Category Archives: tourism

Alaska by Sea, Part 1: Towns

Alaska, tourism, travel, , , ,

My sister and I recently returned from our maiden Viking ocean cruise, through and around Alaska’s Inner Passage. And despite that we both got sick (we won’t elaborate on that part of the experience), it was a trippy trip through a constantly changing landscape, along the way gathering insights into the state’s culture and history. Even before we started getting feverish, the whole experience seemed somewhat surreal.

Shore excursions, lectures on board, visits to museums, and our own research via the ship’s very good wifi, filled our brains with details, most of which I will probably forget. One thing seared into our brain from repetition, though, was the fact that the U.S purchased Alaska from Russia in the 1867 for 7.2 million dollars, which was roughly two cents per acre.

While the scenery is spectacular, and the wildlife is abundant (though not always evident), in this installment I am going to focus on a brief report on the communities we visited during shore excursions. Each had its own interesting character and history that we dipped our toes into, making for a kaleidoscope of impressions and factoids.

Ketchikan: Our first stop, having begun in Vancouver and spending the first day “scenic cruising” our way north. In the morning we did the “included” tour to the Potlatch Totem Park, a private collection of totem poles, native structures, and for some strange reason, antique cars. They do have an impressive collection, and a totem pole carving workshop, and it was a good introduction to the art. But, our second excursion was more of the real deal: a visit to Saxman Village, a Tlingit community a few miles outside of Ketchikan. Here, our excellent young guide Herbert started right in on the short walk from the bus to the gathering place, telling us about the plants along the path, and continued being informative (with a touch of humor) throughout the visit. (He was also one of the dancers in a brief performance.) A highlight was their more authentic totem carving workshop, presided over by National Heritage Fellow Nathan Jackson, and younger carvers. For a folklorist, the afternoon was a real treat! They also had a nice gift shop.

Sitka: Second on the agenda was Sitka, where we learned more about Alaska’s Russian heritage and visited the site where the territory was turned over to the U.S. The visit began with a slightly weird but still fun dance interpretation of the town’s history from a group called Alaska Storytellers, and then we were free to wander the small downtown, explore St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and climb Castle Hill to read more about the history. (Did I mention that Alaska was purchased for 7.2 million dollars which was 2 cents per acre?)

Skagway: Skagway was next in the line-up. Here we learned about the area’s role in the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, during a narrated trip up the White Pass (by bus, though for an extra cost you could do it by a historic railroad) and through the great interpretation in various buildings back in town. It’s hard to fathom the thousands of (mostly men) hoping to find their fortune in this impossibly rugged terrain, on their way to the Yukon. The only people who actually got rich were those who were selling the goods needed to make the trip. Each would-be gold prospector was required to lug approximately a ton of goods (!!) over a series of steep mountain passes to the point where they would catch a steamboat to the gold fields.

Juneau: Alaska’s capital city was the next stop. Our shore excursion took us to the excellent State Museum, and then to a private rain forest garden a few miles out of town. We didn’t explore too much of the city itself, only enough to note that the state capital (across the street from the state museum) is not exactly a paragon of beauty. (More like a big concrete box.) There was a great mural by native artist Crystal Worl depicting Elizabeth Peratrovich, kick-ass Alaskan civil rights activist, my new hero.

Valdez: Last town to be explored was Valdez. After a two-day scenic sail during which we saw mostly mountains and glaciers, it was somewhat pleasant to see a peopled place. Valdez, I learned by visiting the various museums there, had been beset by a huge earthquake in the 1964. The quake and ensuing tsumani pretty much leveled the town and left a lot of traumatized residents behind. (The oral histories on video at the museum were harrowing!) And then there was the oil spill…

Since these places are all only accessible from the outside world by water or air, at this point in my life I will probably never have the opportunity to visit them again. (As the advertisements of the cruise kept telling us, this was after all a “once in a lifetime experience.”) But I’m glad I did experience each one for a day, if just to skim the surface of their layers of history and culture. Here are some photos of the experience.

