Schweaty Balls

Warning: Adult Humor

I would like to share with you a comedy sketch from Saturday Night Live (SNL) from back in December 1998. It features two of SNL's regular cast members at the time Ana Gasteyer (lady on the left) and Molly Shannon (center) along with the show's guest Alec Baldwin.

The skit is a parody of a public radio program in the United States. Ms. Gasteyer and Ms. Shannon portray two rather geeky and boring radio personalities whose show features the latest pastries and eats. In this particular skit, Alec Baldwin plays the role of a pastry shop owner named Pete Schweaty who was invited on the radio show to talk about his shop's latest Christmas goodies. So put yourself in the position of a radio listener who only gets to hear the words being said but not what is actually being done. Enjoy. :-)

Dear Friends Long Gone

I'm publishing the following photo with the permission of my friend CL. It's a photo of his dog, Hobie. Hobie is a dachshund and is about a year old.


My friend e-mailed me this photo yesterday and upon seeing it, it immediately reminded me of the first dog my sister and I had. He was of the same breed and was of the same color. We named him Douglas after a dog my mother had when she was still in her teens.

My maternal grandfather was an avid dog lover. My mom said that as far back as she could remember, they always had dogs at home. After Douglas, my sister and I ended up having two other dogs. A German Shepherd came next whom we named Jackie, again named after one of the dogs my mom had back in the 1950s. The last one was Snoopy and not because he was a beagle like that popular comics character but because of his black and white color.

We loved the dogs we had very much. They were well fed and were always kept clean. We never tied or chained them. We always let them roam the yard freely for my sister and I couldn't stand hearing them cry during those rare moments when they had to be chained.

But as dog owners, we were not the sophisticated type. Except for the required anti-rabies shots that were administered by the municipality we lived in, they were not taken to any veterinarian for regular checkups. We fed them well and cared for them well but such loving care was given in the best way we knew how, which looking back now, probably would not have met the standards of a sophisticated pet lover.

To a dog, all three didn't live long. We lost Douglas after a year and two months. He ran out of the yard and onto the street one day while my sister and I were both in school. He was accidentally run over by a passenger bus that plied the streets of our subdivision. A neighbor saw his body on the street and was kind enough to bring him back to our mother. My sister and I were devastated once we got home to find that our dear pet was gone. It was the first time I realized that losing a dear pet was pretty much like a death in the family. My little sister ended up crying for days.

We had Jackie the longest at two years. She pretty much met the same fate as Douglas for she was run over by a school bus this time. Unfortunately, it was the school bus I was on. It ran over her moments after the bus had picked me up to take me to school. I didn't see it happen but I heard her cry as the bus drove away. I knew then that sad news would await me once I got home that afternoon. I wasn't wrong because she was indeed dead by the time I got home. Again, it was another heartbreak we had to endure for another pet we lost too damn soon.

As for Snoopy, we found him dead in our yard one afternoon. To this day, we don't know what caused his death. We suspect that he must have choked on something he tried to eat. Whatever that thing was, we do not know because we took great care of putting away things or liquids that our pets might try chewing on. His death was the last straw.

It's been many years since my sister and I last had a dog. I look back at those years with fondness but also with sadness. I envy people who enjoy many years of fun and love with their dogs. There are still days when I wish I had a dog, a buddy to accompany me whenever I go on my long walks. But memories of the pain of losing such a dear friend prevent me from taking on another one. Plus, at this point in my life, I don't think I have the time and energy to give the dog the proper amount of caring and loving it deserves. I haven't lost my fondness for them but then, I guess I will just have to be content admiring them from a distance.

Photo: CL (Dallas, Texas)

An Afternoon By The Waterfront

Frank Sinatra Drive. Situated on the eastern side of the small city of Hoboken in New Jersey, this road is only less than half a mile long but provides one with impressive views of the Manhattan skyline.

The following is a map of Hoboken and it shows Frank Sinatra Drive running along the city's eastern coast line by the Hudson River. (Source: Wikipedia)


The following is a shot of the walkway by the Hudson. This walkway is one of the features and attractions of the Frank Sinatra Park complex. This small park, built and opened in 1998, was dedicated to the memory of the late crooner who the citizens of Hoboken consider as one of their city's "greatest gifts to the world".


