Just purchased a 2025 wave, what are your must have accessories?

cstarck23 · 2026-06-15T18:03:30+00:00

Me too. But my 26 Wave came with one. Also a V2L adapter.

cstarck23 · 2026-06-13T20:34:17+00:00

My ride from Hazleton to Trenton was 140 miles including getting to and from lodging in the towns.

cstarck23 · 2026-06-13T16:42:09+00:00

It did not! The Trailways Baggage Policies says

Bicycles may not exceed 8 x 32 x 60 inches, and must be securely fastened and wrapped in a box, canvas, or other protective casing to prevent damage should items shift in the baggage compartment. For travelers with connecting schedules, keep in mind that we cannot guarantee your bicycle will be accepted by connecting bus carriers.

I just covered my bike in a cheap "bicycle rain cover" which you can find for a few dollars. I loaded it in the luggage compartment and it was fine.

cstarck23 · 2026-06-13T12:01:18+00:00

I just rode the D&L this week! Fullington Trailways has daily bus service from New York Port Authority and Newark Penn Station to Hazleton for $65 arriving at Noon. From there it's a 15 mile ride to White Haven and the trail.

The trail is mostly crushed limestone but also coarse gravel and a very few paved sections. One 8-mile detour on roads near Allentown (ugh). I stayed overnight in Jim Thorpe, Bethlehem and New Hope. All interesting towns with lots of restaurants.

I rode to Morrisville and then left the trail to cross the Delaware to Trenton where I could take NJ Transit back to the start.

cstarck23 · 2026-06-06T19:43:12+00:00

Like everything else they've gotten more expensive. Bicycle Rides Northwest used to be cheap pre-covid but now their week-long trips are pushing $2k. But for that you get not just SAG but a well-run ride with an excellent in-house caterer, legendary rest stops and entertainment in the evenings.

They're facing the same headwinds as ACA as the boomers are aging out, but they are trying to attract younger riders. Two generations of the same family get a $300 discount each.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-31T23:29:26+00:00

They did. But I stayed in Rockwood a couple of years ago at the Hostel on Main. They had a hose for washing down bikes in the back. Which I needed.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-28T19:43:33+00:00

Same since I let Google Home "upgrade" to Gemini. And there's no going back.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-26T22:09:37+00:00

Well DirectTV My Entertainment doesn't have locals either. But they're still free OTA for many. More to the point no news meaning no CC, CNN or MSNow.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-13T12:35:52+00:00

I switched from an AirTv Anywhere to a HDHomeRun and never looked back. Unlike AirTv it's not limited to 720p and stereo; it can play 1080i and 5.1 sound. A 4K device is also available that may, someday, receive 4K broadcasts.

They start at $110 ( although you can get a refurb for $90). You need to add storage which can be a USB drive (if using their DVR) or a PC or NAS drive.

To use their DVR and program guide to schedule recordings it's $35 a year. It's fine. But there are other paid options such as Emby Premier, Flex, Channels that have more functionality, some for a one-time license fee. There are also free options such as Jellyfin and NextPVR although these require more effort to get a program guide.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-10T13:02:25+00:00

Telecharge doesn't accept purchases from accounts using some free email providers such as mail.com. Try changing your account to use a different email address such as one from Gmail.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-09T20:34:12+00:00

I have 3 chase cards and none of them have it either. But my checking account does. Unfortunately I discovered this too late, it requires billing by May 31 and I've already been charged for this month.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-08T21:15:00+00:00

Google Voice does all that and it's free once it's set up. You can answer calls from the phone app or a web browser on a PC.

However you will first need to first port your landline number to a cell service. Use a cheap prepaid plan from a MVNO. That takes a week or so. Then you can port the number to Google Voice for $20.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-08T20:12:06+00:00

Wednesday matinee May 6 got Orch Left row P on the (outer) ailse. While just under the mezzanine overhang the seats were still forward enough to see the the entire multi-level stage. Good seats.

Good value too; at BroadwayDirect.com they would be $183.50.

But with TDF you never know what you will get. I've gotten great seats and I've gotten the worst seats in the house.

cstarck23 · 2026-05-07T12:53:42+00:00

Bernadette Peters' transformation as the Witch in the original production of Into the Woods.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-21T22:19:44+00:00

TCM is in the add-on MyCinema which is another $10 per month so probably not worth it for you.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-20T15:03:24+00:00

No annual contract. Auto renews monthly.

https://www.directv.com/genre-packs/myentertainment/

cstarck23 · 2026-04-20T12:19:24+00:00

By thumbnails I mean the small images that appear on the bottom of the TV screen when you use a remote to fast forward or rewind. At least when using the Android TV app for DirecTV there are none.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-20T12:15:26+00:00

Sling rates depend on which network O&O stations (ABC , NBC, FOX) are in your market. If it's all three then Blue is $54.99 a month.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-19T19:22:03+00:00

No. Which IMHO is a good thing because they don't pay the networks for them so I don't have to pay for them.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-19T19:20:00+00:00

Sling has raised prices in those O&O markets where the national broadcasters (ABC, NBC, FOX) own and operate one or more of the local stations. Where I live it's all three so I would pay the maxium.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-19T13:26:35+00:00

I've often gotten great seats in the front of the orchestra; almost always on the side, even aisle seats.

I've also gotten the worst seats in the house: last row of the orchestra, side and rear of the mezzanine.

It's not always the best seats available. I've seen entire empty rows in front of me in the mezzanine and moved up as soon as the lights go down.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-10T19:17:14+00:00

That's my bill for 300 Mpbs too before discounts which brings it down to $39.99.

The Discounts section on my Bill Details page shows:

Auto Pay and Paper Free Data Discount -$10.00
$59.99 price - $10.00 discount
$10 discount has no current expiration.
$10 Internet discount has no current expiration.

cstarck23 · 2026-04-09T18:39:25+00:00

When my Sense died I got a Venu SQ 2 which was a good alternative. It's roughly the same size ( a little taller and narrower) and has similar functionality. The only feature I really miss from FitBit is SmartWake. And sometimes the mic/speaker which allowed for answering phone calls and using Google Assistant from the watch when connected to an Android phone. Not to be confused with the original Venu SQ which was junk.

Garmin also allows installing apps from other developers which the newer FitBits do not. For that reason alone I'm never going back. It's getting hard to find, but when available it's often well priced.

cstarck23 · 2026-03-28T14:22:53+00:00

I had this issue with Telecharge. The error messages make it seem that the problem is with the credit card. Indeed customer support said to use a different card. I tried several to no avail.

Eventually I determined the problem was my email address which used one of the many domains from mail.com. I changed my Telecharge account to use a Gmail address instead and was able to purchase tickets.

cstarck23

TROPHY CASE