Marcia Mayne travels a world full of books, music, art, fun people and great food. She raves about them constantly. Currently, she is journeying through Jamaica, her home country, to discover the places she missed.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in New York.
Here are a few scenes from Bryant Park. I’ve always loved Bryant Park – it’s small and intimate, and very accessible especially for people who work in midtown. People stop by during lunchtime, sit at the tables and read or take advantage of their free wifi. In the summer, there are movies. In winter, ice skating.
Skating in Bryant ParkBryant Park Christmas TreeThe Metropolitan Museum's Christmas Tree
Last Saturday, as I traveled around the city, I couldn’t help noticing that almost every guy of a certain age (and some girls) was dressed like Santa. Cars honked and people waved when they saw them. But these Santa guys and gals weren’t going to dole out gifts, they were part of the Santas-only pub crawl – a flash mob type event that brings together people dressed as Santas, elves, etc. They go from bar to bar, drinking and generally having a good time. Great way to get “into the spirit,” isn’t it?
Going to the Santa Pub Crawl
This Santa agreed to let me take a photo but pulled on his mask just as I raised the camera.
Santa Pub Crawl
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
A Carnival cruise ship pulled into port this morning for its daylong stop in Montego Bay and within two hours of docking, clouds covered an anemic sun and the rain began. Immediately, I thought of the passengers who undoubtedly would be looking forward to a day of sun and fun. How would they spend their day, if the rain continued?
Carnival Cruise Ship, Montego Bay
Call me pollyanna but I always thought the vacation gods would smile on all my trips but I know differently now. Here’s what I recommend:
* Pack Rain Gear: Since weather is unpredictable, it’s always advisable to put a small umbrella, rain slick or hat in your luggage, especially when traveling to tropical destinations.
* Check the Weather: Outside of the hurricane season (June to November), except for the occasional rainy day, the weather is usually the same from day to day. But if you happen to be traveling between June and November, there’s a chance (even though years can pass before a hurricane actually hits), a hurricane can form. If you’re concerned, plan cruise vacations outside this period. If a hurricane does form and threatens to interrupt or prolong your vacation, follow the advice of the cruise lines and stay safe.
* Indulge in Indoor Activities: Take a book or magazine to read if the weather turns nasty. If you have internet connection, catch up on email. Visit a museum or go see a play. Spend a day at the spa. Do some shopping or catch up on sleep.
* Keep a Positive Attitude: The most important thing is to keep a positive attitude. Don’t let bad weather ruin your mood or spoil your vacation.
5 Things to do in Montego Bay if it rains:
* Take a taxi to one of the Great Houses – Both Rose Hall and Greenwood Great House offer guided tours of their properties. Rose Hall was the home of Annie Palmer, also known as the White Witch of Rose Hall. Greenwood Great house belonged to the family of the English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Both charge admission fees.
* Visit the Rastafari Indigenous Village – Catch the vibe at this indigenous village located about a 15 minute drive from the port. Listen to drumming, get a lesson in plants and herbs that are native to the island and enjoy an ital meal.
* Have a meal – Montego Bay’s “Hip Strip” a section of Gloucester Avenue populated by hotels, restaurants (Margarittaville, the Bobsled Cafe, etc.) and shops, is a great place to eat or spend a rainy day.
* Explore Jamaica’s rich ethnic and cultural heritage with a trip back in time at the Outameni Experience.
When planning a vacation, be prepared for bad weather and plan accordingly. Most importantly, enjoy yourself!
I just realized, today, that there are only twelve days to go before Christmas and I’m still don’t feel the Christmas “spirit.” I’d like to chalk it up to the various upheavals that have occurred in my life this past year, but I’m not so sure as I’ve heard several of my friends saying the same thing.
Normally, by now I would have baked my cakes and this weekend, I’d be getting ready to make cookies. But it’s twelve days till Christmas and nothing’s done. This morning, I picked up fruits. I’ll flash steam them in rum later. Maybe that’ll help change my mood as Christmas is my most favorite holiday of the year. While I try to get myself into the spirit of the season, here’s a look at some of my memories of Christmas.
