Vegas Baby, Vegas

Ah yes, Vegas. That bastion of excess and indulgence that's the dream of every man child around the world. What holiday season would be compete without a trip to the motherland of all vices. Well, maybe most. However, this holiday season I decided that it's been a while since I had my way with Sin City. So I packed my bags, hopped on a plane and headed to Vegas baby, Vegas.

This time around I decided not to stay at a casino hotel. I wanted the action, but only when I wanted it. I've stayed at the big names before, Venetian, Bellagio, etc, but I always hated making my way through crowds of people when I wanted to go anywhere. Not this time around. I decided on this trip I'm going low key so they wouldn't see me

coming. I opted for the MGM Signature, an upper end all suite hotel not directly on the main strip.

The Signature was lovely, as expected. The room

was about 800-900 square feet with all the trappings of a luxury hotel. Except for not having bathrobe hooks in the bathroom I couldn't complain at all. The room service food was pretty good too. What was best about the Signature was that there was absolutely no lines for cabs and there was always a cab waiting there to take me anywhere I wanted - yeah I needed a cab as it was too cold to walk. Further, there wasn't a constant mob of people in the lobby or outside the hotel, priceless.

For the three days I stayed in Vegas I got to hit all the usual activities and all the major hotels. I also managed to see a show or two as well. For the main attraction I  snagged tickets to Cirque Du Soleil's 'O'. Which was extremely difficult even at the low tourist period right after New Year's Eve. I've seen a lot of different performances of various arts in my time, but 'O' was by far the most spectacular and over the top acrobatic feat of genius that I've ever seen. Absolutely magical and worth the price of entry. If you're in Vegas and can only do one show I would suggest 'O', if you can get in. The only downside about 'O' was that Boys II Men were also playing there last performance in Vegas that night and I couldn't get to see both. I suppose you can't have it all.

The impression that most people have of Vegas is that

it's where people go to gamble, drink, get out of control, and indulge in all things elicit. While that may be true in many cases, Vegas is also a city you can have a whole lot of clean fun. I don't gamble, not much of a drinker either, but between the shows, restaurants, and attractions in vegas I can spend 5 days and not get bored once. All without breaking any of the 10 commandments. Rest assured, however, if you are interested in breaking a few of them you've come to the right place. :-)

I'll leave you with a few memorable pics from my days in Sin City. Enjoy.

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Dancing On Water

Here are a couple video clips of the Bellagio water fountain show in Las Vegas. One is during the day while the other is at night. I've heard of the water show before and I had already seen it on TV, though I must admit that I didn't see it the other times I've been to Vegas. The show is bay far one of the best attractions on the strip and at night it was even better. The sound is a bit messy in both clips and the music that accompanies the show adds half the entertainment. Either way, Enjoy.

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2010, What A Year

The last year has been a great ride with more lasting memories than any previous year of my life. In the space of 12 months I've visited 19 countries across 4 continents and flown over 125 thousand miles doing so. I've seen three of the seven new wonders of the world, visited numerous world heritage sites, and snorkeled some of the most beautiful reefs I've ever seen. My personal goal of seeing more of this big rock we call earth was accomplished last year and this year I plan on seeing more of it. I am setting a new target to visit 20 countries in 2011, with at least half being first time visits.

The high point of 2010, however, was the move from NYC to Tokyo. This opened me up to a new continent to explore in Asia and allowed for some remarkable and memorable weekend trips. After seven months in Japan I'm still loving every minute of it and looking forward to more. I could probably spend the entire year exploring Japan alone and never get bored. It's easy to not do the same things twice in this country. however with the rest of asia only a few hours away it's hard to resist the temptation of getting on a plane and traveling.

To say that I've grown a greater understanding of Asia and Asians in general is an understatement. In relative terms my understanding has gone from 2 to 60, with 100 being the upper limit. Just like each island in the Caribbean is significantly different in flavor and culture and distinctly unique personality. Each country in Asia, no matter how close or small is completely unique in most if not all respects. Food, music, language, culture, physical appearance, you name it. Every country has a deep and rich history that has shaped it into an experience all its own. The same could be said for different cities in the same country. Every bit of that culture and flavor is worth sipping slowly just so you get a full taste.

