Denver Colorado - Coors Field, Pepsi Center and Invesco Field

Dallas Plummer traveled to Denver Colorado the weekend of April 16th through April 19th and stayed at the Embassy Suites Aurora in Denver and had a pretty nice time. I did some internet stuff for a high voltage power supply company and a Marin County real estate firm.

The flight was too long especially since I was sitting next to a frolicking 3 year old who waited until I was in a deep sleep, to kick me or hit me on my elbow to wake me up. Embassy Suites did have a courtesy van, which picked me up at Denver International Airport and I was checked in to my room in less than 15 minutes from the time the flight landed.

Here is a photo of the Denver Colorado hotel I stayed in, which was Embassy Suites:





Here are photos of the room in the Embassy Suites Denver hotel I was at:


















I went to a fish fry on Saturday and I worked the grill and then afterward sat down and ate some steak, shrimp and crab stuffed mushrooms, so the day turned out quite nice. Here is a photo of my plate at the Denver fish fry:











On Sunday or the day of this writing, I went to downtown Denver or LoDo as the locals call it and I took photos of Coors Field, where the Colorado Rockies play, then to the Pepsi Center, where the Denver Nuggets live. I took a photo of Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos, off in the distance because I was not traveling that far to snap a photo. I did like the fact that each stadium is within walking distance of one another and the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains is pretty cool. Here are photos of Coors Field, the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field -- in that order:

















So there you have it. Denver Colorado is a pretty cool city to travel to and most of the major Denver tourist spots are within walking distance of one another. I recommend staying at the Embassy Suites Aurora because of its convenience and the complementary services that they provide for their guests. They are located at 4444 North Havana Street, Denver, Colorado, United States 80239. Tell them I sent you

Washington DC Hotel Video, Tourism, Travel and Restaurant Photos

I went down to Washington DC several times in the last few weeks and when traveling, it is my opinion that the less of a hassle it is to travel, the better the trip. For example, getting to an airport 2 or 3 hours prior to the plane taking off is a waste of time and if I have another option to travel other than airplane, I'll take it. Which is why, when I travel to Washington DC, I always opt to take Amtrak. I bring my laptop with me, my drink of choice and a few DVD's and in no time, the train is pulling in to Union Station in Washington. Just a note though: If you would like total quiet and don't want to be disturbed, Amtrak has a feature called a "quiet" car. This means that when you are in this car, library rules apply, that is, no loud talking, absolutely no cell phone conversations and no loud music.

One side thought though: When I travel, I pack underwear, socks, toothbrush, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste and maybe 2 pairs of jeans and a shirt or 2 which fits snugly in my knapsack, which also holds my laptop. This should hold me for 2 - 3 days. I have noticed people traveling down to Washington DC for like 2 days and they are lugging steamer trunks. Please be a knowledgeable traveler and don't draw attention to yourself as a tourist--pack your bags and luggage wisely and efficiently.

If you know you are going to travel to Washington DC or anywhere on the Northeast Corridor line (from Boston - New York - Philadephia - Washington DC), Amtrak features weekend specials where your trip may cost as low ast $49.00 one way and if you book your trip far enough in advance, you may realize further discounts. Amtrak also has a frequent traveler program called GuestRewards, which allows you to add points for future travel discounts.

Here is some video and a photo of Amtrak's premier train, the Acela:

Amtrak Acela Video




Amtrak Acela Train Photo



















So I leave Union Station and head on down to my hotel in Washington DC. I have a choice of two that I use, the first is the Embassy Suites on 22nd and M Street and the other is the Embassy Suites DC Convention Center Hotel.

Here are photos of the Washington DC hotel on 22nd Street.