I was facing south when I took the following shot and from this vantage point, one can see parts of both the skylines of downtown Manhattan (buildings to the left of the Hudson River) and of Jersey City (buildings to the right). In the distance you will also see a suspension bridge quite similar in style to San Francisco's famed Golden Gate Bridge. That bridge is called the Verrazano Narrows Bridge that connects the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island.


The photo below shows one of the best attractions of the park. This gazebo sits right on the water and is quite a popular spot because it gives one a closer view of the Manhattan skyline. In addition, it is also a popular spot for recreational fishers such as the gentlemen shown on the photo. On one end of the pier, one can clearly see their fishing rods extending out into the waters.


I walked up the walkway and past the above gazebo to take the following shot of Manhattan:


The following two photos show more shots of Manhattan this time taken from the gazebo I showed two pictures up.



Oh look! There's a little buoy in the water! (Pardon this lame attempt at humor.)


Unfortunately, this photo shoot ended on quite a sad note. I got so caught up taking pictures of the scenery that I didn't realize I had bumped into some of the park's railings and as a result, I inadvertently caused quite a bit of damage. As you can see from the following photo, my carelessness caused some sections of the railings to collapse with one of them hanging precariously by the water.


Luckily, there were no witnesses and thus I was able to hop back into my car and make a quick escape from the scene. Hehehe

Seriously, the above photo shows a section of the park that remains closed to the public. A portion of the park was used as a parking lot by the faculty and staff of the Stevens Institute of Technology whose campus is located across the street. An accident occurred in October 2007 when a portion of the parking lot collapsed causing one car to fall into the water.

Hoboken, like its neighboring city to the south, Jersey City, was a rough-and-tumble town for most of the 20th Century. While New York City was predominantly white collar, New Jersey's cities by the Hudson were blue collar towns and home to longshoremen and factory workers, mostly European immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. For many years, Hoboken, like the other cities on the New Jersey side, was not a safe city to be in. That period included Mr. Sinatra's years there. Bar brawls, crime, mob activity and prostitution were rampant. The 1954 movie "On The Waterfront" that starred Marlon Brando was filmed on location in Hoboken and showed the rough life of dock workers.

Redevelopment and gentrification started some time in the 1980s and picked up steam during the early 1990s. Its proximity to Manhattan and convenient access to subway stations and buses made it attractive to young, urban professionals who worked for Wall Street firms. Thus, in contrast to its previous reputation as an unsavory town, Hoboken is now what one would call a "hip" place to be. Jersey City now boasts of a modern skyline and Hoboken is following suit.

A close friend first took me to this city back in early 1995. The city's main drag, Washington Street, is home to a number of fine restaurants and shops. What I love about this place is that since it is quite a small city, one can pretty much walk to any spot or place within it. One can live in the town without ever having the need for a car. Although a few blocks within the city are not that desirable to live in, Hoboken, for the most part, is a pretty safe place.

Many five-story brownstones that used to be home to the longshoremen and factory workers are still there. However, a great number of them have been renovated and are now home to the urban professionals who have helped revive the town. Though these brownstones may look old from the outside, their interiors boast of the latest technological conveniences.

But Frank Sinatra Park and the stretch of road named after him have clearly become my favorite spots in this city. There are park benches where one can just sit and relax, read a good book, enjoy the view, and be alone with one's thoughts. It is a quiet stretch of road popular to walkers, joggers, and skateboarders. There's always a nice breeze coming in from the Atlantic that makes the experience quite enjoyable.

So if you ever find yourself by this neck of the woods someday, consider stopping by Hoboken to enjoy not just the park above but also the other attractions (restaurants and shops) this little city has to offer. (I feel like a realtor doing a sales pitch with this closing sentence. Sigh.)

A Pause For A Hero

Youngest elected Mayor at 22.
Youngest Vice-governor at 27.
Youngest elected Senator at 34.

This blog takes pause to honor the memory of former Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. (November 27, 1932 - August 21, 1983) whose life was tragically cut short on this day 25 years ago.

A Day in Las Vegas

I was in Las Vegas, Nevada recently to attend to some matters that required my personal attention. There were quite a number of matters to attend to that I had to stay in town for a few days.

Anyway, I ended up staying in a hotel/casino that was right next to Steve Wynn's Wynn Las Vegas Casino.

The following is a photograph I took from my hotel room windown. It shows the Wynn and its sister casino, the Encore. The latter is nearing completion and is scheduled to open its doors to the public later this year.


