4 comments

February 3, 2015

I spent the last two nights in the city again, Sunday night ahead of the storm and Monday night to prevent having to drive on icy roads as well as being in the city in case someone else couldn’t make it in.

Both nights were spent at different hotels, the Hotel Mela and Cassa.

Hotel Mela featured a very modern lobby space, a stark contrast to last weeks Paramount stay.

But the rooms were absolutely tiny. The next two pictures were taken from the same spot, right in front of the door to the room, which left no good angle to actually watch TV if I had wanted to.

I was in a few rooms that night, bouncing between Super Bowl viewings and whatnot, and the bathroom/shower layouts were pathetic in all of them.

My room (and of course I forgot a picture ) featured a shower stall in which the shower head was pointing out the door, so that one couldn’t have the water on and door open at the same time, unless you wanted to wash the whole bathroom. And with no tub option, it left for a fun trial/error of getting the water on and not getting frozen/burned in the process.
Other rooms all had different shower stall layouts, but some had missing glass from their shower doors (leaving 3/4’s of the shower open to the bathroom), or the opposite room that had an ‘L’ shaped stall (don’t ask how that makes sense…it doesn’t) but at least it had two shower curtains on it!

The next night was spent in Cassa, which featured much nicer/larger rooms (with their own flaws….as always happens in limited space in NYC).

The flaws were a bad heating/AC system that blew straight onto the thermostat….so only part of the room got warm while the rest was cold…and a bathroom that was long and narrow, not allowing the door to open all the way, but that’s truly minor.

Monday night I also went out again to Le Marais, this time ordering a burger on a suggestion from a friend.

While the burger was cooked nicely inside (Medium) the burn lines on the outside tasted exactly like that: Burned. So while the burger tasted good, it made it hard to enjoy as every couple of bites tasted burned.
(And yes….that picture came out bad…oh well.)

The #Grammys

@iAmAviG

1 comment

February 2, 2015

The 57th Grammys are coming up on Sunday, and I wanted to throw out some of my predictions and/or favorites from among the nominees.

(Warning from the start, I am not a Sam Smith fan, so he has potential to ruin all my picks.)

Record of the Year – Shake It Off by Taylor Swift……..she’s been a big winner in the past and this year should be no different!

Album of the Year – Beyonce by Beyonce…….another previous winner. While Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith have made big pushes in the last year, can anyone ever overtake Queen B?

Song of the Year – Chandelier by Sia…….I think this will be one of the surprises of the year, although I wouldn’t be too shocked if Taylor takes this one too.

Best New Artist – Brandy Clark……I have a thing for her, but Country tends not to reign supreme, so expect Iggy Azalea or Bastille to take this one.

Best Pop Vocal Album – Prism by Katy Perry……Coming off the Super Bowl, Katy should be roaring, although Coldplay is my dark horse.

Best Pop Duo/Group – Fancy by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX……I am a major Charli XCX fan, so this one was an easy favorite for me.

Best Dance Recording – Rather Be by Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne……my #1 song for 2014, and I’ll pick it every time.

Best Rock Album – Songs of Innocence by U2……people may not have liked how it was released initially, but a 23rd Grammy may be in store.

Best Rap Album – The Marshall Mathers LP2 by Eminem……He was a rap god on this album, and that may be enough to earn the award.

Best Country Album – 12 Stories by Brandy Clark……As I’ve said earlier, I like her and her music, so this would be a nice surprise to a breakout year.

Best Comedy Album – Mandatory Fun by “Weird Al” Yankovic……In a really tough category, look for Weird Al’s 4th Grammy on his highest ranking album so far.

Categories I just don’t know enough about all the artists/songs/albums to make a judgement on:
Best Alternative Music Album
Best R&B Song
Best R&B Album
Best Rap Song
Best Country Song
Best Gospel Performance/Song
Best Latin Pop Album
Best Americana Album
Producer Of The Year

Super Bowl XLIX – Layman Preview

@iAmAviG

1 comment

January 30, 2015

Let’s say you don’t watch football all year. Let’s say you want to turn on the Super Bowl just for the ads, or Katy Perry. No one will fault you…but wouldn’t you like to not be the least knowledgeable one at your Super Bowl Party this year?

