cable car, coffee flavor and seagulls

Waiting at the cable-car stop, which was at the bottom-end of a long slope near San Francisco Bay area, I felt a little bit chilly even though it was in the middle of August. Maybe, inside this foggy town, this kind of cold summer was not special, but seems to be a part of everyday life. It was in the evening, and I was standing in the long line waiting for this famous cable-car going over steep slopes ranging north, south, west and east, whatever.

Some people in the line sipping on cups of coffee, which apparently they took from the Starbucks located in front of this stop. As usual in this cold evening, the Starbucks kept giving off the familiar roasted beans flavor. Then, I decided what I would do. So, turning back and checking how many people coming after me, I found not so many were there and I just left from the line and came to the Starbucks. Until I sipped on my cup of coffee, and took my first bite out of a marble pound cake, some seagulls were flying and mewing above people still waiting for the cable-car. The evening came deep at the time, and the gulls looked like swimming in the sea of orange twilight.  

San Fransisco, California.

remnant of arizona twilight

At the end of the summer, I was just running along with an ever lasting straight avenue next to Phoenix airport, listening to the local radio news with grabbing my well-used portable radio. It was, of course, in the evening, 'cause running under the daylight in here was not an option, doing so, maybe, would easily make any runners extremely thirsty within minutes. Even in the evening, the breeze was not nice, but so warm that I felt breaking a sweat soon after coming from the hotel I checked in near here, and slowly starting jogging. 

The remnant of the Arizona twilight was getting mixed of light orange and dark water-blue just like colors in the not-so-deep sea. At the airport, small lights from several airplanes looked like stars at dusk. The straight road I kept following was not the never-ending straight, so, I finally found a slow curve to turn to the right. At the corner, there was a gas station, where a man in middle age with a worn-out baseball cap tried to fill the tank of his pickup truck with gas, and next to it, the franchise restaurant, Ruby-Tuesday, was there with a vividly red signboard on its front. A couple of families of four were waiting for their tables around the parking, and several kids from different families seemed to invent new game to play there. While running, I listened to the radio and noises kids made for passing the time. 

Here was in the middle of summer night heat, Phoenix, Arizona

the moon and an ordinal life in rockville

I just walked down an ordinary street to go to an organic grocery to get a bundle of small white beets, which I did not find a super market near here. While walking, I found the evening moon over the downhill, and the moon was, as usual, quite white in the glass-blue and light violet sky. At the time, the breeze was a little bit cold, but hardly came through my wind-breaker. The cars passed me, and I just followed each red tail-lamp. It’s usual, of course, but what I mean is everything was so ordinal life in here.

This downhill used to be my routine jogging course, so I came here and went down the hill many times. Sometimes, I saw fellow runners who never knew me, but bowed slightly as we passed each other. Sometimes, in the spring, I found brown rabbits came to eat lawns in the small gardens around the houses. Sometimes, I remembered something my colleague said, coming after participating in his first half-marathon race somewhere I did not know. He tried to keep listening to the music, "Eye of the Tiger", while running, ‘cause he thought this rock’n surely made his adrenaline overflowed. But in reality, he was easily exhausted after passing15km.

After I moving from here, these stories were just in my memoir when finding this picture. Now, cars may pass this street, some people go down the hill, and sometimes, the moon comes in the evening.

Here is Rockville, Maryland.

crafted glasses and a cup of coffee

I was literally in the middle of the evening twilight, around May 20, when I walked down the main street in Corning, New York state. The breeze in May was nicely dry, but sometimes a little bit cold, so I covered my upper part with my black northface windbreaker. Entering the street, I caught of the sight of some people taking the temporary tent-shops away, and clearing the tables on the street. Obviously, the street had seemed to be busy at some points on the day, because of the town festival, offering nicely crafted glasses as a specialty in here.

