tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7113992142796807942024-03-13T08:22:22.570-04:00everything brisaWe travel. We eat. We play. We take photos.
A fun blog that details the adventures of a married couple living in New York City.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.comBlogger278125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-48255467668215438672016-08-06T23:13:00.000-04:002016-08-30T23:16:10.769-04:00Museum of Ice Cream DetailsThere's a lot of hype about the Museum of Ice Cream. I'll tell you all about it and let you judge for yourself.<br />
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First off, you have to have a ticket to get in - there is no standby line. All 30,000 tickets sold out in a few days, and then they extended it for another two weeks in September and they sold out in a matter of minutes.<br />
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Tickets are timestamped. You show up around your time and they put you in a group of 10 people. You move through the museum with this same group of 10 people. This was a brilliant idea because it never got crowded and it keeps the flow moving steadily.<br />
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The museum is broken into 7 rooms. You stay with your group and move in order. Once you go into one room you can't go back to the previous room. Since I didn't take many pics (just the YouTube video below), here are gifs from the video. :)<br />
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<b>Entry Room</b><br />
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In the entry room, they explain what I just told you and they give you a spoon while you're standing under a ice-cream-sundae-fied deer. Then you stop by the front desk and they give you the ice cream of the week. Ours was <a href="http://www.bluemarbleicecream.com/" target="_blank">Blue Marble</a> from Brooklyn with Froot Loops on top.<br />
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<b>Balloon Room (aka Cone Room)</b><br />
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Next up is the helium filled sugar balloon room. They are super cool but only last about 10 seconds before they stop floating. So get your boomerang instagram quick or you'll have to ask for multiples like I did.<br />
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They're fine giving you multiples. :)<br />
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This room also has a ton of ice cream cones on the wall and all the lights look like upside down cones with ice cream scoop lightbulbs. It's designed for instagram.<br />
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<b>Scoop Room</b><br />
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Next we meet a museum employee that tells us three facts about ice cream and then he gives you a scoop. You scoop out some fake ice cream and pile it on a giant fake sundae.<br />
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<b>Chocolate Chamber</b><br />
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The chocolate chamber is a dark room with cocoa beans on the floor so it smells like chocolate. A weird fountain on the far side makes you wonder if it were an afterthought. It is definitely not instagram-worthy. Four stands around the room offer up as many dove chocolates as you can fit in your pockets. ;)<br />
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<b>Sprinkle Pool</b><br />
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Unquestionably, the highlight of the entire place is the Sprinkle Pool. The sprinkles are made of tiny plastic dots, so it's not messy. Although they get in everything - pockets, your shirt, your underwear. I found sprinkles in my house for a week. It was kind of awesome.<br />
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The sprinkle pool is also where you realize that the Museum of Ice Cream has a second purpose (the first being to inspire FOMO on Instagram). It's designed to be a date. In fact, if you read ahead, there's a Tinder Room.<br />
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Going without your spouse or significant other is awkward at times. But Josh (who's wife had to work) and I (my wife was out of town) owned it (as you'll see in the Tinder Room).<br />
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The pool is supposedly three feet deep, but I could only wiggle my feet down about 18 inches - I never touched the bottom, it just gets difficult to maneuver through that much plastic.<br />
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No diving. But burying is accepted. And everyone seems to love getting in on burying somebody. I don't know any of these people!<br />
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The icing on the sprinkle pool room cake is a shelf of candies along the wall that you can eat as much of as you'd like. :)<br />
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<b>Miracle Berry Room</b><br />
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Sadly, you have to move on to the next room. But they give you ice cream there so it's ok.<br />
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As soon as you walk in, they give you a "Miracle Berry." It's a pill that's supposed to trick your tongue into thinking sour things are sweet. Apparently my tongue is too smart to be tricked.<br />
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Some people say it works. I am not one of those people.<br />
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As you can see behind me in the gif above, this room also has some ice cream art. This is really the extent of the "Museum" part of the Museum of Ice Cream. And, for that matter, the "Ice Cream" part too, except for the first room's sample.<br />
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<b>Tinder Room</b><br />
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The final room is the "if-you-didn't-come-with-a-date-the-exit-is-right-in-front-of-you" room. <br />
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So sad sitting on an ice cream sandwich swing by yourself, huh? Well, forget that.<br />
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And there's a little gift stand off to the side that I didn't really look at. But they give you a free bottle of water on the way out! And that was exciting for me. :)<br />
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Check out the video of our experience here, including what we thought about it at the end:<br />
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Meatpacking District, New York, NY 10014, USA40.7409865 -74.00761080000000940.737978999999996 -74.012653300000011 40.743994 -74.002568300000007tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-59090651339949454642016-07-22T03:35:00.000-04:002016-07-22T03:35:37.205-04:00Up Late on the High LineWe were super excited about tonight. The High Line, which we've been on plenty of times before, invited the City to come out and play after dark, in an event they called Up Late on the High Line.<br />
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Along with the ability to roam the park after normal closing hours, they invited artists to create various light and sound installations to entertain us. Sounds like an amazing event, right? You can see why we were excited to go. And so was everyone else.<br />
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We waddled along and saw a few cool things (check out the video below for the full experience), but around 10:45 it was already too packed and they were asking people to leave. We made it to about the Standard:<br />
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So we turned back and took a few long exposures on 14th Street just to kill some time...<br />
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And then we wandered along 14th Street to Black Tap for a burger (pretty good, not up to Shake Shack standard or anything, but good) and their famous shakes (again, pretty good, not quite up to the hype, but very photogenic).<br />
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Check out the full experience in the video here:<br />
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Thanks for reading/watching. :) Have a great day!Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0The High Line, New York, NY 10011, USA40.7479925 -74.004764915.225958000000002 -115.3133589 66.270027 -32.6961709tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-65994882243596451452016-04-22T21:58:00.000-04:002016-04-24T13:06:27.540-04:00Secret Nature Sanctuary in Central ParkToday I checked another box off my bucket list. I explored the extremely rarely open (as in a few hours per year) Hallett Nature Sanctuary.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hallett Nature Sanctuary as seen from across the Pond.</td></tr>
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So the history here is that in 1934, Robert Moses, the Parks Commissioner at the time, closed these 4 acres of Central Park to the public for use as a bird sanctuary. <b>And it stayed closed to the public for 79 years.</b> It's like the <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2013/11/forbidden-city-guide.html" target="_blank">Forbidden City</a>, but in Central Park.<br />
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Forbidden for us at least. The birds love it. Here's a robin's nest. It's still a bird-watcher's heaven.<br />
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Over the next several decades, Parks Department officials used the sanctuary as an experiment: what would happen to the parks if we didn't take care of them at all (just let them grow wild)?<br />
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A few invasive species got in, along with some invasive insects, so the Central Park Conservancy stepped in in 2001 to clean things up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g6kslF7_hbLbUuNO79cldcWP45M6xjbaJwrWEhzcMiOLUDcaU4bsJ0rBKWxoC_YY1XsQxBADWTaJx_nPTu1Ocdgu3n6mD9L1oq500hizE5Qj31Fs07DKkDYiMJ5_vBVl7GrZRfQnit2V/s1600/View+of+Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary+from+Pond+Path.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g6kslF7_hbLbUuNO79cldcWP45M6xjbaJwrWEhzcMiOLUDcaU4bsJ0rBKWxoC_YY1XsQxBADWTaJx_nPTu1Ocdgu3n6mD9L1oq500hizE5Qj31Fs07DKkDYiMJ5_vBVl7GrZRfQnit2V/s640/View+of+Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary+from+Pond+Path.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the sanctuary on the left, across the water, taken from the path that encircles the Pond (on the right).</td></tr>
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But they still didn't let the general public in. Not until the Fall of 2013, when they allowed a few special guided tours. I was in Alaska and then Asia. Visiting the <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2013/11/forbidden-city-guide.html" target="_blank">other Forbidden City</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CIiXWLAJoWTAJeWLDdksLGuoORNLUiFHJVzhm-IGoQawFcZi7CQzU99l3jnc3Ac6rN5fcgdqbKYm7e_rW-0UDygQEYG8XJNfvwCa89AckpQgy-T4nJ_ZxiQ2zDaTz6eL3_RodMkICBfX/s1600/Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary+Path.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CIiXWLAJoWTAJeWLDdksLGuoORNLUiFHJVzhm-IGoQawFcZi7CQzU99l3jnc3Ac6rN5fcgdqbKYm7e_rW-0UDygQEYG8XJNfvwCa89AckpQgy-T4nJ_ZxiQ2zDaTz6eL3_RodMkICBfX/s640/Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary+Path.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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In 2014 and 2015, they opened it up for a few hours per month, only in the summer months. Still with Park officials as tour guides. I was in Alaska again for work. :/<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIQZzcQl4BDfGMZeuy51WuRXMYo5KwfW3ZOoExXTJPb58VFct446R7AtZUOykKbid5bfOhSGL5pf6T7dZOSMBA6ADIqLHtTBEOeiKiplA5oNlCAkdy31iRu1sf23uwMGg8wKkFwhUVlQj/s1600/Path+in+Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaIQZzcQl4BDfGMZeuy51WuRXMYo5KwfW3ZOoExXTJPb58VFct446R7AtZUOykKbid5bfOhSGL5pf6T7dZOSMBA6ADIqLHtTBEOeiKiplA5oNlCAkdy31iRu1sf23uwMGg8wKkFwhUVlQj/s640/Path+in+Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But this year, they opened it early (before the summer months), so I'm still in New York! So I worked late last night so I could take the afternoon off today. Having run <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/everypath-in-central-park.html" target="_blank">every path in the Park</a> multiple times, I have circled the Hallett Nature Sanctuary many, many times, always wanting to explore it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2VmUh5jSg222YYVIMKnNyIiLP5I_bt_h3oQo3HpUrs2ZvK-4IGuefTQQYQ9aNHc_mfRnFTy9CSqOKdnPbAdmzeJMrLLLLb-dj3GrMT6rokuW_iU66VgOrD3WDH2gbb_Y6axZTD7wDd9G/s1600/View+of+Pond+from+Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary+Lookout+Point.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC2VmUh5jSg222YYVIMKnNyIiLP5I_bt_h3oQo3HpUrs2ZvK-4IGuefTQQYQ9aNHc_mfRnFTy9CSqOKdnPbAdmzeJMrLLLLb-dj3GrMT6rokuW_iU66VgOrD3WDH2gbb_Y6axZTD7wDd9G/s640/View+of+Pond+from+Hallett+Nature+Sanctuary+Lookout+Point.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olmsted and Vaux designed this to be a promontory. This is the viewpoint from atop the lookout point.</td></tr>
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<b>It was wonderful.</b> It was exactly what I thought it would be. Peaceful. I was so happy in there.<br />
