Both hands this time.

A random photo and thought blog by a quick-witted smart-ass with a penchant for gadgets and anything related to incomprehensible techno-babble. I have a habit of inventing words and is often told by my friends that my over-used under-qualified digital cameras are somehow cybernetically connected to my trigger finger.

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Nestled in the Pacific Northwest, Portland is a vibrant and somewhat eclectic (most people just call it “weird” to be honest) situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers with the stunning backdrop of Mount Hood to the east. Known for its progressive culture, thriving food and craft beer scene, and strong emphasis on sustainability and outdoor living.  The city is home to Powell's Books, one of the world's largest independent bookstores. As well as a flourishing arts scene, farmers markets and food cart pods. The city has a functioning streetcar system and while visiting, we noticed that for a nice city, it does seem to feel that half the people are missing… like there should be more people around. Oh, and they’ve got great donuts from that Voodoo donut shop.

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Amtrak’s Coast Starlight route goes up along the west coast and is considered one of Amtrak's most scenic long-distance routes, running along the western coast of the United States from Seattle, Washington, to Los Angeles, California — a journey of roughly 1,377 miles. The train passes through stunning landscapes including the Cascade Mountains, the Oregon coast, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Santa Barbara coastline, making it a popular choice for travelers who want to enjoy the scenery rather than just reach a destination. It offers amenities like sleeping accommodations, a dining car, a sightseeing lounge car, and coach seating, and the full trip takes approximately 35 hours. At the diner car during meals, you will be placed with random people as to maximize the 4-per-table seating (the timeslots for eating are scheduled), which is a potentially fun way to meet interesting people, a lot of whom were retired folks taking the train to see different places.

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About a 2-hour drive north of from LA, nestled in the heart of California’s Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang is a town in wine country known for having windmills. The Danish-style village was founded in 1911 by Danish immigrants and the town showcases traditional half-timbered buildings, windmills, and bakeries serving authentic pastries like æbleskiver and kringle. It's a pretty popular town tourist-wise but there aren't any large hotel chains as they're generally banned. Instead, there are several small inns that maintain the vibe of the town (although there are also rather fancy inns which are rather pricey).

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Some would call it the “less popular park” since it doesn’t have Galaxy’s Edge, but California Adventure is actually pretty great.  The Cars ride for one is pretty awesome, especially when riding it as the sun starts to set. At roughly 72 acres, it also hold the Avengers Campus and San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6. Having a lake in the middle, the end-of-day show is also something to see. If it weren’t for Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, I’d probably prefer this instead.

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Located at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico, Cabo San Lucas is pretty much a tourist town with a lot of those all-inclusive resorts.  You can take a boat ride around the tip seeing the El Arco de Cabo an Lucas, and while the waves can be rather choppy, the views are pretty amazing.

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The Getty Center is a $1.3 billion complex that houses among other facilities of the Getty Trust, the Getty Museum. While entrance is technically free, parking is $20 and you will need to reserve tickets from their website in order to go.  As it’s pretty much next to the I-405, it’s easy enough to navigate to by car.  The museum gets over a million visitors annually and houses an impressive collection from the Getty estate including works from van Gogh and Pontormo.  From the museum, you can get sweeping views of LA up until the coast on a clear sunny day.

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Accessible via 10-minute ride up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, Mt. San Jacinto State Park sits over 3,300m (10,800ft) above sea level on a weathered granite summit.  The temperature difference between Palm Springs at the bottom of the mountain and the state park itself can be quite stark.  When I visited, it was roughly 37°C in Palm Springs and yet, there was still snow up top. The park itself encompasses a 14,000 acre site with over 50 miles of trails and gives amazing views of the desert below where you can see Palm Springs, and the surrounding area including large fields of wind farms.

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There are times when most of downtown Seattle smells of weed -- there's always a light whiff of it in the air as you're walking by. And while Amazon does have quite the commanding presence with the Spheres and other large buildings they occupy, you can still find character through the more touristy places like Pike Place Market and some of the older buildings, several of which have been repurposed internally for hotels and the like. The I-5 runs along the edge of downtown which in a way acts like a sort of informal border to downtown and you can walk across the connecting road and watch as the traffic zooms on by (or just slowly hums along if it's rush hour).

