EightWheels ... on the Road » Destinations

Boston Marathon 2010 Photos Posted

EightWheels — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:31:19 +0000

Boston Marathon Runners on my coach

I’m back from Boston, and got a few photos posted from the trip. This was my sixth trip to the most famous of marathons, but I’ve yet to actually see the runners run. There is nowhere to park my motorcoach within walking distance on race day. But it’s still a fun trip, one I look forward to every year, especially as I’ve gotten to know my passengers on this trip.

I’ve posted a few photos from the trip here: http://www.bobbergey.com/p41009462. Although I don’t see the race itself (except on TV from my hotel room), I do shuttle the runners to the starting line in Hopkinton. That’s where many of these photos were taken, just before the race started. You’ll see the group of 30 runners I took this year (and in the photo above). The hotel we stay at is also very nice, photogenic even, and I have a couple of shots there that I took just for me — including my coach, of course.

Site and Photo Gallery Updates

EightWheels — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 19:24:20 +0000

I’ve been working way too much recently, but you have to make hay while the sun shines, right? LOL … In between trips, I’ve made a few updates to the site and added a couple of photo galleries. The FAQ is back! Not many changes from the previous version a while back, but it’s been updated some. Also in the Links menu is a new page for State DOT Sites for each state in the USA. Plus I’ve added a few more links on the Parking & More links page.

Two new photo galleries have also been added — photos from two different, recent visits to the Arlington National Cemetery, and a few photos from a trip to FDR’s home in Hyde Park, NY. Check them out when you have a chance.

Arlington National Cemetery
FDR Home

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Six New Photo Galleries Posted

EightWheels — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:58:36 +0000

KABOOM! An 8 inch mortar is fired at the Gettysburg Reenactment.

I’ve been working at getting caught up on posting photos to my Photo Gallery pages. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve posted six new galleries, including over 350 photos from the 9-day PBU Chorale Tour in early June, a day trip to Hickory Bridge Farm, almost 150 photos from my 8-day tour to Branson, Missouri, a few photos from the Culinary Institute of America, over 80 photos from a 3-day trip to Niagara Falls, and over 60 photos from my first trip of the 3rd quarter 2009 to the Gettysburg Battle Reenactment.

Prints from any of the galleries are available for purchase; just click “Add to Cart” while viewing the photo you want, and follow the directions to select quantity, size, finish, etc. Check them out today!

PBU Chorale Tour 2009
Hickory Bridge Farm
Branson, Missouri
Culinary Institute of America
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Gettysburg Battle Reenactment

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Five of My Favorite Broadway Shows

EightWheels — Sat, 16 May 2009 04:37:33 +0000

I love Broadway shows, and because I frequently do trips to New York City, I get to see a few shows each year. Here’s a list of my top five favorite Broadway shows that are still playing, plus a few others worth seeing and two of my all-time favorites that are no longer playing.

1) The Phantom of the Opera

The longest running show on Broadway, and once you’ve seen it you start to understand why. Great music. And one of those very rare shows you want to see more than once. I had one passenger recently who was seeing it for the 11th time!

2) Mamma Mia

I love ABBA’s music, and this is a fun story built around their great songs. Another one you can see more than once — my wife has been there twice already.

3) Jersey Boys

Okay, I love oldies … and I love Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. So this show in a no-brainer — great music and a great, mostly true, story.

4) South Pacific

My wife bought me tickets for this show (on a Hagey Tour, of course!) for Valentine’s Day earlier this year. It’s playing at the Lincoln Center, and is a revival of the famous Rodgers & Hammerstein musical. Really well done.

5) In the Heights

Winner of the 2008 Tony for Best Musical, this is a wonderful show about two days in the life of a Washington Heights neighborhood. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry. A good story, and definitely worth seeing.

So those are my current “top five.” Other great shows still playing on Broadway that I’ve seen and highly recommend include Mary Poppins, Wicked, Chicago, and The Lion King. Other shows that my passengers are talking positively about but I haven’t yet seen include Billy Elliot the Musical, Hair, and Guys and Dolls.

Two shows I loved that, sadly, are no longer playing on Broadway include Hairspray (I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt by the end of the show), and The Color Purple (a show that played with my emotions, both happy and sad, more than any I’ve ever seen). Moral of the story: no show plays forever; don’t wait until it’s too late to see the show you really wanted to see.

Five Day Trips Everyone Should Do

EightWheels — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:18:01 +0000

Day trips by motorcoach are something nearly everyone can do and enjoy. Here are five destinations that should definitely be on your short list if you’re in the eastern PA area and haven’t already done them at least once. All are easy and inexpensive; just dress comfortably and wear good walking shoes. Most tour companies offer trips here, but if you want to go with the best, go with Hagey Tours, the company I drive for. You can go by yourself on a public (retail) tour, or if you have a group, charter a trip especially designed just for your group, including custom pick-up and drop-off points.