Walking along the street in the afterglow of the glass-fest in the town, I missed an opportunity to enjoy crafted glasses, but saw some Asian people still making fried noodles on the street, which smelled quite good. There were some shops showing beautiful colorful  glasses on the showcases, and I also found some pizza restaurants, where some locals biting a large piece of cheese pizza.

I hardly found a café walking for a while, but finally found a small shop which seemed to be a shop selling souvenir glasses, but its signboard showed a cup of coffee. When I tried to look inside the shop, the old man suddenly standing beside me said “hello” gently. He asked me if I was interested in the glasses or a cup of coffee in the shop, and I said I could hopefully have the latter. He smiled and said sorry to me that he had already closed his shop today because of the fest, but I can come here from 7:00 next morning for a great cup of coffee I’ve ever had.

I walked to the same shop tomorrow morning, and sipped nicely smelled hot coffee, seeing the crafted glasses shining with the morning light.

Here was Corning, New York

sports hats

Walking around a theme park like Disneyland or Legoland, always I’ve had a certain difficulty of looking for topics, or even how and what I would write about, and for what. I don’t know why, but it is surely difficult to get a certain image of what I’ve encountered there, for example, in the course of my family vacation in this winter, especially with my son, of course.

This is the only story I can tell with a certain image, in the theme park, Disneyland.  

It was a rainy day in this winter, which may or may not be rare in here, Orlando, Florida, but the temperature on the day was a little bit unseasonably low at the time. In the evening, I and my son were rushing to one of restaurants in the park in order to be safe from the rain, and at the time, we both wore sports hats. In the restaurant, a female staff near the entrance door kept distributing a menu-card to each customer who happened to enter. When I said “hi” to her handing me a menu, she smiled us and said, “This is second time I saw you both”. 

With a big question mark on my head, I asked her how she could know that. Actually we came to this restaurant in the morning for a coffee break, but I thought both of us did not stand out from myriad people in the park, who were so diverse and coming from literally all over the world to enjoy themselves with ones of the most famously known and manufactured characters, at least in terms of business. She smiled again and said “Because you wear sports hats with a big “Legoland” logo on the front”. 

On the day before, we enjoyed the interlocking plastic bricks theme park, Legoland Florida. 

Orlando, Florida, all I can do is just walking around the theme parks. No brainer. 

philadelphia sauerkraut and bratwurst

It was just before Christmas when I was at the center of Philadelphia city, and just walking along with the Broad Street. Behind me, there was an old city hall famously known by the statute of the city founder sitting on its top. I walked up the street to go to the Kimmel Center, the home of Philadelphia Orchestra, to catch up the opening of its Christmas concert. I remembered that the concert at the time would be performed by the guest-Maestro coming from Vancouver.

It was in the evening, and the wind came from cold Delaware River to this skyscrapers’ valley, and made me or anyone walking around here quite chilly. At some point, I just turned back to the city hall. I could not see the opposite side of it I've already passed through. 

Around the opposite corner of the hall, there was a small squared park, which had a small fountain at its center. At this season, the park was occupied by the Christmas market, lots of small stalls and vendors selling small Christmas ornaments. At first, I felt the market seemed to be quite similar to what I often enjoyed around the cities in Germany, such as Köln’s, though the latter was apparently bigger than here. Later I found it was actually similar, because the market was organized by German society of Philadelphia, and more than that, at least I enjoyed the same smell of hot wine and taste of sauerkraut and bratwurst here in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

at chesapeak bay

The sky is so high and blue, and the color of the beach is light-brown. The beach at Chesapeake bay is a little bit crowded, but I totally have no difficulty to find my space to stab my beach parasol into the sand deeply. lying back in a folding chair, I see the young father trying to fly a kite in front of his young son, still a toddler,  and the mother just lies down on the towel for a sunburn.

