Adventures of the Orange

As many of you know from my twitter account (@juliewalas) Otto has been a very busy Orange this year. And I'm very grateful to have done some fairly interesting travel with my favorite Orange... a few of my favorites below:


Late last August Otto and I (and the whole family) got tickets to a Buffalo Bills pre-season game. The game honored Billy Buffalo's 10th birthday, and all his mascot pals played their own football game at halftime... below, Otto cheers as Billy makes a touchdown: Otto in the endzone... performing at Ralph Wilson Stadium:

My friend and I posing with Billy Buffalo after the game. Happy Birthday buddy!

A few weeks later (early October) - Otto and I got up REALLY early to take a drive out to Bristol, CT -- yes, that's right, we went to ESPN. It was an awesome day around the campus.. clearly, Otto was very excited:

While at ESPN we filmed a "This is Sportscenter" commercial with Dwight Freeney and some of the Sports Science guys... you can watch here. After the shoot, they let Otto tour around the ESPN campus stopping by the cafeteria and the SportsCenter studios.

In between Christmas and New Years (as I'm sure you've heard) the Syracuse football team played it's first Bowl Game since 2004... and we won. Otto and I headed down to Yankee Stadium for a few days to help cheer on the team. My credentials that let me take that really cool picture on the field (above).

Game day came a few days after a horrific east coast snow storm... teams worked around the clock to get the stadium in shape for the game, but there was still snow left on the sidelines... which Otto used as a podium to liven up the crowd.
Otto's flag is my favorite.

It was a tough, back-and-forth game, but in the end, with some really exciting plays and some true Syracuse magic, we pulled out a sweet victory, and the team took to the snow-banks to greet the fans (and their families).

Otto didn't leave without some further stadium exploring though. It was really neat to play the first-ever Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium and to have some all access passes. You can watch Otto getting ready for the big game here -- the video shown on the jumbotron at the stadium pre-game.

Mayhem on game day as Cheer, Dance, Band and Otto lead a pep-rally for our fans outside Yankee Stadium.

Otto and I took a couple trips to NYC this year for some neat events...we went to this Alumni bowling event- where Otto was a big shot on the lanes (knocking down a total of two pins) and behind the counter - giving everyone their bowling shoes. This was an incredible event in the heart of Times Square (who knew there was a bowling alley this classy in Times Square?) with some really fun alumni.

Otto's attempt at bowling (his opponent was Don McPherson, so we knew we were done before we started).

One afternoon in NYC we took Otto out exploring central park... next thing I know that darn Orange "borrows" a sled from a local kid and does some good runs down the slippery hill.

We also dropped by SU's home in NYC - the Lubin House on East 61st Street to say hi to our friends and alumni there. It's a beautiful brownstone right near the park and whenever I'm in town for work, I love staying there.

The first weeks of January brought a flurry of excitement as Otto was selected to be a part of UCA's national mascot competition. We built props and skits and edited music to get ready for a trip to Disney World's Wide World of Sports. An awesome weekend overall, we all were able to spend some time at the pool and in all the parks.. And to top it off, Otto won 10th place!

For now, Otto is resting up before our basketball team makes a big run in the tournament... I can feel it coming!

As always, Go 'Cuse! #ForeverOrange

The end of summer...

Seems so long ago, but wow did that time fly by. And in the midst of these days of negative temperatures and blustery winds... I wanted to remind myself of the joy that was the end of summer.

I spent those last few warm weekends last August and September, at the beach:

Cape May, NJ AUG 2010

and in the sunshine of the busy parks of New York:

(Photos from the HighLine- one of the coolest places in NYC, a recent discovery for me, and a definite must see for your next visit)

As I gaze out my office windows, and the crazy college student heads to the gym across the quad in orange basketball shorts... I remember, Spring is almost here again.

Lauren's Weekend in Syracuse

Actually we didn't spend much time in Syracuse at all (surprise, surprise). Lauren came to visit (as she does maybe twice a year) not only to spend sometime with me, but to take a look at some colleges and begin her search process, as she's going to be a High School junior this fall.


