London's underground, the Tube, is one of The Best mass transit systems anywhere: clean, punctual, and easy to navigate! The map is easy to figure out; the stations are easy to find; and it's all in English! woo hoo!! rofl
Is it perfect? Of course not. If the station you need happens to be closed, it's probably a pretty good walk to the next. But the other side of that coin is that it moves pretty quickly because it's not stopping every 1/4 mile either! And it can, like any other mass transit system, get very crowded at peak hours. It has over 250 stations, many of them in the 'burbs and outlaying areas. Great for getting to Wimbledon, and Windsor Castle!
It's not in English in Paris. But you really only need a couple words of French to figure it out. And any travel guide/translator will have those couple of words you need.
Other than that, Paris' subway system is very good, also. Like London, it's clean and punctual, and not too difficult to navigate. And, it is very, very extensive- 368 stations!!! Many of the entrances still have the Art Nouveau designs which make them easy to spot, and fun to photograph.
We had a couple scares on the Paris system that changed how we move around as a family.... Now, when we go through turnstiles or board anything, we go parent, kid, kid, parent. That way, if a kid gets 'stuck' on the other side, there's a parent there, too. Granted, now my kids are grown ups, but at least there are 2 of us together if one of them gets stranded. If both parents are through a turnstile, and a kid gets caught because his ticket doesn't work it's scary! Scarier still, both parents are ON a train and the doors start to close while a kid is still outside on the platform!! Our experience on the train in Paris, is that the doors do NOT open back up just because there is a body part in the way. I walked around Paris, bruised for days, because I stepped into a closing doorway to ensure my kid got ON the same train as me.
Lesson: parent-kid-kid-parent. Add as many kids in the middle there as you need, but a parent should go through or on first, and last.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
oh the misery
Chicago, on a chilly, wet Monday in September.
Walking around in a cam walker, without a map, looking for 1 building.
Did I mention chilly and wet? Raining sideways, even.
Oh, the misery of cold, wet feet.
Why, then, did we laugh so much? Because it is all so typical of my journeys.
LOL, indeed.
Walking around in a cam walker, without a map, looking for 1 building.
Did I mention chilly and wet? Raining sideways, even.
Oh, the misery of cold, wet feet.
Why, then, did we laugh so much? Because it is all so typical of my journeys.
LOL, indeed.
Mass Transit
I'm in Chicago today, with my younger son, to visit the French consulate for his student visa. Let's say it's a bittersweet trip for me. I get to spend a couple days with him in a new place, exploring, chatting away. But Saturday (his departure for France) looms too close for me.
Putting that aside for now . . .
Today, we're trying out Chicago's mass transit. Not even sure what it's properly called. Is it the Metra? the El? hmmm.
It got me thinking. We've "done" mass transit in a lot of places around the world:
New York City is famous for it's subway system, right? It is crowded and noisy, though less polluted than it once was. I always emerge from the subway disoriented; I'm never quite sure which direction I need to head off in. In the past few years, we've started staying across the Hudson River in a hotel in Weehawken and take the ferry across the river, then a bus uptown. I love the ferry! Never mind my fear of water; the ride is short, the skyline is magnificent, and I never tire of the NYC skyline!
Washington, DC has a good underground system, too. We recently used it when we were in DC for July 4th, so I can't speak to it's crowdedness, because it was very crowded that weekend! But it was clean and well marked, inexpensive, and fast. That's what a subway should be, right? Our problem in DC (and we always have a problem.... but that's another story) was that 2 of our metro cards got de-magnetized. We didn't know that if you put them near your cell phone that would happen.... It can, and it did. They'll replace them for you free of charge, but it requires standing in a line. Lesson? Don't put your card in the same pocket as your cell phone. Especially, don't put it in your cell phone holder like one of us did! rofl. Luckily for us, both got demagnetized on the same trip, so we only had to stand in line once for both of them.
Next time: London and Paris!
Putting that aside for now . . .
Today, we're trying out Chicago's mass transit. Not even sure what it's properly called. Is it the Metra? the El? hmmm.
It got me thinking. We've "done" mass transit in a lot of places around the world:
New York City is famous for it's subway system, right? It is crowded and noisy, though less polluted than it once was. I always emerge from the subway disoriented; I'm never quite sure which direction I need to head off in. In the past few years, we've started staying across the Hudson River in a hotel in Weehawken and take the ferry across the river, then a bus uptown. I love the ferry! Never mind my fear of water; the ride is short, the skyline is magnificent, and I never tire of the NYC skyline!
Washington, DC has a good underground system, too. We recently used it when we were in DC for July 4th, so I can't speak to it's crowdedness, because it was very crowded that weekend! But it was clean and well marked, inexpensive, and fast. That's what a subway should be, right? Our problem in DC (and we always have a problem.... but that's another story) was that 2 of our metro cards got de-magnetized. We didn't know that if you put them near your cell phone that would happen.... It can, and it did. They'll replace them for you free of charge, but it requires standing in a line. Lesson? Don't put your card in the same pocket as your cell phone. Especially, don't put it in your cell phone holder like one of us did! rofl. Luckily for us, both got demagnetized on the same trip, so we only had to stand in line once for both of them.
