about vinod kurup

Can you believe that it’s been a year since we got married? Me neither. For our wedding, Mike and Ellie gave us a generous gift certificate to the bed & breakfast of our choice. It took a while to find the right one. We started at bedandbreakfast.com and surfed dozens of listings. This industry really needs some web consulting advice. Most B&B websites don’t provide nearly enough information. I want more photos, more reviews. I want to get a feel for the atmosphere.

We finally found a website that showed off those things and made a reservation at Ecce. We had high expectations, but I’m happy to say that they were exceeded. You won’t find more hospitable proprietors than Alan and Kurt. Our room was tastefully designed and was stocked with a gourmet coffee machine, TV/DVD/VCR, fridge and jacuzzi! It was pure luxury. The breakfasts were over the top. Definitely try the french toast with chocolate.

The house sits on a bluff overlooking the Delaware River. The view is amazing. I tried to take one of those panorama pics, but I don’t think it does it justice. This place must be breathtaking in the fall. We saw 4 or 5 bald eagles and numerous hawks from the house. We also saw a lot of deer hanging out near the highways.

Tropical Storm Ernesto was winding through the region this weekend, so we didn’t do too much in the way of outdoors stuff. We did enjoy the Harvest Festival Market and had some great fried food at the bar at Lackawaxen House. We were less impressed with the Front Porch Cafe, but it was very busy and had gotten good reviews, so maybe we just got unlucky.

So thanks again, Mike and Ellie. I’m certain we never would’ve otherwise explored this paradise just 2 hours from our front door. And thank you Mala, for the best year of my life (so far!)

The marathon is tomorrow. I can’t wait, but I’m pretty nervous. I really want to break 5 hours this time. You can track me online at the NY Marathon site. I’ll be runner number 27072.

UPDATE 2005-11-14:

I finished in 4:28:09 (chip time). I’m very happy with my time and the whole experience. Running down 4th avenue in Brooklyn was crowded, but just breathtaking. You could see a river of people for what seemed like miles ahead. I kept it slow through the first 20 miles and had hoped to turn it on at the end, but there was nothing left to turn on. So, I just enjoyed the sights and sounds. Thanks to my vocal supporters at the 18 (Mala, Milla and Ben) and 22 (Dave and Theresa, et. al.) mile marks. You guys kept me going. Here’s a couple pics from the brightroom site.

The Daily News has found 100 restaurants under $10 (not including tip or drinks) in NYC. I’ve been to 9 of them - El Paso Taqueria, Carl’s (aweome cheesesteaks!), Blue 9, The Burger Joint, Sassy’s Sliders, Crif Dogs, Papaya King (of course), Mandler’s and Pomme Frites.

Looks like we have some eating to do!