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They only allow 20-30 people in at a time so the noise doesn't disturb the birds and butterfly population. So if you can get in (which right now is not a problem since they're not promoting it), you'll have it mostly to yourself. Especially because this year they're allowing you to explore on your own - no tour guide! There are friendly volunteers hanging around though, making sure you don't fall off the waterfall while checking out this view:<br />
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It's open for a few hours a day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday now, with slightly extended hours in the summer. Check out the Conservancy's page for specific times here:<br />
<a href="http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/hallett-nature-sanctuary.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/hallett-nature-sanctuary.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/" target="_blank">Hallett Nature Sanctuary Open Hours</a><br />
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If you want to go, head to the Southeast part of the Park. Cross the Gapstow Bridge and follow the fence to the right. You'll see the entrance on your left.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Hallett Nature Sanctuary, Ave of the Americas, Manhattan, NY 10019, USA40.7666397 -73.97502429999997315.244605199999999 -115.28361829999997 66.2886742 -32.666430299999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-82721632313784410982016-03-09T23:05:00.000-05:002016-03-10T11:06:45.519-05:00Central Park SunsetOn Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I have a conference call that goes until 6pm. So I usually can't go out and run until it's dark. But today I decided to see if I could take the call from the Park. It turned out to be a great decision.<div>
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I was still home when the meeting started. Based on the agenda, my part wasn't until the end. So I walked over to the Park and listened while the other presenters talked. I watched the geese and admired the hazy skyline.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7u-UDcnNf2USXgHO-xL4I9nryEFnEnDMORrC50fVkUr-Fv1aqOv3GHwQuqk3TV8AwcndgQIb14fCrJSGIbWqUEq9jzbbahSw7yYWD7mO36u0HcV3kX2YqhaCW-Dlqa9LuKCJsgE53bn2/s1600/Central+Park+Midtown+Skyline+and+Ducks+in+the+Reservoir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7u-UDcnNf2USXgHO-xL4I9nryEFnEnDMORrC50fVkUr-Fv1aqOv3GHwQuqk3TV8AwcndgQIb14fCrJSGIbWqUEq9jzbbahSw7yYWD7mO36u0HcV3kX2YqhaCW-Dlqa9LuKCJsgE53bn2/s640/Central+Park+Midtown+Skyline+and+Ducks+in+the+Reservoir.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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By the time my turn came around, I was on the East side of the reservoir.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvH1nq9ABsKSQmvX6AYyvMtWECdmI0eyzA5VSfdFopH6pFmeML1w0U0Q4fMe7necYhYE5R7h8DuJNyVtHSq5AL6ENBfRpv7SaXU0eIfoL95i3RdkgR7szIglbEVdiaNlbticXZsNuwpOZ0/s1600/Central+Park+Reservoir+and+Running+Track+Sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvH1nq9ABsKSQmvX6AYyvMtWECdmI0eyzA5VSfdFopH6pFmeML1w0U0Q4fMe7necYhYE5R7h8DuJNyVtHSq5AL6ENBfRpv7SaXU0eIfoL95i3RdkgR7szIglbEVdiaNlbticXZsNuwpOZ0/s640/Central+Park+Reservoir+and+Running+Track+Sunset.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It was relatively quiet where I was, until a few helicopters flew overhead. I hadn't planned on that.</div>
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The meeting ended just as the sky was starting to glow.</div>
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Perfect timing. I ran up the track a little to put the clouds where I wanted them in relation to the El Dorado Towers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OStxcrkNraofUyB2aUO9_5rweZarVzcrT3oAa6YDaWwqESBV3lYQxhsAX9RjEFw6EZE5jyXFw6Ptz8qvEvk2SBRQyTLZ_SOI0eJ2yhC1v-bxoDwYdmO6F_1wCfxWrLb1HGBgiJ9hq5oB/s1600/El+Dorado+Towers+Sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1OStxcrkNraofUyB2aUO9_5rweZarVzcrT3oAa6YDaWwqESBV3lYQxhsAX9RjEFw6EZE5jyXFw6Ptz8qvEvk2SBRQyTLZ_SOI0eJ2yhC1v-bxoDwYdmO6F_1wCfxWrLb1HGBgiJ9hq5oB/s640/El+Dorado+Towers+Sunset.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think I'll do this every week now.</div>
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-68575361110035540432016-03-08T23:36:00.000-05:002016-04-20T10:28:07.061-04:00Business Trip to the SouthI've never been to the South before (not including Florida), so I was excited. The trip spanned 5 days and covered 4 cities: Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Hilton Head, and Savannah. Here's a recap of my trip in pictures, with a few sentences to string the story together.<br />
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<h2>
Day 1 and 2: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina</h2>
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I arrived in Myrtle Beach and went straight to the store. Day 1 was rainy and cold, so all I did was work and eat. Here's day 2:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWJdQnh0vykNu1nuBJCu3dj-nSOpOMN7UtXAcZatO-WZSTZuLC6mv4jojInhsg-5YODrjlWbZxs21zSgddTtwEQ-SdqXCbNnOG3_QmIjka4s3_qBqD5XCOpqW-kYUzr3Wy3CRY8XiJV7z/s1600/Del+Sol+Myrtle+Beach+Broadway+at+the+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWJdQnh0vykNu1nuBJCu3dj-nSOpOMN7UtXAcZatO-WZSTZuLC6mv4jojInhsg-5YODrjlWbZxs21zSgddTtwEQ-SdqXCbNnOG3_QmIjka4s3_qBqD5XCOpqW-kYUzr3Wy3CRY8XiJV7z/s400/Del+Sol+Myrtle+Beach+Broadway+at+the+Beach.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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The store is in a complex called Broadway at the Beach. It's not quite on the beach, but there is water there. And sea gulls.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QJ9HMXIRByS8RVZT5lPc_-b-ASKUImyUdPYMX575I8Sh63NDp0DAgQcWk7Wm8GBBmdy14Kb6yx54NI0_bgZvaw9HxVUrep3Yqf9Y8w7qQsNCUXFxfjw2uuwfih83J7qarefgD8lSFuOt/s1600/Broadway+at+the+Beach+Sea+Gull+Feed+Us.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QJ9HMXIRByS8RVZT5lPc_-b-ASKUImyUdPYMX575I8Sh63NDp0DAgQcWk7Wm8GBBmdy14Kb6yx54NI0_bgZvaw9HxVUrep3Yqf9Y8w7qQsNCUXFxfjw2uuwfih83J7qarefgD8lSFuOt/s640/Broadway+at+the+Beach+Sea+Gull+Feed+Us.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Most of my time on these trips is spent in the stores. The second store I visited in Myrtle Beach is in Barefoot Landing. It has a lot of mosquitoes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa9WfXVhyphenhyphenUwfpf49guc_my_MhZVRGXY2Z0klQfmqmpg5lRladYXek7tfvMDdV8bJYtQ4QZDhSE7_eEZPXAU7FAmgCjLi_Vf4j0tOLqrI-sdSmNW8cPRpDS40okefq859V5BwBkAxEAzY5/s1600/Myrtle+Beach+Sunset+Mosquitoes+at+Barefoot+Landing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVa9WfXVhyphenhyphenUwfpf49guc_my_MhZVRGXY2Z0klQfmqmpg5lRladYXek7tfvMDdV8bJYtQ4QZDhSE7_eEZPXAU7FAmgCjLi_Vf4j0tOLqrI-sdSmNW8cPRpDS40okefq859V5BwBkAxEAzY5/s640/Myrtle+Beach+Sunset+Mosquitoes+at+Barefoot+Landing.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All those specks in the sky are mosquitoes.</td></tr>
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I don't leave the store until it closes, so it's almost always dark.<br />
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<h2>
Day 3: Still Myrtle Beach</h2>
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I woke up early (a la 5:30am) to catch the sunrise on the beach.<br />
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The moon was still up, but the sun wasn't yet.<br />
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Not bad for a point and shoot, huh? (Using the Canon G7X):<br />
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I ran through the pier over to hang out with some sea gulls.<br />
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The sun peeked out from behind the horizon and rose much faster than I had anticipated.<br />
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I ran over to the pier to try to get an artsy shot between the pillars.<br />
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I ran back along the beach.<br />
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Hey look! My footprints!<br />
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I went back to the hotel and slept for a few hours, then spent the entire day in the stores. At night, I drove down to Charleston. Before entering the city, you cross this bridge.<br />
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That's all I saw of Charleston because the next morning, I woke up early to drive down to Hilton Head.<br />
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<h2>
Day 4: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina</h2>
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Most of the drive was pretty uneventful. Pretty. And uneventful.<br />
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The store is old but the manager and staff are fantastic! They suggested we grab lunch at Chow Daddy's - and now I recommend it too. It was so good!<br />
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I had the pulled chicken over mashed potatoes and it was ridiculously good.<br />
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Unlike Myrtle Beach, this store closed at 6, just before sunset. So we headed to the beach.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGO9CrzNSt3IG8H7eldu2pFdfasO5QO34lETm_Y3iIdjAcDHlWEmsYweHZ3NShUyJr3ZpW5YdFhhq4Oeq3q9gTrjCARCqVI1ddpXUKCqH5921yE0tTlCCqTQKgkG8Gkj95ZOH_NcYWlsci/s1600/Hilton+Head+Island+Caligny+Beach+Sea+Gull+at+Sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGO9CrzNSt3IG8H7eldu2pFdfasO5QO34lETm_Y3iIdjAcDHlWEmsYweHZ3NShUyJr3ZpW5YdFhhq4Oeq3q9gTrjCARCqVI1ddpXUKCqH5921yE0tTlCCqTQKgkG8Gkj95ZOH_NcYWlsci/s640/Hilton+Head+Island+Caligny+Beach+Sea+Gull+at+Sunset.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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After dinner, I worked from the hotel for a little bit and then headed back out to the beach at midnight. I've never taken pictures of stars before. Here's my first attempt:<br />
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Pretty cool, huh?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ18qPhAswiaGOtL45Mehft0XOB-fdZBbYuCZfUfxbNGqnRNPT3oRo3XTBaN0Rz2Y3AMhFgvzSHy-vGr30uru-BQWDeAV4-RIfoem30asb05IPp4jY5BKM3lxa6UhZGh34qDIZm1olxnR0/s1600/Hilton+Head+Stars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ18qPhAswiaGOtL45Mehft0XOB-fdZBbYuCZfUfxbNGqnRNPT3oRo3XTBaN0Rz2Y3AMhFgvzSHy-vGr30uru-BQWDeAV4-RIfoem30asb05IPp4jY5BKM3lxa6UhZGh34qDIZm1olxnR0/s640/Hilton+Head+Stars.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Can you see the big dipper in this one?<br />
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<h2>
Day 5: Savannah, Georgia</h2>
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Morning came way too fast, but I got up and drove to Savannah. On the way, we (I was traveling with Janelle at this point, the Regional Sales Director for the area) stopped at a French bakery owned by the Hilton Head manager's father. It was a treat! </div>
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We got a warm welcome at the Savannah store too.</div>
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Did you know that Savannah has one of the largest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the world? Right? Well Del Sol has a pirate cut out that they repurpose as a leprechaun for the celebration. Needless to say, it attracts a lot of photos.</div>
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I spent the whole day in the store, with the exception of eating shrimp and grits (yum!) for lunch. We shut down around 7pm and passed through this square on the way back to the car.</div>
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From here I drove halfway back to Myrtle Beach and then the other half the next morning to catch an early afternoon flight back home to New York.<br />
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Here's the video of the whole trip:<br />
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com1Myrtle Beach, SC, USA33.6890603 -78.88669429999998833.4777438 -79.209417799999983 33.900376800000004 -78.563970799999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-68842784804150720622016-02-26T18:54:00.000-05:002016-02-27T19:01:18.936-05:00Reservoir ReflectionsMy ankle has been messed up lately so I haven't gone running. I'm trying to rest it. But I had to get out of the house tonight. I went for a walk in the freezing cold (it's colder when you're not running!) over to the Reservoir. I always love the midtown skyline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJfUtSy-uD62q_CWvPHLdtMNfw5NWMUG8UG-WWRLuOmkzx9-gqTTBVWqTvH9hsQGfvU9L-2aTBixKTMbpdxIGqM8OQuAY3KnXus8HstYjG_OGN6n95ZF-PltJDSvpFvBra-yPPjvNytuj/s1600/NYC+Midtown+Skyline+with+Stars+and+Reflection+on+Reservoir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJfUtSy-uD62q_CWvPHLdtMNfw5NWMUG8UG-WWRLuOmkzx9-gqTTBVWqTvH9hsQGfvU9L-2aTBixKTMbpdxIGqM8OQuAY3KnXus8HstYjG_OGN6n95ZF-PltJDSvpFvBra-yPPjvNytuj/s640/NYC+Midtown+Skyline+with+Stars+and+Reflection+on+Reservoir.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I left the shutter open for a minute to get these shots, which apparently is too long because the stars moved. It was quite the challenge to time it so I didn't get any planes or helicopters in the shot. Most of the pictures looked like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHD6KAGwMwNt4WYv7OwekWCEecM8A8BrdptYSGm7ubIBAgnjkC_W5VPApo6IFdjpRBeAIjC_RFfZKG91znvAmCOBfbJpWDGMKOS2KAPlpubt3NMHootLdvnqhLQ6iBrk1Qpoz2Plg9RLB3/s1600/NYC+Midtown+Skyline+with+Stars+and+Planes+and+Reflection+on+Reservoir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHD6KAGwMwNt4WYv7OwekWCEecM8A8BrdptYSGm7ubIBAgnjkC_W5VPApo6IFdjpRBeAIjC_RFfZKG91znvAmCOBfbJpWDGMKOS2KAPlpubt3NMHootLdvnqhLQ6iBrk1Qpoz2Plg9RLB3/s640/NYC+Midtown+Skyline+with+Stars+and+Planes+and+Reflection+on+Reservoir.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't like the streaks through the picture.<br />
