You Belong In...Brandon?

It’s funny sometimes the places that life (or for that matter, work) will take us.  For myself this past week, work and a trade show was the culprit that landed me behind the walls of a frigid cold front on the outskirts of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Contrary to popular belief amongst my California friends, Canada is not a giant igloo encapsulated in ice blocks and unbearable temperatures.  Southern Ontario, where I am located, does in fact get cold but offers an ebb and flow in nature’s thermostat, often providing sunny days that I call “crisp” but which are certainly manageable.  Manitoba however (just one province to the West and up a “bit”) varies greatly in temperature…so greatly in fact that I learned by first hand experience there is a level of cold that exists in which Celsius and Fahrenheit equal each other – yes, unbelievable.

Along with my colleague Alison West, a native of Ontario, we hopped a direct flight on Monday from Toronto to Winnipeg where we rented a car and drove 2 hours west to a town titled no other than Brandon, Manitoba.  The hilarity of the weather (when we arrived a brisk -30C) and the fact that we were staying in a Motel 6 off the main highway should have been comedic relief enough to warm our souls for the week but no…enter the small farming community’s signature tag line to entice tourists and thrill seekers alike to visit their sprawling metropolis – “You Belong In Brandon”.  Now I’m not sure how the visitor’s board came up with this original and albeit catchy marketing scheme but I can assure you, they did not have my best interests in mind.

With all do respect to the people of Brandon, Manitoba, I’m sure your town is great in the summer but you can bet your farm I won’t be buying a winter home there anytime soon.  Any area in which you have to plug in your car overnight to prevent it from freezing is, in my humble one-man opinion, just plain ridiculous. 

One small uptake however was the ability to connect and spend time with some family in Winnipeg that I had never met.  My great-grandparents on my mother’s mother’s side of the family ended up in Winnipeg after their departure several decades ago from the Azores islands.  With my first meeting of my second cousins once removed, we were able to reminisce about the family, the old country and other traditions over homemade Portuguese wine and just a dab of moonshine (after experiencing their weather I can’t blame them for making their own booze in the basement).

Winterpeg, Manisnowba



Yikes




Mini Family Re-Union



Joe Comes to the Great White North

You would think that after all my fun in New York I would be taking a break from big cities for awhile…nah, of course not!

No less than a week being back in Canada, I ventured back down to Toronto from Guelph where the one and only Joseph Vaccaro was standing by with a hotel room on the 24^th floor of the Hilton in the financial district.  Joe was extending his business trip from New York to Canada to visit a few customers for Cisco.  Unfortunately Melissa and Ian (my cousin and her boyfriend) had plans for the weekend and couldn’t join us, but Joe and I set out on our own adventures in the city of 5 million+.

Friday night started later but included a great dinner at a crepe restaurant on Queen Street – I must admit crepes and beer as a meal combination was a first for me but definitely a keeper…please, don’t ask about the caloric intake  for that meal (I mean, we were at a crepe restaurant…we had to have a meal and a dessert!).  After dinner we walked around in the beginnings of snow flurries until we came upon a pub and caught up over drinks.

Saturday brought a solid dumping of white powder onto the streets of Toronto (the first of the season) and there was much trudging between Joe and I to get to our destinations but we had fun  – as Joe puts it, walking is a great way to see a city.  Joe needed a haircut so where else to go that Unique Touch to see my cousin Anna…and wouldn’t you know while I was there I met more family – my third cousin Jacky who is engaged to Louie (a immigrant from the mainland in Portugal) were both at the shop getting their hair cut.  Joe ended up being assigned to one of Anna’s employees at the shop for his cut and he ended up with a shorter style than he’s used to but hey, it’ll grow back…right?

After lunch in Little Portugal we hopped on a trolley car back toward the financial district and decided to tour the CN Tower – which at one time (for 34 years) was the world’s tallest free standing structure and is included as one of the Modern World’s Top 7 Wonders.  With virtually no line for the tour we bought our tickets and rode the elevator to the observation deck at 1,135 feet – 360 degree views of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) complete with a section of a glass bottomed floor that we stood on and looked down.  I think I would have been pretty content with the observation deck but Joe and I spent the extra $10.00 to ride another 30 stories to the “Sky Pod” at 1,465 feet…uh yeah, yikes!  The views were incredible but I stuck closely to the back wall.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower

After the tower tour we stopped by Steam Whistle brewery, a company famous for their Pilsner, for a tour of their production facility but unfortunately the tours were booked up – alas, there was a silver lining – free unlimited beer tasting!  After more walking, more talking and eventually a stop off to catch a football game at a sports bar we headed off to dinner at what I will call the most incredible Thai place in all of Toronto.

Post dinner was a viewing of the movie “The Fighter” which is a must see – I’m putting my bets on Christian Bale for an Oscar nomination.

