Bart’s blog

We are at Niagara falls this weekend - on the Canadian side. I'll let pictures do the commentary. The drive from NJ was punctuated by an overnight stay at a Hampton Inn at Cortland NY and a visit to Syracuse.

Akshay had fun while we lunched at a Thai place.

We crossed the rainbow bridge into Canada and checked into our hotel - and got a room with a reasonable view.

Then we went to the falls. It was around 7pm and still bright

And, of course, got the obligatory family snap with both the falls in the background

Then, we returned for the lighting and fireworks.

 

 

Just about passable is my verdict. I think there was potential to make a great train movie. What we got was an interesting movie but not a riveting one. The sights and sounds of the subway were underplayed. Those not familiar with New York wouldn't have caught what the alignment of the Lexington ave line in the city is (or even what the boroughs are), what Pelham is, how the new trainsets differ from old ones, what is a local, what is an express etc.

They could have used the pretext of Travolta doing a reconaissance to show plenty of subway sights and sounds  of express trains thundering past stations, trains accelerating, deccelerating, honking, screeching...and supply some context (in geography, train trivia, New York City...)

A large chunk of the movie is shot in a stationary subway car with Travolta on the phone with Denzel W.The real subway 'action' is when they try to escape and the single car runs unmanned. There is some debate about whether these trainsets will allow a single car to run by itself or whether at least two will be required.

I didn't get the whole point of Travolta forcing Denzel W. to confess to bribe taking. Are we supposed to believe that he did it? Some of the general new York city shots are good. The control room looks realistic. The armed men don't look particularly menacing and the snipers are made to look incompetent.

The proportion of R160 trainsets on the E line has gone up significantly - to over 50% in my opinion. The highest R160 serial no. I have seen on the E is 9437. Given that there are cars from the 90XX, 91XX series also operating on the 'E', that's a lot of cars. Of course, other lines like the 'F' must have gotten some of them. But it is not uncommon to see 3-4 R160 E's in a span of 10-15 minutes at any given station.

On the topic of glitches in the new R160s, today's is a serious one. The AC seemed to have failed in car 9186. Non functioning displays or the occasional jammed door is one thing. An AC failure seems more serious. I transferred to the adjacent car where I found this tag. It's interesting to see that they're crediting two places for the manufacture of this car. Never seen that sort of thing before

Apologies for the shake. What is made in Yonkers and what is made in Lincoln? And how does stuff from Lincoln come to Yonkers? On flatbed railcars?

For those who don't know, Mr Vinod Mehta is the editor of "Outlook", probably the best current affairs magazine in India.

Mr Mehta, you're an ex-Mumbaikar in Delhi and I have always believed that you combine Mumbai pragmatism with Delhi political insights very well. I have always known you leaned slightly to the left, which is fine for I believe it is possible to be objective while having specific political views. But you have sorely disappointed me with your articles post May 16. I specifically refer to two articles:

1) "No Hate Politics" on May 25.

When I saw this, I was hoping for your usually solid analysis of the losers. I was willing to ignore the title, which obviously alluded to only one of the two big losers. The BJP's tally went down from 150+ to 110+ - a roughly 25% decline. It's ally, JD(U), improved its tally. A big disappointment to them, but by no means a washout. The Left parties went from 60+ to barely 30 - a 50%+ decline.

You said "Verdict 2009 is an unambiguous, comprehensive and titanic rejection by the country of extremist politics—of the BJP and the CPI(M)". Very true. But why does teh rest of the article only assess BJP while there is not as much as a word on the left - who saw a bigger decline by any standards? You said "Let me flag a few howlers". No howlers you can recall from messers Karat and Yechuri? Where is the balance? Where is the objectivity? This almost sounds like what I see on MSNBC & FOX here in the US- completely and unabashedly biased reporting. I still can't bring myself to believe this is from you.

2) Your last "Delhi Diary"

Here, you pretty much credit the left with "slowing" India so it avoided the financial meltdown and go on to say (of free market capitalism's trickle down effect) "if it did not trickle down in 20 years, what guarantee is there that it will trickle down in the next decade? Remember, the poor vote with their feet!

It is almost laughable to imagine that India would have been a US style free market with a convertible rupee, privatised everything and no social spending if the left had not supported the UPA. Sure we would have had a few more reforms, a few more privatisations etc. but nothing that would have inextricably entangled us in the mess. SBI would not have been a Citigroup kind of case, no matter what. It is inexcusable that the UPA messed up even the most sensible NDA programmes like the golden quadrilateral road project. It is too early to pronounce that programmes like NREG;'s are successes - but I do not dispute the short term benefits to some which no doubt helped the UPA.