While I was in town, the management at Encore announced that it was looking at filling up 5,300 positions in preparation for the casino's opening. Quite a hefty number of employment opportunities for one casino building. But everything has always been grand and ambitious in Las Vegas and the Encore is no exception.

Below is a photo of the same two buildings that I took from street level.


The following photo shows the swimming pools behind the Wynn Casino.


The following photo shows the 18-hole golf course run by the Wynn Casinos. Quite a piece of property. One can just imagine the amount of money that went and continues to go into the development of the entire Wynn casino and resort complex.


The last photo shows a shot of the mountains east of the city. This vantage point offered a beautiful view of the sunrise. Luckily, I'm an early riser and was able to admire the beauty of the sunrise every morning.


But being an early riser doesn't mean that my mental faculties rise with me for as you can see, I have no pictures of such sunrise to show you. :D

I love going to places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City in New Jersey. Although I do not consider myself a gambler, I enjoy watching people gamble and I also enjoy the various forms of entertainment that both places provide. I hate noise and crowds but a casino is one place where I don't mind hearing a lot of noise and seeing a lot of people having fun.

I used to frequent Atlantic City with my late uncle. He was an excellent three-card poker player and I remember the hours I used to spend just watching him play, hours that often extended into the wee hours of the morning. Plus, we always drank and ate well whenever we were at a casino. But now that he's gone, I don't think I'll be going back to such places anytime soon. It just won't be the same without him.

As for Mr. Wynn, you can read more about this casino developer here.

Thanks For The Awards

I would just like to express my sincerest thanks to some blogger-friends who handed awards to me over the past few weeks. But let me apologize too to both Fingertalks and Gizelle for my tardiness in posting the awards. There are times when life and job simply get in the way of blogging. Hehehe Anyway, here are those awards:

First off, a big thanks to Fingertalks for the following "Arte Y Pico" Award. Her blog has been for me a constant source of inspirational quotes and lessons.


Lots of thanks also go out to Gizelle for this "Photography Buddy" award. Through the photographs she regularly features on her site, I've come to admire the beauty of both the people and city of Vienna, Austria where she and her family (especially her cute kids) are currently based.


And last but certainly not least, thanks go out to PrinsesaMusang for the following "Brillante Award". Although still new to the blogosphere, Her Royal Highness has impressed her readers not only with the quality of her posts but also with the thought she puts into them. I won't be surprised if this young lady becomes the recipient of the Carlos Palanca Award for Literature someday.


Thanks again, ladies, for the kind thoughts and words. I appreciate them a lot.

A "6 x 4" Meme

RJ tagged me for this meme. I am calling it a "6 x 4" meme because for each of its six questions, the blogger is asked to provide four answers. Anyway, here are the meme's rules:

Click copy/paste, type in your answers and tag four people in your lists! Don’t forget to change my answers to the questions with that of yours.

1. Four places I go to, over and over:

Outside of work, these are the places I go to to unwind:

* Hoboken, NJ - Frank Sinatra's birthplace, the city sits right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. One can go for a morning or evening stroll along Frank Sinatra Drive by the Hudson River where one is given a great view of the Manhattan skyline.
* My basement - It's the only place in my house that stays cool throughout the summer. This is where I get to relax to either watch my DVDs or play my CDs.
* Atlantic City, NJ - Although I don't really gamble, I love going to this place for the entertainment it provides. Plus, the city is by the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and has a long boardwalk one can take a leasurely stroll on. This was an activity I used to enjoy doing with my late uncle. However, now that he's gone, my visits to this place will certainly become quite rare.
* Philippines - As RJ said on his blog, I'll keep going to the above mentioned places until I come home.

2. Four people who e-mail me regularly:

* Former co-workers from my first job
* Former high school and college classmates
* Con men who claim to be from either Nigeria or Russia who want to gain access to my bank account
* Headhunters - There are basically two kinds: Those legitimate ones who provide me with job leads either within or outside of my current industry and ones who offer to perform a certain "job" for me. :D

3. Four of my favorite places to eat:

* Crown Palace (Marlboro, NJ) - This restaurant is in my opinion has the best Chinese dimsum and provides the most professional service of any Chinese restaurant within the Central NJ area.
* Amber's for their Pancit Malabon - Pure pancit Malabon heaven. :D
* Burger King - I love the Whopper.
* GoodAh - for their longsilog and for sentimental reasons. (However, Tapa King might soon nudge GoodAh from my list of four favorite places. We shall see. Hehehe)

4. Four places i’d rather be:

* Anywhere with my love
* Manila
* Makati
* California

5. Four TV shows I could watch over and over:

* Two And a Half Men
* Twilight Zone (reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel)
* Saturday Night Live
* Three's Company (whenever reruns of this show that starred the late John Ritter are shown on American cable tv channels)

As you can see from the shows I listed above, except for the Twilight Zone whose episodes focus on the bizarre and mysterious, I am very partial towards comedy shows whenever I sit in front of the tv. They provide me with a break from the stresses of daily life.