Next time: London and Paris!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Listen to your Gut
My words of wisdom for today:
Listen to your gut.
When you have that "something's wrong" feeling and you can't shake it, believe it.
A few weeks ago, maybe 3 weeks ago now, I noticed my foot was hurting. I couldn't pinpoint any specific event that caused it, I just noticed it. That's not to say it didn't hurt much; it hurt quite a bit. But I have a famously high pain threshold, and I tend to ignore little aches and pains as part of growing older and part of working out regularly. I did start icing and compressing this foot pretty much as soon as I noticed it. But, of course, I could walk on it, so I did. And I continued to work out on it.
A few days in, I said to my Hubby, "I think I may have a stress fracture" but I didn't have any 'proof' other than the pain. So, I kept doing what I do.
After a couple weeks of icing and compressing with no improvement, I finally decided to visit a doctor. So, I looked up orthopedists and podiatrists on my insurance's provider website and started calling around. I took an appointment with the one who could see me soonest.
First visit.... he examines my foot and talks to me. He 'thinks' it's a sprain. He tapes it, tells me to wear the tape for a couple days, then go for xrays and come back to him in a week. In the meantime, I can work out, as tolerated. (insert rolling eyes here)
In my mind, I thought the xrays should have come before the diagnosis and the okay to continue working out. But what do I know, right? I'm not a doctor....
Yesterday was my return visit.
My gut was right. I have 2 fractures in my right foot.
If I has listened to my gut, I'd be 2 weeks ahead in the healing process.... but no. I didn't listen to my own body; I ignored it; I didn't trust it.
Hard-learned lesson: Trust your body. It tells you when something is wrong, if you'll just listen! Don't push it down and push on; injuries heal with rest and time. Give your body rest, and time.
Listen to your gut.
When you have that "something's wrong" feeling and you can't shake it, believe it.
A few weeks ago, maybe 3 weeks ago now, I noticed my foot was hurting. I couldn't pinpoint any specific event that caused it, I just noticed it. That's not to say it didn't hurt much; it hurt quite a bit. But I have a famously high pain threshold, and I tend to ignore little aches and pains as part of growing older and part of working out regularly. I did start icing and compressing this foot pretty much as soon as I noticed it. But, of course, I could walk on it, so I did. And I continued to work out on it.
A few days in, I said to my Hubby, "I think I may have a stress fracture" but I didn't have any 'proof' other than the pain. So, I kept doing what I do.
After a couple weeks of icing and compressing with no improvement, I finally decided to visit a doctor. So, I looked up orthopedists and podiatrists on my insurance's provider website and started calling around. I took an appointment with the one who could see me soonest.
First visit.... he examines my foot and talks to me. He 'thinks' it's a sprain. He tapes it, tells me to wear the tape for a couple days, then go for xrays and come back to him in a week. In the meantime, I can work out, as tolerated. (insert rolling eyes here)
In my mind, I thought the xrays should have come before the diagnosis and the okay to continue working out. But what do I know, right? I'm not a doctor....
Yesterday was my return visit.
My gut was right. I have 2 fractures in my right foot.
If I has listened to my gut, I'd be 2 weeks ahead in the healing process.... but no. I didn't listen to my own body; I ignored it; I didn't trust it.
Hard-learned lesson: Trust your body. It tells you when something is wrong, if you'll just listen! Don't push it down and push on; injuries heal with rest and time. Give your body rest, and time.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Serendipitous Moments
I was outside a few minutes ago, puttering.
I had watered my flower beds and pots.... dead headed a few plants, pulled a few weeds, hosed off the deck....
I was pondering the plants I probably should move before they have a chance to become too established because I didn't plant them in the very best location. This was my learning year with this yard. I wasn't real sure of the sun and shade situation. I wasn't sure how hot it would get, how sunny, how dry, how rainy. So, I did the best I could with the information I had at the time, but in hindsight, I should have planted some things in different locations, and it's not too late to undo and redo.
So, I came inside and grabbed my camera. My thought was to take photos of the beds so that when I start moving things around, I'll remember where other things are, like bulb plants which are no longer "there." And also, so I'll remember next spring when I go to buy annuals which did particularly well, or not.
I started out downstairs, snapping here and there. Loving the Mallow that finally bloomed into gorgeous dinner-plate-sized white and fuscia deliciousness....
I moved around to the side, snapping away....
At the top of the beds, by the driveway, I was focusing on a lovely little Day Lily blooming there, a dainty shade of mauve, who will benefit from the moves I'm contemplating.
A movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. A monarch butterfly was perched atop a purple coneflower!! As I shifted my camera to her, she clung tenaciously as the breeze tried in vain to dislodge her.... the breeze fluttered, her wings fluttered, the flower head bobbed, but she held on as I snapped off 28 frames!