I knew within a few weeks that whenever I head back west I'll miss Asia. Not in the way you miss Disney, you know you'll love to go back but would never live there. I mean in the way you miss a home you really liked. You understand you have to move on but wouldn't mind living there a bit longer. Until that time comes I'll enjoy it as I know it'll be one of the great chapters in my life.

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Diamonds in St Thomas

As the cruise ship pulled into St. Thomas around 7:30AM I sat on my balcony and gazed out at the beauty of the island in the warm morning sun. The country immediately displayed all of the natural charm of the Caribbean with the wealth of the US. I'm not talking about middle class wealth, oh no. St. Thomas is wrapped in the kind of of money that 95% of Americans wish they had. As we pulled into the port I found myself saying "man, that's a lot of yachts" out loud as I gazed at the many power and sale yachts that were anchored in the harbor.




It was immediately clear that those with means either lived in/near St. Thomas or traveled here frequently. I came to understand that many of the yachts in the harbor were for charter, but I was also told that many belonged to wealthy Americans who kept their yachts in St. Thomas and flew down to meet them before heading on their Caribbean journey. Maybe someday...

Apart from the yachts St. Thomas had a genuine island charm. The island was very peaceful with beautiful beaches and the typical laid back residents. The most popular of the beaches on St. Thomas is Magen's Bay, where president Barrack Obama stayed when he visited the island. Located on the North (Atlantic) side of the island, Magen's Bay features a well-protected white sand beach stretching for nearly a mile. It is one of the most popular tourist beach destinations on the island. With its clear water, soft sand, and palm trees, it is commonly considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Virgin Islands. Magen's Bay was previously owned by Arthur Fairchild, who gave most of it as a gift to the Municipality of St. Thomas and St. John in 1943 for use as a public park. The far Western portion was donated by Fairchild's nephew's widow, Christine Wheaton, in 2002. The Bay is currently administered by the semi-autonomous Magen's Bay Authority.

From the port I took a minivan into the city center to investigate what was unique about St. Thomas. I soon discovered that St. Thomas is known for its diamonds as much as it's known for it's beaches. The city center is filled with hundreds, I was told 366, jewelry stores that sell mostly diamond products. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis and world economic meltdown there were almost twice as many stores. You'll also find high-end jewelry stores like Cartier in town as well. I tried to find out the history of the diamond stores in St. Thomas and couldn't get a definitive answer. It seems that the stores came as a result of the cruise ships and that St. Thomas is tax free. So once more and more cruise ships started arriving and word got out that St. Thomas was the place to buy tax free diamonds many tourists would come with the intention of purchasing something from one of the local stores. With that came more stores and more competition which led to lower prices.

Today St. Thomas is a haven for those looking to purchase a few small pieces and great discounts and no taxes. I actually purchased something myself and was very pleased with it. Needless to say that I had it checked as soon as I returned to the states and it was appraised as described in St. Thomas, always the pessimist.

I couldn't have prayed for a more beautiful day for my visit. The sky was a deep rich blue with a few clouds for character. The sea was calm and warm and the wind blew a periodic cool breeze which helped to keep things cool. For lunch we ate at Glady's Cafe where, surprisingly, I had the best oxtail that I've ever had in my life. Glady's had the recipe down to perfection. We almost didn't eat there as it seemed like a whole in the wall. However, once we got in we realized that it was a great place with perfect food and good service. If you're in St. Thomas and you're hungry for local or American food, then stop at Glady's Cafe... and they didn't even pay me for that promotion.

As always, here are a few more pics to end the post.

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Christmas Without The Snow

It's Christmas season again and those of us who currently live, or previously lived, in the Northeast know exactly what that means. You can expect lots of snow, ice, shoveling, and frigid cold to go along with your holiday cheer. For the past few years I've either toughed it out in the frozen tundra of NYC or high-tailed it back to the Caribbean to get some sunshine. This year I plan on doing something a little different. Instead of heading back home for my entire vacation I've decided to share myself equally among a few of the islands so none of them gets too jealous. (The map to the left doesn't include St. Vincent and I am trying not to be offended, while also being too lazy to find another one.)

