ART – Page 31 – jane sadek

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Libraries, Museums, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

Huntington Library and Gardens

February 18, 2015August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Huntington Library & Gardens, San Marino CA — The Sadeks at the Huntington

TRAVEL THERE: THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY AND GARDENS IN SAN MARINO, CALIFORNA

Until I started planning this trip I hadn’t heard of the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino. I was just looking for a museum to visit, since the Getty Villa would be closed the day I wanted to go. As it turned out, I got to see both the Getty Villa and the Huntington. Let me tell you – you’ve got to go to the Huntington.

THE HUNTING WHAT?

Even now that I’ve been there, I don’t quite know how to describe the Huntington – which might be part of the problem. The official name of the place is The Huntington Library. Quite frankly, though I’m very grateful our nation is blessed with wonderful libraries, I don’t consider them as tourist destinations. Also, it’s in San Marino, not LA, so maybe that’s why I’d never heard of it. Call it what you will, it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been and very little of it is actually a library.

THE HUNTINGTON GALLERY

As I researched LA, some clue hinted at an art museum inside the grounds of the Huntington Library. Following my nose I found The Huntington’s website and investigated their collection. I about had a heart attack. Staring right at me from the webpage was Blue Boy – yes, Gainsborough’s Blue Boy. And do you want to know who is looking at Blue Boy from across the room? You’re not going to believe it!! Pinkie! Thomas Lawrence’s painting of a young girl in pink and white. (Go ahead and click over there, I’ll wait.)You’ll be amazed You’ve seen prints of the two displayed together a million times. Well, at the Huntington, the real things are in the same room…looking at one another. It was almost too much for me to bear.

The Huntington has a whole slew of gorgeous European paintings that you will devour, but even if they didn’t have a single painting, I’d still tell you to go. I’ve been to a lot of luxurious, ornate, beautiful historic homes in my life, but I have never ever seen anything like the Huntington Art Gallery. Well, maybe “never ever” is stretching it a bit. King Ludwig’s Linderhof in Bavaria was on par. (Probably Versailles is too, but I’m still mad a Jimmy Carter for being there when I went to Paris.) Bottom line – go get your socks knocked off.

THE PRICE OF ADMISSION

If you go during the week, it will cost you $20 per person ($23 on weekends). It doesn’t open until noon (10:30 on weekends) and they shoo you out at 4:30. It ought to be illegal. Not the price, it’s worth every penny, even if all you see is the Art Gallery, but how are you supposed to see any of it in just four and a half hours. I could have spent four and a half hours in the Art Gallery alone. I call a foul. They should open up at the crack of dawn and stay until very late. Charge me by the hour. I don’t care. Just give me more access.

THE HUNTINGTON BOTANICAL GARDENS

With only a few hours to see everything and an entourage to manage, I made a tactical error. I thought the prudent thing to do would be to stroll along the paved road that leads through the gardens. Sure enough, you get a peek at the edge of the gardens, but not much more. The gardens are designed for you to enjoy them on the foot paths within the various settings, not zipping by on the paved road.

Huntington Gardens, San Marino CA — Follow me. I’m not sure where I’m going, but eventually you’ll love it – really!

Needless to say, my entourage soon tired of almost seeing things. Just about the time I figured out the drill, the entourage was through. I tried to encourage them deeper into the garden, but their visit was over. A lot of the conversation happened in Arabic, but I knew they thought I was nuts. Besides, I don’t think they had prints of Blue Boy and Pinkie for sale at the five and dime in Egypt. They just didn’t get any of my rapture.

Too bad. They departed and Bill reluctantly followed me into the Japanese Garden. Moments later he was calling the kids and begging them to come back, but it was too late.

The Japanese Garden, which was unbelievably beautiful, gave way to a Chinese Garden which was even better. I realize that I’ve run out of superlatives, but if you’ve been there you understand. Get this! There are fifteen gardens, each one more amazing than the last one. How are you supposed to see fifteen gardens in four and a half hours?

AND THAT’S NOT ALL!

As if being able to enjoy the Huntington Art Gallery in the gorgeous palace housing the remarkable collection wasn’t enough, there are two other galleries. One is home to American art and the other hosts special exhibitions. I’d pay twenty dollars to see either of them!

