Jeanne's birthday

Even if we are on the other side of the globe, we can share Jeanne's birthday with you. (5/26)

The day started early for us. We got on the bus for Auckland at 7:20 a.m. It gradually filled and by the time we got to the city, it was standing room only. We got off a few stops short of Britomart, but saved some walking by doing so. We headed for the Event Cinema in the Metro Center. 

We were a little early so we took the opportunity to see the Auckland Town Hall that dates back to 1909. I love looking around old buildings. I may have to come back to this one. 

I haven't researched it yet. I don't know what sort of architectural style it shows, but I will.  

The door was open.  Makes me want to stroll around it's corridors. 

It looks interesting. 

It was time now to head back to the theater for our Hubble Telescope movie. If you have any interest at all in space, see it if you get the opportunity. It was only 43 minutes long, but was presented in 3-D, complete with funny glasses and in an I-max theater. The theater probably seated about 400 but there were only 4 of us there.    
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_%28film%29

This place looks like M. C. Escher designed it. It is huge and I love that they retained the facade, I'm guessing, of one of the buildings that this Center grew up around and engulfed.
We bought our ticket on the sixth floor, but the movie was shown on the seventh. There were theaters all the way to the twelfth with escalators and walkways crisscrossing the interior spaces. There is no way I could take a picture that would do it justice. This one gives a hint though. 

We weren't hungry for lunch yet when the movie was over, so we walked down to the Queen's Wharf and looked at this tug boat.

Then we watched a group of girls, all dressed in hooded, ankle length raincoats, as they left on their jet boat ride.  The stats say that this boat has two engines, 600 horsepower, goes almost 60 mph, and does 360 degree donuts   They're gonna get wet.
I've seen this thing in action (spinning) while we were on a ferry.  I would not want to ride it. There are bars in front of each row of girls. The captain told them when he puts his hand up in the air and rotates it in a big circle, to grab the bar like they mean it!  

By the time we returned to the Federal Deli, we were hungry and so was most of Auckland. We had to wait just a couple of minutes, but then got a corner booth in the back. A very good spot. You can see that's it not a big place at all. 

Here is part of their menu

Another shot across to the bar.

This is the hallway that gives you access to the restrooms. The interesting thing is that I saw people repeatedly coming from the right at the top of this little incline and using them. Turns out, there is another restaurant up there, called The Depot, which shares the facilities.
From a door on the left up there, I saw a kitchen guy hauling a long skewer with whole chickens on it and several whole stalks of celery under one arm. He made his way right through the crowd  to the grill area, on the far left side of the picture that Jeanne is in. I like that kind of atmosphere in a deli.

I love this quote. (see the side bar picture of Reichl's book) 

We have now gone to the Federal Deli for Jeanne's last two birthdays. We have a Tradition established!  

We were tired after our lunch and hopped the train for home. I brought home the Federal coffee mug. They had lots of souvenirs available but I liked that one.  -djf