Proofreaders Needed!

See the tiny little print at the bottom of the sign?  California oranges grown in Florida???

As soon as we pointed that out to the produce clerk, the sign was removed and replaced with one that said “California!”  This was in a brand new BIG grocery store in Lancaster, PA ~

Priceless!

I took Jim to work today and saw this as I was heading home.  So glad I “happened to have” my camera in my purse!  With a store full of lamps, light bulbs and lighting fixtures, what do you see wrong in this picture??  

We actually went to a Waffle House today!

Yup!  You read that right, we went to a Waffle House today and it was an experience from the time I stepped out of the car, trying to avoid the Red Bull can and the pile of used chew next to my car door.

The waitress greeted us with an “if you’ll hold it a minute I’ll wipe a table down for you.”  Too bad she didn’t wipe the seat down or the sticky floor down. . . .

placemat/menu at the Waffle House

Jim ordered eggs, hash browns, raisin toast and sausage.  I had a sausage patty, pee-can waffle (the waitress’ version of pecan) and a cup of coffee.  The coffee came first in a mug with butter on the inside and something on the lip and dripping down the outside.  I showed it to her and she said “eeewww,” took it and brought me another cup.  After my waffle was delivered I had to ask for syrup and was almost sorry I did ~ there was more on the outside of the pitcher than on the inside. . . .  I didn’t want to complain about everything, so I just forgot it!

Banana Boxers

The food was really pretty good; my view wasn’t.  Ever see Banana Boxers?  I got to see them through the entire meal.  Good thing they weren’t any thinner, otherwise I would have seen a whole lot more!  Jim thought it was part of the dude’s line. . . “Wanna see my banana??”

I wish he'd asked for a Pay Check . . .

 

 

I couldn’t resist taking this picture of Jim when he was paying the bill.  Notice the sign?  Was he picking up a pay check or paying a check?  It just struck me as funny. 

As I stood up to leave I had to remove the paper napkin from my shoe which was covered with sticky stuff (I’m assuming syrup) and I just left what was left on the floor.  If they sweep or mop today, I’m sure they’ll get it up. . . .

Jim and Linda’s experience for Sunday ~

Our Sunny Saturday

Saturday was sunny!  Wow!  Is it spring?  Doubtful, it was 22 degrees when we got up, but it was sunny!  Something about sunny makes a person want to do something, so we went shopping!

The Master at Work

After a leisurely breakfast we headed to Lowes and got the paint for the living room.  Last week we had painted the wall next to the stairs as an accent wall.  The color we chose was “Homestead Resort Gold,”  a color in the “National Trust for Historic Preservation” collection.  Jim had his doubts as he put it on the wall, but the finished product convinced him of Linda’s sanity.  He agreed it was what the room needed.

The color chosen for the living room walls was from the same collection and named “Fairmont Lobby Cream.”  It is a much softer hue that complements the deeper gold.  I think it will make the gold pop!

After dropping our fortune at Lowes, we headed for the Vanity Fair Outlet in Reading, about 30 miles north of here.  Reading is a city full of outlets and the Vanity Fair outlet is HUGE.  Everything is at least 1/2 off of the ticket, with many other things much, much cheaper.  Also, in Pennsylvania, there is no sales tax on clothing.  Clothing is a deal!  Hence my closets full of sweaters, jeans, blouses, yada, yada, yada.  Jim ended up with 3 pairs of Wranglers, Linda 5 pairs and 3 t-shirts for Ellis.

After the shopping expedition, we headed home and had to get a bite to eat.  After all it was 2:30 and we hadn’t eaten since early in the morning, and then only toast and juice.  Pizza was the decision, and Infinitos the choice.

Infinito's Pizza, Lancaster, PA

Now, if you look closely at the picture above, you’ll notice the neighbor to Infinito’s Pizza is non other than Jenny Craig!  Do their clients reward themselves after a good weigh in?  I wonder. . . . 

Infinito’s has a great concept!  For $5.49 you have all you can eat pizza!  There are always a dozen different types of pizza to choose from and they are constantly replacing the pans that have one or two pieces with a fresh pizza!  Jim’s favorite is the Sausage Pizza, Linda’s the Ham Hoagie Pizza (ham, tomato, red onion, and then fresh shredded lettuce when it comes out, it’s delicious!)  

Pizza Bar

Included in the $5.49 price, is a fresh (really, really fresh!) salad bar, garlic bread sticks, pasta, alfredo sauce, red sauce and fresh hot cinnamon rolls!  Usually there are also two or three different types of dessert pizza, cherry pie pizza, apple pie pizza, chocolate chip pizza or blueberry pie pizza!  Our favorites are either the cherry pie or apple pie pizza ~ yummo!  Drinks are extra and the only extra on the $5.49 price.  It’s a deal and a great concept!