Lauren at SUNY Cortland:

We had a whirlwind of visits, checking 5 colleges in 4 days off the list: Syracuse (of course), LeMoyne, Ithaca, Cortland and Oswego. 5 very different places, and a great way to both really confuse yourself and jump start your search process.

We didn't spend all of our time taking college tours though. While in each place we did some pretty neat things.

Saturday we drove down to Ithaca and really took in the city and community; shopping in the Commons, and hiking through the gorges.

Lauren, taking photos at Tremen Falls:

Lucifer Falls- the biggest one at the park... i couldn't get a wide enough angle to capture the whole thing, but you get the picture:
Me and Lauren. It's a pretty breathtaking place, and we really enjoyed our walk around. There are a few other really great waterfalls/parks in Ithaca but this one's my favorite.

Sunday we drove north to Sterling for the Renaissance festival.. and what an experience that was. If you haven't had any exposure to it before it's a startling thing.. in fact I spent my first few hours watching mud-slinging and dunking and seeing all sorts of "Renaissance dress" with quite a look of disbelief:

Yes- there was ax throwing (Can you imagine the danger??-- they were really real axes!!):

And there was jousting... yes real jousting! I had the hardest time getting over these things. They wore chainmail, rode horses... the real deal. Here you see them dualing for the final championship (and hundreds of baffled visitors watching the whole thing):

We also watched a play where everyone gets dunked/drowned in this pond... very strange. But elements of hilarity. If you're interested/amused by this sort of stuff, you're just going to have to see it yourself.

After I got through the shock of the oddity in this place... we enjoyed some interesting treats. We had to get a turkey leg (EVERYONE had a turkey leg)... which isn't actually all that tasty or meaty, but looks pretty crazy so we each posed for a photo.

Julie:
Lauren:

Binh:

I think this is the strangest place I've visited and posted about... you can challenge me on that if you'd like, but seriously, I'm just not sure about these people that do this for a living. It was so odd. But also cool enough that I'm glad to have experienced it.. i guess. Can you imagine the people who purchase the $207 season pass?

All in all a great weekend, as I always really love spending time with Lauren. Here's to hoping she comes back for more exploring soon.

Boilermaker Challenge

I've said it every year friends, but this year, I figure if I put the proclamation out there on the blog... then maybe I'll actually do it.

Home in Utica for Boilermaker Sunday this year, I saw lots of friends running by... and every time I watch I think "I want to be a part of this" and/or "I could totally do this"... The truth of the matter is the Boilermaker is a 10 mile (more or less) road race through the city of Utica on what's somehow almost always the hottest Sunday morning of the summer. And next year I've promised to be a part of it.


Here are a few photos from this year's race.

Mom, Dad and I cheering people on:

A few of the approx. 13,000 runners:

The best part is the race ends with a huge post-party at the Saranac Brewery... this year about 30,000 people were there with me.

When next July comes around, wish me luck.

The Nation's Capital

Somehow, I got the awesome fortune to head down to DC for the last week of June. It was the Annual ALA Conference (you may remember this in Chicago from last year). With tons of great friends living in DC, I had an awesome time blending worlds together, catching up and exploring new things. We ate great food, drank stong drinks, and did a lot of laughing. Below are a few highlights...

(But first as always, I don't want you to think I didn't do ANY working, this is the ground floor at the convention center at ALA. We, the Syracuse iSchool are one of the tiny booths amongst the thousands way in the back. We spent time catching up with alumni and hosting alumni engagement events in the city, and recruiting new students looking to get library degrees).

The convention center is also right next to NPR in Mt. Vernon Square. I love NPR (yes, I'm a little bit of a nerd) but you can't fathom my delight at this fortunate coincidence. Unfortunately as far as I can tell, they don't give tours.

My first night in town I went out with an old friend affectionately referred to in the SU Tour Guide circle as "Jeffy K" -- you may have heard of him, he's kind of a legend around these parts.

