Lovely Little Havana

In March, we traveled to Miami Beach for some sun, relaxation and a bit of culture. Our trip included a visit to Miami’s Little Havana where both our eyes and our stomachs feasted on Cuban delights. The photo above shows the wildness of Little Havana with a gaudy ice cream store front at Azucar and Cuban cigar shop next door.

Our Little Havana tour began with a Cuban sandwich and a Mojito (a classic Cuban rum drink) at La Terraza, one of the areas best and oldest restaurants, pictured below.

Our excursion of Little Havana continued with a visit to Domino Park. Here residents play one of the Carribean’s favorite games Dominoes. This first photo includes Pat and two close friends who did the Little Havana tour with us at the artistic Dominoes that lead to the entrance of Domino Park.

The park itself is quite picturesque with great murals and a lovely roof covering the extremely serious players. The photo below depicts many tables with very skilled teams of two competing against each other for bragging rights of the best Domino playing team in the area.

Cuba’s favorite shirt for men is the guayabera, the four pocket embroidered tropical shirt that is one of the most authentic symbols of Latin culture. Below are two photos. The first is an amazing tile art work, titled Little Havana, of a guayabera with historical connotations including the past connection between the United States and Cuba. Helene, our tour guide, provided a great explanation of Cubans’ love of the guayabera.

The second photo is of a store, Cubavera, founded in 1967 by the Cuban-born George Feldenkreis and his brother Isaac. The store focuses on guayaberas and has earned the primary owner the moniker as the ‘Guayabera King'. The storefront consists of many artistic tile pieces depicting different guayaberas.

Nothing speaks to Little Havana’s uniqueness like its grocery stores. In most, you have gorgeous food interspersed with photos of the owners homes in Cuba, memorials to those who died in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.

Below is the monument to the ‘Martyrs of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Allow me to end this blog with a few of my favorite murals from the extensive Calle Ocho, Little Havana’s main street, collection. The first photo includes murals with dominoes and the perennial Cuban espresso machine.

The second mural smacks of Thomas Hart Benton, don’t you think? I loved this mural and many others in the collection.

Do yourself a favor and visit Little Havana next time you travel to Miami. Please leave a comment after reading it so I know you received it and read it.

Italian Monuments

Pat & I just returned home from two weeks in Italy, one of the world’s most popular places to visit. There are familiar sights everywhere. But the country also holds treasures that are fantastic. One of the great treats of the vacation was visiting some of the Italian monuments that reminded us of the ingenuity and sometimes cruelty of our forefathers.

We first visited the Roman Colosseum, an elliptical amphitheater completed in AD 80. It could hold 50,000 to 80,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests, executions and even re-enactments of famous battles. Typically slaves were engaged to fight to the death. It is still the largest amphitheater in the world and is a marvel of architectural innovation. The photo above shows the main stage.

Palatine Hill is considered to be the birthplace of the Italian capital and is believed to have been inhabited since the year 1000 B.C. Check out the view of Rome from the top of Palatine Hill.

Our next monument foray took us to Taormina where the Teatro Antico is located. The Teatro Antico di Taormina is the most fascinating historical monument in the pearl of the Ionian Sea, and a world-famous tourist attraction. Dug out of the hard rock of Mount Taurus in the 3rd century B.C.,(yes, you read that right), it could already then accommodate thousands of seated spectators. It is well known that the Greeks erected their most important buildings as if Nature could be a part of them. In the same way, the light and air, creeping in between the columns, emphasized the natural scenery perfectly integrated with the architecture of the theatre. The shape allowed for perfect acoustics in all areas.

In 2024, there will be many concerts at the Teatro, including a performance of La Traviata in September. The following photo captures the scope of this amazing monument, Mount Etna and to the left, the Ionian Sea.

The last stop on the monument circuit was Pompeii. Seeing Pompeii has been on both Pat’s and my bucket list. Visiting it for a few hours was a dream come true!

Pompeii is one of the most significant examples of Roman civilization and provides outstanding information on the art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past. The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries. Archeologists have worked to unearth the city as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The city's quick burial preserved it for centuries before its ruins were discovered in the late 16th century.

The city of Pompeii was served by an aqueduct system called Aqua Augusta. The aqueduct was built to connect cities along the Bay of Naples to Serino's springs. Pompeii’s streets were ingeniously designed for drainage and water capture.

In Pompeii, the rich and poor lived near each other but very differently. The rich had big homes with lots of rooms, gardens and beautiful entrances like the one below.

Additionally, the rich were very vocal about their wealth. One home’s entrance said ‘Welcome to Money”. The poor however cooked communally, in locales, like the one below.

The residents of Pompeii also loved their sex. Check out the photo of Priapus pointing to the residence of the ladies of the night.

Some of the most heart-rending relics in Pompeii are the casts of the individuals unearthed during the excavations. Pompei was destroyed so quickly that people had no time to hide. This one needs no explanation even from behind a glass enclosure..

As a photographer, finding new ways to show these monuments, was quite a challenge.

What can I say: run, don’t walk, to Italy to view these amazing monuments.

Phillies Mania

Patricia and I just spent the weekend in Philly visiting Dan and his wife Sophia. We had a lovely time eating at great restaurants, visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art and marveling at the fanaticism of the Philly fan! The photo above is a monument to the Phillies Fanatic, during these important playoffs for their beloved team. It is located in front of Philadelphia’s iconic grocery store, Sprouts .

This is not the only tribute to the Philadelphia Phillies. Check out the fire hydrant below. That’s fanaticism!

Then, there’s the following posters plastered on walls throughout Philly!

Two copies of one of the posters urge the Phillies to chop the head off the snake, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fanaticism indeed; need I say more!

We did not spend all our time, however, searching for Phillies fanaticisms! We also visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art and viewed an amazing Korean Exhibit, The Shape of Time: Korean Art after 1989.

The first piece we encountered was a soap sculpture, yes you read that correctly, right outside the entrance to the museum. The sculture“Eastern Deities Descended” (2023), is a new site-specific commission by Meekyoung Shin. Here are Sophia and Pat standing in front of it. This piece will be melting slowly during the life of the Korean Exhibit.

One of my favorites was this triptych by Ahn Sekwong. It depicts the twilight years of the Wolgock-Dong neighborhood. This neighborhood experienced a great increase in population in the 1970’s. The government deemed the neighborhood obsolete and replaced the neighborhood with towering apartment complexes. Beginning with the photo furthest to the right, Sekwong used aerial photography to show the neighborhood first as it was and then in its beginning stage of demolition in the other photo next to it and finally in the final stage of demolition in the photo furthest to the left. Seeing it close-up reminded me of all the neighborhoods in America that were destroyed in the name of Urban Renewal.

Another favorite was Michael Woo’s Headless, which consists of NERF foam-bodied figures in the form of headless seated Buddhas, each with an American toy head. These pop cultural heads levitating above the bodies represent a century of globalized American manufacturing. Each was designed in the USA, manufactured in Asia and then brought to market in the USA. As we walked into the room, we burst out laughing at its outrageousness.

The entire exhibit is worth visiting before it ends in February 2024.

I am watching game 7 of the Phillies/Diamondbacks division finals. Go Phillies; don’t break your fans hearts!!

Hope you enjoy this brief glimpse of our trip to Philadelphia, land of the Philly Fanatics . Please leave a comment after reading it so I know you received it and read it.

Perfect Paris

In October 2022, Dan, Jay, Barbara and I joined Pat in Paris after she had spent a week eating croissants, eclairs and shopping at the beautiful spots in town with our sister-in-law Kaija. We arrived as Kaija was leaving and immediately picked up the eating mantle.