Washington DC Hotel Bedroom Photo














Living Room Picture at Washington Embassy Suites Hotel













When I was in Washington and stayed at the DC hotel on 22nd Street, the first round of the NFL playoffs was going on, so I had to do a pre-pre-pre Super Bowl party and here are some of the furnishings:













The next morning, I headed out to the United States Supreme Court and took some video outside of the high court but I also took some video inside the court. So here you have the:

United States Supreme Court Video





At the Washington DC hotel on M Street, they had a large pool with some exotic fish, so I stopped by and took some video of the pool to show the design of this Washington DC hotel and to also show how family and tourist friendly this Washington hotel is. I did kind of get the heebie jeebies because the fish saw me there and they all swam over to me as if I was going to toss them some food. Here is the video:














It was now time to go out into the city of Washington DC and find a good restaurant. I'm not so much of a steak dude but I have ordered Italian, French and so-called Cajun food and either the food tasted like it was microwaved or it was too bland and over priced. So when I travel, I'm usually going to take the safe bet and do some kind of steak but lately I'm slowing down on the large cuts, such as over 20 ounces. So I found a good Washington DC restaurant on 7th Street called the Chop House. They had something called tenderloin tips, which was basically sliced steak with a nice saunce on it and they also had braised or roasted mushrooms, mashed potatoes and a salad. The food was decent and not expensive. Here are a few of the photos:


Salad and Cocktail at Washington DC Steak House Restaurant






Washington DC Steak Restaurant Photo of Tenderloin Tips and Mushrooms








The other Washington DC hotel that I stayed at was on 10th Street and near the Washington DC Convention Center. This Washington hotel is located closer to downtown Washington DC and closer to features such as the Smithsonian Institute, White House and Capitol Hill. The DC Convention Center hotel is near major restaurants and Washington DC's so-called Chinatown as well as the Verizon Center.

Here is the Washington DC Hotel Video which I created.











and when we travel, we decided to travel light, so here are some of the spirits we brought with us:





So there you have it. Traveling to Washington DC or any other city on the Northeast Corridor is easy to access and if you use some of the discounts or book your hotel and travel early, you will receive substantial travel discounts, whether it is a weekend getaway or if you are simply doing the travel and tourism thing.

New York City Super Bowl Party in New York City Hotel

The New York City Super Bowl party at the New York City Embassy Suites hotel was cool in that, there were no interruptions, there was good food and drink and it was not a crowded event. This New York City hotel is located in the heart of lower Manhattan and steps from the World Trade Center and Battery Park City. There rooms are extremely large and have a living room area, with a large flat panel television, sink, sofabed and a table with 3 chairs. The bedroom featured a king size bed, a table for work and a large flat panel television.

Living Room Area of New York City Hotel



With the hotel stay and for each night that you stay at this New York City hotel, there is a complimentary made to order breakfast every morning and a managers cocktail party, with complimentary drinks every evening. It is secure and it offers a very reasonable rate for the night considering that it is in New York City.

Here is the Bedroom of this New York City Hotel



We started taking a few pictures before the game started but when the game started we put the camera away. This is the first of the six packs that came into our hotel room at this NYC hotel but we did work a few beers.

Beers Chilling in Sink at NYC Hotel



The whole point is that we watched the game, no one was too drunk and we did the hotel room in case anyone who drove their car, needed to dry out or sleep it off before getting behind the wheel of their car. Embassy Suites is a very good New York City hotel and is a great place to stay when traveling to New York City or when doing the tourist thing.

New York StrapHanger Origin Video at NYC Transit Museum

Last month, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, we went to the New York City Transit Museum in Brooklyn New York on the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. I've always wondered why they refer to New York City subway riders as strap hangers and after my visit to the NY transit museum, I found out why. Check out the video below of the author, Dallas Plummer by his videographer, Dean Lewis, as he shows the origin of the term New York Straphanger.

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There were many more interesting points of interest at the transit museum such as the period ads in the subway cars, which were funny and interesting. Interesting things such as phone numbers way back when were preceded by lettering. For example, if you wanted to call somewhere in Manhattan, the lettering preceding the number might be MU5-3015, with the MU standing for Murray Hill and that being the neighborhood.




















This photo on a period New York City subway train shows the headlines and feelings of the time. This NATA ad was interesting.