We walked together around this up and coming, very young culturally influenced area of DC called HStreet NE... you may also have heard of this. If not, definitely go... try the dangerous pies.

And ended up having dinner at Jeffy K's most favorite restaurant in the city. It looks a little creepy from the outside but this Belgian gastropub makes some great mussels, and has tons of interesting beers on tap. Don't judge it by the outside, and order some frittes.

After that great night... I wasn't sure how I could top it. But I figured it out. The next afternoon I met my good friend Kristen for exploration of the NEWSEUM. It should officially be a stop on everyone's DC trip, and it may be my favorite museum of all time. It's really that awesome... I of course, was also a journalism major in college, so keep that in mind. But the whole thing is just captivating... focusing on the impact of journalism and news on the world, the world's impact on the existance of journalism, journalistic ethics, free press... it's all there. You can even be your own reporter, teleprompter and all (PS- buy your tickets online before you go and save a few dollars).

Newseum live truck on the ground floor...

The exhibits all start at the top and work their way down, winding around this 5 story atrium. The atrium boasts a hanging satellite (as news and information was more easily able to be shared with it's advent) a live Chopper and a HUGE high-definition screen.. where on the day we were there, Kristen and I watched a bit of the World Cup.

One of my favorite (and definitely most moving) exhibits was the 9/11 area. Journalism as a field really shined that day... and the curators/designers at the Newseum did a great job highlighting this tragedy respectfully.

On the top floor of the Newseum, there's a really awesome wrap-around walkway with great views of the Capitol and the city.

They really got some prime real estate and Kristen and I took advantage of the photo opp.

From the Newseum:

Kristen and I decided to make a night out of it and met back up with Jeffy K and another good friend of mine Lyndsey... we went to Jeffy K's second most favorite restaurant this time called matchbox right near the Gallery Pl/Chinatown metro stop. This man really knows his food. Everything we ordered was excellent. Some photos of our night together below.

I had much of Friday morning off, and conveniently so did Lyndsey... so I took the Metro down to Alexandria, VA to see her and her new place. After getting a quick tour of Lyndsey's life, we explored Old Town Alexandria... which is absolutely precious and provides a cool view of the city from just south on the river.

Alexandria is just south of Reagan National Airport so we watched the planes come in over the water for awhile.

Julie and Lyndsey.

Kristen and Kelly came back into the City on Saturday night for some dinner out with another friend from way back when, Katie. We went to this Mexican place called Luriol (which conveniently is right in between SU's Greenberg House and Dupont Circle)

We ordered some awesome Margaritas and settled into enjoy the night.
Katie, Kristen and Kelly.

As we were walking out we discovered the Obamas had been there with us at Luriol the whole time and we just had to take pictures... I'm not sure if it was the margaritas or just the silliness of this group together in general, but Luriol was ready for us to leave. However, I'm ready to go back, this place is delicious.

After all this fun, I had to fly home on Tuesday morning... but just before I did I found some time to explore a few last things... my favorite being the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival. The weekend I was there featured the Pacific Islands and Mexico, but both weeks are different and the exhibits are FREE and awesome. Right in the Mall, it's super convenient for all visitors to explore. If you're in DC next summer, be sure to schedule this into your trip.

It was just so need that these exhibits and demonstrations were set up right in the middle of the mall... there were tons of people and lots of student field trips. What an awesome way to learn.

I also took a walk or run daily through the National Gallery of Art's sculpture garden... a great place to get lost in your thoughts.. and just north of the mall.

One morning I also woke up early to check out the Eastern Market... right of the metro on Sundays they have local vendors and artists out in the streets. It's a really cool market with some neat shops and restaurants around it. Next time I might budget to spend more time...

Overall, as you can surely tell, I had a great week... and have found the key to working on the road so much is to squeeze in some exploring and fun to any downtime. Thanks to Kristen, Jeffy K, Katie, Kelly, Deanna, Lyndsey and all the friends who spent some time with me while I was there. Hope you enjoy your next trip to DC.