John Lindal’s Blog

Vacation in Buffalo

The US Airways planes seem old, but their pilots really know how to land. On our flight from LAX to Charlotte, the landing was so smooth that I didn’t even realize we were on the ground until they reversed the engines to slow down. Later, when we landed in Buffalo, there was turbulence at ground level, but the pilot still set us down smoothly. The service on both flights was also great. Just remember to bring your own food

In Buffalo, we visited SUNY Buffalo, my wife’s alma mater. We also ate Buffalo wings at Duffs, a local place that knows how to do it right. The fall colors were beautiful.

Next, we drove to Niagara Falls. I wasn’t impressed by the Behind the Falls tour, but the view from our room in the Marriott was fantastic. The dinner at the Mandarin, a chinese buffet a few miles off the strip, was even better. If you want a good breakfast, eat at Falls Manor. They also have a motel, if you don’t want to pay for a hotel on the strip. In fact, the service at the Marriott in Niagara was terrible. This was quite surprising since the service at the Marriott in Buffalo was terrific.

Our final destination was a visit to a couple in Ontario (CA) whom my wife knew from long before she met me. It was great to finally meet them! The husband is a retired pastor. He encouraged me to continue digging into Evolutionary Theism.

We drove back to Buffalo through a persistent drizzle. It was a nice reminder that I only want to visit

Oslo

I finally managed to visit Oslo again this August after 11 years! It rained a lot more than last time, but there were still some wonderful days with sunshine near the end — and then it rained the day we flew out, of course.

My daughter loved eating wild raspberries and blueberries and also proved herself to be a great hiker, despite being only 3 1/4.

A bed-and-breakfast is the cheapest, family friendly option for an extended stay, but if you want to stay closer to downtown, Cochs Pensjonat is a great place. The room we stayed in had both a refrigerator and a stove, and with a Kiwi across the street, we saved a lot of money by eating at home.

If you want to eat out cheap, Tullin’s Cafe has great Italian food. If you take streetcar 11/17/18 from Oslo S, get off at Holbergs plass (not Tullinløkka!), and it’s right there.

Los Angeles Zoo

We visited the San Diego Zoo during the Memorial Day weekend, and today we visited the Los Angeles Zoo. I’m happy to report that I was very impressed by the L.A. Zoo. It was actually a lot more fun than the San Diego Zoo. I don’t want to knock all the great research done at the San Diego Zoo, of course. Perhaps it was only because the San Diego Zoo gets so much hype, so my expectations were too high, while the L.A. Zoo gets none, so my expectations were too low, but the view of the animals and the ease of getting around seemed much better at the L.A. Zoo, and it’s much cheaper, too!

San Diego Zoo

We took our daughter to the San Diego Zoo this weekend. It was our first time, too. It is certainly an interesting place to roam in. If you go, you must not miss the hummingbird aviary. It’s a tiny enclosure hidden away in a corner, next to the children’s zoo, but it’s pure magic. The hummingbirds in the aviary are used to people, so they will sometimes hover around you to investigate!