Oh, and why is it called a library? Because they have a huge building with 420,ooo rare books and 7,000,000 manuscripts. Yes – SEVEN MILLION manuscripts. Now the general public is not allowed to get their grubby hands on all of that, but they can see highlights of the library in an exhibit hall.

I didn’t even get near to any of this. I’m ready to go back, right now.

A GIFT SHOP TO BEAT ALL GIFT SHOPS

The Huntington Gift Shop is not the largest gift shop I’ve ever been to. Oh you can get a T-shirt, but why would you bother when there are gorgeous scarves, amazing jewelry and stunning decor items. Go ahead – do a little browsing. See if you won’t want one of everything.

So, now you know. The Huntington is more than an art museum, more than a library and more than a garden. It’s shangri-la, the garden of eden and utopia all rolled into one. Go! It’s wonderful!

But my day wasn’t over! I was meeting one of my besties at one of my favorite places for dinner. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about it.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Getty Villa, Malibu CA

February 4, 2015August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

IN LOS ANGELES GETTY IS THE THING

Museum Girl has one word for you in LA: Getty. One word and two locations. Getty Center is a big art museum on a hill in Los Angeles . Getty Villa in Malibu is something else entirely.

THE GETTY CENTER

If you’ve never been to The Getty Center, you have to go there first. The location alone is reason enough. Even if you don’t like art, you really need to see this place to believe it. The view is outstanding and the architecture is amazing. What’s more, there are gardens and fountains that also think they’re the main attraction. Seriously, you have to go.

If you do like art, then this is a feast you will enjoy. All day is not enough. I’ve been several times and it still hasn’t been enough. There are multiple huge buildings. The museum’s holdings are encyclopedic and they get first dibs on the best exhibitions in the US or visiting the US.

What’s more – it’s free! You heard me – free. Not on certain days or after a certain hour, but all the time. Now you have to reserve and pay for parking, but this is LA where you even pay to park in front of your house.

THE GETTY VILLA

When I moved to California, Malibu Getty was being renovated. It was ready the final year I lived there, but it was impossible to get in. On my visits since I moved away from California, I never could work the museum into my schedule for a variety of reasons, which included things which were both my fault and theirs.

Just like I was determined to have an overnight stay on Moonstone Beach, I wasn’t missing the Malibu Getty on this trip. My nieces and nephews are not into museums in a big way, but I warned everyone that with or without them, I was going to the Getty.

INVASION BY SADEK

Two carloads of Sadeks arrived at the Getty Malibu promptly at 10:30 with free timed passes in hand. What an entourage! Toddlers, teenagers, Baby Boomers and more! Just getting everyone to the entrance was quite interesting.

Once inside we showed our timed passes and a volunteer invited us to see the intro video. He also suggested we have a look around the galleries in the immediate area, since there wasn’t anyone waiting to see it. While we were looking around, along came a busload of folks who got in line ahead of us. Helpful hint number one: Ignore the volunteer. Get in line and wait for your turn.

Do watch the video though. It’s very good and helps you understand the villa and the art.

CAN YOU SAY AWESOME?

Remember your world history textbooks? And remember the head shots of statues which stood in for Caesar, Caligula and Cato. Ever wonder where those statues are? They’re at the Getty Malibu!

Perhaps I’ve spent more time than other folks staring at art, history and art history books, but what impressed me most about the Getty Malibu was that all those pictures I’d been staring at were front and center. One right after the other. I couldn’t get over it. I can’t say that the entire entourage felt that way, but I was overwhelmed.

My husband adored the architecture. One grandnephew loved an activity room where you created rubbings off faux pottery shards. One niece was spellbound by a peek of the ocean from a terrace. My grandniece just wanted to run in the gardens.

In other words, there was something for everyone. Truth be told, I wanted to stay a little bit longer and almost everyone else thought we stayed a little too long, but we all had a good time. Some day, when I return for a visit, I’m going to go by myself and stay all day. It’s going to be great.

From the Getty Villa we went to Santa Monica. Come back next week and I’ll tell you all about it.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

The Sportsman’s Lodge – Studio City CA

January 28, 2015August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Maserati, Venice Beach, CA — **And yes, that is a Maserati we’re driving!**

WHERE TO STAY IN LA

Now we’re on our way to LA, the last stop in our 2014 California Adventure. Our accommodations were quite unique. Let me tell you about them.

