Will Blog for Food

John & Judy's Vacation 2007 - Part 4 - Seattle

We left Coeur d'Alene and cruised 30 mile on I-90 to Spokane, a major, inviting looking city I wish we had had time to explore. After stopping at the YMCA for a swim and a mocha, we continued on I-90 through the Yakima Valley and over the Cascade Mountains via Snoqualmie Pass. What a scenic drive. We stopped at the Snoqualmie Pass rest area to find free coffee and cookies waiting for us. Also all the rest areas we stopped at in the state of Washington had free Wi-Fi. What a progressive state! There was snow on the mountains. Here are a few pictures of our drive to Seattle. Remember you can click on any picture to see a larger version.

Finally, we're in Seattle. We settled into our hotel room at the Sixth Street Hotel disappointed to find no free internet access for the first time on our trip. The advantage was that there was a pretty good restaurant in our hotel which saved us from having to go out in the rainy weather. In Seattle there's a Starbucks on every street corner and sometimes there's one mid-block too.

The next day Judy wanted to go to the Rosalie Whyel Doll Museum in Bellevue. While Judy perused the dolls, I took some pictures outdoors.

Later that day we went to Pike Place Market, Seattle's main tourist attraction, where they throw and catch the fish. We weren't too impressed. We didn't actually see them throw any fish, and there were too many tourists there. So we walked down the street and had dinner at  McCormick and Schmick's Seafood Restaurant. We'd been to one in San Francisco last year and the food was as good this year.

The next day Judy wanted to rest in the hotel room while I checked out some of the downtown Seattle attractions. My first stop was at the brand new Seattle Public Library, an impressive, unorthodox structure designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas built in 2004.  Of course they have free internet accesss on their computers or your laptop and a coffee bar right in the library. I  actually did a blog entry from there, the one on Einstein. This is actually the  coolest and most  impressive  library I've  ever been in except perhaps for the one in Paris, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France. Check out the pictures. The geometrical patterns are fantastic!

After I checked out the library I went to the Seattle Art Museum. The Seattle Art Museum (SAM) just opened its new expanded version this year. It has been in the same location since 1991 in a high rise and as time goes by it has taken over more floors of the high rise. It still has room for expansion as it owns the four floors located directly above it. The rest of the building is owned by WaMu.

The above photo is the cafe at the art museum. After I toured SAM (no photos were allowed), I headed for the monorail station for the ride to Seattle Center where the space needle is located and site of the World's Fair in 1962.

Finally, it was time to head back downtown on the monorail.

The next day we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island.

We could barely see Mt. Rainier through the haze. Mt.  Rainier is an active volcano about 50 miles from Seattle, and on this day, for the first time in Seattle, the weather was not rainier.

On the trip back to Seattle the sun came out. I couldn't resist snapping a few more pictures of the Seattle skyline.

Here's a few other shots taken around town. For the complete Seattle picture album, click here.

 

The next day, October 9, 2007, Judy and I headed for the SeaTac Airport. We had one more adventure in store - the Seattle Transit Tunnel. Seattle busses are free downtown so we boarded a bus outside our hotel which dropped us off at the entrance to the Seattle Transit Tunnel, an underground transit system for busses. Here we picked up the bus for SeaTac for the outrageous fare of $1.35 apiece, I think it was. In 2009 they will have both busses and light rail utilizing the tunnel, the only underground transit system in the US which will be shared by both bus and rail. The rail connection will then link downtown with SeaTac Airport.

Judy was tired and couldn't wait to get home. After we got through security at the airport, she perked up and we had an uneventful (the best kind) flight to San Diego, just a short hop on Alaskan Airlines. They served Seattle's Best coffee on the plane, a definite plus.

The Vintage Streetcars of San Francisco

In addition to San Francisco's well-known cable cars, there is also a fleet of vintage streetcars plying the route known as the F-line from the Castro district through downtown on Market Street to the Embarcadero and thence to North Beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

The following are some pictures I took on a recent trip:

For the full San Francisco photo album, click here.