Over the next 9 days I'll be hopping from Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten/St Martin, Antigua, St. Lucia, Grenada, St. Vincent, and Barbados. There is nothing better than the Caribbean, but experiencing multiple islands in one vacation sure comes close. Most of these islands are known for incredible beaches and snorkeling, two things I love doing, and I plan on getting as much as I can.

Some of the most famous beaches in the world can be found in the Caribbean. They include Magen's Bay in St. Thomas, any of the 365 beaches on Antigua, Orient Bay in St Martin, and Grand Anse beach in Grenada. I've also heard that Snorkeling in Grenada is not to be missed and I certainly don't plan on missing it.

I wish everyone an great holiday season and the best for the new year. Let's all enjoy it.

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Monet and Jazz

What could be better than impressionism and cool Jazz, well maybe many things. Nonetheless, this evening I got to put those two great works of art together for an entertaining night on the town in Tokyo. First up was an exhibition of some of Claude Monet's artwork at Bunkamura in Shibuya, Tokyo. The exhibition has just opened and the crowds haven't caught wind of it yet so the viewing was quite enjoyable. Admittedly most of Monet's more famous works were missing from the exhibition but that's to be expected. Along with Monet there were pieces from John Breck, Theodore Butler and other impressionists and paintings of Giverny. Some were certainly more interesting than others, but all were worth a look.

After leaving the art exhibition I headed to Body & Soul in Aoyama to end the night with some live jazz and ox cheek, more on the ox later. Body & Soul is a cozy little jazz bar and restaurant located in Aoyama just a few minutes walk from Omotesando station. The cover is a bit steep for the performance, but that's how it goes for live performance in this town it seems. For dinner I went with the ox cheek, I am more of a ox tail man but tonight I made the exception. Plus there was no ox tail on the menu. The cheeks were pretty good and I'll definitely order it again if I ever encounter it on a menu. To end the post in the right mood, here is a clip from the opening number at the bar, enjoy.

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Sitting On Top Of Tokyo

One of the great things about winter in Japan is that the skies clear up and you can see into the horizon without obstruction. This is true for daytime, but it's especially true at night. On any given winter night if you can get high enough you'll be able to see the splendor that is Tokyo, and tonight was no exception. I ventured to the top of Roppongi Hills, the same building that houses the Google offices, to the 52nd floor observatory and spent the evening relaxing to an unexpected musical performance and starring into the night's sky

The building sits on top of Roppongi in Tokyo, a hill famous for its nightlife. Even though the building is nowhere as tall as the Tokyo tower, from its position on top of the hill it certainly feels that way. As you can see from the photo above I was looking down at the Tokyo tower which is amazingly lit as always.

The area directly below is also extremely well decorated with the street-level tree line wrapped in festive winter lights. Time seems to fly by when you're at the top of Roppongi Hills without a care in the world and it was a very enjoyable night. But what really made the night special was the unexpected and very welcomed performance of an up-and-coming Japanese R&B singer, Meajyu. I've included some video clips below for your enjoyment. The video could have been better, but I didn't have my HD recorder with me. Enjoy.

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J-League (Japan Soccer League)

It was Saturday December 4th. The weather was fair, the sky was clear, and even though it was a little chilly it was a great day in December. This was certainly a day to take in some Japanese sporting action, and what better sport to watch than soccer? With my HD video recorder and dSLR in hand I traveled south out of Tokyo to Yokohama to watch the three time J-League champions Yokohama F. Marinos take on the not so successful Omiya Ardija at the Nissan International Stadium in Yokohama.

The fans were as energetic as I've seen at any international soccer game. The stadium atmosphere was top notch, and to top it off I managed to nab some great seats at midfield on the fifth row. Watching a soccer game doesn't get better than that, unless of course you're on the field itself. One thing I found interesting was that the fans, who were 99% Japanese, chanted in English for the entire game. They chanted theme songs of Premier League teams like Man U and Chelsea. This was both very funny and entertaining.

As for the game itself, well let's just say it wasn't exactly premier cup or Series A, but those guys played their hearts out and gave a good show. Below are some clips from the game itself.

