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I've arrived in Amsterdam, after a pleasant flight (Business class was great - it made all the difference). A porter at Schipol airport helped me manage all six suitcases and get through customs, then took me to the meeting point where my driver was waiting. Interestingly, he smelled of liquor at 07:30. Nonetheless, he got me to my hotel safely and I was happy to find that my room was available at the Gresham Memphis hotel. It is very nice, unfortunately the bed is a little hard but the great location easily makes up for that.
After a brief rest and a shower I decided to head out exploring. I'm only a few blocks from Museumplein ("Museum Square") which is beautiful. I haven't been in any of the museums yet, but I look forward to going soon.
Past Museumplein toward Centrum was nothing but one beautiful street after another. I felt like I was walking around in Disneyland or some kind of movie set. The canals are full of commercial tours and private groups out enjoying the beautiful weather. In front of historic mansions there are weeping willow trees whose branches skim the water. It's like nothing I've ever seen before, and I can't wait to keep exploring.
Next I wandered into Vondelpark which reminded of a college campus, or Dolores Park in San Francisco on a sunny day. Small groups of people parked their bicycles in piles and gathered on blankets to drink wine and eat snacks. The park was so crowded I thought there must be an event happening, but it turned out the main attraction was the sunny afternoon. Given Amsterdam's reputation for tolerance I would have expected more neo-hippies, but there were actually very few. I didn't see anyone strumming guitars, playing bongo drums, or hula-hooping. I'm not sad about that. Also, people are remarkably clean. They take care to avoid leaving trash, and pick up after their dogs.
In one of the ponds within Vondelpark I saw a pair of Mallard ducks. I was surprised how comforting a couple of ducks could be to a person who actively hates birds. I mean I REALLY hate birds. About a month ago I was in Washington, DC and Fabian and I noticed a pair in the reflecting pool. Of course, they are also common in Eastern Oregon as well as Montana. The buildings, the streets, the cars, the stores, the food, even the plants are new and different; and so it is nice that some things are the same. Unfortunately, there are also Pigeons - but they're less aggressive than in San Francisco. There are new birds too, something that looks a bit like a crow, but with blue eyes instead of red. I'm not sure what they are but they seem to mind their own business and so I don't actively hate them...yet.
In the afternoon I met with Guido, a housing agent who specializes in expat rentals. He drove me around the Centrum area and showed me five different places. I fell in love with two different apartments, each on a different canal. The first was on Keizersgracht. The living room overlooks a beautiful garden, and the bedroom overlooks the canal. The second was on the ground floor and had a huge, recently remodeled bathroom and it's own private garden. The first was sunny and bright, full of energetic yet peaceful noises. The second was perfectly serene - on the ground floor and facing away from the street, painted with muted colors and almost silent. I chose the first and hopefully they accept our offer, I could me moving in within the next week.
Later I ventured out again in search of some food. My internal clock is still off so I wasn't particularly hungry, but I figured it would be good to eat anyway. I found an Italian restaurant with outdoor seating on a busy corner - perfect for people watching. After dinner I meant to make my way back to the hotel but ended up getting lost and walking for a couple of miles in various (wrong) directions. The feeling was familiar, as many of my first days in San Francisco consisted of a similar schedule. However, I found Amsterdam seems safer. There are no homeless people panhandling, and no groups of young men loitering. Eventually I made it back to the hotel for some rest and to call my family to let them know I've arrived safely.
Please check out my photos on my Picasa site. Usually I add photos here in my blog but there are just too many beautiful things to see!
I arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday night and met with Brad's family for dinner at the Bellagio. Then we ventured out to Ghost Bar (which is at the Palms). The club is at the top of the building with a great view of the city. There is even a cut-out in a part of the floor which extends beyond the building so you can look straight down. Here we made friends with a guy named Michael from Chicago. He told us he was there alone so we invited him to join us. Next we headed to Moon, which is also part of the Palms, for some dancing. Before I knew it we found ourselves at Scores, which is highly over-rated and over-priced (like so many things, I found). At that point it was time to call it a night so we made our way back to our hotel, New York, New York.
On Friday we went to a bar under LAX called Noir - it is accessed via a hidden entrance and you have to be invited to get in. Once you enter there is a long, dimly lit hallway that eventually opens to a round room. In the center is a large, low hanging chandelier and along the walls are black leather benches. In the next room there are about 10 tables surrounded by plush black leather chairs and couches. Floating mirrors hang from high ceilings and the DJ is spinning house music. The place defines cool, and needless to say I was out of place! I'd have taken photos but our hostess Ebony informed us there are no cameras allowed - to protect the privacy of celebrities and other guests. I guess that's how they keep what happens in Vegas in Vegas!
One of many great things about Noir is the elevator to LAX. You get to bypass the entire line and get right in to the club. The vibe is totally different - it's loud and packed. Luckily Bradley happened to be dressed in all black so he pretended to be a security guard and pushed our way through with ease! We hung out in the main club for a while, but my aversion to crowds soon took over and I needed some space. Rather than leave, we simply went to the VIP lounge. Since we had been downstairs at Noir, they automatically let us in. Here is a photo of our new friends Brian and Rosemarie from the VIP lounge.
All in all, Vegas was crazy. I had a blast but it may be a while before I'm ready to go back!
I headed straight to Washington, DC for a conference afterward. Check out Fabian's Photos on Flickr, note the one where I kissed Barack Obama - I love that guy!
KPMG flew my mom and I to New York for a weekend to accept the Chairman's Award for Excellence in Volunteerism. I was nominated for the award by my colleagues for the work I have done with the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, Avon Foundation, Special Olympics of Northern California, Junior Achievement, Rebuilding Together Project, and other charities. I shared this honor with 26 others from across the US.
Mom flew into San Francisco on Friday evening and then we headed out Saturday morning for a stay at the fabulous New York Palace in mid-town. The weather was beautiful - crisp but not too cold (compared to my last trip in January). We saw the Broadway show Hairspray and several other sights: the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Ground Zero, Wall Street, Saks, and others. We both wished the trip could have lasted a little longer but it was a wonderful time.
Mom and I at Rockafeller Plaza:
In Times Square:
Before the show:
You can almost see the Statue of Liberty in the background:
With Tim Flynn, Chairman and CEO of KPMG (he's a very big deal!)
