Pit stop

On my last full day in Texas for this trip, what else could I do but get some barbecue?  My brother vouched for the excellence of Hard Eight BBQ in Coppell, and he was dead on.  With the way I've eaten down here, it's a good thing I'm leaving on Tuesday.

For the meat you order by the pound.  Be careful.

The chicken poppers--mesquite smoked chicken wrapped with green pepper, onion, and bacon--were unbelievably good.  I may regret having to work off this meal, but it was delicious.
 

Even the taxidermied animals are excited about the Rangers and their bid to win the World Series.

Game 4

As a lifelong baseball fan, what a thrill it was to be at a World Series game. My team wasn't playing, and the seat, while certainly satisfactory, was not exactly close. It didn't matter. Here I was at one of only six or seven of these games that will be played, and I'm there with one of my brothers and my eleven-month-old nephew. (I know that sounds like a bad idea for the little one to be there. I said as much. Nevertheless, the little guy was really well behaved.)

Although a Dallas Cowboys regular season game was taking place across the parking lot, the ballpark was predictably packed with folks eager to see the Texas Rangers even the series with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Zooey Deschanel was there to sing the National Anthem (and promote her sitcom on the game's network broadcaster).

There were flags, including this big one on the field during pre-game...

...and a former baseball great (Nolan Ryan) and former President (George W. Bush).

The sellout crowd went nuts when Mike Napoli hit a three run home run to put the Rangers ahead 4-0.

All in all, it was a beautiful night in the mid to upper 60s. I'm sure there's more I can say, but it's been plenty of work to get this posted after tonight's game.

Baby, water gardens, birds, tacos

Babies are shameless, especially ones who are related.

The Fort Worth Water Gardens seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.  Pretty though.

Especially in a secluded spot like this one.

Looking out at downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

I could not believe how loud these birds (grackles?) were, let alone the number of them.

Yeah, I had to eat here. That logo!

Backposting

I've gone back and posted photos and a few words on my trip that I didn't have time for when I was actually in Toronto.  So, you can scroll down or use this handy list of links:

-September 8
-September 9
-September 10
-September 11
-September 12
-September 13

I still have two other days of backposting to do--those would be the days where I essentially came home and slept--but these posts should give you a taste of my time at the movies in Canada.

Bonus day

The original plan was to return home this morning, but neither of us really wanted to leave.  So, I ended up being able to stick around for four more films, including the one I most wanted to see at the festival.  That also meant leaving around 8:45 p.m. and arriving home at 4:00 a.m. on September 14th.  Was it worth it?  Absolutely.

Up top you see the TIFF Bell Lightbox and the two restaurants--the O&B Canteen on ground level, Luma on the second floor--attached to it.

 Here's a look at the swanky VISA Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre.

And here's Damsels in Distress director Whit Stillman and cast members Carrie MacLemore, Greta Gerwig, Adam Brody, and Analeigh Tipton.

With that, I bid Toronto adieu.  I had a wonderful time and hated to go.  Hopefully I'll be back no later than a year from now.

Eat and run

If there's only one time for one meal a day while I'm at the film festival, make it count, right?  Big Smoke Burger on King St. E. fit the bill today.

Business as usual

I'd like to be sampling Toronto's cuisine more than I've had time for.  Basically it's been a donut and one meal, but I was able to sit and enjoy my lunch today at the O&B Canteen, which is next to the festival's hub, the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

There's really no reason for posting another view of my lunch other than to give you a little bit better sense of the surroundings.

And then I saw the new film starring Val Kilmer and directed by that guy who made The Godfather.

If this all seems frivolous on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, well, that's how I spent the day.  I'll admit that it was kind of a relief not to be around what I imagine was inescapable reflecting on the tragedy.  The festival acknowledged it with a well-intended but ultimately misguided short that preceded each film.  September 11 falls during the festival every year and affected the tenor of it in 2001, not that I was at it then.  So bringing it up made sense, even if the piece about it was, umm, awkward.

Off the red carpet

The film festival up here has its share of glitz and glamour.  I've seen a few filmmakers on the streets but haven't walked by any stars in the normal course of attending films.  I happened to be near the Moneyball red carpet on Friday and tried to peek through the throng to see if I could see anyone I may have caught a glimpse of Brad Pitt, but I couldn't tell you for sure if it was him.  That was kind of a crazy scene.

