JimmyandPatti’s Weblog

Hours that is….

A few years ago, while we were living in Montana, I thought it was a bit odd that I would drive 4 hours to meet for a 4 hour meeting and then drive home, 4 more hours.  That was the reality due to the size of the state and the central location of the meetings.  This week is kind of the same thing – just on a more global scale.   I’ve been on some long flights but this trip will go down as the longest “seat time” versus “work time”.

My flight left  on Saturday evening and I checked into the hotel about noon on Monday – with an 11 hour time change as well.  The late flight was advantageous - sleep came pretty easy after a decent inflight meal.  Along the way I was intrigued by the inflight map display on the video screen and got pretty excited when I saw that we would be passing next to Mount Everest (aka Qomolangma, Mount Sagarmāthā, Chajamlungma, Zhumulangma Peak and Mount Chomolungma) on our left and even more excited when I opened the window shades and saw the Himalayas bursting through the solid layer of clouds. 

Mount Everest - 29,029 feet

 After landing in Dhaka and clearing customs and immigration, I was on my way to the hotel – just a mere day and a half since saying goodbye to Patti at the front door of the apartment building.  The City of Dhaka, Bangladesh was just as I had read on Wikipedia – “one of the most frenetic places on earth”. 

Working on the ladder truck

A few flowers brighten any landscape

They estimate that there are more than 400,000 rickshaws in Dhaka, earning it the distinction of being the “Rickshaw Capitol of the World”.  The only thing more amazing than the driver’s skill in navigating the road hazards is their strength in powering their cargo with nothing more than two legs. 

I wonder if they have a "Cash Rickshaw" show?

Sometimes a smile just makes everything better

After a quick 72 hours on the ground (complete with the jet lag blues) it was time to head to the airport to begin the 36 hour adventure to get home.  The only thing busier than the streets of Dhaka …..was the airport of Dhaka. 

Not the biggest, not the busiest, but definitely the most crowded airport I have ever seen.

I was very happy that I had arranged (paid) for a commercial expediter to assist me through the process of immigration and check-in.  Most airports are easy to navigate – but this one was sure an eye opener. No signs (in my language anyway) and thousands of people lined up at the doors.  After about 30 minutes I was on the other side, checking my watch, and counting down my arrival in DC time….hmmm….only 35 hours and 30 minutes to go. 

The flight from Dhaka to Dubai was nice – just under 5 hours. The food was great on Emirates Air….lobster medallions for appetizers, lamb kabobs and curry rice for dinner, and dessert was some sort of tiramisu with espresso.  I arrived in Dubai in the afternoon and settled in for the 9 hour layover – taking time to read a book, people watch, window shop (the airport looks like a shopping mall), and try to not fall asleep.  My plan was… A) don’t miss my flight, and B) sleep all the way home on the 14+ hour flight from Dubai to DC.  The good news was I didn’t miss my flight…bad news…I was only able to catch 2 short naps on the flight.  The jet lag won (again). 

Toto....I'm afraid we're not in (or going to) Kansas

The sunset in Dubai was pretty incredible and I daydreamed about another trip out this way.  Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to tour the Burj Khalifa (world’s tallest building) - which is only a half a mile in height (2625 feet). Someday. 

Burj Khalifa at sunset

The flight home from Dubai was ….well just another flight.  Even though there was not much real sleep, it was nice to read, watch movies, and hike up and down the aisle a couple of times.  It was exciting to know that I would be sleeping in my own bed, brushing my teeth in the sink (and not with bottled water),  and taking a break from the curry powder. The flight landed just after 6 am (5 pm Dhaka time….what’s for dinner?) and after an hour or so clearing immigration, customs, and baggage, I was on my way home.  Next stop….work.  Ugh.  Part of the price to pay for getting the nice seat in the front of the plane is going to work on the day of arrival – gotta take the good with the bad. 

After a week on the road and a day back at work it was time to unpack and repack – 36 hours after landing I was on my way to the National Fire Academy for a week of training, which starts tomorrow morning. 

Goodnight…or is it good morning?

With wintertime cabin fever setting in, we decided to take advantage of the 3-day holiday and visit the National Botanical Gardens again.  We had a great time last year and remembered how warm it was inside the two-story “greenhouse”, a welcome relief from the mid-winter DC cold.  We also read that there was a new exhibit….Hawaii!  Count me in!!

