How will you travel bus, train or car?

My weekend ride to Jersey got me thinking about local travel and modes of travel in the city. Getting to or from point A or B is a must, how we do it, given several factors, makes a difference. There is a difference in cost to you, personally and the vehicle; your cost which include anxiety and frustration from traffic congestion, crazy drivers, no parking and parking tickets, pollution and the vehicle operating costs. Then for the vehicle, also your cost, is the ever rising cost of operating the vehicle; fuel cost, wear and tear and upkeep, insurance and pollution. Depending on where you live and what you do regularly, operating a vehicle might be the only sensible thing to do to get from point A to/from B.

Some of us have options and can make about modes of travel. I do a lot of driving back and forth to work and other activities – living. When I don’t have to drive, I try to get ‘there’ without paying attention to the road; the hustle and bustle of traffic and crazy drivers. I take the train, bus or subway and get a little exercise in the process. Taking long trips can also be a chore for me. If I am going alone and without much load/luggage, you bet I’m going mass transit, if it is available or if it makes sense in terms of availability and travel time.

Mass transit is not perfect, far from it. It has its own set of challenges and can also be very frustrating but it could be a good option. Some folks insists that it is better to use own transportation because it is faster, more comfortable and safe from vagrants. You can relax, stop if you like, for as long as you like, listen to music, talk on the phone, etc, etc. The time and the convenience are huge, but weigh the cost/value in the long run.

As I said earlier, If I want to chill out but get to point B or A, I may hit the bus stop or the subway/train station. It’s easy, relatively cost effective and does the trick. If I have to travel long distance, say a weekend visit for example, how I choose to go will depend on where and when I am traveling.

Mass transit is ramping up to get our attention and they are doing a great job. Why with double-decker trains and buses, and other expansions and improvement to the transit systems nationwide, we have several nice options to choose from. I was so taken with the double-decker trains only to find out that this is actually a re-introduction of them in some places. From my quick and sloppy research I see that the double-decker trains have been in business since the 1940’s, maybe earlier. The London Transport double-decker trains operated for about 22 years, retiring in 1971. I didn’t check to see if they were the first or only outfit operating at the time. (sloppy research). I see that in many other countries however, they have been operating and still going strong. Our Amtrak has a few in their fleet as well.

Today we are seeing the resurgence of them here. A new low cost inter state special run trains, Acer just came on the scene, and other commuter lines. We’ve known of and appreciated double-decker tour buses in the city. I know in London, England, those red double-decker buses are as famous as Piccadilly Square. Many countries around the world are also using double-decker buses as well for commuters from the UK to Canada, Malaysia to Japan, Germany to Ghana and many other countries.

Here in my fair city, we use double-decker buses as tour buses and now more and more we are seeing them for interstate travel as well, but they are different colors. I also found out that double-decker buses were the way to go along Fifth Avenue up until 1953. Unfortunately they tried to return them to the fleet in the 1970’s but they didn’t catch on. They are trying again though. I haven’t been on a double-decker bus for regular travel yet. I still think of them as sightseeing buses. How will you travel?

Driving saves time – it is quicker; less stops and delay from passengers getting on and off. You also go directly to your destination, not passing your destination point, in some cases, only to go some distance away then find your way back. So the lack of movement and freedom, extra time back to the destination, slow downs from stops to pick up and discharge passengers and limited space, driving might seem like a better alternative. The cost in terms of fuel and tolls, wear and tear on the driver and vehicle as well as the environmental factors are greater considerations for a solo trip, but maybe more beneficial for a group to take private vehicle.

Mass transit works out because it is like a carpool. You get better economy with a group. The cost of the ticket, relaxation with personal entertainment, stress free travel; no struggle through traffic, crazy driving, watching for speed traps, less pollution etc. This works for me!

I guess it all works out if you think in terms of your health and wellness; your psyche, and the benefits to the environment. The environment plays a major role in your quality of life- health and wellness- not to mention preservation of our world. Mass trans - 'it' when you can, for the good of it all. So, how will you travel, bus train or car?!

Check out these beauties!

British Double-decker bus

New York City Double-decker
NY Times photo, 5th Ave, 1953.

Inside the coach
Double-decker commuter train

Yellin photo, NJT
Alaska double-decker

Belgium double-decker train
Double decker in Japan

Japan

Megabus interstate travel

NYC Sightseeing tour bus

For more information on these photos or for more details on double-decker buses and trains visit

http://www.yellins.com/transporthistory/rail/ddtrain.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/23/nyregion/23buses.html
http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11320051.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-decker_bus

My Weekend Outing on a Double Decker Train

Penn Station at Trenton,NJ.

