New York City 2009
My son and I made our second trip to New York, September 24-26. We fought our way from Kennedy Airport in Queens to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan. We again ferried to the Statue of Liberty. The Statue is a National Monument. They were taking only 200 people a day to the crown and were booked til January. We headed for Times Square and the Portland Square Hotel where we checked into our room and prepared for Kristina in Concert. We had time but had to keep moving. The hotel is located at 132 West 47th Street. Phone: 212-382-0600. We used my AAA card.

Kristina in Concert was at Carnegie Hall for two nights, and Michael and I saw it on Thursday, September 24. The main characters lined up to sing their parts in front of the orchestra. It was nearly three hours. The melodies were beautiful and full of emotion. Even though it was the English version, it was still difficult to pick up the lyrics. Of course, I knew the story. I pitied those who did not. Leaving the theater, Michael asked me what I thought. I told him it was an accomplishment, an achievement. And that is what it was, that I managed to see it with my son! We sat high in the balcony, close to the edge. A dangerous spot. Benny and Bjorn were in the audience (I figured they would be) and came to the stage at the concert's end. The song getting the biggest ovation was The Gold Turned To Sand. Carnegie Hall was built by industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1891, and is located at 57th Street. After the show, Michael and I went to a karaoke bar at Times Square, and I sang Dancing Queen. I told him I had made it on the "big stage."

We walked from Times Square all the way to the Financial District. We entered the New York Life Building. Michael is an agent for them and sells their products. We had a tour scheduled at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and were taken to the Gold Vault underground to see $190 billion in gold. Michael reminded me that one bar weighs 20 pounds and is worth $118,000. I kept biting my nails, and he asked me if I were nervous. I guess it was all that gold! We returned to the charging bull and got pictures. Michael rubbed the bull's balls for good luck. There were more people than last time probably because of activity at the U.N. I told Michael he might be doing business on Wall Street during a future visit.

We took the subway to the Bronx and 161st Street to the new Yankee Stadium. It sits right beside the old one and cost $1.4 billion. It is Steinbrenner's legacy. The Yankees played the Boston Red Sox, the greatest rivalry in all of sports. The Yankees won 9-5. This is four times we have seen them and the second time they have won. The Stadium is the star, and we walked all around it, viewing the game from different angles. There are huge pictures on the walls of great players from the past: Ruth, Gehrig and Mantle. I nearly choked up as we entered the new cathedral. Being among Yankee supporters, I felt like we were among friends. Michael spotted 9/11 mayor Giuliani in the crowd.

Our last day, we found Rockefeller Center and the NBC Studios. We saw the statue of Prometheus, and I told Michael about the Greek myth, how Prometheus brought the gift of fire to mankind and was punished by Zeus until Hercules set him free. We strolled through the NBC Experience, a gift shop, and saw a funny picture of Conan with his hair sticking up.

Our trip ended with a ride through Central Park. We came to the John Lennon Imagine Mosaic at Strawberry Fields, and Michael took my picture giving the peace sign. Everyone else was flashing the sign, so I did. The Dakota was nearby, and I told Michael how Lennon was shot by a guy named Mark David Chapmen in December, 1980, and how I called Karen after seeing the story on the front page of the Tennessean as I was going into Shoney's for breakfast. She always said I cried, but that was not true. Chapman did not try to escape. He sat on some steps and waited for the police. Our driver said that Yoko still lives on the top three floors of the Dakota. Michael and I heard several Beatle songs while having breakfast at Starbucks.

Flying back to Nashville, I told Michael how I was feeding him a bottle in the back room at the house in Lebanon and thinking of New York. Reading about Central Park, I learned how it got its name, by being in the center of Manhattan. Michael said that it was his dream to go to New York. Now he has been there twice. We took it further and deeper. These trips are a few of the many ways I am helping my son.

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My son Michael and I flew to Las Vegas June 7, and returned June 13, 2007. We spent the first two nights at the Sahara at the north end of the Strip. The third and fourth nights we were in the Red Feather Lodge at the Grand Canyon. We stayed at New York-New York the last two nights. We flew Southwest Airlines. I bought tickets at the airport using my check card. We concentrated on the new side of Vegas. We rode the monorail which links the Strip from the Sahara to the MGM Grand. Themed hotels are the stars in today's Vegas.

We landed at McCarran Airport and took the shuttle to the Sahara. We travelled light, taking things which were necessary. The city of lights came to life on our first night. We relished the view from the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. The Tower is a 1/2 replica of the real thing. Vegas sprawled into the desert. Its population has grown to 1.8 million.

Las Vegas has changed since I was there in 1993. There are mega-hotels: New York-New York, Paris Las Vegas, Bellagio, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and Luxor. They exist for the purpose of making money for the people who own and operate them. We spent conservatively and aimed for an experience consistent with our needs.