Chicago, that Toddlin Town

I recently stopped off for a days in Chicago before continuing on to the East Coast. I had changed planes in Chicago many times, but I had never really "been" to Chicago. From O'Hare Airport I took the Blue Line train to my hotel in downtown having to change trains only once. I checked in at the Essex, the cheapest hotel I could find in downtown but one which I would highly recommend. They played jazz in the lobby - some great Charlie Parker licks I had never heard before, and there were art reprints on all the walls. The TV remote actually worked! Also it was centrally located on Michigan Avenue just across the street  from Grant Park, Chicago's Central Park (pardon the NYC centric-ness). The only unfortunate thing abouut the hotel was that the pool, which was very nice, was closed for remodeling. So I had to get up early and take the Red Line subway to the New City YMCA in north Chicago where I got to swim for free with my San Diego Y card.  In fact I swam for free at all  the various Y's I used on this trip including Summit, NJ and the Sussex Count Y, located near  Hamburg, NJ. Such a deal! By the way click on any picture to make it larger.

Michigan Avenue is one of the finest streets in Chicago: many fine hotels and restaurants. Just up Michigan Avenue from the Essex is the Art Institute of Chicago, my primary destination and one of the finest art museums in the world, certainly the best in the US for European art from the Impressionist era. They were having a special exhibition: "Vollard: From Cezanne to Picasso." Vollard was the art dealer who handled most of the Impressionists' and post-Impressionists' stuff and got rich in the process although the same couldn't be said about most of the Impressionists. But more about that in a separate blog just about the Art Institute. For now the photo album is available here.

After checking in, I headed up Michigan Ave to Millenium Park, a new and glitzy part of Grant Park featuring a stage and area for outdoor concerts and other productions. Along the way I got some neat shots of some of Chicago's signature landmark buldings such as the Aon Center, Prudential Plaza, CNA Plaza (painted bright red).Then I did a little walking tour around the circumference of Grant Park. Not as well developed as Central Park in NYC, neverthelesss, the park contains an assortment of monuments and fountains including the most famous: Buckingham Fountain. As it was gettting dark, I headed north on Michigan Avenue and back to my hotel.

The next day I walked around downtown snapping pictures (my favorite thing to do) until it was time for the  Art Institute to open. There are a lot of architecturally splendiferous buildings including the  Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world till 1996 and since the demise of the World Trade Center, the tallest building in North America. I circumnavigated downtown along the Chicago River staying mostly on Wacker Ave (wonderful Wwwackerrrr, I couldn't help saying that, with apologies to George Carlin). There are lots of gleaming towers in downtown Chicago such as 311 South Wacker, and lots of famous department stores including Sears Roebuck, of course, as well as Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields), and Carson Pirie Scott as well as all the usual mall varieties such as Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom's.

There are some unusual condos along the Chicago River and Trump (who else!)  is building more.

The "El" an elevated train makes the  rounds around downtown known as "the Loop." There is also a subway containing  the  blue line, the  red line and an assortment of other colors.

After my day at the Art Institute I took a brief nap at my hotel and then headed out again. I decided to walk the "Magnificent Mile" that stretch of Michigan Ave located north of the Chicago River which is the premium shopping area of downtown Chicago. Additionally, there's the  Wrigley Building, the Chicago Tribune building and the John Hancock building among others.

 

Figuring I'd walked a good ten miles that day including the 5 hours I spent at the Art Institute, I retired to my hotel. That night a serious storm blew in off Lake Michigan. The next morning I seriously wondered whether I should go to the Y and swim or not. But I decided, what the heck, and ventured out. I never came so close to being blown off my feet. The snow  was blowing horizontal!  I made it to the Y (one of few who did), then, on the way ba, got off the Red Line at Jackson for a Starbucks I'd recently found (I'd had to settle for Dunkin Donuts the previous day), got back on the Red Line and went one stop to Harrison, the closest stop to my hotel. I got my stuff, checked out, and gingerly walked the 4 blocks back to the Harrison subway stop in the slush almost getting blown off my feet again.