Have you seen the new double decker train’s on the New Jersey Transit Lines? I didn’t even know they had these multi level trains until this weekend. I traveled to the Garden State this weekend to visit family. I was going alone or just two of us on this trip so I didn’t want to drive. The train was the next best option for this trip, so we went for it. I like the trains but haven’t used them in years.

When the kids were younger, we did a lot of travel by Amtrak along the North East corridor. The kids loved it. The trains were a good value then and took us closer to our destination than the buses. Of course driving was the most convenient but it was too tricky for me traveling long distance by road with the two young ones. On the train they had my undivided attention and the trains had all of the conveniences we needed. The trip to the station and the train ride with the kids was an excursion all its own.

We got the outbound train as scheduled. It was the regular old run of the mill train that we used to take back in the day. It cost a whole lot more now, and that did not go over too well with us. It was fine though, all things being what they are. The train was clean, comfortable and traveled at a nice speed. The stations where we boarded and exited were renovated and looked quite welcoming. Despite the crowds in the station, the train car wasn’t crowded but then again it was a very long one. We left the station on time and arrived at the destination on time. This was very good.
On the way back we were in for a big surprise. We had a new double-decker train. Wow! I did not know they existed. We looked at the train with glee and quickly chose an entryway. I thought to myself, I have to get pictures. The train was almost ready to depart when we boarded so I thought I would take some shots when we got into our station. We were going to the last stop on this train. And as usual, I forgot to take pictures even though we were the last ones to get out of our car.

So to tell the story, I did an internet search to see if I could find some photos to show you. You know a picture paints more words than I have time for. In looking for pictures, I realized that there were quite some publicity and events about the trains and the launch that just passed me by, last December. There was even a mishap cause by the height of the train that led to some major delays on the rail system. I vaguely remember a story about this but didn't pay attention to the details. Thanks to you I’ve learned a few things about the train and how the folks feel about them and the NJT. Thesee trains are said to be more roomy and carries more people than the old model trains even thought they had a row of 3 seat on one side of the aisle.

We got on the train with the excitement of kids. Where do you want to sit? Upstairs or down stairs, we asked each other. Upstairs won out! We went up the 4 or 5 steps and took our seat. It was a very nice ride. It seems to have good shocks, we remarked, because the car didn’t rock and roll as much as the outbound train did. Maybe because it was still new and in factory condition.

I like this idea of making trains to accommodate large groups of people comfortably, on each schedule. Since the move is toward increasing the utilization of mass transit, it is very good that the transit authorities are making the vehicles more appealing and comfortable for the passengers. You bet we will use it again, and again. Just hold on to the cost per ride, it pinched!

NJ Transit information and train picture sources.
http://davidgaw.typepad.com/cuzwesaidso/2006/12/nj_transits_new.html
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061219/BIZ/612190301
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NJ_Transit_Multilevel_7014_on_Train_6651.jpg
http://www.esparail.org/images/uploads/Interior_NJT_Multi_Level_Car_thumb.jpg

Can you name this mystery Fruit?

Name this fruit

I visited my cousins this weekend. We haven't seen each other for over 8 years. They invited us over and as I wrote last week, we need to include family and friends into our lives more. here's my chance. In this case we haven't visited for quite some time so to be true to the comments, we went. Even though we have had conversations about visiting, it just got lost behind all of the everyday goings on of life. We had a great time and realized how much we've missed out on. This was trulya treat!

As we sat around visiting, I saw my cousin fumbling around with this little brown thing between her fingers. I watched as she cracked the object by pressing it between her fingers, pulled some of the fruit off and put it in her mouth. I asked her what it was and she said Tamarind. Wow Tamarind, I said. I haven't seen this in years. She offered me some and I gladly accepted and took them home.

This was very good and timely for me.

As I put together the Plaza Chronicles, I thought I would include a segment or a post called mystery fruit or vegetable. I thought of doing this because I see a few items that are unique or rare or new to me and I thought I would share and perhaps discuss with you. So this is a real excellent opportunity to get this idea off the scratch pad.

So I arranged my fruit on a plate for the shots and did some Internet research for details for you. This is a picture of the flowering of the fruit and other pictures from wikipedia.

