While at first blush Syracuse, NY might not seem like a top 10 destination, it holds a special place in my heart. It’s proven to be an ideal meeting spot for me coming up from NYC with people (like my family, for example) coming down from Canada. I also enjoy it because to get there I take the train. It’s a 6 hour journey, assuming everything runs on time which is usually, but not always, the case, and a relaxing and productive trip at that.

Getting to the Moynihan Train Hall in the city is as easy as hopping in a cab. There is no security to speak of in order to board the train. You can literally show up 5 minutes before the train leaves and hop on. The seats are comfortable, the windows huge (great for sightseeing) and there’s a nice little cafe car with everything from coffee and beer to sandwiches and salads. From time to time I’ll upgrade to business class. It’s the very last portion of the train, part of the cafe car so easy access to drinks and munchies.

One of the real plusses is that I’m able to read and write on the train. I’ve tried using my laptop, but I prefer a pen and a journal or notepad. Between that and listening to music the time flies. It reminds of when I lived in Ottawa (decades ago now). I used to suffer from severe insomnia. I didn’t ride the rails when that happened, but I would drive out to the airport in the middle of the night and spend a few hours there writing. This was well before 9/11 and you could hang out at the airport without setting off alarms. What I liked about the airport, and the train for that matter, is the sense of adventure. Getting on a train or a plane opens up a whole new experience, whether it’s to Europe or just upstate. There’s nothing like motion to shake things up.

Have a great one and if you’re a writer, get writing!

Chris

There are a few bands I’ve always wanted to see in concert. I was fortunate to get to the last show of The Police on their reunion tour in 2007. That was special. Seeing RUSH equals that. Madison Square Garden is a terrific venue.

In addition to the concert being an incredible fan experience (yes, I sang along to the songs and air drummed the fills in Tom Sawyer), seeing and experiencing their creative force in person was inspiring.

I will be engaging with a designer to revamp the site, but in the meantime, I thought I’d do some experimenting and see what I could do. Turns out a shocking amount of mischief and not much else. I am to computers what turtles are to space flight (someone’s going to tell me 37 turtles have been to space, but my point is the more ‘logical’ things are the less intuitive they seem to be). That said, I plan to continue until smoke starts to emanate from my computer at which time I’ll pop it into the fridge. We’ll both need to cool off at that point.

I have begun my quest to engage with summer. Don’t let my expression fool you, I was quite enjoying the park. I think I was looking like that because some squirrels were giving me the eye. In NYC, you have to look stern. Smiling is seen as a sign of weakness. Especially when it comes to squirrels.

I haven’t moved, gotten married, or anything else momentous, but I’ve been thinking more about how I approach my days. I’m not a summer person. Never enjoyed the heat or the beach. Some people gravitate toward certain times of the year, but it occurred to me that I’ve been largely writing off an entire season looking forward to autumn. This summer I am going to embrace it (well, I’ll start with a friendly pat on the shoulder) and take it from there.

I’ve also purchased a new laptop. I bought my last one ten years ago, so I think it gave excellent service. Of course, now it gets added to the pile of ancient laptops in the closet that I don’t know what to do with.

In keeping with my new approach, I’m going to be revamping the website. Well, I say I, but it will be a designer that does it. Oh, and finish my latest book at long last. More on that to come.

Cheers,

Chris