So here is a list from this mornings Skimm (which I’ve talked about in the past, here):

theSKIMM’S GUIDE TO THE SUPER BOWL

THE STORY

Areeeeee youuuuu readyyyyy?! It’s time for Super Bowl XLIX. The Seattle Seahawks vs. the New England Patriots. Go.

HOLD ON, DOING THE MATH.

It’s number 49. Two teams, one Katy Perry, and too many pigs in a blanket.

WHEN AND WHERE?

Sunday at 6:30pm ET at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ. Watch it go down on NBC, or on NBC’s live stream if you’re willing to chance buffering.

JUST SO YOU KNOW, I HATE FOOTBALL AND PLAN ON IGNORING THIS.

You go Glen Coco…but, more than 110 million people are expected to tune in for this one. That’s more than a third of the US population. And legacies are on the line — the Seahawks are the first defending Super Bowl Champs since, well, the Patriots in the 2000s. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is aiming to become the youngest QB in history to win two Super Bowls in a row. The current record-holder? Patriots QB Tom Brady.

HOW DO I PRE-GAME?

With puppies. The 11th Annual Puppy Bowl will be on Animal Planet from 3-5pm ET, and the paws are out. Expect an epic matchup between teams Ruff and Fluff.

I’VE BEEN HEARING A LOT ABOUT SHRUNKEN BALLS?

Welcome to Deflategate. The NFL’s been looking into whether the Pats intentionally deflated footballs to make them easier to grip in the rain during the game that got them to the Super Bowl. More than a few have heard all they ever want to hear about deflated balls in their lifetimes. Others can’t get enough of them. TBD on what all this could mean for the Brady Bunch. PS: this isn’t head coach Belichick’s first ‘Gate, either.

IS IT HALFTIME YET?

Get ready for cupcakes and unicorns and sparkles. Katy Perry is coming at you like a dark horse. Lenny Kravitz will show up at some point.

LET’S TALK ADS.

Ad Bowl is back. And it’s expensive. As in, 30 seconds will set you back $4.5 million. The spoilers? Victoria’s Secret models will be there. Budweiser’s going to make you cry into your crudite. Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel struggle with tech in a BMW. And “Avocados from Mexico” and “Mophie” battery phone cases bought their first spots, because you love guac and your phone’s never charged. Gotcha.

WHAT’S THE SPREAD?

Not talking about your artichoke dip. The spread is the expected difference between the teams’ final scores. If you ask Vegas, it looks like the Patriots are favored to win. But just barely. So Seattle fans, don’t get your fleeces in a bunch.

WHO DO I NEED TO KNOW?

Patriots

Tom Brady…QB. Mr. Gisele Bundchen. If the Pats come out on top, he’ll be one of just a handful of QB’s (like legends Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw) to take home four Super Bowl rings.

Rob Gronkowski…Tight end and Brady’s right hand man. Just call him Gronk. He’s usually the one with the ball in the end zone. Doing things like this.

Darrelle Revis…Cornerback. Matched up against Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, this time on the field. See: Twitter feud of ’13.

Julian Edelman…Wide receiver. Moonlights as the Pats other quarterback. He’s the one that did this to win the playoff game against the Ravens.

Jamie Collins…Linebacker. The center of the Pats D. He’s come a long way this season.

Seahawks

The 12th Man…this is what Seattle fans call themselves, since they’re so loud they become the “12th man” on the field — especially during home games. No really, they think they are on the team.

Legion of Boom…Not a video game. The nickname for the Seahawks’ Defensive Backs, which have been considered the best in the NFL for years.

Russell Wilson…QB. Young and down with G-O-D. Every time he passes the ball, feel free to yell “Wiiiilllsooooon.”

Marshawn Lynch…Running back. Nickname: “Beast Mode.” Likes: Skittles. Dislikes: the media. Played the silent game with reporters for years, until the NFL started fining him. Now, he sometimes says insightful things like “yeah” and “nope.”

Richard Sherman…Cornerback. We all remember him from last year as the self-proclaimed “best corner in the game.” No one’s really challenging him on that. Could get a Super Bowl ring, and a baby on Sunday.

