Archives for posts with tag: Running

Buffalo Marathon Sunday

May 31, 2026 //

And now finally the main reason we went on a road trip. There was a marathon for somebody to run! Fortunately, when we woke up early Sunday morning it was fairly dry. I say fairly because it did rain a bit during the marathon.

Buffalo Marathon starts at 6:30 in the morning near city hall. The route the race takes consists of three different “loops” each re-converging on downtown Buffalo. This made it easy for me as a spectator.

The first loop came up Delaware Avenue in front of The Westin where we were staying. This made it easy for me – I crawled out of bed just as Julia was leaving to head to the start line. By the time I arrived downstairs it was ten minutes before start time. I was able to cross the street and find a spot to cheer and so when she went by I yelled “Hey Julia!” She heard me even though I was on the opposite side of the street.

The race headed north for three miles, looped through a neighborhood, and then came back south – in front of the hotel again. This gave me the opportunity to attempt to get coffee. Unfortunately, everybody else and their brother decided to line up in front of SPoT coffee as well yet SPoT was not budging on their 7am opening time. As the day before had not gone well with a 5k running outside the front door once I realized it would only be the two employees who hadn’t been in the best of spirits the day before – AND they were NOT planning to open the doors until at least 7:15 – I abandoned and went back to the hotel room and made Hotel Room Coffee. Ugh.

My next cheering spot was about five blocks away from here. Once the course returned to City Hall it took a turn to the northwest and looped around one of the west side neighborhoods and went out along a waterfront park. I missed catching Julia here as I had taken another trip to the hotel room but I did catch her again when she returned. Then I relocated two miles further along the course – a decent half mile jog to get there – where I caught her returning from the waterfront where we ran Saturday morning.

She came running over to me at that point. “My phone is dead,” she told me.

“What???”

“My phone is dead,” and she held it out.

Then she started running away because I was not getting it.

Somehow in that five second window of time I realized she wanted me to charge her phone. And meet her further along the course. I did my mental calculations where I realized that even though the train wasn’t running and likely buses were not either that this was a town where I could easily get my car out of the garage and drive completely around the race course without running into traffic impediment and meet her…. Well, I was at mile 11 and I knew where to find her at mile 17.

“Hey, wait!” She gave me her phone.

So, I ran the mile back to the hotel. I figured that I needed to get to the hotel in about ten minutes, spend no less than ten minutes inside (charging the phone), spend about 15-20 minutes driving and parking, and then be in place to hand it back to her at I think it was 9:15am.

I was correct on my calculation. However, I went into the hotel and put the phone on the charger for five minutes, found my charged battery pack, hooked the phone up to THAT, and went down to the garage. Without my car keys! Back inside again.

Then I had to get out of the garage down a closed street which meant I had to drive on the sidewalk.

Here is our hero through the trees in Delaware Park just past Mile 17 at 9:19am! She was thankful – I managed to charge the phone to nearly 50% in an hour. Neither of us knows why it went dead.

Less than half a mile up the park roadway there was another junction point where the race course comes together. Next to the bluegrass band tent above there was a park refreshment stand which had coffee so I was able to replenish. Here it did start drizzling a bit but it wasn’t too miserable. After Julia passed here (Mile 21 at that point) I jogged back to my car (another mile…) and drove back towards the hotel.

I actually managed to catch her twice more, an all time record for me. On the drive back I came upon a traffic circle which was closed on one side for the marathon so I jumped out of the car here and cheered her and a number of the others on (they all looked familiar at this point as I had seen them all seven times thus far). And then when I parked at the hotel (back over that sidewalk again) I hopped outside just as she and the others were coming down Delaware Avenue.

She finished the race and we went back to The SPoT for coffee. Fortunately a third person had come in. Lunch was two pizzas from Frankie Primo’s +39 as takeout.

Naps were had all around and then Julia woke me up saying, “I feel like going for a walk. Do you feel like going for a walk?” Who goes walking after running 26.2 miles? Nobody I know.

The weather was beautiful by Buffalo standards for the end of May. It was dry and warm. As you can see the streets were reopened as well.

We made our way out to the seaport park hoping to eat outside at the marina tiki bar. Unfortunately they did not have their outdoor area open so we abandoned and walked back towards the hotel instead, ending up at Big Ditch Brewery.

