civilized ku # 299 ~ baby, it's cold outside
Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 11:42AM 
-5F on top ~ Whiteface Mt. • click to embiggenThe past couple of days/nights have been cold. Overnight lows around the area have dipped to -24F.
However, there is a sunny-side to that weather condition. Last evening I braved the elements to attend (invitation only) the unveiling of a new car line at a local dealership. It is a very nice car and we might have purchased one if it had been available in October (when last we purchased a new car).
I took a test drive and upon my return to the dealership, I was greeted by the sight and sound of several people who were pointing at me and announcing, "There he is." My first thought was that the wife was looking for me and had phoned the dealership - we were meeting for dinner after the unveiling - but that was not the case. What was the case was that I was the Grand Prize Winner of a 3-choice (pick 1) vacation package for 2 - a Las Vegas Getaway, a Cancun/Mexico Resort stay, or a Carnival Cruise Line Caribbean Cruise.
So, if we want to get away from the cold and snow, we have the means. However, truth be told, on our list of vacation / getaway destinations, none of those places even rate a passing mention.
Although, over dinner last evening, the wife did cotton up to the idea of the Vegas trip as an opportunity for me to do a picturing trip - other than picturing them, the casinos / streets of Las Vegas have no allure of any kind for me but I have always thought that, if were in the Vegas area, I would go out of my way to do some picture making there. And, of course, there are quite a few places worth visiting outside of the city - the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Death Valley National Park, and Area 51 to name a few.
god knows, I've seen enough "perfect pictures" of those places, so visiting a few of them to see what they really look like might be just the thing.
gravitas et nugalis
Featured Comment: Don asked: "...so what is the new car line....?"
We already have one of these - the most fuel-efficient AWD vehicle in the US - which we like very much. So, we (actually, I) were interested to see what their all new Kizashi - the GTS in particular - was like. Suzuki is going after the up-market Audi A4 / Acura TSX crowd - cars with similar performance which when comparably equipped cost up to 150% more than the Kizashi. And, only a few K more than the car we just purchased.
FYI - if an American car maker made a car anything like any of these vehicles at anywhere near the price point we might consider them but, in fact, they don't so there is no consideration to be considered.
Reader Comments (7)
I see they killed Saab, so what is the new car line Mark?
Oh yes and congrats on the prize.
I was in Las Vegas about two years ago, accompanying my wife at a conference, and found -- much to my surprise -- that I could photograph unimpeded within the gambling areas of several casinos. I was using a DSLR, not a small P&S. You can see the results in my Blurb book:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/191577
Toward the end of the book are photos of some of the other attractions in the area: Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon. The whole experience was a lot more fun than I expected.
Forget the others--go to Las Vegas, then leave it. Death Valley is about two hours away and it is the most spectacular place I have ever been. Photographic opportunities abound (and not just the touristy stuff either). This is the time of year to go, (I don't recommend July or August, or for that matter April through October). This is a no brainer.
I agree with John - Death Valley is the place to go - I was just down there for our annual NPy trek in November - see http://www.flickr.com/groups/deathvalleynocturnes for some stuff done then (as well as some student work).
Also, you might check out Valley of Fire State Park (about an hour out of Vegas, in the wrong direction (if headed to Death Valley).
Having lived in LV for a year, Mark, I would very much recommend it. It's close to some really great spots (some of which are mentioned above). Red Rock Canyon is just outside of town and was my favorite. I also know that, like me, you're a dedicated "people watcher". Well, there's no better place for doing that than Las Vegas. By the way, which hotel is included in the offer? If you know, I can probably tell you if it's worth it or not. The quality range runs all the way from five star to absolute dump. That's true even on the strip.
Vegas is a hellhole. If you can get past that every sleaze ball is trying to take you for every penny possible it is fascinating in its disgusting all American glory. It is every thing that is bad about our society. It would be doubly interesting after having seen real (actually stone) sculpture in Italy. The cheap vacuformed junk that passes for art to the rabble there is so hideous it's interesting to see.
We were out side of Caesar's looking at some hideous plastic fountain. I said to someone in our party,"these people can't think this is nice, this is a joke, right?" And at that moment a group came up and someone said, glowingly, "Beautiful!" and started snapping away.
I would never go back but it was an experience of a life time.