Honolulu, Hawaii: February 5, 2016; the lure of the beach, big news in Waikiki

So, the big plan was to go to Chinatown for the evening because my visit happened to coincide with First Friday, which is a monthly event in Chinatown, that includes gallery walks, etc. But, the lure the beach and sitting around doing nothing was too great. I ended up visiting Chinatown in the afternoon instead.

Anyway, to start the day, I hiked up Diamond Head. That's the big peak that's often visible in skyline shots of Honolulu. I headed over there for 7:30 AM, and there were already many people there hiking to the peak as well.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Diamond Head viewed from Waikiki Beach. February 5, 2016
at 5:17 PM.

More....

Toronto: November 29, 2015; some more shots of Austin and Nashville, chocolate in Toronto(?)

Re-adjusting to Toronto.  That means, it's a lot colder here than I recalled.  I thought I was cold in Nashville, but this is different.  It slipped my mind that you can see your breath when it's cold here, which I saw this morning....

In lieu of shots of Toronto, here are some leftover shots from my trip.  (I don't think I posted them, but I'm much too lazy to check....)  

Btw, a complete non-sequitur, but one thing that threw me off is that Texas and Tennessee are in the Central Time Zone.  This means that TV shows, in the evening, come on an hour earlier than in Toronto, but oddly, their morning shows come on at the same time as the Eastern Time zone.  So, "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" starts at 10:30 PM in Texas or Tennessee instead of 11:30, but "Live with Kelly and Michael" airs at 9 AM in both time zones......  Unsettling, I tell you....

Click to enlarge the photos:

Sunrise in Austin looking east (I think) from Republic Square,  Friday November 20, 2015.

This is the rotunda of the Country Music Hall of Fame.  The people are looking at plaques of the inductees of the Hall of Fame.  As I said, architecturally, I think the Hall is beautiful, but...

....this is what the plaques look like.  I think they're kind of horrible.  Surely, the inductees deserve better.  Don't they?

Lindt store, Shops at Don Mills, Toronto, today.  I guess it's Christmastime when these guys show up.

It was that kind of day.  I'll get some shots tomorrow, hopefully....

Nashville / Toronto: November 28, 2015: the return of my Toronto personality

Wow, it's cold in Toronto.  I believe that it was only a bit cooler in Toronto than Nashville over the last few days, but Nashville was considerably warmer than Toronto when I left this morning.

Quick thoughts about Toronto, after returning from a few days away:

1)  Man, it's cold, y'all.

2)  This is a big city.

3)  Wow, this city is crowded.

4)  The drivers sure are crabby downtown.  And aggressive.....

Until I leave again, my plan is to explore the city a bit, and maybe go places that native Torontonians don't bother with.  There are a whole bunch of things I haven't done in this city.  I hope to get some good pics as I experience the city and see if I can fall for it again (that is, when I'm not doing other things I should be doing).  Hopefully I'll have some photos I would like to share.  

In a few days, I'll be exploring the US again, with a trip to Detroit and New York City.  Plus, I still have my two weeks in Hawaii coming up in February.

In the meantime, some last photos from Nashville.  (That's not even true; I might share some later when I go through them again).

I think the following photos were taken with the automatic low light settings on my camera.  I didn't have a tripod so didn't feel comfortable shooting on manual.  (Click to enlarge photos).

The alley between the Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, a honky tonk on Broadway.   November 27, 2015.

Last looks at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Gaylord Opryland Hotel, early morning November 28, 2015.

Tips and random thoughts about Austin and Nashville:
1)  While in Nashville, if asked, "Do you watch Nashville?" (the TV soap on ABC), the proper answer is "yes."  Everyone I ran into seemed to want to talk about it, tourists and native Nashvilleans (Nashvillains?) alike.

2)  For a town that attracts so many tourists for country music, people are really defensive about their city's association to country music.  I heard on at least three occasions that Nashville is more than country music.  The tour guide at the Ryman was quick to point out that the Ryman is more than the home of the Opry.  I was shown the Nashville Symphony's home by a tour guide *and* the guy who drove me in the shuttle from the airport.  Yes, I get it.... There's more than country music.....  Touchy.

3)  Man buns are more common in Austin than Nashville.

4)  The southern "drawl" starts creeping into regular speech after hearing it around you everywhere for 10 days or so.  I think it's inevitable.  I understand a bit now how all these singers sound Southern, only to find they're from Wisconsin or Iowa.  Seriously.