Diary of a Cranky Traveler: Rizzuto seeks Food, Clothing, and Light
Nov 29th, 2010, 03:19 PM
#41
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Thanks, Rizz, it's enlightening, as I've never been to Japan, as you probably have already known or guessed. It's funny, though, because on my first trip to Rome, I was so overwhelmed by choice that I DID end up in a Chinese restaurant close to my hotel. (I was exhausted!) As you point out, it was "okay", but I really laugh about it now and rarely tell anyone about it.
BC
BC
Nov 29th, 2010, 03:54 PM
#43
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IndianaPearl:
I believe you, I believe you! Had the reverse happen when Steven S. lived with us. He used the pool every day. He also had a crush on our baby-sitter, Tina (who took care of our three little ones). Wondered why he never wanted to go out with wife and me when Tina was sitting. I can picture her now, a grandmother three times, telling her friends, "O,I made out with Spielberg when I sat at the Towers...!" And her friends rolling their eyes.."Right, Tina. Sure, Tina! Get a life!"
stu
I believe you, I believe you! Had the reverse happen when Steven S. lived with us. He used the pool every day. He also had a crush on our baby-sitter, Tina (who took care of our three little ones). Wondered why he never wanted to go out with wife and me when Tina was sitting. I can picture her now, a grandmother three times, telling her friends, "O,I made out with Spielberg when I sat at the Towers...!" And her friends rolling their eyes.."Right, Tina. Sure, Tina! Get a life!"
stu
Nov 29th, 2010, 03:59 PM
#44
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BC: Bob and Karen lead a very sheltered, boring, low-cost life in Needham, Mass. (I call it "Need-um")..so when they get to SE Asia, it's no holds barred...anything from Denny's to Olive Garden lasagna. Woo!
Nov 29th, 2010, 04:23 PM
#45
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Now, now, Stu, you couldn't convince me of that for all the world. I've had the honour of being the Kimballs' houseguest, and shared meals with them that have been much more interesting (in terms of both cuisine and conversation) than Denny's and Olive Garden put together, LOL!
BC
BC
Nov 29th, 2010, 08:41 PM
#46
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...now there's an exciting merger...Denny's Garden.
Although many, many years ago (early 50's), I lived in my G.I. cracker box in the next town to the west of the Kimballs..Natick, Mass. And they never once invited us for so much as a cup of coffee. That's no doubt because they were both in <u>grade school</u> at the time! All is forgiven.
stu
Although many, many years ago (early 50's), I lived in my G.I. cracker box in the next town to the west of the Kimballs..Natick, Mass. And they never once invited us for so much as a cup of coffee. That's no doubt because they were both in <u>grade school</u> at the time! All is forgiven.
stu
Nov 29th, 2010, 09:09 PM
#48
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Rizz..sorry for the brief hi-jacking...get back to your wonderful Japanese report. If you can believe it, coming into Tokyo Harbor in '46, the city was nothing but a broken house of cards, destroyed by the incendiary attacks of late mid-'45. Fuji was very visible in the distance with nothing to block the view. Two weeks later we got to see what was left of Hiroshima...still "off limits"..if you can magine 200 very young stunned Americans standing on a distant rail platform overlooking the sight, with not one word coming from them...total silence, until a sergeant yelled.."OK, get your sorry a$$e$ back on board." Someone had ripped off a sign that had been put up by the army..."Hiroshima".. and many of us got to have a pic taken.Hard to believe these pics are 64 years old.
http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...35326311956642
stu
http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...35326311956642
stu
Nov 30th, 2010, 02:39 AM
#49
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Rizz, sorry for the bum reco on the park. ou now probably dislike Shinjuk even more. Just spaced when recommending the place on a Monday. Will buy you a bento and bting the wowie when we come to BOS next for another gtg....
Stu, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your service to our country. Without it we would all be living in a differnt world and not traveling or speaking so freely. Great pics btw....really should be in a museum or something of the like and don't worry about hijacking this post from rizzuto as he does live in Billerica and is used to having things hijacked,lol
Aloha!
Stu, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your service to our country. Without it we would all be living in a differnt world and not traveling or speaking so freely. Great pics btw....really should be in a museum or something of the like and don't worry about hijacking this post from rizzuto as he does live in Billerica and is used to having things hijacked,lol
Aloha!
Nov 30th, 2010, 02:50 AM
#51
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HT wrote:
<i><<and bting the wowie when we come to BOS next for another gtg....>>
</i>
While a large part of me would love to know what "bting the wowie" means, another large part of me thinks that perhaps we'd all better not go there...