THE MASERATI

Have I mentioned that we have the coolest nephews in the world? I know I told you all about the one in San Fran – you know Jack’s dad. Well, I have another nephew. Bassem lives in LA, across the street from Hollywood and Highland Shopping Center. At least he did until a few weeks ago. And that Maserati? Well, it’s Bassem’s.

One of the primary reasons we were in LA was because several members of Bill’s family were going to be visiting, including a niece and grand-nephew from Egypt. Usually, we’d just bunk with Bassem, but he already had a houseful. Since he couldn’t offer us a place to stay, he insisted on giving us his car to drive while we were in town. That would be kind under any circumstances – when the car in question is a Maserati, well, it’s more than kind.

BUT WHERE TO STAY?

With Bassem’s home full to capacity, we needed to find a place to stay. Some other family members chose The Standard, but it just wasn’t what we were looking for. Even though we wanted to be close to everyone, we really didn’t want to be in Hollywood. And besides, there was just something about a hotel with an upside down sign that irritated my OCD tendencies.

THE SHORT LIST

You have two choices when it comes to hotels around Hollywood – expensive and bedbug bait. I spent two days on Trip Advisor and other sites trying to come up with realistic options. The Sportsman’s Lodge was very high on my list for several reasons, but I was afraid Bill would think I was nuts. So, I included it on the short list and waited for Bill to give me his favorites.

He came back to me and asked for more information about The Sportsman Lodge, so I knew I hadn’t been crazy at all. It was both geographically and financially desirable, with just enough edge to be interesting. I booked a room and looked forward to our stay.

COOL AND FUNKY

The reason I thought Bill might assume I’d lost my mind, if I suggested this hotel, was that it had (shall we say) unique decor. Sort the Jetsons meet John Wayne. The lobby had odd things like a rack of antlers (painted white BTW) juxtaposed with chrome stools upholstered in orange and glass tables with lime green accessories. We’re usually more into French antiques. The whole thing was sort of upscale meets resale. The parking lot was definitely upscale and our Maserati fit right in.

Everything in LA costs a whole lot more than it should – and The Sportsman’s Lodge is no exception, but once you get past the sticker shock, you can really enjoy yourself. The rooms are sparsely furnished in a minimalistic way, but you have everything you need. The bed was comfortable, but the view was the parking lot. There were rooms which overlooked the pool, but since it was crowded 24/7, I think I was very satisfied with the parking lot vista. And speaking of the pool, I wish I’d gotten brave enough to spend some time there, but everyone seemed so cool that I was a little intimidated.

Still, if I were to need another hotel room near my nephew’s place, I’d probably just return to The Sportsman’s Lodge – and who knows, I might get brave enough to hang out at the pool.

I had a great time with our family in LA, beginning with a trip to the Getty Malibu. Come back next week and I’ll tell you all about it.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

Revisiting Los Osos

December 31, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO LOS OSOS, CALIFORNIA

Happy New Year! I hope 2015 holds much happiness for you and yours, as well as lots of travel!

Now onto our journey to the West Coast. We called Los Osos home while our house was built in Pismo Beach. In fact, we almost bought a lot in Los Osos rather than Pismo. I wonder what turn our life together would have taken if we’d gambled on that steep outcropping rather than the more sedate hilltop in Pismo.

Sally and The Great Skin Company

One of the first things I did when I moved to Los Osos was join South Bay Women’s Network. I loved that group of women and had the honor of serving in several offices for them – from Historian to President. It’s through SBWN that I met the lovely Sally Brooks and made my way to The Great Skin Company. In Sally I found a wonderful friend and at her salon I enjoyed some of the best facials I’ve ever had. Should you happen to go to the Central Coast, book something at The Great Skin Company and tell Sally I sent you.

On this particular morning, I didn’t have an appointment for a facial, but Sally had arranged for several of my friends from SBWN to drop by for coffee. I loved that the group is still doing great things for the South Bay area. I have to confess that I was proud that my presidential year still holds some record accomplishments, but I was lucky, I was working with an amazing group of women.

