trinacriabob

I came into Europe via Hamburg (DE) instead of Southampton (UK). I had never been there before. It's wild because they've got this really challenging language I would not readily choose to learn. And, then, you have way more immigrants than you might think. Turks are one of the biggest ethnic groups in Germany these days. So, it's amazing to see people from the Middle East and Africa who have managed to learn this language and are (close to being) fluent. I figure they knew they were going to stick around, not return home, and had to do that. Either way, Germany stressed me out because of the language (there is not much English signage, though most people speak decent English) and the UK would have stressed me out because they drive down the other side of the street and it takes a lot of mental adjusting just to cross the street. I don't think Hamburger Sparkasse (photo up above) was a food joint. I did not see tables and such. So, rather than try to figure out what a sparkasse is, I got myself to Southern Europe as quickly as possible. Here's another one. An important site and subway station is Rathaus. It means a city hall and theirs is fairly stunning. (It is not a decrepit subway station in a bad part of NYC where rats are eating pizza leftovers.)

Of all the fairly active members on the forum, I am probably the biggest torchbearer for the GM colonnades. I loved the (Grand) LeMans of this year, and especially those of '76 and '77 that went to quad rectangular lamps up front. What was so sweet about them is that you could get the fantastic dash and general feel of a Grand Prix in a more manageable package and, if one chose to, with smaller engines. However, the "pushed down" look of the rear trunk was a little polarizing. Maybe it was meant to be that way because a little bit of nick and tuck to "normalize" its silhouette and proportions could have cannibalized sales from the absurdly successful Cutlass Supreme and Regal of those same years. My 2 cents. Ditto on this one ... particularly fond of '75 to '77 ... and what a quirky treat when you saw one that was a coupe. I had to give these cars a nickname and - like a broken record - an Olds 98 of those years was "la cathedrale roulante," where the upright and pointed rear taillamps fins made it look like a Gothic cathedral.

Now you see it - - - - - Now you don't

Ha! I'd even say that's a little generous.

Random thought: ... sure miss those "down votes" from ocnblu

007 movie theme songs all seem to pick up instrumental hints (hard to identify the instruments) of the main James Bond theme and the way John Barry composed, which is a good thing for both the franchise and the song itself ... an underrated band and song.

I enjoy trains quite a bit and had rudimentary train sets when I was in grade school. I've been on Amtrak coast to coast - on the Santa Fe - with my parents when I was a kid. I've taken the Coast Starlight from Norcal to Portland. Would have liked to try the "California Zephyr" and the "Empire Builder" from SF and the PacNW, respectively, to Chicago. Trains in Europe are fairly impressive. So are their transit systems. Of the ones I've been on, Spain's RENFE is the best. Italy's is good and mostly punctual. For being a small country, the trains in Portugal are surprisingly good. To catch a bodaciously priced flight, I had to fly out of Tampa instead of Lauderdale. There's one daily Amtrak train. What a mess - a sort of rude conductor, some weird people, and you could not communicate with 1/3 of the passengers if you did not speak Spanish. About 1 to 2 hours late in arriving. Inland Central Florida is another world that people should see to get the whole picture of a state that is romanticized.

Right. This happens when low life get these critters as babies, bring them up north, and then, when they grow and/or they're done with them, they're chucked into a nearby body of water. They won't survive winter, but there's always the chance they can do some damage in the interim since they're not expected to be there.

That is exactly what I think when landing and you see Grapevine Lake. Boaters, jet skiers, but where are people supposed to swim? The central to lower Midwest also has this issue in its bodies of water. They are pit vipers, so sort of related to rattlesnakes. Ditto for huge Lake Houston. People should not be swimming there. Alligators in that one ... at the very least.

Q: Why do lesbians prefer to shop at Sports Authority? A: They don't much care for Dick's.

Which then leads me to ask why it has such rabid fans and defenders ... not necessarily sports fans. Maybe it was the older, simpler Dallas. A ride on the Orange or Green train from downtown to DFW will speak volumes about the lanscape you speak about. H-town has its problems and negatives, but there are some nicer "newer" subdivisions of all brick homes sitting under a thick pine canopy that you could barely see through from the air ... a look I really like and a taste that was cultivated when I lived in Atlanta for a couple of years.

Not a big fan of DFW airport to begin with. Nor that general area. The grounds look parched and sparsely vegetated. In Texas, it's Houston that comes to mind if there's a hurricane forming in the Gulf. If in that area, I tend to stay by Johnson Space Center so it's almost equidistant to downtown Houston and the beach at Galveston.

Not a humorous topic since I didn't yet know where in the Caribbean Debby is brewing, but it doesn't look like "Debby Does Dallas" is going to happen.

