Highmoon's Ponderings

I got back to Miami this morning after my very first red-eye flight. If I can help it, I’m not doing that again, seriously. I mean, above you can see how tired I was at 2 PM while I was still loitering in the hotel halls, imagine how I was by the time my flight was about to leave at 10:45 PM!

I recorded some stuff in Vegas which I’ll use to do both a GTS Report special episode and a Las Vegas episode of The Gamer Traveler (I must warn you up front, I did not really care for Vegas).

Right now I’m tired and I have a lot of things to do before Shabbat, but I am glad to be home after a great GTS.

The GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas is the main industry-only conference for the Hobby Gaming Industry. It’s four days of seminars and exhibits where manufacturers, distributors, retailers and freelancers can mingle and talk, present the new games for the year and make deals and plans for the future. I wanted to attend (actually, I’ve wanted to attend every year since I went for the first time in 1998, the infamous Miami GTS, but that’s another post) but I wasn’t going to be able to do so due to the financial problem incurred by my job situation from earlier in the year (see Scammed). Bummer, but oh well.

Until a couple of days ago. I won’t go into all the details, but the fact of the matter is that, due to the incredible generosity of someone (I won’t say who it is so as to not embarass them), I am going to GTS in a couple of weeks. I will be rooming with friend and fellow podcaster Dan Repperger of Fear the Boot and we’re both looking forward to an amazing show where we can get to meet and talk with fellow industry folks in a calm atmosphere geared precisely towards this, as opposed to the hectic summer shows, such as Origins or Gen Con.

For me this will be a bit tricky because GTS falls in the week of Pesach (Passover) so it means that I will have to take most of my own food and be incredibly careful while in Vegas so as to not break the Pesach laws; if regular Kosher is complicated and strict, Kosher for Pesach is ten times as much (or in gamer terms, regular Kosher is D&D, Kosher for Pesach is Hero System).

I’ve never been to Vegas, and to be honest, it has never called my attention as a destination. That said, I am curious to see the place, if only to say I have seen the city in the desert. I won’t be able to do the other two things I would have gone to Vegas for (Star Trek: The Experience and Cirque du Soleil’s O) so maybe, just maybe, there might be a return trip one day (or a future GTS).

So if you’re going to GTS, let me know so we can meet up and say hi. And many thanks to the person who made this possible; I am eternally grateful.

Dan and Karla (from Fear the Boot) made it back to Miami from their one-week cruise, and today we went out to South Beach, so they could at least see a bit of Miami. We were gonna get dinner later in the evening but they were hungry, so I decided I’d take them to a South Beach icon, Pizza Rustica. I ate there quite a few times before my conversion and it was just a fantastic place with the most amazing gourmet flavors of pizza you could imagine. We made our way to the Beach, with all the standing in traffit that entails (along the way we got to see the very same cruise ship they had spent a week on leaving port with its new contigent of pasty-faced tourists), and after a little less than an hour and a half, parked and started walking to the place.

I thought that it was on Washington Ave and 7th St, and when we got there there was a hole-in-the-wall pizza place called Che Soprano or something, but definitely not Pizza Rustica. “Oh man, they closed it,” I said. It’s not uncommon for businesses, even really famous and succesful ones, to simply dissapear down in South Beach, so I apologized and they got some rinky-dink pizza to tie them over. We walked around Ocean Drive a bit, and went down to the beach itself, making our way back to the car after about an hour since we were gonna meet with my wife to go eat up north in North Beach. As we were driving up north on Washington Ave, we passed that icky pizza joint, and when we get to Washington and 9th St, there was Pizza Rustica! Argh! I apologized profusely to them; they said the other pizza was fine, but I felt like such a bad guide.

In any case, we had dinner at Cine Citta, a fantastic Kosher Italian restaurant up in Bal Harbour, where Dan proceeded to eat yet another pizza (by himself, and I should note he ate about 75% of the earlier pie), this time with a cup of hot chocolate.

Yeah, I told him he was weird right then and there.

We came back to my apt where we had guava and cheese cupcakes my wife had made earlier in the morning, and then I took them to their hotel, where Karla went to sleep and Dan and I recorded an episode of The Gamer Traveler (which I will edit and release this week).