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This was also the first time I noticed how pretty the Upper East Side looks across the Reservoir. I'm always so mesmerized by midtown that I never really pay attention to the east side. But I should...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgqpUBvWaLt_NS25-lFqHGU4LpmnyrIDYVpgs40XIxhW3yvPPT27j26z6VjWWFcI_UYqMUieZHkGzGpGDjHQFhyphenhyphenRlcwX80yTqIhF2S998leuYlBGuP-VCrb4rJzg1TGzjnpvZx0tMcJbG/s1600/NYC+Upper+East+Side+Night+Reflection+on+Reservoir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPgqpUBvWaLt_NS25-lFqHGU4LpmnyrIDYVpgs40XIxhW3yvPPT27j26z6VjWWFcI_UYqMUieZHkGzGpGDjHQFhyphenhyphenRlcwX80yTqIhF2S998leuYlBGuP-VCrb4rJzg1TGzjnpvZx0tMcJbG/s640/NYC+Upper+East+Side+Night+Reflection+on+Reservoir.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Can you see the Guggenheim? It's just right of center.<br />
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And that's about all my hands could take because it got even colder. So I walked home. Good night! :)Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-31432510789690173352016-02-22T23:19:00.000-05:002016-02-24T23:26:39.980-05:00North Meadow Central Park #EveryPathI started out in the 90's and ran around the Tennis Courts for a while. Oddly enough, I don't have a single picture of the tennis courts though. Some other time. Here's a path to the north of the Tennis Center though:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qPDoBYAU1ql2TSaSSw8Udfn6SuvvEDEAIK9Dc4uk2unY_tB0J2VE72rg_hUWkKeg0hIprTkN7rzXR3480CzkZpw3RcVZRC31jUPwegfoANL5fw6ExbFFG0r3yiJpPLi90PiaAUHhiaTy/s1600/Central+Park+Path+near+96th+Street+Tennis+Center.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qPDoBYAU1ql2TSaSSw8Udfn6SuvvEDEAIK9Dc4uk2unY_tB0J2VE72rg_hUWkKeg0hIprTkN7rzXR3480CzkZpw3RcVZRC31jUPwegfoANL5fw6ExbFFG0r3yiJpPLi90PiaAUHhiaTy/s640/Central+Park+Path+near+96th+Street+Tennis+Center.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are some of the least frequently used paths, as it's really just a cut-through from East Drive to West Drive just below the 97th Street Transverse. And most people would rather take the more scenic path along the reservoir just below here or the more popular path above 97th. Or just bus it across 97th.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/499958555/embed/bbf64b451b0421417067fe81cb153d99fcf26a64" width="590"></iframe></center>
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It's paths like the one below that make running every path kinda humorous to anybody paying attention. To get them all, I have to run down one path, up the next, and down the third. Fortunately, nobody really pays attention in New York.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_JitAm26abzZH1EXiocFSqCiB6afi7lrZoPw0BQxoPaeExcUUqErdXTTpRLC81zZZ76EOwuRX2efY5iOKr84Q2_McGEjW1_06CqJSDR23cvCvXCW2JPFochfoFCFa_woFUNDXt1kMZcu/s1600/Central+Park+North+Meadow+West+Drive+Paths.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_JitAm26abzZH1EXiocFSqCiB6afi7lrZoPw0BQxoPaeExcUUqErdXTTpRLC81zZZ76EOwuRX2efY5iOKr84Q2_McGEjW1_06CqJSDR23cvCvXCW2JPFochfoFCFa_woFUNDXt1kMZcu/s640/Central+Park+North+Meadow+West+Drive+Paths.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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There's another section down between the zoo and the pond and there are 5 or 6 paths side by side. That's fun.<br />
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The North Meadow is home to a dozen softball fields (literally, 12). I play soccer on these fields in the Fall.<br />
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It also has a rec center with basketball and handball courts in the center. And bathrooms, if you need them while you're up here.<br />
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Off to the north side of the meadow is a small trail that ducks down to a little arch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_a3BNvniseQ2mXHIJ7YRXt6OZunsQGeMb52pPLInMqy5RLNOKx1OZx3MiCnb7op7UMZYVgsWwahuJgm66YLty_2ZUXqe5Ec8en4gJpsMiVXzvpMJ63fEI5d0TBsn0vbpD5XKTcHdnoO4-/s1600/Central+Park+North+Meadow+Path+to+Springbanks+Arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_a3BNvniseQ2mXHIJ7YRXt6OZunsQGeMb52pPLInMqy5RLNOKx1OZx3MiCnb7op7UMZYVgsWwahuJgm66YLty_2ZUXqe5Ec8en4gJpsMiVXzvpMJ63fEI5d0TBsn0vbpD5XKTcHdnoO4-/s640/Central+Park+North+Meadow+Path+to+Springbanks+Arch.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The arch is one of the smallest and least known in the Park, mostly because it's almost entirely hidden from the North Meadow, and on the other side is the much less-travelled Loch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDz7581H7MuSz6VT_TOp4ChkKDWF_SnJ2FuUVFKyWluU9Y8-enZnN-J5F9GPxiLQrnsf3vmDSVMrlqVWbAKR54K3hBXL2ChydLXFiilmozJAHD7ZCFWCz9nmEYtMXyJLTHUsuMTOhH0Bk/s1600/Central+Park+Springbanks+Arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDz7581H7MuSz6VT_TOp4ChkKDWF_SnJ2FuUVFKyWluU9Y8-enZnN-J5F9GPxiLQrnsf3vmDSVMrlqVWbAKR54K3hBXL2ChydLXFiilmozJAHD7ZCFWCz9nmEYtMXyJLTHUsuMTOhH0Bk/s640/Central+Park+Springbanks+Arch.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Loch is one of those places in the Park that very few tourists wander because you can't see the City and they get scared because they don't know where they are or if it's safe.<br />
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It's safe. At least in the day time. There are no lights in here at night. And although I've never felt scared running through here at night, I wouldn't recommend it.<br />
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There are two main paved trails paralleling the Loch...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9yZJa9cOLXa2emULUmc5BjIzWn7BltERES02qXkkx9CqnWkXVEf24DBhtRAwPME-pQ7-K1sBEm9q18LLYUGDdpM_QpdGOiQT085Iz2RymXzFTjISdyL6qiKPeL6qpedA6qL_edqQ_5XA/s1600/Central+Park+Loch+Trail+Sunset+Winter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9yZJa9cOLXa2emULUmc5BjIzWn7BltERES02qXkkx9CqnWkXVEf24DBhtRAwPME-pQ7-K1sBEm9q18LLYUGDdpM_QpdGOiQT085Iz2RymXzFTjISdyL6qiKPeL6qpedA6qL_edqQ_5XA/s640/Central+Park+Loch+Trail+Sunset+Winter.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and then the side trails are all wood chips.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQ8ZG0aXuxAM8LHLQXKbLm2e6cqPmFTgwfwoPPtqfMKBQBdg6LREW3KSDOdzZ3h5bBf_m5_dvjQdAjmMamn51Vxtf3rjh3W-cQjmf_Tiaf9GU1SrgSWvuZy5-1dDpv4Frlcfjne8JdKG0/s1600/Central+Park+Ravine+Trail+Winter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYQ8ZG0aXuxAM8LHLQXKbLm2e6cqPmFTgwfwoPPtqfMKBQBdg6LREW3KSDOdzZ3h5bBf_m5_dvjQdAjmMamn51Vxtf3rjh3W-cQjmf_Tiaf9GU1SrgSWvuZy5-1dDpv4Frlcfjne8JdKG0/s640/Central+Park+Ravine+Trail+Winter.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Loch begins at the Pool (the body of water - not a swimming pool, although confusingly enough the Loch ends at Lasker Pool - the swimming pool on the north side of the Park). So that paved path I mentioned before runs alongside the Loch through Glen Span Arch. I'm standing next to a waterfall fed by the Pool to take this picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgyq7eBetU7oAW5t4xbR0ZkGS2CllhXwm1AnnnB9BzPCG_GMP3LVuuP7vT97TG12_25PzRSzGADb4WHdaC9rDsxue_t44Wpijs5Dtc28RYTRz5baQdz2oJydLWrVEzZi1Zo615GqP8Ha8/s1600/Central+Park+Glen+Span+Arch+in+Winter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilgyq7eBetU7oAW5t4xbR0ZkGS2CllhXwm1AnnnB9BzPCG_GMP3LVuuP7vT97TG12_25PzRSzGADb4WHdaC9rDsxue_t44Wpijs5Dtc28RYTRz5baQdz2oJydLWrVEzZi1Zo615GqP8Ha8/s640/Central+Park+Glen+Span+Arch+in+Winter.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The sun was setting, and don't tell Central Park but I cheated on her and ran over to Riverside Park to watch the sunset over there. Sometimes I just want to check in on the Hudson River and see how she's doing.<br />
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She's good.<br />
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It's amazing how many people run and bike along Riverside Park. You can go for miles.<br />
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It was a good day. Which I'm glad because my left achilles feels like it's strained so I'm gonna have to lay off the running for a few days and let it rest back to normal.<br />
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-4572966923644142632016-02-19T20:33:00.000-05:002016-02-22T20:41:24.486-05:00Central Park at NightSometimes I work late. Ok, it's more often than that. And since I work from home, it's not uncommon that at 7pm I've taken less than 300 steps. And my daily step counter on my phone gets mad at me if it's under 10,000. So I have to go running at night.<br />
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Fortunately, Central Park stays open until 1am.<br />
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If you ever want to see Central Park completely empty, just go on a cold winter night.<br />
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The pictures on this post are from three separate nights. The first one was freezing. Like crazy cold. February 13 had a high of 22 and a low of 6, with a windchill in the negatives.<br />
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And if you think I just waited until it was really late and there was nobody around, this picture was taken at 7:30pm on the West side. I <a href="https://www.strava.com/activities/492889574" target="_blank">ran through the park for about 20 minutes</a> and then walked for another 10 or 15. The entire time, I saw 5 people. Two dog walkers, a couple, and one other runner.<br />
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This one was taken around 5:40pm on the East side a few days later.<br />
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I'm telling you, you'll find more people in a frozen yogurt place on a winter's night than you will in Central Park.<br />
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If you're concerned about running in the Park at night, rest your fears aside. Most of the paths are really well lit. And with the exception of cold winter nights, it's still pretty busy until around 10 or 11, even up here on the north end of the Park.<br />
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There are a few paths devoid of light, like the dreaded Bridle Path. Never run the Bridle Path at night. And honestly, it's my least favorite path to run in the daytime too.<br />
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Run through that tunnel if you want to get your adrenaline going. I did. I don't recommend it. Hopefully Isa won't read this part of the post. :) With good reason, she likes me to be safe when I run at night. So normally I stick to the main paths.<br />
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So the first freezing night I ran with the Olympus - it's freeze-proof. The Canon only works to about 30 degrees. Isa and I took it out <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/blizzard-2016-in-new-york.htmlhttp://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/blizzard-2016-in-new-york.html" target="_blank">during the blizzard</a> and it started having some issues once it got too cold. But this second night (2/17) got up to 35 degrees, so I ran with the Canon. It takes much clearer pictures at night.<br />
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On my quest to run <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/everypath-in-central-park.html" target="_blank">every path in Central Park</a> again, I felt like I've been neglecting the south part of the Park. I also love the midtown skyline at night, so I wanted to photograph it. I ran just under 4 miles.<br />
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From Columbus Circle, I cut across the Park to the Pond. The workers were taking the ice down at Wollman Rink. Winter is over (although it didn't feel like it).<br />
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The rink and the pond are really well lit. Since the south part of the Park is where the tourists usually are, this whole section is really safe to run at night - lots of people and plenty of patrol cars cruising around.<br />
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There's no flash on that picture. It's just that bright. Here's the view from the other side.<br />
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I tried my best to lean my camera on something stable so the long exposures came out clearly.<br />
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When I was taking these skyline pictures, I noticed the stars and I seriously went a little crazy. You don't see stars in Manhattan. Especially not in midtown. But you can actually see Orion here!<br />
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The pond was still recovering from the frozen week we just went through.<br />
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I ran up through the Mall, but it's wide open so I had nothing to rest my camera on and all the pictures turned out blurry, so I decided to come back with the tripod later. This was the best I could get.<br />
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From the Mall, I ran up through the Ramble to the Belvedere Castle.<br />
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And then cut through to one of my favorite views of the midtown skyline.<br />
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I liked it tonight, but I like it better without the ice. I'll get it later in the season.<br />
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So two days later (2/19) it was borderline too cold to use the Canon, but I went for it anyway. And I brought the tripod so I could set up pictures wherever I felt like it.<br />