First glimpse of Ketchikan, coming into the harbor.
Totem carving workshop #1, Potlatch Totem Park.
Totem carving workshop #2, Saxman Village. Making no comparisons between the two, just saying resident carver here is a National Heritage Fellow.
The infamous Seward (the guy who facilitated buying Alaska for 7.2 million dollars, which was how much per acre, now?) gets his own “shame pole” at Saxman Village. Herbert told us the story of why: Seward just did not get the concept of “potlatch” – that is, the community gives you lots of great presents, and then you are supposed to reciprocate. He left Alaska without giving the community anything, earning him this non-complimentary depiction.
(Self explanatory.)
Dancers perform the history of Sitka, including this interpretation of the sailing ships that brought the first white settlers (the Russians). Maybe they looked almost this pretty and ephermal from a distance to the native inhabitants, but unfortunately their occupants stayed, and just kept coming.
St. Michaels has a dramatic backdrop of mountains. It sits right at the end of a very commercial street full of cafes and souvenir shops.
Our lady of Sitka, one of the icons in St. Michaels.
The most famous building on Skagway’s main drag is the “AB” (Arctic Brotherhood) Buidling, covered with over 8,000 pieces of driftwood. Its now a visitor’s center and part of the historical interpretation around town.
Okay, so imagine yourself one of those thousands of souls who braved the Alaskan environment to find their fortune in the late 1880s. This is the sort of terrain of the White Pass you’d have to lug your gear and supplies over.
And this goldminer’s graveyard outside of town is where you’d end up if you didn’t make it.
Juneau welcome sign at the cruise ship dock.
Part of the great collection of the State Museum. About half the displays are devoted to native art of the region.
Valdez harbor. I opted out of kayaking on this trip since I thought I might get really cold. Probably a good thing.
Interior of the Maxine and Jesse Whitney Museum includes lots of impressive taxidermy. (One way to get up close and personal with Alaskan wildlife without being eaten or trampled.)
Valdez also has a lot of fun public art, including carved wooden sculptures sprinkled around town. Loved this bear who got the salmon before the fisherman did.
Meanwhile, at the docks, a real fisherwoman held tight to her catch, and was very proud indeed.
Preview of my next planned installment…glaciers, mountains, plants and wildlife!

(Sea)Food for Thought in Rhode Island

Rhode Island, tourism, ,

Nothing beats a pile of fried whole bellied clams. Unless it’s twin lobster rolls. These are the truisms my sister and I discovered, along with the remarkable seaside and rural scenery, and the opulence of the Gilded Age, during a recent trip to Rhode Island.

She rented a cozy cottage about a ten minute walk from South Shore Beach for a couple of weeks, and I helped get her settled in and stayed a few days. The first day the weather was glorious, mid-70s and sunny, and we enjoyed our clams and fried shrimp at Evelyn’s Drive-In in Tiverton on a picnic bench near the water. By the next day, our long-awaited lobster rolls from Easton Beach Snack Bar outside of Newport had to be enjoyed in the car, as the temperature had plummeted into the 50s and the wind was stiff.

No matter, we had a good time regardless. In Newport we hopped on the free trolley bus, rode it to the end oohing and aahing over the lavish homes, deciding which ones we would want to own given the (not very likely) chance that we became billionaires, then got off and toured two of them: The Marble House and The Breakers. (We could have walked the Cliff Walk between the two, but we might have either frozen or been swept off the cliff’s edge by the wind, so we opted for the longer inland route.)

In addition to seafood and historic mansions, we sampled the local produce in the form of juicy, fresh-picked strawberries, and took some drives and walks in the vicinity of Little Compton to admire the impressive stone walls and quaint gray shingled cottages.

One story must be related regarding the cottage we were staying in: that is, the Mystery of the Weird Sound. The first day we were there, we noticed a sound like some animal growling, or snoring, or just a not very happy poltergeist, emanating from somewhere in the wall (?) or basement (??), loudest in the bedroom in one corner of the house. The owners, who live not too far away, came the next day to investigate and found nothing in the basement (much to our relief), so it remained an ever-present, non-ceasing mystery. I finally figured it must be the electric wires which are attached to the house on that side. They pass through a pretty substantial dogwood tree on their way to the house, and rub against the branches, thus probably causing the sound. My sister didn’t have to deal with it since the master bedroom was far from the sound, and I eventually got used to it, but it was truly creepy that first night!

