Aerial New York

These are really amazing aerial shots of one of the arguably most exciting cities in the world...New York. Click on the link at the bottom of this entry to see more of these spectacular images.






Looking at some of the pictures really makes me want to go back to the Big Apple. I love New York. I miss New York. I’ve been to New York City so many times that I lost count. For me New York is unquestionably the best any city has to offer. A very close second on my list of favorite cities is London, which became something of a second home besides Munich while I was still living in Germany.


Yes, Munich is beautiful. It’s all pretty, has charm, history and culture. It is also very bland and rather boring at times. There are only so many old baroque churches to look at. And sitting in a beer garden for hours at a time, a favorite local’s pasttime, was never my thing.


I need my cities with a bit more grit. The constant hustle and bustle which many Europeans find nerve-wracking. New York always gave me that buzz which I find exhilarating. It can be a bit stressful at times and the city can definitely wear you out. But I don’t mind that. It’s a challenge.


If we had the means George and I would move there in a second. But it’s one costly city. Munich was not cheap either, mind you. But which city is reasonable anymore these days? Even Las Vegas has become quite exclusive in many aspects. The days of 99¢ breakfast buffets are certainly long gone.


That’s alright though. George makes far better breakfast at home than any of these fancy Las Vegas buffets or celebrity chef restaurants combined. Including all these hoity toity eateries in Manhattan.


Check out the aerial photos of New York City here at the Denver Post:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/13/captured-new-york-city-from-above/

April Randomness

So far this April has been just extremely busy. Nothing much has happened besides a lot of work. For now, all we have to offer are some photos, randomly taken over the last two weekends at our home and in our current hometown of Las Vegas.


On this note...have a great weekend, ya’ll.


Outside my workplace on a rare cloudy afternoon in Las Vegas


The Wynn Resort, seen from the backside of the Fashion Show Mall.


Inside the new wing of the Fashion Show Mall.


Shadow play and reflections on our kitchen counter.


Detail of our espresso maker.


Early morning sunshine.


My humble self at the pool area of the Bellagio, just across their fine arts gallery.


The shops inside the Bellago Hotel & Casino.


Detail of the Bellagio hotel tower to the right and the new Cosmopolitan.


The faces of a new Las Vegas emerges behind the Bellagio Villas, the towers of the Harmon and the Cosmopolitan.


The dancing water fountains of the Bellagio at dusk.



On the casino floor of the Paris-Las Vegas Resort & Casino.

Munich in Black and White

Augsburger Dom


Voralpenland


Tree “attacking” Muffat tower


Late winter afternoon in the Englischer Garten

Leftover advertising signage from a post World War II era

Art in the Fünf Höfe Mall

Arches inside the Augsburger Dom

A late evening ride in a commuter train

Munich street scene

Deutsches Museum - Electricity

Deutsches Museum - Stairwell

Walking giant in Schwabing

Munich Airport - Terminal 2

Max-Weber-Platz

Seeing More Of Munich’s Sights

Snow falling inside one of the many courts of the gothic-style city hall



The view down Rosenheimerstraße, just outside our hotel



The Sankt Lukas Kirche by the Isar river, my grandmother’s church

Reflection of the Kongresshalle, next to the Deutsches Museum

Isartor, one of the remaining gates that were part of the medieval city wall dates back to 1337

A German bullet train, the ICE, awaits its departure from Hauptbahnhof, Munich’s main train station and one of the world’s largest terminal stations

George in front of the Gaststeig, the cultural center of Munich with a huge concert hall, theater and libraries, provide an array of activities and events

A typical Bavarian farming village, accessable only by small country roads in the hill country around Bad Tölz

George and I on the Ludwigsbrücke

‘Tis the season

There’s not much to report at this time as George and I are extremely busy with work, classes and everything in-between. The weeks and days leading up to the holidays were always a busy time for me. For whatever reason everyone thinks that the business world will be coming to an end if employees actually have a day or two off. Couple those days with a weekend and Capitalism as we know it truly comes to a complete standstill.




On top of that, I have the audacity to take a vacation. The nerve of me! Now everyone at my company is completely panicking and throws every imaginable project at me to finish before I leave for my vacation. You know, in case our plane nose-dives into the Atlantic or we decide to ask for political asylum in Germany or something like that. At least all my company’s projects will have been taken care of before I’m off donning some lederhosen and joining a yodeling group.




‘Tis the season after all.




Next Monday our friends Rover and Cal will be spending a few days for a romantic getaway at the Encore in Las Vegas. We’re looking forward to seeing them again, having a nice dinner together and a few good laughs. Then it’s time to slowly prepare for our upcoming trip to Germany. Departure day will be here before you know it and I’ll probably forget to pack something important.




Like my passport.




Below are a few random shots. An amazing sunrise after a night of blistering winter storms. A close-up of some holiday lights we’ve put on our mantle at home and an older picture of me when I was still a graphic artist at KSR/Snapdragon Interactive. That was by far the best job one could ever ask for. I still miss it.




Do you think I was trying too hard to look cool in this last picture?

One Last Look

Here are a few last impressions from our Thanksgiving weekend in Los Angeles.

Pasadena - the view from Rover and Cal’s garden

George inside one of many exhibit rooms at the LACMA

Wood carving in the Great Room of Rover and Cal’s house. It was built by a German immigrant back in the 1940s. Sunlight always floods most of the rooms, which is covered with elaborate carvings on walls, ceiling beams, colums and trims

Detail of the old LACMA West Building, which used to be a department store

The La Brea Tar Pits

Urban Light installation at the main entrance of LACMA

Another side of Goofy

More L.A. Impressions

The following photos show more impressions from our Thanksgiving weekend in Los Angeles.



Mid-Wilshire


Blossom inside a courtyard of the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort


George waiting for his dinner at Jan’s on Beverly Boulevard


Detail of a pine tree at Disney’s Grand California Hotel



Enjoying art inside and out at the LACMA