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This was the first picture I took and immediately I noticed I had forgotten something important. My camera battery was blinking red. :(<br />
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So I ran straight over to the Mall to get what I came for. I was afraid that there'd be people around, so I waited until 11:30pm to go. And it was empty for the entire 20 minutes I was there. This is what the Mall looks like at night from Bethesda Terrace.<br />
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Not a single soul as far as you can see. I moved up to get it from a few vantage points.<br />
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I loved that the night was so still. The branches didn't move at all throughout the 20-second exposure. The camera died after the third shot, so I waited for a minute and took a shot facing north.<br />
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I'll have to take the tripod out another night (with a full battery) and get some more shots around the park. For now, if you want to see more night shots from Central Park, check out my <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/harlem-meer-in-winter-everypath.html" target="_blank">run around the Harlem Meer</a>:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/harlem-meer-in-winter-everypath.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y8Kjdg3ySqs/Vqg8_3-otAI/AAAAAAAAIjc/GidmhIqYx-g/s640/Charles%2BA%2BDana%2BDiscovery%2BCenter%2Band%2BIcy%2BHarlem%2BMeer.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the picture to go to the Harlem Meer in Winter run.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com1Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-7592599568615102532016-02-10T13:38:00.000-05:002016-02-13T14:26:45.180-05:00Leaving Las VegasAfter our <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/02/las-vegas-neon-boneyard-review-and.html" target="_blank">less than stellar experience in the Neon Boneyard</a>, we needed to do something else to make this day more worthwhile.<br />
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Immediately following the boneyard, we walked down Las Vegas Boulevard in the really shady part of town that the museum is in because Isa saw a cool looking building.<br />
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We went home for dinner with the family and then headed out to the Mirage to watch the volcano show.<br />
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It scared MJ so bad though, from the very first eruption. She cried and asked Christy to make it stop for the rest of the 10-minute show. :(<br />
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After the Bellagio's water show, it's the best free show on the Strip (now that the Siren's show is closed at Treasure Island next door).<br />
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And we finally got a brothers pic! That's me (Brian), Jason, and then Christopher. Crazy how we all look alike, huh? /jk<br />
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We're all pink because it's across the street from a giant red Walgreens sign.<br />
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From the Strip, we drove back up to Fremont Street so Chris and Maryellen could do the zipline/zoomline. When we were here on Saturday, the first opening was at 1:40am, so they reserved spots for 8pm tonight.<br />
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Although their ticket said 8pm, there was an hour-long wait to ride still. Not sure how that works. So Isa and I wandered Fremont Street while we waited.<br />
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And when we had seen it all (it's only a few blocks long), we went in and played the slots. We each chose a machine and put in a dollar. Isa lost the entire thing straight away without ever winning any of it back. This is how she feels about gambling in Vegas.<br />
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I won 20 cents.<br />
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But then lost it all a few seconds later.<br />
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Finally, Chris and Maryellen flew overhead.<br />
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On the way home, we stopped at the iconic Fabulous Las Vegas sign.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHhrNPM3ViT7fsewBAfSfPt9PLKq_tmLtFGTESIOhiUgJvuDy56C7NApTEqx1eTVnglvAVds-bmegPBDd6UASVCvqYzlPFy9JYQxsJZ2fG6eXDvTIDeW_maAhcf7i3wWnpkbCtYKXlwpK/s1600/Chris+and+Maryellen+at+Las+Vegas+Sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHhrNPM3ViT7fsewBAfSfPt9PLKq_tmLtFGTESIOhiUgJvuDy56C7NApTEqx1eTVnglvAVds-bmegPBDd6UASVCvqYzlPFy9JYQxsJZ2fG6eXDvTIDeW_maAhcf7i3wWnpkbCtYKXlwpK/s320/Chris+and+Maryellen+at+Las+Vegas+Sign.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4y1LCqIBy2-HnDoxsyldp3bp4k2mR0Hb_oAItW01pgKporr6M9jFYcWGRkc6ZX-F7Er2q1F56GgXEASUx5g_cuXc-Tfxnmt4BLyJaJUvnMoDr6G0ZlxwNpp2hx550zIarCxCjPZh2MBw/s1600/Brisa+at+Las+Vegas+Sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4y1LCqIBy2-HnDoxsyldp3bp4k2mR0Hb_oAItW01pgKporr6M9jFYcWGRkc6ZX-F7Er2q1F56GgXEASUx5g_cuXc-Tfxnmt4BLyJaJUvnMoDr6G0ZlxwNpp2hx550zIarCxCjPZh2MBw/s320/Brisa+at+Las+Vegas+Sign.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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And the we got our stuff, said goodbye to Jason and his family, and headed to the airport. Such a fun Vegas trip. Somehow I wasn't tired when we left at 1:30am, so I played around in Final Cut Pro and put this to music.<br />
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com2Las Vegas, NV, USA36.1699412 -115.1398295999999835.7602007 -115.78527659999999 36.579681699999995 -114.49438259999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-49089738568430405612016-02-08T12:39:00.000-05:002016-02-13T13:44:11.294-05:00Las Vegas Neon Boneyard Review and PicturesAfter work today, we went out to the Neon Graveyard. It's been on our bucket list and it was the only touristy thing we wanted to accomplish on this trip. I also found out it's actually called the Neon Boneyard.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreQ6WrETtAM-wNoD7rt5IjIgcGI6QYMx7vsiV8-KxRul1IWHuh638HUEMpif3llbt2Fbp_aypBenJ8Au_Uf65hXxtMhFs76MttB6uDFRnWQfOKHo6sOnRyjGC90rGBIQBu4hArHNem4c1/s1600/Neon+Boneyard+Sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgreQ6WrETtAM-wNoD7rt5IjIgcGI6QYMx7vsiV8-KxRul1IWHuh638HUEMpif3llbt2Fbp_aypBenJ8Au_Uf65hXxtMhFs76MttB6uDFRnWQfOKHo6sOnRyjGC90rGBIQBu4hArHNem4c1/s640/Neon+Boneyard+Sign.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Our experience was not great. Which is very disappointing. This place has so much potential! Here's how it plays out.<br />
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They treat it like a museum. The tickets actually call it the "Neon Museum." But you're not allowed to wander or explore like a normal museum. You're required to go with a tour guide...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLwpbuDquCLz20vUhaXdXu9istbrbRzC6ShimlZfEkCGg-DX-sqoYXQ2I_GBbw899_4DJXphmC8OvYFUiWV1HBdbJnROpQhZgxjmSH83WixYJJzOTqRsoQfATpQcY49uIVBV3Tay595q7/s1600/Neon+Boneyard+Tour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLwpbuDquCLz20vUhaXdXu9istbrbRzC6ShimlZfEkCGg-DX-sqoYXQ2I_GBbw899_4DJXphmC8OvYFUiWV1HBdbJnROpQhZgxjmSH83WixYJJzOTqRsoQfATpQcY49uIVBV3Tay595q7/s640/Neon+Boneyard+Tour.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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...and you're not allowed to stray from the group or even lag behind to take pictures. Right. Like I'm going to allow a ton of people to be every one of my pictures. Needless to say, I lagged behind as much as I could.<br />
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I wasn't alone though. Isa stayed back with me too. :) Oh, did I mention it was crazy hot and sunny? It was.<br />
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Sadly, absolutely no video. :(<br />
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The tour guide's cadence was jarring, so it wasn't pleasant to listen to. She would ask questions, but not really play off the answers very well. It was like a recording that asks questions and then keeps going regardless of what you said. It was extremely informative though. We learned a lot.<br />
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Like that when the government was doing atomic bomb testing in the Mojave desert, a lot of casinos would sell "Atomic Vacation Packages" and they'd bus people up to the top of a mountain to watch the bombs explode in the distance.<br />
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We also learned about the different "periods" of Las Vegas. First there was the "sawdust on the floor" old-western casinos. Then there was a big push to clean up Vegas and bring more families out, so hotels and casinos started doing "themes." The Mirage was the first one to have a loose theme - Polynesian. But Caesar's Palace was the first to make the theme the central part of everything they did.<br />
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The Stardust was "outer-space" themed. Eventually they ran into financial troubles and changed their font to Helvetica and it's said that was the nail in the coffin because they strayed from their theme.<br />
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Obviously, we took the daytime tour. It's less expensive than at night, but they told us that only 7 of the signs actually work. The rest are lit up by strobes along the path.<br />
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And there are so many smaller signs and random letters strewn about that I feel like you'd miss a lot if you came at night, since they would be in the shadows of the larger signs.<br />
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They also don't let you bring tripods or monopods or even different lenses if you have an SLR. You get one camera. Not even a phone and a camera. One.<br />
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So unless you have a REALLY good camera that can pretty much see in the dark or has really good image stabilization, I'd say go in the daytime. Because look at this scene, with only one light to light up this entire section, I doubt it'd be very easy to shoot at night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUnC9nHqJJ4pDfszOHLgnPqYxst-yin2sPrpzs8YwomjJbKxUX_pfb3SycK7KNgH0waBIeg_EnvZ1cOWHHLXvNhqkalsYGpZfqJAI48ID7cvg_MZjO09HNEMIMmTgurDOzil6VhTKJ3FX/s1600/Neon+Graveyard+Aladdin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUnC9nHqJJ4pDfszOHLgnPqYxst-yin2sPrpzs8YwomjJbKxUX_pfb3SycK7KNgH0waBIeg_EnvZ1cOWHHLXvNhqkalsYGpZfqJAI48ID7cvg_MZjO09HNEMIMmTgurDOzil6VhTKJ3FX/s640/Neon+Graveyard+Aladdin.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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They arranged the letters in "Moulin Rouge" to spell "in love." Except it's actually "in loue." She made it sound like it was a coincidence. Right. I'm pretty sure those are bolted in place. That was on purpose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbo14DWe1UB5Xoks1nh3hL7Zt__4jWu1m6xSlVSSzvgxK5XHiGnVBPJ17J-lQQccFrvn8nYcjCP4QfBQOUswAogHnrKD72ehCRN_euNY1LqqCI-32tnxg5iUb2i120Hu8XXoz6oEDYfeS/s1600/Moulin+Rouge+In+Love+Neon+Boneyard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbo14DWe1UB5Xoks1nh3hL7Zt__4jWu1m6xSlVSSzvgxK5XHiGnVBPJ17J-lQQccFrvn8nYcjCP4QfBQOUswAogHnrKD72ehCRN_euNY1LqqCI-32tnxg5iUb2i120Hu8XXoz6oEDYfeS/s640/Moulin+Rouge+In+Love+Neon+Boneyard.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The only sign in the entire park to actually say Las Vegas is the Las Vegas Club sign.<br />
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Overall, it was definitely worth seeing, but not quite worth $18. We wish they would have given options, like $10 to just walk around and take pictures. Then $6 for an audio guide. Put a placard by the major signs with a little blurb (like paintings in a museum) and a number to enter on the audio guide to learn more about the history. Then they don't have to pay for a tour guide and if they're really worried about people touching stuff, just put a few guards around the park like a real museum.<br />
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And then you can allow video because you won't have to stress about people recording the tour guide. I'm seriously really bummed that I couldn't make a YouTube video out of this. :(<br />
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<h3>
This day's not over yet! Keep reading here: <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/02/leaving-las-vegas.html" target="_blank">Leaving Las Vegas</a></h3>
Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Las Vegas, NV, USA36.1699412 -115.1398295999999835.7602007 -115.78527659999999 36.579681699999995 -114.49438259999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-9887643713099397502016-02-07T23:03:00.000-05:002016-02-13T14:12:22.750-05:00Vegas with the Family Part 2We had a full day of fun on Saturday. Jason took the kids to Home Depot for a kid's building class. They made mailboxes to hold all their Valentines. While they were gone, Isa and Christy went to the gym and I went for a run. Not even a quarter mile from the house, I found an open gate.<br />
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So I went in to explore.<br />
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Not sure of just how illegal it would be to run in the flood channel, I opted to run along the street instead. Also because all the other gates were locked so I figured I wouldn't be able to get out as easily as I was able to get in.