Now, for trickle down. What trickled down in the previous 45 yeards, Mr Mehta? 15 paise of every 1 rupee that was spent on welfare programmes (the consensus, more or less). Would BSNL have provided a vibrant cellular market that we have? I do not dispute that we shouldn't ape the west. I do not dispute that social spending is a must even when we know there are leakages.  

But I digress. This is not meant to be a left v/s right or free market v/s socialism debate. This is about balance. You say you fear you may be labelled with the "S" word (Socialism). I say you should fear being labelled a leftist editor who has given up the Mumbai pragmatism, objectivity and sense of balance. Very disappointing. I am hoping this is not a trend.

I usually work in our office in the Rockefeller center on Fridays. This Fri was no exception. Got of work just a little before 6 and walked to the subway at 6th Av. The brasserie below was doing brisk business and the gentle chatter and clink of white and red wine glasses momentarily seemed to drive recessionary thoughts away.

But soon I was staring at bicycles hugging lamposts on 49th Street between 5th and 6th Av under the shadows of Radio City and NBC? Just green riders or someone trying to avoid buying the metrocard? Does Brian Williams ride a bike to work or is it a dude who's seen a pay cut?

I still have my metrocard and don't plan on alternatives. So I rode home on the subway

Then rode with friends in their car to Somerset NJ for a sumptuous south Indian dinner at Hoysala

To get there, you drive on the NJTP which, mercifully, had normal traffic conditions for the Friday evening. Saw an Australias shaped cloud (do you agree?) and the usual evening airplane traffic at Newark.

All in all, a very satisfying evening.

Jersey City, NJ offers, unquestionably, some of the best Manhattan views.

And it has a semblance of a skyline itself. The Goldman Sachs building (see below) is undoubtedly the crowning glory of the JC skyline. The Colgate clock next to it provides an interesting contrast. Seen from the riverfront next to the Hyatt (which kind of juts into the Hudson), you also see the Verrazano bridge all lit up. 

 

For those who don't understand Kannada - the local language in Bangalore, India - the translation is "Our Bangalore".

Just got back from a trip to Bengaluru. I have been making annual trips back and changes are perceptible every time – mainly in infrastructure (new underpasses, airport, flyovers…). First, let me talk about what has NOT changed – and just as well: Vidyarthi Bhavan – that timeless eatery on Gandhi Bazar which serves heavenly masala dosas. Actually, it has changed a little – they have made it a little roomier but have not changed the décor.  Cool joint on Jayanagar 4^th block doesn’t appear to have dimmed in popularity and 4th block itself is as choc-a-bloc as ever.

 

The traffic situation hasn’t changed much either. The effect of new underpasses or widened roads is offset by the metro related excavations. At least the situation hasn’t worsened and hopefully the metro will be a long term fix. Tree felling because of the metro is another hot button issue in Bangalore right now. Looks like a lot of pain to be borne before there can be gain. Metro excavations seem to be everywhere and the green metro barriers have become a fixture.

 

The garden that we used to go for walks in hasn’t changed much – and the little change that there has been is for the better. Caught up with some of the regulars over there.

 

Now for what has changed. There is a spanking new airport. It’s been there for about a year but this is the first time I used it. It is pretty good and well run and quite up to international standards though on the smaller side.

 

Volvo buses run by the local metropolitian transport agency (BMTC) appear to be fairly popular now.

 

There are some transportation hubs are coming in various parts of the city – which integrate parking, bus stops, shops etc. It’ll be good if a strong public transport based foundation takes shape. My guess is that Bengaluru circa 2013 will be a much more pleasant place to live in as a lot of the transportation projects would be completed. But then the city has defied pundits before (and I don't profess to be one) - so fingers crossed.

 

We're in Dubai en route to the US from India. Terminal 3 - the dedicated Emirates terminal - is impressive. They seem to have borrowed some concepts from Changi - like gardens. Dubai was sizzling at 41C (well over 100F). Driving with A/C turned to high and flitting between air conditioned malls/hotels was the main 'touristy' activity before sunset.

 

After Sunset, the beach by Burj Al Arab gets pleasant and is a popular haunt for those looking for a bit of respite. The nearby Jumeirah Madinat is an interesting shopping/dining hangout and offers interesting views of the Burj.

 

The two photos to the left are views of the Burj from the beach. The third one is from a coffee shop at the Jumeriah Madinat.

Dubai has largely two parts on either side of the creek - "Bar Dubai" and "Deira". There are tunnels and bridges across the creek but the old ferry or "Abra" crossings are popular and cheap. Old Dubai can be seen along the creek.

