Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - Union Station

“Short and sweet” is how we described our trip to DC. We had 2 full days and 2 evenings to capture the highlights of DC – from the museums to the new places to eat and a new neighborhood to explore – Mt. Vernon Square.

Our mode of transport to and from DC was the Greyhound Bus. I preferred to ride the bus than drive for 2 reasons – the weather and the price. It was a good deal for the price was reasonable and the bus ride was comfortable. More importantly, we got to our destination on time safely.

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Edward Hopper at the National Gallery of Art

We were blessed with beautiful weather while we were in DC. On dad’s birthday, the 28th, we went to the National Gallery of Art – East Building to see Edward Hopper’s mostly oil paintings from 1930’s – 1960’s. It was so amazing to see iconic works of art right before you. He painted urban scenes, specifically of New York City. In fact, his studio was in 3 Washington Square and it still stands to this day. Many of the visitors at the exhibit were not from New York City and only Mark and I found an affinity for the scenes that he depicted in his oil paintings. His paintings were often brooding and somewhat lonely and yet the colors he used were vibrant. He mastered the contrast between shadow and light which provided his paintings with that layer of introspection.

I strongly suggest that you go to the http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/hopperinfo.shtm and watch a film clip of the exhibit Mark and I saw. It's like being in the museum!

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - JMW Turner at the National Gallery of Art

On the West building, we saw a completely different painting created in the early 1800’s. JMW Turner was a Royal Artist from the UK and his watercolor paintings were large, historic with a touch of fictional exaggeration but overall highlighted the British Naval power and infused most of the paintings with the power of religion. These almost 200 year-old paintings looked fresh as if they were painted yesterday. His paintings of battles at sea were more dramatic than his landscapes but both had the same gravitas in terms of history and religion. The paintings took pains to tell you a story.

To download a PDF of the Exhibition Brochure, please go to: http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2007/turner/turner_brochure.pdf

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Air & Space Museum

Our third museum was the disappointing Air & Space Museum. Since our visit to this Museum in 1998, nothing substantial has changed except for a most recent exhibit that chronicled the history of commercial flights. It was a previous exhibit but this time they wanted to make it more appealing by adding sections of what stewardesses wore from the 20’s, 30’s till now and also what the passengers wore during those times too. Truly, in the 70’s, things went downhill as travel became more and more available to everyone. It was no longer a big deal to “dress up” and travel. It’s just one big commuter bus on air, much like the Greyhound. Their high-tech exhibits are not as high-tech compared to what the average child carries with him – a Wii, an iPod or a DVD player. It was really behind the curve, considering that this museums goal was to inspire the future – young children – to explore science and outer space.

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Interior Details of the American Art Museum

I was not willing to be let down by a lousy museum on my last day in DC. So, we tried a museum that clearly was “out of the way” – the Smithsonian American Art Museum. This is a new extension of the Smithsonian and clearly when you enter the building – what was once the US Patent Office – you will see corridors and open floors with modular High Density Movable Shelving on wheels. Like a filing room of a law firm. The filing cabinets are all upright, from ceiling to floor. But this one had paintings and various artwork stored in cabinets.

I was fascinated by the cupola, tilework, floor pattern and painstaking restoration they made to the interior of this building. It was just beautiful.

Travel Journal 07: Washington DC - Collection of the American Art Museum

The museum had a hodge-podge of a collection. It was not a solid collection of art or artwork. It was really more of a repository of artwork to me. It was actually confused between depicting history using art and / or art using history. This resulted in several disjointed exhibitions: from portraits of famous Americans from presidents to sports heroes to modern day “pop” icons; a landscape artist, Asher Durand (similar to JMW Turner but the Yankee version); an eclectic mix of Modern Art and WPA (Work Progress Administration) artists who were paid for their art. [The WPA projects represented a sequence of programs and promises initiated between 1933 and 1938 with the goal of giving reform to the people and economy of the US during the Great Depression], and the weirdest thing of them all, a collection of World War I Posters selling mostly bonds to finance World War I. It just didn’t have a theme. It was a huge building with so many rooms that they had to fill it with many exhibits of various types. Sadly, it looked to me like a flea market. You can see for yourself by going to their website at http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibitions.cfml

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - American Art Museum

But it was not a let-down. I felt that given the 1 ½ hours I have to roam around, there was a lot to see and appreciate. But digesting what you see required you to sit back and relax in their comfortable chaises from time to time. It’s like having too much dark chocolate. You can only have it one at a time and not all the time. I also liked the fact that the tired (and confused) viewers were treated to a wonderful indoor courtyard filed with ficus trees, low lighting and “pools” of water, which are only a quarter inch deep. It gave you a chance to rest and reflect on what you experienced.

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - La Tasca

Evenings were dedicated to gastronomic adventures. Our first dinner was at a Spanish restaurant La Tasca. We had paella valenciana which we hardly have, and tapas. It was a treat!

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - Acadiana

On Dad’s birthday, we went to Acadiana which highlights a contemporary interpretation of New Orleans cuisine. It did not disappoint. The food was presented very well, the spice just enough for you to appreciate but not overwhelm the palette and the service impeccable.

Here's to Daddy!

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - 12/29/07

On our last day we used the day-pass to a local health club for a sauna and steam bath. Mark tried those deep Japanese soaking tubs while I played in the shower with those pump dispensers that dispensed what smelled like fruit jellies but were actually soap, shampoo and conditioner. I wanted to spread them over my buttered toast.

Travel Journal 07: Washington, DC - 12/29/07

Our last pictures were taken at a landmark historic Victorian hotel, the Morrison Clark Hotel.