I cannot listen to the sound of waves from Chesapeake, simply because the sound of winds keeps coming around me, but the winds are not so strong, rather makes me feel a little bit nicely cool under the parasol, while the sun blazing down on us in the afternoon. People are everywhere, say, in the water, they are enjoying swimming just inside the rope connected by several red buoys, which keeps people away from the deep offshore. 


Several people also make a line in front of the water-tap, especially for washing sands off from their feet. At the very front of the line, there is a young mother washing his son, just 3 or 4 years old. The mother washes not only the boy's feet, but also his entire body by using a small cup. Obviously the small cup is not enough large for showering the boy quickly, so naturally, the line becomes somehow a little bit long. 


Here is the beach in front of Chesapeake bay, Maryland.

everyone looked upward at the sky for f18s

On the hill near the inner harbor, everyone looked upward at the sky for six F18 jet fighters, named "blue angles". The fighters came from far over the mouth of this small harbor, maybe, originally from a military airport located in this small, Belgium-size Maryland state. Maybe, near Chesapeake bay, I'm not quite sure, though.


On the hill, most people just kept looking up at the sky, and some people held their ears with hands because the thunderous jut sound also came right after the fighters passing through the blue sky. 


The couple of young women sitting in front of me talked with a past middle age man. This aged man just happen to sit next to these women, and asked how they came here. One of them said that they took metro, and the old man picked up a name of metro-station nearby. All of them sometimes stopped their conversation to look for F18s in the sky, always flying high. 


On the day, blue angels seemed to pass through skyscrapers of this busiest city in this state.


Here's Baltimore.

a cold day in florida

The sky is so blue and high, and the breeze in Merritt Island is unseasonably chilly. I take an additional shirt and a little bit thick coat to go to this Island, but still feel cold. When walking so-called "LC-39 observation gantry", in short, observation of space-shuttle launch and etc, I hear the birds crying, which sometimes come down to trash boxes to pick up pop-corns around there.

At the fourth floor of the gantry, I also hear the sounds of the chilly breezes, and at the time, I see the launch complex 39s, where astronauts in maybe 70's, 80s, 90s, and 2000s went to their journeys. Their journeys. In here, the space center, it is said as "our" journeys with full of dreams and hopes in future. 

This night, the TV news says that it is an unseasonable cold temperature in here in two years, and farmers are worrying about damages from this chillness to their crops, especially fruits.

Here is Merritt Island, Florida. 

a's cap and hancock-clarke house

After leaving from Buckman Tavern, we walked from Mass Ave to Hancock Street, which might be named after one of the legends famously known as a colonial leader, John Hancock. So, you know, our next destination was Hancock-Clarke House located along with this street, of course. When entering the house, we again met with the elder staff in the 1775 style of costume. At this site, I almost forgot whether we had a guide tour or not, but still remember that we walked inside the house with the elder Bostonian couple. They were pretty quiet, kind and so polite to us.
I think it was at the time when we went up to the second floor. Suddenly, the elder gentleman said to me with full of smile, "you know, here is New England, so".
He pointed to my head, to say precisely, to my A's cap. "You must have a "B" ". He added, and the elder lady nodded slowly.
I said just, yeah, yeah.........., while thinking that I safely had a pretty right decision of not wearing my "NY" cap on that day.
Here was Lexington, MA, of course, New England, USA.

lexington battle green and buckman tavern

The atmosphere in Lexington, especially a quietness, was a little bit similar with Concord town, though Lexington was relatively larger town having more population than Concord. When walking along with the main avenue, Massachusetts Avenue (or just say "Mass Ave"), we found a good library looked relatively brand-new. There were several nice shops and stores on the Avenue, including a Starbucks. Because we couldn't find the beloved Dunkin', so we decided to get cups of good coffee there (In order to clear up the misunderstanding, I also love the coffee of Starbucks, but here was New England, you know).

Anyway, after coffee break, we firstly went to Lexington Battle Green, and took the pic of the Minute Man Statue. Then we entered Buckman Tavern, which was also a museum and offered a pretty good guide tour inside the house. The elder staffs of this museum seemed to be volunteers and dress up as people in the tavern in 1775.