It was cool to have the two Missourians over, and I look forward to turning the tables and going to visit St. Louis (which, from what they tell me, seems to be a sister city to Miami, in all the annoying details).

Tuesday, Dec 3, 2002

We got up, ate breakfast and bid our farewells to Mrs. Kane, who had been a most wonderful host. She was even nice enough to give us a little gift for our honeymoon. Then, packs on our backs and hands and shoulders, we trekked to the rail station to begin our journey towards the airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave at noon, so we had plenty of time. Or so we thought…

Danny in the bus on the way to the airport.
Dec. 3, 2002

A very tired Yvette on our way to the airport.
Dec. 3, 2002

When we got to the airport, at 10:30 am, and went to check-in, the lady at the Aer Lingus counter told us our flight had already left. It seems Aer Lingus had switched into their Winter schedule, and Expedia.com, whom we bought our tickets from, never notified us of the change. We were also careless to not have confirmed our flight details the night before, but that did not excuse Expedia.com’s behavior. Aer Lingus was really nice to us, though, and managed to get us into a flight that appeared to be fully booked all the way to New York. From there we’d have to arrange with American ourselves. Danny got on the phone with Expedia.com and gave them a piece of his mind, though in the end it was useless, as they proclaimed they had no responsibility to update us of changes. Guess which travel service we’re never using again?

We got on the flight, though, and that’s what was important. After a short stopover in Shannon Airport, we were New York bound. Luckily, Yvette’s sister had just moved to New York and we at least had a place to stay for the night.

Addendum: Overnight in New York
Tuesday, Dec 3, 2002

Danny at JFK Airport in New York, still thinking of a few choice words for the folks at Expedia.
Dec. 3, 2002

The night in New York was okay, if long. It was cold as hell, and we were not quite ready for it, not to mention we were tired and hungry. After hours trying to figure out where to get something kosher to eat (remember Yvette’s sister has only been in NY for like four days), we ended up finding a kosher restaurant on 2nd Ave that was still open at 10:30 pm. After that we made it back to the apartment in Brooklyn, going to sleep at 2 am only to have to wake up at 5 am to catch a taxi to the airport to get on the earliest flight possible back to Miami.

We made it back to Miami at 4:30 pm, happy to be home, sad that Ireland was over, and still amazed at the fact that we were now married.

The End

Monday, Dec 2, 2002

Being our last day in Ireland, we decided to take it easy and simply walk around Dublin, catching sights we had wanted to see. The first stop was Merrion Square, smack in the middle of Georgian Dublin. The square is one huge park, and inside is the statue of Oscar Wilde, one of our favorite writers. We sought it out, took a few pictures and then walked around the park, just drinking in the calm of the area. Along the edge we saw the Georgian house where W. B. Yeats had lived while a member of parliament, as well as Wilde’s childhood home.

Danny & Oscar at Merrion Square. While Wilde
may be looking a bit pale, his clothes are stylish as always.
Dec. 2, 2002

From Merrion Square we embarked on a very long walk to go see the Irish Jewish Museum, nestled in a southern residential area of Dublin, and away from everything. The walk was great in that we got to see working-day Dublin, but we were tired, and when we finally found the place, we found out it was closed. The museum changed its times of operations: it used to be closed on Sundays and open on Mondays, but they had reversed that and we were not aware of it. We took the photo below to prove we had made it there, and hiked all the way back once more, grumbling that the Irish were just making it so that we would have to return at least once more! The gall!

Signpost at the Irish Jewish Museum,
which we found out was closed only after we got there.
Dec. 2, 2002

We went next to St. Stephen’s Green, detouring to see the Bram Stoker house, and going into St. Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre for a duffel bag to carry all the extra stuff we had bought. We were in luck: we found a great bag for only €10! After we had lunch at the Green, under the monument to Yeats (a weird figure in bronze that as far as either of us could discern had no association with Yeats or his work). The weather was super windy and really cold, and even with the sun beating down, it was almost impossible to eat as our hands were freezing. We gave all our leftover pita bread to the ducks in the park, and then made a beeline for Cornucopia for some hot soup. Did we mention we liked Cornucopia?

