Canada-Part Two-Train Part 1

So you saw the city of Toronto in my last post about Canada. I didn't just go to Canada for the city life, I really went there to take a cross country train trip. So the train trip is provided by Via Rail Canada, starts in Toronto, and ends in Vancouver. Actually there are quite a few train trips you can take, including one that takes you up in the northern end of Canada.

Here we are at Central Station at Toronto. I guess I'm the new bag boy

Since the train left at night, we woke up and I immediately tried to get some pictures. Here I am in the dome car trying to get a picture of the train out front. 

The view of stairs to the dome car...I'm doing some English homework that I would rather not do.

A view inside the dome car, and boy was it cold up there. No heating or anything. But the conductors gave a brief history of locations as we went by....

Here's a view of a dome car when we stopped for a crew change.

A view of the economy cars and the engines up front. 

A view of the inside of a dome car... a little bleak retro if you ask me...

View of the Engines in Winnepeg

A view of the end lounge car. 

This was the most surprising part of the trip. The food was excellent! I'm not even kidding, you know how on Amtrak that you get lousy precooked food like on airplanes? Well here they cook everything fresh and there are new and exciting things. There is Salmon, steak, cheese, fresh produce the works! I'm convinced they stop at night to pick up local produce and meat.....I don't usually get excited about food, but it was surprisingly excellent! more pictures to come. 

The cabins are tiny, but convert into beds at night. You don't spend a whole lot of time in your rooms though. 

As I have always loved trains, I'm biased about the living conditions on the train with restrooms, sleeping etc (But not the food!). However, in the next post I will show you the most exciting part of the train ride, the scenery. Stay tuned!

AT&T VERSUS Verizon (quick)

So, I'm guessing everyone has seen those AT&T and Verizon commercials where they say they are a better company by knocking the other company's faults. AT&T guarantees better speeds and a "better experience", while Verizon says their coverage is more comprehensive.

Here are some Youtube examples

AT&T




VERIZON




I never knew which one to trust, but I have to side with Verizon on this one. What's the use of a faster data service if you don't have coverage at all. Besides, not everyone uses data services and people that do I heard have calls dropped a lot on AT&T. But then again, Luke Wilson's sarcastic voice

Canada-Part One-Toronto

I know that whole thing Ireland was kind of confusing, I probably should've dealt it out in small bits instead. For my next travel destination, I will show you a trip I took last summer to Canada. Here's a fun fact, when I was little I was obsessed with trains, and I probably still am. I always wanted to take a train trip overnight somewhere, and I bugged my parents into promising me we would take a trip across Canada. This was for my 16th birthday, so you can kind of say that it was a sweet-sixteen, but for a guy.

We flew up to Toronto and stayed in the Fairmont, which was originally built as the major railway station hotel for the Canadian National [Railroad] or CN. Man was it luxurious. I really couldn't believe that this was all happening for me.

Here's a picture of the Lobby. We would actually stay at Fairmont hotels the whole way across Canada when not on the train.

Anyway, I got to walk around a little bit of Toronto and my Dad was taking a lot of pictures. Did you know that the CN tower is the largest freestanding structure in North America? 

 I went up the CN tower on my trips to Canada before....

I have to say, Toronto has some very beautiful architecture. I'm not an expert, but ever single building seemed refined and modern yet thoroughly traditional and fitting for the city. You have to admire their audacity, with those grand arches, long halls and sleek lines. The Canadians use glass in their buildings maybe more than anyone. It's almost looking at the future of buildings in the present

I think those pictures speak for themselves. Also, everything is connected because in winter everything is frigid cold. I wouldn't dare go out on the streets in winter. I guess that's the reason for lots a glass to let the light in, and the long hallways to connect buildings. 

I'm not saying everything in Canada is perfect. I saw some very odd things in Toronto such as.....

Look at the yellow sign, good name yes? 

Man, I wish we had Doritos flavors like that. Especially En Francais

And if anyone can explain this to me I will be eternally grateful. 

I had tons of fun in Toronto, but I realized that my journey through Canada had not begun yet. If this was only the beginning, how much more could there be? Stay tuned to find out. 

Ireland

I'm going to start blogging about some of the places I've gone to. I've visited virtually every continent over my lifetime. My parents love to bring me places such as Tokyo, Paris, London, Seoul, Manilla, Dublin, Vancouver, Montreal, Quebec, Hawaii, Guam, Osaka, Kyoto, Hong Kong, Jasper and Toronto.

Last winter, I went to Ireland, specifically in the Dublin area, and boy was it cold. I forgot how far north Ireland actually was. But the food was excellent!! I can't describe how good it was. Of course I didn't go to have a Guinness, but I went to their factory! People are so friendly there, and it was nice to walk around. The city itself is beautiful and when I traveled out of the city into the nearby Counties, I realized how special it really was. Enjoy the pictures.

Trinity College in DublinThat lake was very pretty, the water seemed almost black

Harvard Model Congress

In a week, I will be attending a government simulation sponsored by Harvard. Students from all around the country gather in Boston to take part in a simulated, House of Representatives, Senate and other components of the government.

Specifically, I'm in the House of Representatives Representing Robert Wexler from Florida's 19th District. I was intending to get his opinion on the Agricultural issues that I'm in committees for, but I recently discovered he has resigned to become the President of U.S and Middle Eastern Relations. Now I'm not able to reach him and I have to base my support around his history in voting and the history of his character.

I'm a little nervous because I know that the people attending HMC are probably the top from schools all around the country. Hopefully I'll be back with news from Boston next weekend.

Procrastination

I wonder what makes me procrastinate? Maybe I'll write this blog later. Even as I'm writing this post, I could probably do something else. I know that I eventually have to get it done, but I don't realize I have to do it later. It makes me feel worse and I know I shouldn't do it, but it seems incurable.

What has this world come to?

Failed Marriage Proposal at Hockey Game
I'm either laughing if it's a hoax or feeling bad for that guy....

Japanese Game Shows

Does anyone else out there think that Japanese TV is so much better than American. It's their determination or something (like always getting hurt) that makes it so enjoyable and entertaining. I believe that they don't have the same restrictions that American TV does on content, they are much more open.

In this example, they go into an actual library and basically play a ridiculous game of chance. If you draw the card that has the skull or whatever, you have to do whatever the little sign on the stand behind tells you. That means eating wasabi, getting hit by a bat or plucking nose hair, you get the point.

Oh and please give feedback or follow so I know what's going on.

Upular by Pogo

I watched the Disney Pixar Movie Up recently. It was really entertaining, the graphics were outstanding and the storyline was clever and touching. I saw this remix of the movie by an Australian DJ Pogo. He used sounds from the movie, like dialog to create a music video. Gives you a little idea about the movie and it's components enjoy!

Pictures of the Storm

Enough with that boring talk. Here are some pictures for the visual people

Nice shot of the sun and trees

My Street

And Some of the kids on my street enjoying the sledding. Notice that the road has been plowed.

This is a lot of snow for Northern Virginia