Here is a video of the author of this blog post, Dallas Plummer, as he talks about old subway trains, subway lines and website design, his website www.seoposse.com making your website popular and search engine optimization, as he uses one of the period New York subway cars as his studio and office for this discussion. Stay tuned to this blog for additional video from the New York Transit Museum visit and discussions on the old New York City subways, transit and infrastructure of the time, including what IND, IRT and BMT means in the subway system, then and now. For more information on SEO and search engine optimization, visit the website www.seoposse.com

Mortgage Backed Securites, Foreclosures and Shady Real Estate Practices

Regarding mortgage backed securities, foreclosures and shady real estate practices, most reputable or successful Realtors in New York County, who are members of the Real Estate Board of New York (www.rebny.com) refer to the outer boroughs of New York City as the "Wild Wild West".

What do they mean? Well, if you look at some of the real estate offices in for example, Brooklyn and in particular, traveling up Nostrand Avenue from Crown Heights to Flatbush, you will see storefronts with awnings titled, "Real Estate Broker, Houses for Sale, We Pay Cash, No Money Down and in smaller lettering on the windows of the same storefront you will see, Notary Public, Immigration, Fax/Copies, Insurance, Mortgages". If you look in the office, there are perhaps two desks and one person sitting at that desk and is usually on the phone.

Maybe I'm wrong but if I am going to consummate a financial transaction with a stranger who seems to do it all, I would be wary that my interests are not going to be the prime driving force in this transaction. The shady real estate brokers in the outer boroughs would bring in a buyer, do a "credit check" and say that the credit is either not good or use the ole' gotcha, "we will work with you". If someones credit is not good, has little or no money to put down on a major real estate transaction, how do you "work with them?". It's really quite simple. Real Estate Brothers (fictitious) opens up a mortgage business separate from the real estate sales business--but only on paper. Real Estate Brothers will then share office space with a so-called new and separate entity titled "Real Estate Brothers Mortgage and Financial Services".

Now, when someone who needs to be "worked with" needs a favorable loan approval, are they sent elsewhere to secure their own loan? That makes no sense because the two separate entities are going to "work with" this home buyer (usually a first time home buyer). It should really be that they are going to "work over" this first time home buyer by securing a huge loan that the homeowner cannot possibly afford, with some sort of rate adjustment in the coming months, putting this home buyer on the fast track to foreclosure. But wait, our real estate broker even gets this home buyer to use an honest lawyer to assist with closing costs, etc. It doesn't stop there: appraisers, title insurance, building inspectors may all be in for the take.

About foreclosures: I have personally been approached by so-called reputable real estate brokers telling me that if they give me a foreclosure list and I go to the owners of these properties that are in danger of foreclosure and convince them to sell their homes to save their good credit, "I would get $5000 tax-free". Now, I don't know a very whole lot about financials, the stock market and such but $5000 tax free is knowing income tax evasion, which if brought into the mix of these large financial transactions, can lead to absolutely no good.

Well, what is one to do? I am very pleased that the US Federal Government has decided to bail out certain companies and homeowners who meet certain criteria. Why is that? Well, if the federal government put in one cent, they will look to re-coup their investment and they have thousands of kennels of law enforcement attack dogs who can now go after those who engaged in fraudulent and criminal behavior. I would dread having the FBI, IRS and US Postal Inspectors looking at me or my finances. Their money and resources are long and once the financial sector solidifies and settles down, I will be sitting in front of the US Court House with popcorn, watching the procession of shady people who brought this financial mess on.

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Another Good Steakhouse-Shula's 347 Grill - A Vikings Perspective

Last weekend, I traveled up to Providence Rhode Island to discuss some search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing techniques and opportunities with a colleague of mine.

I hopped about Amtrak for the train ride up there and lo and behold, Miss Daisy was driving the train - not her chauffeur Hoke--Miss Daisy herself. When I arrived in Providence and learned how to walk again, after having sat for so long, we met up and went to the Hilton in downtown Providence and I proceeded to show him link building, blogging and what a Google PageRank is and what are the factors to employ when trying to achieve a high page rank.

We spoke for a couple of hours and he then had to leave and do the Saturday afternoon domestic thing and I was left to fend for myself. Not wanting to do the touristy thing, I stayed at the hotel and said to myself, "Let me get a drink and plan my next culinary move".