And finally I had wings.

Tags adventure, coffee shop, culinary, food, Running, travel, travel-blog, urban exploration

Categories Buffalo and the Finger Lakes May 2026, Road Trips, Running, travel

Day 2 – things learned on a sea day off the coast of Chile

January 11, 2026 //

So today was a good sea day if a bit busier than I would normally hope to be on a sea day. Things I learned today –

If we order room service for delivery at 6am they will actually show up close to 6am.
All of the treadmills are in use by 7am; only one of us was able to run this morning and she spent 2 1/2 hours on the treadmill. Not certain if anybody stuck around long enough to notice.
The fitness instructor doesn’t care if people doing yoga want to stay balanced on both sides.
HAL likes to focus on meal pacing. Tonight they asked us if they were pacing our meals properly or if we would like to go faster or slower.
Even with a beverage package they want you to sign – sporadically, part of the time.
The cable boxes (IPTV converters) freeze when the WiFi freezes, or when Elon Musk coughs, but they can be rebooted from the hallway.

All in all, we’re beginning to understand why Holland America cruisers are so loyal. Whenever you ask someone to do something, if it’s within their authority and they have time and energy, they do it. People have been so helpful. Tonight, we had a couple of additional chairs delivered to our cabin so now we can host parties. We bought a beverage beyond the limit of our package and they told us not to worry about it. They handled our query about fixed dining perfectly – and followed up, both from the concierge and the maître d’. In short, it sounds like they were trying to tell us to “just use Club Orange and dine whenever we want.” We decided “we’d rather depend on having the same waiter every night and having the same spot near the window.” And they’re smart enough to tell us the Club Orange menu now (they were before, we just had not asked).

We had a couples massage this morning. Swedish massage. We both fell asleep in the middle. The upsell was moderate to heavy, probably because they know we are suckers sometimes. We also enjoyed the large hot hydrotherapy pool mostly to ourselves – picture loungers in the water with jets and bubbles; this is where we will be when we get chilled from watching for penguins flying in boats.

We also went to the Cruise Critic meet and greet, where people clapped when I said “this is the longest we’ve taken off work in three decades…”. I met one of the cruisers who was staying at the Sheraton Thursday night who was having fits with the excursion crew in Santiago Thursday night. He was actually at the winery at the same time we were at an earlier time (I wish he were in our crew because he’s an interesting guy).

We’re all settled in for another twenty days here.

So, because I couldn’t get on the treadmill this morning I walked several laps on the promenade instead this morning even though it was windy and cold. I met a man who lives on the same road as my parents – he grew up “back home.” Turns out he lived for 17 years about six blocks from where we live in Arlington. What a small world.

Because I couldn’t do the treadmill I decided I either need to get up tomorrow morning for treadmill time or I needed to do it this afternoon. I went this afternoon instead (it’s rare for me to get motivated for this on vacation). I watched The Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix while running a few miles. In this show whales act as a metaphor for Attorney Woo helping her analyze life as an autistic attorney. Whenever she has a brainstorm, or a deep thought which breaks the wall of autistic thought patterns, she sees whales or dolphins, usually splashing out of the ocean. Today, I had a pleasure of watching the whales with the ocean as a backdrop.

Reporting in on logistical matters –

People dress nice-ish on dressy nights on HAL scenic cruises. Nobody is messy but there are not too many dresses and we didn’t see too many tuxedos. The split between suits and just a dress shirt seemed to be about 60/40 towards a suit. Not too many people wore ties either (myself included; I’ll send photos sometime as I look perfectly presentable and professional without a tie).

Dressy night got us a few extra menu options. Tonight’s steak options were a tenderloin and a NY Strip Steak. Orange menu got us a braised short rib. I had “rack of lamb” which consisted of two thick lamb chops. They were good and didn’t taste like they were sent from New Zealand so they may have actually been brought on the ship in Santiago. At lunch today I had crab Louie salad.

We played blackjack for a bit this afternoon, losing more than winning but having a good time. We likely won’t play again for a few days as the next two are port days.

Tonight, after calling the cable guy, we’re watching football. We sent out laundry today and I called my kid to have a difficult conversation. It’s almost as if we’re at home. Well, we do our own laundry at home.