Cabrillo Estates

I hugged a lot of necks and loved catching up at Sally’s, but the road was calling. We had lunch plans in San Luis Obispo and things we wanted to see before that.

First we stopped in Cabrillo Estates, a subdivision of homes at the edge of Los Osos. That’s where we hung our hat for a few years. We particularly liked Cabrillo Estates because the streets were all named after heroes of the Alamo. Not sure of the reason, but when we lived there our house was on Bowie Drive.

When we were looking for lots, there was one we loved in Cabrillo Estates, but we ended up choosing a lot in Pismo Beach. The lot in Cabrillo Estates had the most dramatic view by far, but Los Osos is a sleepy little bedroom community, while Pismo was a happening beach town. We chose the beach town, but lived in Los Osos while the house was built.

Looking back, I was much happier in the Los Osos rental house than I was in the luxurious home we built in Pismo Beach. There are many things which contributed to my season of discontent, but I can’t help but wonder how life would have been different if we’d built in Los Osos instead.

The lot in Los Osos was intimidating – virtually a sheer wall cliff to hang a house on. Some one did eventually build a very contemporary home virtually made of glass and it had nearly a three million dollar price tag. Crazy for a house with less than 2000 square feet, but the view, as you can see, is out of this world.

The top of the hill was also for sale when we were looking for lots, but it was an acreage we knew we couldn’t afford. Here’s what they built up there.

From Cabrillo Estates we went to an old favorite, Montana de Oro State Park. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about it.

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Japanese Tea Garden and More

September 10, 2014September 3, 2015 Jane Sadek

Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco CA — The Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park.

TRAVEL THERE: MORE ATTRACTIONS AT THE GOLDEN GATE PARK

Foiled by the unreliability of the Golden Gate Park Shuttle, Bill and I entered the Japanese Tea Garden. We were unfortunately underwhelmed.

The Trouble with Travel

You know me. There’s no one who loves travel more. But travel comes with a price. The more you do it, the more room for comparison.

I like Japanese Gardens. We’ve got a great one over in Fort Worth and there’s another nice one in San Antonio. We saw one in Lotusland a few days before our visit to San Francisco and a few days after our visit to Golden Gate State Park, we saw an amazing Japanese Garden at the Huntington Gardens.

Japanese Tea Garden, Portland OR — Judge for yourself. This photo was taken in Portland.

Still no Japanese Garden that I’ve ever seen beats Portland’s Japanese Garden. Two years later, my senses are still reeling from the beauty we saw in Oregon and the Portland Japanese Garden was among my favorite attractions there. So that should give you an idea of how stunning it was. (As gorgeous as their Japanese Garden was, it was still my second favorite garden in Oregon. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens was the best.)

Small and Sad

You can’t judge a book by it’s cover and I suppose you shouldn’t judge a garden by the price of admission, but we were surprised by the $7 entry fee. That’s more than Ft. Worth’s garden, though less less than Portland’s.

The first thing we realized was that the garden was very compact. Fort Worth’s garden is huge and so is Portland’s, though not as large as its sister in Texas. Size isn’t everything , but the size does add to the charm, because in the bigger gardens you seem far removed from the every day world.

In every part of San Francisco’s Garden I felt cramped. I had the sense that just a few feet away was the world, because I could hear it and see it all around me. There were also crowds of other folks. The Tea House was humming with business and the line for it wandered through the garden. Serenity was in short supply.

The sad part was the evident disrepair. The gardeners are doing a great job, but the park needs to hire a company of carpenters and painters. Right now – before the wooden structures rot away! Peeling paint and rotting wood are just unacceptable. The Tea House has a rollicking business. Devote some of the revenue to maintenance.

The Rest of the Story

After the Japanese Gardens we waited around for a few moments hoping the shuttle would make an appearance, but it didn’t. So we wandered over to the Botanical Garden. Two things kept us out. It was closing in less than an hour and they wanted another $7. The last $7 each we spent had not been a good investment.

So we thought we might walk a little. We headed toward the Cherry Tree Azaleas, got a peek of Stowe Lake and strolled past the Rose Gardens. We were tired. It was chilly. We decided to call it a day. We weren’t going to get to see all of Golden Gate Park on this visit either.