I am getting to see directors, actors, and actresses on a pretty regular basis when they introduce films and talk about them after they've played.  Up above you see the director and star of Trishna.  I don't expect you to know who Michael Winterbottom is, but you may recognize Freida Pinto from Slumdog Millionaire, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, or L'Oreal ads.

The screening for Melancholia had a red carpet, although for those of us lined up to get inside, there wasn't much gawking we could do as we were ushered inside.  For us the star power was reserved for the stage.  Showing up for the premiere were Kirsten Dunst, Alexander Skarsgård, Kiefer Sutherland, and Udo Kier.

I'm not up here for the celebrity spotting, but it is kind of exciting to see these folks.  Coming out of Melancholia I was about ten feet from the red carpet for the next film and caught good looks of Ryan Gosling and Albert Brooks.  Yep, I guess I'm at a big, international event.

Say what?

I know a fair number of people who are up here at the festival, although some of them I've never met.  I have an iPhone to keep me connected with people, but while I'm in the city (or in this country, period) I'm at the mercy of those places pumping out free wi-fi to try and arrange meet-ups.

Crazily enough, I've attended six films so far and not sat by myself for any of them.  Today I had lunch with a local at C'est What, met someone else at another film by virtue of each of us describing our clothing on Twitter, and ran into someone I know from home at the last one.

On King Street W. on the walk back to the hotel I passed by a promotional trailer--literally!--that's pictured at the top of this post.  It was a bit strange to see someone in a hazmat suit attending to someone having a seizure on a gurney, but Contagion doesn't just promote itself.

Quite a start

I knew I'd have to wait in a line of some sort to pick up my tickets, and I calculated at least an hour when backtiming for my arrival in Toronto.  With my first film at 6:00 p.m. at a theater that is approximately a twenty to thirty minute walk from the festival box office and calculating that I want to be in line there by 5:15, then I figured I ought to get into town by 3:00 or 3:30.

The plan was to leave at 6:30 a.m.  I slept maybe four restless hours before finally giving up and getting up at 4:45.  It's not the way to start what would prove to be a long day--I was up about 22 straight hours--but the extra time gave me the comfort of knowing I had everything ready to go and not being in a hurry.


Because neither my friend nor I were hungry and we went through a stretch where there wasn't anywhere compelling to stop to eat, we made fantastic time with just one bathroom stop and another one for gas and its weird Canadian pricing.  Cents per liter?!

Arriving at the downtown hotel at 2:00 p.m. would then seem to give me time to breathe.  The room wasn't ready, so I figured the best bet was to get the tickets and then figure things out from there.  As it turned out, the extra time was essential.  After walking to the festival box office and picking up the ticket package with ease, I then found one of those quirks of the system.  Picking up the individual tickets I ordered meant getting into a different line.  (I could also turn in my vouchers and do any exchanges in this line.)  That line only took, oh, about 90 minutes to get through.

Since I was not going to be heading back to the hotel--and would not be there until about 2:30 a.m.--I began heading to the first theater.  At this point I realized I had no Canadian currency.  I popped into a Hilton on the way and got money changed at an absurd rate.  (Nice little racket there with the fee everyone charges.  It was the same changing money at a bank.)

And then I saw three movies.

Did I mention all I'd had to eat all day was a cinnamon roll and a decaf coffee?  After the third movie I did get a slice of pizza at 2:00 a.m. and ate it while walking the twenty minutes or so to the hotel...where the room was not in my name and I did not have a key.

Luckily I didn't have any problems at the hotel and finally collapsed into bed by 2:45.  Quite a start to the festival.

In advance

Do you find yourself getting stressed out before a vacation?  I know I have often put myself in the situation of not packing early enough or getting everything together in order sooner than I do.  Plans?  Those are usually set well ahead of time.  Doing what needs to get me out the door?  That's usually reserved for the last minute, and it does me no favors.

I am trying to be better prepared for the trip to Canada this week.  Part of the reason is because there have been so many moving pieces that I don't want to be scrambling at the last minute.  I want to get to bed early the night before--yes, even if it is my birthday--so I'll be rested before an early rise and lengthy drive.

I gave up a significant portion of today to working.  While I didn't complete everything on the list, I was pleased with my productivity.  I made good strides.  I plan to hit the sack at a reasonable hour to reset my clock.  (This will do me no good once at the festival, but I'm most concerned with that first day.)  I want to do most of the packing on Tuesday so it's not a concern on the day before departure.