Okay, so not exactly a Vanderbilt mansion, but the Hydrangea Cottage served our purposes. The hydrangeas were not out yet but they are there.

Yum, yum, whole bellied clams on left and shrimp on the right at Evelyn’s.
The plethora of classic Corvettes leant a time warp factor to Evelyn’s (or the idea that the drive-in doubled as a used Corvette sales area?) until we figured out a Corvette club was having a luncheon there.
Gilded Age splendor at the Marble House’s “Gothic” Room. The audio tour you can download on your phone is good, though bring headphones if you use it…another visitor complained because we had ours turned up too loud so we could both hear it! At the Breakers we couldn’t use it at all because there were too many people. They have printed versions as well, but the spoken narration was much more fun.
Trick of the eye umbrellas are painted on the ceiling of the portico of the Breakers looking out at the sea.
The tours take you “downstairs” into the kitchens and pantries as well. It took a lot of shiny copper pots and pans and a whole bank of stoves to prepare those eight course meals!
Breezy, freezy beach shore scenery.
Sakonnet lighthouse in the distance.
My attempt to take a panoramic photo of South Shore Beach creates a dark portal into another world… maybe the one that the Mystery Sound is coming from??
Two swans were braving the stiff wind on the pond across from the beach.
Last but not least…behold the chunks of deliciousness in the twin lobster rolls. And yes, I ate both of them. Good thing my current wardrobe includes almost exclusively elastic and drawstring waisted pants!

California Part II: San Diego Delights

#sandiego, tourism, ,

The second portion of our recent California trip took place in San Diego. The trip down there from our rental car pick-up spot near LAX was pretty grueling, as it got dark and started raining (during rush hour on the I-5) which was no fun at all for Steve the Driver. But we made it to the pleasantly retro Old Town Inn, and found a yummy kabab joint open later than nine p.m. near downtown before crashing.

The choice of San Diego as a destination spurred from a wish to visit my old high school buddy, Linda and her significant other, Tom, who spend the winters there. They drive across country from Western Massachusetts in their well-appointed RV, before the snow threatens to fly, jeep in tow. They park their home on wheels on Mission Bay, situated perfectly to view both sunsets and fireworks at Sea World. Nice!

Since they are semi-locals, they suggested an itinerary for the day which began with breakfast in Pacific Beach at an iconic restaurant, World Famous, steps from the beach. There’s a porch with heaters, which is good because despite our hope that San Diego would be warmer than San Francisco, it wasn’t much and the wind was wicked. (Still, some intrepid surfers were out there on the waves.)

We planned to spend the rest of the day, which you can do easily, at Balboa Park. Most people seem to know the park because the world-class San Diego Zoo is there, but, covering 1,200 acres, there a lot more to keep you amused. We stayed within the ample confines of a section of the park which once housed the 1915-17 Panama-California Exposition. (Why Panama you ask? Celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal, is the short answer.)

Today, the several-blocks-square cluster of buildings and other grandiose features left from the exposition (which, according to historic record, was not a really big success) house museums, displays, and theaters, and flank gardens, fountains and open arched arcades which, with some imagination, can transport you to — hmm, not sure where exactly, but a sort of part European, part Disneyland place with international flare.

A visit to the Visitor Center in the complex is suggested to get a map to keep you on the right path(s). We started at the Mingei International Museum (which it being a Tuesday was one of the only attractions in the park open), which features, naturally, international folk art and craft. There were two current exhibitions, one on piñatas and one on beads, both really well done.

Next, we descended into the charming Japanese Friendship Garden complete with koi ponds and a flowing stream, a bonsai display, and well-groomed paths lined with flowers, trees and statuary. Next, a tour around the House of Pacific Relations International Cottages, offering a sampling of cultures from around the world. (Only three of the 34 were open by three p.m. Most are only open on the weekends, and those open on weekdays seem to close early in the afternoon.)

After a bit more wandering around, we took a brief walk through a garden full of strange and wonderful succulents, and then contemplated an early dinner. Where could we see the sunset over the ocean and eat local seafood at a reasonable price? Back where we started from, it turns out! So, we backtracked to World Famous, enjoying a symmetrical ending to a great day.