I went to the hotels restaurant and saw that they had a Shula's 347 Grill. I said, this can't be related to Dolphins coach Don Shula. To my surprise it was.

I'm a simple man: A steak; cranberry and vodka (no lime garnish) and a place to dive into my own little world. Maybe it's the viking in me ["More food; More wine for everyone...and singing Viking battle songs] but I didn't travel to Providence to sample their seafood. Anyway, I was looking for a meal that would tide me over til I got back to New York City proper and this place did the trick.

Let me set it up for you: I order a 16 oz strip steak (what that is, I don't know), well done and some mashed potato thingy and some tomatoes to keep it sane and gully with a vegetable. Oops. I did have the house salad which I swallowed in no time. Nothing like some fresh greens to get ya going before the main course.

The steak and potatoes came and it was a very good steak. No fat or none that I had to play around with (slicing it off). Let me put it in the proper perspective. I've eaten at quite a few steak houses (Smith & Wollenskys, Peter Lugers, er Outbacks) and the portion of steak in Shula's 347 Grill was smaller, I did not go hungry. A good thick, nurtured steak; not cooked but nurtured. A fresh salad with egg sparsed in.

When most people dine out, they want a decent meal and if the wait staff advertises something about the meal, you would come to expect it. I was doing link building from the restaurant and no one disturbed me even though it was a Saturday afternoon/evening. Finishing off my SEO and link building work with a good meal; interspersed with drinks is not bad.

I now have to make a business excuse to go back up to the Providence Hilton, which Shula's 347 Grill is attached to and try out their 22 or is it the 24 ounce nurtured steak. This time, I should have a seafood starter. Just because.

Here is a photo of the steak at this Providence Rhode Island restaurant - Shula's 347 Grill

Shea Stadium, The New York Mets and Missed Baseball Opportunities

This past summer I traveled to Flushing Queens to purchase a new mountain bike (which I still haven't picked up) and since the 7 train passes by Shea Stadium, I figured, let me get off the train and take some pictures of the final subway series game between the Mets and Yankees. As soon as I get off the train, the sky opened up and drowned the area, so I had to take what photos I did take under the 7 train elevated tracks:

Shea Stadium Subway Series Photo





Now, I follow the Mets during the season but as I got older and the business side of baseball grew from a mole to the mountain that it is today, my interest has dropped off.

Fast forward to today, October 16, 2008
The Philadelphia Phillies are representing the National League in the 2008 World Series, which should disturb most Mets fans and the Mets players themselves. I thought that the Mets firing of Willie Randolph was supposed to have propelled them into playing better baseball especially under the steady tutelage of Jerry "With Friends Like Him You Don't Need Enemies" Manuel.

Shea Stadium - Another Angle of Last Subway Series Game





Let's face it: Team is a concept that is only real in high school or amateur sports, when the only thing being played for is pride. When you try to put the team concept into an arena whose participants are millionaires several times over and whose owners are always looking at things that affect the bottom line, using the term team, does a disservice to the meaning of the word and the self-lessness that it is supposed to inspire.

Shea Stadium Alongside Citi-Field, Last Subway Series Game



Don't get me wrong: Players and owners should go after every penny that they feel they are worth or can make; there is nothing wrong with that. Just don't try to wrap up the spirit of team and selflessness into an arena or forum where selfishness is the spirit of the day.

Another Photo of the 2009 Home of the New York Mets



Back to the firing of Willie Randolph
So the Mets fired Willie Randolph and Omar "Stealth Firing" Minaya said he tossed and turned over the decision, let the man board a plane, go cross-country and then fired him on the left coast or was it the left side of Omars' brain? Anyhow, seeing the Phillies in the Fall Classic should be a motivator, hopefully and should put tremendous pressure on Jerry "I Gots Ya Back" Manuel, to perform or be fired.


A New Baseball Home for The Mets or Back To the Scene of the Crime?



Perhaps this time, Omar will perform this task locally and not at an ungodly hour.




View of Shea Stadium - Right Field Opening