Tag: Thomas Edison

MotorCoach Blog 51

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I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . and a mind reader. Yes, I know what you’re thinking:

“Snow and ice, really?”

“A low of 19 and a high of thirty-something . . . I don’t even care what it feels like with wind-chill, I know it doesn’t feel like April!”

“See this . . . Gloves, coat, scarf . . . ridiculous!”

I know because I’ve been transporting weather-disgruntled passengers for a week of winterish April. So, hey, let’s go to Canada, where the real spring is.

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Look at that . . . are those tulips off the starboard? Oaks Garden Theater on the north shore of Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is beautiful at all times of the year. But in the spring it is at its best.

No snow or rain in that sky! Nothing but beautiful blue for my passengers’ ascent of Skylon Tower and a lofty view of the Falls.

One passenger was more interested in the view toward Toronto, and pointing out my crooked parking job.

On the way the back home we stopped at the George Eastman Estate/Museum. For all of you selfie enthusiasts, that is the guy who originally made photography and film processing accessible and affordable for the average person on the street (Eastman Kodak). Eastman, as it turns out, was interested in gardens almost as much as he was in film processing. (Traveling through Rochester, NY? This itinerary inclusion scored high marks with my passengers.)

As motorcoaches go, I am the private type – not much for disclosing my “issues.” (At the risk of sounding proud, I have very few!). But I had one in Rochester. It came to my attention after delivering my passengers to the Lilac Festival in Highland Park. This is why motorcoaches have friends: issues assistance. Returning from the festival, my passengers boarded the purple motorcoach instead of the red one. A short time later, with my issue taken care of, I rejoined our tour, my passengers having missed not one minute of itinerary. It made me all the more proud of my industry and friends-network. (A big thank you to Covered Wagon Tours!)

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

TESLA NEWS: Nikola Tesla had an idea – AC (alternating current). On a walk with a friend he drew it in the dirt with a stick: three waves offset by 120°. The idea turned out to be a good one, a revolutionary one. It led to Tesla’s invention of the electric motor, an achievement celebrated in the name of a car company currently growing in popularity: Tesla. The idea was also famously employed to distribute Niagara-power to millions. Today, electric motors (the base on which Tesla stands in this sculpture, overlooking Niagara Falls) work according to the same principles as Tesla’s original idea.

CURRENT NEWS: The system for supplying electricity via Niagara Falls was decided upon through a competition that came down to the ideas of two geniuses – Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. The contest was organized in 1893 by the International Niagara Falls Commission, led by renowned physicist, Lord Kelvin. Tesla (along with George Westinghouse) proposed a system based on AC current. Edison proposed one based on DC current. Tesla’s proposal won. The commission believed the AC system was more efficient and would thus be less expensive to operate. A few years later Niagara Falls was the location of the world’s first hydroelectric plant. When first opened in 1896, the plant sent power to households and businesses in Buffalo, NY. But soon the forces of Niagara would light up Broadway and all of New York City. By 1930 hydroelectric plants supplied 25% of the electricity in the United States.

TOPSY NEWS: The Niagara competition and the Niagara power plant showcased the superiority of Tesla’s AC system for transmitting large amounts of electricity over great distances while regulating voltage in various situations. But Edison was not convinced. He went on a campaign to demonstrate the dangers of Tesla’s AC system. Using AC current, he electrocuted dogs, cats, cattle, horses, and finally an elephant at the Luna Park Zoo named Topsy. (Zoo officials offered Topsy for the demonstration after the animal squashed a third handler in as many years.) Tesla responded to Edison’s antics by using AC current to “electrocute” himself. Subjecting himself to 250,000 volts of electricity, he demonstrated the safety of his system. After doing so, the AC system gained broad acceptance.

CONFESSIONAL NEWS: OK, yes, this was second of two tours I saved from last year to blog us through the lingering chill of winter and into real spring, which is still a month away for Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Niagara at night is Must See. The highlight of the visit for many of my passengers, Niagara in changing colored lights begins at dusk.

Quote Of The Day samples

“The day Science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all previous centuries if its existence.” – Nikola Tesla

“The harness of waterfalls is the most economical method known for drawing energy from the sun.” – Nikola Tesla

(Video run time: 1 minutes 15 seconds)

Musical accompaniment – Waterfalls
by Aakash Gandhi

 

 

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MotorCoach Blog 50

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I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . with some musings from perusing Northern Ohio coastal regions. If I know my passengers, this itch you call “cabin fever” is in the early stages of annoyance and will soon be driving you bonkers. I saved this trip from last year just for this reason. You need to see some greenery. You crave reminders, hope of the end of that gray dormancy of winter. In this blog I have just what you need: amusement parks, water, summer foliage, and vacation lands . . . a little inspiration for planning your 2018 motorcoach adventures. Time to start thinking about getting out and about! Now, I also know there are among my passengers those realists who loath to imagine things other than they actually are. You do not want any help reaching for spring or summer when everything you see still looks like the dead of winter. OK, a compromise: the reminders of summery foliage you will see are at a cemetery and a funeral home.

