Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
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When I see clam strips on a menu, my memory takes me back to this building. I also like to sneak an order in when Michelle isn’t looking. Most people recognize this place as the Robinson Ale House, but for me, it’s the Howard Johnson. Its orange exterior has since been painted to take on its more modernized existence. I remember it as the place my father and I went to eat… Read More
Asbury Park has gone through quite a renaissance over the past ten years. There are not many places left that give you the feel of the old days in Asbury. The Wonder Bar is one of the few places left untouched by the restoration projects. This image struck me as the tale of the little guy being engulfed by modernization. A beacon of the past in the face of the giant new… Read More
Street photography has been a genre with which I have become more and more fascinated recently. It is very different from landscape photography in a variety of ways. When I shoot landscapes, I am very methodical in the way I set the shot up. I usually have my camera on a tripod. I set my aperture and shutter speed and check my ISO setting. Then I make my exposures. I have the… Read More
For the first six of our eight years of marriage, Michelle and I spent our wedding anniversary away from home. We celebrated in beautiful places like Florence, Provence, and Napa. The last two years we have celebrated close to home in our favorite little city, Asbury Park. We are trying to make the best out of our present circumstances, so we spend our day lounging by the pool at the Asbury Hotel,… Read More
This past summer we crossed an Alaskan cruise off the Shappirio travel list. Without hesitation, we booked our sailing on Celebrity, our favorite cruise line, and for the first time ever, booked a Concierge Class Veranda cabin. With Concierge Class we were guaranteed a few extra perks, like priority check-in, a “Welcome Aboard” lunch, welcome fresh fruit and sparkling wine, and daily delectables. Our veranda provided us plenty of opportunities to wake up to… Read More
We took the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver to meet up with the ship that was to whisk us off to Alaska. I would highly recommend taking the Amtrak Cascades if you ever get the chance. This turned out to be one of the best decisions we made, as the train takes you on a relaxing ride along the Pacific Coast. Vancouver turned out to be one of my favorite cities to… Read More
Our trip to Alaska began with a night in Seattle. Southwest Airlines flew us from Philadelphia to Seattle with a stop in Las Vegas to change planes. This broke the trip up nicely and gave us a chance to stretch our legs on what would have otherwise been a very long flight. Our first evening in the city, we stayed at the Sheraton Seattle, which was in a location that allowed for… Read More
This past August we went on a two week adventure through Seattle, Vancouver, and Alaska. Then we came home to a hectic beginning of a new school year. This one more hectic than most, with a new and sudden career move for me, the writer of the family. Life got busy, and Alaska became a distant memory, put aside for when things settled down, and when my mind was better able to… Read More
Yesterday, we began our day quietly sipping coffee at America’s Cup and ended the day with an order of pasta fagioli and a Dizzy Dame sandwich from The Speakeatery. In between, I got my locks pampered at Hot Mess Salon while Paul took his camera out in the cold morning air to grab a photo. Later, we enjoyed our favorite Firecracker Roll at Taka’s new and trendy Cookman location. There we met and… Read More
Bringing Down the White Picket Fence 