Baseball

Baseball
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Sunday and a very early, 5am start followed by a four hour drive north from Norfolk - all to get to Baltimore in time for the Orioles v New York Yankees baseball game ... the first I have ever been to.

The Orioles have an impressive stadium right in downtown Baltimore - about the size of St James's Park in Newcastle. The first thing that struck me was the sheer friendliness of the crowd - both Orioles and Yankees fans jibing each other but in a friendly manner. None of the tribal antagonism and hostility we see at football matches.

The weather was - once again - roasting hot. And I do mean roasting! Our seats were on one of the upper decks but sadly with no shade so exposed to the full force of the sun. The seat was so hot that I really did burn my bum when I first sat on it :( I had to put my game program on it before I could sit.

The Yankees won by an embarrassing margin - with four home runs in their tally.

Maybe it was the heat but I couldn't get as excited as everyone around me about the game. It remonded me of cricket but played at a much faster pace. When even my frequent and regular trips to the drinks stall for more water/ice cream/frozen lollies failed to keep me healthy and with the outcome a foregone conclusion, I left before the crowds at "the bottom of the ninth"

Lump in throat moment

IMG_3579
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Spent a day visiting Virginia's Outer Banks among whose claims to fame is the site of the first English settlers to set foot on American soil and the site at Kittyhawk where the Wright Brothers made the first powered flight.

This visit was truly a "lump in the throat" moment for me. There's a good little museum dedicated to the achievement containing recreations of the Flyer and the earlier glider that proved their theories on 3-axis flight control. Most moving for me though was to walk along the field where the flights took place - the fourth and last of which over a distance of just 852 feet. Considering I was there thanks to a jet aircraft that had whisked usfrom Paris to New York (a distance of 3,000 or so miles) in about 7 hours and that we are only a little over 100 years from the Wright Brothers first success it's hard not to think about the rate of technological progress over the past century - and speculate on what may come over the next.

Personally, I hope to stay around to see as much of it as I can.

Wisconsin ... Norfolk!

DSC00258
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Interesting town, Norfolk Virginia. Turn a corner on a city street and the sight of a large battleship confronts you. The USS Wisconsin - a WWII destroyer - is moored downtown, permanently attached to the naval museum and free to wander around.

One famous van

One famous van
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Thursday morning and a visit to see and interview Kyle Fleming for iL Tridente. Kyle is one of "the good guys" in Maserati circles, having spent 35 years supplying parts at reasonable prices - along with a willingness to share his vast knowledge on just how old Maseratis are put together with anyone who cares to phone him.

I'm saving the full description and photos for the magazine but it was great to meet Kyle (and his wife, Pat) again and get to see his garage and hear some of his stories.

I have an invitation to visit Kyle's mythical barn (the home of the fantastic store of rare Maserati parts) and I hope I can find time to do that before I have to head back north.

Remains of a blow-out

Remains of a blow-out
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Hmmm ... this is where it gets scary. When this tyre blew, it went big-time! I had thought I must have run over some debris that had cut through the tread but when the wheel was taken off, the entire inner sidewall had separated from the tread. That is one SERIOUS failure!

The damage was too severe to be able to see whether something had cut through the side wall (though there was no damage or sign of any object being thrown around inside the wheel-arch) and I suspect that the tyre may have become blistered due to the proximity of the rear silencer box on the Spyder - something I have heard of happening to other cars.

So, I wasn't too unhappy to fit two new tyres to the back (so the tread patterns would match) as I at least can expect them to last the rest of my time in the car - road debris permitting!

Interstate blowout

Interstate blowout
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Wednesday morning we left Washington for the approximately four hour drive south to Virginia Beach. Getting out of Washington at around 9:30am proved just as easy as getting into the city - a couple of turns and we were on a feeder road that led straight to the Interstate highway we wanted.

The Interstate came to a halt, followed by a slow crawl after a few miles so we turned off onto Hwy-1 and saw a little local life for around 30 miles, stopping for brunch in a Subway along the way.

Back on I-95 and making good progress with traffic flowing at a smooth 70-80MPH, we had an interesting interlude arising from a rear tyre that blew out quite spectacularly. I managed to bring the car to a halt safely but, as can be seen, the tyre was beyond serviceable use!

The interesting part came when, having removed all my luggage from the boot, we discovered a complete set of tools and a complete lack of spare wheels - the space normally occupied by the spare now taken up by the extra oil cooler Seymour had fitted ...

Maybe I spend too much time awake in the early hours but I remember seeing one of thosed "Police, camera action!" shows of the kind of thing that can happen to a car stranded on the shoulder of an Interstate so I was paying special care to traffic - still blasting by at 70+MPH.

