A Little More from the Marriott Marquis

Just a few little sweets to snack on.

They were putting out desserts at the Marriott Marquis. And did they ever look good.

The view up from the lobby.

The View from the Marriott Marquis

From the lobby of the Marriott Marquis, there is a great view out on to Times Square. We made a quick stop there to look at the view. I will say it is a little odd that the lobby to the hotel is on the 8th floor.

As you can tell from the pictures the day was a little over cast.

Planning the Trip Up

Me a couple of blocks from Times Square

The plan was to go up early and go to half price tickets and see what was up there. As we discussed what we wanted to see, I said I wanted to see Allegiance.

It's the show that George Takei has been trying to get to Broadway for a number of years. The show is based on the story of the relocation of Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II. We'd be seeing it the day before it opens.

The show had been up on half price tickets since previews began in October. Diane talked about what else we would see at Food and Friends on Thursday. She asked about getting tickets for Allegiance in advance. I said it has been up and checked. I'm so glad she said something. Turns out it wasn't up there any more. I said I think we'd still get half price tickets.

I got home from volunteering and did a little more investigating on tickets. Turns out there were not many left. I went through Broadway Box and got discount tickets for the Saturday matinee. I looked for Saturday night but there weren't two seats together.

It turns out seeing Allegiance first worked out for the best. More on that later.

A few shots of Times Square.

I think some new video game is coming out in a week or so.

The always busy Times Square

The ball for New Year's Eve

Saturday Trip to New York with Diane

It started early. I got up at 4 am to make the 6:10am bus.

Diane who I volunteer with at Food and Friends joined me on this trip. We'd been planning to do this since last year. The idea was to get a group of people we volunteer with to go up for a trip. As often happens when there many people involved, it's hard to agree on a time to go.

Diane and I finally we would go on our own. The idea was to go up early and then come back mid evening. Booked the 6:10 bus up then we were coming back on the 9:30 bus. About three weeks ago I got an email from Megabus saying that the 9:30 bus had been cancelled. We then decided to take a late bus which would allow us to see two shows.

I arrived early at Union Station. Almost an hour early. But I'd rather be at Union Station then hanging out at my house just waiting to leave. I found a great parking place just a couple of blocks from the station.

Here are some great pictures from outside the station.

Snoopy on the Prowl

Charlie Brown and His Kite Troubles

A great take on Charlie Brown and problems with his kite.

Charlie Brown on the Baseball Diamond

Nothing says Peanuts more than baseball.

How about some Hoops?

More from Peanuts

Celebrating Peanuts

Not that I really need a reason to celebrate Peanuts.

But the movie is opening on Friday so I thought I'd be posting a series of strips and stand alone cartoons from the greatest cartoon there is Peanuts.

Thoughts political — Ryan Becomes Speaker

Paul Ryan becomes speaker. Talk about jumping through hoops to accomplish something. He did get the right wingers to knuckle under or at least look the other way on their ideological differences. The kicker in all of this was passing a raising of the debt ceiling and budget which must have caused the conservatives to wet their pants in anger.

Then there is this from Ryan:

“We fight over tactics because we don’t have a vision,” Ryan (R-Wis.) said on “Fox News Sunday” in the first of five interviews that were broadcast on morning news programs. “We’ve been too timid on policy; we’ve been too timid on vision — we have none.”

The only ideas the Republican party has had since Obama became president is to oppose anything and every thing that he is for. The Republicans have no ideas. Remember once they took control of the House they were going to concentrate on jobs. Not sure when that happened. Maybe when the Benghazi hearings were in recess. All talk no action.

Back to the debt ceiling, only good thing about Boehner going was he got this done. And both were passed for a reasonable amount of time. So now at least for now these two issues can’t be used as political footballs by the right. But I’m sure they will fine other issues to whine and throw tantrums on.

Speaking of which.