6. Four people I think will respond:

* Mari
* Nyl
* Aline
* Neuroticsister

Ladies, please don't let me down. Naks! Hahaha Thanks in advance.

A Baker's Erotic Tale

Snglguy tagged me for this meme that requires one to come up with a short erotica of not more than 200 words, and with the additional condition that the following words be used only once in the story:

1. sleepover
2. whip
3. handcuffs
4. leather
5. sexy
6. threesome
7. hairy
8. shotgun
9. squeeze
10. explosion

Thus, here is the Baker's first ever attempt at writing a lousy, I mean, salacious story. :D

It wasn't going to be the usual sleepover, at least not the platonic type. She walked into my humble bakery early one Monday morning clad in a sexy leather outfit and brandishing a whip.

Through the haze of the heat from my bakeshop's ovens, she had appeared. I immediately felt shy and insecure being clad in my usual hanging Speedo tank top, loose basketball shorts, and green Crocs.

She didn't care one bit about my appearance. She came up to me, squeezed my manhood through my shorts and said, "I've been watching you for days now from the sari-sari store across the street. Seeing you in that sando drenched with sweat turns me on real bad. In my dreams, I've put you in handcuffs and kissed your very hairy ass."

The sight of luscious red lips on a woman in such a seductive outfit led to a premature explosion within my poor shorts. She pulled my shorts down and licked the cum off my penis that remained stiff as a shotgun within her hot mouth.

Finally, an invitation to three days of round-the-clock threesomes with her sister left me no choice but to close my bakeshop that week.

I'm not tagging anyone for this meme. Please feel free to write one if you so wish.

First Video Ever Played on MTV

The Beijing Olympics has been all over the news lately. In fact, it has practically dominated the global news spotlight that not even a shooting war that has erupted between the former Soviet republic of Georgia and its bully-of-a-neighbor Russia could nudge it from the headlines. Anyway, as a result of these two major events, August 1 went by quietly last week with hardly anybody noticing a little milestone. On that date, the music channel MTV quietly marked its 27th anniversary.

It was on August 1, 1981 when MTV made its debut to a new generation of music lovers. It was an immediate success. It revolutionized the music industry and spawned successful sister music channels such as VH1 and CMT (Country Music Television).

The following is the music video that holds the distinction as the first ever to be played on MTV:

The song is called "Video Killed the Radio Star" and was performed by a British New Wave band called the Buggles. The song was written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley before the band was formed. However by the time the Buggles as a band came into existence, only Messr. Horn and Downes remained. Mr. Woolley was no longer with his two songwriting partners by then, having decided to pursue his own music interests.

Mr. Horn did the vocals and played bass guitar on the song while Mr. Downes played the keyboards. Two ladies, Debbie Doss and Linda Jardim, provided the backup vocals.

The song was no longer new by the time MTV made its debut in 1981. The song was originally released in October 1979 and became an immediate number one hit in the United Kingdom. Although the song got a lot of airplay and gained quite a bit of following in the United States, its sales were not strong enough to crack the Billboard Top 40.

Given the song's title, one could say that the folks at MTV were quite cocky but prescient when they decided to use it as their debut music video. At the dawn of MTV, no one could have predicted save for the visionaries at MTV that the music channel would revolutionize the music industry. It provided a new channel (no pun intended) for music artists, old and new, to be introduced to music fans.

I was already a freshman in college when I got introduced to the music videos shown on MTV. At the time, cable television was pretty much non-existent in the Philippines. People's television sets were powered by antennas then and thus, tv programming was obtained from the five Filipino TV networks that were in operation (or were allowed to operate by the Marcos Dictatorship) at the time namely, BBC 2 and RPN-9 (both stations operated by the Benedicto family), PTV-4 (operated by the government), GMA-7 (owned by Menardo Gimenez), and IBC-13 (also government-operated).

