December 31, 2009

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.

Part 2 of a day in my life

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.

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My snow covered farm

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