I told Louise to stand by the back of the car and look out for anyone straying off the carriageway in our direction.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, a young woman in a red Toyota came swaying off the road and hurtling down the rumble strip that you can see in the photo (harsh enough to rattle your teeth!) missing the door mirror of the Maserati by about the width of a cigarette paper!

Drugged or asleep, the woman carried on with two wheels rattling along the rumble strip until she was out of sight. Which was not quite as far as might have been the case because by now Louise and I were across the drainage ditch and in the bushes! At least our self-preservation instincts remain intact! :)

Next excitement? A Nissan pulled on to the shoulder about 1/4 mile beyond our position and reversed back to us. Half suspecting we were about to be held up at gunpoint and all our possessions removed for the good of the driver, we got ready to jump back into the bushes.

To our utter amazement and gratitude, the driver turned out to be a well dressed man who said he had stopped because he couldn't in all conscience see us standing at the side of the road in the intense heat - and offered a lift to the next town. Chivalry and good manners are alive and well - and I got a good lesson in cynicism.

I phoned Seymour who arranged for AAA to come and collect the car. I was still worried about being rear-ended by another dozy driver so I was extremely relieved when a highway security patrol arrived and parked behind us, lights and big warning arrow signs ablaze. The guy was extremely friendly and chatted away for the hour it took for the tow truck to arrive - during which Louise sta in the one remaining seat in his air-conditioned cab and I spent more time "sunbathing" than I had honestly planned - I now have medium-rare calf muscles!

Once the car was on the back of the flat-bed, things got better - a short ride to the nearest town found a tyre depot that had tyres of the right size (if not the brand Seymour would have preferred) and an hour's wait while they were fitted was the easy part - the $240 bill was the OUCH factor of the whole episode.

The hour Louise spent in the beauty parlour next to the tyre shop having a manicure was the bonus of the episode - or so I am told! ;)

Capitol

Capitol closer
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

The Old Post Office was originally just that. It was scheduled for demolition some years ago but saved by one of those determined American women who interest themselves in good causes - and all power to her (sorry I forgot her name ... Nancy something, I think).

The building now houses some of the Smithsonian admin offices and the central courtyard has been roofed over, air conditioned with some small shops and a food court in its lower levels. Oddly, as it's considered a "government building" (because of the Smithsonian offices I assume) there's a full X-ray scan and metal detector search to get into the place - a truly bizarre way to enter what is, in essence, a small shopping mall.

Never mind - maybe it was the security that kept the crowds away as inside it was cool, airy and refreshingly crowd-free.

The building has a tower, making it one of the highest buildings in the downtown area and the ride to the top (on two elevators) is free. There's even a friendly guide once you get up there to give the names of the buildings you can see and describe the sights.

Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

From Union Station, we took the trolley bus to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum where, had we had the time, we would have happily spent most of the day. We watched an IMAX movie about moon walks and lunar landscapes - very odd movie as, in part, it talked about the conspiracy theory (the one that insists the moon landings never took place but were filmed on a Holliwood back-lot) - obviously pooh-poohing that idea.

But then, just about the entire film was CGI generated!!

Understandable (the lack of high-definition IMAX technology in the 1960s being a bit of a hindrance) but ironic nevertheless.

All the Smithsonian museums in Washington are free to visit - a wonderful treasure trove - and I wish I'd had more time to spend in them. Just have to come back and spend a week here some time.

After the Air & Space museum, we took the bus round to see the war memorials and to take a peek at Abe. Impressive but so hot by then (around 4pm) we had had more than enough of the open air so headed back to an interesting looking building we'd passed earlier in the day - the Old Post Office.

Union Station

Union Station
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

I like American railway stations - especially the ones in the big cities I've visited. They are inevitably spotlessly clean, air conditioned and offer a collection of interesting food and shopping opportunities!

Union Station lived up to expectations with some superb architecture to match. We had lunch in the cafe on the roof of the information booth then wandered around - probably spent more time there than we would normally but it was COOL! :)

Clang, clang, clang

Clang, clang, clang
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Given the weather, the only sensible way to get round the city and see the sights without flaking out (or losing the sight in one eye!) was on a tour bus.

A company called Oldtown Trollies runs an excellent service using buses built to look like old trolley cars - not air conditioned but shady and easy to take pictures from. Not that I took many pictures 'cos it was too darned hot to hold a camera!