After changing to the Blue Line, I arrived in plenty of time for my 1:50 PM flight to Newark only to find out my flight had been canceled.  I finally got on a flight 10 hours later.  I had booked a rental car with Enterprise in Newark; then I noticed from my printout that their office closed at 11 PM. I inquired what would happen if my flight was arriving later than the office was open, and Enterprise told me they would cancel my reservation and I could come back the next day and see if anything was available.  I immediately rebooked a rental car with Hertz whose office was open 24/7 at Newark Airport. Live and learn:  the  cheapest rental car is not always the best deal!

For the complete Chicago photo album click here.

New York City: A Monday in Manhattan - Part III

In Part II we got as far as the Cafe Carlyle at 76th and Madison Ave, the penultimate epicenter of New York sophistication where Bobby Short played and sang for 30 years or more and Woody Allen plays clarinet with his dixieland band on Monday nights. We recall George Russell's record, "New York, New York", a "city so nice they had to name it twice," Jon Hendricks' poetic lyrics in between the instrumentals. By the way, you can click on any picture to make it larger. We are exploring the Upper East Side -"no one would call it the beauty and the beast side - not the east side" - with our destination at Carl Schurz Park where the Mayor's home Gracie Mansion is located. However, Mayor Bloomberg doesn'y live there perhaps because it's a hole compared to where the real money in Manhattan lives and Bloomberg doesn't lack for real money. Our next goal is a visit to Elaine's Restaurant on 2nd Ave. Elaine's is where Paul Desmond, who was a member of the Dave Brubeck Quartet used to hang out. Paul wrote a jazz hit, Take 5, and lived off the royalties in his later life during which he hung out at Elaine's and didn't perform much. For a review of Paul's biography, Take 5, see the right hand column of this blog. Going to Elaine's is sort of a pilgimage to a shrine made famous by Paul Desmond's hanging out there.

We proceed up Madison Ave to 82nd St where we turn right and go over to 2nd Ave where we turn left. Elaine's is at 2nd and 88th. After we reconnoiter Elaine's for awhile, we walk back to 86th St and turn left. There are some colorful shops and restaurants around here.

This is called the Yorkville section of New York.

It's only a few more blocks to Carl Schurz Park.

We pass a shop that advertises "Appetizing Smoked Fish." I guess that's as opposed to your unappetizing smoked fish. Here's a cool place to live near which I bought a banana from a stand on the corner:

On East 86th Street and East End Avenue is the Henderson Place Historic District (pictured above) right across the street from the entrance to Carl Schurz Park. As we enter Carl Schurz Park, the first thing we notice is its dog-friendliness. A lot of people use the park to walk their pooches. There are big pooches, little pooches, all kinds of pooches who all seem to get along on a more or less friendly basis. After all going to the park is a social outing for them.

There are people just sitting and enjoying the view of the East River, people strolling along the sidewalk, people strolling little ones in strollers, people reading, people talking on cell phones:

There are runners, joggers, kibbitzers, people getting a breath of fresh air, people seeking solitude, squirrels...

The bridge in the above photo is the Queensboro Bridge connecting to Manhattan at 59th St. Below is a view looking south to Roosevelt Island and one looking north to the Triboro Bridge:

 

Finally, I walk back to 86th and Lexington to catch the subway back to Times Square. Here are evening pictures of Times Square:

Walking from Times Square to Port Authority, I catch the Park Ride bus back to the North Bergen Park Ride lot. On the bus, just having emerged from the Lincoln Tunnel, I snap one final picture of New York City. Worldwide Plaza, the Chrysler and Empire State Buildings are visible.

At the Park Ride lot I pick up my car and head for Springfield, NJ to have dinner with Morty and Renee Geist having walked more than 60 blocks on a beautiful fall day in Manhattan!