Breezy and chilly Pacific Beach, the starting point.
This is a piñata, believe it or not. The exhibition showed how artists are “pushing the envelope” of piñata making with very small and very large iterations as well as artwork using piñata materials, making political and social statements, etc.
Overlooking the Japanese Friendship Garden from above.
An example of the splendiferous architectural wonders left over from the California-Panama Exposition.
Otherworldly cacti in one of the many Balboa Park gardens.
And… back where we started from. We enjoyed the sunset from the comforts of our table since the wind and chill never let up. (The World Famous might think about cleaning their porch windows.)

Getting Penitent in Philly

museums, tourism

A visit to the Eastern State Penitentiary Museum in Philadelphia is informative, eerie, and thought-provoking. This massive museum is in the Fairmont neighborhood, so if you arrive there hungry, you can pick from an array of cuisines within a few blocks. Fortifying oneself with some food is recommended, as a full tour of the sprawling grounds of the museum will get some steps in. We chose substantial and delicious bahn mi (described as “Vietnamese hoagies”) at a small cafe called iPho (get it?) a couple blocks down the street.

We discovered that you could park on the street for free, but after lunch we wisely moved from a two hour to a three-hour parking space. You’re going to need that extra hour if you want to take in the whole museum (and you have the stamina for a three-hour museum visit). And, also if you pay online ahead of time you save a couple bucks. (My husband did this from just outside of the museum on his phone after reading that fact on the entrance sign.)

Okay, so finally inside the high gray walls of the museum, where you pick up an audio tour and strap on your headphones. I developed a dislike of audio tours over the years, because some of them are just too distracting and go on way too long. But this one was excellent. They kept the entries short and included the voices of former inmates and experts when possible, and it was also narrated by actor Steve Buscemi (a favorite from many Coen Brothers movies, which my daughter and I are partial to).

The core tour takes you through the history of the prison, but also the history of the philosophy of prisons in general. I never considered the fact that at its root, Penitentiary is – yes – penitent. The belief in the early days of American prisons was that prisoners needed complete silence, solitude, and lots of time (and a Bible which was the only allowed reading material) to contemplate the reasons they were locked up.

The early cells were relatively comfortable and well appointed for cells. Not exactly where you’d be wanting to spend your days and nights for months or years, but the cells included wood floors, a skylight, running water and a toilet that could be flushed once a day. (This is more than a lot of people “outside” had in those days.) Each cell had a small exercise yard reached through a tiny door in the back.

It wasn’t the accommodations, per se, but that complete solitude and silence business that drove prisoners over the edge. Most humans (as lots of people found out during the pandemic) are just not cut out for solitude and silence 24 hours a day. The prison reformers finally decided this was true and got rid of that idea.

Prison accommodations and philosophies did not improve from that point, however. Cramming two or sometimes more than two prisoners in one cell, which in later days had cold concrete floors, less light and more interaction between humans had its own problems. (An excellent timeline of the Prison is located here.)

When the basic tour ends, you have free reign to explore the rest of the interpreted spaces. Some are artist installations, which is interesting use of cell space; a multi-media area with lots of sobering information about the “war on crime” and the ill effects of prison life and prolonged stays; and a host of other interpreted areas with their own audio tour links.

Just when we were ready to exit after thinking we’d seen enough, we saw a sign to the prison synagog, which was located down a narrow alley which also once held craft shops where prisoners made things with their hands. The synagog is a tiny gem which was carefully researched and restored to its 1950s incarnation. It represented, for me, faith and hope amid the grimness that is the rest of the bleak, stony behemoth of the prison complex. A wall inviting visitors to leave their mitzvahs (simply defined here as “good deeds”) was balm after the harsh realities of the prison history and information on prisons today presented in this excellent museum experience.

Here are some photos from around the museum.

Restored early cell. Looks deceptively cozy?
Later wing of the prison when two story cells were added.
They give nighttime Halloween tours and I am sure they are terrifying.
One of the art installations which interpreted victims of murders committed by Eastern State Prisoners. (Just in case you were feeling a little sorry for the prisoners being held here… you are reminded that some of them did commit some horrendous crimes to get in here. )
Another art installation is basically a large mirror placed to reflect the ceiling of the cell making a very eerie effect.
Restored synagog.

