We got out of the theater at about 11:00 p.m. and Mom’s knees were about to give way. There were crowds from several other shows already on the street trying to hail a cab. We saw the bike rickshaw and it seemed like a no-brainer.
I was excited because I love bicycle transportation of all shapes and sizes.
Mom and I climbed in and waved goodbye to cousin Carrie who was headed in the opposite direction and taking the subway.
Our pedaler had a few false starts to find a way through the jam of cars in the parking lots and street and soon we were racing through the streets of New York from the theater district west 47th Street to Chelsea on west 28th Street.
It was thrilling. New York City looked beautiful.
Our driver was originally from the Ukraine and very fit. He was charging by the minute and he did not dawdle. He took every advantage to keep moving.
It was $120 for 20 minutes. This makes it as expensive per minute as the helicopter ride we took in New Zealand, and almost as exhilarating.
Here is Mom’s impression:
A bus on one side and a cab on the other. Then were careened in front of the cab and my adrenaline was on high!! 20 min of heart stopping zigging and jagging in traffic was all this old heart could stand but I’m so glad for the experience ONCE.
My mom turned 80 in August and to celebrate we planned a long weekend in New York City to enjoy as much theater as possible. We arrived very early the morning of September 11. The television was dominated by coverage of the reading of the names of the victims in New York City on that fateful day. It made for a somber start. The National September 11 Museum was having a grand opening, but we decided to visit on a less crowded day and instead hopped in a cab to visit the Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side.
My friends Harriet and Brian raved about the Tenement Museum and on their recommendation we purchased tickets to the “Hard Times” one hour tour. We arrived a few minutes late, so one of the docents escorted us to 97 Orchard Street. Laura, our tour guide and storyteller, was still explaining the history of the building when we joined.
The museum has carefully preserved the building and its apartments. They have reconstructed families’ stories to share with visitors. In this particular tour Laura told us about a German Jewish family who lived in the building during the recession of 1873 and then an Italian family who lived in the front apartment during the Great Depression. We learned about the various waves of immigration arriving on New York City’s shores and the laws that shaped opportunities. Immigrants are generally the most vulnerable in a economic downturn. And for these families there was no safety net from the government or from charity.
The small space and basic accommodation was a reminder of how much the dream of a better life in America sustains people. Afterward we talked to our tour guide Laura about her family experience coming to America from Cuba and mom shared how our ancestors immigrated to the Minnesota prairie and lived in sod houses. Immigration became something of a theme for this trip.
Mom’s impressions:
The first family we visited were Jewish. At that time they had only water and out houses in the courtyard. No heat except the kitchen stove. The apartments were three rooms: a kitchen, a living space and a bedroom.
The second family had about the same space but by then they had cold water in the kitchen and a john in the hall. They were Italian. By then the Jewish families were doing better an had moved uptown.
Feast of San Gennaro
Afterward we walked toward SoHo and stumbled upon the Feast of San Gennaro (September 10-20). It was a combination street fair and carnival with a distinctly Italian flare.
We walked on to Houston Avenue and caught a cab to the hotel. My mom has the spirit of a 40 year old and the knees of someone her age. I was going to realize later that there is only so much we can walk.
The Hard Times tour tickets were $25 each and available in advance from the website. Tickets may also be purchased at the corner museum shop at Orchard and Delancey in the Lower East Side.
I drove to San Francisco to meet up with friends from Auckland on a particularly spectacular day. The sky was a stunning blue and the sun was shining warm–almost hot. This kind of summer day is a rarity in the City (just ask Mark Twain). We agreed to meet at the Ferry Building Marketplace for lunch.
We looked at all of our options but on a busy weekend the lines were long at the oyster bar and other restaurants. We bought sandwiches at Cowgirl Creamery and found a picnic table near the bookstore and enjoyed our lunch.
We walked down the Embarcadero toward Pier 39. We passed the Exploratorium on the waterfront and Coit Tower on the hill. I said my goodbyes at the Celebrity cruise ship and my Kiwi friends kept going to shop at Pier 39. God willing, I will see them in January.
Coit Tower on the hill
As I drove back to Sacramento I sighed at the traffic that gets worse every year. It was great to be rewarded for my effort with great weather and great friends.
Plymouth is one of the many Gold Rush towns formed after John Marshall discovered gold in 1848.
It only took a month to find a date to spend the day in the country with my friend. We were celebrating her birthday and she is a busy Mom. So this day was all about a delicious lunch and shopping. First stop Plymouth for lunch at Taste.
Plymouth is in the heart of Amador wine country and there are a number of tasting rooms. Entrepreneurs are investing in a new Guest hotel, Rest. We found some great items at a newly opened wine-themed gift shop Accents by Twisted Cork.
