The Best of 2009
Thanks to all of you readers, my blog has been quite successful this past year. I have done a bit of research to determine which blogs were the most popular as far as page views are concerned. I thought it would be fun to post them again at this time. I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and hope that 2010 brings you health, happiness, and prosperity!
Who could forget Obama's inauguration?
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.
Or a day in my life?
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.
A helicopter ride over the lavender fields of Southern France
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.
Dinner with Ted Turner
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.
One of my many garden tours
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.
Partying in style with P-Diddy!
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.
My snow covered farm
- This is the first class car on Amtrak’s Acela, which we took from Pennsylvania Station in New York City to Washington DC.
- I must say that the ride on the Amtrak Acela is very pleasant – the service is good, and it takes about as long as flying to Washington, when one counts time to a from airports, etc.
- The galley in first class provides some food and drinks of all kinds.
- The snacks are mainly nuts, but they are fresh and tasty.
- A view out the windows – we left on the 4 PM train – it was snowy and quite dingy looking.
- The train makes about six stops – Newark, NJ is the first. TheAcela never goes as fast as the TGV from Paris to Lyons – but every now and then the Acela does pick up some speed.
- Here I am with another Obama fan, also on her way to Washington. I was asked a lot to pose for photographs and everyone was very, very friendly.
- Here’s my ticket stub.
- Arriving in Washington, one can arrange to be met by a redcap with an electric cart like this one – I saw that Robert De Niro and family were also on the train heading to the festivities and inauguration, however, I did not have the nerve to ask for a photo!
- Could this be the first inkling that there were going to be massive crowds? Long lines of portable potties were everywhere.
- The traffic on Monday night was absolutely horrible – bumper-to-bumper and lots and lots of dead-ends, where the streets had been cordoned off for security reasons.
- Everywhere were crowds, and cars, and lights, and sirens!
- A very happy group of Chicagoans – they recognized me in my car and waved and yelled – they were ready to party!
- The facade of the Washingtonian club
- Here I am at the Phillips Collection with our hostess for the evening, the famous American chef and writer, Alice Waters (center), and Suzy Tompkins Buell, founder of Esprit and a really staunch supporter of the Democratic party
- Jane Heller – my banker from Bank of America, Eric Schmidt – Chairman and CEO of Google, and Kathy Sloane – a top real-estate broker.
- Alice Waters’ tables are always long, simple, generous, and inviting. There were a couple hundred guests at this dinner, which benefited several food related institutions in Washington.
- This is the menu and two of Alice’s pamphlets relating to her foundation supporting The Edible Schoolyard.
- Suzy Buell, Eric Schmidt, and me in our beautiful gallery dining room.
- Here’s the rest of our table including Suzy’s husband, and Calvin Trillin, the famous food writer.
- The handsome Mr. Buell and the very serious Mr. Trillin.
- another dining room in the gallery that evening
- This is the check-in at the Hufffington Post party.
- A giant crowd was expected, and guess what? By 10 PM, most of the giant crowd had arrived! It was the place to see and to be seen, that night.
- The talented Forrest Whitaker and his beautiful wife, Keisha.
- Here I am with Forrest – he came on my show last year and was one of my favorite guests.
- Here’s Jane on Tuesday morning as we prepared to brave the cold on inauguration day. We stayed at the Hotel Sofitel – it was so nice and everyone spoke French and was so helpful.
- I am ready for a breakfast of grapefruit juice, poached egg, whole wheat toast, and very good cappuccino.
- Here I am surrounded by representatives of the Cherokee nation from Phoenix, Arizona.
- On the way to the train station, to return to New York Ctiy, we went as close as we could to the Capitol.
- Thousands of buses had brought millions to the area.
- Hot soup – good for a cold day.
- Fox Networks have a very good vantage point of the Capitol and its steps.
- The rotunda and dome of the capitol – one of America’s most beautiful structures.
- Obama swag – not too many leftovers.
- more portable potties
- plenty of happy faces
- The train station was really, really crowded.
- The floor looked comfortable.
- or maybe not
- the first class lounge
- The departures were all on time!
- Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who played today, was travelling in my train car. He said the 30 degree weather was cold on his fingers.
- A blur of Caroline Kennedy and her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, in motion finding their seats.
- Dan Rather was very friendly! He had taken a grandson to the day’s festivities.
- crafters on the train- made me want to get back to my office, pronto!
- Jane started making calls and doing business right there at the breakfast table – why not? It wasn’t a holiday, just the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States!
- Outside, it was very tight tight security.
- There were lots of gates, concrete jersey barriers, and road blocks galore.
- Everyone had to show their invitations.
- But there were lots of friendly faces and smiles.
- There were metal detectors and security checks.
- Many streets had tents like these that one had to pass through.
- Our first stop was the Governors’ Reception at Bank of America – my bank.
- The view from the tenth floor was spectacular.
- That is the Treasury Building with the mall and the Washington Monument in the distance. The street, the parade route, was already lined with guards at 10:30 AM.
- This is the White House roof top where the cavalcade passed by.
- This stand was on a roof below us – it’s for a sharp-shooter.
- The bleachers were starting to fill up at 10:30 even though the parade was not scheduled to pass by until 4 PM.
- A good view of the parade route – the guards were being briefed.
- We watched the proceedings on large screen TVs.
- After the swearing in and the hopeful, but somber speech by President Obama, the crowds started to disperse from the mall.