I think I celebrated Daddy’s birthday with panache and hope to do the same again next year!

TGIF in 811 - Mark the King of Epicurean Bargains

Mark is the king of epicurean bargains. Above are his spice collection from Carrefour in Dubai. We consolidated the spice collection in beautiful old glass jars for only $10 from the thrift shop. On the Friday before Christmas, he bought about 2 pounds of ham plus the bone for soups and stews for only $10 at Zabar's! We had so much ham for the holidays at a bargain price and we had a good soup base thanks to the ham bone!

TGIF in 811 - Channeling Martha Stewart

I love the kitchen that Mark designed for 811. It's a small kitchen but it has lots of counter space to lay things out and cook! You can see me whisk up a dressing for the Waldorf salad while behind me is the slow cooker (my favorite kitchen equipment) slow cooking my signature pot roast. Cooking both this main dish and appetizer are easy, ingredients are readily available and recipe always on-hand if you email me!

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel!

This is a local Nativity Scene - Arles version taken from our trip to "Vincent Van Gogh land" (Arles, south of France) in January 2007. Take note of the local Arlesian woman (with the three kings), some school boys and milk maids in the horizon. Come one, come all!

2007: My Calgary Travel Journal

Calgary Reunion: 11/22/07 - Thanksgiving Day

The main purpose of our trip was to get away from the Thanksgiving crowd and celebrate the event with family. So we jetted ourselves to Calgary via Denver to spend time with family – to celebrate Thanksgiving and the begin the holiday festivities with Butch in Calgary.

Mark and I left for Calgary on a beautiful quiet Thanksgiving morning. Our trip began 3 blocks for our apartment beginning with a bus ride to La Guardia Airport. From there, it was a plane ride to Calgary via Denver. This was one of our shortest overseas trip – 5 hours minimum, the second being our trips to Geneva. Below is the flag of the Alberta province.

While the flight was totally uneventful, what got us a little worried was the public transport in Calgary. We decided that we would do on our typical travels, take public transportation to the airport and back. But because we were not familiar with the Canadian transportation system and the web did not provide us comprehensive details, we took a chance taking a bus (#57 Airport / Erin Woods at Stop 20) to the main train station (Whitehorn) and a train to the City Centre (1 SW or Olympic Plaza stop). It was a breeze.

By 6:30 pm we immediately phoned Butch for a get-together in an hour. We planned to meet up at the hotel room (Butch was coming from Edmonton via the Greyhound) and have dinner at the upscale Thomson’s Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency in Calgary where we were staying for four days.

Calgary Reunion: 11/22/07 - Setting up "base camp" at the Hyatt

Our hotel room offered us a view of the southwest area of Calgary. We saw the mountains on the horizon and just like Dubai, there was a lot of construction all around. But not as tall, loud or disorganized. There seems to be a quiet calm around the city. And it was not a hectic pace at all. Quite relaxed considering we were on vacation.

Calgary Reunion: 11/22/07 - Thanksgiving Dinner

Thomson’s restaurant, one of the "Top 10 Places to Dine" in Calgary, occupies the 1893 Thomas Brothers Block, where the well-spaced tables are surrounded by a historic setting of brick columns and stone arches coordinated with high-back leather chairs, rich wood wainscoting and ornate metal chandeliers.

The trio, Mark, Butch and myself, ordered Canadian regional cuisine. We all gave thanks and had a wonderful dinner. The brave men had their bison steaks (horns optional) and I ordered a petite and demure tenderloin steak. The Canucks know how to eat steak – they eat it large, and an average of about 1” inch thick and really hefty. My petite steak could serve 2 Medina sisters easily. But I noticed while the Canucks were generous with their meats, they were a little bit shy about their veggies. I’ll tell you about that on the following evening’s dinner.

After dinner, Mark went up to sleep while Butch and I walked around Stephen Avenue, up and down the avenue. Butch and I lost no time to bond and talked well into the midnight. He showed me the “hot spots” and interesting architecture, the sandstone and brick materials, the restoration involved to bring it back to its original state and overall, the history of Calgary while the “new” Calgary symbol – the Calgary Tower hovered a block from where we walked. We planned to climb the Tower during our visit. But first things first, we caught up with each other with many, many stories until 1 am. I walked him to Stephen Avenue and at the corner where he would head home. I hated to see him (the last time I saw him was four years ago) go but we agreed to meet for coffee at Second Cup, banking at CIBC and sight-seeing (everywhere!) tomorrow.

Calgary Reunion: 11/23/07 - Walking Tour of Calgary

After a quick coffee and muffin at Second Cup which became our meeting point outside of our Hyatt Regency base camp, we went to the bank and requested information on the gold Canadian maple leaf. At that time, the US currency was weak and gold was strong. Since that time and the publishing of this blog, gold has increased in price. Oh Canada!

We explored TD Square. TD Square is an urban shopping centre located along Stephen Avenue in the downtown core of Calgary, Alberta. It is connected to the Calgary Eaton Centre (West), Scotia Centre (East), and Bankers Hall (South) where went earlier to inquire about the gold maple leaf.

The TD Square is part of the busiest artery of the +15 skywalk system, which links most major office complexes, hotels, attractions and public buildings with climate controlled bridges.

What is a +15? To connect many of the downtown office buildings, the city also boasts the world's most extensive skyway network (elevated indoor pedestrian bridges), officially called the +15. The name derives from the fact that the bridges are usually 15 feet (4.6 m) above grade. (Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary%2C_Alberta)

Going back to the hotel, we walked along Stephen Avenue and saw the CalgaryTower and Sears Building.