On our first full day, we went to the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival. Montmartre is a gorgeous old neighborhood on a hill. The festival consists of a pop-up market of little white open-front tents, in the streets around the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. The tents sell everything from specialty food, including red wine sorbet, to all types of wines especially champagnes produced across France. Here’s the view from the steps of the Basilica.

We gorged ourselves on fantastic champagne, oysters and mussels. Here’s a pic of Jay and Barbara juggling some bubbly and flutes while the rest of us picked up some other foods.

Loved the mussels from this vendor!

By now, you may think that all we did was eat and drink and you might be right but we did a bit of sightseeing also. We took a 3 hour tour of the Seine on a small boat replete with more champagne and goodies. This is a family-run operation as the photo below illustrates. Arthur does the tour and his wife shows up at the end to help him unload the tourists and put the boat away.

Here’s a different view of the Eiffel Tower than we usually see.

We walked everywhere and saw some wonderful sights. Where else can you find a knife sharpener on the streets?

You may be surprised to learn that New York City’s hugely successful High Line wasn’t the first elevated railroad bed to be converted into a much-loved linear park. That distinction goes to the 2.9 mile elevated park in Paris that NYC planning director Amanda Burden acknowledges as the model for the High Line: La Promenade Plant in Paris. We loved walking a small part of it. Here we see it from a beautiful street in the Bastille hood.

We spent a lot of time at Museums. A highlight was this sculpture at the Pompidou, an industrial-looking museum with a focus on modern art. Notice the photographer in the background.

I can’t end this entry without noting that we had a fabulous time with family that lives in Paris. We had a lovely meal, with fine wine and even better conversation, with our young french cousin Diane and the grand dame, Jeanine. Love this last photo of the gang!

Hope you enjoy the brief tour of our trip to Paris. Please leave a comment after reading it so I know you received it and read it.

The Amazing Wild Center

You may recall that my last blog was from the Adirondacks last year. Well, this latest one is also from the Adirondacks but mainly focusing on one great spot, The Wild Center, a natural history setting in Tupper Lake.

The Wild Center officially opened on July 4, 2006. The date was selected because the opening of The Wild Center was designed to be a celebration of the Adirondacks as a great American success story. And yes, it is! The Wild Center added Wild Walk in 2015, a thousand feet of bridges and platforms that rise up and eventually over the forest on the center's footprint. It’s designed to transform the way we see into the natural world by offering up the perspective of the rest of nature. You can see it in the photo above and the photo below.

Wild Walk also includes Stick Work, a larger-than-life sculpture that is inspired by childhood and the natural world of the Adirondacks. The artist, Patrick Dougherty and a group of volunteers, bent, weaved, snagged and flexed sustainably-sourced, local sapling to create a whimsical immersive art piece that you can walk in or just look at and be mesmerized.

On Wild Walk, you will also see a replica of a Bald Eagle’s nest. You can climb into it. As it’s the highest point of Wild Walk, once you climb up, you look out across a forest that stretches as far as you can see. Pat and I enjoyed the vista and rested there a bit.

Wild Walk includes the Spider’s Web. You may wonder what it would be like to live on a web, hanging on a thread above the forest. The Spider’s Web at Wild Walk provides one an opportunity to lay in wait or walk across a web woven above the ground.

You may think that Wild Center is all outdoors but it also has great indoor museum. Here’s the entrance to Wild Center. Check out the beautiful woman lurking in the foreground on the left side.

During our visit, staff did a show and tell with Porky the porcupine. Porky was very active that morning and performed as he knew he would receive some tasty food treats

What more can I say… A trip to the Adirondacks should include a visit to the Wild Center. Please leave a comment after reading so I know you received it and read it.

The Adirondacks

What a year and a half it has been! We have been fortunate but know that many people have had great losses. So we were lucky to take our first vacation in what appeared, a month ago, to be the end of the pandemic. We chose a beautiful locale that we could enjoy after a relatively short drive. That locale, the Adirondacks is one of the most diverse destinations on the East Coast, offering unparalleled outdoor recreation throughout its spectacular lakes, wild mountains, and charming towns and villages. How many of you know that the Adirondack region was established in 1892 by the State of New York amid concerns for the water and timber resources of the region? Whatever the reason, the Adirondack region is large, dramatic and paradise for those of us who revel in playing in the outdoors. Thus, Pat and I decided to head there for our summer 2021 vacation.

We began our trip at the The Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake, a well-known Adirondack landmark that has been enjoyed by individuals and families as guests for generations. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the camp became “The Hedges” when the Collins family welcomed its first guests in 1921. The Hedges evolved and grew throughout the twentieth century into a resort that now welcomes over 1,000 guests each season. While there, we celebrated the Hedges Centennial year and enjoyed the amazingly expansive waterfront.

The Hedges rustic resort is a water-sport lover’s paradise. They have high quality canoes and kayaks of all sizes. Pat and I went on three great kayak trips. On two of them we crossed over from Blue Mountain Lake to Eagle Lake via the bridge in the photo below. Those two kayak adventures were glorious.

I would be remiss if I did not include a photo of the inside of the Hedges dining room, a gorgeous rustic room that provided us great joy at each of our meals.

Pat and I hiked quite a bit on this trip. For our first hike, we chose Castle Rock Trail in Blue Mountain Lake, a moderate, 3-mile loop trail offering an amazing view of Blue Mountain Lake as seen in the first photo above. With an elevation gain of 700 feet, the hike to the summit is generally a gentle slope except for one steep section just below the summit. Pat and I then decided to do the longer loop back to the trailhead that made the hike a 4.7 mile trek. Because it had been raining like crazy in the Adirondacks, the trail was muddy and the streams were rushing.

On two of the days we spent about 7 hours total at the Adirondack Experience, a museum that provides a truly unique experience. With more than 20 buildings nestled across 120 acres overlooking Blue Mountain Lake, the open-air campus offers everyone something to do from learning the history of boating from the earliest canoes to the latest motor boat extravaganzas. The same experience exists with shoes, skis, stoves, railroads, homes and anything else that the Adirondacks touched. While at the museum one could row an authentic guideboat, break up a logjam, climb a classic ADK fire tower, or enjoy a wonderful hike to Minnow Pond. We hiked to Minnow Pond on both days of our visit. Below is the entrance to the Minnow Pond Trail hike.

One of the most gorgeous buildings at the Adirondack Experience museum is the Sunset Cottage, a one-room cabin from Camp Cedars on Forked Lake, which is decorated with split-spruce pole siding. I loved the design, the weathered look and just the natural beauty of the cottage.

On our last day on Blue Mountain lake, we traveled to the Great Camp Sagamore for a 2.5 hour guided tour. Built in 1897 by visionary great camps designer William West Durant on 1,526 acres of remote wilderness in the Adirondack Park, Great Camp Sagamore was a wilderness retreat for the Vanderbilt family for half a century. It is now a National Historic Landmark managed by a non-profit educational institution as a public trust. Notwithstanding, one can still get a room at the camp and truly enjoy the experience. My favorite building on the grounds pictured below is where the family and friends spent many hours reading, playing games and drinking.

Check out the closeup of the amazing red door to the building that is being opened by our guide. I would love that door as the entrance to our condo!

The camp even had its own outdoor/indoor bowling alley pictured below. The one catch to the alley is that the pins had to be cleared and set up manually after each roll. But that wasn’t too much of a hardship for the Vanderbilts so they coped.

