US Tour 2006-2007: Salem

I made it to Oregon on Friday night (the 9th). The next day, my travel companions went to the Oregon Food & Wine festival. I decided to skip it, since I'm not old enough to drink.

That afternoon, I visited the Capitol building. There is a big gold man on top of it!

The next day, I visited Tillamook. Over the mountains to see the cows! It had snowed recently and the trees were still covered with cold, fluffy white stuff. The cheese factory didn't have much action due to the weekend, unfortunately. They did have a great cheese shop, though.



After Tillamook, it was off to the beach. I arrived just as the sun was setting. It was a nice evening, except for the cold and the snow. I can't say I've ever seen snow on a beach. Of course, the beaches I've visited are in Hawaii or California.




That evening on the way back to the hotel, I saw a sign for Martinis and thought it was a bar. Turns out it was a law firm, though.



After Salem, I took the train back home, where I've been resting and recovering ever since. I guess it's back to the boring old bookshelf for a while...

US Tour 2006-2007: Seattle

My first day in Seattle was cold, cold, and cold. Oh, and windy, too. I went up to the top of the Space Needle and had a nice view of the city. Later, I visited Pike Place Market. It rained some, but I missed out on that by hanging out in a cafe.

The next day, I visited with some friends at another cafe, the Monkey Grind. What a great place for monkeys to play! That afternoon, my travel companions visited various wineries. I stayed out in the car since I'm not old enough to drink yet. While we were in Woodinville it started to snow, which is apparently a pretty rare thing in the area.



On Thursday, I visited the Ballard Locks (aka the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks). I saw some boats going through the locks and even a harbor seal. No salmon in the fish ladders, though there was some nice artwork in the fish ladder viewing area. I also visited the Visitors Center, where they showed some history of the locks as well as some of the tools used to work on them - like Monkey Wrenches.



That afternoon, I tried to go on the Underground Tour of Seattle, but it was closed due to the weather (even though the weather had cleared up). Instead, I wandered around downtown Seattle. Did you know that there is a national park in a downtown Seattle Building? It's the Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit Historical Park. I was only there for about 15 minutes before it closed, but I got to check out a recreation of an old store and figure out if I was worth my weight in gold. Turns out that in 1897 I would've been worth $299, but today I'm worth $8861--well, if I were made of gold, anyway. I think I'm worth a lot more, of course, since cuteness is priceless.



The next day, Friday, I hopped on the Amtrak Cascades train to Oregon. Seattle was a lot of fun, even though it was pretty cold and windy there. I thought I'd left the windy city when the train departed Chicago, but I guess not! I should definitely come back to Seattle when it's warmer, since there are so many fun things to do that I didn't get to.

US Tour 2006-2007: New York to Seattle

The Lakeshore Limited train goes from New York to Chicago, and that's the one I took. My room was a viewliner roomette, with plenty of extra room for playing hide and seek with the luggage.



When the train arrived in Chicago, there was about four hours until my next train left. I took a side trip to Giordano's, where the pizza's stuffed, just like me!



Next up, I jumped on the Empire Builder, which travels between Chicago and Seattle. The seats were awful spacious for a monkey like me.



The train went through northern states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Idaho on its way to Washington. I've never been to any of those places! On a few of the stops I could get out and look around. This one was Minot, ND. Boy is it cold there. I'm sure the flowers are much nicer in the Spring.

When we got back on the train, I discovered that my traveling companion finished making a blanket for me! It came in handy in all the cold weather.



Did I mention that it was cold? It was. Quite cold. Especially in Montana.


It was cold in Washington, too! The scenery along the train ride was very nice, even though it gets dark pretty early in the winter.



I made it to Seattle on Tuesday morning - and guess what? They predicted snow for the area...

US Tour 2006-2007: New York, New York

Thursday and Friday in New York were busy! Since I've been on the train, I haven't had a chance to share my pictures.

Thursday afternoon I went to DUMBO and visited Jacques Torres Chocolates, then walked along the waterfront. There are a lot of old warehouses that are being turned into restaurants and other things. There was a dog park there as well - but I steered clear of it, for my safety. You know how dogs can be with stuffed animals.

For dinner that night, I stopped by Katz's Deli. I didn't eat much becase I was already stuffed. I hear they have great pastrami sandwiches, though.


The next day, Friday, I went on a walking tour of mid-town Manhattan and saw parts of the Grand Central Terminal. Our tour guide was quite a character and had some good stories to tell. The afternoon was another tour - this time Rockefeller Center. I saw the Christmas tree and went to the Top of the Rock. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and I couldn't see much of New York at night.


Afterwards, I went to Broadway! Not to perform, but to watch Spamalot. It was a great show. Maybe one day I can marry a girl monkey with big... tracts of land.


It was a late night, but lots of fun. The next day, I slept in then wandered over to Penn Station. My train to Chicago left in the afternoon. I had a great view of the sunset over the Hudson River as I left New York.

US Tour 2006-2007: Adios DC, Hello New York

Yesterday, the train station in DC was still decorated for the holidays, with lights and garland everywhere. They also had an exhibition about Norway. I'm glad I don't live there, it looks way too cold for monkeys. In the meantime, I can pretend, right? Here's a picture of me with some penguins. Good thing they were hanging out indoors!


The train made it to New York in about 3 hours. No pictures from there because I was too busy sleeping, what with the wild time I had in DC and all.

Still, today was a busy one. I visited the UN in the morning. Since I'm under 12, I had to be accompanied by an adult. I saw several council chambers, including the security council.

Afterwards, I headed to the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building. I didn't find Meg Ryan there, but I did get some nice pictures. Someone held my hand while I was sitting for one of them, to keep me from blowing away.
Later, I went to Build-A-Bear in Manhattan. I wasn't born at that one, but I was born at a Build-A-Bear in Texas. I picked out a new outfit so that I won't be so cold in New York -- long pants! Maybe I'll model them for you, next time.

First Stop, US Tour 2006-2007: Washington DC!

Now, DC is a lovely place. I've been here before but didn't have a chance to see much. This trip, I really stayed in Maryland, with a cute gal who loves to dress up and watch Bambi. We went to the zoo to see my peeps, and had fun on New Year's Eve with Dick Clark and some video games. Tomorrow, I'm off to the Big Apple!

The Roger P. Monkey US Tour, 2006-2007

It's been fun hanging out in Texas with my girls and meeting Santa and Papa Smurf.



However, I think it's time to move on. I'm taking a long trip - from the South to the Northeast to the Northwest then back home to California. I'm going to go hang out in Washington, DC for a few days, then take the train to New York and party. Then it's another train trip - a long one - across the nation from New York to Seattle. A few days in Seattle, then down to Salem and finally home after visiting Oregon's capital.

Trains are a great way to travel. Food, hotel, and transportation all wrapped up in the same package, plus a good way to view the scenery. Maybe this time I won't get mooned, like those rafters did when I was taking the train through Colorado! That scenery was something I could've lived without.