Like the mangoes I wrote about recently, tamarind is a tropical fruit that has many uses. Tamarind is originally from East Africa and was introduced so many years ago to India and has become known as the Indian date. It is widely available in the tropics. The tamarind was also introduced to the Egyptians and Greeks in the 4Th century and the Greeks named it finger.
Tamarind is said to belong to the bean family and looks something like a snow pea but thicker with the 'bean' much bigger. When ripe it is dark brown and the pod becomes hard but can be cracked easily with your fingers. The bean has a thin covering which is the meat of the tamarind and covers a hard black seed.

Tamarind is eaten when dry or ripened to a dark brown color and can be sweet, and sour and is quite acidic.
It is eaten right out of its shell or made into a paste and can be reconstituted with water. Tamarind is used as spice to flavor many dishes and also made into drinks, including Asian specialities. The leaves are used for medicines and the fruit also has other uses including some household chores. Fortunately, the ones I got from my cousin were very sweet, not at all tart or sour.

Tamarinds are available now in many stores and in the farmers markets or organic food stores. I like it straight out ot the shell! You may be enjoying it in some of your favorite dishes or drinks or jst like me, natural. If not you should try it too, its great!

For those of you who know the tamarind and have a special or favorite recipe for it please share it with us.

Have a fresh bowl of fruit for snack instead

The Plaza Chronicles 2!

Today I planned to take pictures for you at The Plaza where I spend time these days to enjoy the weather during my mid-day break. I wanted you to see what makes it unique and wonderful to visit and just sit around. Earlier I showed you the beautiful mangoes I had from the plaza. Now that all of the seasonal fruits are in full bloom and available at several carts, you have to see the place. Well, guess what? I forgot the camera. I don’t seem to do well with taking the camera along.

So anyway I was trying to figure out what to do today to complete this plan. Do I buy a cheapo camera or maybe just delay the shots until Monday. I was leaning towards next week to get the pictures and talk about fruits and vegs in the Plaza until I went through an email from a listserve. I encountered this awesome display of fruits and vegetables in a report I just read. This suits me fine and is exactlly what I was interested in and needed to be reminded of. The author, Judy, invites sharing so I will do just that.

I think adults, especially ones with grown children or children out of the home, need to be reminded and refocused on the priorities and importance of eating sensibly. The report also provided tips and instructions about having the right stuff around the house in handy places. I personally need to do this because I reach for anything and everything in sight to out in my face as I get home in the evenings. Indeed the remedy for that is not to have all the junk around, period.

As you know I have been talking about the need to loose weight. It is really essential for me at this point but I am still only paying lip service to it. Well, I’ve been cutting down on the sweets and eating more fruits but I am still over indulging on everything else. I really need a swift kick to get going full speed ahead.

So as I read this particular email from Food and Health Communications, I found the solution to my picture dilemma of the morning. This email covers some points I wanted to make and needed to hear. The report is intended for parents with young children, and the entire family, and focus on healthy eating and fitness. Thanks Food and Health Communications for this guidance and direction. It is very timely!

Below is a section of the report written by Judy. The newsletter was circulated on the listserve because Judy just completed Part 3 of a 3 part report and study about nutrition and physical activity in children. Please check out the report to learn more. They also have this great widget that you can obtain. You can see a copy of the widget here on the side bar.

Here is a copy of a portion of the report, copy and paste.

Above is a beautiful photo of summer tree fruit I just shot with a new camera for an online food photo class that I am taking. I wanted to post it for you here to show how just a little bit of effort – to make healthy food accessible and attractive – will have everyone in your house eating better. All we did here was to rinse the fruit and arrange it in a bowl. While I would store it in the refrigerator, quite a bit disappeared while the bowl was on the counter!

Stock up on seasonal produce items that have great eye appeal and good prices. This means fresh fruits and vegetables!

Seasonal fruit –
Now is the time to stock up on more fruit and less packaged snacks! Or to visit a farmer’s market to spruce up the daily routine and keep everyone interested and excited about new ingredients and healthy eating. It is best if you prepare the fruits so they are ready to grab and eat in the refrigerator.

Use this checklist – and change up the items you buy each week to keep it fun/fresh/new:

____ cherries

____ berries

____ peaches

____ plums

____ melons

____ mangos

____ grapes

____ nectarines
Seasonal vegetables

– Tomatoes, corn, zucchini and potatoes can be used all week in a variety of meals and dishes. Plan meals with vegetables as the star. Keep baby carrots on hand for snacking.

Put the healthiest food items in the easiest “see and reach” spots in your pantry and refrigerator.