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Kamakura

Just 31 miles south-south-west of Tokyo you'll find the small city of Kamakura in Kanagawa, Japan. The city is filled with many historically significant temples and shrines. On any given weekend it's bustling with tourists from all walks of life, though mostly Japanese. Kamakura has been on my list of places to visit for some time now and I finally got the chance to go down there this weekend to check it out. It's a short 1 hour train ride from Shibuya station in Tokyo and there are both direct and multi-train options to get you there. In short, I found Kamakura to be as pleasurable to visit as Kyoto, but without the two and a half hour bullet train ride or the massive crowds getting in the way.

Once I arrived at the Kamakura train station it wasn't very intuitive to figure out where to go from there, mostly because I couldn't read the signs in Japanese. However, once I figured it out getting around was surprisingly easy. Everything is in walking distance, if you don't mind 30 minute walks, and you can travel from one major site to the next without needed an auto, maps, or even directions in my case.

First on the site seeing tour was Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, it's the major and most important Shinto shrine in Kamakura and was originally built in 1063. Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū is the geographical and cultural center of Kamakura and is one of the best shrines I've seen thus far. The shrine has a lovely approach which gives it a feeling of grandeur on a large scale. One thing I love about the various major shrines is their scale and size. The grounds of the shrine are as important and as impressive as the historical buildings themselves and is a pleasure to explore.

After the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū shrine I walked around the surrounding shops

and restaurants just outside the shrine grounds. The residents have done a nice job of filling the natural tourist path around the city with places to eat and things to buy. I ate at one of the nearby restaurants which looked like a converted home and was very cozy. The waitstaff seemed like family and the food was great for the price.

After lunch it was time to head to the Great Buddha, or daibutsu, at Kootoku-in. The site was about a 25-30 minute walk from Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū and I got there without direction or a map, both of which would have helped.

"The Great Buddha of Kamakura is a monumental outdoor bronze statue of Amitābha Buddha located at the Kōtoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The bronze statue probably dates from 1252, in the Kamakura period, according to temple records." - Wikipedia

The Buddha was an impressive sight to behold. It's large scale can only be appreciated in person as it towers over you from 13 meters high. The grounds of the buddha is very well kept and monitored and even though there were crowds there it still felt tranquil.

Sadly, I wasn't able to see much more of Kamakura after daibutsu. The other shrines closed down at 4:30PM, at which point I walked around a bit more before heading back to the train station then back to Tokyo. I plan on revisiting Kamakura to catch the other sites, and since it's less than an hour away it should make another great day trip in the future.

Update: The following day president Obama visits Kamakura as well and goes to the Buddha statue. Even more, he had ice cream just like I did - probably vanilla too. Why is he always trying to bite my style?

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Yokohama Hakkeijima Seaparadise

Who doesn't like fishes? Either you enjoy watching them swim about playfully in the sea, or more likely in a tank, or you're a huge fan of eating them. Either way, we all love fishes of all sizes and some of us even pretend to be a fish every now and then. Well with that in mind I strapped on my wetsuit and headed to the Hakkeijima Seaparadise in Yokohama.

"Hakkeijima Seaparadise is a leisure land surrounded by nature. It is located at the tip of Yokohama Bay and is a new generation style amusement park. It is the home of one of the top aquariums in Japan. There is Japan's first surf coaster that swings out over the ocean..."

Long story short Seaparadise is a lower budget Seaworld in need of some renovation. Considering the stellar condition of most things in Japan it was a bit surprising how out of date the facilities were. Thankfully though the fishes were all up to date and still living.

The park is a pain to get to from Tokyo and took about an hour and a half from my apartment.

Yes, that's nothing by NYC standards but it's plenty when you consider how close everything is to me here. Now I know how Manhattanites must feel when you tell them to meet you in Brooklyn. It took about 3 or 4 train transfers then a long 15 minute walk to get to the actual park, even though Yokohama is less than 30 minutes away from Tokyo. The animals in the park were worth the trip however and the whale shark was impressive. Below are some of the animals from the aquarium for your entertainment.

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