Stu, what amazing photos, thank you for sharing those! In terms of a picture saying a thousand words, those photos spoke volumes, both fascinating and horrific.
The Kimballs didn't charge me a dime, actually. I think the fact I'm a rube visiting from the midwest, as well as a patient at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute plays to their sense of humanity and compassion, so housing me and feeding me for a few days at a stretch is probably tax-deductible.
BC
<i><<and bting the wowie when we come to BOS next for another gtg....>>
</i>
While a large part of me would love to know what "bting the wowie" means, another large part of me thinks that perhaps we'd all better not go there...
Stu, what amazing photos, thank you for sharing those! In terms of a picture saying a thousand words, those photos spoke volumes, both fascinating and horrific.
The Kimballs didn't charge me a dime, actually. I think the fact I'm a rube visiting from the midwest, as well as a patient at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute plays to their sense of humanity and compassion, so housing me and feeding me for a few days at a stretch is probably tax-deductible.
BC
Nov 30th, 2010, 04:52 AM
#52
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i can just see it now don... an ugly headgear made fashionable by a silk scarf... i will have to try that with mine...
how could i forget.... while having lunch in the small talk coffe shop in broadway, UK, rod stewart came into the mens room and used the next urinal to me... BC, no i did not look!!
how could i forget.... while having lunch in the small talk coffe shop in broadway, UK, rod stewart came into the mens room and used the next urinal to me... BC, no i did not look!!
Nov 30th, 2010, 07:00 AM
#54
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BC and HT, thank you for your kind remarks. In repsonse, in my next post I'll bring you up to date, with my recent ('07) amazing return visit to Kyushu, after over 60 years...
<i>Dana-Farber Cancer Institute</i>
BC..I know the drill all too well. First wife died of breast cancer in 1991. Oldest daughter(54) has fought the good fight for over 20 years, during which time she has had another child (now 15) and has led a full and exemplary life. She has been on and off chemo more times than I can remember. Entered a trial at Univ. of Washington (she lives near me here in SoCal)... involves a salve, and seems to be doing some good. Her husband, an ophthalmologist, discovered a substance that causes eyelashes to grow, which worked wonders when Gayle often lost them as a result of chemo. They formed a company headqusrtered in Ventura, Ca., and the product is now sold world-wide, with a handsome percentage of profits going to breast cancer funding. My oldest grandaughter manages their overseas distribution. Company is based in Ventura, Ca.
Rizz, I hope you don't mind this occasional off-topic, but I simply could not refrain from answering BC in this regard!
Stu....BC, please write: [email protected]
<i>Dana-Farber Cancer Institute</i>
BC..I know the drill all too well. First wife died of breast cancer in 1991. Oldest daughter(54) has fought the good fight for over 20 years, during which time she has had another child (now 15) and has led a full and exemplary life. She has been on and off chemo more times than I can remember. Entered a trial at Univ. of Washington (she lives near me here in SoCal)... involves a salve, and seems to be doing some good. Her husband, an ophthalmologist, discovered a substance that causes eyelashes to grow, which worked wonders when Gayle often lost them as a result of chemo. They formed a company headqusrtered in Ventura, Ca., and the product is now sold world-wide, with a handsome percentage of profits going to breast cancer funding. My oldest grandaughter manages their overseas distribution. Company is based in Ventura, Ca.
Rizz, I hope you don't mind this occasional off-topic, but I simply could not refrain from answering BC in this regard!
Stu....BC, please write: [email protected]
Nov 30th, 2010, 09:19 AM
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Don,
Thanks for asking about the Adams historic house tour. We (four friends) loved our May visit. It included time at the birthplace, the "Old House," and the Stone Library. Commentary at the birthplace was animated but a little thin and we were rushed. The park ranger-guided visit to the Old House was the richest in terms of both information and time to linger. The visit to the Stone Library was also a bit rushed.
Lunch afterwards was admittedly less memorable. We chose a waterfront restaurant near the Adams homestead because the friend whose birthday we were celebrating is a sailor as well as an Adams buff. Perhaps not the soundest guide to restaurant selection... I have forgotten the name of the restaurant which is just as well.
I also recently visited the Longfellow House on Brattle Street -- you know that area because you go to Hi-Rise Bakery -- and was amazed to discover that it had served as headquarters for George Washington for nine months during the siege of Boston in 1775-76. During his stay, Washington was visited by Abigail and John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. That ranger-guided tour was also a bit rushed so I will go back at some point when the house reopens after a seasonal closing. The restaurant pairing for that outing was a modest one -- mujaddara, coffee, and a good book at Cafe Algiers.