The Long View from Longwood

Longwood Gardens, tourism,

A trip to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania is always memorable. (Good thing, too, because it has been several weeks since we visited and I am just now getting around to writing about it.) For the uninitiated, Longwood was the home and pet project of one of those fabulously wealthy Duponts, in this case Pierre S., who had a vision to make a very grand garden for family, friends, and eventually, the masses.

Pierre had a special interest in water features, and today one of the biggest draws to Longwood Gardens is the elaborate fountains, programmed to “dance” to music. They are particularly spectacular after dark, and during the holidays.

But, since I am working on a program for the 2022 (hopefully, in person and on the National Mall) Smithsonian Folklife Festival which is all about Earth Optimism, I kept a particular eye out for stories of sustainability and interesting examples of reuse, recycling, encouraging pollinators, growing one’s own food, and all that good stuff. Longwood did not disappoint in that department.

Here, in photos (and one video) is a tour of some of the highlights of examples I noticed during our visit. Good for you, Longwood, although I am sure running a huge garden full of tourists has many unsustainable aspects as well. And, then, there is “better living through chemistry.” But, we won’t get into that right now.

Recirculating water in the waterfall. Well, I guess that’s sustainable right?
The meadow part of the Garden, which is pretty extensive, has some good pollinator information, as well as bee houses and other fun features. I liked their use of recycled wood as a display support.
Speaking of recycling, this sign was in one of the several tree houses at Longwood. It seems sort of funny that the wood came from an old toothpaste factory. Getting it all the way from Canada takes”marks off” their sustainability score I fear. (Is there a scale for sustainability? I am sure there is, or should be.)
This prodigious basil, as well as the other veggies, fruits and herbs in the “idea garden” area (which is supposed to give you ideas about how to grow things in your own garden, but really only succeeded in making me think about how much less bountiful my own garden is) has a higher purpose of supplying a local food cupboard.
Three Sister’s Garden, yay! For more info on those, you should watch our virtual Story Circle from summer of 2020.
Last but not least, the “award winning green wall” (so described by one of the greenhouse info volunteers). If more buildings had one of these, the world would be a much more sustainable place. (In between each wall is the door to a bathroom, by the way.)

Poking Around Point Pleasant

tourism, travel, West Virginia, West Virginia, , ,

On a recent trip to West Virginia, my friend Arlene and I spent a whole day sampling the small town pleasures of Point Pleasant. Situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers, the town has many (well, several at least) historic and folkloric sites to explore.

Upon arriving, we checked into the Lowe Hotel. We had noted that the hotel is rated #1 of 1 hotel(s) in the town by tourism sites, which did not at first inspire confidence. But we were delighted to find a well preserved/restored property with lots of charming decor, and a chatty and helpful proprietor.

Next, we checked out the murals depicting historic events and people, which are painted on the wall that runs between the town and the river. They started out peaceful enough, with Native Americans going about their (historic) everyday lives, but in just a few mural panels morphed into the bloody Battle of Point Pleasant fought in 1774 between the Shawnee and Mingo tribes led by Shawnee Chief Hokoleskwa (or Cornstalk as he was called in English) and the Virginia militia (West Virginia did not exist at this point). Some guy named Lord Dunmore had a role in this mess too.

Unfortunately, the murals have minimal text interpretation, so some of the historical doings are left up to one’s imagination. As you traverse down the row of murals, you also encounter several historical personages fashioned out of tin. Daniel Boone (who lived near Point Pleasant in the late 1700s) gets this treatment, as does a feisty woman dubbed “Mad Anne Bailey” who gets her own set of murals depicting her interesting life.

At the end of the mural trail you enter Tu-Endie-Wei State Park. (The name means “point between two waters” in Wyandotte, apparently.) This is where Daniel Boone and American Ginseng tie in – though not commemorated on any murals or historic markers as yet. The confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha just might be the place that a quantity of ginseng Boone was transporting to market got dumped into the Ohio in 1788. Though every version of the story has this ill-fated ginseng being dumped in a different location…

All of that walking around town made us pretty hungry, so we headed for one of the only two real sit-down restaurants in town within walking distance we located which were not pizza purveyors. This happened to be a very respectable Japanese restaurant, Ichiban II. (The other restaurant, located on Main Street, is Mexican, Rio Bravo 2 – we went there for dinner.)

