Travel Possibility

One of my best friends moved from Minneapolis to Brooklyn at the end of the 1990s, and it was good news for me.  We’d always liked each other’s company, growing up on opposite sides of the Mississippi River, and talking about our own world views.  At the time, we thought that Saint Paul and Minneapolis were so radically different from each other, and our experiences made us rugged individuals.  We’d get together and fight it out in conversations about who was more correct about politics, girls, good food, and good films.  As the years went by, I began to see that there were many more points of view in the world than we’d ever imagined, and that we were both pretty similar in almost every way.  I missed the arguments, though, because we always had something to agree on at the end of the day.

So it was a welcome change of fortune, when we both were living in the same city.  For a few years, we made it a regular practice to meet at one of the excellent www.newyorkrestaurants.com and talk about film.  We could argue about the other things, but when it came to politics and girls, we thought the same, so it was never very deep.  Two men talking about things they agree on can sometimes begin to resemble drunk gorillas happy that the sun was rising another day.  But movies.  Movies were a whole different matter.

I won’t get specific here, because he can’t defend himself, but his tastes have always been a lot stupider than mine.  I like the refined things, and in film, I like the stuff that comes from Italy and France.  Occasionally something good comes from this side of the ocean, like I’m Not There, but most of the time, the things I see in theaters make me depressed.  He, on the other hand, is very easily amused.  Films where people get shot for holding the wrong bag at the wrong time appeal to his very limited imagination.  I’m starting to sense, however, that it’s becoming apparent that he won our last disagreement, and I’m harboring bitterness against him.  It’s been 6 years since Genhawk lived here, and I have to confess that I miss the dinners, and I miss the arguments.  I miss them so much in fact that I hope he reads this and it makes him angry enough to track me down so we can do it all over again.

Had a lovely breakfast by the pool of one of the best Key West, Florida hotels. Afterwards, I headed up to the harbor to try and find if there was some room left on a boat for me to go fishing, but, no such luck. All the fishing boats were booked for several days out. I’d be in New York by the time a slot opened up. I was hoping that someone didn’t show up, so I could slip in and do some fantastic deep sea fishing, but everyone showed up!

So, I decided to walk down to Fort Zachary, it didn’t look that far on the map, but I was so wrong! The walk took me a blistering 45 minutes in the heat. Later, I was told it was the hottest day so far in Key West. I have to admit though that the walk was very scenic and an interesting route, because I came across the Bahamian Village. This is where many Cubans and Bahamians settled and have turned the area into a beautiful lushly patchwork of vegetation and faded wooded homes. Many of the locals sit out on their porches and waved to me, wishing me a great day as I passed.

We I finally reached Fort Zachary, I found out that I had to pay a $5 fee to gain entry to the beach. The beach itself was a narrow strip, bordered by pine trees, shade! The water was crystal clear and calm. I actually saw a few colorful fish swimming about that snorkeling would’ve been good here. But, for some reason, I wasn’t interested in snorkeling at the moment. Maybe because I’m snorkel out.

I spent several hours on the beach, it was so relaxing and worth the unexpected hike. I returned back through the Bahamian Village and stopped off at an old fashion hair salon where all the women hang-out to catch up on any news. I got a trim and really enjoyed listening to the ladies talk about who was doing what in the village. Before I returned to my hotel, I visited the southern most point of Key West. Kind of an anticlimax, but at least I can say I was there.  Tomorrow, I head back to Miami to catch my flight back home, New York.

The dream is always the same; there’s some kind of envelope in the room, although it’s never in the same place.  There’s a song, and there’s always a woman, and there’s always a man looking at the lines on his palm.  Somewhere there’s someone singing, but it’s never loud enough to hear clearly, exactly, and the song might be different.  But the dream doesn’t leave, and it’s been recurring for so long now that it’s become a little bit like breathing.  Although, to be sure, it’s breathing underwater, because the most interesting things don’t come to the surface.  When I’m caught up in trying to recreate these scenes in my head, I don’t have enough time nor sense to remember that the most vivid details on exist in my head.

It’s sometimes a good thing to get away from the heaviest parts, to spend time looking for the world’s best hotels.  Manhattan has always been my favorite place to go looking because the younger versions of ourselves are still there somewhere.  There are so many places that you can go looking for the things you used to be.  I try to not listen to the Chelsea Hotel #2, and am very successful on most mornings, but this one was not one of them.