Oh, and by the way: this is 50! That’s right, motorcoach blog number 50. I’m pretty sure it should mean something (just not sure what) so I’m celebrating. Here it is, the big Five O . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Sandusky, Ohio is a small city on the banks of Lake Erie, halfway between Toledo and Cleveland. With calendar-worthy coastal beauty, two world famous amusement parks, and the occasional reminder that out there beyond its shores is that other North American country, Sandusky is a north-coast vacation hot spot.

A progression of selfies , 1)the colorful horizon beyond the boat docks is speckled with Cedar Point Amusement Park thrill rides, 2) A night pose with Millennium Force, one of the largest roller coasters among the world’s largest collections of roller coasters, and 3) a roller coaster puzzle for you: what of this selfie is me and what isn’t?

Cleveland is often called the city of bridges, and many of its bridges integrate fluidly into the architecture and habitation of the city.

Located on Euclid Avenue in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland is the James A. Garfield Memorial. The resting home of the beloved President assassinated in 1881 (Just sixteen years after Abraham Lincoln), some of the memorial’s funding came in the form of pennies sent by children throughout the U.S. A short winding way from the James A. Garfield Memorial in Lake View Cemetery is the Neoclassical Wade Memorial Chapel. Constructed in honor of Jeptha Wade, founder of Western Union, the interior of the chapel was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and is a single flowing work of art in mosaics and stained glass.

Eighty one miles from Cleveland, in Dover, Ohio, is a who’s who memorialization of a different kind. Toland-Herzig Funeral Home is also home to Famous Endings Museum. Displaying memorabilia such as Joe DiMaggio’s original hand written guest list for Marilyn Monroe’s private funeral service, a lamp from Abraham Lincoln’s funeral carriage, and over 2,500 other funeral related artifacts, the museum contains the largest collection of its kind in the world. I am not sure what the attraction is to items that personalize mortal endings, but my passengers did not want to leave this place! (For more information, search: Famous Endings Museum)

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

ROLLER COASTER NEWS: Iron Dragon, Wicked Twister, Top Thrill Dragster, Raptor, Valravn, Magnum XL-200, Gemini, Pipe Scream, Wilderness Run, Woodstock Express, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, Corkscrew, Blue Streak, Rougarou, Gate Keeper, Millennium Force, and Maverick – yes, seventeen roller coasters at Cedar Point amusement park, the self-proclaimed “roller coaster capital of the world!” The park boasts five roller coasters over 200 feet tall and two coasters in the top ten tallest in the world: Top Thrill Dragster (#2 in the world at 420 ft. and top speed of 120 mph, third fastest in the world) and Millennium Force (#5 in the world at 310 ft. and top speed of 93 mph). Cedar Point also has the tallest and fastest inverted roller coaster on the planet, the Wicked Twister. And the big news? The weekend of May 5, 2018 is the projected world premier weekend for Cedar Point’s latest roller coaster addition. Steel Vengeance, the world’s first hyper-hybrid coaster, will break ten roller coaster world records!

EDISON IN THE NEWS: Just thirteen miles from Lake Eire and nine miles from Sandusky (and those terror inducing roller coasters) is the quaint and quiet village of Milan, Ohio. Milan is the birth place of Thomas Edison, who was born there in 1847 and lived there until he was just shy of seven. The Thomas A. Edison Museum is a one house museum within walking distance of the Milan Museum, consisting of six mid-19th Century period exhibit structures. Edison’s beginnings were so ordinary I decided to jazz up the photo of his house/museum as a celebration of extraordinary beginnings.

ERIE NEWS: Bobbing on Lake Eire just a few hundred yards off of Cleveland’s shore line, sailboats speckle the sunset seascape. In the far distance beyond them – approximately 50 miles – are the shores of the Canadian province of Ontario. Eire is the fourth-largest of the five Great Lakes, but being the shallowest (210 ft. at its deepest), it is the smallest in terms of volume. Along with Ohio, Lake Eire’s U.S. shoreline is shared by Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New York.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

Lake View Cemetery: You probably don’t think of cemeteries as important inclusions on your vacation itineraries, but, when in or near Cleveland, Lake View Cemetery is a worthy exception. On its own, Tiffany’s awe-inspiring interior masterpiece, “The Voyage of Life,” makes the Wade Memorial Chapel (National Registry of Historic Places) a Must See destination. And Lake View’s picturesque rolling hills are a botanical masterpiece of their own, holding numerous mausoleums of stunning architectural beauty, many notable resting places, and a wealth of American history, including immigrants, political leaders, and iconic figures of accomplishment in industry, arts, and humanitarian service. (216-421-2687 for advanced scheduling)