We were saving a visit to the most famous Point Pleasant “native” for the afternoon. Mothman is one of several cryptids (mythological creepy humanoid beings) haunting the West Virginia landscape, and his most famous siting took place just outside Point Pleasant. The World’s Only Mothman Museum is located right across from the Lowe Hotel (and was visible from our room even), and the twelve foot tall tin Mothman Statue is a photo magnet for the masses.

After thoroughly overdosing on Mothman information at the museum, we strolled leisurely down Main Street and read the markers about the historic homes lining the street. We also paused to reflect upon the Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967 (marked by another mural and several historic plaques) which took the lives of 43 people. We ducked into the local art gallery and an expansive antique/doo-dad mall on Main Street as well.

By the time we settled in for the night at the Lowe, we had done pretty much all of Point Pleasant that you could do easily by foot. We downloaded the 2002 movie, Mothman Prophesies, starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney, for our evening entertainment/research. Having done our homework, we recognized the huge “poetic license” they had taken with the film – including how different the river town they actually filmed the movie in (Kittanning, PA) was from our Point Pleasant.

At the beginning of the mural trail, a depiction of the Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash). Very literal indeed.
Daniel Boone as The Tin Man in Buckskins.
Mad Ann(e) Bailey, who was apparently not “crazy” but just had a temper. She’s buried in Point Pleasant.
View of Mothman Museum and statue from our hotel room.
The infamous Mothman Statue.
Another depiction of Mothman. My daughter said he looked “very cheerful” when I shared this photo with her.
Though the Mothman Prophesies was not actually filmed in Point Pleasant, the museum ended up with several props from the movie. Such as this blanket which “came into contact” with fame.
The makers of the Mothman Prophesies also managed to weave the Silver Bridge Collapse into the movie plot. While visiting this spot, we encountered a local who told us his Dad was almost headed across the bridge that fateful day, with Christmas presents in tow, but due to a change of plans, he was saved from a possible watery demise.
There used to be a River Museum in town too but a fire put it out of commission. They are building a new one, so we may need to visit town again!
Lobby of the Lowe Hotel, showing balcony, faux marble columns and other features.
One of the common rooms of the hotel, this one dubbed “the peacock room” because of the collection of peacock art collected by the proprietor’s mother. This was the site of our watching of Mothman Prophesies because the wifi was coming in better than in our room. Very atmospheric and fitting especially when we turned off most of the lamps.

Dispatch from a Happier Time

Guadalajara, Guadalajara, tourism, ,

After our trip in mid-February to Guadalajara, Mexico, I planned all sorts of topics to write about, as I had with trips to France and India in the past. Happy things, bright and sunny things, reflecting the excitement of traveling to a new place full of color, light and warmth.

Then, within a few weeks, the dreaded COVID-19 hit full force and suddenly, despite the early arrival of spring flowers, things seem bleak, bleached out, and hand-sanitized for your protection. My mother’s assisted living facility in South Carolina is closed to visitors; we are teleworking which is okay in the short run but will get old I am sure; and the larger world full of students trying to learn from home, social distancing, and semi-empty grocery shelves is the new reality.

Still, I wanted to share a few lovely moments to add cheer to a cheerless situation. And I might write a couple more blogs on specific topics such as the voladores. But for now, our wonderful trip seems like a dream. And let’s hope our current situation does not turn into a nightmare.

Gaby and M.E. goof off with guavas near a natural warm spring which we took a soak in.
Murals, but famous and not so famous artists, abound in and around Guadalajara. This one was on a small island in the middle of Lake Chapala.
Steve, M.E. and Gaby pose in the late day sun in Tlaquepaque, a town full of crafts, mariachis, and people having a good time.
Even the skeletons were cheery.

Guadalajara: Love at First Bite

tourism, Uncategorized, , ,

Guadalajara, and the area within a couple of hours of the city in its state of Jalisco, is a winter vacationer’s paradise. Warm, balmy days in the mid-70s to low 80s, slightly cooler nights good for a stroll, and plenty of attractions.