We next spent a week at the Mirror Lake Inn on Lake Placid. We were fortunate enough to be there for the Lake Placid Ironmen, one of the hardest Ironmen competitions in the world. On our first morning there, we woke up to see the competitors beginning the 2.5 mile swim portion of their Ironmen. If you look carefully at the photo below, you will see 2 rows (the pros and the merely elite athletes) of Ironman swimming with the pros heading back to the start already at 7:15 am.

We were also lucky enough to be at the finish line for the arrival of this year’s winner, Rasmus Svenningssen, of the Ironman competition. Here he is looking fresh as a daisy after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles in a little over 8 hours.

Another highlight of the Lake Placid portion of the trip was our visit to the top of the ski jump. We took an elevator up and then walked up a set of stairs to view the horizon. What struck me was the enormity of the structure, the Mars-like feel of the area in the summer months and how it ruined the pristine view in the area. What do you think?

The final highlight of our Lake Placid trip was a visit to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, the home and final resting place of abolitionist John Brown. It is located on John Brown Road in the town of North Elba, near Lake Placid, New York, where John Brown moved in 1849 to farm. The site provides an excellent educational experience about the abolitionist movement in the Adirondacks and John Brown. Brown’s passionate hatred of slavery shaped his plan to launch a revolt in the South to end slavery. This plan lead to his death following his raid of Harper’s Ferry. The grounds are also lovely with several hiking trails on the grounds. The following 2 photos show the John Brown house and a powerful Black Lives Matter exhibit delineating those who died during that era.

This was a great vacation. I loved watching Pat looking overjoyed during one of her many swims!

We are hoping that the world will return to some normalcy in the not so distant future and that you are all staying healthy. Please leave a comment after reading so I know you received it and read it.

THE WONDERS OF JAPAN

Japan is a place where ancient traditions are fused with modern life as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Witness the lead photo of the old dog in a kimono at the Sensoji Temple, one of Tokyo’s most colorful and popular temples. The old pooch just belonged in its ancient surroundings.

Pat and I flew into Tokyo and after a 13 hour flight headed to our hotel in downtown Tokyo. We were instantly blown away by our hotel, the Prince Sakura Tower Hotel as it had an amazing garden behind it. This garden contained a beautiful Buddha, seen below, a bell from the Edo period and a number of small shrines.

Walking in Tokyo is quite the experience. You never know when you will run into a Temple, Shrine or just a bizarre sighting that seems unique or totally out of place. For example, we were walking in an old part of Tokyo when I ran into this gentleman studiously perusing his phone, while his forefathers drawn on the door looked on.

Walking around the Ginza neighborhood, both during the day and at night was a wondrous experience. Strolling the area, we were often visually entertained by elevated gardens smack in the middle of busy intersections and sidewalks. Weary residents and tourists can both rest their weary bones in these gardens.

Ginza also has quite a nightlife. In the eves, the area is neon-lit, teeming with strollers and full of energy.

Our next stop was Kyoto. It's a battle of old versus new when we compare the sights and sounds of Kyoto and Tokyo. Formerly the imperial capital of the country, Kyoto is the epicentre of the time-honoured and more romantic version of Japan. Kyoto boasts a hefty chunk of old temples, castles, jaw-dropping shrines and beautifully kept tea gardens. The Nijo-Jo castle in Kyoto is one of the seventeen HistoricMonuments in ancient Kyoto which have been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Check out the entry doors of the Castle.

Iwatayama Monkey Park is a commercial park located in Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan. The park is on Mt Arashiyama, on the same side of the Ōi River as the train station. It is inhabited by a troop of over 170 Japanese macaque monkeys. The animals are wild but can be fed food purchased at the site. When I was researching this outing I had no idea about the incredible and difficult walk up the mountain that was part of the experience. After all the time spent sitting on trains and planes during travel, I love getting in some exercise while sightseeing, so this was a great addition to the trip. It was a hot May day that made for a hot hike up the mountain, but it was definitely worth it as once we reached the top, we were met by the Japanese monkeys traversing the peak. At this park, the humans are feeding monkeys behind the cage while the monkeys are outside.

The Japanese snow monkeys had the run of the grounds and were quite entertaining. This young monkey had been hanging precariously on a branch - while we watched, he fell to the ground.

In Kyoto, we not only saw monkeys. We also visited Fushimi Inari Taisha. It is the iconic Kyoto hill that's home to an important shrine, whose origins date to AD 711. Inari is a popular destination for visitors and locals alike. We approached Inari from a less-frequented gate and made our way toward the summit via a series of stone steps through a quiet forest. As we ascended, the pathway leads through countless torii. Literally translated as "bird abodes," the torii are traditional Japanese gates of varying heights, painted bright orange. They're found at the entrance to Shinto shrines as they're said to demarcate the line between the profane and sacred. The Shinto kami (spirit or god) of Inari traditionally represents fertility, industry and general prosperity, so over the years, thousands of Japanese businesses have donated these torii in gratitude for their successes.

The Fushimi walk has many stops as we worked our way to the top. During these side visits, we saw many shrines to the foxes, the message carriers from the Shinto Gods to the populace.

During our visit in Kyoto, we ate lunch at a traditional Japanese-style home where we were welcomed and entertained by a maiko, an apprentice geisha. Did you know that a geisha apprenticeship is as long as 5 years? Our apprentice geisha was a wonderful dancer as illustrated below.

From Kyoto, we traveled to the rural countryside of the Nara Valley. There, we visited the tea growing village of Wazuka. For over 800 years, approximately 300 families have honored the tradition of tea production. Personally, I could have spent all day taking photographs of the tea plantations in this area. The photo below shows a special net (HV Net) is used to cover the green tea buds. This allows them to gradually develop a deeper green color in the cool air produced underneath the net. This increases the level of amino acids and chlorophylls in the tea, which of course, adds depth to the taste of the tea.

Our hike lead us through the rolling dirt and paved road that intersect these lush plantations that seem almost surreal upon viewing from the path.

While in Nara, we encountered a tribute to the great Sumo wrestlers of Japan on a quiet hillside.

At the end of the stroll, we wound up at Nara’s city park, home of the Todai-ji temple. This UNESCO site had thousands of visitors as seen below, most of them Japanese students being taught to pay homage to their heritage.

Todai-ji houses the world’s largest Bronze Buddha Vairocana on the grounds.

In Takeyama, we embarked on a memorable hike that took us through the well-preserved old quarter of 17th and 18th century, merchants’ houses.

In Takayama, we took a short scenic ride to Hida for a hike eon the famed Utsueshijuhatsu Falls trail. This nature park meanders through rich forest and past the 48 cascading falls that give the park its name. Each waterfall is unique. Check out this one with a shrine on the side of the beautiful falls.

We next traveled to Kamikochi, the high reaches of the Northern Japanese Alps to explore the breathtaking landscape of Chūbu-Sangaku National Park. This was set aside as a protected area in 1934. This hike took us into a spectacular slice of this park called Kamikōchi, nestled in a narrow valley through which the mighty Azusa River flows into Lake Taishō at its southern end. With a backdrop of dense birch and larch forests and soaring snow-blanketed peaks, including active volcano Mount Yake, this landscape is among Japan's most celebrated.

This remote alpine scenery by variety of birds and mammals including monkeys. We saw the snow monkeys strolling with their families and friends in their natural habitat.

Our final stop in the Alps took us to the Toyama Glass Art Museum, designed by Kengo Kuma, one of Japan’s foremost architects. The building gives the impression of a shining facade. This is because of the glass, aluminum and rock which are the famous products of Toyama and which all reflect light at various angles.