When we arrived at the gardens we found out that this was a very popular weekend to visit and there were at least 50 people in the outside line, waiting to get in the building.  We quickly learned that this line was to see the Christmas train display and access to the regular displays was open and no delay.  Once inside we were amazed at how large the crowd was – during our last visit (last winter) we had the place mostly to ourselves and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and warm weather.  This trip was nice, warm, and crowded.  Seems like the locals had the same idea.

New Year's Day 2010

The crowds inside made it too difficult to take any pictures so we headed outside and settled in for another picture with our buddy Bullwinkle.  Although he never did pull a rabbit out of his hat, we did hear that the folks inside the building behind us may be good at that trick!

Happy New Year 2010!

I had today off  as part of my normal work schedule and we planned a date-day to visit the International Spy Museum.  Over the past 15 months we have seen most all of the sites of DC with the exception of those that charge an entry fee.  We received a Christmas  gift card from John  to cover our entry, lunch, and dessert and had a great time.  

No secret here

We were surprised by the size of the crowd today…must be related to school being out for Christmas break.  The museum is located in a renovated (old) building and has 7 different theme areas that range from the Cold War to Cyber-spying.  It was interesting to see some of the high-tech (during the era) gadgets that were actually developed and used during war-time and peace time.  

We're not actually here....

Lunch at the Spy Cafe was great, I had the “Red Square Dog” – (Half Smoked, Dijon mustard, chili sauce, red cabbage slaw, and red peppers) and Patti went with the “All American Dog with sauerkraut”.  We topped it off by splitting a red velvet cupcake (with cream cheese frosting!) for dessert.   

After a short stop at home to warm up, we capped off the date by going to 5 Guys Burgers for dinner, stopping in to get a piece of Napoleon Cake (at Cafe Assorti - a quaint restaurant with Russian and Kazakh roots) on the way home.  

It was definitely a great day and great date…and a great ending to 2009.  I’m thinking we’ll be staying close to home tomorrow night – Happy New Year!  See you in 2010.

This has definitely been a month of “pack and unpack and pack again”. We managed to hit the four corners of the US (mostly) with stops in DC, Washington State, Tijuana/San Diego, and Florida.  This week took us down to Orlando – same place and same week that we went last year. 

They were all out of BMWs

 Our flight down to Orlando was quick compared to most of our trips and we were soon on our way to the hotel in our spiffy little PT Cruiser rental car.  Never thought I’d be behind the wheel of one of those…kind of a 21st century Pacer if you ask me . 

This trip to Orlando was a lot shorter than last year (and the weather a bit rainy) so we didn’t have much of a “tourist” trip.  We did enjoy the nice hotel and trips back to our favorite restaurants from last year, Bogards and Bahama Breeze. 

We flew back to DC on Friday and enjoyed the free upgrade to first class – one of the perks of flying a gazillion miles this year.  After a year of experiencing life on road, I jotted down my top ten list: 

You know you travel too much when: 

10. You carry spare batteries for your noise-cancelling headphones. 

9. You recognize flight attendants from earlier flights. 

8. You have Seat Guru bookmarked on 4 different computers. 

7. You have a drawer full of little bottles of shampoo that will last you 5 years. 

6. Your kidneys are in the best shape of your life due to all of the Cran-Apple juice. 

5. All you want for Christmas is 1K status. 

4. You can tell it’s an Airbus 320 flying overhead because of the way it sounds. 

3. Everytime you see an airport on TV you say “I’ve been there”. 

2. You spend more time selecting the best security checkpoint line than you do the grocery checkout line. 

1. You get excited when they announce your arrival gate in Chicago because you know it’s next to the best hot-dog stand in the world. 

Sunset from the Boeing 757

 After being in Florida for a week it was a little bit of a shock to feel the 31 degree temperatures when we walked out of the airport.  More shocking were the fleets of snowplows staged on the freeway waiting for the “storm of storms” that was getting ready to hit DC.  The weather forecasters were right on with their forecast – it started snowing last night at 9 pm and hasn’t quit yet.  We were very fortunate to fly in when we did – all of the area airports have cancelled most flights today (both in and out). 