This cool old building on the next block from Taste hosts the new gift shop Accents by Twisted Cork.
We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Taste. We shared two small plates and each ordered a large plate. With wine and tip it was a pricey $83.00. The mushroom cigars and deviled eggs were perfect with complimentary sauces. I loved my lamb meatballs with roasted potatoes. Cameon loved her gnocchi with beef and vegetables. We were too full for dessert.
We decided to drive on to Sutter Creek, which has been our destination on past road trips. It has been years since we have been to Sutter Creek and CalTrans has since completed the new Highway 49. After a little confusion we found it. We had a lot of fun walking both sides of main street popping into shops that piqued our interest. It was the perfect backdrop for a good catch up conversation.
Amador County is about 1 hour from downtown Sacramento and is like another world with old Western towns, lots of ranching and vineyards, and a variety of specialty stores. I do not think it will be as long until our next day out in Amador.
It is not glamorous looking; however, the Fairfax District is chock full of great shops and restaurants.
Ahh, what a luxury: an entire Saturday to do as I please. One of the great things about the Elan Hotel is the neighborhood. Good thing since Los Angeles is still very car centric and my friend needed to car to visit her kids in Big Bear. First things first, I treated my television deprived self to several episodes of Fixer Upper on HGTV. Then I set off for a leisurely shop/walk through the Fairfax District.
It is still very hot and sticky, so part of me made up an itinerary of walking to the Farmers Market for lunch and then recovering in the air conditioned a movie theater and watch a film before walking back to the hotel. I set off later than expected and set off down Beverly Boulevard.
Tess at Tweak the Best Gift Store Ever
First stop was Tweak gift shop where the owner Tara and I had a great conversation. I loved the shop’s concept: a variety of great gifts with one display item and the rest already gaily wrapped and ready to give.
Starting with a West Elm store, the next couple of blocks were focused on furniture. I was looking forward to checking out my next big purchase at Thrive Furniture with my faithful salesman Joe. If my clients pay me I will be able to take advantage of the Labor Day sale. I love the mid-century modern designs in their showroom.
Shrimp Cobb Salad
I kept walking and when I hit a red light I turned right toward 3rd Street. As I reached 3rd I saw Blue Plate Oysterette and remembered Steve and Jodi telling us how much they enjoyed it. I am not a big fish or oyster eater, but by this time I was very thirsty and ready for a break. I looked at the menu and started fixating on the shrimp cobb salad. It was superb, as was the service and the ice tea. And as a special treat, the women’s bathroom has the best wallpaper ever!
Adorable women’s restroom in Blue Plate Oysterette
I put my feet up on my barstool and got out my new Brene Brown book, Rising Strong and settled in for a good while. Brene mentioned an intriguing book, Creativity, Inc by Ed Catmull. I googled bookstores in my area. Up popped the Traveller’s Bookcase which I fully intended to browse. It also mentioned a fancy bookstore with art collector;s books, and then Three Geese in Flight just around the corner from the travel bookstore and quite close to my hotel.
I set off towards the Traveler’s Bookcase and marveled at Los Angeles where people are super body conscious and yet support a donut shop with valet parking and two juice stores on one block. There were at least 4 bakeries within a few blocks including the yummy Cookie Casa Bakery on Beverly Boulevard.
I brake for yarn, so I had to stop at the delicious Knit Culture (more in another blog). At last I reached the travel bookstore. I had a delightful time browsing the shelves and a difficult time choosing what to buy. As I checked out I asked the lovely store clerk Victoria what she knew about Three Geese in Flight as Google did not have any additional information. She heartily encouraged me to contact Sam, the owner of Three Geese in Flight. She said he only opens up by appointment because his shop is in his living room, but that he totally legitimate. She showed me some of his artifacts and books that they carry in the store.
Sam is passionate about history!
I reached out to Sam via email and he called me a short while later. It worked best for both of our schedules to meet just after 5 p.m. It was only a half block from my hotel. I spent over two delightful hours discussing books and shopping for my brother who is a professor of American history and archaeology with a personal passion for Native American studies. There was so much to choose from and Sam worked with my budget. It might seem a bit eccentric to go to his home to shop but makes sense when you think about the book world today. Most of his sales are via the Internet, so why deal with the overhead of a brick and mortar store?
If you are a bookphile, and especially if you are interested in non-Barnes and Noble selections, then check out his website for Sam’s in-stock list or arrange to stop and shop if you are in Los Angeles.
I rushed back to the hotel to meet my friends for dinner at The Gulp Pub and Restaurant on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles. They serve delicious burgers, bratwurst and beer. Casual dining was the perfect accompaniment to catching up with more Panthers tribe mates.