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Build for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle, the Space Needle is the tallest structure where one can take in views of the city.  The tower itself was built to withstand winds of up to 200mph and up to a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.  The observation deck has great views and the rotating restaurant at the lower level gives guests a place to sit down and grab a bite.  It typically takes 45 minutes to complete a full rotation but at max speed, it can do it in about 20 minutes. Alternately, it can also slow down the rotation so that it would be a full 90 minutes to complete a cycle.

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Opened in May of 2012, Chihuly Garden and Glass is an exhibit within the Seattle Center beside the Space Needle.  It primarily showcases the work of famed American glass artist Dale Chihuly and features 3 sections: the Garden, a Glasshouse and the Interior Exhibits.  Tickets can be purchased online for between US$20-35 and is generally one of the places you should go to when visiting Seattle.

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Roughly 29 miles southwest of Los Angeles and about an hour by boat from the Long Beach port (or Huntington Beach) lies the island of Santa Catalina or more commonly referred to as Catalina Island.  The island these days is primarily a tourist destination with the port city of Avalon being the main landing spot on the island.  The island hosts a variety of wildlife including Bisons and once even hosted a military training facility during WW2.  The island owes its current state primarily to William Wrigley Jr. of chewing gum fame (also, the Chicago Cubs) who developed the island into what it is today.  One of the main attractions on the island is the Catalina Casino, a large theater built in 1929 that was the first theater in the world to be specifically built for “films with sound.”

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Inaugurated in 2007, “The Art of the Brick” is a show of LEGO sculptures by Nathan Sawaya. The show has been travelling the world and this particular one I caught was in San Francisco. The exhibition typically holds over a hundred pieces with some being made of tens of thousands of bricks. The exhibit includes both original as well as works of others reimagined using LEGO with several being suspended in air.

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While Manhattan is the heart of New York City, I'm not exactly sure if there's a particular draw for people to visit Tribeca. At least for tourists that is... aside from the Ghostbusters building which was actually a former firehouse and an interesting sight. Located between SOHO and the Financial District, the neighborhood just seems to be one of those places that's "in between" here and there. While it has interesting structures (like much of New York), it also has a significant apartment buildings, which are nothing special. And while recent developments are bringing in some very unique modern skyscrapers, you can also find older ones like the AT&T Lines building which is pretty much just a large windowless brick building that houses telecom equipment.

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A neighborhood located on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan between 30th and 41st St., Hudson Yards was redeveloped in 2012 to become an upscale residential and commercial center with several tall skyscrapers and large mall called “The Shops (at Hudson Yards).”  The most notable attraction in the area is a 16-storey 150-foot-tall structure called ‘The Vessel.’ Serving no other purpose than being a tourist attraction or centerpiece for the area, the structure cost an estimated $200 million, which was over twice the initial $75 million budget.  Visitors used to be able to ascend the structure however a string of suicides (4 as of this writing, including that of a 14-year old in August 2021) have led to the access to the upper levels closed indefinitely.

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One of the museums on Wilshire Blvd. along ‘Museum Row’ in Los Angeles is the Petersen Automotive Museum.  From fictional to historical, supercars, racecars, movie cars, prototypes and more, this museum commemorates the automobile, it’s history and various depictions in movies and media.  Founded in 1994 by magazine publisher Robert E. Petersen and his wife, the museum has over 100 vehicles on display with more kept in a vault in the basement.  Every so often there would be special displays such as the cars used in the James Bond movies.

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A member of the ‘Historic Hotels of America,’ which is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Mission Inn is a historic landmark hotel located in Riverside, California.  The hotel itself seems to have been built having various architectural characteristics with sections featuring different designs and styles.  An eclectic structure, it now also has a spa, museum, and even some commercial offices within its premises.  You can spend a whole afternoon wandering around the corridors and finding interesting sections in the hotel which have both a rich history and unique design aesthetics.  Various former US presidents have visited the hotel and the entire complex takes up roughly an entire block in downtown Riverside.  There is even a beautiful church (non-denominational) on the grounds which is convenient for anyone wanting to have a wedding ceremony there and literally cross the courtyard to one of several ballrooms.

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In what can be described an enormous collection of rocks amidst really spiky plants (of which the park is named after) in the middle of the California desert where temperatures can hit well above 42°C, Joshua Tree National Park is one of the 423 National Parks in the United States.  Characterized by rugged rock formations (of which some resemble skulls, archways, etc.), the park straddles the cactus-dotted Colorado Desert and the Mojave Desert.  Access is fairly easy through 3 main gates while passes can be acquired online for both individuals and vehicles.