Hope you enjoy the brief tour of our trip. Like most of our trips, combining a week or so of hiking with a week or so of sightseeing was ideal; we heartily recommend it.

MARVELOUS MEXICO

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and the most populous city in North America.  Mexico City is one of the most important cultural and financial centers in the Americas. It is located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus in the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 7,350 feet. The city has 16 boroughs.

This year Pat and I asked our kids and their partners if they would join us on a trip to Mexico City between December 24th and December 31st. Dan and Sophia immediately said yes and soon thereafter Jay also agreed to join us. Yay, we said. So, we traveled to Mexico City the eve of December 24th and arrived in Mexico on Christmas Day. The pic above is the view we saw when we opened the shades from our hotel room at sunrise on Christmas Day.

That morning, we took a lovely walk through Condesa. Here are Pat, Dan and Sophia in front of a beautiful garage. Abbey Road, anyone?

The next two photos are of a lovely courtyard/parking driveway, replete with two resting dogs and of the outside of a Spirits shop.

On December 26th, we traveled to Coayacan, the home of Frida Kahlo. The town itself has beautiful old Spanish-style homes, courtyards and plazas!

Frida’s home was an absolute treat. Her Kitchen, studio and backyard were all memorable. Photos of each follow.

The Museum of Anthropology was built in 1964. We were all flabbergasted as it appears like it might have been built 20 years ago. Designed in 1964 by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez, Jorge Campuzano, and Rafael Mijares Alcérreca, the monumental building contains exhibition halls surrounding a courtyard with a huge pond and a vast square concrete umbrella supported by a single slender pillar (known as "el paraguas", Spanish for "the umbrella"). The halls are ringed by gardens, many of which contain outdoor exhibits. The museum has 23 rooms for exhibits and covers an area of 857,890 square feet. Below is the umbrella with the City skyline in the background.

The Museum contains wonderful information about the Aztecs and served as a good introduction to the Pyramids in Teotihuacan the following day. The photo below is of visitors photographing other family members beneath one of the great Aztec objects excavated recently.

Teotihuacan is an ancient Mesoamerican city located in a sub-valley of the Valley of Mexico located in the State of Mexico 25 miles northeast of modern-day Mexico City. It is known today as the site of many of the most architecturally significant Mesoamerican pyramids built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Our trip to the pyramids in Teotihuacan was amazing. I am including 4 Pyramid photos.  The first is of the Sun Pyramid with air balloons, allowed only til 9:30 am, flying overhead. 

 The second is of the Serpent Pyramid as we walked into the Sacred site.

The third is of Avenida de los Muertos, viewed from the Pyramid of the Moon; it provides a great view of the Sun Pyramid.

The last photo is the view looking up the Sun Pyramid, which we climbed, before our trek.

What would a trip to Mexico City be without a visit to Lucha Libre? Here are the masks worn by the ridiculously acrobatic and dramatic wrestlers.

The Diego Rivera museum is home to one of Diego Rivera’s most famous works, Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central), a 48 foot-long mural painted in 1947. Rivera imagined many of the figures who walked in the city from colonial times onward, among them Hernán Cortés, Benito Juárez, Porfirio Díaz and Francisco Madero.Here it is pictured below.

The second mural is a collaboration of two Chinese artists commemorating the great Mexican Artists of the 20th century and their murals.

A walk through downtown provided me an amazing sight, a man hauling a huge cargo manually. The effort was incredible.

Mexico has built cable cars in the poor neighborhoods to transport 7000 poor folks with no other access to public transportation daily from their homes.

The government and artists have transformed what was previously a slum into a colorful artistic community that may be a ghetto but is no longer a slum.

Finally, our daughter-in-law took this photo of our family at the tasty J by Jose Andres restaurant.

I feel like we barely scratched the surface of Mexico City and can hardly wait til my next visit.

Colors - Foliage in Rochester & Feasts in San Diego

It's no secret that this year's foliage varies from place to place. Some places are still seeing a lot of green leaves. Turning Point Park, located near Lake Ontario, has some of the prettiest, though muted, foliage in my hometown. A little known fact is that Turning Point's boardwalk and trail won the American Public Works Associations Transportation Project of the year ($2-$10 million category) in 2008. The photo above and the photo below show the Boardwalk and trail this Fall.

The colors and light in Rochester are dramatically different than what they are in San Diego. I traveled to San Diego for work but had an opportunity to head out for some sightseeing on a couple of the eves.

While in San Diego, we heard the Day of the Dead, celebrated by people of Mexican heritage everywhere, was on November 1st this year. We made it a point to head to Old Town in San Diego where the festival would be in full swing. The photo below is of a young lady, dressed and made up for the eve. It was taken at the El Campo Santo Cemetery founded in 1849.

We walked through Old Town and were met by a barrage of altars and shrines to honor loved ones. Here is one!

Here is another shrine in honor of a dead relative.

On another eve, my co-trainer Ray and I headed to the Harbor for a nice walk and meal. While traipsing by the water, we ran into a sculpture of the iconic return from World War II photo that appeared in Life magazine in 1945. The statue is 25 feet tall, weighs 6,000 pounds and is called “Unconditional Surrender,” by J. Seward Johnson, although the city of San Diego has officially labeled it the “Embracing Peace” statue. It was lit beautifully that eve.

Heading out, partaking in the local festivities after long hard days and memorializing them with photos made for some fun times!

Spectacular Scotland

Wellies and umbrellas are a mainstay of spectacular Scotland.  We had no Wellies but we certainly made use of our umbrellas often throughout our visit to Scotland this summer.  

Pat and I have enjoyed our two hiking trips to Europe with Backroads in the past so we signed up for the week long hiking trip to the Western Highlands.  Once again, we had a ball.

We flew to Glasgow and then traveled to Inverness the following day where we would be meeting up with our small hiking group.  Inverness is regarded as the capital of the Scottish Highlands and the happiest place in Scotland.  It may be because it is built around the gorgeous River Ness.  

Our trip began in the rugged and wild countryside just north of Torridon.  Our first long hike took us up between Laithach and the famous Beinn Eighe, a massive ben (mountain) where I saw dramatic landscape of soaring pinnacles, cliff and valleys formed by glacial erosion.

One of my favorite hikes was up an old hunters' tracking route toward Loch (Lake) an Eoin with red summit of Maol Chean-dearg mountain reflected in the water.

In the Isle of Skye, we walked along stunning coastline and up to a high point with soaring vistas of the Cuillin Hills and the Scottish mainland.

After our hiking trip, we headed to Scotland's second largest city, Edinburgh.   The city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the United Kingdom's second most popular tourist destination, attracting over one million overseas visitors each year.  We loved walking in the Old Town and checking out the views of the city from high locales.

A highlight of our trip there was climbing Arthur's Seat with Pat, Jay, our son and Molly, our niece; both joined us for a few fun-filled days in Edinburgh.  Molly took the fun photo below of our family at the top of a very windy Arthur's Seat.

We ended our trip where we began it, in Glasgow.  We loved visiting the Riverside Museum of Transport designed by  Zaha Hadid, and one of the oldest Colleges in the world, the University of Glasgow. Below also see one of the many bridges in Glasgow over flowing water. 

We even got to see Orographic, a new outdoor performance from leading physical theatre performance troupe Oceanallover fusing otherworldly choreography, live music and sculptural costume design inspired by Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s landscape paintings and humankind’s relationship to mountains.  It was a truly wild performance, both mesmerizing and haunting as they traipsed through the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

Combining a week of hiking with a week or so of sightseeing was ideal; we heartily recommend it.

