Tag: Attraction Review

Architecture, ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, Travel Planning, United States

Le Pain Quotidien and the Venice Canals

Jane Sadek
Le Pain Quotidien, Los Angeles CA
Le Pain Quotidien

TRAVEL THERE:  LAST DAY IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

It was our last day in LA. The family had arrived in waves, and now Bill and I would be the first departing wave. There were only a few hours left. At 1:18 AM, my nephew texted me the location where we’d meet at 10 AM for brunch. At 4:13 AM he texted me to let me know it would actually be 11.  The nieces and nephews were keeping different hours than Auntie Jane.

Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien 

Before Steven married and moved up to San Francisco, he and Bassem were a pair of young studs enjoying the single life in LA.  I can imagine them landing at Le Pain Quotidien to break their fast after a wild night on the town or even for a quiet Sunday morning reading the LA Times.

However, with thirteen people ranging in age from toddler to retired teacher, perhaps we should have gone to IHOP.  The little ones couldn’t find anything they wanted to eat and for that matter, neither could I.  It was all very healthy, fresh and chic, but I’d been awake since 4:13 AM and I was seriously hungry.  Also, we were spread out over several tables in a corner of the cafe and I’m sure our chatter was disruptive to everyone else.

Next Stop

When brunch was over everyone turned to me for our next adventure.  I was honored that I hadn’t been disbarred from the family after the Huntington Garden fiasco, but maybe Bill’s telephoned assurance that there actually were amazing things behind the tall hedges saved face for me.  Problem was, I’d seen everything I’d put on my wish list except one and I was afraid the Venice Canals might not be appropriate for this huge crowd of people.

I confessed that my bag was empty except for the Canals, but suddenly I had a groundswell of support.  Steven and Shannon had courted nearby and Bassem thought the area was amazing.  Bill, too, was anxious to see the canals.  So we loaded up and headed out.

The Venice Canals

Saturday afternoon with a caravan of cars is not the optimal time to see the canals – still I’m awfully glad they were included at the last minute.

The Venice Canals, Venice Beach CA
The Venice Canals

You can’t see much from the car, so the entire caravan had to find places to park.  I think that privilege came with a price tag of twenty-something dollars per vehicle.  I thought that was outrageous, but everyone else took it in stride.

The Venice Canals is a neighborhood built on a series of man-made canals just a few blocks from Venice Beach.  The cute bungalows were affordable back in the day.  Now if you’ve got two or three extra mil laying around, you too can live there.

Except for the parking, it actually turned into a great outing for our large group.  In ever-changing groups of three or four folks, we strung out all along the canals with everyone strolling along at their own pace.

Venice Canals, Venice Beach CA
Auntie Jane at the Venice Canals

The canals were a real boon to me.  I don’t see my grandniece and grandnephew often enough for them to remember me.  So, I was about to leave, but they’d finally decided to let me into their special circle.  I pushed their stroller around the canals.  We made up a silly game to play as we went over the bridges.  We laughed, giggled and sang nonsense songs.  I’m sure the residents hated it, but I was in heaven.

Farewell to the Golden State.

Finally, we couldn’t put it off any longer.  There was a episode of fruit basket turnover as we re-arranged everyone to accommodate Bassem driving us to the airport. We were going to have to return the Maserati to him.  I would miss it.  My real car is a Nissan.

I’ll share a few more shots of the picturesque canals, but come back next week.  Who knows what I’ll have up my sleeve!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

Huntington Library and Gardens

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.

Huntington Library & Gardens, San Marino CA
Enjoying a break before heading out to the gardens

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

Huntington Library & Gardens, San Marino CA
On the paved road not quite seeing the 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

Jane Sadek
Getty Villa, Malibu CA
Malibu’s Getty Villa

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.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Montana de Oro

Jane Sadek
Panoramic Shot from Wikipedia.com
Panoramic Shot from Wikipedia.com

MONTANA DE ORO STATE PARK IN LOS OSOS, CALIFORNIA

Though few people actually know it exists, no trip to the Central Coast of California would be complete without a visit to Montana de Oro.

WHY HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF MONTANA DE ORO?

This is a question I ask a lot.  Sure, I love Moonstone Beach and it’s just around the corner from Hearst Castle, but Montana de Oro is only about an hour away.  So, why aren’t the tour buses going there?  In many ways, Montana de Oro is much more spectacular.  It doesn’t have the B&B’s or restaurants, but that’s part of what makes it so marvelous.