I’ll Be Back

In spite of the disappointing Japanese Garden, I plan to go back to Golden Gate Park. I want to see the Conservatory of Flowers, the Dutch Windmill, The Chinese Pavillion, Strawberry Hill, the Carousel and the list goes on. Next time I’m thinking about bikes or one of those surreys I saw people riding. I guess next time I’ll need to do a little more research and be a little more prepared. Third time’s charm, right?

Next week I’ll wrap up my stay in San Francisco, but for now I’ll leave you with a few more shots from the Japanese Garden. It was pretty. It just suffered from comparison.

ART, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Drat That Golden Gate Park! Foiled Again!

September 3, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

You can get one of these at the de Young Gift Shop.

TRAVEL THERE: I ALWAYS MISS SOMETHING IN THE GOLDEN GATE PARK

One of the first things I saw pass by, on the road outside the de Young Cafe, was the Golden Gate Park Shuttle Bus. Unfortunately, that was also the last time I saw the Golden Gate Park Shuttle Bus.

Running Out of Day

If you know me or visit the blog frequently, you know Mr. Bill and I have completely different body clocks. I fought it for years, but I’ve learned life is a whole lot easier if I cooperate with Mr. Bill’s clock. So even though I woke up raring to get out and start sight-seeing, Mr. Bill wasn’t quite as eager.

He slept later, enjoyed playing with his grand-nephew and eventually started wondering what we were going to do for our morning meal. We weren’t exactly the first people to enter the de Young. I’m not really complaining, because we’d been having a lovely time, but there was a whole lot of Golden Gate Park to see and not much time.

Where’s the Bus?

My trusty Golden Gate Park brochure informed me, “On Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays…take the free park-wide shuttle which services all major Golden Gate Park destinations…The free shuttle operates 9 am – 6pm every 15-20 minutes.” I’d seen one shuttle go by, so I thought that by the time Bill and I finished our meal and were ready to see the park, another shuttle would be by. I figured it would be the best way to see the most of the park in the least amount of time.

See the park is 1017 acres, so the idea of walking the whole thing is overly enthusiastic, especially late in the afternoon – and remember, I already thought it was a little chilly. So we stood next to the shuttle sign and waited and waited and waited. We waited well over twenty minutes and if you add that to the time we’d spent in the cafe after seeing the shuttle, then you know that something was going on. This wasn’t just a free shuttle running a few minutes late.

At first I wasn’t too worried. I just perused my map and guide, familiarizing myself with what we would see. Eventually, I realized we weren’t going to see anything if we didn’t start hoofing it. In a panic, I read every sign in sight and realized we were quite close to one of the attractions I was most interested in, The Japanese Tea Garden.

I think Bill would have been just as happy calling it a day, but he is a good husband, so he trailed behind me as I marched towards the Japanese Tea Garden. I had some sightseeing to do. Come back next week and I’ll tell you about it.

ART, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The de Young Museum at Golden Gate Park

August 25, 2014September 28, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: ON THE MUST-SEE LIST

This trip to San Francisco was my second, so I’d already knocked out these San Francisco points of interest:

Jane’s Must-See Attractions in San Francisco

49 Mile Scenic Drive
Lombard Street
Fort Point Historic Site
Golden Gate Bridge – up close and from a high rise building in the Financial District
Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39 and Embarcadero
Telegraph Hill‘s Filbert Steps and Coit Tower
Cliff House and Seal Rocks
Dinner at McCormick & Kuleto’s at Ghiradelli Square and dessert at Ghiradelli.
The Palace of the Legion of Honor and Lincoln Park
Presidio and The Palace of Fine Arts
China Town

Golden Gate Park

I’m convinced I saw the very best of San Francisco on my first trip, but that didn’t make me any happier about missing Golden Gate Park. We actually got into the park, but it was the end of the day and both the driver and the navigator were exhausted. So the park was a must-see for this trip.

At the top of my list in the park was the de Young Museum of Fine Art, so that’s what I plugged into the GPS. Last time we’d been to the park we didn’t have our electronic buddy, which explains why we were so disgusted and disgruntled. This time we did have it, but we ran into another problem. The GPS was telling us to turn into the park at one location and there were all kinds of signs telling us we couldn’t. Finally we found a sign directing us to enter for de Young parking. Victory!

deyoung brochure07242014 — Instead of folding it up and putting it in my pocket, I should have studied the map. Following my nose wasn’t a good idea.