The "Abra" (see center picture) is the common man's transport. You get to rub shoulders with the laborers predominantly from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and Philipines. The Dubai government has also started air conditioned abras which didn't seem to have many takers. The Dubai metro looks like it is close to completion.

My hosts in dubai seemed to think that there is a significant element of exaggeration in all the 'horror' stories of Dubai that are making it to the western press. Sure - an economy that relies so heavily on trade, real estate and finance has taken a serious knock. But not every other expat is living in a parking lot. The Indian taxi driver (from the state of Kerala like so many others) seemed quite happy with his line of business

DXB is the airport code for Dubai airport. I just got off the non-stop Emirates flight from JFK to Dubai - on the brand new Airbus 380 - en route to India. This post is entering blogsphere courtesy of the Dubai airport wi-fi. I am sitting at a Starbucks sipping a caramel latte (with skimmed milk of course). Terminal 3 (the dedicated Emirates terminal) is nice, big and spacious. Also, I guess this is not the peak hour so it's quite comfortable with plenty of seating. In case you forget this is not a western airport,the call to prayer will remind you (one went off about 30 minutes back).

I was looking forward to the flight on the 380 - even though I hold the cheapest economy class ticket and the major improvements on the 380 are for business and, especially, first. The check in at JFK was uneventful. Lots of fellow Indians in the line - not surprising given Emirates' extensive network in India. A gentleman behind me, traveling with family and at least 6 big bags was painstakingly filling out the cabin baggage tags, complete with address and phone, and affixing it to his check in bags! The philosphy sometimes seems to be: If there is a line, try to get in front. If there is a form, fill first and ask questions later.

The Emirates reservation desk and the guys manning the gate told me that a one sector upgrade (i.e. JFK to Dubai) would cost about USD 2800. That's less than the published fare but still a heck of a lot of money when traveling on your own account. But there was at least one gentleman who exercised that option. For a 12 hour flight that works out to more than $200 / hr! At the gate, I got my Continental FF number added instead of skywards since I didn't see too much point in accumulating Emirates skywards points.

It was a full flight - in all classes. I had carefully picked seat 81A after consulting seatguru.com. This was a seat just behind th exit row - so didn't have a seat in front of it. Not a bulkhead seat but no seat in front - which is nice to have in economy. No sooner was I seated than a harried looking steward came to me "Would I consider exchanging this seat with a pregnant lady who felt the need for more space?" He added that 4 people had already refused and it would very nice if I could accommodate. Hmmm...ok chivalry took over and I gave it up on the condition that I would get an aisle seat. So I was back in 79H - a standard aisle seat. Economy on the 380 is a little better than on other aircraft like the 777 or 747. Seat pitch is a little better and consequently the recline is also a little more. That helps.

We pushed back a little after 11pm and were airborne by 11.40 or so. A little after midnight, the meal service started. The cabin crew were mostly attentive and kept careful track of the special meal requirements - especially since they had also facilitated many seat swaps like mine. I was close to the galley and the more senior steward was guiding the others on how to stack the food trays so they could retrieve special meals quickly. They went through the checklist methodically "73 Charlie is Asian Veg, 74 Alpha is a child meal, 78 Edgar is hindu..." 

My Asian veg dinner was very good but spirits came later - which is odd. So I was done with the meal when the beverage service came in. The red wine would have surely gone well with food rather than after. I expected a few water and juice patrols in between on such a long flight, but that didn't happen. I was close to the galley and in an aisle seat, so it didn't matter to me that much.

The entertainment system "ICE" is excellent. Wonderful selection of movies and a big, wide screen. My remote wouldn't come off its holder, but that was OK since I didn't play games. I caught Quantum of Solace and Valkyerie.An amenity kit of sorts is handed out in economy - eye shades, socks, toothbrush/paste. A menu was handed out also. There were two hot towel services which is good (and towels were hot!).

Breakfast came about 2.5 hours before landing. Was also good though the steward didn't honor my request for the regular b/f (scrambled eggs) and more or less insisted that I should stick to asian veg as that is what I had requested. That's OK I guess especially on a full flight. Breakfast was good also,

We landed a few minutes early. Smooth landing and no delays getting the gate or disembarking. All in all, a pleasant flight. My debut on the 380 didn't disappoint.

Here's another of my experiments with HDR. The liberty marina is just opposite where I live. I took this a few days back - a day on which there was a very deep orange glow in the sky.

Also, see another HDR photo of midtown Manhattan

BTW, HDR is a technique of taking photos with different exposures and merging them. So this one was taken with 4 different exposure and merged using photomatix (you see their watermark because this is a trial version. I still cannot bring myself to buy it for $99 - at least not yet!)