Robert Hall

I see them often, since my commute goes right past Sky Harbor Airport on I-10 and I go to the airport twice a week for drop off/pick up of my sister. Last Thursday evening I was driving to the airport and saw at sunset a beautiful British Airways 747 take off right over the freeway...I've been on that evening PHX to LHR flight several times before. On my Monday 6am airport run, I saw an Air China 747 parked in the same place I saw Air Force One a couple weeks ago.. I've flown across the ponds in both 747s and 777s, but I prefer the 747. One of the best airports for viewing them is Honolulu--walking along between the concourses you see the planes pretty close up. Rob

Saw a '10 SRX in dark blue at the local BPGC dealer Monday...looked pretty decent from a distance, parked near a black Acacia and a dark red Enclave...

One memorable one for me was an '04 or so dark blue Euro-spec Tahoe parked across the street from the Colleseum in Rome. It looked huge amidst the Fiats and other typical European cars. Haven't seen anything memorable today so far...

Funny you mention NJ...besides Pittsburgh, another area I've been researching lately as a possibility is the Philadelphia and Trenton areas. State government, corporate hqs, seems to be plenty of cube action around there...been watching the daily query results from Dice and Monster.. Phoenix is too much of a retiree's paradise, like parts of Florida. I'm too young to be a place so placid and dull...I need be somewhere more lively, and the Middle Atlantic/NE solve other issues for me that the West can't...i.e. closer proximity to E. Ohio.

A few things important to me wherever I live: A good infrastructure as far as roads and freeways. I like to travel, and I like to be within 1/2 hour or so of a major hub airport w/ plenty of direct flights within the US and some direct flights to Europe. A diverse corporate climate w/ major companies as well as plenty of high tech companies...i.e. plenty of cubicles. A range of climate variations--all sun and heat is pretty dull. Reasonably close to the ocean, forests, mountains, rivers. Not a big fan of very flat areas. I'm sick of desert landscapes. I'm a foodie, so I need diverse dining options...lots of variation in restaurants and cuisines nearby. A place that is moving forward into the future, not dying or it's on last legs (i.e. no Detroit). Of course, in this economy, all metros are hurting to varying degrees.. Major sports teams are good to have, esp. for the arenas and stadiums, as I enjoy going to concerts, and the occasional hockey, football, or baseball game.

I've read about it...though I don't recall seeing a pic like that. I believe in a Collectible Automobile article about the Oldses of that era, it's mentioned...the option was called Jet-something? One thing I don't recall from the article was if this was strictly experimental or a rare option...didn't Cadillac dabble in FI in the '50s also? Rob

I like the SSR concept, didn't care for the styling...but a folding roof car pickup based on the current Holden Ute, that would rock. Rob

How about an LS6 El Camino convertible? Now that would be a fun phantom to build...1 Not for off roading or anything but one my unlimited money dream projects would be to build a GMT900 Suburban ZR1...that would be so badass. Rob

Heh-heh...there were plenty of them in Colorado Springs (part of why I don't live there any more) and in Chandler, Az (where I work but wouldn't want to live)... I like a more diverse environment... I've seen a bit of Georgia, the airport in Atlanta and a buddy lives in Marietta, seems like a decent suburb..plenty of Indian programmers like my buddy and a few good Indian restaurants around. I visited him a few years ago for a long weekend, didn't rent a car and he and his wife drove me around...very green... Rob

Yeah, a buddy of mine has a bright red '03 Rubicon. We've gone 4 wheeling with it and my GC...I was able to keep up with him on most trails, except when it got too narrow and rocky (he has the more agressive tires). What a sweet Jeep. I don't care for the new ones, they just look odd to me.

Having lived in many different environments in my life---small town, extremely rural, resort/fishing town, college town, downtown big city, suburbia, semi-suburban older neighborhood in a big city--- I think the last two suit me the best in the near future, both for career prospects and level of amenities/etc I like in a place. Haven't decided where I'm going next geographically on my voyage through life, but I'm pretty certain I'll be leaving Arizona within the next year. Maybe back to Denver, maybe back to the Midwest, or to the West Coast, Northeast, or Middle Atlantic. Not the South or Southwest. Rob

I'm definitely keeping the GC, probably to trade eventually on a 4th gen GC. But I'd love a Defender or Wrangler Rubicon as an off road toy to tackle more of the Colorado back country...

I'd get a Defender because of their history and off road prowess...always liked the traditional Land Rovers. A full size truck is just a truck...too mainstream for me, and I prefer SUVs. I want a serious off road rig eventually, more capable than my GC. The best choices, IMHO, are a Wrangler Rubicon or a Defender 90.... the Defender is more unique than a Jeep, don't see them very often.