Rochester's 17th International Jazz Festival

My sister Hilda gives us tickets to the Rochester Jazz Festival every year.  What a great gift - it provides me such great pleasure for 9 days every year.  This year’s Festival, its Seventeenth, promised to be another great Festival and is not disappointing!  I will be covering visual highlights, along with a tad of commentary, to provide you a feel for the event.

The photo above is of Mwenso and the Shakes.  The group has members from all over the world; Sierra Leone, England, South Africa, Madagascar, France, Jamaica and Hawaii. Michael Dwenso, in the middle of the first pic, is the leader of the band and he controlled the band’s actions with his hands as he sang and danced. The young lady, Michela Marino Lerman, played amazing percussion with her tap dancing.  I expected an Afro-Cuban sound to the music and was surprised when the band played intricate jazz pieces instead.  I loved the kinetic energy of the band as they played their tunes.

Jack Broadbent, pictured below, is considered by many the current world’s best slide guitarist.  He is a 30 year old Brit, with a wry sense of humour; notice that he uses a whiskey flask as his guitar slide.  

Watching Joe Locke play the vibraphones is a religious experience. I've seen him at least a dozen times (he grew up and began his career in Rochester). When he plays, he throws his whole body into it.  At times,  his four-mallets accelerate to the point where the white ends appear to be a dozen balls bouncing over the bars. When he introduces each song, he speaks emotionally.  Every tune Joe Locke plays has great meaning to him, and if he looks like he’s becoming one with his music, it’s because he is.

Christian Sands is a 29 year old pianist, with the chops of a teenager and the sophistication of a 50 year old veteran. The photo below illustrates his intensity during the first song of his set.  He started out  turning on the sound on his phone and placing it in the piano where it resonated nicely.  Birds were singing and Christian Sands began to sing back with his fingers on the keys.  After the song, he explained that he had woken up to birds, so he recorded them on his phone and they inspired him to come up with a song.  It was that kind of spontaneity that prevailed in his set.  

London singer Zara McFarlane's music is decidedly postmodern and impressionistic, with an ethereal timbre that was half-R&B croon and half-Ella Fitzgerald jazzy serenade. At times her voice was bright and bold, like her outfit below, and in subtler moments, her voice turned lush and mellow.  The net effect was a romantically evocative performance that I could have listened to all night. 

At first, Jazzmeia Horn appears old-fashioned.  She appears on stage in African clothing and she covers standards like “East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)” and “Night And Day”.  She scat-sings like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.  But then midway through a song she adds her own present-day lyrics and subverts the meaning of those standards.   As the song progresses, she also stretches the human voice beyond its usual limits at times sounding like a chirping bird and at times yelping like a cat.  The effect is mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.  The audience I listened with, loved her and wanted her to play more.

No one played more exuberantly at the Festival than the organist from Japan, Akiko Tsuruga.  She received two standing ovations during her hour long set.  Given the set up of the stage, I could not zap a photo while she played the organ but the photo of Akiko below acknowledging the crowd's pleasure conveys that joy.

Finally, what Festival blog would be complete without a crowd shot?  So, here is one of the very large crowd listening to Community Soul Project.

Toronto - Memorial Day Weekend 2018

Pat and I traveled to Toronto for the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.  Prior to our departure, we scheduled 3 fine dinners, going to the play Come From Away and doing lots of walking.  We had a ball.

We arrived in Toronto a little after lunch time on Friday and walked up Bay Street to the very hip north College Avenue neighborhood.  We dined at a Spanish Tapas restaurant, Bar Isabel, and then walked back to our hotel on what was a lovely eve.  The pic above depicts the CN Tower at night.

On Saturday morning, we boarded the ferry to the Toronto Islands and were blown away by the beauty and distinct identities of the different islands just a short ride away.  Here is a view of Toronto from Center Island.

On the way back to Toronto I snapped this photo of the skyline.  

On Saturday afternoon, we saw the play Come From Away and then walked up to the tony Yorkville neighborhood for a Greek seafood feast.  Once again, we walked back to our hotel and then headed up to the 31st floor for an after dinner drink at the bar.  Here are her and his photos commemorating our fun times there as well as a view of the City from the 31st floor.

Sunday's highlight was walking to the very hip Kensington Market neighborhood.  It, like most of Toronto, is in transition.  Preserving the old, as the city grows at an unbelievable rate, has been the Kensington Market's mission for the last few years.  What follows are a couple of pics illustrating the flavor of the neighborhood.

As noted above, Toronto is growing and  changing at an almost alarming rate.  Check out the pic below which shows the old city, the new city, the newer city and continued growth.

Finally, we stayed at the Adelaide Hotel right downtown.  While there, we read about its history and found that it had been the Trump Hotel and had gone bankrupt after Trump had become President in the US. There were many demonstrations in front of it and when Starwood took the hotel over, it changed its name. But, take a peek at this last photo to see the old and the new as it relates to this hotel.

Bills Playoff Game in Jacksonville Florida

The Buffalo Bills made it to the playoffs this year for the first time in seventeen years.  Fearing that they wouldn't make it to the playoffs for another seventeen years when I would be approaching 80 years of age, I asked my family if they would attend the game with me.  Dan and Jay quickly said yes and Pat responded with a curt 'no thank you'!  Immediately, we booked flights, made an airbnb reservation and got tickets.  Jay and I made it to Jacksonville with time to spare.  Dan unfortunately, despite herculean efforts, missed the game due to the weather.

As you can imagine, the Bills fans are rabid.  Word has it that approximately 30% of the fans in attendance at the game, were Bills fans.  Wow!  So many were we, that the Jaguars gave us our own lot for a tailgate party and what a party it was.  Jay, our friend Ben Letter and I headed to the Bills assigned spot,  Lot X, at 9:00 am.  When we got there we saw a sea of Blue with the wackiest and wildest outfits and antics imaginable.

What follows below are a smattering of photos showing the Bills fans at their absolute best.  I will describe each photo in a few words.

This young man riled up the crowd with a rendition of the Bills scoring song. 

Isn''t the ballerina Bills fan lovely?

The jerseys of ex Bills now on the Jaguars team were not treated well.

A Bills Luchador!

We can get dressed up too.

Need I say more?

Finally, what can I say about the misery of a 1st down and 1 yard, yet not scoring!

All in all, watching  the game live was quite exciting.  If only, if only, if only!

Philly Free Streets 2017

Philly Free Streets is a five hour party during which certain Philly Streets are open only to pedestrians, skateboarders and Bicyclists.  In its second year, on Saturday, October 28th, Philly Free Streets from Old City to North Philly were free of cars from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Pat, Sophia, Dan and I ventured out on the walk and what a walk it was.  In just 3.5 miles, we encountered a rich and diverse city.  The photo above was taken as we entered North Philly, the Latino neighborhood in Philly.  

During the trek we encountered a myriad of adventurers, including many Pokemon GO players. What is old is new again!  This year's Philly Free Streets Pokemon Go event included a tour of the PokéStops in Pokemon GO between Philadelphia’s Historic District and El Centro de Oro in the North Philadelphia neighborhood. The initiative aimed to encourage people to explore the city’s diverse neighborhoods using the innovative augmented reality experience of the popular real-world game based on the well known Pokémon brand.  To entice participants, Philly Free Streets participants who visited PokéStops qualified to win a Pokémon GO poster.  They succeeded!  I think about a third of the participants were Pokemon GO players. Pictured below are Pokemon GO participants happily using their mobile devices during the trek.