Here was Lexington town, MA, USA.

here comes lexington

On a nice day of late May, 2004, I finally went to Lexington with my spouse in order to complete my trail tour of Battle of Lexington and Concord. At the time, I lived in somewhere Cambridge, MA, without any cars, so, in order to get to the heart of Lexington town in Middlesex County, we firstly took the red-line, subway, and got off at Alewife station. Near the Alwife station (or we can say just "T"), there was a local bus terminal to go to Boston's outskirts, including Lexington town. I slightly remember that it seemed to take about 30 or more minutes to reach the bus stop, which was located in the heart of the town.
During that 30 min, I kept reading the book, which was Michael Lewis's Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (maybe famously known just as "Moneyball"). Because of this book, I chose to wear A's cap on that day, instead of my favorite "NY" (maybe nearly taboo around New England area or just "bosox nation"), or greatly respected "B".
Here was Lexington, MA, USA.

going back home from concord

Walking around Concord town, I enjoyed several historic constructions, such as Orchard House known by Ms Alcott and her masterpiece, Little women, beautiful scenery on streets, and quiet atmosphere of the town.

After visiting the house of Ralph Waldo Emerson (though the house was closed at that time and I couldn't enter), I went back to the station. On my way to the station, I chose to go along with a little bit broad street. The street was maybe a local school bus route, 'cause I saw the bus passing me with full of pupils who might just go back home.

Near the station, I found a Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. Here was New England, so no question about that. I unhesitatingly chose a Dunkin. Having an old fashion donut with a great cup of hot coffee (I think Dunkin's hot coffee is so unique, though I hardly say how unique it is, but still I love it), I was so relaxed.

Here was Concord, MA, USA.

concord river

Still I was no the old north bridge.

Turning toward the left side, I took the pic of Concord River. The greens in the pic were still a little bit light, but the surface of the river, which might reflect the greens on its shore, was so deep that I couldn't see any fishes from the bridge.

In this pic, these was no artificial construction, but I found that there was a little (quasi-) pier over there (left side, maybe we can't see it because of the tree), and two young kids playing on it.

Besides these two kids (maybe parents near here, though I couldn't see them), tourists, a guide and me, there was no people around here. Instead of people, small chipmunks were running over trees. As soon as these small creatures found me, they rushed into small holes.

Here was Concord, MA, USA

old north bridge

I finally reached the famous old north bridge. I took this pic just on the bridge. On one hand, behind me, the Minute Man statue stood quietly. on the other, over there, in case you can carefully look at the pic, you'll find three tourists seem to listen to the man who costumed in an old British Army.

He, of course, was not a Briton in 1775, but maybe a volunteer-guide who could tell us interesting episodes related to The Battles of Lexington and Concord.

When I listened to him over there before coming to the bridge, he just explained why he told the episode at this exact place. He said that the rocks behind him were graves of several British soldiers who died in the battle.

The day I was walking around here was a totally normal business day, so, maybe, this afternoon, his audience was just four (including me).

When I came here again on another day (maybe, a normal business day, again), he was not here. Instead of him, several artists sat around the bridge and Concord river, and painted pictures of beautiful sights in the national park.

Here was Concord, MA, USA.

at the heart of the town

The pic was taken by me at the heart of Concord town, though this was not from my first visit in mid or late spring, but from re-visiting in an early summer. So, you can see the deep greens over there.
At the heart of the town, I was looking for a pizza shop or restaurant to have a light meal for lunch.
Going straight along with the side walk, I could reach the building having the Stars and Stripes, which was a former "Fleet Bank", now, Bank of America. I slightly remember that I walked to the alley around this Fleet Bank, then found a good cafe that served a smoked salmon sandwich and iced coffee. Maybe, the outside tables in front of the cafe just faced the parking lot of the bank. Around the parking lot, I found a tourist info, where I eventually got a free simple-map of the town.
According to the map, there was a grave in the center of the town, and turning left at the intersection in front of the grave and keeping walking for several minutes, we could reach one of the prestigious historic site in the town, or in Massachusetts, or in the entire nation, Old North Bridge, the heritage of Battle of Lexington and Concord.
Here was Concord, MA, USA.