Haven't notices any particularly interesting cars today, but did see an Air China 747 at the airport this morning, parked at the same special terminal Air Force One was a couple weeks ago. Must have been something official, since AFAIK Air China doesn't have scheduled flights to PHX.

I wonder, does the Compass have a compass standard? That's one of the little features in my Jeep I miss when I'm in a rental car, esp. in places that don't have distinctive E/W/N/S landmarks.

Are they legal in the US? I don't think so, likewise for the completely mad Pagani Zonda...

I had a colleague w/ an Discovery II that he traded on an LR3 a few years back..the LR3 was decent, but the interior really didn't seem any more lux or nicer than an uplevel Explorer Limited circa 2006..don't know if the LR3 is considered more reliable than the Disco, would think so..

I've only heard bad things about the Discovery.. but a Defender, I'd buy..

Don't forget New Jersey also.

The one I'd want to have isn't new, but relatively recently out of the production--a Ford GT. Love. This. Car. The styling, the performance, the whole package. As far as new cars go, +1 on the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. And the DB9. Both gorgeous cars with fantastic performance. As far as luxury cars go, I'm fond of the Mercedes CLS, S-class, and SL, both in regular (550) and AMG 63 forms. All 'executive' cars I'd love to drive, and that are attainable (at least in CPO form) in a few years... Another that is older (that I should have bought new 10 years ago) that I'd like to have is a Land Rover Defender.

I'm sure Toyota can crush Paice...it's a small operation know one has ever heard of--is it just a scam/shell operation that creates patents but no product? Their website is a joke.. Paice LLC I'm no Toyota fan, but I despise scammers, esp. patent trolls.

Almost got hit twice today, within 5 minutes of each other. Was driving down a street in my neighborhood...came upon an intersection w/ a two way stop for the cross street...I was on the street that doesn't have to stop...what looked like a teenager in a Tahoe slows at the stop sign, then starts into the intersection just as I'm entering it from her right...I lay on the horn and she stops...was yakking on a phone, of course. Get out onto a major street (4 lanes, come up to a light and start turning into the left turn lane, when a dumbass turns onto the 4 lane street from the intersecting 4 lane street (from my left) and swerves into my turn lane, maybe 20 feet in front of me...talking on the phone w/ a coffee...I swerve to the right, layed on the horn and screamed at him (both had driver's windows down)--my sister said it looked like he spilled his coffee all over himself... Going to stay inside the rest of the holiday weekend..

Ya, doner can be delicious. I have a friend who's wife is Turkish. She can cook...I've had some incredible home cooked meals w/ them. I like Persian also.

My interests are all over the place, w/ strong concentrations of British invasion, classic rock, post-punk Big 80s and '90s 'alternative rock'. I have a thing in particular about soundtracks...I love soundtracks to Michael Mann movies--lots of good stuff on his soundtracks, as well as music from Martin Scorcese movies....lately, I've listened a lot to the work of Clint Mansell (music from Darren Arronofsky films plus great instrumental work from Joe Carnahan's 'Smokin Aces'--great soundtrack... I listen to some electronica / dance when driving--Paul Oakenfold and various Perfecto compilations, The Chemical Brothers, Moby, Paul Van Dyk, BT.. I like post-rock also---really enjoy M83, Mogwai and Sigur Ros in particular. My favorite musical decades are still probably the '70s and '80s, followed by the '90s and today, with some late '60s. Still love to listen to a lot of vintage Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Cream, Traffic, Steve Winwood, The Who, Rush, Bad Company/Paul Rodgers, Queen, Rolling Stones, U2, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, etc. Guitar, guitar, guitar.. As far the '80s to today---I enjoy everything from Def Leppard to Tori Amos, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Cure, The Cult, NIN, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, The Call, The Replacements, Audioslave, Oasis, The Verve, Coldplay.. Lately, been familiarizing myself w/ some newer bands like The Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem, and Kings of Leon. Also like a lot of the blues--Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert King, BB King, Luther Allison, Robert Cray, to name a few. I've dabbled in jazz, but not so much..want to explore more...have seen Charlie Hunter in concert a couple times w/ friends in Boulder, Co. Dabbled in folkish pop music as well---Richard Thompson, Dan Fogelberg, Bruce Cockburn.. About the only country I've really liked is Johnny Cash and some Lyle Lovett. I've dabbled in hip-hop--like some Eminem, Dr Dre, Ice Cube, NWA, Snoop Dog, Tupac, some Wu-Tang Clan. Other than an isolated song here and there (Usher's 'Yeah') there isn't much in recent hip hop that I like. I like vintage R&B--Issac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, etc. I also like Leonard Cohen.

Sometimes I just love the simple stuff...bread and olive oil to dip it in.