Kalahari Resort and Waterpark: Kalahari resorts specialize in creating America’s largest waterparks. But, with African themed first class accommodations, a challenging high ropes course, an exotic petting zoo, a food court and restaurants and shopping opportunities, the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio is more than a waterpark, it’s a basecamp for your Northern Ohio adventures.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

(Video run time: 1 minutes 14 seconds)

Musical accompaniment – Harmonica Boogie
by Harmony Kiddies; Mundharmonika-trion med rytmeakkompagnement; Mundharmonika-trion med rytmeakkompagnement; Jerry Murad

 

 

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MotorCoach Blog 49

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I Am a Motorcoach . . .

. . . maneuvering my way around potholes and snowbank mazes, through narrow squeezes in parking lots, down crowded urban streets busy with oblivious pedestrians and autos competing for real estate, across flowing lanes of highway traffic, and onto splintering multi-directional exchanges, ramps, loops, tunnels, and crisscrossing overpasses. This is who I am in a word: maneuvering. It is what I am designed for and crafted to do. Motorcoaches do not fix things, correct systems, or petition for better conditions. In fact, formation of a complaint is foreign to our circuitry. We owe our existence to the ideas and activities of planners, surveyors, civil engineers, developers, and construction administrators. We know their errors intimately. We travel the details, and experience the flaws. Yet, no motorcoach has ever contributed a single suggestion for traffic distribution or infrastructure betterment. I maneuver through what is . . . that’s all.

Here, Chicago, is a good place to demonstrate. Let me show you . . .

Selfies

(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)

Wendella Boats sits on the west side of Michigan Avenue where it meets the north bank of the Chicago River. The location is also a favorite photo-spot for sightseers. There is a small cutout off of the busy Michigan for dropping off and picking up passengers. It can accommodate seven or eight cars or three motorcoaches, or a combination of these with room for others to squeeze through and out onto Michigan if everyone is squared tightly to the curb. To find the cutout unoccupied, or occupied by sensibly parked vehicles . . . well, that’s just not Chicago. The maneuvering is further complicated by traffic lights that back up traffic on red cycles, making it a trick getting into and out of the cutout. But, when a spot is secured, the view in every direction is impressively CHICAGO!

Three-and-a-half miles south of Wendella Boats, just south of Roosevelt Rd, there is a refuge for motorcoaches and buses along Canal Street. Except for this one designated spot, Chicago offers little relief from constant and congested movement. Whenever there is a break in the action, I maneuver my way to Canal Street.

See this little burgundy vehicle with the sign on its roof? That is a taxi. Taxis are to the streets of Chicago what flies are to a barnyard – busy and relentlessly present. Whatever bit of pavement you are moving toward, there are five of them that have their eyes on it. Maneuvering in Chicago is taxi-conscious.

Here Is The News!

MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .

RAIL NEWS: Adjacent to the Canal Street motorcoach oasis is the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad yard. The BNSF Metra is a commuter rail line serving Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. Chicago has long been the most important rail center in North America, with lines radiating in more directions than from any other location. Chicago’s first railroad was the Galena and Chicago Union, first opened for business in 1836. Today Chicago rail yards are the coordinating centers for freight distribution throughout the U.S.; and Chicago is the hub for Amtrak, the national intercity passenger system.

“L” IN THE NEWS: Jammed with horses, wagons, streetcars, and pedestrians, in 1892 the crowded conditions of Chicago streets were much as they are today. That was the year the first elevated rail system began moving people through Chicago above the streets. The attempt to alleviate some of the street bulge would become a successful fast transit system known as the “L.” Today the “L” is the second busiest fast transit system in the U.S. (to that of NY City). Having united previously competing rail providers in 1924, the “L” transports nearly 240 million riders annually.

MUST SEE...

(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)

This Thomas Edison cylinder phonograph sits among other pristine musical furnishings from the late 19th Century in the entry to the mansion-museum, “Place de la Musique,” at Sanfilippo Estates. Thirty-seven miles from downtown Chicago, “Place de la Musique” holds the largest collection of automated music machines in the world. Gloriously restored orchestrions and nickelodeons created between the 1890s to the 1930s are prelude to the largest theater pipe organ ever built and the most complete European Salon Carousel in the world, the Eden Palais. With an abundance of crafted beauty to match the fullness of auditory enjoyment, the Sanfilippo experience is nearly too big for words.

Quote Of The Day samples

“Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

“The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself. – Bill Murray

(Video run time: 1 minutes 43 seconds)

Musical accompaniment – George Street Shuffle by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/…) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-… Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/f2XLCNaxnzE

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