We knew why we were here and what we would do. We bought a digital camera, and Michael got 140 pictures. We walked through the hotels. The Bellagio fountains put on a spectacular show while Elvis sang Viva Las Vegas. The Bellagio is Michael's favorite. He called it a "5 star high roller." We saw Bob Dole in the casino.

Our second day began with Michael having his picture taken with a showgirl. He glowed! We visited the antique car collection at the Imperial Palace. I posed behind a 1955 Cadillac Elmerado.

People were everywhere. We kept moving. We played video poker, and I helped Michael with the hands, having played poker in my younger days. We ate well while keeping the cost down. When we were tired, we rested. We walked to Mandalay Bay at the south end of the Strip and watched the Yankees play the Diamondbacks. The Bay was home to Mamma Mia!, and I told Michael we would see the movie.

They had started the Luxor when I was there in 93. I kept thinking, "It looks like a pyramid." Then someone said it was. The beam from the top can be seen 250 miles away. The Sphinx and the obelisk are out front. An obelisk is a four-sided stone needle with a pyramid top. The idea of a curse always surrounds Egyptian stuff. It is not true, of course, but it plays with your head.

Phase 2
We rented a car and drove to the Grand Canyon, stopping at Hoover Dam on the way. A bypass is being built. The dam provides electricity for California, Arizona and Nevada.

Michael drove. We took 93 south to Kingman, Arizona, and went east on Interstate 40 to Williams. We headed north on 64. It is a 4 or 5 hour drive. We had reservations at the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan, near the park entrance.

I spotted it, the Grand Canyon! the most awesome spectacle on the planet! We pulled over for a picture. We stopped at a number of overlooks along the south rim.

We attended the star party at Yavapai Point. We looked at Jupiter and Saturn through telescopes. I pointed out the Big Dipper and North Star to Michael. The Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP) takes place each June.

We drove to Desert View Watchtower at the eastern end of the south rim. We climbed it. At Desert View, Michael and I saw the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon.

We saw hikers rehearsing at Bright Angel Trail for a descent the next morning. Michael said that when he comes again, he will go to the bottom. The Canyon is 277 miles long. It took the Colorado River 7 million years to carve it. The rocks at the bottom are two billion years old.

The Colorado flows from the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains through the Canyon. It dumps into the Gulf of California. The Grand Canyon was made a national park in 1919.

We were at the Canyon two nights. Michael thought one night would have been enough. I insisted it is not every day that two guys from Nashville see the Grand Canyon. There is a sameness about the red buttes and mesas which makes it hard to focus on them.

Valleys are in the east. Canyons are in the west.

Phase 3
Back in Vegas, we checked into New York-New York. We were on the 25th floor.

New York New York is a replica of the New York skyline. We find the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and the Bar at Times Square.

I soaked in the tub each morning and wore my straw hat to keep the sun off my head. I had the bag Charlotte bought me when I went to Sweden. Michael took a suitcase. We watched TV in our room before going to sleep.

Michael sat by the pool while I visited the Atomic Testing Museum. We checked out the Palms because it had a Playboy club. We ate at the Outback. I had "shrimp on the barbie."

We went to Fremont Street downtown and got pictures of Vegas Vic and Sassy Sally.

We saw Jubilee! our last night in town. I saved it for the finale. Jubilee! was started by Donn Arden. I had outgrown my showgirl fantasies.

We went to Red Rock Canyon the morning before we left. Red Rock is a National Conservation Area protected by the Bureau of Land Management. It is a 13-mile loop out Charleston Boulevard. The red sandstone formations make an interesting drive. Michael saw Joshua trees for the first time.

We made our way back to McCarran and flew to Nashville. It was a direct flight. Karen met us.

My goal was to introduce Michael to one of our most exciting cities and to give him an experience in the west. I try to bolster his confidence and his ability to get around. I told him the city is a magnet and that he will do doubt return.

Tags: Jim Colyer Michael Colyer Las Vegas Grand Canyon

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Tags: Jim Colyer Kymberly Bryson Nashville Country Music CD God Given Talent

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I am working consistently to pull this 10-song CD with Kymberly together. The CD will be called GOD GIVEN TALENT. All 10 tracks are being recorded at Direct Image Studio in Nashville.

Kymberly and I have 9 songs. We have a vocal session booked for August 18. We will let Kenny Royster do the master. From there, we can duplicate at We Make Tapes. We will see about a picture, printing, graphics and jewel cases. We want to stay simple, keep the cost down, and still produce a quality CD.

I will send 5 copies and $35 to CD Baby and let them distribute to online music stores: itunes, Rhapsody, Napster and Amazon. We will sell digital downloads. Presently I have the publishing on all 10 songs at Michael Colyer Songs ASCAP. I will set up an account at SunTrust Bank under this name for money paid to us by CD Baby.
Jim Colyer

Tags: Jim Colyer Kymberly Bryson Nashville Country Music God Given Talent

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