I meant to start writing about our wonderful visit there much earlier, but soon after our return, I got felled by some sort of flu. (NOT the dreaded corona virus, I promise – there are still plenty of nasty old garden variety flus out there to content with.)

Now, I am looking over the photos and remembering the great time we had, and especially all the delicious meals. Instead of a lot of writing about the food, here is a photo gallery and commentary about some of our many tasty experiences.

  • Most of these food adventures were led by our friend Gaby and her dad and sometimes her mom. They never steered us wrong! Second day (I was too tired to document the first though wish I had), breakfast on the road to Lake Chapala. The cafe had a French name but the food was all local!
  • My birthday dinner – seafood on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake.
  • No, the shrimp are not from the lake…but they were very fresh. The coast is only a few hours away and seafood is very popular even inland.
  • Another lakeside resaturant (different lake, same feel) and more shrimp!
  • Tasty stand on a side street of Tonales.
  • Typical condiments at small stands which feature tacos, quesadillas and other snacks and lunch items
  • Along with your tastes of tequila on a factory tour (in Tequila of course), you get to taste roasted agave. Sort of like a very sweet and stringy pineapple.
  • Meat in its juices is a popular dish.
  • Tortillas (always corn) and condiments (limes, salsas of various heat) along with MEAT!
  • We took a cooking class; here our instructor Naomi had all the ingredients laid out in a colorful array awaiting our lesson.
  • Fish tacos, and so much more. We certainly left full to the brim.
  • Another mostly meat meal at a delicious authentic cantina (singers offering off-key serenades and all) in Zapopan. This one includes four kinds of meat, melted cheese, guacamole and salsas. I lost count of the number of tortillas I wrapped it in and gobbled down!
  • Many flavors of agua fresca to choose from in Zapopan.
  • And, last but not least, one must try the “drunken sandwich” – more meat, this time on bread.
  • And dunked in a liberal amount of hot sauce. It’s a thing that they say you have to try in all the guide books, but the locals like our friend Gaby and her parents discourage it.

OK, so for some mysterious reasons the captions (though I can see them in post editing mode) are not showing up on this post. So, here they are until I figure this problem out:

  1. Most of these food adventures were led by our friend Gaby and her dad and sometimes her mom. They never steered us wrong! Second day (I was too tired to document the first though wish I had), breakfast on the road to Lake Chapala. The cafe had a French name but the food was all local!
  2. My birthday dinner – seafood on the shores of Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest lake.
  3. No, the shrimp are not from the lake… but they were very fresh. The coast is only a few hours away and seafood is very popular even inland.
  4. Next day, another lakeside restaurant (different lake, same feel) and more shrimp!
  5. Tasty lunch stand on a side street of Tonales, where we visited many crafts shops for souvenirs.
  6. Typical condiments at small stands which feature tacos, quesadillas and other snacks and lunch items.
  7. Along with your tastes of tequila on a factory tour (in Tequila of course), you get to taste roasted agave. Sort of like a very sweet and stringy pineapple.
  8. Meat “in its juices” is a popular dish and it is delish!
  9. Tortillas (always corn) and condiments (limes, salsas of various heat) along with MEAT!
  10. We took a cooking class; here our instructor Naomi had all the ingredients laid out in a colorful array awaiting our lesson.
  11. Fish tacos, shredded pork roast cooked in banana leaves, chorizo and potatoes… oh my, we were so full by the end of the class!
  12. Another mostly meat meal at a delicious authentic cantina (singers offering off-key serenades and all) in Zapopan. This one includes four kinds of meat, melted cheese, guacamole and salsas. I lost count of the number of tortillas I wrapped it in and gobbled down!
  13. Many flavors of agua fresca (a refreshing fruit drink) in Zapopan.
  14. And, last but not least, one must try the “drunken sandwich” – more meat, this time on bread.
  15. And dunked in a liberal amount of hot sauce. It’s a thing that they say you have to try in all the guide books, but the locals like our friend Gaby and her parents discourage it.

Kalorama by Call Box

tourism, ,

On a recent walk in DC, my husband and our young friend Gabriel and I parked the car at Woodley Park and wandered around, through Adams Morgan. We took a couple of turns and found ourselves confronted by the rarified architecture of Sheridan-Kalorama.

