Too Old for New York

Blogging from my iPod touch isn't easy! But it's convenient...



Anyway, I'm spending my final night in New York snuggled up with a good book and cable TV in my luxurious hotel room!

My excuse? Tired from New Jersey shopping, and it IS Sunday, after all!!


Here's my hotel room:

A nice day in New Jersey

Cheryl and I spent a lovely day in some quaint areas on New Jersey, and she even brought me to her stylist in Little Silver called First Impressions http://www.firstimpressionstudio.com/

We then enjoyed a late lunch at an Irish pub a few miles away.

Today we are shopping, then I'm heading back to New York city.


Tonight I decided to splurge and have booked a room at the Wingate Hotel, just a couple of blocks from Penn Station, from where I'll be departing on the 8:15 Amtrak on Monday morning!

A nice day in New Jersey

Cheryl and I spent a lovely day in some quaint areas on New Jersey, and she even brought me to her stylist in Little Silver called First Impressions http://www.firstimpressionstudio.com/

We then enjoyed a late lunch at an Irish pub a few miles away.

Today we are shopping, then I'm heading back to New York city.


Tonight I decided to splurge and have booked a room at the Wingate Hotel, just a couple of blocks from Penn Station, from where I'll be departing on the 8:15 Amtrak on Monday morning!

Afternoon Tea in New Jersey

I did not mention it here, but I have actually left Montreal for a few days, both as a need to escape the claustrophobia that is winter and to simply have variety again. In Japan, Brian and I have never spent consecutive weekends at home-we always went somewhere or did something. So when Cheryl invited me to go see her in New York, I jumped at the chance!

Actually, even better, I'm staying with her in New Jersey, a place I've never been before. Today she took me to the lovely Lilligard hotel for a very civilized afternoon tea.

BTW -I came to NYC by Amtrak and spent the 1st night at The New York Loft Hostel. It's fun and an adventure to travel on a shoestring :)

Off to NYC

I've been really wanting to get away a bit, and my dear friend Cheryl gave me the opportunity when she invited me to her place in New Jersey.of course I will also spend quality time solo in my favorite city!

Wanting to be frugal, I'm going by Amtrak and will spend the first night in a hostel in Brooklyn before heading to Cheryl's place. I find that I'm really looking forward to the 11 hour trip and have stocked my Kindle full of good reading!

Memories and Memory

Brian and I often find ourselves reminiscing. We always did remember fun, interesting, bizarre, or other events or places, but the memories, now that I have left my home of more than twelve years, have a poignancy that was not there before. But still, remembering fondly the day we tried to walk to the video store in a very rare snowfall, or how we got lost the first time we drove to a place we eventually became so familiar with that we could drive there in our sleep, gives me a warm and happy feeling of nostalgia.

On the hand, while my memories remain powerful, I find that my memory itself is fading. What I mean is, I find myself now searching my mind for place names; like the other night, I had a dream that we were on our motorbikes, resting at a pass in Izu. I could not remember the name of the pass, although we'd been there so many times... several days later, I remember it was Kameishi, at the entrance of the Izu Skyline.

There are other gaps too - I couldn't remember the beautiful temple village we visited just in my last week in Japan (Koyasan), and I still can't remember the name of another pass in Izu that we often took scenic drives over, although for some reason I think it has something to do with cows.

This loss of simple memory saddens me, but the more important memories are intact, and that matters more to me anyway!

Photography - searching for inspiration through David duChemin

I'd like to blame the bleak Montreal weather for my lack of photography. I have not even snapped a photo in weeks. However, when I look back at some photos taken over the past few years,  I see that my photography had become lacking in creativity and vision at least a year ago, if not longer.

I realize now, when I am out with the camera, I am just rushing, or feel like I'm rushing, to take shots, but not feeling anything. I have lost my vision. But all is not lost! I discovered a photographer/author a few years ago - David duChemin. The tagline of his blog would let you know why I like this guy so much; not only is he a great photographer, but the tagline says, "Gear is Good. Vision is Better."

I bought several of his e-books over the years, and a few months ago, he published a new one called The Vision-Driven Photographer. I bought it immediately, but still have yet to read it, although I know it is exactly what I need. So, given that today is too gloomy to actually shoot anything, I plan to spend a couple of hours reading David's new ebook!

David duChemin's blog is here. And you can purchase the new ebook for $5 here.

Renewed Vow to Blog!

I hereby solemnly swear that I will blog at least three times a week, even if I have nothing to say!

What I've Been Doing

• Working out pretty hard at the gym four days a week


• Taking Dexter for longer and longer walks to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather


• Going out for dinner with my mother


• Having a beer with the folks at the Legion


• Watching the Superbowl game at a local bar


• Trying to maintain my Japanese by speaking with Masa, a young guy who is here to study French

What I haven't been doing:

• Sticking to my diet


• Finding work

Fujiya Hotel Hakone

Many people, who are actually from this area, surprise me by their having never climbed Mt. Fuji, despite its obvious, daily presence. Well, I am similarly guilty of having largely ignored Hakone, which is geographically closer and has so much to offer!

Last October my family visited, and before setting of on a few days' tour of Izu we took a quick helicopter ride above Hakone for an aerial perspective. The ride was a few minutes long, and I wish I had recorded the whole trip. Here are the few seconds I caught with my iPhone, including Mt. Fuji, the Hakone range and crater, and the valley in between:



Last weekend my company had a 'retreat' of sorts, and the venue was the famous Fujiya Hotel in Hakone. This was the first western-style hotel in Japan, and while its 140-year history is long, Hakone is home to traditional inns, some having operated for more than 500 years! This hotel offers an experience unlike any other, though, with its blend of architectural styles and amenities. It consists of a large complex of 5 main buildings, all interconnected by paths and breezeways, and all constructed between 1890 and 1960. Here is my pic of the Flower Palace (花御殿) built in 1936:


Besides that building and others in the complex being National Cultural Heritage Assets, the hotel houses the register for the 'Moustache Club':


Overnighting here is normally out of reach for common people, and for real luxury there are many other more affordable nearby options, so I'm grateful to have had the chance to stay!

This weekend I again went to Hakone, this time with the intention of circling the entire crater by motorcycle. I set out yesterday hoping the recent sun and warm days would have cleared the route of ice and snow. The pass I needed to take became slick with ice and snow above 930m elevation, so I changed my plan and circled the lake by roads that were clean and dry! Here is a section of the Odawara Skyline warning of monkeys:



And my route (thanks to Runkeeper app on my phone)! I went counter-clockwise, and elevation ranges from 130m to 930m, and speed 0 to 100Km/H:

Main Topics of Discussion in Montreal...

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