Pictures from Long Island, New York

Traveling for work has become a necessity for me. Although traveling for pleasure and vacation fun is not technically a "necessity" ... it is nonetheless quite essential and very beneficial for my spirit and mental well being! This latest vacation was both short and sweet. As promised, here are some highlights of my vacation on Long Island, New York last week.

The weather was great (for me, at least) although it was a little bit rainy. Still, I enjoyed the cool temperatures (20 deg C) which were a welcome relief from the unrelenting heat we have been experiencing here in Houston! Hope you find some enjoyment in these pictures and I very much welcome any comments!

[And please check out my previous posting which has a few photos from my venture into Manhattan.]

The beach scene near Sag Harbor, New York.

The above photo and the pictures below are all from Sag Harbor, New York.

Main Street in Sag Harbor.

A typical house in Sag Harbor. Sag Harbor has a very New England feel to it!

The Whaling Museum in Sag Harbor (located inside the Masonic Temple).

A cartoon at the Whaling Museum! This proves the oil companies are actually "green companies" after all!! Once oil became a popular form of energy and fuel for lamp lighting, the killing of whales for whale oil (mainly for lamps) stopped. So in a way, we can say that the oil companies have saved the whales!!! :-) (OK, OK ... please don't laugh too hard!)

The Customs House Museum in Sag Harbor.

A typical bungalow on Eastern Long Island. Fancy homes, exquisite lawns, expensive cars, etc. all typify this part of Long Island! In fact, the Hamptons are home to many famous celebrities who live in this area.

On the way home, my friend and I stopped in at the Duck Walk Vineyards (in Southampton, NY) where I purchased a 375 mL bottle of a 2007 vintage sweet wine called "Aphrodite" which is classified as a late harvest Gewurztraminer (11% by volume) 'dessert wine'. [The bottle with tax cost $20.58.]

The Ronkonkoma train station. I caught the Long Island Railroad here last Saturday (June 13th) and rode the entire way into Penn Station (mid-town Manhattan) for $19.50 (each way on weekends - higher during peak times).

A family-owned Italian restaurant in Hauppauge, New York that was near my hotel. I recommend the food served here!!

A portable air conditioning system at Gate A-2 in Terminal A in LaGuardia Airport. LaGuardia is definitely an old airport for sure and this temporary cooling system proves it is time for a major renovation at one of NYC's major airports!!

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Replies to Comments:

John:

(1) Many thanks for ALL your comments on this as well as on several of the earlier postings in my blog! The recent dearth of comments posted on some of my earlier postings has me wondering about what I can do to elicit the interest of my loyal followers.

(2) Yes, 50 years is a long time and I am so grateful to have known someone for such a long time and to still be able to call them friends!!

(3) And, yes, if you ever get to Houston, we can somehow arrange to meet and share a coffee and swap stories about blogging!!

Vacation in New York City and Long Island

Greetings Loyal Followers! I have just returned from what has been a short but welcome respite from my work-a-day environment. I had the good fortune to visit two friends in the New York area whom I have known now for fifty (50) years!! I first met these two friends of mine in fourth grade and the three of us went to school together through our senior year in high school. Despite a long interval when we lost contact with each other, we've since managed to keep in touch for many of the past several years.

I arrived on Thursday (June 11) into New York's aging LaGuardia airport and drove 45 miles out to Long Island. Friday was primarily devoted to visiting my alma mater where I had spent four years in college. In addition, my friend and I saw the new movie "The Taking of Pelham 123". An excellent movie by the way!

On Saturday, I rode the Long Island Railroad into Penn Station [located in mid-town Manhattan] and the three of us took in the new Broadway play "9 to 5" - a remake of the 1970's movie. Excellent play, well worth seeing.

Sunday was spent touring Eastern Long Island and going through two little towns: Sag Harbor and Southampton.

A vacations is always fun, naturally. It gives me time to relax and forget about work. But the most important part of this particular vacation was seeing my two classmate friends again and celebrating the fifty years we have known each other. I have posted a few photos here for now but I promise will post many more pictures in the coming few days as time permits. (After all, I am back at the "rock pile" here at work and spare time is quite limited.)

Times Square in New York City - "Crossroads of the World"

The celebrated ball that drops on New Year's Eve, officially marking the start of the new year. I was surprised to see it still on display in mid-June!

Broadway and 42nd Street! Times Square - thought by many to be the center of New York City.

A recent innovation of Mayor Bloomberg - part of Broadway is now closed off and has been converted into a pedestrian mall. The city has even provided some lawn chairs for folks to lounge in. I sat in one and marveled at being able to sit in the middle of Broadway - normally a very busy thoroughfare in mid-town Manhattan.

One lucky fellow enjoying a snooze.