New York City: A Monday in Manhattan - Part II

In Part I of this series I had arrived at Port Authority Bus  Terminal on 8th Ave and done a brief tour of the West Side before walking east on 42nd St to Grand Central Station, and then walking through the station on my way to the Upper East Side. You can walk directly from Grand Central into and through the Met Life building next door.  The Met Life Building abuts Grand Central Station, and then just north is the Helmsley Building now owned by the United Arab Emirates. It straddles Park Avenue. Park Avenue emanates from under the Helmsley Building having made a 90 degree turn inside the building! The Helmsley Building was formerly owned by Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean. She had become notorious for her gross mistreatment of employees at many of the Helmsley hotels across the United States. I always wanted to get this shot looking south along Park Avenue with the Helmsley Building in the foreground and the Met Life Building in back of it and Park Avenue disappearing into the Helmsley Building. It is quintessential New York! The Helmsley Building was bought in 2005 for $705 million by the royal family of Dubai, along with the Essex House. When Dubai Ports tried to purchase several American ports there was a big outcry, but no one seems too concerned that they own a prime piece of Manhattan real estate located next to the Met Life Building and Grand Central Terminal.

We continue up Park Avenue and very soon come to another landmark - the Waldorf-Astoria - at 301 Park Ave. Below is a view of the interior of the Waldorf.

According to the Waldorf's website,

"The Waldorf Astoria is a privileged environment of eminent elegance, and has hosted distinguished visitors from around the world for decades. It's unparalleled luxury and impeccable service indulges the most discriminating of travelers with an exclusive hotel experience." Evidently, all this pretentiousness doesn't include access to a good grammarian since the compound subject "unparalleled luxury and impeccable service" should take a plural verb "indulge." I didn't inquire about the room rates.

The next stop was at the Seagram Building at 375 Park Ave. Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe built this simple, bronze and glass tower in 1958. Don't plan on peeking inside the venerated Four Seasons Grill and Pool Room though. Security at most New York skyscrapers is extremely tight. Chances are you won't get beyond the lobby unless you have a good reason to be there.

The Sony Bulding at 550 Madison Ave is distinguished by the circular cut-out at the top of the building. The first floor arcade is home to Sony Style electronics stores.

Pathetically, here in the world capital of commerce, they can't even give you a decent demo of a Windows Media Center Edition computer interacting with a Sony HDTV. A sales person was attempting to give one to a well-heeled looking group, but, when the woman asked to see what an internet website looked like on the TV, the salesman had to admit "it wasn't hooked up" to the internet. Then she said well just bring up a Word document then. When he couldn't even do that, he was forced to admit that the TV was not only not hooked up to the internet, it wasn't hooked up to the computer's hard drive either! Very disappointing as I had also tried to get a similar demo from a Sony Style store in San Francisco a week earlier with similar disappointing results. How do they expect to sell this stuff if they can't even give a decent demo? They should train their salesmen better! On the right is a photo taken inside the Sony Building looking out.

The next building of interest is the Citicorp Center on Lexington Ave between E 53rd and E 54th Streets. It can be distinguised by its large angled top as seen below. Don't count on seeing much inside the building though. They made me go through security just to get into the atrium, and there were security guards everywhere. About the only things I had access to were a couple of shops and restaurants. You needed a badge to actually go anywhere inside the building. According to a recent documentary, after they got the Citicorp building built, someone discovered that the whole building could actually collapse in a sufficiently high wind storm. Without publicizing it they went through and retrofitted the whole building so now it's safe supposedly!

Here is a photo of the entrance to the building:

Tucked into a corner of the Citicorp building is St. Peter's Church which is known for its support of jazz. As you can see from the following photo of their program, they have jazz vespers, jazz memorials, jazz by the Duke Ellington Society etc. etc. St. Peter's doesn't look like much from the street, but it goes down underground several stories and is really quite extensive. It supports the arts as well.

Now I proceed north on Madison Ave toward my next stop at the Whitney Museum of Art, Madison Ave and 75th St, at which I was planning to spend some time especially since they were featuring my favorite American artist, Edward Hopper. Unfortunately, the Whitney is closed on Monday. But this was just as well since I was already late getting to my final destination, Carl Schurz Park.

Here is a picture of my favorite Hopper painting, Nighthawks:

Here are some pictures of the shopping available along Madison Ave between 59th and 79th Streets. You can click on any picture to get a larger version of it.

We will make one more stop in this part of Monday in Manhattan, and that is at the Cafe Carlyle at Madison Ave and 76th St. The Cafe Carlyle is where the well-heeled denizens of the upper east side go for the most sophisticated entertainment. Mr. Sophistication himself, Bobby Short, played and sang here for o