Tag / Pearl Harbor

by admin

2019: The Year In Travel

Once again, I thought it would be nice to look back at the many trips I took this year.  As you may recall from last year‘s wrap-up, the year began in California.

New Year’s Day was spent in Pasadena for the Rose Parade, where Danny and the Lincoln-Way Marching Band were performing.  Lucky for them, they were slotted right after the float that caught on fire and eventually mucked up the entire end of the parade.  However, they were able to march around the disabled float and keep things moving for the time being.  The next day we went to the California ScienCenter, where we were able to see artifacts from King Tut’s tomb and the space shuttle Endeavor, and the beach before heading home.

And home is where I stayed for a whole month before heading out to Hawaii in February.  I arrived that first Saturday in February, checking out my surroundings around the resort and down Waikiki Beach after the long flight.  Monday, I took a tour of the island of Oahu, with stops at Hanauma Bay, Nu’uanu Pali lookout, Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, Sunset Beach, Waimea Falls, and the Dole Plantation.  Tuesday, I took in a whale watching cruise, where we were able to see multiple whales surfacing during the excursion.  Thursday, I traveled over to Pearl Harbor and all of the associated attractions and museums.  Come the following Saturday, it was time to head home on an overnight flight that got me in town very early Sunday morning.

Come June, the whole family headed east to celebrate Michael’s graduation.  We flew into Baltimore, where Dennis, the boys, and I went to breakfast before heading to Camden Yards to see the Orioles take on the Giants.  On the way to the stadium, we stopped at the grave site of Edgar Allen Poe and the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum.  After the game, we walked to the local bus depot, where we caught a bus to Washington DC for the remainder of the trip.

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by admin

Fitbit V: Week 2

A tremendous week in paradise, as I put up over 100,000 steps in a week for the first time. The week got off to a good start, thanks to a morning walk up and down Waikiki Beach, followed by the day’s activities around the resort. When all was said and done, I finished Sunday with over 14,800 steps.  Monday, I took a tour around the island of Oahu, with numerous stops along the way, which got me over 16,300 steps.  Tuesday combined my beach activity with a whale watching cruise for over 12,500 steps, my lowest total of the week.  Wednesday was a down day, activity-wise, but I did manage to get just over 15,000 steps.  Thursday, I went to Pearl Harbor, which put me over 17,100 steps.  Friday was another relaxing day, despite my 13,900 steps.  Saturday was check out day, so I managed 13,500 steps before heading home.

Total steps: 103,337

Daily average: 14,762.4

by admin

Ballpark Tour: Wrigley Field

WrigleyField

Stadium Name: Wrigley Field

Location: Chicago

Home Team: Cubs

Years in Service: 1914 – Present

Visits: 313

Weeghman Park, home of the Chicago Chifeds (soon to be the Whales) of the Federal League, opened on April 23, 1914.  In December of 1915, when the Federal League folded, team owner Charles Weeghman was allowed to buy the rival Chicago Cubs and immediately moved them from the dilapidated West Side Park and into his Weeghman Park for the 1916 season.  The Cubs played their first game at Weeghman Park on April 20, 1916, besting the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in eleven innings.

Also in 1916, Weeghman sold a minority interest in the Cubs to chewing gum magnate William Wrigley.  As Weeghman’s financial fortunes started to decline, Wrigley acquired an increasing number of shares in the club and took on a growing role in the team’s affairs until November 1918, when Weeghman gave up his remaining interest to Wrigley, resigned as president, and left baseball for good. Wrigley would acquire complete control of the Cubs by 1921, and, prior to the start of the 1927 season, the park was officially renamed Wrigley Field.

William’s son, Philip K. Wrigley, had intended to install lights at Wrigley Field prior to the 1942 season.  However, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December of 1941 and the US entered World War II, Wrigley donated the materials for the lights to the war effort.  The Cubs eventually became the only team without lights, continuing to play day games at home exclusively until 1988, when lights were finally installed.  To this day, the Cubs are still limited in the number of night games they may schedule per season, though that number has increased significantly since the late 80s.

As Wrigley Field prepares to enter its second century, there are plans in motion to renovate the stadium and make it economically viable for the 21st century.  Those renovations were expected to start this offseason, but threats of lawsuits from the rooftop owners, who fear that new signage would block their views, have stalled those plans.

I’ve managed to identify 313 games I’ve attended at Wrigley Field, most of them since 2002, when I became a season ticket holder.  While it is hard to argue with the historical value of Wrigley Field, it is as hard to argue that the stadium needs work to satisfy the needs of fandom in the year 2013.  I hope that the bickering sides come to an agreement soon so that Wrigley Field can continue to be a viable home to the Cubs for the next 100 years.  Besides, they will need that time in order to bring their first World Series championship to the ballpark.

by jim

2011 Movie Review – Part 2

The 131 movies I saw last year was good (bad?) enough for 4th all time, behind only 2000, 2008, and 2001.

Now, continuing Tuesday’s look at the first batch of 50 movies that I saw last year, here are movies 51-100.

 

The Thirst (2006)
A dying girl becomes a vampire to stay alive.

 

The Good Life (2007)
A kid who doesn’t fit in meets a girl who encourages him to look beyond the town’s borders.

 

Thor (2011)
The Norse thunder god falls from grace and recovers quickly to save Asgard.

 

The American (2010)
George Clooney stars as a former hitman trying to go straight.

 

Due Date (2010)
Robert Downey Jr goes through his own Planes, Trains, and Automobiles moments while trying to get home for the birth of his child.

 

Valentine’s Day (2010)
A group of vignettes celebrating the day that celebrates love.

 

MacGruber (2010)
The latest one-note SNL sketch to get strectched out to feature length. 

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