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<center>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/487383090/embed/30dceed4cc697e154f1014f9fb47bc1f5044d891" width="590"></iframe></center>
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I saw the park on the map and thought that'd be nice to jog through. A little green respite in the middle of the desert of Las Vegas.<br />
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I was wrong.<br />
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It's not quite Central Park.<br />
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I really think Google Maps oughta show desert parks as brown instead of green.<br />
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It did have a fake lake though.<br />
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After a quick lunch, we all went out for a hike in Red Rock Canyon.<br />
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There was a lot of exploring.<br />
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A little off-trailing...<br />
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Lots of climbing on rocks.<br />
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And surveying and finding the tallest trees.<br />
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We also got a family pic, which is probably our first in about 10 years.<br />
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The Lost Creek trail that we took ended at a waterfall. As crazy as this sounds, the whole area around the waterfall was frozen. Ice in the Las Vegas desert?! Shocking, right?!<br />
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Everyone got pics around the frozen tree.<br />
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And I took lots of pics of the tree because I thought it was soo cool. Look at how much ice is around these little twigs!<br />
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And one from behind the waterfall, which I didn't like how it turned out but I rested in some dirt and got my jacket dirty for this pic so I'll be darned if I don't post it.<br />
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We hiked back out to the car and drove over to another spot - Calico Basin. The drive between the two parks was definitely scenic.<br />
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This one started with a boardwalk and then ended on an overlook.<br />
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This whole area, from Red Rock Canyon to Calico Basin, is a rock climber's paradise. There are climbers everywhere. And they're amazing.<br />
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Our reward for hiking was shaved ice at Bahama Bucks. There are too many flavors and I didn't want to keep asking for samples, so I caved and just ordered Dreamsicle. And it wasn't good. So I asked them to add a bunch of pineapple and it made it better. If you ask MJ if she liked her sour raspberry shaved ice though, she loved it.<br />
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Then we went over to the Silverton Hotel and Casino. They have a giant aquarium right in the main lobby as soon as you walk in. The tank has tons of tropical fish...<br />
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...a few sharks...<br />
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...and a bunch of stingrays.<br />
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At 4:30, a diver came and fed the fish and the stingrays.<br />
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And then a mermaid came to say hello.<br />
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She did a lot of back flips and played with bubbles.<br />
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We dropped the kids off at home (with their parents) and then Chris, Maryellen, Isa, and I went out to Fremont Street.<br />
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Chris and Maryellen were going to do the Slotzilla zipline but all the time slots were sold out until 1:40am. Which is about 4 hours past our bedtime.<br />
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So we wandered around the street and checked out the neon signs and the street performers for a bit.<br />
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Then we headed over to the Strip again. We parked at the Bellagio and walked through the hotel. The gardens were decorated beautifully for Chinese New Year.<br />
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If you can't tell, 2016 is the year of the monkey.<br />
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The lobby is still amazing. 2000 hand blown glass flowers. And a horse now.<br />
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As we walked out, we found a patio that I'd never been on. This is between the hotel and the water.<br />
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We walked around to the Boulevard side to watch the next water show. All that Jazz. Soo good.<br />
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After a quick stop in Hexx for some peanut butter cookies, we walked over to the Venetian, which was much further than we had anticipated. But so worth it.<br />
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We caught the tail end of one more water show (Uptown Funk) before heading back home around midnight, which was WAY past our bedtime.<br />
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Such a fun, full day in Las Vegas!<br />
<h3>
Keep reading about tomorrow! <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/02/las-vegas-neon-boneyard-review-and.html" target="_blank">Las Vegas Neon Boneyard Experience</a></h3>
Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com3Las Vegas, NV, USA36.1699412 -115.1398295999999835.7602007 -115.78527659999999 36.579681699999995 -114.49438259999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-9305751249710114172016-02-07T23:02:00.000-05:002016-02-07T23:43:07.051-05:00Vegas with the Family Part 1Here's a little Ciccotelli family history.<br />
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I have two brothers - Christopher and Jason. My older brother Chris is married to Maryellen and they live about an hour outside the City (New York). My little brother Jason is married to Christy and they live in Las Vegas. They have two kids - Ty and MJ.<br />
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Maryellen found cheap flights to Vegas, so we all up and left for a spur-of-the-moment brothers reunion. We took Virgin America through Dallas Love Field on Wednesday. It was rainy and cold in New York, but it's always sunny above the clouds.<br />
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Virgin is fun. Love their mood lighting.<br />
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We started our descent into Dallas around sunset.<br />
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Apparently I can't hold my camera still on an airplane.<br />
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So I switched cameras to the Canon, which pretty much sees in the dark, and you see a little clearer picture.<br />
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We were on the wrong side of the plane to see the Strip as we landed, so I don't have any cool Vegas pics from the plane.<br />
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----- [Thursday] -----<br />
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We worked all day on Thursday and then went out to Lockdown - an escape room game. I'm really good at these and I was 100% confident we'd escape. But we failed. :( Don't let the smile fool you, I was heartbroken and destroyed inside.<br />
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We also cruised through the Strip to show it off to Chris and Maryellen, who've never been here before.<br />
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----- [Friday] -----<br />
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Chris and Maryellen went out to Hoover Dam and nearly got stuck in an elevator while we worked all day on Friday. Then they went shopping while Isa and I headed to the Linq, the Strip's newest attraction.<br />
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The High Roller Ferris Wheel there is the tallest Ferris Wheel in the world (as of right now). It's big.<br />
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This area is next to Flamingo, which is very photogenic.<br />
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We also stopped by Del Sol in the Grand Bazaar shops. But it was closed. :(<br />
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When we got home, nobody was there (Jason and Christy were at a birthday party with the kids). So we went back out for popcorn and ice cream.<br />
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Nielsen's Frozen Custard is next level ridiculously good. And Popped, with its delicious gourmet popcorn, is just two doors down. Isa got the Pink'adelic.<br />
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That's good for one blog post.<br />
<h2>
<a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/02/vegas-with-family-part-2.html">Click here for tomorrow's all day adventure*</a></h2>
*includes running in Sunset Park, hiking through Red Rock Canyon, and playing on the Strip.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Las Vegas, NV, USA36.1699412 -115.1398295999999835.7602007 -115.78527659999999 36.579681699999995 -114.49438259999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-55652320532109513892016-01-29T23:59:00.000-05:002016-01-30T00:23:06.184-05:00Great Lawn and the Met #EveryPathI had planned to knock out the entire section from 86th down to 79th, but after the sun set and the wind picked up, I bailed on the west side. I'll get those paths later.<br />
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Running every path in an area takes a lot of retracing steps. If you click on that strava map, you can drag your mouse along my pace on the bottom and see my little dot run around and around in circles. I try to make big circles so it's not as obvious, but I think the kids playing basketball figured I was up to something when I ran straight through mid-court.<br />
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The first photo-op I ran into today was the Obelisk. Did you know this thing is legit 3465 years old? <a href="http://www.centralparknyc.org/things-to-see-and-do/attractions/obelisk.html" target="_blank">I read up on it this evening</a>.<br />
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I love the part about how they just spent two years cleaning and preserving it and when they removed years of dirt and pollution they found new hieroglyphs they didn't know about before.<br />
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Next stop was the Turtle Pond.<br />
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Which, you gotta wonder, where do the turtles go when the pond freezes over?<br />
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Turning out to the East, you go through this arch...<br />
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...and then out to the Met, where you'll see these three bears.<br />
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I took a mildly wrong turn and ended up running down the Bridle Path (remember that's "bridle" as in bridle your horse, not "bridal," unless you're referring to your fiancée as a ball and chain). The Bridle Path has to be the only path in the Park that was never plowed.<br />
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It was slippery and wet.<br />
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Sunset started up and it was iffy whether or not we'd see any colors tonight.<br />
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After a cold 30 minutes of waiting, it didn't disappoint.<br />
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It was hard for the camera to capture the scope of it, so I tried my phone's panorama.<br />
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The lower dark clouds came rolling in, but the upper clouds were still shining bright.<br />
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And in one fleeting attempt at a little more color, the lower dark clouds got a touch of pink.<br />
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And then I started to freeze so I ran home.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Great Lawn, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7816667 -73.96666670000001915.259632200000002 -115.27526070000002 66.3037012 -32.658072700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-90287372532479884972016-01-27T19:41:00.000-05:002016-01-27T19:41:58.062-05:00Do You Want to Build a Snowman?I took an afternoon break to run a quick loop around the loch.<br />
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The temperature rose to the mid-40's today and the snow is melting fast. I figured if anywhere still had snow, it'd be the North Woods. Hardly anybody goes up there.<br />
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On my way in, this scene caught my eye.<br />
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It appears that the person driving the plow thought the path was on the other side of the light posts.<br />
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As I suspected, the ice on the ponds and lakes was starting to thaw.<br />
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I dropped down through the Glen Span Arch which is basically the start of the Loch. Then I ran alongside the Loch to the end.<br />
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The Loch is pretty, with bridges, waterfalls, and small streams coming off it and meandering through the woods.<br />
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When I got to the Huddlestone Arch, which marks the end of the Loch next to Lasker Rink (remember Lasker from <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/harlem-meer-in-winter-everypath.html" target="_blank">yesterday</a>?), I turned to take a picture of the waterfall and sunset.<br />
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But I felt like it was missing something. Some personality. So I built a mini snowman.<br />
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It's my first snowman in years. I think he turned out rather well. :)<br />
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I backed up and surveyed the scene again.<br />
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Much better. :)<br />
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I started to run off, but before I could even get around the corner, another photographer came down to capture Mr. Snowman.<br />
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Yay! He likes my work. :)<br />
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I ran back up along the other side of the Loch back up to the Pool (it's a pond, but it's called the Pool). Still mostly frozen.<br />
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Hope you're having a great day! I sure did. Snowmen put you in a good mood. :)Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-37522082843773205522016-01-26T23:20:00.000-05:002016-01-26T23:20:19.071-05:00Harlem Meer in Winter #EveryPathI felt like the northern part of the Park wasn't getting as much love from me, so I ran up there tonight. I had to work late so I didn't get out until after dark. But it warmed up to the mid-30's so I could take the nice camera.<br />
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A lot of the snow has melted already, but most of the paths are still covered with snow - now melting, slippery, wet snow.<br />
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Running on it was slow and tough again, and my shoes are soaked, but it was a good run.<br />
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The Discovery Center sits on the north side of the Meer. In the summer, kids can borrow fishing gear for free and learn about wildlife through lots of free events. In the winter, I think it's just a visitor center.<br />
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You may not know, but there's another rink up here (pool in the summer) called Lasker Rink. Unlike Wollman rink down on the south end, Lasker Rink is mainly used by locals for hockey.<br />
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The path around the Meer is always scenic. By the way, did you know Meer is the Dutch word for Lake? Yeah, so Harlem Meer makes a little more sense now, huh? Especially when you remember that New York used to be a Dutch settlement, Nieuw Amsterdam.<br />
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By the way, I kept running east out of the Park over to Lexington and up to 125th because I had to buy some groceries at Pathmark, but when I got there it was empty. Not like, shelves cleared because of the Snowpocalypse, but empty like gutted store with no more shelves, sign ripped off the building, closed for business forever. When did that happen?!<br />