 

How can you beat these prices???

The place is exceptionally clean, and somebody is constantly removing empty plates, wiping tables, mopping floors or cleaning the counter.  The help is cheerful and polite and the food fresh, hot and delicious.  We enjoy going there, not only for the price, but for the atmosphere.

The perfect meal for our tired selves and empty wallet. . . . .

Who is Alpha Inventions?

I got a lot of hits on one of my blogs recently, and they were all coming from Alpha Inventions. Who are these people was my first thought?? So I checked ~ and you should too, if you want more exposure for your blog!

When I have a particularly interesting blog or I’m looking for an answer to question (like who is that in a particular picture??) and I want a lot of people to see it, I simply go to Alpha Inventions and register that particular blog. Bingo! A lot of hits!

I can’t explain the concept, but it works! Just register your blog and within minutes the traffic will increase. . . tremendously!

Try it; You’ll like it!

We Bid Farewell to New York City

We decided to sleep in on Thursday morning since it was BITTERLY COLD outside, and we were not anxious to get out in it!  We also decided to have a real breakfast at the Cosmic Diner.  Hampton Inn had a nice breakfast, but frozen eggs, frozen waffles or cereal and sweet rolls just wasn’t our “cup of tea!”  

We enjoyed french toast (Jim) and a Belgian waffle (Linda) and headed back to the hotel where we packed our bags and bid adieu to our home for 3 days.  One block to the Subway and from there we never left the indoor environment until we reached Lancaster at 4:45PM!

Homeless Person and her residence in the Subway Entrance

As we went down into the Subway, we encountered the above woman who was protecting herself from the bitter chill behind an umbrella.  She was huddled with all of her worldly possessions in garbage bags.  Sad sight.

The starkness of Penn Station

 Once we got to Penn Station we headed upstairs to Madison Square Garden for a tour of the facilities.  One of the better tours we’ve been on!  (and yes, Penn Station is under Madison Square Garden!)

Now, we all know how big Jim is and you’d think he’d wear a large shoe.  Well, he does.  However, it appears Jerome James, of the NY Knicks, wears a much larger one.

Jim's shoe vs Jerome James' shoe

 Another part of the tour that covered the Knicks that Jim enjoyed was meeting a Knicks Dancer.  She was the opposite of Jerome James and had to stand on her tippy toes to even appear in the picture with Jim!!

The last part of the tour covered the concerts held there.  Elton John has appeared there more than any other performer, with 60 appearances to his credit.  John Lennon’s last public appearance was at one of Elton John’s shows when he surprised him and appeared on stage with him.

Tribute to Stars that have performed in the Garden

 After the tour, it was downstairs to Penn Station and our 2:11 Amtrak ride home.  But first one last picture of New York.  There is a virtual mall in Penn Station, with anything you desire for sale.  This window made me stop and I had to photograph it!

 

Home Sweet Home!  It was nice to get away, but nicer to get home!

First Day of our Annual Anniversary Trip

 

Lancaster Amtrak Station

We left Lancaster at 9:30 on a snowy morning heading for NYC for our 30th Anniversary Trip.  The trip was uneventful and we were looking forward to our stay in one of our favorite cities!

We checked into the Hotel and had a wonderful room with a great view of the 8th Avenue below us.  Since we did not arrive in NYC until shortly before noon, we decided not to try to fit too much into the day and opted for for a tour of the lower part of Manhattan.  We bought a 48 hour pass for the tours and we could hop on and hop off or stay on the tour.  It was, we agreed, the best option for us.

We hopped on the bus at Times Square and began our tour with a great, informative tour guide, and hopped off at Pier 17 for a tour of the New York skyline by boat, which was included in our package.  Good Choice!  The views were awesome as pictured below:

 

 

After a swing by the Manhattan side, we turned left and headed towards Jersey and got some beautiful views at twilight.

The Central Railroad of New Jersey Train Terminal

 This terminal was the first place many of the immigrants saw when they left Ellis Island.  From here they boarded trains and headed to locations west.  My father-in-law was one of them, and my grandfather as a child another one.

Lady Liberty at Twilight

After a picture opt stop in the water off of Liberty Island the boat continued on it’s journey over towards the Brooklyn side where I got pictures of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.  According to the tour guide (very, very knowledgeable in the history of the area)  The three bridges in a row, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg are referred to as the BMW bridges.  Easy to remember. . . 

Manhattan Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge & a View of Manhattan

 The tour ended and we headed back to Times Square to take the next tour ~ the Night Time Tour of Brooklyn!  This one started at 6:30 and went through lower Manhattan and over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn.  From there we had an awesome view of the NYC skyline.  The bad part about this tour (one of the bad parts) was the bus didn’t stop so we could take pictures of it.  