There were hour-long television shows then that featured the latest MTV videos. It was through those music video shows where I first saw new and rising recording stars such as Madonna, Duran Duran, Boy George and the Culture Club, Tears For Fears, and Wham among many others. Unfortunately, my memory is failing me at the moment for I can't recall what those shows were. Sigh. Can anybody recall what they were?

As a group, the Buggles were a one hit wonder. However, members of the band, specifically Mr. Horn, found success afterwards as a record producer for acts such as Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Lisa Stansfield, Yes, China Crisis, LeAnn Rimes, and Seal. Mr. Horn was also a co-writer of Seal's hit "Kiss By A Rose".

Let me leave you then with the lyrics of the song that helped usher in a music channel that forever changed the music industry.

I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty Two
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through.
Oh-a oh

They took the credit for your second symphony.
Rewritten by machine and new technology,
and now I understand the problems you can see.

Oh-a oh
I met your children
Oh-a oh
What did you tell them?

Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Pictures came and broke your heart.

Oh-a-a-a oh

And now we meet in an abandoned studio.
We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.
And you remember the jingles used to go.

Oh-a oh
You were the first one.
Oh-a oh
You were the last one.

Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone to far
Oh-a-aho oh,
Oh-a-aho oh

Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.

In my mind and in my car, we can't rewind we've gone to far.
Pictures came and broke your heart, put the blame on VTR.

You are a radio star.
You are a radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.
Video killed the radio star.

Sweet Revenge

First a WARNING: Adult language is present in the videos. If you're below 13 years of age, this post is not for you.

The following is a series of clips from the Jimmy Kimmel Show. Some of you may have already seen these clips but they detailed the animosity that brewed between the tv host and the actor Matt Damon back in 2006.

Matt Damon was supposed to guest on Mr. Kimmel's show a number of times but his invitations to appear on the show had always been either canceled or postponed almost always due to "lack of time". So when he finally got to appear on Jimmy's show, this was the reception he got:

Mr. Damon left the show in a rage in spite of Mr. Kimmel's profuse apologies and efforts to put the matter to rest. Mr. Damon must have felt so humiliated by the experience that he decided to strike back.

Mr. Kimmel, obviously hurt by Sarah Silverman's (his girlfriend at the time) betrayal, also decided to strike back at Mr. Damon where it could hurt the latter the most.

This star-studded effort at revenge ought to put the matter to rest.

Anyway, if you had a difficult time figuring out some of the words to the "I'm F##king Ben Affleck" song in the previous clip, the following clip shows the lyrics as sub-titles.

I hope you enjoyed this little humor break. :)

An Afternoon By The Potomac

The hotel I stayed in at Alexandria, Virginia a few weeks ago happened to be very close to the Potomac River. I was lucky in that the city had a small park by the river called Tide Lock Park and my hotel was just a block away from it. So one weekday afternoon after work, I decided to take a walk in the park to enjoy the sites and to take in some fresh air. The park had some park benches near the water where one could sit and relax to enjoy a nice, lazy afternoon.


The photo below shows the banks of the river and a walkway next to it. The walkway is quite long and stretches for at least eight miles along the banks of the Potomac River.


A shot of one section of the walkway. The area at the other side of the river is Washington, D.C.


A shot of another part of the same walkway. This time, in the background, one can see the faint outline of the Washington Monument at the left. One could also see towards the right the dome of the US Capitol.


Another shot of the river's banks.


On the way back to the hotel, I walked by these nice colonial-style townhomes. They were in a great spot for they had a clear, unobstructed view of the river.


The townhomes were on a rise or hill and I walked a bit towards them to take a closer shot.


I took another shot of the townhomes as soon as I got back to my hotel room. The following picture is a shot of those homes from my hotel window. The picture shows how close those homes are to the river.


The bridge you see in the background is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge which links Alexandria, Virginia to Washington, D.C.

I enjoyed my brief walk in Tide Lock Park that afternoon. The views and the fresh air helped me destress that afternoon.

The Dance Of The Rolls

I was supposed to follow up my Alexandria, Virginia series with some more photos of the place but I will digress for just a bit. Although I haven't written much about movies on this blog, I do enjoy watching good movies regardless of whether a film is a new release or a classic. I developed an interest in movies from my mother's side of the family.
My maternal grandfather loved going to the movies as a hobby and it was through him that I first heard of the great comedian Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977). My grandfather loved to talk about the Chaplin movies he enjoyed, especially those he saw during the pre-war "peace time" period. The Chaplin movies he loved were The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and Mr. Chaplin's semi-autobiographical movie, Limelight (1952). Mr. Chaplin became famous for playing the role of "The Tramp", a gentleman vagrant who always managed to do the honorable and decent thing in spite of the very rough and tough circumstances he was in.