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<br />Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com1Harlem Meer, New York, NY 10029, USA40.7964643 -73.951595840.793459299999995 -73.956638300000009 40.7994693 -73.9465533tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-25866368515072848142016-01-26T00:24:00.000-05:002016-01-26T00:27:48.617-05:00#Everypath After the BlizzardI got a few hours of work done this morning and then ran through the park on my lunch break to see how it was recovering from the blizzard. The clean up was in full effect.<br />
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With the exception of the loop (east/west drive), most of the paths were still completely covered in snow. Packed and trodden down, but still snow.<br />
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Even popular paths like the Mall.<br />
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It made for a VERY slow run. It was like running on the beach. I took a lot of steps, but didn't get much forward movement out of each step. My sneakers didn't get a ton of grip on the snowy surface.<br />
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To give you an idea of how much I was slipping, I took 7500 steps and ran 3.1 miles. When I'm running on dry ground, 7500 steps is about 4.5 miles. So I basically ran in place for 1.4 miles.<br />
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Giant mounds had been pushed and piled up near the entrances.<br />
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I ran up to one of my favorite places, which was pretty slippery and I almost slid off it a few times. The snow is so deep that it probably wouldn't have hurt to fall down the cliff though.<br />
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Balto was looking stately as ever, which makes sense because blizzards are kinda his thing.<br />
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I ran through the Mall and past Bethesda Terrace on the way to the sledding hills.<br />
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There were a TON of people out on Saturday and Sunday sledding on Pilgrim Hill and Cedar Hill, but this morning it was pretty empty. Makes sense for a Monday morning.<br />
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The evidence of a sledding massacre over the weekend was still visible.<br />
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This is why you use garbage can lids, storage bin lids, and baking sheets to go sledding. Sleds in New York apparently are one-time-use only. Probably because New Yorkers are pretty dang tough on sleds. Here's a family jumping off the steps down into the Trefoil Arch.<br />
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On my way home I passed across the top of the Great Lawn with views of midtown.<br />
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This is 15 blocks farther away from midtown than the white-out <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/blizzard-2016-in-new-york.html" target="_blank">picture I took Saturday in the middle of the blizzard from the Sheep Meadow</a>. You can see the buildings clearly here. Nothing then.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-23691914613730366532016-01-25T01:13:00.000-05:002016-01-25T01:13:16.608-05:00Blizzard 2016 in New YorkWe. Love. Snow.<br />
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But let's start from the beginning.<br />
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So Friday night, about 4 hours pre-blizzard, I ran over to the Sheep Meadow to the location of Winter Jam. It turns out they cancelled it because of the blizzard that was heading our way.<br />
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Just a small hill remained from the snow they had already made before they cancelled it. Winter Jam is amazing - snowboarding, skiing, halfpipes, jumps, cross country skiing, sledding, and even quidditch this year. All cancelled. Because of snow. :/<br />
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I had to run fast (I got three personal records on this run) because I had dinner plans with Isa. We went to Delmonico's down in the Financial District because it's restaurant week so we can afford it - it was AMAZING. We both had the Filet Mignon. Plus appetizers plus dessert. For under $100. And we sat in the exclusive "Board Room."</div>
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We love food. So we loved Delmonicos.<br />
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Then we went up to Lincoln Center and watched The Big Short. Interesting and good. We definitely liked it, although we're not completely sure we understood everything. But it was entertaining.<br />
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By the time we got out of the movie, it was already snowing. :) I was very excited, so I set my alarm for 7am to go running in Central Park at sunrise before tourists got there and before CP plowed the paths. We finally went to bed around 2am.<br />
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<b>I woke up before my alarm.</b> Can you tell how excited I was?<br />
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I didn't set my Strava to record because I knew how much not-running I'd be doing. I didn't want the GPS to kill the phone before I got back. Basically I started at the Great Lawn, ran down through the Ramble to the Mall and out past the Sheep Meadow. It was wonderful.<br />
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Just look at these completely untouched paths in the Ramble!<br />
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Such a winter wonderland!!<br />
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At the bottom tip of the Ramble, it opens up to a view across the frozen lake to Bethesda Fountain and Terrace. You almost can't even see that far!</div>
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Finding the Mall empty is usually impossible. This shot only took about 10 minutes of waiting.</div>
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As I crossed the top of the Sheep Meadow, I looked south toward the Midtown skyline.</div>
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You can barely see the trees on the far side of the meadow. The buildings are gone!</div>
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I cut across 66th to go check and see if Church needed to be shoveled.</div>
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Church was good, so I headed down to Times Square.</div>
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Unfortunately, I was here a little too early to see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRv7G7WpOoU" target="_blank">Casey Neistat snowboard</a> through.</div>
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We ate a great lunch at Jacob's Pickles, and by the time we were done the City had been effectively shut down. All non-emergency vehicles were ordered to stay off the roads. Subways were still running underground, but no outside or elevated stations. New York slowly came to a peaceful halt, and everyone came outside to play in the snow.</div>
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Everywhere we went, people were smiling, laughing, and being friendly. It was the most pleasant atmosphere I've ever experienced in the City. Not only was everyone in a great mood, but they were all relaxed and stress-free. Nobody had anything to do, anywhere to be.</div>
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<b>Everyone was loving life.</b></div>
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We took a ton of photos out here - way too many for the blog. I put up an album on Facebook so you can see more.</div>
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We finished the day at a friend's apartment with hot chocolate and games. Walking home, Broadway was still closed and serene.</div>
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The next morning, the great digging out began.</div>
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We headed down to Church. Most of the sidewalks and roads were plowed and dug out, but some places were still buried. Like the seating area for Wafels and Dinges in Lincoln Square.</div>
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Such a fun blizzard! We love all this snow!!</div>
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0New York, NY, USA40.7127837 -74.00594130000001840.3275957 -74.651388300000022 41.0979717 -73.360494300000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-10477312030739920812016-01-21T18:49:00.000-05:002016-01-21T18:56:23.826-05:00#everypath Central Park PerimeterI ran around the Park today. Literally, around the Park.<br />
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Completely encircling Central Park is a wide walkway with hexagonal stones. It's nice in all four seasons. In the Spring and Summer, you run through a shady tunnel of green.<br />
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The Fall is very colorful, and in the Winter, you can see through the trees into the Park.<br />
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Although it looks like a straight, even, easy path, it's very uneven and bumpy. Only run on this path if you have good ankles.<br />
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Except for Central Park North, 110th Street. That's completely flat and really nice to run on.<br />
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It may look like a long, boring path compared to the windy, scenic paths within the Park boundaries, but there are several great viewpoints into the Park that you can't get from inside (like the Pond, you'll see below). All of the pictures in this post were taken from the perimeter path.<br />
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The perimeter is also the home to several monuments and memorials. These three are all along 5th Ave:<br />
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The circumference of Central Park, well, not circumference because that's only for circles, right? The perimeter of the Park is 6.1 miles. I ran around Grand Army Plaza (59th and 5th) and backtracked a few times for pictures. That's why mine says 6.5 miles.<br />
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Here's some Manhattan Grid knowledge for you. Streets run across the island. The distance between two streets is 1/20th of a mile. So 20 streets equals one mile. Central Park stretches from 59th to 110th Street, or 51 streets. Fifty blocks is 2.5 miles, so add another 20th of a mile to that: 2.55 miles. Avenues run up and down the island. Distance between avenues varies, but usually it's about 3 streets' worth. Central Park goes from 5th Ave on the East to 8th Ave (Central Park West) on the West. That's 3 blocks, or about 9/20ths of a mile. It's actually half a mile. So 2.55 + 2.55 + .5 + .5 = 6.1 miles.<br />
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Whew! Math! Let's get back to pictures.<br />
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I started on the Upper West Side, around the San Remo Towers.<br />
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I ran counter-clockwise around the Park. Along CPW (Central Park West), you see the Lake, the Tavern on the Green and Sheep's Meadow, and then you hit Columbus Circle.<br />
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Behind me is the Time Warner Center and Chris Columbus on his tower. Then, running across 59th Street (Central Park South) is a treat. All along the street you'll find horse-drawn carriages waiting for tourists.<br />
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...with plenty of pigeons eating the horse food.<br />
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You'll also get a great view of the pond and Gapstow Bridge.<br />
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When you get to 5th Ave, you'll hit Grand Army Plaza, a very popular spot for street performers.<br />
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Starting up 5th Ave, you pass the Arsenal, the home of the Central Park Conservancy - the group that keeps the Park looking great and functioning so well.<br />
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Then you run alongside the zoo. You can easily see down into the children's zoo, which is a lot of fun in the Summer. It seemed it was too early or too cold when I ran by this morning because I didn't see anything going on.<br />
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Halfway up 5th Ave, you run into the MET.<br />
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This was the least busy I've ever seen it. Probably because it had barely opened by this time. If you try to run through here on a sunny summer afternoon, forget about it. It's PACKED. You can barely walk through, forget about trying to run through.<br />
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Just a half mile up from the MET, you run into another famous museum.<br />
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Past the Guggenheim, it's another mile to the top corner with Pioneers Gate, the northeast entrance to the Park and view of the Harlem Meer.<br />
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Just a few steps west gives you another view looking south over the Meer and the rest of the Park towards midtown.<br />
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That's 432 Park (tall skinny one) and the Empire State Building (you can see the spire in the middle).<br />
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I circled around the northwest corner and headed south along CPW. When I got to 96th, I noticed that my phone had stopped recording my run. :( So I ran back up to 106th where it had stopped (adding 1 unrecorded mile to the run) and restarted the route. Tech issues. :/<br />
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Around 101st, the view opens up to see the Pool (not to be confused with Lasker Pool, the actual pool you can swim in next to the Harlem Meer).<br />
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This Pool is more like a pond. It feeds the stream that runs through the Loch and the Ravine.<br />
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Another mile down the west side and I was done! A full loop around Central Park in a little less than an hour.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-309479138219867762016-01-17T23:02:00.000-05:002016-01-20T20:51:54.673-05:00Snorkel Adventure in Klein BonaireFor those of you who think all I do is go to the Caribbean and play all day long, here is some fodder to support your argument.<br />
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For the record, there was no ship in port today and the store was closed. So we <i>couldn't</i> work. This was my first full day off EVER on a Caribbean business trip. And we made the most of it. Check out the video of our experience here, or scroll down to read more details.<br />
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"We", by the way, is Justin and me. Justin is the Regional Sales Director for this area. We decided to team up on this trip to get more done and it's been highly productive. You'll see him in pictures below.<br />
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After a great breakfast at our hotel, we picked up water, sunscreen, and snacks at the supermarket and then headed downtown. We took the water taxi "Kantika di Amor" across to Klein Bonaire at noon. In the picture above, we're standing on Bonaire, but you can see Klein Bonaire in the background, just above the roof of the boat. ("Klein" is Dutch for "little" - it's a little island).<br />
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The water taxi takes about 20 minutes to get across to Klein Bonaire and they drop you off at No Name Beach. The front of the boat drops down so you can just walk off onto the soft sandy beach.<br />
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For only US $15 return, it's a great service and makes for a cheap and awesome day trip.<br />
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No Name Beach, from what we hear, is the only true sandy beach in all of Bonaire. As this is the first and only beach I've ever been to on Bonaire, I can't dispute that. All boats bring their passengers here because it's the only spot on the 6+ mile circumference (about 10k) of the island that doesn't have coral reef protecting it.<br />
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So we walked up to the north end of the beach and snorkeled around. It was nice, but not spectacular. Lots of fish, a few corals I'd never seen before. But the colors weren't as bright as I was expecting.<br />
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So we played on the beach for a while and ate some food and then hiked down south to Buoy B (No Name Beach is at Buoy A. It's a rough walk.<br />
