Category: travel

I like this new boarding policy

I like United Airline’s new boarding system. I suspect many don’t.

It’s called WILMA – for window, middle, and aisle, and it starts next week.

It’s where those sitting next to the window board first. My pet peeve is that I always sit next to the window and invariably I have to deal with a person who is blocking my seat by sitting in the isle seat. The thing is, I am one of the first on the plane, I don’t know why, but I’m not comfortable until I am in my seat. Then I’m great with the rest of the flight. So even though I am one of the first on the plane, there always seems to be someone ahead of me, blocking my seat.

I had this thought just the other day when coming home from New York.

I’m always tempted to say something, but now with United’s new plan, I won’t have to.

There are a couple of drawbacks to this – first off, I’ve never flown United. I probably have flown most other airlines, but these days I mostly fly American Airlines and Delta once in awhile.

Secondly, the people who board later will complain that there is no room for their carryon bags whereas if they boarded earlier, they would have overhead space. I always put my carry on under the seat – I make it fit. I pack for that – even in winter, I manage.

People will have to buck up and deal with the new system. Until they change it back from hearing many complaints. It only seems to save a couple of minutes, so it’s not a big deal really.

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From tokens to tapping, the OMNY subway system

Looks like the NYC MTA caught up with the times.

I had written about the flaw in the OMNY system which is used for the subway and busses. It’s where you tap your phone instead of using an MTA card to pay for the fare. Instead of getting a weekly pass for $33.00, you can get the “pass” automatically by swiping 12 times in a 7 day period. It adds up the $33.00. But the problem was the system worked on a specific 7 days – Monday through Sunday. So if you started using the touch system on a Friday, for instance, all the touches/swipes from Friday until Monday, would be useless.

Now it’s any day of the week. You can start the tapping any day and for the next 7 days, it will work it’s way to the free unlimited rides after the first 12. No need to wait for Monday to start.

It should have been that way from the start, I’m not sure why it didn’t. It’s a good thing, too, because apparently in 2024 they will be doing away with the metro cards and the tapping phone system will be the only way to use the subway.

I may have mentioned this before, but I have a friend who jumps the turnstiles. I know, I know. It bothers me, too. He does it when I’m not looking because he knows I am against it.

I told him about the OMNY system – how after 12 rides the rest are free. So he tried it out. After a week he said it was a ripoff. Not because of the 7-day rule where you have to start on Monday at the time, but because it isn’t forever.

I asked him, “You thought you would get 12 paid rides and then forever after that it was free?” He said, “Yes.”

So it’s back to jumping turnstiles for him. He was recently in Boston, not sure how he managed their subway (the T) there.

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Sleepy Hollow

As we drove back down to the city from Highland and pumpkin picking last weekend, we stopped to see the Hudson River views in Tarrytown, NY, but as we wandered around, we wandered into the village next door which was Sleepy Hollow!

What a find. It’s so wonderful. It reminded me a lot of Salem, MA, but also so much of Stars Hollow, the fictional town from Gilmore Girls. So quaint and such a special place to be in the fall.

So many hills and backstreets to explore. We also explored the cemetery and all the Headless Horseman locations. One problem – so did thousands of other people. The poor little town is overrun by tourists, including us. I’m not sure how the locals deal with this.

It’s one of those good things that is ruined by crowds. But even with the crowds, it was special and I would not mind visiting again, maybe in a quieter time of year when it’s out of season.

There is so much history there starting in the 1600s, including the church and grave stones.

We had lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the Hudson River and called it a day. Exhausted by all the walking up and down hills, but very happy. A good exhaustion.

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NY Comic Con 2023

Another October, another NY Comic Con.

Went to the first day of Comic Con on Thursday, it was a beautiful day, sunny, cool and perfect. The usual cosplayers took over the Javits Center.

I walked around for a long time looking for the National Cartoonist Society booth, the program provided by the convention, didn’t show their location. Finally found it after an hour of walking around and there was Jason Chatfield, right in the center, doing his thing, which I think was drawing and giving out autographs.

I didn’t get too close to the booth – too many people. But I’m always tempted to “talk shop” with him. I interviewed last year for my 10 With Tom column and that would be a good ice breaker, but I didn’t introduce myself last year and I didn’t do it this year.

You can see him in the group of photos above, chatting away at the booth.

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Pumpkin and apple picking

We did our usual pumpkin and apple picking this past weekend at one of our favorite places Dubois Farms in Highland, NY, in the Hudson Valley.