All participants, however, were not participating in the Pokemon GO festivities.  Some roller-skated while dressed up.  

Some just rode their bikes and sight-saw.

Some played chess with their kids on a very large board.

Some even helped paint a new mural in North Philly!

Finally, what would a festival be without street performers?  Pictured below are three of my faves.  First, there is the very beautiful hula stilts lady.  Second, there is the Latino Dance Band.  Third, there were the Latino Band dancers teaching those of us with less than optimal dance skills the 'moves'.

We look forward to visiting Philly once again next year during its third Philly Free Streets Day.

Los Angeles and San Diego in Summer

In early September, Pat and I traveled to Los Angeles to visit our son Jay and his girlfriend Barbara and then on to San Diego for a conference Pat was attending.  I had a great time checking out the sights and taking photos in both locales.

Union Station, the iconic Los Angeles landmark, built in 1939, went through some tough times in the 1990's and early 2000's.  Today, it is a vibrant symbol of downtown’s renaissance. It is now a dynamic destination for the arts, entertainment and culture, as well as a bustling transportation hub in the heart of the city.  It's a true cultural hub as you will see from the photo above of a passenger sitting, while waiting for his train, and playing the piano in the grand hallway.  He played a few jazz and show tunes, including a piece from les Miserables and Count Basie's All of Me.

Pictured b below is the majestic Union Station hall.

In Los Angeles we ate at one of the best new restaurants, La Boucherie on 71, honestly named after the fact that it is located on the 71st floor of the Wilshire Grand.  The steaks were fantastic but the star of the eve was the view.  Below, you will see the view along with reflection of the bar and Barbara from the 71st floor.

My favorite outing in Los Angeles was to the Last Bookstore, a fabulous bookstore n downtown LA, housing over 100,000 books plus artwork made of books.  Check out the Labyrinth Tunnel on the second floor.

This book lover's haven even has a spot that is perfect for framing family and friends for a photo opportunity.  Here are Jay and Barbara looking fab!!

We even attended a Dodgers baseball game during the team's sole major losing streak in their amazing season.  It was a lovely evening replete with Palm trees in the horizon.  Unfortunately, we were unable to will them out of their losing streak.  Fret not, despite the losing streak, the Dodgers have already won 100 games this year and are headed to the playoffs.

We then headed to San Diego, home of Old Town and Balboa Park.  For this part of the trip, I decided to work with a local photographer, who would help me get out of my comfort zone.  Julie Kremen, owner of San Diego Photography Tours, is a wonderful photographer who has had hundreds of her photos published in different magazines all over the world including images and travel stories for National Geographic Traveler. Julie  took me to Old Town and Balboa Park, provided great historical perspectives and excellent constructive feedback.  She pushed me to try new ways to show viewers a new area. I hope some of her inspirational suggestions, come across below.  Thank you Julie for the tour and lesson.

First , we visited Old Town, the historic heart of San Diego. Created in 1769, Old Town San Diego was California’s first settlement with only a mission and a fort.  Today, Old Town is a historic park and museum where you can experience life from the early Mexican-American period of 1821-1872 through rich living history programs.  In Old Town, I tried to capture the flavor of the locale in a minimalist manner.  Wyatt Earp, the gambler and lawman, moved to San Diego when he was 39 years old and spent quite bit of time in Old Town.  Here is living proof 😈!

Old Town has great shops and museums.  One of the shops had mermaids galore in stock that totally mesmerized me.

Think of Day of the Dead football helmets if you will; someone did!  Check out the Steelers Day of the Dead helmet.

A visit to San Diego would not be complete without time in the amazing Balboa Park, the 1,200-acre urban park with plentiful open space areas, natural vegetation zones, gardens and walking paths.  It contains museums, several theaters, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. Thankfully, the park was placed in reserve in 1835 and is enjoyed by millions of individuals every year.  I visited the zoo and made friends with one of my ancestors pictured below.  

I also loved the giraffes there

Balboa Park's gardens and buildings are simply breathtaking as illustrated below in this pic of the Botanical Building and grounds leading up to it.

I thoroughly enjoyed strolling through the park and checking out all the gardens in the park.  I especially loved the roots in this Banyan Tree.

You must spend time in Balboa Park on your next visit to San Diego.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the tough times Puerto Rico is encountering due to Hurricane Maria. I have lots of family there and have heard from a few that though life has not been easy the past week, they are all safe and managing as well as they can. Please keep Puerto Rico in your thoughts and prayers.

Peaks Island, Maine

Our recent summer vacation consisted of a trip to a beautiful island in Maine.  Peaks Island is the most populous island in Casco Bay, Maine. It is part of the city of Portland and is about 3 miles from downtown. The island became a popular summer destination in the late 19th century, when it was known as the Coney Island of Maine, home to hotels, cottages, theaters, and amusement parks.  Today, there are just a few hotels, many cottages both quaint and gaudy but no theaters nor amusement parks.  Below is a photo of a couple of quaint cottages overlooking Casco Bay and Portland in the distance.  I will spare you the pain of a pic of a McMansion on the island.

According to data sheet about Peaks Island by the ferry, Peaks Island currently has a population of 941 individuals with a median household income of $62, 975 (not too shabby).  While small, the island hosts a variety of businesses including an old fashioned ice cream parlor, pictured below, restaurant, grocery store, kayak rentals, golf cart rentals, art galleries and two tiny museums.  Folks get around the island by walking, running, via golf cart or riding a bicycle.  We either walked or rode a bike around the island during our stay. 

We stayed at a home on the ocean side while on Peaks Island.  Our home overlooking the ocean was owned by Victor Romanyshn, a spectacular and well respected local photographer.  The home had spectacular grounds and was relaxation paradise personified.  Below are two photos.  The first is a view of the grounds of the home and the second is of Pat reading while surrounded by the artwork of the late Victor Romanyshn.

Peaks Island's population swells to 2500 a day with renters and day visitors in the summer.  Wow!  It also hosts many events over the summer that swell the population dramatically.  While we were visiting, there was a 5 mile running race that brought a few thousand folks to the island.  Here is a photo of the start of the race.

While it was not easy leaving our home, Pat did venture a visit to the local public beach on the island.  The beach is simple, reachable via a ramp, with no lifeguard and freezing water.  Not many ventured getting in the water.

Finally, I can't wait to spend another week in the not so distant future relaxing on this lovely island.  Allow me the pleasure of ending this post with pics of a field on the island, cairns by the ocean and a sunset.

Home Sweet Home - Rochester New York

After my last few posts, friends and family members have encouraged me to compose a post about my hometown, Rochester, NY.  So, here goes! 

Rochester is a small city, in Western New York with a population of about 220,000 in the city itself and about a million in the Greater Rochester area.  Rochester suffers from an inferiority complex.  After all, it is not New York City.  It shouldn't , however, as Rochester was one of America's first boomtowns, and rose to prominence as the site of many flour mills along the Genesee River and a city on the Erie Canal,  and then as a major hub of manufacturing.  Several of the region's universities (notably the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of Technology) have renowned research programs. In addition, Rochester is the site of many important inventions and innovations in consumer products. The Rochester area has been the birthplace to such corporations as Kodak,  Bausch and Lomb, Gleason and Xerox that conduct or have conducted extensive research and manufacturing in the fields of industrial and consumer products.