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You walk south because the current (albeit a weak one) runs north. So when you finally get in, you can drift (slowly) back to No Name Beach for your ride back. By this point, Justin had seen a turtle and gone off to swim after him. Later I found out he swam into an eel. I kept going because I wanted to see more of the reef.<br />
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So the reef runs pretty much unbroken around the entire island (except for No Name Beach). However, there are small sections every once in a while, maybe 5 to 10 feet wide, where you can swim through it. As you can see in all of the water pictures above, the light blue/teal water is the shallows. Then the dark blue is the deep ocean. The reef divides the two, with no middle ground whatsoever. The second you cross the reef, the bottom drops out and it's very intimidating. Only snorkel Klein Bonaire if you're really confident in your swimming and snorkeling abilities. Because once you cross the reef, you can't get back in.<br />
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So if you run into trouble out there, you don't really have any options. Because if you try to swim through the coral, you'll end up in worse shape than whatever the problem was you were swimming away from. Plus there's fire coral here, which I had never seen before, but it's COOL.<br />
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I saw tons of fish and lots of different types of coral. Besides the regulars - Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors (the zebra striped fish, there's one in the pic above), a few French Angelfish (love them!), the Blue Tangs (Dori from Finding Nemo), and all the others - there were a few sightings that got me particularly excited.<br />
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First, turtles are always exciting.<br />
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This was the third (of four) turtle I swam into today. He was the most photogenic and least camera shy. I also saw a sting ray (always fun) and a flounder. But my personal favorite from today was a giant purple lionfish. Let me rephrase that. A LIONFISH.<br />
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When I first saw it, I thought it was a fan coral. But when i saw it move, I knew. And had to get a closer look (it was about 35 feet below me - my camera has a depth gauge). When it saw me dive, it retreated into a nook in the coral. I couldn't find him when I got down there, so no pic. :( [<a href="http://worldalldetails.com/sightseeing/great_barrier_reef_australia_053202.jpg" target="_blank">It looked just like this.</a>] It's probably for the best though. They're so venomous and I'm stupidly curious, so things could have gone downhill quickly. And remember that part about not being able to get back to shore because the reef blocks the path?<br />
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By the way, Lionfish aren't native to the Caribbean so seeing one here is rare. They're an invasive predator that destroy everything and kill all the fish and are basically the worst thing to happen to life in the coral reefs. But my goodness are they pretty.<br />
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I got back to the beach and found Justin and we took our pic on the beach for the corporate newsletter (Justin is in Del Sol flip flops, shorts, shirt, and hat. I'm in Cariloha sandals and shirt, Del Sol shorts and sunglasses - we were definitely reppin' our brands).<br />
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We caught the 4:30 water taxi back to Bonaire, quick dropped off our rented mask, fins, and snorkel at Dive Friends, and then went back to the hotel for showers and de-sanding our bits and pieces.<br />
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We caught the sunset...<br />
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...and grabbed a bite to eat at the PureOcean restaurant at the Divi Flamingo resort.<br />
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It was a great day off. Now it's back to work.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Caribbean Netherlands12.1783611 -68.23853394.3423836 -78.565682399999986 20.014338600000002 -57.911385399999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-35120214720969818442016-01-11T23:11:00.000-05:002016-01-14T00:13:20.215-05:00#EveryPath around the Lake in Central ParkOk, not every path. Just the path closest to the lake. But it made a cool track.<br />
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I took off right after work, so I could watch the sunset on midtown. As you can see from the track, I entered from the top, so the first view of the lake is from above the Oak Bridge.<br />
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Then I ran along the Rambles side of the lake, passing the ice ladders that are currently useless (it was almost 60 degrees yesterday, although today was 27 degrees).<br />
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I came upon a new boat launch they just constructed.<br />
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If you're wondering, the lake is where you can take row boats out (from the Boat House, of course). You paddle around and if you get tired or want to let somebody out, there are boat launches all around the lake. They're in the process of redoing them all and making them really nice.<br />
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I crossed the Bow Bridge and looped back around the Boat House and back into the Rambles from the East Side. If you ever want to go trail-running in New York, here's where that's possible.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4VCF_GfRmCA/VpcrVCI3sCI/AAAAAAAAIUc/vyBIU91O93w/s1600/Ice%2BLadder%2Band%2BCentral%2BPark%2BLake%2BTrail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4VCF_GfRmCA/VpcrVCI3sCI/AAAAAAAAIUc/vyBIU91O93w/s640/Ice%2BLadder%2Band%2BCentral%2BPark%2BLake%2BTrail.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sorry for the blur. It was too cold for the nice camera (it has a minimum operating temperature of 32 degrees), and my trusty indestructible Olympus is hurting in low-light conditions. :(<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JI8gFboi2kI/VpcrV0KGLcI/AAAAAAAAIUw/_k4DzDRAgV4/s1600/San%2BRemo%2BTowers%2Band%2BBow%2BBridge%2Band%2BLake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JI8gFboi2kI/VpcrV0KGLcI/AAAAAAAAIUw/_k4DzDRAgV4/s640/San%2BRemo%2BTowers%2Band%2BBow%2BBridge%2Band%2BLake.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Although it did alright there with the San Remo towers and the Bow Bridge. This is taken from the point of the peninsula in the Lake (if you look at the Strava track, when I come in from East Drive, I go down to a point).<br />
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Wrapping around back toward the Bow Bridge, there is a clearing where you get this view:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-42bMaScUlsM/VpcrVOipo2I/AAAAAAAAIUY/cRePtxE4WWU/s1600/432%2BPark%2Band%2BCentral%2BPark%2BLake%2BReflection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-42bMaScUlsM/VpcrVOipo2I/AAAAAAAAIUY/cRePtxE4WWU/s640/432%2BPark%2Band%2BCentral%2BPark%2BLake%2BReflection.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I stayed as long as I could bare it (it was freezing!) to soak it all in before my flight tomorrow. I'm heading down to the Caribbean for work. See you in one week, Central Park!Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-18128872198169130282016-01-08T00:45:00.001-05:002016-01-08T00:52:13.383-05:00Conservatory Garden in Snowless WinterWith the leaves already fallen but snow hasn't yet, I wanted to run to the one place I know looks really cool with barren branches.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gG_a7Z6lX0/Vo9G7VF5FAI/AAAAAAAAIS8/N3Y3wd3HhCQ/s1600/Conservatory%2BGardens%2BBarren%2BTree%2BPath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gG_a7Z6lX0/Vo9G7VF5FAI/AAAAAAAAIS8/N3Y3wd3HhCQ/s640/Conservatory%2BGardens%2BBarren%2BTree%2BPath.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here's my run:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/465219608/embed/e2857fdbb5795e0260b56a4b417e7a3085293446" width="590"></iframe></center>
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The Conservatory Garden is broken into three sections: French to the north, Italian in the middle, and English on the south. From Spring to Fall, the English and French gardens are gorgeous with colorful flowers immaculately landscaped. Now, the fountains are off and everything is dead or bagged up.<br />
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<b>The French Garden</b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjhrlQXn3yk/Vo9G7HCnlKI/AAAAAAAAITE/nPaUW4tnpZA/s1600/Conservatory%2BGarden%2BDead%2BFrench%2BSide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TjhrlQXn3yk/Vo9G7HCnlKI/AAAAAAAAITE/nPaUW4tnpZA/s640/Conservatory%2BGarden%2BDead%2BFrench%2BSide.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The English Garden</b><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qymaYtiZk8/Vo9G71NlkWI/AAAAAAAAITc/Cg-dgs8GWqk/s1600/Conservatory%2BGardens%2BEnglish%2BSide%2BWinter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5qymaYtiZk8/Vo9G71NlkWI/AAAAAAAAITc/Cg-dgs8GWqk/s640/Conservatory%2BGardens%2BEnglish%2BSide%2BWinter.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Italian Garden</b> in the middle is more of just an open lawn flanked by straight paths.<br />
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Here's the grand entrance to the Italian Garden from 5th Ave, compliments of the Vanderbilts.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iIz1UqkWBvI/Vo9G721NCcI/AAAAAAAAITg/GOR3fUdEuqQ/s1600/Conservatory%2BGardens%2BVanderbilt%2BGate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iIz1UqkWBvI/Vo9G721NCcI/AAAAAAAAITg/GOR3fUdEuqQ/s640/Conservatory%2BGardens%2BVanderbilt%2BGate.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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You can kinda see in the back there beyond the lawn is a fountain and then a crescent mezzanine that rises above the gardens. This is covered in ivy in the summer and makes for a nice shady spot to relax. Now, the upper level is just good for a different angle.<br />
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As you can also see from these pics, I pretty much had the whole place to myself. I liked it better this way, not because it's more peaceful - in fact the Conservatory Garden is a designated quiet zone - but because there are so many paths in concentric circles, that last time I ran through here I could tell that people were watching me and wondering what was wrong with me just running in circles like a trapped mouse in a maze.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RR13OVjgFwQ/Vo9MMPJKMJI/AAAAAAAAIT4/mh6h4yx11vA/s1600/every%2Bpath%2Bin%2Bthe%2BConservatory%2BGardens.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="370" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RR13OVjgFwQ/Vo9MMPJKMJI/AAAAAAAAIT4/mh6h4yx11vA/s400/every%2Bpath%2Bin%2Bthe%2BConservatory%2BGardens.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was nice to run around and around and in and out and back and forth to cover all the little paths without anybody wondering what the heck was going on.<br />
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Oh, and this run almost didn't even get recorded because halfway out, my phone committed suicide.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uaodzZKnnU4/Vo9G8SjKf9I/AAAAAAAAITo/NxcoK_2hPCo/s1600/Samsung%2BSuicide.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uaodzZKnnU4/Vo9G8SjKf9I/AAAAAAAAITo/NxcoK_2hPCo/s640/Samsung%2BSuicide.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I restarted it a few times and each time it came on in safe mode. Apparently my volume key was stuck and it was causing the phone to freak out. Got it fixed and recorded the rest of the run. :)Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-82501037240541314372016-01-05T23:58:00.000-05:002016-01-06T00:02:48.389-05:00The Final Final PathsI was mostly done when <a href="http://everythingbrisa.blogspot.com/2016/01/everypath-in-central-park.html" target="_blank">I posted that yesterday</a>. Now I'm done.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="https://www.strava.com/activities/464030498/embed/90d371c98d72b72a7e2a446f96c156223fcb95cc" width="590"></iframe></center>
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If you follow me on Strava, my last 4 runs have been my "final paths" but every time I finished, I noticed a few more that I had missed. This time, I got them all.<br />
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As promised, a pic from my run. If you're wondering what Bethesda Terrace looks like at 9pm with a wind chill of 21 degrees, here you go:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i8zrFonQ-3o/VoyefuSvchI/AAAAAAAAISE/3jnbMLaBqMU/s1600/Central%2BPark%2BBethesda%2BTerrace%2Bat%2BNight%2Bin%2BWinter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="409" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i8zrFonQ-3o/VoyefuSvchI/AAAAAAAAISE/3jnbMLaBqMU/s640/Central%2BPark%2BBethesda%2BTerrace%2Bat%2BNight%2Bin%2BWinter.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Actually, when you get below freezing, most of the Park is empty at night.<br />
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It's calm and peaceful. I like it.Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-29296938373044619732016-01-05T00:18:00.000-05:002016-01-05T23:40:14.071-05:00#EveryPath in Central Park<h2>
I love Central Park. A lot. </h2>
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I love to explore it. All of it.</h3>
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When I moved to the Upper West Side, I started running in Central Park as often as I could. I'd run different paths each day because I wanted to see it all. After a few months, I started to wonder if I'd actually been on every path in the Park. So I looked at different running apps and found a web app that could connect to Strava and overlay multiple runs on a single map.</div>
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So after possibly running the entire Park once (which, according to <a href="http://centralpark.org/faq/" target="_blank">CentralPark.org</a>'s faqs, is 58 miles), I started tracking it to see for sure. Here's where I'm at as of tonight.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_TLNmn6NjE/VoyaWS--2kI/AAAAAAAAIR4/5q8HcSt3BZQ/s1600/Every%2BPath%2Bin%2BCentral%2BPark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_TLNmn6NjE/VoyaWS--2kI/AAAAAAAAIR4/5q8HcSt3BZQ/s400/Every%2BPath%2Bin%2BCentral%2BPark.png" width="310" /></a></div>
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There are a couple paths currently under construction that I can't access, but whatever.</div>
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Now it's 2016, and I'm gonna do it again. Except this time, not only am I going to track my run, I'm going to document them on here. I'm going to post at least one picture from each of my runs through Central Park, along with the route and stats for the run.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I need to make one thing clear: I don't particularly like to run.</span><br />
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I don't care about my times or pace averages. They're often much worse than actual because I stop to take pictures and enjoy my surroundings. This project isn't about running or health or improvement of any kind. I JUST LOVE TO EXPLORE. And I love Central Park. I'm excited to share the Park with you, one path at a time. By the end of 2016, we'll have seen #everypath in Central Park.<br />
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And I'm hopeful that this hashtag catches on and people start to share areas they love to explore. #EveryPath in Zion National Park? #EveryPath in Yellowstone? Take the hashtag and run with it (or bike with it - Strava does biking too).</div>
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Here's what you need to join in:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Strava:</b> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.strava&hl=en" target="_blank">Android</a> and <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strava-running-cycling-gps/id426826309?mt=8" target="_blank">iPhone</a></li>
<li><b>Map Overlay:</b> <a href="http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/map.php" target="_blank">http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/map.php</a></li>
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Yay! See you on my next run.</div>