Let it snow...let it snow

We took a quick hike in the blizzard over to the market for some fresh veggies – the poor staff looked worn out and all of the shoppers were soaked from the weather.  I did get a good smile from our checker when I asked her which aisle the sunblock was located on…

What started out as a week of 12-timezone separation actually turned into a miniature family reunion – thanks to a last-minute work trip cancellation.  

I had been scheduled to go east about 9 time zones so we cashed in some flyer miles for Patti to fly back to the Pacific Northwest spend some holiday time with family.  Although I was looking forward to my work trip, I got 10 times as excited when it was cancelled (and I was able to find an affordable ticket home on the same dates as Patti).  We traveled on the same day when we left DC, but it felt a bit odd that we went in the opposite directions (Patti to Reagan National Airport and me to Baltimore) at the Rosslyn Metro station.  

Two different directions - same destination

 Patti was a few hours ahead of me through Chicago and then she had a short stop in Seattle followed by short flight in a short airplane.  She beat me into PDX by a couple of hours (early connections) and was there to meet me when I walked in to the airport.  

Within minutes of arrival in Portland, we were enjoying a great time watching John and Rachel play indoor soccer in Vancouver.  Great times..great memories.  

We won!

 We are getting a pretty good routine on our trips back to Oregon and Washington, staying a few days with John, a few days with Michael and Traci, and then back to John’s just prior to the flight home.  It is hard to belive that this is my 3rd trip home and Patti’s 4th since we moved – thank goodness for frequent flyer miles!  

Bella

 John has a new addition to his home – her name is Bella and he adopted her from the local pound. What a sweet dog – very playful.  

After a few days in Vancouver we headed south to Salem.  Our first order of business was to drop a birch tree that had been hit hard during last year’s ice storms.  The job went very quick with the three of us (John, Michael, and me) and our speed was enhanced a bit by the 20 degree temperature and setting sun.  I put a “free wood” sign on the small pile of birch logs – it was gone by sunrise!  

Rent a chain saw and the sawyer is complimentary

The Stewart clan (no kilts)

 We’re pretty predictable on our restaurant stops when we make it home and this trip was no different (except that we ate at Red Robin twice rather than just once!). 

Coloring at Red Robin

Brooklynn and Daddy

 It always seems like we will have plenty of time to visit friends when we travel back – but before we knew it the time was gone and we headed north again.  We did get some quality grandma/grandpa time in during the short stay and had a ball learning how to talk like (and listen like) a 2-year-old. 

Book papa...book

Upa gramma .. upa

Saying goodbye at the Amtrak station

 We had a great ride from the Salem Amtrak station – the trip is so quick and very affordable.  We typically take the train, but today’s schedule worked better with the Amtrak bus (is that an oxymoron?).  For $12 each we get to sit back for a comfy ride – a pretty good deal. The seats were great too, right in the front with a great view of I-5 (and the intermittent traffic jams). 

John picked us up at Union Station and within a few minutes we were watching another indoor soccer game.  John and Rachel were on the same team this time and it was a great game – they won again!  We also met up with Rachel’s parents and all went out for sushi and kudasai afterward. It was a great wrap up to a wonderful week and we topped it off watching some old home movies.  Wow – nice mullet! 

Morning mocha at PDX

 Our flights out of Portland were at a decent time and we enjoyed a nice mocha prior to boarding our flight. We were both happy to be able to fly on the same plane – especially since the ticket agent helped us get seats next to each other!  We took the long way home, flying through San Francisco first and then over to Chicago for one more aircraft change. We landed in DC about 45 minutes early, which was a nice surprise. Glad we made it home before midnight (which is only 9 pm PDT).  

The best place to have a Chicago-style hot dog is .... Chicago!

 After a great night’s sleep in our own bed we got our bags unpacked and the laundry is almost done.  Good thing….our next flight boards day after tomorrow – look out Orlando…

We planned ahead today and bought some tickets to the Terra Cotta Warrior display at the National Geographic Museum.  They have limited admission and we were glad we had tickets ahead of time when we arrived at the museum. The exhibit is in DC for a few months, ending in March.

It was amazing to visit the exhibit today – they have a marvelous display of 15 of the warriors in various poses as well as other artifacts from the first emperor’s tomb.