Sunday after a quick walk through of the distillery district we piled into my car and headed back to Guelph where Joe got a taste of rural Canadian life.  I think he put it best by describing it as being much like upstate New York – whether or not that’s a good thing, he did not say.  A trip to Guelph wouldn’t be complete without coffee at the Red Brick (my favorite temporary stomping grounds during my time here) – Joe and I were both able to catch up on some work e-mails, etc. for a few hours.

Sunday evening was, as I put it, an adventure.  The men of the Young Adults group that I am part of decided to have a bonfire on the outskirts of town – yes, a bonfire in the dead middle of winter.  As we were driving Joe repeatedly asked “so wait, it’s -13 outside – why are we going to a bonfire?”.

Although I think Joe had a good visit I believe he was ready to get back to California to thaw out – I dropped him off at the bus station on Monday morning before heading into work. 
Thanks for the visit Joe – I had a great time!!

Nathan Phillips Square

CN Tower - view from the observation deck

Joe and I looking down through the glass bottomed floor

Sky Pod - 1,400+ feet...I've got a strong grip on that railing!

New Years in NYC

Starting a New Year

I want to be a part of it:  New York, New York.

Well Frank and Liza, I was a part of it – New York City to welcome in the New Year.  What was first a passing suggestion from a group of friends during our annual Labor Day in the Bay event became a reality and a short stop over on my way back to Canada after Christmas in California.

More than a year ago a good friend, Brett Schleicher, moved to New York to take a new job and since then has offered (more than once) for friends to come visit and stay with him in his apartment in Manhattan.

I arrived Thursday evening to a city that was still recovering from a historical snowfall just two days before – most of the pack was melted by the time I arrived and the weather stayed unseasonably warm (mid 40s Fahrenheit) for the majority of the trip.  For the first evening Laura Baldwin selected a Broadway show for the group to attend – Momma Mia.  Now of course there are numerous shows to choose from on Broadway but Momma Mia fit our schedule the best…albeit the show isn’t exactly most guys’ first choice I will say we all appreciated the incredible talent of the performers…those people can sing!  And with all do respect to Meryl Streep, all of the characters sung much better than those in the movie.

From the show we moved on to a two hour marathon of saki bombs and karaoke – my first experience really getting on a microphone and singing to a group…let’s just say it’s a good thing there was saki because none of us (disappointingly even myself) can carry a tune to save our lives.

New Year’s eve morning was a later start with takeout (bagels and fresh coffee) delivered to Brett’s apartment within seven minutes of ordering, no kidding.  The amount of takeout options in New York is simply, for me, unbelievable.  You can have food of every kind from every country in the world and never step outside your door.   After breakfast typical tourist actions ensued including getting lost on the subway a few times, visiting Ground Zero (an emotional moment for me) and just relishing in all that is New York City.  New Year’s Eve had been pre-planned well in advance and upon our desire to not battle the crowds of Times Square, Brett booked a corner suite on the 18^th floor of the DoubleTree Hotel overlooking Times Square – and all I’ll say is that the views were amazing and the pictures speak for themselves.  From our room we watched the crowds below and from 6:00 p.m. to Midnight celebrated New Year’s from across the world with a fireworks show – definitely the most memorable New Year’s for me.

New Year’s day was again a slower start but began with a ride on the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and amazing views of New York.  Brett walked us around a mix of little and well known places and neighborhoods, with the ability to keep a low profile and not look like complete tourists.  We ate incredible foods but we canceled out the calories with all of our walking.  Sarah Vaccaro, accompanied by her ever patient husband Joe, showed and pointed out all the incredible architecture that New York displays…skyscrapers in the Financial District to three story walkups in SoHo…so much to see and appreciate.

Until my departure back to Canada on Monday the group continued to go on more adventures sometimes splitting off to fulfill the desires of what we wanted to see or do while in the Big Apple.  Some to museums such as the MoMA, others to restaurants or fun speakeasys.  I would say my personal highlight for the trip was a visit to the top of Rockerfeller Center (commonly known in New York as The Top of The Rock).  From this 70 story viewpoint you have a 360 degree spread of New York, including the Empire State Building and Central Park...all for a reasonable cost and a much quicker line than what you would encounter at the Empire State Building.  Also on the same day, I had a chance to catch up a great friend, JP Moncayo, who I haven't seen since my ASI days at Cal Poly (JP was ASI President at Fresno State the same year.)  He now works for Goldman Sachs in NYC - great to see you JP!!

Now back in Guelph and wouldn’t you know it – snow!  When I landed on Monday night there wasn’t a flake on the ground only to open my door on Tuesday morning to a winter “wonderland.”

Look for the next post which will include stories and scenes from a visit from the one and only Joseph Vaccaro as he ventures up to Toronto for work and some hang out time.

For pictures from the New York trip you can visit my album (even if you don't have a Facebook account) by clicking here