Bringing Down the White Picket Fence
A Couple's Quest to Live Globally
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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
Before we traveled across the United States and back with a Jeep Wrangler and a tent, more than a few people expressed their opinions about our plans. Many of them were shocked that we even had it in us to do such a thing. After all, during the previous summer we had rented an apartment in Paris, living a month of the sweet life, indulging daily on cheese, wine, and baguettes. Some… Read More
My very first memories of my childhood begin at the age of 5. There are two early events that remain solidly etched into my mind. 1. The overwhelming excitement of waking up at 4am on the first day of kindergarten. 2. My first trip to Niagara Falls. Now all I remember about that first day of kindergarten is that I could finally wear my first day of school dress. Don’t ask me about… Read More
The most common question we got when people asked us where we were headed for Spring Break was: Why Austin, Texas? Our question was: Why not? Austin is an easy direct flight (about 3 and a half hours) on Southwest Airlines from Newark Airport. But hold it cowboy! This isn’t quite like the Texas most people imagine. That’s not to say you can’t buy yourself some high quality kicks at Allens Boots,… Read More
Bringing Down the White Picket Fence 