Not a "real" TCW, but the only one we could photograph

The famous site was discovered by accident in 1974 and has yielded thousands of unique, life-sized statues of warriors, attendants, musicians, and more.  If we ever make it back to China, it would be interesting to see the actual site – they estimate more than 8000 warriors are in the tomb.

While we were at the museum, we also visited another exhibit titled “Polar Obsession”, which featured photgraphs of polar bears, walruses, and leopard seals by Paul Nicklen. The photos (as well as his adventure in the north) are amazing. Click here to see some of his work.

We topped off the great day by visiting our newest favorite burger joint, FIVE GUYS Burgers and Fries (store #84).  We split a burger and pile-o-fries.  Dessert will be some of Patti’s homemade Cranberry Cheesecake bars – a seasonal tradition that is delicious!

We had a nice day today and met up with Patti’s mom and sister, starting the day off with some homemade key lime pie, and finishing it with some cheesecake.

The key lime pie was a planned event and we enjoyed it while overlooking DC from the 15th floor of our treehouse. After an enjoyable visit we metro’d over to the American History Museum to take in a few exhibits.

A new exhibit has been advertised (Holidays on Display) and features the old Christmastime storefronts from the past.  Although the display was small – we enjoyed seeing the photos from the early days of retail. 

Getting ready to board the CTA

We took another “ride” on the Chicago Transit Authority bus display and enjoyed the audio/video recreation of the bus making its way through the streets of Chicago (very familiar turf for these girls!).

Our visit also included a swing through Julia Childs’ kitchen and then a nice quite lunch in the museum cafe – it was nice to relax, visit, and laugh.  The day went by much too fast and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye on the metro, at least until next time. 

On the ride home, Patti and I both figured that: a) the metro goes right to Clarendon; b) the Cheesecake Factory is in Clarendon; and c) we haven’t fulfilled our COTM* quota for November, so we took advantage of the locale and picked out a nice slice of the cheesecake with the longest name:

White Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake Swirled with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel on a Blond Brownie Crust

As Julia always said …. “Bon Appétit”

*Cheesecake of the Month club (#18 out of 36 … halfway there!)

After arriving in DC on Friday night and repacking the suitcase on Saturday, it was time to hop aboard another Airbus for the non-stop flight to San Diego.  Although we departed from different airports and about 3 hours apart, we were quickly reunited in San Diego and had fun comparing notes from our flights.  I have seen many signs with my name on them when I cleared baggage claim, but this one was the best (because Patti was holding it!).

Tijuana Sunrise

Our original plan was to stay in San Diego and commute to work each day in Tijuana, but the traffic and border crossing proved to be a bit too challenging.  We opted for a hotel in the business area of Tijuana, not really a touristy part of town so we stayed close to home.  We did take a cab to a great restaurant on our last night there and enjoyed some authentic mexican cuisine.

We had been in Tijuana about 20 years ago for a quick drive across the border (and 3 hour drive back) and were surprised by the amount of growth and development that has taken place since then.  Traffic was challenging due to the new roadway construction.  I was very content to be relegated to the backseat of the van as our driver snaked his way through the ever-changing traffic detours.

The week at work went very quick – we were still very much on east coast time and had no problem tucking-in by 8 pm each night.  Before we knew it was time to pack the well-worn suitcase and head north to San Diego.  We relocated to this side of the border to make it easier for catching our flights back home (and to visit Shamu of course).

On Friday we were able to meet up with Patti’s brother who lives in San Diego and enjoyed catching up on life over iced mochas at Starbucks.  It was great to see Mike and we had a great visit on the bay.

Our zest for mass transit was fulfilled again – we picked up a couple all day passes to take the trolley and bus out to SeaWorld, which was about 6 miles away.  We had a great ride and made it to SeaWorld at lunch time.  The shows were fantastic as always and we had a good time (as always).

Amazing

Enjoying the California Sun (Thanks Ernie!!)

In addition to the performances, we enjoyed a leisurely pace throughout the other exhibits and saw some amazing fish, animals, birds, and of course – people.  We both enjoyed the hands-on exhibit where you get to “pet” the bat rays.

I got my toes in the water....nose in the sand..