Now, let's hope one of them is a keeper!!
I had watered my flower beds and pots.... dead headed a few plants, pulled a few weeds, hosed off the deck....
I was pondering the plants I probably should move before they have a chance to become too established because I didn't plant them in the very best location. This was my learning year with this yard. I wasn't real sure of the sun and shade situation. I wasn't sure how hot it would get, how sunny, how dry, how rainy. So, I did the best I could with the information I had at the time, but in hindsight, I should have planted some things in different locations, and it's not too late to undo and redo.
So, I came inside and grabbed my camera. My thought was to take photos of the beds so that when I start moving things around, I'll remember where other things are, like bulb plants which are no longer "there." And also, so I'll remember next spring when I go to buy annuals which did particularly well, or not.
I started out downstairs, snapping here and there. Loving the Mallow that finally bloomed into gorgeous dinner-plate-sized white and fuscia deliciousness....
I moved around to the side, snapping away....
At the top of the beds, by the driveway, I was focusing on a lovely little Day Lily blooming there, a dainty shade of mauve, who will benefit from the moves I'm contemplating.
A movement in my peripheral vision caught my attention. A monarch butterfly was perched atop a purple coneflower!! As I shifted my camera to her, she clung tenaciously as the breeze tried in vain to dislodge her.... the breeze fluttered, her wings fluttered, the flower head bobbed, but she held on as I snapped off 28 frames!
Now, let's hope one of them is a keeper!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Not so bright? or just curious?
Yesterday evening, Hubby and I were sitting out on the deck after dinner when along came a hummingbird!
I was so excited to see it because they've been rare visitors this year, despite my always full feeder.
Well, this little guy hovered away from the deck looking at us for a few seconds and disappeared. I quietly got up and moved a candle I had lit and set on the deck railing to ward off bugs, figuring maybe the flame and smoke discouraged the little hummer. I saw him sitting in an evergreen right off the deck corner, waiting.
Before I even had a chance to sit down, he buzzed himself up to the petunias in the flower box, and visited down the line. From there, he moved on to the next box, visiting the petunias there as well. Then, to my amusement, he investigated the decorative flag hanging nearby before finally approaching the hummingbird feeder.
At this point, I was standing about 4 feet away, still as a statue, barely breathing. Well, it was really all I could do not to laugh out loud at this little guy. Instead of heading straight for the feeding portals like most hummers do, this guy tried to feed from the painted flowers on the body of the feeder. Not convinced by checking one, he checked all the flowers on the feeder before he finally went to the portals and drank. And yes, he tried all 4 of them before zipping away to check out the seed feeders down the rail.
Truly, I was giggling by this time. What a funny little guy.... Was he just "not the brightest hummingbird in the flock?" Or was he just really curious about all the colorful things?
I watched in horror as he approached the FLAME of a nearby tiki torch.... he stopped SO close to the flame, I was really afraid he would be burned, but he squeaked and flew away. Hubby and I sat there and laughed about this unusual visit and wondered what the heck he was thinking....
This morning, I saw a hummer- it HAD to be the same little curious, confused guy- zip into the area. And his first stop? A bright red cardinal at the seed feeder. ROFL.... I can only imagine what the cardinal was thinking....
I was so excited to see it because they've been rare visitors this year, despite my always full feeder.
Well, this little guy hovered away from the deck looking at us for a few seconds and disappeared. I quietly got up and moved a candle I had lit and set on the deck railing to ward off bugs, figuring maybe the flame and smoke discouraged the little hummer. I saw him sitting in an evergreen right off the deck corner, waiting.
Before I even had a chance to sit down, he buzzed himself up to the petunias in the flower box, and visited down the line. From there, he moved on to the next box, visiting the petunias there as well. Then, to my amusement, he investigated the decorative flag hanging nearby before finally approaching the hummingbird feeder.
At this point, I was standing about 4 feet away, still as a statue, barely breathing. Well, it was really all I could do not to laugh out loud at this little guy. Instead of heading straight for the feeding portals like most hummers do, this guy tried to feed from the painted flowers on the body of the feeder. Not convinced by checking one, he checked all the flowers on the feeder before he finally went to the portals and drank. And yes, he tried all 4 of them before zipping away to check out the seed feeders down the rail.
Truly, I was giggling by this time. What a funny little guy.... Was he just "not the brightest hummingbird in the flock?" Or was he just really curious about all the colorful things?
I watched in horror as he approached the FLAME of a nearby tiki torch.... he stopped SO close to the flame, I was really afraid he would be burned, but he squeaked and flew away. Hubby and I sat there and laughed about this unusual visit and wondered what the heck he was thinking....
This morning, I saw a hummer- it HAD to be the same little curious, confused guy- zip into the area. And his first stop? A bright red cardinal at the seed feeder. ROFL.... I can only imagine what the cardinal was thinking....
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