We recently configured the refrigerator to have yogurt, baby carrots and fresh fruit on the most visible middle shelf. Juice and water are the easiest to reach drinks. And there are plenty of leftover meals and ingredients for healthful snacks on hand.

Buy less “junk food” and store it out of site or in hard-to reach places. Eventually you will find yourself eating less of it and buying less of it over time.

Fruit Snacks – Chiquita has a selection of Fruit Bites, which are bite-sized pieces of fruit in a snack type bag. They look like bags of packaged chips and cookies, but they contain fruits like grapes and apple slices and are just 40 calories per bite. The wow factor with kids makes the price worth it and we are wondering if it will eventually help convert them to more fruit for lunch, snacks, and on the go treats?

Yogurt - Yogurt is another great choice to help get enough servings of milk foods and the portable containers and wonderful flavors help them get eaten!
Whole grain cereals- Use these to top fruit treats or to put on top of baked fruit cobblers and yogurt. What a great and healthy way to add crunch and whole grains to your diet!

Yeah, we can and will all benefit from these ideas. Check out their website to see all the wonderful pictures of fruits and vegetables at http://foodandhealth.com/blog/

This is a great site and newsletter with loads of information on fitness and nutrition with very useful resources for parents and teahers. Check it out! I am so happy that the report came to me today. I have bookmarked it and will returnn to it often.

A conversation about families

The Plaza Chronicles

As I sat in the Plaza at lunch time, enjoying the beautiful weather, watching people come and go, shop, greet others or just sit and eat lunch, I was joined by a male bus driver. I sat there to enjoy the weather - some fresh air outside of our glass dome I call work place - by myself. The Plaza is also a hub for several bus lines. The bus operators hang out on the benches in the plaza for lunch or just to stretch during their break between runs. I wanted to just tune out for a minute.

After about 10 minutes in this spot, my second spot for the period, the driver came over with his food and said, “I am going to share your table." Sure, I exclaimed. He opened up his container, poured his soda in a cup over ice, glanced at his watch and proceeded to pray over his food. At the end of his prayer he turned to me and said "I was raised this way.” I said, “Very good, it is very nice that you not only remember that but you practice it.” With that said, we got into a conversation about families, the activities, raising kids, expectation and the breakdown of the family as a unit today.

We went back and forth exchanging ideas and thoughts as to why this is so, while he ate and watched his watch to monitor his time. We even discussed the weather and the rainy states and family times like the summer picnics. So what’s wrong with the family as a unit? Why are families not together, they don't do things together and relationships so strained? We both recalled the fun and the frequency of our family get-togethers and visits on weekends, not for a special occasion, but because we are family. We enjoyed seeing each other, exchanged ideas, made plans and just relax and enjoy each others company. Sometimes a scolding or a “straightening” out or two occurred, lovingly.

We didn’t come up with any answers this day as to why the breakdown but we certainly threw around some ideas or reasons we thought were some causes, some we’ve used and accepted as excuses.

As he left, I though more about the discussion and realized what a blessing it is to get together with friends and families. It really is so special to be able to spend time with family and friends. I remember how powerful it was when we had 3 sometimes 4 generations of my family in one room/house and the fun we had, even if you were the one on the hot seat. No matter what was going on or who had issues, we would walk away feeling good, some getting some things they needed or a new view on things and life. Some of us were just happy to be able to relax and watch the kids interact with the relatives, learning their history and learning life lessons. I miss those days.

My family is now all over the place and the elders are leaving us one by one. We just fall into the easy route of the occasional phone call or occasional and sometime accidental visit and the special celebrations and traditional events.

When my kids were younger it was always a joy and pleasure to go to grandma’s house for the weekend. Everyone converged on grandmas’ house on the weekends, even long time friends come by to hang out. We even did a lot of things together like going to the park, vacations, shopping together or for each other and freely and willingly shared so everyone was involved. It was great and we admired and enjoyed the majesty of the earth and our world. It was a blessing!

We need to find the blessings in sharing, encouraging, spending time with each other, together, in person again. Rekindling the sense of belonging, the family unit that supports, encourages, love and forgives. I implore all of us to return to family and start living again. Invite or contribute to others, the single, the loveless, the lonely, and the old and be a part of the rebuilding of our community for posterity.
Find the blessings in sharing
Find the blessing in giving
Find the blessing in loving one another
Find the blessing in lending a helping hand
And your life will be enriched
Your life will be a blessing
You will be blessed!

Coming together, caring for each other, about each other is an action that keeps on giving. That is a blessing!