The De Young

I confess, I don’t do spontaneous well. By the time I visit a museum, I’ve usually studied the map ad nauseum and know exactly where in the museum I want to go. Having not had the opportunity to do that, we walked into the de Young and followed our nose. Unfortunately, at the beginning, our nose didn’t lead us to much stuff we really wanted to see. Maybe that’s the reason so many people claim they don’t like museums – they’ve been following their noses around!

Different strokes for different folks, but we all know what we like. Bill and I are less fond of modern and tribal art than we are traditional figurative art. Bill told me to just put up the map and enjoy myself, but that wasn’t very good advice. We saw every piece of modern and tribal art in the museum, before we found our good stuff.

Now once we found our good stuff we were plenty happy and we took a long time perusing delightful pieces. Here’s a few samples:

Rainy Season in the Tropics by Frederic Edwn Church

Petunia by Georgia O’Keefe

California Spring by Albert Bierstadt

Not everything was paintings. There were some sculptures and decorative arts, but these were the postcards I picked up in the gift shop.

After our tour of the art, we went up in the Hamon Tower. The view was actually quite amazing. The light was not cooperating, so we didn’t get a good shot of the city vista – which would blow your socks off – but this picture gives you an idea of what you see directly below, when you’re up there.

Food Time

To my list of favorite places to eat in San Francisco I’d like to add the de Young Cafe. Its a nice crisp modern sort of place that sits next to the Sculpture Garden. Outside is patio seating and there were people sitting out there, but it was a little chilly for my Texas blood. While we ate, we were serenaded by a big orchestra playing in the Temple of Music across the street. It doesn’t get much better.

Kudos delivered, I’d like to have a do over. This is one of those cafes where you really should have some sort of idea of what you’re doing before you actually get to the selection part. They have a card menu to order from, they have pre-made snacks and sandwiches available to browsse and then they’ve got a sort of coffee bar, but that has a blackboard menu that you might miss before you get around to ordering. So, if you ever go, check out ALL the options before you make a selection.

One Last Thing

Everybody but me probably already knew this, but if you’re also out of the loop, San Francisco actually has TWO Museums of Fine Art. The Palace of Legion of Honor and the de Young. The Palace is out by Lincoln Park and may be one of the most impressive buildings I’ve ever seen. I know the view from the portico is certainly one of the best. The grounds were covered with brides having their pictures made with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.

If I only had time to see one of the museums, I would choose The Palace, for two reasons. One being the spectacular nature of the venue. The other being that the art is more classical. Also, now that I’ve seen them both, I think I’d be quicker to return to the Palace. I wish I’d had time for the special exhibition of Impressionist portraits they had while I was there. However, you should take time to see both at least once and then choose your favorite based on your own taste.

After our meal we headed out to explore the rest of the park. Join me next week to check it out.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Winchester Mystery House

August 6, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: IT’S A MYSTERY ALRIGHT

Next stop on our California adventure: The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

The Real Mystery

Several years ago, I asked my mother which San Jose attraction was better, the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum or the Winchester Mystery House, because she’d been to both. She didn’t stutter or stall – she was all about the Egyptian Museum. So, on that trip I went to the museum and promised myself I’d see the Winchester House another day.

Well, on this trip to California I carved out some time for the Winchester Mystery House and learned the real mystery is why it’s become so popular. Remember last week when I told you Lotusland was worth every penny of the $45 tour price – and more. Well, the Winchester House, in my opinion, is not worth anywhere near the $33 per person they’ll hit you up for – and that’s just the basic tour. Some people pay more for extended and special tours. Ten dollars? Maybe. Anymore than that? Rip off!

Don’t Judge This Book By It’s Cover

An exterior shot of this rambling edifice leads one to believe visitors will tour a beautiful Victorian mansion. Well, the exterior is very pretty and I do recommend that you at least drive by it on South Winchester Boulevard, but what you can see from the street is really all you need to see. The interior of the house is pretty scary – and I’m not talking about the spirits some people claim they encounter.

We found the house, parked the car and went to the entry booth. We actually discussed getting the more expensive ticket which included a behind the scenes tour, but we were supposed to be in San Francisco by six thirty. We were afraid we wouldn’t have time for more than the basic tour – thank goodness. That’s when things started to get weird.