Today, Rochester is undergoing a resurgence as Kodak and Bausch and Lomb are shells of what they once were.  Many small startups are sprouting all over town and the culture is booming.  For the past 16 years, Rochester has run one of the largest Jazz Festivals in the United States.  It goes for 9 nights in about a dozen venues.  Over 200 jazz acts from all over the world graced us with their presence this year.  For me, one of the best shows of this year's festival was the Donny McCasslin group.  The 4 band members played with David Bowie on his last album, Blackstar, and at their show at the Festival showed why Bowie had such faith in them.  They played 2 sets with joy, vim and vigor, for over an hour each, despite only getting an hour's sleep the prior eve due to flight issues.  The pic below captures some of that joy.

Many of you, I am sure have been reading about the rising waters in Lake Ontario.  The situation has caused great damage.  This past holiday weekend we traveled to the Lake to walk on the pier in the Charlotte neighborhood.  We were shocked by what we saw.  The Lake was about 3 feet above where it usually is.  Check out the pic below for stark evidence of the dire situation.

Every July 4th, the city has fireworks at dark.  This year, I made my first attempt to photograph them.  The pic below is the only pic that turned out moderately well and that I would not consider simply a snapshot.  Whatcha think?

What would a Rochester blog be without a few pics of my neighborhood. It is amazing what one notices when looking at a very familiar spot with new eyes.  The first pic in this blog is of the side of our home on a mid afternoon sunny day.   The photos that follow are of the mile around my neighborhood,  the Highland Park neighborhood named after Highland Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the designer of Central Park and many others. As I walked down the street, I noticed the lawn of my neighbors who live on a busy street.  Both members of the couple are engineers and the hubby is also a master carpenter.  Their yard is spectacular with 2 high chairs for viewing the area as well as a treehouse for chillaxing.

Across the street from this home is Highland Park.  The sight one sees from the chairs and treehouse is beautiful. It includes a lovely pond that freezes in the winter and becomes an ice skating rink.  In the photo below, you see a bench that was gifted to the park in my honey's honor by her family on her 60th birthday.

As we walk through our neighborhood, both the Warner Castle and the Mount Hope Cemetery, home to Susan B. Anthony and Federick Douglass, are can't miss locales. Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass made history in Rochester. The four photos below show some of the splendor and color of the locales as well as the gravesites, constantly changing, due to the gifts left by visitors.  Both Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglass  were buried in the cemetery with other family members.

So, there you have a smattering of photos of Rochester and our neighborhood.  Come visit us for the real McCoy!

Arid Arizona

In March 2017, the entire family traveled to Arizona to celebratory my wife Pat's 60th birthday and my oldest son Daniel's 30th birthday.  We wanted a locale that was warm, sunny and had plenty of hiking opportunities, hence Sedona and Tucson.  We arrived in Phoenix, met up with Daniel, rented a car and headed to Sedona.  Sedona nestles among a geological wonderland. Multi-hued stone formations jut upwards from the high desert floor creating a vivid, mesmerizing setting that changes hourly with the light. Surrounded by 1.8 million acres of national forest land, visitors have instant access to recreational activities. Sedona is equal parts rugged, equal parts resort. Regarded by Native Americans as sacred, Sedona continues to be recognized as a place of healing and spiritual renewal. Many come to experience the vortex energy centers of Sedona. Hmmm... Others want to prowl the 40-plus art galleries lining the streets, or to receive soothing treatments from the dozens of spa facilities.  

We just wanted to hike, sightsee and eat some wonderful meals. We checked in at the Orchards Inn early evening, went to our room, walked out on our deck and saw the sight below.  We immediately knew we had made the right decision.

Our first full day, we did a moderately difficult hike that culminated in a rocky climb to the Devil's Bridge.  This hike was both beautiful and challenging.  It is not easy to describe the breadth of the beauty but I hope the panorama below conveys a sense of the scale of the beauty.

The hike up to the Devil's Bridge is beautiful as the color of the rocks one climbs is surreal.  Once on top, upon looking across to the other side, one immediately realizes why they call the culmination of the hike the Devil's Bridge.  If you look carefully, you will indeed see the bridge.

Yes, we climbed it!

On our second full day, Sophia, Dan's wife, joined us for the Soldier's Pike and Brin's Mesa Hike.  This was another strenuous hike with great vistas.  In the pic below, we see the two birthday celebrants enjoying the  amazing view. 

That eve for Sophia's birthday, we went to the Mariposa Restaurant, seen above as the first pic in the blog and below.  The restaurant has an almost 360 degree view of the mountains.  It provided the backdrop to incredible food and a great visual experience.  Don't the photos remind you of the HBO series Westworld?

A visit to the Sedona area would not be complete without a side-trip to Jerome, a ghost town alive and well.  Over the years, it has ranged from wickedly wild to wildly artistic. Located high atop Cleopatra Hill between Sedona and Prescott, this historic copper and gold mining town was founded in 1876. When gold was discovered in Jerome, miners, gamblers and bad boys of the old west flocked here. Saloons and bawdy houses were the entertainment after a hard days work. At one time, Jerome was the fourth largest town in the Arizona Territory with a rowdy population that reached over 15,000.

When gold and copper deposits dwindled, Jerome became a veritable ghost town with about 50 residents that stayed behind. Although Jerome is now a treasured tourist magnet, comprised of artists, writers, unique boutique shops, wine bars, quaint dining spots and amazing views across the Verde Valley. Its appearance has not changed much in the last 100 years.

Many of the old buildings from the late 1890s still stand, like the one below of a coffee shop/bakery/delicacy shop.  Other structures are fragments of relics from its very early days. Because Jerome was built on the side of a hill, gravity and erosion has caused buildings to slide down the 30 degree slope. We thoroughly enjoyed walking among the buildings of historical significance while sightseeing and shopping. 

That is indeed the town of Jerome, with the J as viewed from a nearby closed down mine.

Enroute to Tucson, we stopped at the Montezuma Castle, built by the Sinagua Indians during the 1100s.  It is one of the most well preserved ancient cliff dwellings in America. Gazing through windows of the past, the set of 20 room high-rise apartments carved into towering limestone cliffs illustrates a story of an Indian Tribe with ingenuity, survival, and tenacity that turned an unforgiving desert landscape into a comfortable home.  For mysterious and unknown reasons, the Sinagua abandoned its habitat in the 1400s. Maybe they had over extended agricultural pressure on the land. Perhaps there was an unbearable prolonged drought. Historians believe that most Sinaguans likely were absorbed into other Tribes to the north. The Hopi Indians of today believe they are the descendants of the Sinagua. For the sake of preservation, visitors are no longer allowed to climb and peruse the dwelling.

Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson.They were especially beautiful in Sabino Canyon.  There, from the Visitor's Center, the forestry department offers a narrated, educational 45-minute, 3.8 mile tram tour into the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. The trams have nine stops along the tour with  picnic grounds located near Sabino Creek. We disembarked at Stop #9 and walked back the 4-plus miles to our parking spot which was about a half mile from the Visitor's Center as the place was packed with visitors.  Pat, Jay (who joined us in Tucson), and I noticed that there were a variety of trails available along the way for hiking that ranged from easy to challenging. We chose an easier trail that crossed Sabino Creek on 9 occasions over stone bridges. Check out the two photos that follow to get an idea of the variety of Sabino Canyon. The first is of the saguaros and the second is of one of the creek crossings.

Our last stop was at the Tucson Botanical Gardens.  We fortunately visited them early as the Tucson weather was even warmer than usual while we were there.  I had the fortune of capturing my family having a great time hanging and chatting in a shady spot at the gardens.

