The Kowloon and Canton Railroad used to end at the Star Ferry. Salisbury Road ran east along the water and on Salisbury Road two hotels went up to serve the rail customer. The Peninsula or (The Pen) was, in its … Continue reading A Tale of Two Hotels
Gustave Eiffel had a major hand in the iconic landmarks in two world cities. He designed the support structure for the Statue of Liberty. He also designed a number of pre-fab iron buildings in Arica Chile including a church, customs … Continue reading Gustave Eiffel in Manila?
I wished I could have seen more of Ulu Watu, the Cliff Temple on our second day in Bali. But I couldn’t because monkeys have opposable thumbs. Before getting out of the cab the driver told me to take off … Continue reading Bad Monkey – Ulu Watu
On our way back from Pura Luhur Batukau and the rice terraces we stopped at Pura Taman Ayun. This was an unexpected stop recommended by our guide, Putra. Suzi and I both said we would rather skip lunch and see … Continue reading Pura Tamam Ayun:
After visiting Pura Luhur Batukau we drove along a winding road through the Jatiouwith Ricce Fields and got a chance to get out and walk a little. As I mentioned in the last post, they, and the whole rice growing … Continue reading Jatiouwith Rice Fields
One of the great joys of living in Sitka is “change bell ringing” from the tower of St. Michael’s Cathedral. Change Ringing is not playing a tune, but the repeat of a mathematical sequence of different bells. The sequence is … Continue reading You Owe Me Five Farthings. (Say the bells of…)
A highlight of the Central Business District (CBD( is the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). It’s one of those Victorian iron and glass structures that followed the first world’s fair at crystal palace. It was an architecture style that was used … Continue reading QVB in the CBD
Bondi Beach is the closest beach to Sydney, only 7 km (5 miles) from the center and on public transport. It’s a 1.5 KM long crescent of sand between two headlands. Bondi is an aboriginal word for “water breaking.” Rebellious … Continue reading Working Man’s Beach — Bondi
At Sunset each night and again at 9 PM “Badu Gili” or “Water Light” is projected onto the Eastern Bennelong Sail of the Sydney Opera House. It is a 7 minute moving display of aboriginal art set to music. Continue reading Badu Gili – Water Light.
The Sydney Opera House is one of those iconic structures that define a city, like the Eifel Tower, the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben. But perhaps it is misnamed. It is more an overall performing arts center. The concert … Continue reading Sydney Opera House.
“It fell like a house of cards.” That’s what an eyewitness said when the brick Waiapu Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist collapsed in an earthquake in February, 1931. There was a service going on inside at the time, … Continue reading It Fell Like A House of Cards — St. John’s Cathedral, Napier NZ.
The Notre Dame Cathedral is a remarkably cool building in which to shelter in the heat of the day, and if you go there you are rewarded with magnificent wooden sculptures including the stations of the cross, pulpits, alters, and … Continue reading Ukulele Playing Saint — In Nuka Hiva
During the construction of the Panama Canal more than a century ago scientists were concerned about how the canal would affect the environment. What would be the impact of damming the Chagres River? Would building a Canal straight across the … Continue reading Frank Gehry in Panama
“The TRAVELER sees what he sees. The TOURIST sees what he has come to see.” — GK Chesterton Every night on the ship, on the bed, we get a card with a quote about travel along with two pieces of … Continue reading Brutalist or Welcoming? The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.
Frank Gehry’s Frederick Weisman Art Museum on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota is at least as interesting as the art it houses. From the West Bank, looking across the Mississippi it is a sculpture of stainless steel, … Continue reading Frank Gehry in Minnesota
I got back to the ship for a bit of a rest and to let the new cough syrup do its work. By “sail-out’ the skies had cleared and I felt well enough to go out on deck to watch … Continue reading Three Forth Bridges
The first time I entered the King Street Station in Seattle was when I stepped off the “Coast Daylight/Starlight in 1973.” A couple of days later Suzi and I got on the “Pacific International” to head to Vancouver. The impression … Continue reading King Street Station, Seattle
I am home in Sitka and will have the pleasure of looking out my window across Jamestown Bay and to the Gulf of Alaska or a little to the westward toward our volcano, Mt. Edgecumbe. We have had two consecutive … Continue reading King Abdullah Mosque, Amman
My parents were stationed in Miami Beach before Pop was shipped to India during WW II. He was a lifeguard, PT instructor and made training films on the beach. My parents always had a thing about Miami and wanted to … Continue reading Miami Beach Deco
The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair was designed to show us a future built on cheap hydropower. It was the world of the future from the Space Needle to the Monorail. Many old world’s fair sites look like the past’s idea … Continue reading Paul Allen Meets Frank Gehry in Seattle.
This is the second part of a letter. For the first part see the post posted just after this one. The train pulled into Fussen and everyone ran for the 78 Bus to Hohenschwangu to visit Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss … Continue reading Neuschwanstein
January 1-3, 2013, Sitka, Seattle and Ft. Lauderdale Dear Friends, I’m starting the adventure around South America sick. We had Liam with us for Christmas and, like every little kid in a daycare, he brings home an assortment of bugs, … Continue reading Anticipation
When I was a kid I loved to go “Down the Shore.” Well, when I was really young, not too far down– as far as Keansburg, New Jersey to be exact. You have probably seen Keansburg. When movie makers need … Continue reading Keansburg, A Living Museum “Down the Shore”… But Not Too Far.
Growing up we could see the New York Skyline from the back window of both my grandparents’ flat and from our flat, although the best view was from Grandma’s kitchen fire escape. The Empire State and Chrysler buildings dominated the skyline. When I moved to Ridgewood the favorite spot for “parking” was on a ridge overlooking the skyline. Again, those two buildings were the focus of the skyline. The Empire State Building lost its title as the tallest in New York to the World Trade Center twin towers in the early 70’s. When the towers were brought down it was … Continue reading New York’s Deco Towers