Right This Way for your Cruise Photo

I’m used to lining up to go on a house tour. At the Winchester House, the tickets are timed. A sign tells you where to wait for the next tour and there’s a velvet rope hanging between stanchions.

However, I am not used to lining up for cruise-type photos at historic homes. (They do the same sort of thing at Hearst Castle, but that’s Hearst Castle.) At the Winchester they put you in front of a green screen and hand you a fake rifle. We were not enchanted. Bill resents having his picture taken on cruises, so this really set him off. “I made an ugly face,” he told me.

Welcome to….the Stables?

After all the people on our tour had their obligatory rifle picture taken, we were allowed in the house. We were herded into a sort of holding pen and given a very canned speech by an eager young guide. In his defense, he was fairly new to his job as a guide, but it came off like, “I am thoroughly bored with this speech, and hahaha you’re stuck listening to it.” It did not improve as the tour continued.

From the holding pen we went to the stables, but it was a little confusing, because it was also a sort of warehouse. I thought to myself, “This isn’t a very engaging place to start.” I didn’t realize then that it wasn’t going to get much better. From the stable we used a very bizarre staircase to get to another floor. I hoped better things were coming.

Most of the House is More of the Same

With very few exceptions, things didn’t get any better. The floors were linoleum. The walls were, for the most part wood, though there were some that were wallpapered. Any room looked pretty much like all the rest of the rooms. They had millions of visitors to the house and it looks like it. It also doesn’t look like they’ve done anything to preserve what people may have come to see.

Part of the problem is that most of the rooms are unfurnished. When the builder/owner died, everything was taken out of the house and sold for cash, per the little old lady’s will. There are a few rooms that have items in them, but the furnishings matched everything else about the house – sad and worn out.

I think one of the reasons the house is so empty and so unfurnished is that they want to impress upon visitors just how nuts Mrs. Winchester was. The story of the house is that she bought it and kept building on to it. Another part of the story is that she was trapped in part of the house after an earthquake and after escaping closed down that part of the house, damaged as it was, and kept on building.

Okay, so I get the part about the lady being nuts and I realize her original belongings were sold, but if you’re going to charge me $33 dollars, I want to see more than an empty house in disrepair.

On to San Fran

On any other tour, we might have tried to sneak away and go on with our business, but in this dreadful rabbit warren of a place, who knows where you might have ended up. We endured the rest of the tour and were relieved when we escaped.

The story of the Winchester Mystery House is well worth your investigation. The owner was the widow of the man who invented the Winchester rifle. Her idiosyncrasies are fascinating. The Winchester Mystery House as it stands today, is not.

Our trip to California gets better though! come back next week.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Santa Barbara’s LotusLand

July 30, 2014September 3, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: LOTUSLAND, BEYOND BEAUTIFUL!

First atraction, first day: Santa Barbara’s Lotusland! Talk about a great way to start a vacation – this was it!

Hanging in SB

So, if our adventure started in Santa Barbara, why did we fly to LAX and stay in Carpenteria? Well, this was a road trip which would end in LA, so it was cheaper to fly into and out of LAX, not to mention avoiding a one-way rental car charge. And Carpenteria is only ten miles away from Santa Barbara and about a hundred dollars cheaper than any accommodations I could book in the more famous city.

The Beach

We left Carpenteria early enough to spend some time in Santa Barbara, because it’s one of our favorite cities. The list of things we would have loved to do would be quite long, but all we had time for was a leisurely visit to the beach. Next was lunch and we had fast food.

Finally, Lotusland!

Lotusland is one of those hidden travel gems people talk about, but it shouldn’t be such a secret. Their website says they’ve been having tours since 1993, so I don’t know why more people aren’t raving about it. I lived on the Central Coast of California for six years and in all that time I heard one person mention it in passing and they made it seem like a cactus farm.

Listen to me – you need to go to Lotusland. Beautiful, serene, amazing – these are the words that come to mind. Yes there are cactus gardens, but that’s only the beginning. There are twenty other gardens there, also. From a Japanese Garden to a Water Garden full of water lilies to a Topiary Garden – and the list goes on!