There is nothing like traveling with your adult children to make you feel dazzled and impressed that they are really all grown up and cognizant of what is happening in the world. Additionally, there is nothing like traveling with your adult children to remind you that they are still your children and sometimes you just  need to put your priorities aside to focus on them. Pat and I felt blessed to be able to experience both during our last vacation.  We look forward to many more adult vacations.

Heavenly Havana

Many of you know that as a student at Cornell Law School, I worked on the House Select Committee on Assassinations investigating the John F. Kennedy assassination.  I traveled to Cuba twice.  The first visit in 1977 with Congressmen Louis Stokes and Chris Dodd and the Chief Counsel, Bob Blakey, we interviewed President Fidel Castro.  On the second visit in 1978, I interviewed various other sources.  On both visits, I was struck by the kindness of the Cuban people as well as the amazing beauty of the island.

I always wanted to return to Cuba, especially before the island became totally modernized and looked like any other island in the Caribbean.  I had my chance this February.  I had been following the exploits of the great photo journalist, Peter Turnley, and read that he was leading a photo workshop in Cuba.  I threw caution to the wind and signed up. What an experience it was.

The group met in Miami and traveled together to Cuba in a short 45 minute flight.  As we approached the island, we could see the natural beauty and ruggedness of the island. Though 900 miles long, from above the greenery dominated the landscape.

On arrival day, we checked in and immediately headed to the Malecon, a broad esplanade, roadway and seawall that stretches for 4 miles along the coast from the mouth of Havana Harbor in Old Havana,  along the north side of the Centro Havana neighborhood to the Vedado neighborhood. This is the spot ion Havana.  The male con shows more of the Havana soul and attracts more locals and tourists than any other locale in Cuba. During our walk, I encountered these 3 lovely ladies and asked if I could take  a photo.  They said yes.  I soon learned that most folks are happy to have you take their photo.

On our way back home, we spent time in El Prado, the inland Boulevard that reminded me of las Ramblas in Barcelona.  The pic of dad and son above was taken there .  We also ran into a colorful religious pageant that I followed for a while to snap the following photo.

Day 2 began with a Ferry Ride to Regla,  a Santeria haven and beautiful spot in Havana. While in Regla, I witnessed a Santeria trainee offering gifts to the God's by the water, befriended locals and drank fine rum with them and was invited into the homes of strangers.  I fell in love with Cubans.

We next visited the world's most famous dance hall, La Tropical. The flourishing club has been an important part of Cuban culture since first opening its doors in the segregated 1950s.  Founded by a beer company for completely commercial reasons and transcending all expectations by remaining successful even through the Cuban revolution, La Tropical caters to an almost exclusively Afro-Cuban clientele.  Its  reputation is that it is the place to go to experience the very best in local music.  The famed venue retained its vitality even in times of social upheaval and exemplifies how something as simple as a low rent musical venue can impact a culture desperate to establish an identity.  The dancers in this outdoor setting, that oft swells to 10,000, are amazing.  I may be Latino but I do not dance like these Cubans!

We viisted the Egido Marketplace neighborhood where I saw beautiful buildings crumbling because of the proximity of the sea and no maintenance over decades.  I also ambled into a gym with some old equipment but where the locals proved that it's not the equipment but rather the dedication.  Throughout the neighborhood, lovers roam the streets on bicycles and murals are plentiful.  All in all, this neighborhood was one of may favorites.

Our visit to a Santeria ceremony was amazing.  We learned how the Afro Cuban religion has influenced the evolution of Cuban culture.  The male dancer pictured below was spectacular and the Babalao (Yoruba Santeria Priestess), pictured after the male dancer, did her dance and worked with the younger Santeros throughout the ceremony.

Our 3 hour trek to Viñales Valley was amazing.  Considered by many to be the most beautiful place in Cuba, the Viñales Valley National Monument holds stunning landscapes and jaw dropping vistas off the Mogote mountains.  These mountains are found only in Southeast Asia and Cuba. Many of you may not know that the island of Cuba split from Asia and not the mainland, hence the existence of the Mogote mountains.  The area is also famous for being the premier tobacco growing area in the world.  We were transported to the valley in a hair-raising oxen ride and once there treated to amazing food, a tobacco farm  and a great lunch.

A visit to Cuba without going to the Rafael Trejo Boxing Gym would not be a visit to Cuba!  The gym is a local amateur boxing gym for the young athlete to learn and train for their country's second favorite sport.  The best Cuban boxers began their training here.

Our visits to two separate dance companies, one modern and one a classic ballet studio were amazing. The contrast was spectacular as was the dedication shown by the students.

Walking around Havana provided  me so many opportunities to chat with new friends and take their photos.

This last pic was taken from the inside of a bus on a rainy day.  I looked out and saw this amazing view.  Such was the draw of Cuba.

Throughout the trip, my photography improved tremendously.  Watching Peter Turnley work was awe inspiring.  He taught me how to approach people, ask them to allow me to photograph them and then direct their stance.  Thank you Peter!   

Thank you readers for sticking with me.  If you got through this post and enjoyed it or if you have a question, please leave a comment.

Loving Los Angeles

This past week I was teaching in Sacramento, California.  After finishing up on Friday, I took the shuttle to Los Angeles to visit my son Jay and his girlfriend Barbara.  Los Angeles is so diverse.  Approximately 47.5% of its residents are Latinos, mainly Mexicans.  About a 5 minute walk from Jay and Barbara's apartment is an amazingly vibrant Latino neighborhood replete with food street vendors, indoor markets with hundreds of 8 by 8 stalls, hair stylists with 10 patrons waiting patiently for a $10 hair cut and well lit ethnic murals, like the one pictured above.

We had two wonderful meals in LA over the weekend.  The first was at Shunji in West LA.  Many consider Shunji the best Japanese restaurant in LA. The presentation of each dish in an unpretentious setting was spectacular.  It was all about the food here. The dish below included an uni ball topped with caviar, the most moist tomato ball ever, a piece of amazingly tender octopus and a chunk of marinated ginger for cleansing the palate. If in Los Angeles, Shunji is worth a visit.

On Saturday, Jay and I walked a tad over 10 miles.  We started by walking to the Flower Market downtown.  You pay a $1 admission and then can buy a bird of paradise, that would cost $10-$15 at a florist, for a couple of dollars.  Undoubtedly, there are scientists in this crowd.  Check out the dye-infused roses below. 

The downtown LA skyline is interesting as there are few really tall buildings.  The Wilshire Grand, including its spire, is the tallest building in LA.  While not completed yet, you get a feel of what it will look like if you find the right angle.

Santa Monica was our next stop.  I found it beautiful, edgy and touristy all at once.  Santa Monica has a large, fancy indoor/outdoor mall that has palm trees as well as a beach with acrobats and an amusement park.  Loved the contrast of the locale.  

Los Angeles is a great walking town and takes on a different look at night time.  On our way back from a great dinner at Orsa and Winston, we saw great street lights, a ridiculously crowded ice skating rink (yes, you read that right).  All in all, it was a great eve with the happy couple.  The roof at Jay and Barbara's apartment provided a final great view at the end of a great day.

Los Angeles has many juice bars.  One coffee and juice bar, Verve, whose patrons were quite hip, had a 10 juice flight.  The Block Rockin Beets includes beets, carrots, lemon, tomato, cilantro and jalapeño.  Amazing! You can actually order an 8 pack of 15 oz juices for $75 a week delivered straight to your door.  Tempted?