Kam Chancellor…Strong safety. Played a lot of leapfrog as a kid. Gronk is his Golden Snitch — he’ll try to catch him the whole game.

theSKIMM

Both teams were the No. 1 seeds in their conferences. The last time they faced off was years ago, and the Seahawks won by one point. This could get really good.

Who You Root For – College Sports

@iAmAviG

no comments

January 29, 2015

I’ve never been a huge fan of college football or college basketball.

For starters, if you didn’t go to a particular college, then who do you root for?

Logic would have you pick a local college, which would have most of us rooting for the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds…but no one would actually root for them by choice, instead you’d go for a “UNC” or “Duke” or “Florida”….in other words become a bandwagon team for a perennial potential champion.

And no one likes someone who hops on a bandwagon.

The other problem I have with college sports is that if you didn’t go to that particular college, and have no ties to the team, how can you follow a team that potentially throws out their roster every season and starts fresh, as their best players are going on to the majors?

In basketball, not such a big deal to follow 11 fresh players…but as many as 53 new players on your football team…how can you pledge allegiance to a team like that unless you went there?

So this is why I couldn’t’ve cared less this year about the College Football Championships, and sure I’ll watch the highlights and see potential draft picks…and the same with March Madness, it’s 4 weeks of: Who cares? Who cares? Who cares?

Unless you went there of course.

How To Die On Vacation

@iAmAviG

no comments

January 28, 2015

One of my neighbors is sitting Shiva, and I thought I’d share a little bit of their story with you, without giving out names.

My neighbors are an older Russian couple, who over recent years have gotten closer to Judaism, and have been going regularly to shul.

They had always been going on cruises, and in recent years he had said he wanted to go to Hawaii on a cruise.

After a while his wife relented and off they went for a cruise through the islands of Hawaii.

A few days into the cruise, he complained about his high-blood pressure, which had always been an issue, and saw the Cruise Dr. in the morning, who told him it wasn’t much to worry about, but he should take it easy for the day.

In the afternoon she decided to go for a swim, and he went to take a nap poolside.

As she walked back to him to wake him, before a planned revisit to the Dr. in the afternoon, she knew from looking at him that he wouldn’t wake up.

He died peacefully, in his sleep, on a cruise ship in Hawaii.

It took them about half a week to get the legalities sorted out, so that they wouldn’t conduct an autopsy and so that she could fly back with the body.

#RIPLeon

Snow Day Stuck In NYC

@iAmAviG

no comments

January 27, 2015

With the snowstorm that was supposed to hit NYC last night, I was put up at Paramount NYC for the night, and spent the evening trying to find things to do in the city.

I started off exploring the club-like lobby of the hotel, which was entirely too dark for anyones tastes…let’s just say I couldn’t even see the buttons in the elevators.

I had wanted to go see a movie at AMC Theaters, but unfortunately they were already closed for the storm when I got there at 4:15PM, so instead I ventured over to Dave & Busters and their newer entryway layout…which does nothing for the gaming area, which feels like the same old self.

After that I headed over to Le Marais for supper, and was one of maybe 15 people there at the time, and enjoyed a nice steak and fries for dinner.

From there I headed back to the hotel for a bit to discover more of the Paramount.

They had a nice 2nd floor sitting area overlooking the lobby, as well as a 24-hour gym.

Among the cool things was that each floor had built into the mirror across from the elevators, the weather for the day, as seen here:

The other mystery that the hotel gave was…Normal bottles and really large glasses? Or normal glass and really tiny bottles?

Lastly I went out with some coworkers to see what was still opened in the storm, and stumbled into Bourbon Street NYC.

All in all it wasn’t a bad night in New York City, and we shall see if tonight is a repeat, or if I can make it back to Brooklyn to dig out the driveway at home.

Aviously

Because, aviously…

Boston, Part 2 #AvisTravels

Boston, Part 1 #AvisTravels

Magazine Customer Service

The NY Lottery $20 Playbook

Two More Nights In NYC #AvisTravels

The #Grammys

Super Bowl XLIX – Layman Preview