I've been stressing out about this trip for awhile, mainly because there's been so much to keep on top of.  Hotel reservations were made three or four months ago.  I bought the ticket package about two months ago.  Last week required getting the specific tickets allotted where I wanted.  That's done, at least for what's within my control.  Who's driving and when we're leaving has not been discussed, although I kind of figure that I'll be the one who ends up behind the wheel.  By virtue of the ticket distribution giving me something Thursday night, I have a much more pressing need to get there with ample time, thus necessitating an early morning departure.  Then there's figuring out where to park, how to get around, etc.

Let's put it this way: I've been dreaming about all this.

I'm sure things will go fine and that I'll have a good time.  The anxiety leading up to it, though, has been more than I expected.  And so help me if I somehow forget my passport.

Back

You can forgive a guy for not doing much in the way of daily blogging when he's coming off six days of a fairly intense vacation, at least in terms of movement, and driving more than five hundred miles today, right? Let me put it this way. I think the earliest I was back home for any evening was about 10:30, and that was on the first night when I was running on five hours of sleep.

Let me put it this way: three professional baseball games, two Broadway plays, likely somewhere in the area of 1200 miles driven, and probably a few hundred city blocks walked. I've been a busy bee...and I don't really feel like saying much more than that at the moment.

Sunday in the park and more

In an effort to make my last day of this trip to New York City count, I sacrificed sleep so I could get into midtown Manhattan early enough to get a good spot in the TKTS line. I'd decided to forsake a Mets game at Citi Field in favor or another play. Professional baseball games are readily available to me; Broadway productions are not. Since most of the performances--and all of the ones I was interested in--were matinees, I needed to be up and about fairly early.

I got my top pick, which surprisingly has some knitting content in it...but more on that in a moment.

With my ticket in hand I set out north for Central Park. I didn't have anywhere in particular I wanted to see. I just wanted to get a good sense of the place. I walked around for close to 90 minutes and had little sense of where I was in relation to anything. When I thought I surely was close to the Upper West Side, I was instead over by the Upper East Side. I entered at 60th Street and emerged at W. 90th and Central Park West, if that tells you anything.

The park was gorgeous, and I wish I'd had more time to explore (or get lost). A much-needed lunch beckoned, and I had 45 city blocks south to walk. Sure, I could have taken the subway, but I figured I needed the exercise and could see the city more this way.

I went to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which stars Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette. Yes, Harry Potter is in it. He seemed to be quite a draw, if the raucous reception and crowds by the stage door are good indicators. He's fine in the play, although he still has a lot of growth to undergo as an actor. (Also, he's short. Maybe it's exaggerated when he stands next to Larroquette, but he doesn't seem to be very tall.)

Anyway, in the play Larroquette's character is a more or less secret knitter to alleviate stress. It gets some laughs, especially when Radcliffe's savvy character pretends to be a knitter too to hit it off with the company president.

I could say much more about this day in New York City, but as has been the theme with this trip, I'm getting to bed pretty late. Since I'm driving home Monday, I need to get to bed and thus wrap up.

This has been a very busy vacation, to say the least, but I've had a lot of fun. Before I left I was kind of feeling like I was ready to be home. I haven't missed it while I've been away, and I'd love to have more time in NYC. Still, I'll be glad to be back at my place by this point Monday night.

Saturday in the city

Another full day in the big city. I had a couple locals I met at a film festival who helped show me around, which made for what felt like a bit more authentic experience of New York. Above you'll see the food truck event at the South Street Seaport where we began the day. Some of the lines were awfully long, especially at the Korean trucks, so one had to pick wisely.

I wanted to see some of Brooklyn, and Prospect Park seemed like a good reason for going to the borough and getting a breather from the throngs in the city.

And since I need to get up relatively early so I can get back to The Big Apple on Sunday, I'm going to wrap today's post here. More details and ruminations on what's been a busy and fun trip to follow.

Contrasts

I stopped at this rest area in Delaware simply because it meant I could remove all ambiguity over whether I could count it as a state I've been to. (I drove through it once before but never got out of the car.) I planted my feet on the ground and bought breakfast there. So cross it off the list for certain.

I left early--and on five hours' sleep--so I could get to this place in time and stand here in Times Square. It's the TKTS line. Long story short, I got a half price ticket to see Anything Goes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. It was a terrific show, but I'm wiped out. As with so much else on this trip, time's a-wasting and not there for a-writing.

