Hyde Park - Gardens

Vanderbilt Mansion
Turns out, Troy is on the board of the Vanderbilt Mansion's gardens.  I am not sure what that entails exactly, but it meant we could drive right up to them rather than park in the distant lots.  As most things Vanderbilt, it was over the top, or at least it was when they created them.  On the right is the head gardener's house and on the left the "tool shed."

Hyde Park - Culinary Institute

Menu's Please

We dined twice at the famous institution, which offers 2 and 4 year degrees to those who can stand the heat in the kitchen.  On Friday night we ate at their French restaurant, which is in the main campus building.  All the food is cooked and served by the students under the intense, watchful gazes of their instructors, who hover behind them taking notes in small notebooks.  The kids looked really stressed out.

Hyde Park - B&B

AirBnB Comes Through
AirBnB is the internet's answer to linking up those who want to rent out their bedrooms or houses with those want to rent them.  Jean and I have used it all around the world with great success.  Jean booked us into two bedrooms of this house, just a 1/4 mile up the road from the Vanderbilt Mansion.  Troy, the owner, hosted us for two days and went above and beyond the call of duty.

Queens - Commuting by Bike

How Technology Has Changed...
I bought a bike yesterday evening at a shop next to my office and rode it home.  It's not a racer, nor a mountain bike but rather something called a "commuter" or a "city" bike.  What that means is up for debate but generally I'd say that comfort trumps speed.  What struck me while bike shopping was the technological advances of the past decade that lead to a smooth, quiet, grease-free ride.

Brooklyn - the New "Old School" Apartment

Good Mix of Old and New
We saw a lot of crappy places before we found this one.  I still cannot believe our luck.  I sat right down at the dining table, pulled out my checkbook and asked my landlady how she spelled her name.  Before she knew what hit her I'd handed her a check for first and last.

Brooklyn - The New "Old School" Neighborhood

This Ain't Hipster Brooklyn
This is Windsor Terrace, not Williamsburg, nor Cobble Hill.  No beard-wearing, Converse-sneaker-donning, fixed-gear-bike-riding fools need apply.  Nope, you're not welcome.

Syracuse - Tying the Knot

What a Handsome Couple

Norway - Oslo

Oslo

Italy -Siena

Siena

Italy - Castiglione Del Lago

Castiglione del Lago

Italy- Firenze

Firenze

Italy - Collodi

Collodi

Italy - Ghivizzano

Ghivizzano

Italy - Montefegatesi

Montefegatesi