The leaves didn’t turn yet but it was still beautiful and fun. The temperature finally dropped into the 50s, so it felt like fall. We had apple cider doughnuts, hot apple cider and pumpkin pie. We left with a bunch of large mum plants, too.

Driving through the winding roads in Upstate New York is really wonderful. I keep thinking that it might be a great place to live. The views of the valleys and Hudson River and beautiful, too.

On our way back to the city, we stopped at Tarrytown and Sleep Hollow, what a treat that was. I’ll post the photos here in a day or so.

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At the MET in the rain


It was raining Saturday, so I headed to the MET Museum, which I probably would have done even if it was sunny. But since it was raining, it seemed like the whole city showed up, The lines to get in were endless. But since I trudged up there via subway and walked around in the rain a bit to get there, I stayed.

I did miss a couple of cool things which is weird because I’m usually in the right place at the right time, but in these two instances I was not where I should have been.

The first was a wedding proposal. I heard a loud applause in the next gallery and when I walked over, it saw that a guy proposed to a girl. I missed it, I only caught the applause and happiness part.

Then I walked into the Temple of Dendur area of the MET and I just missed a ballet performance, right up near the temple building.

Otherwise it was maddening with all the people there, but it was more fun than being out in the rain.

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Finding masks all over the place

I’m headed to NY for a couple of weeks, don’t worry, I’ll take you along.

I’ll be doing my usual things – NY Comic Con, pumpkin and apple picking upstate, maybe the Oyster Festival and some other thing in the Hamptons, etc.

I was trying on a couple of jackets to see which one I’ll take. For a guy who lives in Miami, I have a ton of jackets, coats and hoodies. Not sure why.

As I tried various jackets on, there was one common denominator with each of them – medical masks in the pockets – backups I guess for when needed during the pandemic. I think I used them this summer when I traveled, but not sure. But I knew they were there, I just forgot until I put my hands in the pockets. I still have a bunch in my car, too. I don’t know why, but I guess I want to be prepared for whatever. But even when I’ve gone to the doctor’s or visited someone in the hospital lately, I haven’t needed to wear a mask, so I guess I’m just packratting. I come up on some in the house once in awhile, too. In draws, behind things, in couch cushions. And my luggage, I have some masks in pockets in my luggage. Just in case.

They may come in handy on the subway when I’m in NYC with so many people crowding the trains, but in the last year or so I’ve noticed only a handful of people wear masks on the subway.

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Operation Lighthouse Rescue

I was telling one of my cousins last week that I watch a lot of PBS. She assumed I watched a lot of “nature shows” or educational stuff, but I told her I watch a lot of British tv – britcoms, mysteries, etc.

I love Doc Martin, Escape to the Chateau, Poirot, Are You Being Served, Keeping Up Appearances (my mother loved Hyacinth Bucket) and Death in Paradise (my father loved this show), to name a few. And interestingly enough, I saw this great episode of NOVA last night, an episode from 2016 called “Operation Lighthouse Rescue.” It was about the Gay Head Light (lighthouse), in Martha’s Vineyard, that has been a fixture since 1856.

The lighthouse was in danger of falling off of the cliffs, as the erosion got closer and closer. So a plan was set in place to move the much-loved and historic lighthouse back 135 feet to save it for another 150 years or so.

I kept picturing people 150 years from now doing the same thing- moving the lighthouse in another 135 feet, cursing the people in 2023 for not doing it at the time. But they can’t move the lighthouse too far back, – it still serves a purpose and needs to be visible by boats at sea.

It’s a fun program, talking about the history of the lighthouse, showing the village people of Martha’s Vineyard and the actual crew doing the job of lifting the lighthouse four feet off the ground and moving it without it collapsing under its own weight.

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The Brooklyn Museum

I went to the Brooklyn Museum the other day. I visited the art and then just before I left, I stopped by the Ancient Egypt area. And you know what? I felt at home. I literally felt at home.

I was pleased to see objects from Ramesses II and so many others, including Akhenaten.

I’m always fascinated by ancient Egypt. The exhibits have inspired me to do more Egypt-based cartoons.

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Cleopatra’s Needle

I don’t know why I waited so long, but I finally saw one of Cleopatra’s Needles – which is in Central Park, behind the MET Museum.

It’s an Egyptian obelisk. There are three, NYC has one, London has one and Paris. Alexandria, Egypt, is the original location.

The one in NY was erected in 1881. It’s over 3500 years old!

I love ancient Egypt so much, not sure why it’s taken me so long to see it.

While called Cleopatra’s Needles, they were already over 1000 years old in her time.

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