Philadelphia.

It was a double header in Philly for Fin and the Roadshow Crew on Saturday. First up was the Rittenhouse Square Farmer's Market. We had a special guest, Eric, an old pal of Bobby's (who rejoined the tour for the last couple of days.) stop by.



In the evening we dashed off to the White Dog Cafe for a dinner with the Philadelphia chapter of Slow Food.



It was a delicious dinner featuring wild Alaska Salmon. We also had a wonderful time chatting with the Slow Food folks about restoring salmon runs on the Snake in a setting that allowed for more detailed and intimate conversation than our usual haunts at farmer's markets.

Jersey

Our few days in New Jersey were marked by a vast improvement in the weather, as well as a series of congressional visits.

On Wednesday we visited both Senator Menendez and Senator Lautenberg's offices. SoS staffer Gilly Lyons came along for and we had great meetings with both staffs. Senator Menendez's office was a little busy, and didn't have a chance to come down to see Fin, but we thank them for taking a little time out to talk to us.

Senator Lautenberg's staff, however was much more intrigued by the fish, and much of the office came out for a photo.



Again we thank both staffs for their time and two great meetings. We hope both Senators will continue to be important allies and leaders for Pacific Salmon.

In the afternoon we headed down to Princeton, NJ to meet with Rep. Rush Holt's staff. We chatted with Lexi from the district office and are glad she had a chance to take a picture with Fin.



On Thursday we headed to the Jersey Shore for a visit with Rep. Pallone's staff. We had a great meeting there, and since Rep Pallone has many fisherman in his district, he and his staff are very supportive of our efforts. Again, we want to send a big thank you to Rep. Pallone for his past efforts for saving Pacific Salmon, and look forward to future leadership.

Fin Hearts NY

Muggy. Hot. Sticky. Sweaty.

Those are the four words that most accurately describe our four days in New York. Not that we let that get us down.

Saturday The Road Show pulled into Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City, just across the East River from Manhattan. Look! There's The Empire State Building on the left. Chrysler Building and the UN to the right.



Harry, from Water Taxi Beach was a great host, and held a Salmon BBQ featuring the finest Wild Alaska Salmon. It was really tasty. The other great thing Harry did was let us park fin in the lot there for the entire stay. This was probably the biggest help we got while in NYC, and we all appreciate it.

Sunday we trotted off to SOS staffer Gilly Lyons' old neighborhood on the Upper West Side. We got a great spot between the American Natural History Museum and the Patagonia store. Chris, one of the guys from Patagonia, avid climber, took it upon himself to tackle this latest challenge.







Success!

Despite the heat, which has unfortunate side effect of turning the inside of Fin into a large salmon-shaped oven, folks flocked to get a look inside, including this dad, who I think is more excited than his son.



Sunday also offered a brief respite from the swelter, as the skies opened up just as we were packing up for the day. Blessed Relief. Bill danced in the rain.



On Monday we set up in Riverside Park, just off the Hudson River. Still hot, and the nearby fountain drew some kids away from Fin, but not all.

.

Tuesday's adventure was a driving tour of Manhattan. Bill might be losing his mind, but he sort of likes driving the fish through Manhattan.

By Wednesday, it was time to leave New York, but the good news was the heat broke Tuesday night, ushering in cooler, haze free air. You know when it's not so hazy (not to mention the smog), Water Taxi Beach has one hell of a view. Compare this shot with the one from Saturday. They're taken from the same place.

Westport Farmer's Market

Thursday was time for another farmer's market, this one in Westport, CT at Wholesome Wave Farmer's Market. This is a very cool market. They have goats!



Our contact with the Market was Michel Nischan, who knows Pietro Parravano, commercial fisherman out of Half-Moon Bay and President of IFR
. Here's Michel exploring inside Fin.



Michel also is owner of the restaurant The Dressing Room, which is actually where the market is held. He made sure Nate and Bill had a fantastic lunch, and in turn, we made sure to get a shot in front of the restaurant.



Oddly enough, Fin is so big that you can't actually see the Restaurant, but at least we got the sign. Toward the end of the day, Market Manager Katherine Dyer took a peek inside Fin as well. She had been very helpful so we decided to take her with us, by locking her inside.



Ok, so we didn't kidnap her, and we did let her out. Eventually.

Boston, MA

Bill, Nate and Fin spent two great days on City Hall Plaza in the middle of Downtown Boston on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Day one was beautiful and sunny, with a steady stream of people coming and going.



While the guys were on dinner break, somebody decided to put a few words into Fin's mouth.



Day two, was rainy and chilly.



But it was perfect Salmon weather, and it didn't stop people from hopping inside Fin.



Toward the end of the day, it became clear that Fin wasn't the only show in town. Boston was getting ready to rekindle an old basketball rivalry, namely the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals which were starting the next day.



Boston was a great stop, in part to all the help from City Hall. Lisa in the public events department was especially helpful. Unfortunately, with the NBA finals rolling into town, she was too busy to take a minute for a picture. We'd like to thank her, and her staff anyway for being such great and helpful hosts.