I’m going to NYC! woo hoo! For a week. So this site is shifting gears to illustrate my adventures in the big apple. Stay tuned!

Tags: New York

First day, a LOT to absorb, but getting up at 3 AM in the morning is paying off. There is SO much to aborb. Tall buildings pop up left and right. My co-worker, Tamon, and I went off to Time Square once we got to the hotel. I can’t believe how many bright lights and tall buildings there are around here. It’s just so many lights that I wonder how much electricity goes into them. I am in awe with all the twinkling lights yet sad how wasteful we are for them. I can’t imagine how much electricity yet alone all the waste created flying on planes. What I thought was really really really crazy was the automatic toilet seat covers at the O’Hare airport. I wasn’t expecting that.

After taking in the overpowering, overlording buildings, T and I go to the Hard Rock Cafe. I swear we waited a long, long, long, long, long time before getting our food. When it came, I chowed down on the grub. I haven’t eaten until the Chicago stop of the flight and that was some cheap Mickey-D’s fries and coke. The salmon pasta and guiness tasted so good. I was in heaven; I was that hungry.
Afterwards, we head out to the middle of Times Square and check out the lights. Snap a few photos. I with my point-n-shoot, and T with his professional camera. Pretty slick things you can do with a fantasy camera… or at least know what to do with a camera.

Taking a long flight and then overwhelming sights, it was time for the first of the last five episodes of Heroes… three hours earlier. Most excellent. Now it’s time for some relaxin.

Tags: New York

New York! What a town. There is buildings everywhere and so much touristy stuff to see. T and I started the day out by going to the Grand Central Station. It was much smaller than what I saw on TV or movies, but it definitely looked old and unique. Basically, you can catch most trains and subway routes from here.

So we caught the the number 4 subway route. This route takes you down to ground zero. I swear stuff on TV seems wider and bigger than in real life. The train cars were very narrow and small. The ride to our stop wasn’t too long. Definitely shorter than going by car. Kinda wish Seattle had this kind of transportation. Just to quickly get to downtown from Bellevue would be awesome.

So we got off at the financial district and walked towards the place previously occupied by the world trade center twin towers. For me, it seemed like “This is the place where it happened, eh”. For T, it was like, “Dood, they use to be right there”… he seen them before they went down. It has to be mind boggling to not see the huge structures, let alone no structures at all. Very un-NY like to not have buildings there. What I found interesting is that you can’t publish any of the pictures you take within 25 feet of the viewing fence. Makes you wonder what secretly they are doing in there… does it?

After that, we trekked towards the New York Stock Exchange. I thought there was just one building…. no… a few of them. The main one you see in most pictures was covered in American flags. Pretty awesome to see. Talk about a huge flag.

Next stop was to see the lady of the cit-ah… lady liberty. So we walked all the way down to Battery park, which wasn’t that far. This was where you got onto a ferry to go to Ellis Island. The sun was shiny by then…. and hot. So we hopped onto the ferry and could see the Statue of Liberty get closer and closer. The view behind was the city skyline.

After a few minutes, we could get off the ferry and check out the lady; close up! From far away, she doesn’t seem very huge, but at her feet, GEEEEZ, talk about a tall lady. Very very green too. It was too late to go inside her and go to the top of the crown, but it was still grand to see. I would recommend anyone to go see her.

The next stop was Central Park. That means another subway ride but going north. The park was huge just like Google’s map illustrates. Add in the heat and so much walking, it was time to head back after looking at a few things in the park. Some pretty cool trees, scultures, and people in the park.

Too much to see in one day, but we pulled bunch off the list. I would definitely come back during a less hotter time, let alone more personal time than this trip allows.

Back to the conference!!

Tags: New York

Aye, Captain! Full ahead into the Questionmark Conference!

Not much to say about the day unless you are interestined in Perception, assessments, surveys, and ROI. Yes, I said ROI. Are executives sticking there heads out there plush corner view offices? Well, let me just say, I fear the hours that will go into measuring to the ROI of a training program. EEEEEK.

Otherwise, I can show you the lovely hotel we are in where you have a bolted door that goes into the hotel room next to you. You can hear your neighbors with pin point accuracy or the screeeeeeming sirens of police cars trying to drive down the field of stopped cars on the road. Don’t me get me started about crossing the street. Talk about an art!

I just got to say that New York has the smallest group of ketchup bottles around. Very tiny and cute. Oh so cute. I was going to take one home with me, but the waiter took it when he cleared the table. Darn.

Besides ketchup, not much else going on yesterday. Just sessions, sessions, sessions….

Tags: New York