On the move

I had a busy day in Washington, D.C., although it wasn't what I initially set out to do. I planned to visit the Newseum, but I got into the District at the start of lunchtime and figured I ought to grab something to eat first.

I just signed up for Foursquare on my phone, in part to help me find places to eat here and in New York City. I found a pizza place that was about a mile's walk from the Newseum, so I headed out in its direction. I was a little disoriented and wasted some time going the wrong way, so I ended up getting lunch later than initially expected. I didn't realize I was going to a place that Top Chef's Spike runs.

I got a slice of pepperoni, a slice of Hawaiian, and a homemade grape soda for what turned out to be a lunch worth going out of my way to get. I guess those Top Chef folks know what they're doing. I also had some frozen yogurt with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and chocolate chips to cap the meal and sat in front of the Library of Congress's James Madison building to eat it.

By that point going to the Newseum really didn't make any sense, so I wandered over to the Capitol and took the tour. I'd seen it from the outside on a previous trip to D.C. some years ago, but I'd never gone in. I didn't have a gallery pass to see House or Senate chambers, but it was still a neat experience. From there I wandered over to the Library of Congress's main building through the adjoining underground tunnel. I arrived just as that tour was starting, so I got to get a look around this beautiful building.

The Supreme Court was nearby, so I decided that I really ought to see it. I snapped some pictures, walked up the steps, took some more photos, and then approached a cop to find out if the Metro stop on the line I needed to take to the ballpark was closer than the one I had arrived on. He suggested walking (!) to the stadium and explained how to get there. I was a little dubious, but I had the time and thought that it would let me see more of the area.

Sure enough, I didn't have any trouble finding it and saved a couple bucks in train fare.

The Reds lost, and thus went 1-2 while I was here to see them play. Still, I had a good time in this brief visit to D.C. Now I head north to New York City. A Broadway play is definitely on the docket. A Mets game may be too. Beyond that, who knows?

Front row seat

Keeping busy here in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Today was slower, as I took my time getting around and met a friend for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant in northern Virginia. By the time I got back to the hotel and dealt with some other stuff, I figured I really only had time to go to the baseball game. So that's what I did.

I'll have to do one post dedicated to Nationals Park, especially since I don't feel like doing it tonight. Anyway, as you can see from the photo, I was in the first row of fixed seating on the first base line. All praise the secondary market, which offered this up at a great price and thus put it into my range of what I was willing to spend. And to think I landed one on the third base side for Thursday that's just seven rows from the field and paid even less!

What I'm saying is that I never sit this close. So that's making this fun and letting me see different parts of the stadium. A Reds win tonight didn't hurt.

Blur

Up at 6:05 a.m., out the door and into the car around 6:30, at the hotel in Maryland around 2:50 p.m., out the door around 3:30 p.m. to get to the Metro station, and meeting up with a longtime internet acquaintance at the Washington Nationals' ballpark in Washington, D.C. by about 4:15 p.m.

Quite a whirlwind day with plenty to say, but I need to be getting to bed. I think things should be a little less rushed for Wednesday. I'll try to share details then.

Off and on the clock

Although I'm on vacation, I needed to pop into the office to take care of a couple things. No problem, I'll be quick and then head over to work out.

Wrong.

I should know better, but I ended up working for a couple hours in the afternoon. If I'd gone unnoticed, maybe I could have avoided it, but I found out about this and that and suddenly I'm dealing with other items. To be clear, this was by my choice, not at anyone's insistence.

So let that be a lesson that I didn't really need to be reminded of. When I'm on vacation, be on vacation as much as is possible. Fact of the matter is, work issues may come up that I need to deal with in some manner. This time, though, I brought it on myself.

Overload

Returning to my place for a few days between being at my parents' and heading east was supposed to give me some time to kick back at home. How's that working for me?

Today: dental appointment, work out, home for a shower and lunch, movie at one place, and two movies at another place.

Friday's plan: movie at one place, two movies at another place, and one movie at a third location.

Saturday's plan: two movies, which may or may not be at the same location.

Plus, I'm trying to pin down my plans for D.C. and New York City next week. And I'm up until nearly 2 a.m. this evening. (Yeah, yeah, it says I posted this at 11:59 p.m. Not true.)

I wouldn't do it if I didn't get enjoyment out of it, but this is a bit much right now.