 As the sun sat over the Pacific Ocean, we headed back to town and stopped in Old Town San Diego for dinner at the Barra Barra Saloon.  We split a couple of great Indian Flatbread Tacos that had just the right amount of guacamole and sour cream (gobs)!

Our flights were scheduled to depart the next afternoon, which made for a great morning with time to explore.  We walked a few blocks from our hotel over to Little Italy and split a breakfast sandwich and coffee cake at the corner Starbucks.  We had a great time getting our picture taken by some locals – I had tried to set the auto timer but couldn’t get the correct angle.  They helped us briefly shut down the traffic (which was light) for a touristy “middle of the street” shot.   

Middle of the road in Little Italy

We flew out of the same airport, departing just a few minutes apart.  My flight took me directly to DC and Patti’s flight took her to Charlotte, NC for a short stop and then onto DC. We both had good flights and arrived safely home – me at 9 pm and Patti at 11 pm.

Saying goodbye in San Diego

Reunion in DC

The last few weeks have been fun and interesting – our internal clocks don’t know what to think now.  Between the regular time change, Vienna time, eastern standard time, TJ time, and back to DC time…I think it’s time for bed.

Goodnight!

Six days in Vienna, Austria goes by mighty quick when you count the 28 hours airport/flight time, 4 hours of taxi/shuttle time, 30 hours work time…and of course 36 hours sleeping (or at least trying to sleep in spite of the jet lag).  Although it was a quick trip, it was very interesting and rewarding to see the city. 

In between snow flurries

Although I didn’t have a lot of time to explore, I did take advantage of the walking street next door to my hotel and enjoyed watching the people, window shopping, and dining on sausages.  The most amazing building was St. Stephens Cathedral, which stands 445 feet in height.

St. Stephen's (taller than my lens!!)

A beautiful "splash" of color amongst the stone buildings

There are plenty of great restaurants and coffee shops, but this place (below) had great “dogs” and the price was so fantastic that I dined here twice (50% of my dinners).

Spicy!

The 6 hour time change was tougher than I thought it would be and before I knew it I was back in the boarding line at the airport, ready for the flight home (this time through Munich.. a new airport!).  I was back home Friday night – time to rest a day, pack, and then board another plane.  Next stop – Tijuana.

It was part-family reunion time last weekend, John was in town with a buddy who ran in the Marine Corps Marathon. We had a great time getting back together, although it was too short for sure.

The weather was very nice for the marathon and we enjoyed watching the beginning, middle, and end over a 4 hour period.  With our leisurely pace we arrived at the National Mall just as the leaders were reaching the Capitol (about the 17 mile mark) …wow, what a pace!

Nice morning stroll on the Mall

The Air & Space Museum opened at 10:00 am, perfect timing for us as we waited for Brad to make the 19 mile mark.  It was fun to go back to the Air & Space museum with John – we could have spent most of the day here. 

John had a good eye and saw Brad in the crowd, which by now was 10 people wide and thousands deep.  He hollered out to Brad and we got a great smile…looked like he could run forever!

 We were fortunate to find Brad again, just prior to the finish line.  He ran great, broke the 4 hour mark, and then he and John spent the rest of the weekend touring DC.  I guess I shouldn’t complain about being tired while walking the Mall!   Watching the race again this year gave me another “twinge” of motivation to run the Marine Corp Marathon next year…it is a great fundraiser for the International Association of Firefighters Burn Foundation.  I’ve been postponing my marathon training every year since 1987.

Great finish

On Tuesday, we toured Arlington National Cemetery with John and watched the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  It is still amazing to think that they have been guarding the tomb every minute since 1937.

Our Tuesday adventure continued and we took in the Reynolds Center, National Gallery of Art, and the US Capitol.  Time went so fast but we were able to score tickets to sit in the gallery of the Senate chambers.  That was a neat experience, especially after seeing the movie “Mr. Smith goes to Washington” a few weeks ago.

The flight home for John came way too quick, but we had a nice Metro ride with him to the airport on Wednesday morning.  Reagan Airport (aka National or DCA) is becoming pretty familiar….collectively we have been there 22 times!  It’s really not a very big airport, especially when you compare it with Johannesburg or Beijing.

Gate time (reminds me of the Wizard of Oz building)