Mr. Chaplin was heralded as the complete artist for not only did he star in his films, he also produced and directed them, wrote their script, scored their music, and whenever the story called for it, he even choreographed the dances.

I'm wondering then if anyone can copy and perfect the following performance as a way to entertain friends either over lunch or dinner:

The scene above featured Charlie Chaplin in the classic movie "The Gold Rush" released by United Artists back in 1925. Mr. Chaplin called this particular scene "The Dance of the Rolls" and it showed him perform it before a group of lady friends. The clip captures how Mr. Chaplin brought two seemingly ordinary dinner rolls to life by mimicking a ballerina's dance to the obvious delight of his little audience.

The genius of Mr. Chaplin shines in this scene for one can just imagine the amount of creativity, timing, and physical coordination required to present such gem of a performance. He made the movements seem so easy when in fact they were far from being so. Johnny Depp copied the same movements 68 years later in a movie called "Benny and Joon" (1993) where he played the role of an eccentric who cared for and won the heart of a mentally ill woman. In a later interview, Mr. Depp stated that the performance was quite difficult for it took him three weeks to copy, rehearse and perfect Mr. Chaplin's moves.

The following video clip compares the two performances:

With no offense meant towards Mr. Depp, one can clearly see that Mr. Chaplin appeared more relaxed in his performance and thus his moves appeared a lot more fluid. I do not know how many hours Mr. Chaplin devoted to prepare for such a fine performance but one thing is clear, this performance is but one of the many reasons as to why to this day, Mr. Chaplin continues to be both an idol and an influence to many career film and television comedians.

Alexandria - A Sentimental Trip

I was in Alexandria, Virginia on a one-week assignment a few weeks ago. I love this town because aside from its rich history, I lived here for a few months many years ago as I was starting life out here in America. My late uncle was very kind enough to let me stay at his place rent-free while I looked for a job.

According to Wikipedia, Alexandria lies 6 miles south of Washington, D.C., or roughly a ten-minute drive. The buildings in the "Old Town" district of this city are at least 250 years old and are about three storeys tall on the average.

The following photo shows one of the markers in the Old Town district that talk about Alexandria's origins:


The following photo shows an exact replica of the house George Washington owned and stayed in whenever he was in town. It is on Cameron Street and stands on the exact spot where his house originally stood. This replica, a faithful reconstruction of the original home, was built in the early 1960s.


The 2006 Honda Civic parked in front of Washington's house is also a replica of the one he used to own. This fuel-efficient and fully-loaded car was a gift to him from a grateful nation. (Please ignore those two sentences. In addition, per Rudy's observation, the car was actually a Toyota Vios and not a Honda Civic as I had earlier thought it to be. Sorry about that. Hehehe)

The following photo shows the same house but taken from a slightly different angle. On this photo a bust of George Washington can be seen behind the left window.


The following sign was right in front of a restaurant called Gadsby's Tavern. It is on Royal Street and is one of the most famous and historic restaurants in town, having been continuously in business since 1770. As the sign says, George Washington used to be a regular patron and according to its website so were other US presidents such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, and James Monroe.


The following shows the tavern's front door. Note the low position of the door knob. I was told that that's how doors were built back in those days. It also probably had something to do with the average height of the people back then. Although George Washington stood more than six feet tall, the average American was quite short.


I ended up dining at this place with a co-worker. I apologize that I wasn't able to take pictures of the building's exterior because by the time we were done with dinner, it had grown quite dark outside. So please refer to its website for pictures of the building.

Since it's a centuries' old town, walking "Ghost Tours" are also offered in the evenings led by tour guides dressed in period costumes. One of those Tour Guides is shown below:



For a Tour Guide, I found this one particularly weird and camera-shy. I observed that whenever people tried to include him in their shots, he almost always turned his back to them. Should I call the police? Hehehe Oh well....

Anyway, Alexandria is a very nice place to visit. Although it's classified as a city, huge sections of the city are quite peaceful and relaxing. The pace is a bit slower than other East Coast cities such as New York. Thus, whenever you're in the Washington, DC area, please find some time to stop by this city and enjoy some bit of living American history.