This historic district is home to ambassadors, politicians (and their relatives), ex-presidents, and various other rich folks. Gabriel, an avid smart phone user, gave us a running commentary as to whose house was whose, but there was another form of interpretation that, to me, was a lot more fun: repurposed call boxes.

What’s a call box? Well, according to the project’s web site, call boxes were used in the past (from “the 19th century” until the 1970s when the 911 system made them unnecessary) to call police or firemen in emergencies. You may have noticed them on city street corners – boxes of various shapes on a pole, painted red.

In 2003, the committee heading this project starting working to turn the abandoned call boxes into “mini-museums” with interpretive labels on one side, and original art work on the other. There are sixteen of them; we only saw three or four. Finding them all could make for a fun scavenger hunt/walking tour.

The “Women of Influence” box is located just inside a security fence surrounding a stately home. All along this fence is a sign that warns the viewer that you will be violating the law if you get any nearer. This turns out to be Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s digs. The call box is more interesting than that fact in my opinion.

  • The women of influence include Eleanor Roosevelt and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.
  • Hard to get a good angle on this thanks to Ivanka and Jared’s fence. And leaning in might have brought on the secret police?

Another box detailed the history of a nearby house called The Lindens, which was built in Massachusetts in 1754 and moved to Washington, DC in six railway cars and reassembled in DC in 1935. Without the call box, you’d just walk past the house and probably admire it, but you’d have no idea it was so well traveled.

You can read about the rest of the Sheridan-Kalorama call box mini-museums here. There’s a map of the neighborhood so that you can embark on your own walking tour as well.

“Kalorama” means “fine view” in Latin, and the view is indeed fine there, which we found out as we walked across the bridge back to Woodley Park as the sun was setting.

Some Things Fishy

#crabcakes, Baltimore, tourism, , ,

I’ve been on the road a lot the past few weeks, eating well on all trips: in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Wausau, Wisconsin; Asheville, North Carolina and Baltimore, Maryland. Two traditions stood out during these trips: the Friday night fish fry in Wisconsin and the search for the best crab cake in Baltimore.

Soon after arriving in Wisconsin to check out the cultivated ginseng scene as part of our larger American ginseng project (reported here earlier), my partner in crime Arlene and I started hearing about Friday night fish fries. It seemed that, no matter what sort of restaurant we ate at, fish fry was listed on the menu as the Friday special. This tradition seems to be rank right up there with that other Wisconsin culinary habit – smothering just about everything in cheese. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.

I stayed through Friday and experienced my fish fry at one of the recommended locations: Nueske’s at Gulliver’s Landing just outside of Wausau. This classic nautically themed, informal establishment was packed on a Friday night. I had a good 40 minute wait to take in the scenery (shelves of model ships and other maritime curios) and the multi-generational families who make up the clientele, many greeted by first names upon arriving. Clearly, this was a local favorite and I eagerly looked forward to my fish fry experience.

I was rewarded with two generous pieces of hand-breaded haddock, something called a “twice baked potato” (which, not surprisingly, was smothered in cheese), cole slaw and a large slab of rye bread. All that, and live music at the bar – two older gentleman playing Johnny Cash and John Denver tunes.

  • Side view of exterior
  • Fish fry menu options
  • Gulliver’s front entrance.

A couple of weeks later, I was in Baltimore at the American Folklore Society conference, a yearly ritual for all folklorists. Though I really should have grabbed a quick lunch and attended a section meeting, instead I set out at a brisk pace on the Saturday of the conference, with some co-conspirators from our Inner Harbor hotel to Lexington Market to try out Faidley’s, which makes it to many “best crab cake” lists. And, indeed, in no uncertain terms (via several large signs) proclaims itself as serving Baltimore’s Best Crab Cake.

The market has been in existence since 1782, and Faidley’s since 1886. It’s hard to argue with that depth of history. Our crab cakes were huge and delicious, tasting subtly of the bay and of Old Bay, and though one of them cost twice as much as my entire Wisconsin fish fry, it was worth it.

They say fish is brain food, and I feel smarter if not thinner for having indulged in finny wonders from the Great Lakes to the Chesapeake Bay.

  • Bliss.
  • No frills counter service.
  • Nice neon.
  • The lunch scene on a Saturday.