Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photos. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Before and After

Hey there,

For those of you who were curious to see my weight loss progress, I've included "Before" and "After" pics in this entry.

I am now using the "After" pictures as my NEW "Before" pics. =)

185 (my target weight): here I come!!

BEFORE:
1 - November 2007: Watching a soccer game with my uncles














2 - April 2008: At a Mets game for my b-day
















3 - July 2008: Outside MSG for the Bon Jovi concert




















AFTER:
1 - Out and about in December 2008






























2 - Around New Year's (Dec 08/Jan 09)















I've still got a bit of a belly (nothing's changed since my childhood apparently... haha) but it's not nearly as pronounced as before.

I will post updated pics when the summer comes around.

Until next time, faithful reader...

Monday, March 9, 2009

My Stroll Through Queens

Today, I had to leave my car in the very capable hands of the dealer so they can repair my exhaust system. Instead of taking a train or bus home, I decided to walk. No it wasn't the cheapskate in me that wanted to pocket $2. I simply wanted to take a stroll. Had the temperature been a few degrees colder, I would have never considered it.

I documented the trip below using my camera phone (the B&W pics are courtesy of my old digital camera which I forgot I was carrying with me until the second half of the walk).

Hope you enjoy!


VIDEO INTRO
:


The start of the journey over on Steinway Street and 36th Avenue:
There's a bear patrolling the park on Steinway (OH MY!):
OH Krinos... how I do NOT miss you! A few friends and I ran a flea market out of this parking lot on Saturdays when we were in our teens. It stunk to high heaven in the summer because those barrels are filled with olives!:


This is the actual eye-level view from the sidewalk of Home Depot on Northern Blvd:
This diner really looks like a POS site. I wonder whether they really have enough business to stay alive. Maybe being along Northern Blvd helps but I don't want to eat there:
Tower Square Shopping Center @ Woodside Avenue and Northern Blvd. Where one can find many fine shops such as "Deal$ 5 or less", "Malcolm Wireless", and "Silk Floral" and fine dining at establishments such as "Pizza Hut", "Subway", and "Boston Market":


Korean Presbyterian Church on Woodside Ave. Note the dark, ominous clouds approaching. I think I should keep moving:
HA! Doughboy Plaza... maybe I should check it out:
Somber moment in Doughboy Plaza as I find a statue erected in memory of soldiers from Woodside who lost their lives during WWI ("Lest We Forget"):

Woodside branch of the QPL:
Roosevelt Avenue and 55th Street (7 train line overhead):

Calvary Cemetary - Queens Blvd @ 56th Street:
Narrow corridor along the wall of the cemetary (on Queens Blvd):
No major thoroughfare in Queens is complete with out a collection of free periodical stands:
A park I think I went to a looooong time ago. Then again, a lot of parks in Queens (and presumably across the city) all seem to look the same:
Laurel Hill Blvd (south side)/wall along the side of the BQE:
Railing overlooking the BQE @ 65th Place:

Sadly, still no sign of spring in this neck of the woods:
This house seems so out of place. Reminds me of the types of homes I have found in my travels through New England:
Any of you from Maspeth? Any PS229 alums?:
This looks eerily similar to every set of tracks you can find in Woodside
(Note: This was not taken in Woodside):

LIRR tracks - I climbed a ledge by the entrance of an apartment building and could not believe I was able to get these clear shots of the track. Made me wish I had a better camera to work with:


Penn Station-bound train:
Just one block away... the fence was falling over and garbage can be found all over the place. Can we say urban decay, boys and girls?:







































No. Your eyes do not deceive you. That is a pigeon coop that I found in my travels inside a man's garage. He was nice enough to let me take a picture so I tried not to be too intrusive. The smell of it took me back to Portugal when I was a kid and I visited my uncle's garage which he converted into an aviary. A pleasant memory, NOT a pleasant smell. lol

Nearing the home stretch:
A few shots overlooking the LIE:


Maybe we should re-introduce some color to these shots:


Still no sign of Spring! grrrrr....

Walk info/stats:
START - 4:30PM
END - 6:20PM
[For the mapped out path, click here.]

Temperature - 43 degrees (no wind chill)

Miles walked - 3.93 miles
Calories burned (I'm serious!) - 588.2 kcal

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Until next time, faithful reader....