Our afternoon was completed with our favorite pastime: book shopping! We went into used bookstores and new bookstores, only stopping because we were really tired, though not before buying like 8 new books! And for anyone who loves books, Dublin is a paradise, especially Dowson Street. So many bookstores!!! After this we went for our last meal in Dublin (guess where?) and then headed back to Dun Laoghaire to pack. We later went out for a pint, and ended up watching a football game on the TV (West Ham 0-1Southampton), going back to finish packing and going to bed at 1 am.

Sunday, Dec 1, 2002

With an early start we headed to Kilmainham Gaol, the old jail in Dublin, setting for one of the saddest episodes in Irish history. The weather was overcast, cold and windy, with rain just waiting in the sidelines to make its entrance; fitting weather for our destination. The bus dropped us off in front of a thick stone building with a single massive black door that looks like it will swallow you and never let you go. The tour took us around the jail, starting on the East Wing, or the “new” wing. Built during Victorian times, it was meant to be a more humane setting for the prisoners, and it only seems that way when compared to the older parts of the jail. The roof used to be all glass, though parts have been covered with wood for protection (see the photo below). While we followed our guide, we could all hear a gut-wrenching wailing all around us, the bona fide cry of a banshee. It had everyone on edge, and when we finally asked the guard she compared it to a banshee as well. The wind gets through the wood and the old glass panes, making the awful sound, but in this jail, it is easy to believe that it is a banshee indeed crying for those who perished here.

Kilmainham Gaol’s “new” Victorian wing was
supposed to provide a humane environment for the
prisoners. Compared to the old area, this wing was a paradise.
Dec. 1, 2002

The tour took us to the old chapel, where we saw a video on the Easter Rising and the fate of the leaders, all of whom were executed at this jail. Heartwrenching was the story of Joseph Plunkett and Grace Gifford: Plunkett was one of the captured at the Rising, and sentenced to death at the jail. He had been engaged to Ms. Gifford to be wed later the same week as the Rising. On the night before his execution, Joseph and Grace were married in the little chapel at midnight. They were given 10 minutes alone, and at 3:30 am that same day, May 5, 1916, he was executed. Grace never married again. A sad story on any day, to learn about this as we are celebrating our honeymoon filled us with sadness without end; all we could do was hold on to each other as we walked out.

Next we were taken to the old jail wing, where the cells make street latrines look like palaces. From here we went out to the work courtyards, making our way to the most remote of them, where the executions took place.

Commemorative plaque to the martyrs of the Easter
Rebellion in the work courtyard in which all were executed.
Dec. 1, 2002

It is a place filled with pathos. Here the greatest leaders the independence movement had were all cut down in one fell swoop, but also here was born the desire to finally be free. It was here that the camel’s back broke, culminating six years later in 1921 with Ireland’s independence.

These men shall forever be remembered in the history of Ireland. Their death was a
great loss, but it kick-started the process that eventually led to the independence of Ireland.
Dec. 1, 2002

We left the jail drained of energy. There was so much sadness in those rocks. The wind and rain seemed to echo our mood, and we were suddenly very glad we had chosen to do the next destination after the jail. We were headed to the Guinness Brewery, just down the road.

In Ireland if you ask for beer you get Guinness, period. It’s not so much a drink as it is a way of life, part of being Irish, and they are fiercely proud of their stout. The brewery at St. James’s Gate is the old brewery, turned now into an exhibition that makes Arthur Guinness into a wizard, an alchemist who spurned the search for the philosopher’s stone in favor of the search for the perfect stout, giving Ireland a gift of happiness in a barrel, can or bottle. It is extremely sensationalistic, but a whole lot of fun. You do get to see the process, from the choosing of the ingredients, all the way to the packaging–old and modern–and the world-famous marketing campaigns. It is all topped by a cold pint of the Black Stuff at the top of the exhibition, the gravity bar, where one can see an awesome view of Dublin while drinking the wonderful gift of the gods and Arthur Guinness.

Danny at the Guinness Brewery exhibition. Mmm… Guinness.
Dec. 1, 2002

To you, Mister Sir Arthur Guinness… slainte!!!

Danny & Yvette outside the Guinness Brewery.
Dec. 1, 2002

After this we went souvenir shopping at Carol’s right across O’Connell Bridge, and then to dinner at Juice, another vegetarian restaurant (it was ok, a bit too pricey, and not as good as Cornucopia).