Creative Celebration in San Francisco

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I found this article from the Los Angeles Times to be very fun. The city of San Francisco will be celebrating Tony Bennet’s iconic song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” by blasting the song and encouraging all to take a moment to sing at Noon on Valentine’s Day.

According to the article, it is, more or less, the 50th anniversary of when Tony Bennett first crooned the song in the Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel.

If I lived in San Francisco, I would participate. And, even though I’m in the Los Angeles area, I still might!

Filed Under: Good Reads Tagged With: , ,

Stop and Explore Your Neighborhood

October 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Today, I stopped near the Long Beach, Calif. airport at one of the many Boeing buildings. I paused, because on the corner of Lakewood Blvd. and Carson there is a Veteran Memorial dedicated by the employees of McDonnel Douglas Corporation. This circular memorial of black rock, surrounded by tall palm trees does a beautiful job of blending the work done in Long Beach on war planes with the history of each war fought from World War II through the first Gulf War.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven past this corner in the last three years or so, but today I took a moment to observe and remember.

Inside the Veterans Memorial.

Outside the Veterans Memorial.

What did you learn the last time you stopped to explore in your own neighborhood?

Filed Under: My Neighborhood Tagged With: , , ,

Family and Friends

September 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The perfect end to our 13 day road trip extravaganza was a visit with David’s Aunt and Uncle and my bestest friend Crystal.

We started the day of sight seeing with a tour of the Capital Building. Did you know that each state has two statues inside the Capital Building? California has a statue of Ronald Reagan and Junipero Serra. Oh and in the old House of Representatives chambers, there is a “whisper” spot. John Quincy Adams had the desk in the whisper spot. From this place, he could hear, clear as a bell, the conversations taking place across the hall.

The Capital Building from the front.

A plaque marking the spot where John Quincy Adam's desk stood.

Our last tourist activity today was to walk by The White House. It’s hard to have a trip to Washington, DC without walking by The White House. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an appointment or invitation to enter the building. This is as close as we could get.

The White House through the gate that surrounds it.

The day ended with a fantastic Trinidadian meal at a restaurant chosen by Crystal. If you ever get the chance, the Brown Stew Chicken from the Islander Carribean Restaurant and Lounge. Tomorrow we head home via the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Filed Under: Road Trip Extravaganza, Travel Tagged With: , , ,

Monuments and Memorials

September 20, 2011 By 1 Comment

Today, we drove from Cleveland, OH to Washington, DC. We arrived at the National Mall area about 3:30 p.m. with just enough daylight left to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial and walk all the way around the Tidal Basin. Here’s the list of monuments and memorials we saw today:

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
  • Korean War Memorial
  • Lincoln Monument
  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • World War II Memorial
  • Washington Monument
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial
  • Theodore Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The newest of the memorials on the National Mall (MLK, Jr.) was certainly a sight to see. However, I’m just not sure it has the right feel to it. It’s very stark and unfeeling for such a passionate man. My favorite remains the Theodore Delano Roosevelt Memorial. None of the other monuments and memorials have the same immersive yet comfortable experience as the Roosevelt walk.

While wandering around the Tidal Basin, I was able to capture some amazing photos using my BlackBerry Tour. It does pretty well for a phone camera.

A view of the Jefferson Monument from across the Tidal Basin.

Washington Monument from across the TIdal Basin.

One of my favorite images of the Roosevelt Memorial.

More from the other memorials on Flickr. Tomorrow, more from Washington DC. On the tentative list: Library of Congress, Supreme Court, the Capital Building and one of the National Galleries.

Filed Under: Road Trip Extravaganza, Travel Tagged With: , , , , ,