On immigration there was this gem from Ryan:

“Specifically on this issue, you cannot trust this president,” Ryan said on CNN, making reference to Obama’s executive orders last year granting some illegal immigrants a path to legal status: “This president tried to write the law himself. . . . Presidents don’t write laws; Congress writes laws.”

The White House hit back on this as they should:

The White House on Monday accused new House Speaker Paul Ryan of “pandering to the extreme right wing” of his party on immigration.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Ryan’s recent comments on an immigration overhaul are “preposterous” and disappointing.

Earnest called the remark “ironic.” He said it’s Ryan who supported an immigration deal, then failed to push for it to come up for a vote in the House.

The real reason he won’t take up immigration reform is that the 40 or so 4 year olds that make up the freedom caucus would have a kicking and screaming fit. Threaten to shut down the government and then threaten Ryan himself. And Ryan’s speakership would be over before it even started. It shows just how weak Ryan’s position as speaker is. It is also an interesting take because this kicking the can on immigration reform down the road works for the House. But will likely be a millstone around the neck of the Republican nominee for president.

One last thought on Ryan. I’m tired of the media putting him out as some deep thinker. That he thinks about issues and comes up with new ideas on how to solve problems from a conservative perspective. His ideas are not new at all. Move most programs to the states because they’ll know best how to solve the problem. Vouchers for all sorts of things: schools, health insurance. And finally huge tax cuts for the rich. In other words his solutions are the same supply side ideas of let the rich get richer and screw everyone else that have been the bedrock of Republican ideas for the past 40 years.

His new ideas are anything but new. They just are coming out of a pretty face this time.

Detroit Tigers' Stadium

Never did get all the pictures up from the trip to Detroit.

They'll be a couple of more post with the rest of them.

Here are some from the Detroit Tigers' Stadium. It is right in the center of the city.

And the tiger is just so very cool.

Denis reacting to the big kitty.

Weekend Metro "Service"

It’s hard to be surprised about what Metro does. But this one surprised even me.

It was Saturday. I decided to go to the gym early. I thought I’d try and get there right when they opened. In order to that I’d have to drive and pay for parking. I decided against that.

The next option of course was to take Metro.

There would be no way I could get to the gym right when it opened because service on Metro on weekends doesn't start until 7. Having taken Metro on a Saturday morning to get to Union Station to catch a bus to New York City, I knew that the first train doing into DC didn't reach the Rhode Island Avenue stop until about 7:20 or a little later.

I didn't need to be at Metro right when it opened. I got to the station at about 10 after.

The train going in my direction would arrive in about 12 minutes. I walked around the platform for a while and then noticed the next train sign for people going in the direction of Glenmont. The next train going in that direction would reach Rhode Island Avenue in 32 minutes.

That's right 32 minutes. And I'd gotten to the station 10 minutes after it opened. It means that people going in the direction of Glenmont had to wait 42 minutes for a train. 42 minutes. It means that the train started at the Shady Grove station.

I'd assume, incorrectly it turns out, that when the system opened there would be trains at each end of the Red Line and then ones at Metro Center. Two trains at Metro Center that would head toward the end of the line. One to Shady Grove and the other to Glenmont. But no. The trains start at the ends of the line.

There was a guy going in the direction of Glenmont that was not aware that this is the way it worked either. He was phoning someone saying he was going to be late. Who would have ever guess that you would have to wait over 40 minutes for a train.

It reinforces to me once again that Metro is no longer capable of operating the subway system seven days a week. To wait that long for a train and this is under normal operating conditions is inexcusable. But then again that now seems to be the standard operating procedure for Metro.

Something to Cure the Monday Blahs

Monday can certainly give you the blahs especially the day after time changes. By the time you get home it's dark out. A really sign that winter is on the way. The best way to flight the blahs a Peanuts cartoon of course.

Enjoy.

A Little Bit of Fall — A Little Bit of Halloween

Fall is certainly in the air and Halloween is just over. Here are a few pictures from around my neighborhood of both.