near a library

I used to take a commuter train in my everyday life from Cambridge to Waltham, Massachusetts. Though I took off the train in Waltham city, I sometimes wanted to keep going to far next stops on such a good day in spring.
So, the day when I took the pic was such a good spring day.
I finally got off the train at Concord. I still remember that the quasi-station was actually a store selling nice sundries, and on the opposite side of the Thoreau Street (maybe named after Mr Henry David Thoreau), there was a pizza shop.
I went to the shop and got a pepsi to satisfy my thirst.
It was a so warm day in middle or late spring that there were plenty of greens making themselves so deep. The breeze was also warm, but sometimes carried a thin cold breath in a moment. In short, the day was actually good for walking.
Without any guidebooks, but with my limited and imperfect knowledge about historical traces, great philosophers, and a famous novel about four sisters, I just kept walking in the entire town.
I took the pic near a library, which was maybe over the intersection. Moreover, I finally found the heart of the town over there, and sighed with relief, 'cause I had just regretted not getting a piece of pizza in the shop in front of the station.
Here was Concord, MA, USA.

a view from the monument

Before going up to the top of the monument, I knew that I had to go up over 290 stone steps. When I took the first step, I heard someone talking far over my head. It was like the conversation of the family of four, parents, a son and daughter. As I went up higher, the voice came nearer to me. At first, I passed the mother who was laughing and saying she couldn't do that. Then, I caught up with the father who loudly encouraged his wife to keep going up. Finally, I found a son and daughter at about 20 or less steps from the top of the monument.

The top floor was a so narrow cube that five people, which were the family and me, somehow stood without touching each other. There were four windows and I took the pic from one of them.

The heart of Boston city was in the pic.

Here was Charles town, Boston, USA.

on the breed's hill

On such a nice day, in case we have a nice couch put on the fresh green lawn, and read a book on it, we'll be sure that we can enjoy not only the book, but also the entire atmosphere surrounded around us.

On my way of going to the Bunker Hill Monument, I saw the woman in the pic, who just looked relaxed and smiled at me. I also smiled at her and exchanged "hello, it's a good day".

The breeze was lovely cool and brought fresh green flavors from the entire green hill.

In my imperfect memory, this monument was build on the location that over 230 years ago, the battle between the British and Patriot forces took place. I slightly remember that in the first floor of the monument, I saw several historical relic or remains exhibited solemnly.

This was a historic battlefield in about 230 years ago, and this was also a nicely beautiful green hill to read a book on a nice couch in 2004.

The place was same, and had a plenty of memories.

Here was a historic battlefield, known as "the Battle of Bunker Hill", Charlestown, Boston, USA.

a monument

On a day of the spring, 2004, I walked around Breed's hill that had a famous monument of the nation. The reason why I aimed at this hill was very simple. I just wanted to go up to the top of the monument, and see the view of the harbor near here. It was really good day, and there was no cloud in the bright sky. The brand-new greens, I mean, leaf buds just came after long winter (though this year, it seems to be unseasonably cold around here) .

Walking from the pier where I got off the commuter boat, I saw orderly constructions of famous Charlestown Navy Yard. The tourists coming from the same boat were directly going to the well-known USS Constitution. I hardly remember that I could see the Bunker Hill Monument from this yard. First time I saw this monument was when I was at the top of Prudential Center Skywalk, 51th? floor. Finding the monument, I knew that I would go up to the top of the monument in order to see the different view that people in mid-1800's could see after going up more than 290 steps.

Here was Charlestown, Boston, USA.