Sorrel
In our house, Christmas was a big deal. Preparations would start early, sometimes by the end of November or early December and continue until Christmas eve. The house had to be readied, the grass cut, trees pruned and part of their trunks whitewashed. Since we didn’t have a traditional Christmas tree, we’d pick a tree — for years, it was the rice and peas plant that covered a corner of our house, like an ivy plant — and trim it and the house with lights. New curtains, sheets and bedspreads would be bought or special ones brought out and washed then put in place on Christmas eve.
Fruits that would have been soaking in rum a year or more, would be ground and folded into cakes that my cousins and I would help my mother to bake. I’ve put the recipe below.
Flowering plants play such an important part in our lives. Their color and composition have inspired artists such as Georgia O’Keefe, Van Gogh and Monet, and poets like William Wordsworth. They are accepted as a symbol of love and passion, even innocence. Some have even been recognized for their medicinal properties.
Here are a few more from the garden. Unfortunately, I’m still working on learning their names.
Jackie Mittoo was born Donat Roy Mittoo on March 3, 1948 in St. Ann. The songwriter, keyboardist and musical director was a founding member of ska band, The Skatalites. He died in December, 1990 at age 42.
Every Friday evening at 9:00 p.m. in the summer, there’s a 30 minute fireworks display at Coney Island. I just love standing on the beach and watching the fireworks rise above my head and then fade into the night sky. It never fails to bring a smile to my face.
A recent post from my blog buddy, Heather Munro, who blogs at Heatherblog made me think about the street signs I have in my photo collection.
Take a look:
Street Signs – ACP Jr Blvd / African Square / 125th StStreet Signs – Quiet StreetStreet Signs – Fleet StreetStreet Signs – Buckingham Gate SW1Street Signs – Rue du Grenier sur L’Eau
This is my submission to this week’s Budget Travelers Sandbox Travel Photo Thursday series. Be sure to check out other photo and story entries on their website!
When a passenger is behaving badly on a bus or a plane, it can make for a very unpleasant and uncomfortable ride.
I was the second person to get on the bus. When the driver saw that I was struggling with my bag and suitcase, he took the bag and put it on floor of one of the front seats.
I was so tired, I practically collapsed into the seat. As I settled into the seat, I heard a voice say, I sit there, I sit there. I didn’t turn around. I sit here, she said again. When I looked around, I noticed a woman — I couldn’t tell her age — standing just behind the row I was sitting and pointing to the seat next to me, the seat where my bag was.
Behaving badly from granitoons.deviantart.com via the Internet
I sit there, she continued.
I looked at her, looked at the seat and looked back at her again thinking, find another seat. There were at least 30 empty, none was assigned. As exhausted as I was, there was no way I was getting up. I didn’t care that she was mentally challenged.
I sit here, she repeated, like a mantra.
An elderly woman who had followed her on to the bus pleaded with her to quiet down. You can sit here, she said, of the empty seat next to her.
No, I sit here. F U!
Calm down, Angie. I’m going to call Frank. Do you want me to call Frank?
But Angie wouldn’t be calm. Instead, she started hitting the back of the seat next to me. F U, A-hole!
I sit here.
What did she say? The driver asked, looking in my direction.
I shrugged.
She was quiet as the bus pulled out but it didn’t last.
I sit here, she resumed.
Just before we got to the first stop, she got up and stood in the aisle.
I’m going to hit you, she said to no one in particular. I watched her from the corner of my eye. If she hit me, I was going to hit her back and call the police.
As the bus pulled into the stop, she jumped off. A-hole, she said.
I’m sorry, her companion said as she passed me. I have no control over her sometimes.
I understand, I said.
The driver, too, apologized.
Luckily, this person did not become physically abusive. Last week, for no reason, a passenger shot two people on a New York city bus.
Have you ever witnessed a passenger acting badly on a plane or bus? How was the situation resolved? What would you do if the person sitting next to you was behaving badly?
While the weather here in New York is slightly un-Christmassy (rain’s in the forecast today) the decorations definitely are. Here are a few Christmas photos I pulled from the Internet.
Photo from redbubble.com via the InternetPhoto from missmyriad.wordpress.com via the InternetPhoto from nytix.com via the InternetPhoto from wikipedia