I'll close this American history parentheses by acknowledging Stu's wonderful photos.
Back to Japan. Best wishes for your onward travels.
Thanks for asking about the Adams historic house tour. We (four friends) loved our May visit. It included time at the birthplace, the "Old House," and the Stone Library. Commentary at the birthplace was animated but a little thin and we were rushed. The park ranger-guided visit to the Old House was the richest in terms of both information and time to linger. The visit to the Stone Library was also a bit rushed.
Lunch afterwards was admittedly less memorable. We chose a waterfront restaurant near the Adams homestead because the friend whose birthday we were celebrating is a sailor as well as an Adams buff. Perhaps not the soundest guide to restaurant selection... I have forgotten the name of the restaurant which is just as well.
I also recently visited the Longfellow House on Brattle Street -- you know that area because you go to Hi-Rise Bakery -- and was amazed to discover that it had served as headquarters for George Washington for nine months during the siege of Boston in 1775-76. During his stay, Washington was visited by Abigail and John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. That ranger-guided tour was also a bit rushed so I will go back at some point when the house reopens after a seasonal closing. The restaurant pairing for that outing was a modest one -- mujaddara, coffee, and a good book at Cafe Algiers.
I'll close this American history parentheses by acknowledging Stu's wonderful photos.
Back to Japan. Best wishes for your onward travels.
Nov 30th, 2010, 09:59 AM
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marya_
I was the one who asked about your Quincy visit. My hometown, and after being away for 53 years, I still call it "my hometown"...as for The Stone House, were you referring to the Adams Academy on Hancock Street?
stu
I was the one who asked about your Quincy visit. My hometown, and after being away for 53 years, I still call it "my hometown"...as for The Stone House, were you referring to the Adams Academy on Hancock Street?
stu
Nov 30th, 2010, 11:50 AM
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Stu, I'm pretty sure that Marya_ is referring to the Stone Library adjacent to the Adams Old House, built as a "fireproof" building for the family's books.
You should plan to come to the next Boston GTG where you can meet some of these posters! And re-visit Quincy.
You should plan to come to the next Boston GTG where you can meet some of these posters! And re-visit Quincy.
Nov 30th, 2010, 12:06 PM
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Stu,
So sorry to read in haste and conflate the thread owner's words with those of another writer. Apologies to both of you.
We very much enjoyed our day in your hometown, Stu. All the National Park service personnel took a great deal of pride in their work and that in turn inspired a great deal of Massachusetts pride in us, local visitors. By "Stone Library," I am referring to the last stop on the tour, the library built adjacent to the main house to store the 14,000 books of John Quincy Adams. If you go here:
http://www.nps.gov/adam/historyculture/places.htm
and scroll almost to the end of the page, you will see a photo of the interior of the library. Perhaps you know the building? There is a lovely small formal garden next to the library.
I hope to go back to Quincy. For one thing, I would like to visit the First Parish Church where the Adamses are buried.
BC,
No. I had always heard of it as the Longfellow House and had no idea whatsoever that George Washington had been headquartered there during the "siege," nor that Martha had come up from Virginia to join him for several months. All that despite the fact that I sometimes go and sit in the lovely remodeled gardens at the house -- gardens that are beautiful in any season. It sounds as though you know the area better than I do.
Sorry, All, for the temporary diversion from matters Japanese. Thank you for allowing this space to respond -- Arigato gozaimasu.
So sorry to read in haste and conflate the thread owner's words with those of another writer. Apologies to both of you.
We very much enjoyed our day in your hometown, Stu. All the National Park service personnel took a great deal of pride in their work and that in turn inspired a great deal of Massachusetts pride in us, local visitors. By "Stone Library," I am referring to the last stop on the tour, the library built adjacent to the main house to store the 14,000 books of John Quincy Adams. If you go here:
http://www.nps.gov/adam/historyculture/places.htm
and scroll almost to the end of the page, you will see a photo of the interior of the library. Perhaps you know the building? There is a lovely small formal garden next to the library.
I hope to go back to Quincy. For one thing, I would like to visit the First Parish Church where the Adamses are buried.
BC,
No. I had always heard of it as the Longfellow House and had no idea whatsoever that George Washington had been headquartered there during the "siege," nor that Martha had come up from Virginia to join him for several months. All that despite the fact that I sometimes go and sit in the lovely remodeled gardens at the house -- gardens that are beautiful in any season. It sounds as though you know the area better than I do.
Sorry, All, for the temporary diversion from matters Japanese. Thank you for allowing this space to respond -- Arigato gozaimasu.