Weather – cold and damp this morning, upper 50s (14C). Warm and sunny this afternoon, around 70 (21C) but with nice warm sun. I sat shirtless in the sun a bit and became a little pink. Tomorrow…. I frankly have no idea but it looks like upper 50s and “chance of a shower.” People report that weather can be highly variable in Puerto Montt and Puerto Chacabuco. we’ll see.

17,947 steps today. Not enough sleep last night so we shall be sleeping soon.

Tags adventure, antarctica-experience, cruise-blogging, cruise-experience, cruise-foodie, cruise-life, food, Foodie, relaxation travel, Running, travel

Categories South America - Antarctica January 2026, travel

Santiago Day 2 – with logistical recommendations

January 9, 2026 //

So it has been a long day.

Today we chose to wake up early and go for a run. The Sheraton is near the park along the river here so we decided to run on the trails along the river. If you’re a runner or a cyclist it’s actually quite nice. It’s a bit disjointed around the business district as there are a lot of street crossings but once you get nearly a mile north past South America’s tallest building it becomes a proper suburban trail with room for runners and cyclists. When we first hit the trail at 7am it was pretty quiet. By the time we returned near 8am it was busy with bicycle commuters as well as a moderate amount of joggers.

On our return to the neighborhood around the hotel we discovered a random Gandhi memorial.

One of the things I like to do when visiting major cities is to, well, go for a run. And after the run rather than enjoy the free or paid hotel coffee, I tend to find a local coffee or espresso bar. Today was no exception. After a shower we headed out into the Providencia neighborhood to find an espresso bar.

We found a great place called Bafel’s Coffee which opened at 9am (translation – they don’t do an early espresso here). Bafel’s provided me with a proper latte and “Mediterranean eggs” which I translated as “a proper shakshuka, albeit with American-style bacon.” After Bafel’s, thanks to the wonders of modern technology I spent ninety minutes on Zoom with my kid’s therapy group talking about supports needed back home, so, yeah, that used up some of the day, but nonetheless I am happy I wasn’t doing it from the ship.

Sometime yesterday we decided we were going to take the gondola up Santuario Cerro San Cristobal rather than try to walk or run up it; honestly, until The Boss said it sounded like fun I didn’t have a huge amount of interest. Nonetheless the view was amazing at the top and it was about a quarter of the price of similar attractions at home.

Gondola – or cable car as the locals call it

On our way there we bumped into a few members of my mother’s cruising group who recommended we visit a restaurant at the bottom of the mountain because “they served us a whole bowl of whipped cream when we asked for cream.” We did, but we did not ask for cream. Instead I asked for a Flat White. And beef.

So, I’m going to write about this in more depth, likely when I return home. We visited the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos aka the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. It may become clear why I’m waiting to write about it. It’s a very interesting experience and quite thought provoking especially in the current environment, but it may leave you feeling melancholy. And it’s open a little later than we expected, until 6pm, which came in handy as we were running out of time. I had hoped to go to jazz tonight but for purposes of maintaining rest and readiness I decided we should hold off unless we had a proper siesta which we did not. Instead, we were re-packing this evening and settling down so we do not exhaust ourselves tomorrow.

Dinner was outdoors at one of the hotel restaurants (there are four it seems). I had Chilean oysters and a rockfish crudo along with a Carmenere red wine. My mother and one of her friends joined us.

Logistically –

– The restaurants at the Sheraton can get busy or even close when there are conventions. The poolside restaurant closes if there is a chance of rain as they grill outdoors.

– Uber works great here and is 100% legal. It is about a quarter of the price of home. I’ve been ordering Uber Black for half the price of UberX at home. If you’re curious, the two cars we ordered were both made in China – an SUV built by the company that is “Great Wall Automotive” and another one built by Chery.

– The Human Rights Museum is a 30 minute ride in busy traffic.

– Ask the server in restaurants if tip is included. It often is. In the hotel they told us to write “yes” if we want to tip the included amount. In one case elsewhere I provided the recommended tip and also gave a 2,000 peso (about $1.80) note. In cafes I have been rounding up the dollar amount – by about 15 to 20 cents.