I think California is trying to hide it from the rest of the world.  Google Montana de Oro and check out the California State Parks Website.  You get a picture of a few people on horseback.  If I was trying to decide if the park was somewhere I wanted to visit, the page wouldn’t get me there.  With a little persistence I found a brochure on the site which made the place a little more desirable, but nothing they show or tell you says, “HELLO! THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOTS ON EARTH!”

So I’m telling you – THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOTS ON EARTH!

EXCUSE THE BORROWED PHOTOGRAPH

I have gorgeous pictures of Montana de Oro, but they are all pre-digital and they are all packed away.  Please go Wikipedia and enjoy the rest of what they have to say about this gorgeous stretch of the California Central Coast.  I’ll leave the history of the park to them and just tell you about my love affair with Montana de Oro.

HOW WE GOT THERE

The way in which we decided we wanted to live in San Luis Obispo County is a very long story that includes a visit to the Red Lobster at LBJ and Greenville Avenue in Dallas.  On our maiden trip to the Central Coast we somehow hooked up with a Morro Bay real estate agent who I can’t even find on the internet now.  They took us to see a couple of available houses out in Los Osos and then said we should see Montana de Oro.  They loved the park so much, they actually drove us out there themselves.

That trip to the Central Coast was actually just an exploratory visit, but once Bill saw Montana de Oro, the exploration was over.  We started looking, in earnest, for a lot to build on.  We found the lot and made the offer on our way out of town.  We set a moving date without even having a place to live.

Back in Dallas, with an accepted offer in hand, we needed a place to live while the house was being built.  It was a no-brainer.  Since we didn’t buy the lot in Cabrillo Estates, we decided we’d enjoy living there while the house was built.  We rented a house sight unseen.

I very vividly remember walking into that rental house.  We unlocked the front door and the view was so gorgeous my knees almost buckled.  I sat down on a step into the den in utter amazement.  You could see all the way from Montana de Oro to the Morro Rock.  My amazement continued for the next three years.  Yes, I said three years.  That’s how long it took us to build that house in Pismo Beach.

As astounding as my first sight of that view was, it was only the beginning.  Imagine the same view with about fifteen deer grazing in the backyard or with a family of quail strutting from one side of the yard to the other. I can sincerely say that living with that view is one of my favorite things about my life so far – even if it was in California.

DAILY VISITS?

We didn’t actually make daily visits to Montana de Oro while we lived in Los Osos, but we were there a lot.  We’d pass the entrance sign and roll down the windows to smell the eucalyptus trees.  Seems as if there was some good reason they’d transplanted the trees to the area, but I’ve forgotten it.  I just know they smelled great.

We’d drive directly to Spooner’s Cove for the picturesque view.  Then we’d walk around the Bluff Trail and let the awe roll in with the crashing waves.

Montana de Oro is pretty well known with Californians who hike and ride horses, but other than that, it’s truly a hidden gem.  I never hiked to the peak or rode a horse there, but it’s still one of my favorite places on earth and maybe I’m glad that no one really knows about it – that is except for you and me.

From Montana de Oro we drove into San Luis Obispo to have lunch with some friends at one of our favorite eateries.  Come back next week and I’ll tell you about The Upper Crust Trattoria.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Magical Moonstone Beach

Jane Sadek
Moonstone Beach, Cambria CA
The Sun Sets on a Highway One Road Trip

TRAVEL THERE: A VISIT TO MOONSTONE BEACH IN CAMBRIA, CALIFORNIA

While living on the Central Coast of California, Cambria was one of our favorite places to spend a Sunday afternoon.  It’s a cute little village with wonderful shopping and some good places to eat.  We thought the best part of Cambria was Moonstone Beach.

TOURISTS GALORE

We aren’t the only ones who like Moonstone Beach.  During a stroll on the boardwalk you can hear languages from around the world – and why not?  Cambria is right off Highway One, just about halfway between LA and San Francisco.  Hearst Castle is virtually around the corner.  And Moonstone Beach?  Gorgeous.

THE PHOTO DILEMMA

I wish I had a beautiful picture of Moonstone Beach to show you, but I messed up.  I didn’t take many pictures on my trip, because I knew I had plenty in my scrapbooks.  The problem is that since I took the trip I’ve sold my home and am living in a rental.  All my scrapbooks are packed away in boxes waiting for the house we’re building to be completed.  So you’ll just have to use your imagination.