The new cafe at Huntington Gardens has great outdoor seating.
We were meeting a friend at the new cafe in the Huntington Library and gardens in Pasadena. Jen is a member so we got to be guests. Sweet. I was here 2 years ago with UK Sarah and I was not expecting such a transformation. There is an amazing new visitor complex with a series of outdoor rooms that are a great showcase of what you can do in a dry climate without sacrificing grace and beauty.
The cafe reminded us of the Google cafes–even the dish collection system. I chose the teriyaki chicken stir fry. Connie and Jen chose the salads with pizza. It was 96 degrees outside so we ate in the cafe. We still had great views.
Jen had to go prep for a dinner party so we strolled through the gardens to the Library. I have always prioritized the gardens and so this was the first time I enjoyed the rare book collection, including the Magna Carta. It also helped that it is beautifully air conditioned!
We also checked out the house with the Huntington’s art collection. As always it skews toward romantic French furnishings. I love the collection of Gainsborough portraits. Again, hooray for air conditioning.
We continued our stroll through gardens and we found some shady paths back to the gift shop. I am a connoisseur of museum gift shops and this one ranks up there with the NY Botanical Gardens or Buckingham Palace. That is, two thumbs up.
Another plus, they do not charge for parking and they have a small cafe right by the exit so we could grab some mini scones and cold water on our way out.
Other notes on our stay in Los Angeles
My friend Connie and I are in Los Angeles to celebrate Christie’s milestone: completing a masters degree! We flew into Burbank airport from SFO and SMF. It is one of the I have not been to Burbank airport in a while and I was delighted to see they replaced the stairs with a ramp. So while you still exit the plane outside it is a lot easier to handle my carry-ons.
Gusto steak tastes amazing.
We are staying at the hip and chic Elan Hotel in the Fairfax district near the Beverly Center. Our friend Jen recommended the restaurant Gusto. The Italian food was the best I have eaten in a very long time. The steak was amazing. Oh, did I mention that it was not steak we ordered. Our next-table-neighbors shared their food and we shared ours so we got more tastes! The 16 oz steak special was intimidating so Connie and I went for the Mary’s chicken and cappeccelli. We were completely full but I never say no to pie. The coconut gelato pie on a bed of chocolate sauce was perfect.
Pie so good we tasted it before the photo!
We went with our new friends Steve and Jodi to find a nightcap. We checked out several places on 3rd Street. Several places were serving dinner in their bars. We even crashed a grand opening party at Matiere, a hip men’s clothing store. Jodi talked her way into gift bags for all, but we moved on to Goldies and finally found space at the bar. Our adorable bartender from Melbourne made tasty cocktails. Connie said her martini was excellent.
Time to go back to The Elan and our quiet room for some good sleep.
I am writing a guide for riding your first RAGBRAI so I am doing more research. I found a terrific movie, A Million Spokes, that follows a half dozen riders and tells their stories over the 7 day course, plus short profiles of lots of other participants–riders and townspeople. I was teary-eyed over and over again. Please watch it and tell me if you teared up too and if you have ridden RAGBRAI. I also laughed, winced and grimaced. I plan to use this video to recruit/educate potential team members for next year, so I would love to hear your thoughts. Note: I only found the DVD at Amazon–not available on Netflix, iTunes or Google Play.
I read Rumble Yell over the weekend. It is a memoir of Brian David Bruns first and only RAGBRAI ride. He is a travel writer by trade and does a fine job of telling his story. It is a quick read and gives you a taste of what your experience might be from the perspective of a small team that used an RV for their support vehicle. He emphasizes the characters you will meet on RAGBRAI and how a team may bond over the seven days.
Dumbest book title goes to RAGBRAI: Everyone Pronounces it Wrong. The author John Karras co-founded RAGBRAI and this is a history of how RAGBRAI became the biggest, longest, oldest bike ride in America (when you factor in all three). By the way, it is pronounced Rag-Bri (long i), not Rag-bray. Think “i” for Iowa.
Greg Borzo authored RAGBRAI America’s Favorite Bicycle Ride. This book features lots and lots of photographs. It is the most Insight-like guide–more essence of the ride than practical guide.
RAGBRAI is also featured in Ian Dille’s The Cyclist’s Bucket List. It is one of 33 rides listed in the United States. It gets a whopping three pages of prose and no photos. Most of the other rides are longer on photos and shorter on prose. Just a taster though, no real information on how to participate.
The good news is my RAGBRAI Virgin book idea is going to fill a niche currently not fulfilled in the marketplace. Now I just have to write it.