Buddha Belly

Buddha Belly
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Fine figure of a man, eh? ;)

Washington is a fascinating city - well laid out with monumental architecture and normally a city I'd walk round. Not this time! With shade temperature at 100F with humidity to match (the tour bus driver came up with the term "humature" to describe the combined effect of high temperature and humidity :)) any time outside is asking for trouble.

Louise took this photo of me anyway ... just to prove I was there! :)

Manhattan skyline at night

Manhattan skyline at night
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

On enormous benefit of being shown a city by locals is getting to places you would otherwise never discover for yourself. After a magnificent steak in New York's oldest steak house in Brooklyn, Seymour and Cynthia took us down to the Esplanade - this, unedited, is the view.

The missing part of any photo of the Manhattan skyline these days is, of course, the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. I couldn't look at this view without thinking of that tragic, destructive act that I, like many others, watched happen live on TV with incredulity and sickness. The building of the new Freedom Tower on the WTC site is surely the best response to terrorists.

And ... though the WTC is missing (and without wishing to reduce the suffering and harm caused to so many people in any way) just look at that skyline to understand that, horrific though the event was, the amount of damage caused was no more than a scratch. New York and the free world remains as strong and resolute as ever.

Grand Central Station

Patriotism
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

I just had to visit this place again. If memory serves, it has been restored since I was last here in the early 1980's and now looks more magnificent than I remember it. Louise had never been here so her reaction - and comparison to our main stations such as Kings Cross - was fun to see.

Of course, it's hard not to look at the main hall here without smiling at the thought of the surreal dance scene Terry Gilliam shot here for Baron Munchhausen.

Village life

DSC00082
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Sad to say that much of the character of Greenwich Village has disappeared - the coffee shops, Tibetan artefact merchants, art and book stores have disappeared as the area has become prime real estate.

So, it was good to see that Linda, the "psychic consultant - first session $10" was still in business!

Right next door to a Tibetan store, too :)

Live music

DSC00045
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Despitethe traffic, we beat our hosts to the Village so sat behind the monument in Washington Square Park to listen to this group of musicians who were jamming along.

If these guys weren't professionals, they darn well should be. The best though was hearing them perform just for the pleasure of making music.

Busy city

DSC00033
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Discussing music with Seymour (he was a rock musician for many years) I mentioned seeing Eric Sardinas a few months ago with Leo. Seymour had never heard of him so we scoured NYC looking for a CD - eventually finding one in the fifth store I tried - the Virgin Megastore on Times Square. By then, we were late for the lunch appointment with Seymour & Cynthia in an Italian restaurant down in Greenwich Village so jumped into a cab.

This was the result!

Mecca

Mecca
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

After the park, we took a walk part-way down 5th Avenue, stopping in department stores and buildings to cool down (America's mastery over its climate remains evident in the way the buildings are super-cooled in summer and super-heated in winter).

Coming across this Gant store, imagine my delight on finding its summer sale was in full swing. Just had to buy a few shirts! :)

Japanese Koto

Japanese Koto
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

The Koto is a kind of Japanese harp (at least that's the closest thing it sounds to). Music is everywhere in New York - these ladies were tuning up prior to giving a free performance in the band shell

A view of Central Park

A view of Central Park
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

Yegods it's hot here! Well into the 90's F with humidity to match. I always prefer to walk round cities, finding that the best way to discover sights and sounds you'd miss any other way but i managed to lose the vision in my left eye on the second day through heatstroke or a blood pressure problem and had to be helped into a cool restaurant by Louise and Seymour where I eventually recovered after about an hour and plenty of fluids :( Ho hum ...

New York is a great city - it's hard to think of anywhere else on the planet that has such a buzz about the place. Even in the summer heat, New Yorkers go about their business like over-wound clockwork mice. Me, I just amble along trying to keep cool. Staying in Cynthia's apartment on W.71st right next to Central Park, an obvious starting point was to walk through the park. Coming back after around 20 years, the changes are manifold - not to the park but to the feel of the place. The druggies and winos have all gone and the park feels SAFE!

On a hot afternoon, we found a shady place in the park and lay down - this photo is one of my favourite memories of the park ... I was cool for a while!

Seymour and Cynthia were not just great and generous hosts, they also love their city and took me to some fantastic restaurants and sights I

And so, to Arizona

EPV0053
Originally uploaded by eqdynamics.

September 2005: Another month, another Maserati rally - this time based around the Grand Canyon (though I drove a Bora from Sacramento via Los Angeles to the Canyon and beyond).

One of the drives involved a fabulous set of twisting mountain roads into Arizona and the town of Sedona - famous for rock formations, trading posts and ... Mexican restaurants!