– Around the Plaza des Armas, the Presidential Palace, in the grand parks, and other areas which look and feel safe and are otherwise guarded, don’t wear jewelry – anything that can be snatched, whether it’s earrings, a chain around your neck or otherwise. In these neighborhoods the streets are busy but there are a lot of tourists. Pickpockets are there. There is one scam going around where someone splashes something on you and then an old man tries to help you by holding your bags while you clean up. Watch out for stuff like this. In the local, nicer neighborhoods you will see the locals walking around with phones stuffed down the waistline of their pants sticking out where it seems safer and likely is (and there is no police presence, unlike the places referenced above). Three people on our cruise so far have reported being robbed or otherwise on various groups.

– At the airport if you need a taxi see the taxi counter IN THE AIRPORT and follow their instructions.

– Bring Chilean Pesos. It’s safer at local establishments than using a card. At non-tourist establishments, if you stop somewhere randomly, they do not have provisions for dollars.

Now to rest, until tomorrow.

Tags adventure, coffee, espresso, Foodie, gondola, latte, relaxation travel, restaurant, Running, shakshuka, travel, travel-to-south-america, vacation

Categories Foodie, Running, South America - Antarctica January 2026, travel, Travel Logistics

Christmas 2025

December 26, 2025 //

Christmas this year was peaceful. We had conversations by phone with family starting with Tyler, my 14 year old, calling me at 5:30am. I was sound asleep in the dark and my watch started vibrating. I woke up with a start and realized the phone was ringing so I rolled over and grabbed it. Tyler on FaceTime. “Oh, so you ARE up,” bright and happy! I was expecting could not sleep or upset about something, but nonetheless I was in the dark and a couple of teens were wide awake at their mother’s house and ready to interrogate me…

“Yes, I’m up now, but I’m going back to sleep.”

The next time they called us we were out on our Christmas run.

In my house we run separately except on Christmas and on major holidays, so today was the day. Usually we go down the National Mall from Lincoln past the White House and to the Capitol and back, but neither one of us wanted to see “that part of the town” in the current circumstances so we parked on Ohio Drive and ran south to Haines Point and back opposite the Wharf.

The Wharf in DC is a newly-redeveloped waterfront area of hotels, condominiums, restaurants, and nightlife. We head down there a few times a year for various events. Even though it’s a hassle and it’s overpriced, we usually enjoy it. Near the Wharf there was a flock of geese loitering.

Our run ended basically at the Jefferson Memorial which has always been my favorite as there are fewer crowds and it has a view over the Tidal Basin.

A lot of the seawall near the Jefferson Memorial is under construction and to be replaced, hopefully all the way down to Haines Point. They’ve built a temporary concrete plant next to the MLK Jr Memorial to handle all of this.

Anyway, after this we went home where we had mimosas and omelettes.

One of the more interesting gifts I received was a book of useless information. I haven’t read through it yet as I am busy reading a novel about Antarctica and flipping through Antarctic cruise guides.

As I was awake at 5:30am, the afternoon involved a nap.

For dinner I made Paul Hollywood’s fish pie with pastry crust from his cookbook Baked. And then we topped off the evening with a longer than usual dog walk down to our neighborhood landmark Alcova House.

Alcova House was the farmhouse of the original property on the land where we live. The owners sold the land off to the Alcova Improvement Company in 1920 at which point individual parcels were sold over the next couple of decades to people wishing were build. This practice, unlike some of the neighboring communities where the developer owned the land and homes built were consistent, led to the hodgepodge we have here today. We have a mix of ramblers, 1920s Cape Cods, small cottages that sat on large wooded lots back in the day, and infill development.

On our particular lot, many of the houses are built on lots that are three hundred feet deep and fifty feet wide, like half of a football field. Ours, however, is part of a lot that was diviced two or three times over the past hundred years. Our rear neighbor’s house was built in 1989 off of an eight-sided parcel that was taken from our lot. Our house was built in 1992 after the previous house on the lot – a house built in the 1920s that sat on the rear lot line – burned down due to a maze of extension cords catching on fire.

Thus, a hodge podge.

We’ll see what I get into this week. Today it’s time to start packing.

Tags christmas-experience, christmas-run, holiday-running, home, Running

Categories family, Foodie, Home Life, nostalgia, Running, Travel Logistics