I have visited the Google headquarters in Mountain View several times because I know some Googlers. At last, you can visit Google without a Googler guide. They have opened a new visitor center in the Googleplex at 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View so everyone can visit. Google has also opened a cool park across the street that is closed to the public during the week (Googlers only) and open to the public on the weekends. There is also a gift shop with everything branded Google.
Google provides alternative transportation: bikes for around the Google campus and buses for the employee commute.
You may be wondering why anyone would want to visit Google Headquarters. It is fascinating and could be a model for the corporate workplace of the future. While it is not a destination in itself, it makes a fun stop for a day in Palo Alto or San Jose.
Garden furniture provides an alternative meeting or workspace next to the raised garden beds.
My Googler friend met us at Building 43 to sign in and get our name badges. On our way from our street parking we passed the brightly colored Google bikes. These are provided to employees so they can grab a bike and go to other buildings on campus.
Google auditorium in Charlie’s Cafe is home to all employee meetings although with over 50,000 employees most people participate remotely.
We were able to see the main campus gym, swimming pool, volleyball courts, and laundry facilities. The aim is to make it easy for employees to maintain balance in their life and hence increase their productivity. There is also a lot of free food and beverages available–either from small kitchens in each building or in the dozens of restaurants.
Cafe named for first “Google dog”.
Dogs are also welcome at work 2 days a week. They even get their own id tags!
Need to “hangout” on Google without taking up an entire conference room? Step into this modern phone booth.
The campus atmosphere is casual and collaborative. Of course it is wired for technology, but the most thought has been put into providing a variety of spaces for people to connect. Check it out.
Love the garden on the roof. Drip irrigation is drought friendly and the living roof should aid energy conservation.
UK Sarah sent me a Facebook post about Amy’s Drive Thru. I was delighted to learn this new vegetarian fast-food restaurant was located in Rohnert Park because I could combine it with a visit to my Auntie J.
Auntie knew exactly where it was located–conveniently off 101 near the new casino :(, Costco :), and an In-N-Out (what is symbol for irony?). We pulled in at about 1:00 p.m. and the tables were full, there was a healthy drive-thru line of cars and the parking lot was full. For the next 1.5 hours there was a steady line of customers and cars. It has only been open a few weeks but the popularity appears to be growing. The restaurant itself has a garden on the roof and beautiful landscaping.
We took a few minutes to decide between the Amy veggie burger, the various macaroni and cheese options, burritos, pizza and brown rice bowl. There are non-dairy shakes and no-brand soft drinks. Auntie ordered the Amy veggie burger. I ordered the Broccoli Cheddar Mac. We split french fries with organic ketchup. We both had ice tea and added water to this very steep brew.
The packaging is very earth-friendly without falling apart. We had choices to recycle most of the cartons and utensils. But then there was only landfill left. We thought there would be a compost option. Still a marked step up from any fast food establishments in NorCal. It is also priced as cheap eats but not as inexpensive as McDonalds or Taco Bell; however, very affordable for the quality of food.
We sat at an outside picnic table and enjoyed talking to the other guests, including Nancy who is a big fan of Amy’s Drive Thru. This was her fourth visit and she returned to satisfy her craving for the veggie burger on a gluten free bun.
I found the Broccoli Cheddar Mac very rich and satisfying. The portion was normal size but small by fast food standards. The french fries were tasty and not at all greasy. Auntie is normally a dainty eater but she chowed down on her Amy’s burger. We would definitely go back and wish them success in this endeavor and in changing our expectations of fast food restaurants everywhere!
The Cantor Art Museum at Stanford University is worth an hour or two if you visit campus in Palo Alto, California. In the midst of much construction you can find hourly parking nearby and visit the permanent collection and the special exhibits for free.
It is worth a stop just to see the paintings and information about the Stanford family history. Check out the borderline creepy painting of Leland Stanford Jr.’s birthday party.
There a large number of special exhibits. We saw the exhibit, 500 Years of Italian Master Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum. I was hoping to see the special exhibit of sculptor Robert Arneson but it opened shortly after our visit.
The Cantor has a wonderful collection of Rodin’s sculpture including an outdoor garden.
You can visit 6 days a week (closed Tuesdays). The museum opens at 11:00 each day and closes at 5, except Thursdays when it is open until 8 p.m.
We got out of the theater at about 11:00 p.m. and Mom’s knees were about to give way. There were crowds from several other shows already on the street trying to hail a cab. We saw the bike rickshaw and it seemed like a no-brainer.
Our pedaler had a few false starts to find a way through the jam of cars in the parking lots and street and soon we were racing through the streets of New York from the theater district west 47th Street to Chelsea on west 28th Street.
americanjulie.com 