Here’s a map from our tour. At least, Trip Advisor lists it as the number two attraction in Santa Barbara,behind the famous Courthouse, but I’ve been to the Courthouse and it doesn’t light a candle to Lotusland. Santa Barbara Mission is pretty wonderful, but Trip Advisor rates that as number seven. What’s wrong with these people!

First you need to know Ganna Walska, the lady who planned and planted Lotusland, should have her own mini-series. A famous opera singer with five different husbands, ties to both the Polish and Russian royal families and over thirty acres of gardens in Santa Barbara – what’s not to love? Then there’s the gardens themselves. Breath-taking!

Next, you need to know that you can’t just show up at the address on the internet for a stroll through the garden. All tours are docent-led and there are two each day. To tour the garden you have to go online, make reservations and pay for the tour. Then you will get directions about where to show up for the tour. I have to confess that you might get a little sticker shock. The tours are $45/adult and $20/ child, but I am telling you it is completely worth the price of admission. Trust me on this.

We had quite a tour. About half-way through a sweet little old lady fell INTO a cactus plant, which sort of threw everything off – and certainly slowed us down on the next leg of our trip – but that’s for next week. Lotusland is one of those places that I could wear myself out talking about and still not capture the essence of it, so now I’m going to shut-up and show you some of our pictures. Just be sure and come back next week. There’s more fun to come.

The cactus mishap is just about to occur!

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Performing Arts, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Stranded in a Frozen Dickens

March 26, 2014September 28, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: STRANDED IN A FROZEN DICKENSFEST

Galveston‘s 2013 Dickens-on-The-Strand Suffered from Chilblains!

“You can’t always get what you want!” The Rolling Stones were spot on with that one – especially when it came to this vacation. The Polar Express gypped me out of my luminaries on the Riverwalk and then followed me to the beach.

My mom used to say things like, “If you had the sense God gave a goozle,” (and I’m not exactly sure what a goozle is) but I’m sure my husband was thinking the same sort of thing as we froze our assets off, strolling down the Strand.

Important, but Chilly Anniversary

I was expecting big things from this British-flavored festival with its side order of Victorian literature. This was the fortieth Dickens-on-the-Strand and for the first time, it was a three day festival, not just an overnight flash in the pan. What I didn’t expect was London! Actually London has been warmer the few times I’ve been there. This was more like the cold, wet, windy day I’d visited Coventry Cathedral and had nothing but a thin windbreaker between me and the chill. I think that’s the coldest I’d ever been up until that day in Galveston.

Bill really does deserve the Champion Husband of the World Award – at least in the travel department. Anyone with any sense would have headed back to Dallas after our frozen stay in San Antonio, but not me. I was going to Dickens on the Strand and I had friends to see. The friends were worth it. Dickens? Not so much. The festival may have been in full swing the day before, but on it’s inaugural first Sunday, it was a ghost story, and not in a cozy Christmas Carol way.

Still, we found a cheap place to park, walked several blocks to the entrance, paid our fee and landed virtually nowhere. A few braves souls strolled the streets in their Victorian finery, but we had to decide who was dumber for showing up – us or them. A few performers mounted stages and tried to entertain the lost souls wandering the Strand, but it was cold enough out there without stopping and standing in one place. The greatest hub of activity was an area for steam-punk enthusiasts, an important factor in the popularity of the festival, but try as I may, I have very little, beyond a passing interest, in steampunk – and Bill had less than that.

When All Else Fails, Eat

We might have had an interest in chestnuts roasting on an open fire, but most of the heat seemed to be at Yaga’s Cafe. The crowded interior didn’t seem to suffer from it’s lack of an identifiable theme in the decoration or menu. The service was friendly, if not adequate, and the food adequate, if not tasty.

Lunch behind us, we explored the island by car for awhile and decided we’d certainly return, but next time, we’d rent a beachside cottage and the weather would be warmer. For dinner we drove back towards Houston to meet some Pearland friends, Jimmy and Melanie, at Pappas Seafood House. Now that was good seafood and good company. We are fortunate in our friends, even if we don’t always make the best decisions about when to visit the beach.

So, should you go to Dickens on the Strand? I might go back someday, but I’d check the weather, go on Saturday and stay somewhere besides the Beachfront Palms. Come back next week and we’ll start thinking about a new trip!

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