1) New York City

What an easy way to visit the Big Apple! Take the motorcoach directly to the Times Square area. There is so much to do. If you like Broadway shows, pick up a half price (or deeply discounted) ticket for a same-day show at the TKTS booth in the center of Times Square. Lunch at one of the hundreds of great restaurants. Shop along Fifth Avenue in some of the most famous stores in the world. A short subway ride takes you uptown to the world’s finest museums, or to Lower Manhattan for Chinatown or a visit to the Statue of Liberty. So much to see and do, you could do this every month! It’s my favorite day trip.

2) Washington, DC

There is so much to see and do in our nation’s capital! The Smithsonian museums alone can occupy your time for days — and they’re all free (your tax dollars at work!). See the numerous monuments and memorials. And visit the brand new Visitor Center at the Capitol.

3) Baltimore Inner Harbor

Baltimore, MD has done a marvelous job at bringing their Inner Harbor to life, with lots of activities for visitors. Stroll around the harbor; visit the state-of-the-art Aquarium and see the dolphin show; visit the Maryland Science Center and watch an Imax movie. Tour one of the ships or submarine docked there, and visit the Baltimore Maritime Museum. You can take a boat cruise of the Inner Harbor area. Lots of shopping and great eating, too!

4) Ocean City, NJ

There’s nothing like a day at the shore to just relax and get away from it all. Stroll the boardwalk, spend time on the beach, enjoy fresh seafood, and more.

5) Statue of Liberty

Everyone should visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island at least once in their lifetime. Easiest access is from Liberty Sate Park in New Jersey, where the motorcoach drops you off right by the ferry access point.

Are Buses the New Way to Go?

EightWheels — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:12:41 +0000

That’s the title of an article yesterday in USA Today. It’s an interesting summary of low cost travel on some of the newer carriers providing very inexpensive rides between major cities in the east, midwest, and western us, including Megabus (CoachUSA) and BoltBus (Greyhound).

Are Buses the New Way to Go?

Mystery Tour and Ligonier Photo Galleries Posted

EightWheels — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 20:21:18 +0000

I’ve posted photos from two of my most recent Hagey Tours: a Mystery Tour April 23 that included a tour of the fascinating Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ, and the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton, NJ; and a two-day tour, April 26-27, to Ligonier, PA, that included visits to two of Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes, Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, plus tours of the Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown, PA and Fort Ligonier in Ligonier, PA. Both were great trips, very interesting for the passengers and great photo opportunities.

Mystery Tour Gallery
Fallingwater/Ligonier Tour Gallery

Boston Marathon 2010 Photos Posted

Boston Marathon Trip Photos

EightWheels — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:50:19 +0000

Photos taken of my trip to the Boston Marathon 2009 are posted in the Photo Gallery. Click Here to go directly to the new gallery.

Unfortunately there aren’t any photos of the race itself — I couldn’t get the coach within walking distance of the race, and with my shuttling responsibilities for both runners and passengers wasn’t able see the race, except portions on TV. But it was an exciting day! I took 23 runners from our hotel out to the start of the race in Hopkinton, Massachusetts on the morning of the race, and all 23 finished, five of them in less than 3 hours. The oldest of the runners was 59, running in his 97th marathon — now that’s impressive! He finished with a time fast enough to automatically qualify for next year’s Boston Marathon.

All photos are available for purchase. Add the photo you’re viewing to your cart, then follow the directions to choose size, quantity, shipping, etc. Photos are shipped promptly and directly to you.

New Photos — Cherry Blossoms, Liberty State Park, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor

EightWheels — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 03:24:24 +0000

Washington's Cherry Blossoms in April

It’s been too long since I’ve posted photos from my trips in my Photo Gallery, but I finally got three new galleries posted today. Included are a few photos from my trip last week to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, plus earlier trips to New Jersey’s Liberty State Park, and to the Baltimore Inner Harbor. Prints are available, should you see anything you must have — you can purchase them right on the site and have them shipped to you directly. Enjoy!

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It’s Cherry Blossom Time!

EightWheels — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:07:47 +0000

I’m sitting in Washington, DC this afternoon with a sold-out tour to the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Weather on the way here was horrible — heavy rainfall, fog, and lots of traffic to top it off on a Friday morning. But we arrived almost right on schedule, started with a driving tour and within half an hour the sun was out! One brief shower came through, but now the skies are blue, temperature is up to 68F and it’s absolutely beautiful.

But there are no crowds! Washington is the least crowded I’ve seen it at cherry blossom time. I even found bus parking on Independence by the Washington Monument. There was also space at Hains Point, and I’m sure at Union Station, too, although I haven’t checked there yet today (that’s our dinner stop). I’m guessing the rain scared a lot of people away, and maybe the economy affected some, too. Last year it was wall to wall people, traffic was gridlocked; this year traffic is moving smoothly, and while there are people here, there aren’t crowds today like I’ve seen before.

No doubt Friday is a factor, too, and more people will be here tomorrow. I’ll be back here again next Saturday, so it will be interesting to compare. Meanwhile I’m enjoying Washington today more than I expected.

Happy Holidays