Moonstone Beach Drive is a small two-lane street.  On one side of the street is a row of some of the cutest little bed-and-breakfast inns you’ve ever seen.  On the other side of the road is a rocky beach, protected by gnarled junipers.  Between the squatty trees and the rocky beach is the boardwalk.  Just off shore, seals bask in the sun atop outcrops of rock.  Nearby, otters cavort with one another and seabirds reel in the air.  The clean air is scented with salt, pine and just a hint of seaweed.  Along the beach you’ll find large pieces of driftwood smoothed by wind and water.  Yeah – I love it.

THE OTHER DILEMMA

As I planned this trip, I had visions of getting to our inn in the early afternoon.  I thought we might pick up a bottle of wine along the way and relax by the fire.  Then just before the sunset, we’d walk over to the beach and stroll along as the sun went down.  That’s not how it happened.

We were a little later than I expected getting away from San Francisco.  Then we took a little longer than I’d planned on in Monterey.  And who could blame us for lingering at Nepenthe and Ragged Edge.  As a result we blew into Cambria as the sun was going down.  I had to virtually drag a very reluctant husband across the street to capture the last few moments of the setting sun…but you know what – it was worth it.

Though he’d begrudgingly trudged across the street in the gathering darkness, we were in the right place to capture the last glimmer of the sun as it disappeared into the sea.  Even he had to admit that it was worth the effort.

Something else totally worth it was our accomodations.  Come back next week and I’ll tell you all about it.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

Beautiful Big Sur CA

Jane Sadek
Nepenthe, Big Sur CA
Sculpture at Nepenthe in Big Sur

BEAUTIFUL BIG SUR

You don’t need me to tell you that Big Sur is a beautiful place to visit.  There’s a reason it’s one of the top destinations in California.  However, I do need to tell you about a few of my favorite places along the way.

Nepenthe

Nepenthe is at the northern end of Big Sur, a little ways south of Carmel.  I have a hard time explaining this place to people. It’s mostly a restaurant, except that it’s not just a restaurant. The view is remarkable and the food is good, but it’s more than that.  When I pull off the road and into their parking lot I always feel like I’ve been granted entrance into another world. There are all sorts of legends attached to the place and at least one movie was filmed on site. You just have to go. That’s all that I can say.

Phoenix Gift shop, Nepenthe, Big Sur CA
From the Phoenix Gift shop

A part of the attraction, for me, is the Phoenix Gift Shop. It’s bigger than a mere gift shop or at least it seems that way and they don’t carry your average souvenirs. I’m sure you can buy t-shirts and ball caps with Big Sur splashed all over them, but that’s almost beside the point. They have handcrafted musical instruments, artisan jewelry, lots of books, unique wind chimes and the list goes on. Don’t neglect to go downstairs. That’s where they have the clothes.

I aspire to buy all my clothes at The Phoenix. Everything is handmade, unique, unusual and/or exotic, but none of it is weird. Does that make any sense? It’s the sort of thing that makes people want to ask where it came from, but not for the wrong reasons. It’s all out of my price range – not in the sense of couture pricing, but it costs more than it makes sense for me to spend, when I don’t have any room for anything else in my closet. It’s like if my house burned down, I’d go there with my insurance money to start all over, because most of what I’d buy doesn’t go with what I have.

However, I usually buy something.  This trip it was a t-shirt.  It had been marked down enough times for me to feel like I stole it.  Now that I’m home I love wearing my find.  People always comment on it and when I tell them where I bought it, they’re always jealous.

Ragged Point, Big Sur CA
The Cliff at Ragged Point from Highway One

Ragged Point

At the southern end of Big Sur is Ragged Point.  It’s sort of an inn/restaurant/gas station/snack shop/photo opportunity.  Call it what you will, I always stop.  I’m usually in need of a break and Ragged Point has an absolutely jaw-dropping view.

I have eaten at the restaurant, but I didn’t on this trip.  It’s been an uneven experience.  Great one time, horrid the next.  While we were there, someone said it had new ownership/management and was going through a sort of Renaissance, but don’t hold me to that.

There’s a nature trail that wanders down to the edge of a cliff – that’s where your jaw will become unhinged.  We sort of stroll down there and back. A nice little break.