The other bad part was the tour guide.  He was a loud mouth, insulting New Yorker.  He evidently lost his job in the Garment Center when yard goods became cheaper overseas and was bitter about this.  The Asian couple sitting in front of us bore the brunt of his hostility and I felt sorry for them.  

The tour ended at Times Square where it had started.   We decided to go to the Cosmic Diner, across the street from the Hampton Inn for a hot bowl of soup.  We called it dinner.  The soup hit the spot and was just enough after a long day of sightseeing.  Perfect way to end a full day!

Tuesday, after all, would be another day!

Wednesday ~ 30th Anniversary

Our 30th Anniversary!  Who would have thunk it?  Not the people we worked with who gave us 6 months max!  

After breakfast, we jumped on the tour bus. . . well, we really didn’t jump, but we walked about 2 blocks to catch it in below freezing conditions.  We were heading for Strand Bookstore and 18 miles of books!  Mecca for Linda, a bench and a place to sit and read for Jim.
 

Strand Bookstore ~ Mecca!

We were there several hours and after consulting with a manager, who did searches for me on his computer, I left with a receipt for six books.  That wonderful manager suggested I have the store ship them.  If the store shipped them, I’d avoid the 8% sales tax since they were being shipped out of state, and their shipping charge was $4.50 for the first book and 50 cents for each one thereafter!  $7.00 for shipping and I saved about $8.00 in taxes!  Cool, and I can order online via their catalog.  Check it out on their website!

 

Check out the picture above. Those are the 2nd floor windows and they are packed with books.  Second floor is Photography, Architecture and Childrens books, new and used  Think there are a lot of books?  You bet there are!

To get back to the Hampton Inn, we took our first New York Subway ride! $2.00 per person and we got off the sub 1 block from the hotel! Fast, too!! We’d do it again, in a New York Minute!  It was a bit confusing at first, but we caught on fast!

After we rested a bit, we decided to go out and have our anniversary lunch/dinner and found an ad for a steakhouse at Rockefeller Center.  After walking down there, we found one that interested us and decided on that one instead!  

Our meal was at Rosie O’Gradys one block closer to our hotel than the steakhouse was and we wanted to get inside!  Jim order the Chicken Cordon Bleu and Linda had a Grilled breast of chicken over a salad of asparagus, radicchio, endive and arugula in a honey mustard sauce.  Both were excellent and service impeccable.  . . . and we had planned on a good steak!  Plans change when you check out a menu and see something that appeals to you a little more.

Since the weather is freezing and we both have coughs, we’re calling it a night and staying in.  We have coffee in the lobby and cookies in the room.  

Tomorrow we head home.  We might get to the library and then again, we might not.  

We like being impulsive.  We started our marriage that way! 

Tuesday in NYC

Today was our second day on our Anniversary Trip, 2009, and we filled it with as much as we could.  Everything we planned was around the 2PM time frame when we had to check in for our David Letterman show tickets.  

After breakfast we went down to Gray Line and hopped on one of those double decker buses for an “Uptown Tour” of Manhattan.  This was an exceptional two hour tour covering Harlem, Central Park, Grant’s Tomb, Museum Mile, Dakota Apts, Lincoln Center and on and on and on.  This tour was excellent and we are now sure we’ll be back to explore some Museums (Guggenheim and the Metropolitan among others) and take pictures of things we zipped by in the bus.   Taking pictures through dirty windows as we moved does not produce the best representation of beautiful architecture! 

 

Peace Fountain, St John the Divine Cathedral

The bus did stop and give us 5 minutes at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, not nearly enough time to see this beautiful edifice.  The only picture I got was of the “Peace Fountain” in the Children’s Sculpture Garden, and I’m sure I can get a much better picture in (a) better weather and (b) unfiltered by dirty windows!

After a swing through Time’s Square we were dropped off in time for lunch and a bit of time to freshen up for the 1 1/2 block walk to the CBS Ed Sullivan Theater for our appointed time in line.  We were seated in the front row of the balcony with an excellent view of the band and Dave’s desk. 

 One of the guests was ex-Governor Blagojevich.  This picture was taken after the show when he was being interviewed by “Inside Edition” on the sidewalk outside of the Ed Sullivan Theater . . . and yes, that’s snow coming down!

Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich after the Letterman Show

 . . . and scenes such as this greeted us as we exited the show at 5:30PM!  

Soup for dinner and back to the room for a little R&R, after all Wednesday is another day. . .

Cocoa Wins. . .

She doesn’t have to take any more medicine.  I’m a fast learner. . . .