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Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com1Central Park, New York, NY 10024, USA40.7828647 -73.96535510000001115.260830199999997 -115.27394910000001 66.3048992 -32.656761100000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-82553468129636548392015-10-09T07:53:00.000-04:002015-11-21T13:10:28.731-05:00Welcome to CappadociaWe took an overnight bus from Denizli last night which dropped us off in the center of Göreme at 6am. That's before sunrise. Which in Göreme, is actually a good thing. Göreme is the most popular town in the Turkish region of Cappadocia, and Cappadocia is popular because of its crazy terrain, and the best way and best time to see that crazy terrain is in a hot air balloon at sunrise.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cCyOsZXlZc0/VkZ92YZfVzI/AAAAAAAAHks/8PWTeQ_s1hw/s1600/Cappadocia%2BHot%2BAir%2BBallooning%2Bat%2BSunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cCyOsZXlZc0/VkZ92YZfVzI/AAAAAAAAHks/8PWTeQ_s1hw/s640/Cappadocia%2BHot%2BAir%2BBallooning%2Bat%2BSunrise.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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We wandered up from the bus to our hotel, but apparently 6am is a little early to check in. They told us we could <i>possibly </i>check in at 10am though, and that's MUCH earlier than we thought, so we were happy about that. They let us drop our bags off and hang out on the restaurant balcony, which they said is the best place to view the balloons. It's not, but we didn't know any better. Yet.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rGORSUUotzM/VkZ94lqq5SI/AAAAAAAAHko/3TmOibZBDcY/s1600/Single%2BHot%2BAir%2BBalloon%2Bin%2BCappadocia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rGORSUUotzM/VkZ94lqq5SI/AAAAAAAAHko/3TmOibZBDcY/s640/Single%2BHot%2BAir%2BBalloon%2Bin%2BCappadocia.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Really only Butterfly balloons start up the valley where the Göreme Kaya Hotel is at. The rest start somewhere else. So after about 30 minutes we wandered back down into the center of town and then off to the right side looking for elevated points to get a good view. Eventually we found a road (we'd learn later, it's the road to the Göreme Open Air Museum) and off that road we found a path that you can get up to see great views (here's the lat/long if you're curious: <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/38%C2%B038'37.9%22N+34%C2%B050'08.2%22E/@38.643872,34.8343504,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0" target="_blank">38.643872, 34.835599</a>).<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBvLUVysY58/VkZ9z1OkuvI/AAAAAAAAHk0/m-PDNGYi02c/s1600/Balloons%2Band%2BFairy%2BChimneys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBvLUVysY58/VkZ9z1OkuvI/AAAAAAAAHk0/m-PDNGYi02c/s640/Balloons%2Band%2BFairy%2BChimneys.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is where I took this cool video...<br />
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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="5" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/8oL7_tkUpo/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A video posted by Brian Ciccotelli (@perfectlittleplanet)</a> on <time datetime="2015-10-09T19:04:36+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 9, 2015 at 12:04pm PDT</time></div>
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By the time the balloons had landed, it was still another 2 hours until we could check in. So we went back into town and found a coffee shop and ordered some hot chocolate.<br />
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It was nice to sit in the sun and warm up a bit. And that was some of the best hot chocolate I've ever had. It was hazelnut. Yeah, Nutella flavored hot chocolate.<br />
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Sipping hot cocoa killed off about another hour, so we slowly moseyed back to the hotel and got back around 9:30am and asked on the off chance if our room was ready.<br />
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"Yes. And we gave you a free upgrade."<br />
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What?! Yes please!<br />
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The only thing we wanted was to stay in a cave room - literally a room that was carved out of a rock. And boy did they deliver! And then some!<br />
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We walk in and this is what we see:<br />
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Yeah. We're not even in the bedroom yet! So we enter the living room/sitting area and Isa and I are trying to hide our excitement - we don't book hotels with more than one room. This is amazing. <i>Down the stairs</i> to our right is the bedroom. IN A CAVE!<br />
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So the sitting area is a stone room, but the bedroom is actually inside the cave.<br />
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How cool is that?! Obviously, WAY more room than we need, as this is bigger than our apartment in New York. But we are loving the luxury and space! Thank you Göreme Kaya Hotel!<br />
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As you may be able to gather from the above picture, I was tired. I didn't sleep well on the overnight bus, and frankly haven't been sleeping well this entire trip. And now I'm sick. So I needed to take a nap for a little bit.<br />
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[a little later]<br />
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When I woke up, Isa was watching Harry Potter. In a cave. I just can't get over that. We're staying in a comfy cave. :)<br />
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We decided to go to the Göreme Open Air Museum, which is a collection of cave churches. On our way over there, we ran into some Aussie friends we had met in Selçuk, so we teamed up and went together. Ollie (8 years old) and I (let's face it, I act like I'm 8) got distracted on the way.<br />
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The dogs here are fun. They follow you around and later, even act as tour guides. :)<br />
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You know how in Provo there are churches every few blocks? Well that's what this part of town was for the early Christians. There were tons of churches built into lots of the fairy chimneys. So you get in and walk along this large path and just check out each one of them.<br />
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The insides of the churches are painted beautifully and carved out with domes and naves and apses and arches. Most of them don't allow photography or video. But the less-cool ones do. Like this:<br />
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Or the ones that are outside because half of it fell down.<br />
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Among the churches are a few homes as well. Those aren't painted and decorated as much (at all), but they were still interesting. Here's us at a dining room table made of stone.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-44MGS0vQb88/VkZ93eJi8OI/AAAAAAAAHkU/IsGVaTjLHcg/s1600/Friends%2Bin%2BCappadocia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-44MGS0vQb88/VkZ93eJi8OI/AAAAAAAAHkU/IsGVaTjLHcg/s640/Friends%2Bin%2BCappadocia.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isa, Hayley, Brian, and Ollie (Wayne is taking the picture)</td></tr>
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Here's a banquet table.<br />
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And one with some art. Can you tell I was fascinated by these stone tables?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3BdPxQsdd4/VkZ91IHv4FI/AAAAAAAAHkE/uE3pz2SdyrM/s1600/Cappadocia%2BCave%2BHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s3BdPxQsdd4/VkZ91IHv4FI/AAAAAAAAHkE/uE3pz2SdyrM/s640/Cappadocia%2BCave%2BHouse.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's Wayne and Hayley chatting with Isa</td></tr>
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After we toured through here, we cut up off the road and went exploring the abandoned fairy chimney homes.<br />
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There are SO MANY of these homes. This place must have been a pretty big city! We explored for over two hours in just one section and we didn't even come close to checking them all out.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKN7bxkYOfQ/VkZ90MzmBCI/AAAAAAAAHh4/L4iHXQx-qx0/s1600/Brian%2Band%2BOllie%2BExploring%2BCappadocia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKN7bxkYOfQ/VkZ90MzmBCI/AAAAAAAAHh4/L4iHXQx-qx0/s320/Brian%2Band%2BOllie%2BExploring%2BCappadocia.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BEsQv003bUM/VkZ92PkmCxI/AAAAAAAAHi4/hs2yubcMbGY/s1600/Cappadocia%2BFallen%2BFairy%2BChimney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BEsQv003bUM/VkZ92PkmCxI/AAAAAAAAHi4/hs2yubcMbGY/s320/Cappadocia%2BFallen%2BFairy%2BChimney.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Doesn't this house look like the Flintstones' house?<br />
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At one point, a dog found us and led me up to a sweet viewpoint.<br />
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I love hiking. I love exploring. This was FUN!<br />
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We watched the sunset over the Uchisar Castle (that's another fairy chimney - a giant one - full of carved out houses connected by stairs, tunnels, and passages).<br />
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And then we found some good food and went home. Bed. Yay! Another great day. :) (Even though I'm getting sick from lack of sleep.) :(Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Göreme, 50180 Göreme/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey38.643056 34.82888900000000426.364137 14.174592000000004 50.921975 55.483186tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-711399214279680794.post-24052586005804761192015-10-08T12:50:00.000-04:002015-11-13T00:54:22.577-05:00PamukkaleLet's practice saying this together because we still can't get it right.<br />
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Pah-MOO-Kah-lay<br />
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However you say it, it's beautiful.<br />
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I know you're just here for the pictures, but for those of you that are actually going to go here, here's some tips. Then the pic explosion.<br />
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1. Take the minibus from <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Denizli+Otogar%C4%B1/@37.7850952,29.0890753,17.31z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0x677b588bdf7a3391" target="_blank">Denizli Otogar</a>. The train station is right near there too. We chose a hotel next to the bus station so we could walk from the train and bus station. It was perfect. The minibuses leave from the bottom level, Peron 76 (Gate 76). The buses are comfy, seat about 15, and take about 20 minutes to get to Pamukkale.<br />
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2. You'll see the white hill as you're getting close, but it will disappear as the minibus cuts into the town to the bus station. Keep your bearings straight so you know which way to head when you get out.<br />
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3. The bus will drop you off in the middle of nowhere. Take note of buildings or street signs, because that's where it will pick you back up. Walk towards where you think the white hills are.<br />
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4. Eventually you'll see them. Walk toward them.<br />
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5. You'll run into the Natural Pools of Pamukkale. That's not where you're going, but you want to walk through them to the right. --><br />
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6. You buy your ticket at the base of the hill and start walking up the gravel path.<br />
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7. About 2 minutes up the path, you reach the white part of the mountain. You have to take your shoes off. The pools are only a few inches to about a foot deep. So you can wade anywhere you want. (Well, anywhere that's not off limits. They keep you on a pretty straight line.)<br />
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8. The tour buses let out at the top, so the top pools are much busier (and not as pretty) as the pools in the middle.<br />
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9. There are no facilities along the hill. Once you get to the top (Hierapolis), walk along the main road past the museum to the big building in front of you. That's Cleopatra's Pool, and changing rooms, bathrooms, lockers, restaurants, and anything else you need is there.<br />
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10. Your ticket includes the travertines (the infinity pools) and access to all of Hierapolis. Swimming in Cleopatra's Pool is not included (30 TL per person), and honestly, doesn't look worth it. We passed. The museum is only 5 TL and that was ok. These are from the museum, which used to be a Roman Bath.<br />
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11. Stay for sunset. It's AH. MAZE. ING.<br />
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12. We caught a minibus after dark. Not sure when the last one is. You'll be fine.<br />
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Ok, now for the pictures. With some commentary. :)<br />
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In Turkish, Pamukkale literally means "Cotton Castle." Fun, huh?<br />
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We were fascinated that such a place even exists. So here's what's going on. This superheated water comes up from somewhere in the earth's crust and it picks up calcium carbonate along the way. When it hits the surface, the water cools and deposits the calcium carbonate as it flows down the mountain.<br />
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Some of it is hard as rock (I think it technically is rock, actually). Some of it is like clay and mushy.<br />
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It naturally forms walls, pools, and rivers as it flows down the mountain. Although since it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site, they've been manually rerouting the rivers to give various parts of the mountain a break from foot traffic. So some older pools are dry now. And they've created new ones. I suppose it will be different every time you go, which is kind of appealing.<br />
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The view from the top over the valley and pools below is nice...<br />
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But the view from the infinity pools is ridiculous.<br />
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We just couldn't get over the color and contrast between the white walls and the blue water. We took a LOT of pictures.<br />
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Ok, let's break from the pools for a minute and head up to Hierapolis (we'll come back to the pools for sunset). :)<br />
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Our first stop was the "Church with Pillars." I was happy as a clam climbing all over everything - for it being a world heritage site, that's not usual.<br />
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Isa was tired...<br />
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Our next stop was the theatre, which was even cooler than the massive theatre in Ephesus yesterday.<br />
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This one was smaller, but the stage facade was definitely cooler.<br />
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Then we stopped at Cleopatra's pool, decided against the 30 TL entry fee, and hit up the museum, and then went back to the pools to relax. That lasted about 20 minutes and then we went back to Cleopatra's to change into our bathing suits.<br />
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Then I took a nap.<br />
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By the way, those walls are massive.<br />
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All over the place, these Russian and Ukrainian women take glamour shots. It's funny to watch them.<br />
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This is Isa's best shot at impersonating them.<br />
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As the sun sets, it lights up the walls and the whole mountain gets prettier and prettier.<br />
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Today was a great day. One of our best days.<br />
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<br />Brian Ciccotellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03704146620550703022noreply@blogger.com0Pamukkale, Kale, 20190 Pamukkale/Denizli Merkez/Denizli, Turkey37.9186089 29.11030700000003412.396574400000002 -12.198286999999965 63.4406434 70.418901000000034