San Simeon

Most people go to San Simeon to visit Hearst Castle and that’s a darned good reason to go, but I saw the sprawling estate frequently when I lived on the Central Coast, because everyone who came to town wanted to see it.  The tour takes a lot of time and the price of admission discourages casual visits.

Elephant Seals, San Simeon CA
Elephant Seals on the Beach at San Simeon

Just north of the Hearst Castle is a scenic overlook that looks over more than just sand and sea.  Elephant seals have chosen it as their home.  They aren’t very pretty and the smell is somewhat foul, but the sight of all the huge animals laying on the beach is pretty amazing.

The Day Draws to a Close

We woke up in San Francisco and at day’s end we were drawing close to Cambria, where we had reservations for the night.  Come back next week and I’ll tell you about one of my favorite places in the world:  Moonstone Beach.

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

The Japanese Tea Garden and More

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.

Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco CA
Looks magnificent in the picture, but up close it’s falling apart.

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, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The de Young Museum at Golden Gate Park

Jane Sadek

deyoung tickets07242014

 

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

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.

View from the Hamon Tower
View from the Hamon Tower

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.

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

Pinot Days in San Francisco CA

Jane Sadek
Pinot Days Brochure, San Francisco CA
Pinot Days Brochure

TRAVEL THERE: TASTING PINOT IN SAN FRAN

If you recall, this vacation went through a number of alterations before becoming a reality. In one of the original stages, a trip to Wine Country was penciled in, but by the time we went, Napa and Sonoma had been erased. Instead we enjoyed Pinot Days at City View At Metreon.

How We Got There

When you’re visiting your hip nephew in San Fran you do all kinds of cool things.  Take it from me, Uber is cool.  It’s like a taxi, but a lot more chic.

Since all I did was go along for the ride, I don’t claim to know all the details, but to quote Uber “request, ride, and pay via your mobile phone.”  That means you don’t call or hail a cab.  You request a ride at a certain time with the app and the car shows up.  If you wonder if you have time to go to the bathroom, the app tells you where the car is and how long before it will be to your pick-up point.  You don’t have to ride in a cab either.     A sleek black SUV picked us up and the driver was dressed very professionally.When we left the wine event my nephew punched a few buttons on the phone and by the time we got downstairs our car was waiting.

Uber’s website says they do have taxis, but that wasn’t our ride.  Nephew says it’s about the price of parking and since we were going to a wine tasting without a DD it was a lot cheaper than a DWI.  Dallas is an Uber city, but I haven’t Ubered here yet.  Let me know if you have.

Where It Was

Meteron is like nothing I know of in Dallas.  It’s like NorthPark‘s Food Court on steroids, but the anchor store is a Super Target and for kicks there’s an AMC Cinemark.  You got it?

Well, upstairs there’s something called City View which is a huge event space.  They do weddings, corporate events, whatever.  The “restaurant-centric mall with multiplex” is amid the Marscone Center and City View overlooks the Yerba Buena Gardens.  Yeah, it’s cool.

How It Was Pinot Days, Meteron, San Francisco CA

I’m just going to be straight with you.  This wasn’t the most fun I ever had tasting wine.  I used to live on the Central Coast and spent Sunday afternoons at Castoro Cellars Tasting Room, Edna Valley Vineyard and other local wineries.  My first date with Bill was to a function called Art and Wine at the Dallas Museum of Art.  We’ve been to Dallas Opera Wine Tastings. We have also been to other wine festivals, like the Paso Robles Wine Festival.  We know from wine tastings.

The Metreon was cool and I loved looking out over Yerba Buena Park and San Francisco’s Financial District.  However, I got a little tired of Pinot and there was a crowd.

I love wine, but I’m no wine connoisseur.  Were I a wine connisseur, I’m sure the opportunity to compare so many Pinots in one afternoon of tasting was euphoric.  However, there were so many people crowding around the tables that there was really no way to have a decent conversation with the winemakers and that’s one of the things I like best about a tasting.

There was also nowhere to sit.  There were community baskets of crackers and cheese to give your palate a break, but no where to give your sore dogs a break.  Am I glad I did it?  Yes!  Would I do it again?  Probably not.

But come back next week, because we’re going to Golden Gate Park.

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

The Winchester Mystery House

Jane Sadek

Winchester House07032014

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.