As the saying goes, "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it." That said, I'm afraid to ask the price. I appreciate the Corvette for what it represents, but I was never an aficionado. This last rework to mid-engine has gotten me to look at them and run through some color combos I might like. But it won't be happening. It would be a fun second car for a person of means.

They have 2 "gala" evenings for dinner, and maybe afterwards, on each crossing. Apparently, some people read their stuff too carefully because they have themed evenings. Last night was "red and gold." Most women packed something for the occasion and even some men took it a lesser extent. On these 2 nights, the minimum is a dark suit and tie for the restaurant. Some pack a tux. I don't have such an item. https://youtu.be/T9Jcs45GhxU?feature=shared Hats off to some ladies who were dressed to the nines. I thought of this song. I don't have time for this nor enough space in my luggage, so one dark suit it is!

In a happy place ... for me, anyway ... ... with Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty beyond and a Staten Island Ferry that was at the ship's side for a while on the way out to sea.

I know a Greek guy in New York and he was just telling me that he used to take Olympic Airways to and from Greece. He said that it was Aristotle Onassis's airline ... I didn't know that. He told me they had a 747 named Olympus and another one named Zeus. Olympic never put out much of a reach to North America ... just NY and Toronto, I believe. They bankrupted sometime post-9/11. Now, Greece only has much smaller Aegean, but they stick mostly to Europe, the Middle East, etc. Here's one of their 747s approaching Athens Airport next to the sea at Ellinikon. In looking up this airline and jet, they had a write-up on Olympic Airways Flight 411 which was using the 747 Zeus in 1978, so this was a fairly new unit. Fairly shocking for a veteran crew - 418 people on board - close call ...

Most TV shows and sitcoms that take place in the same 1 to 3 rooms test my patience. Maybe that's why I might watch documentaries and police shows, and very rarely at that, or watch movies I've read about in advance and want to see.

Several of my friends have asked me, "What, you never saw that Seinfeld episode?!?" I'm seeing it for the first time. It's funny. I thought "Seinfeld" was boring ... too slow. The only episode I've watched was the "Assman" episode. Kramer, in my mind, was the only funny character on the show.

Today marks yet another anniversary of the sinking of the "Andrea Doria," just the night before she was due in to New York. My parents knew young couples, some of them with toddlers, who were moving to the U.S. on tranquil completed crossings, but also one couple who did not yet have children but were on the ship on the crossing on which the collision with the "Stockholm" occurred. I am in the New York City area right now. Life is weird ... that's for sure.

It's about how things were pronounced, as if in a sitcom. Someone told them to me. (Coming into New York harbor, Staten Island would definitely be on the left.) I literally just walked across the bridge along Broadway - and over the dividing Harlem River - from The Bronx into Manhattan ... after taking the subway up to The Bronx.

ESL-isms as jokes Q: How did Staten Island get its name? A: On sailing into the Narrows into uncharted territory, one Dutch explorer pointed to the left and asked, "Ees dat an island?" Q: How did Van Nuys of the San Fernando Valley get its name? A: A realtor was accompanying an Italian immigrant who farmed to look for land to purchase. Standing on a ridge overlooking a mostly vacant San Fernando Valley, the Italian man pointed to roughly the middle of the valley and said, "Dat area down dere ... veh nice, veh nice!"

BONUS PHOTO For sassy Sicily, sassier music is in synch with the overall experience

MECHANICAL PHOTOS An overall look at the engine bay, with most things looking familiar and most things within reach Counting manifolds yields a number of 3 - this is a turbocharged 3 cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine There is plumbing and tubing indicating the presence of a turbocharger and, with the number of cylinders and displacement, it comes in handy and brings the T-Cross up to the task

INTERIOR PHOTOS The layout and placement of controls on the instrument cluster, dashboard, and console area were sensible and also visually balanced This shows the layout of the center stack from top to bottom: infotainment, vents, key buttons for key functions, and climate control panel above cubby area and ahead of the shift lever ... the parking brake is a conventional one x The cupholders are easy to reach, the armrest is padded, and the console box is squarish but big enough The above point to Germanic/European appointments that are in synch with the price point, but do the job More of the overall look continues in the rear of the cabin and seating comfort and room may depend on the size of the occupants There is limited functionality here at the back of the console and the only USB connections available are the small ones ... I found it easier to put a USB charger into the 12 V lighter and supply juice to my USB cables through that Possibly because of how its angled, visibility around the rearmost pillar was not too much of a hassle With the cover up, this shows the amount of luggage that fits in the back with the seats up. A few more small items could be inserted above the luggage and at the sides. Pushing down the rear seat makes for a lot more room, but, at that point, one's belongings are not hidden from view