29 July 2015 ~ Birthplace of New York

Listening to: Release the Sunbird ~ Road to Nowhere

The Armory Place represents the Birthplace of New York.

Here is the inscription on the statue.

 Across the street is this planter which serves as a road divider. I thought it was a clever idea for city beautification.

25 July 2015 ~ White Plains, NY

Listening to: Amy Helm ~ Rescue Me


Work has brought me to White Plains, NY. Only an hour north of New York City, it seems to be a nice town.

Although it's hot, around 95, the humidity is low. But hotter than I'm used to. I did go for a walk late this afternoon.

At a nearby park, there is a monument to the Soldiers, Sailors and Marines of World War 1.

I took a refreshing break at the fountain. The flags are flying at half mast at the directive of NY Governor Andrew M. Cuomo in honor of the victims of last week’s shooting at the Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, TN.

This clock/building caught my attention.

This statue is to honor the soldiers from White Plains who died in service during the Civil War, 1861-1865.

An interesting weather vane found in the middle of the park.

20 July 2015 ~ Vesuvio Cafe

Listening to: David Gilmour ~ Rattle That Lock


New music by David Gilmour is always a nice find.

In May, some friends and I decided to get together for a Saturday afternoon, so we picked the North Beach Festival. We chose to meet first at the Vesuvio Café. I like the web page.

Founded in 1848, Vesuvio Café remains as an historical monument to the Beat Movement.

On the wall outside.

We did end up going to the festival and listened a bit to this big band.

9 July 2015 ~ Chicago Beers

Listening to: Danielle Nicole ~ Wandering Heart

I tried two local Chicago beers over the weekend, and one from Michigan.

Argus - The brewery is located in the historic Joseph E. Schlitz distribution stables, dating back to the early 1900’s. Two large terra cotta horse heads on the parapet still identify this unusual building, which once housed the Schlitz horse teams and carriages. Described as "tough and sometimes unruly", it depicts the rugged south side of Chicago.

Daisy Cutter - Produced by Half Acre Beer Company, the web page boasts "Our story begins with boat loads of optimism, is rooted in the naive, and full of piss & vinegar."

Mad Hatter - First sold to the public in 1998 this was a well-balanced American IPA is uniquely brewed with an English twist, meaning not a hoppy bomb.

The hotel had some trippy wall art. No matter how many photos I took of this one, it always turned out differently, but this is my favorite.

This was a cool image of the iconic Marina Towers. I'm told this is also referred to as "corn cobs", which I really don't see. I do see colored rolls of ribbons. All in the eyes of the beholder. Usually I just refer to it as the "Jetson's Parking Garage building".

1 July 2015 ~ Fare Thee Well

Listening to:  Grateful Dead ~ The Eleven (27 June 2015, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA)


I enjoyed the Fare Thee Well concerts in Santa Clara. The music was great, the venue so-so, and the memories and stories priceless.

Bill Walton seems to have enjoyed the show.

Speculation as to whether the rainbow was "real" or "manufactured" still is being bantered about. It seemed a little too perfect, but there were raindrops and cool cloud formations.

 Overall a great experience, in spite of the craziness of getting tickets and parking.