The dream came back before I even began to make the first Moka of the day.  I don’t know if it was the recurring dream recurring again, or the feel of the coffee beans in my hands, but either one will always remind me of that morning in the room.  One of us was staring at their hands, and one of us was not.  One of us was feeling heavier than the other one, but we both had a sense of something lost, but something found.  Loss is usually heavier, unless you find something you don’t really need, then it’s a different story altogether.  This was not a different story.  It was not raining.

London, England is rich in history, culture and world political significance among other things. The city is full of numerous landmarks and historic icons that attract millions of tourists every year. Many people have a difficult time visiting everything on their agenda in a single visit and London is known for attracting repeat tourists. Interestingly, one of the most consistent and popular attractions that draws tourists from their London hotel room also happens to be one of the more ominous and infamous historic institutions. This of course is the Tower of London. In addition to its international reputation and infamous status, the tower has had numerous famous occupants throughout its centuries of existence.

The Tower was a definitely a prison and the conditions within its walls were representative of this. However, it is also well known that different prisoners were treated in various manners and the accommodations provided to specific prisoners also varied according to their social role and status. Numerous royal personalities were housed in the Tower at one time or another in their life and they were generally treated well and had their own area. The Scottish King John Balliol is an example of this. He was captured and imprisoned in 1296 though he was treated well and was even allowed to leave the Tower to go on hunting expeditions. This is the opposite end of the treatment spectrum and societies most dangerous and low class criminals represent the other side. Sir Thomas Moore is another example of one of the Tower’s famous prisoners who was not part of the monarchy. He was however a friend and consultant for Henry VIII

and was imprisoned in 1534 for refusing to accept the king as the head of the Catholic Church. Early in his stay he was treated well and spent his hours writing, however his ultimate fate of being beheaded contradicts the positive treatment.

The variety of hotels and resorts available in Singapore reflect its appeal to all varieties of visitors. Some people are there for business and others are there strictly for vacation pleasures. These people are definitely more particular about their choice of accommodations as the business travel is usually content with the room provided by their company. Whatever the reason for visiting the hotels offered in Singapore are intent on providing the best services and accommodations that are possible. They also represent various swiftrank ratings on both the business scale and personal response of travelers. And consumer ratings systems have become popular and also powerful advertisement tools on the Internet.

Many people focus on the activities, performances and cultural attractions of the cities in which they choose to vacation. They can sometimes forget to make the hotel choice a priority until the last minute when they realize that reservations need to be made. For other travelers the hotel or resort in which they will be staying plays the fundamental priority for their trip and is the first decision that they make. Whichever type of traveler a person may be, the professionalism demonstrated by and the quality of services offered by the resort are of extreme importance and can make or break a vacation or stay in any city.

Singapore is proud of its appeal to tourists and continually seeks to cultivate a greater population of annual visitors. Part of this intent includes providing the best accommodations possible and also catering to various needs, desires and budget considerations. And while every guest deserves quality rooms and professional service, the tourism industry in Singapore also realizes that the amount of any vacation budget that is spent on accommodations varies greatly with the traveler. For this reason, they provide a diverse selection of hotels while maintaining a standard of professionalism and accommodation quality that is competitive and difficult to beat.

The fishing industry has been operating solidly in the city of Baltimore for more than two hundred years.  It is no wonder that when looking for a great place to find seafood, you will not have a difficult time of it.  Just as with everything else in this city, the variety and the options seem endless.  From quaint, family owned restaurants in Baltimore’s different neighborhoods, to the larger fine dining establishments downtown, the seafood you will find will be some of the best that you have ever tasted.

Two very popular restaurants in the down town district are Phillips and L.P. Steamers.  Phillips is one of the oldest running restaurants in Baltimore, and is well known for the bright and energetic atmosphere as well as their every popular crab dishes.  L.P. Steamers is located close to Federal Hill,  and some will say that this restaurant offers more of an authentic Baltimore experience.  One of the favorites is Nick’s Fish House.  This is a restaurant located just at the waterfront and is appreciated for the relaxed and casual atmosphere.  They are located close to the Harborplace Center which makes this a convenient stop on your way down to the harbor for nightly entertainment or a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium.  The menu at Nick’s is varied with classics such as crab cakes and steamed crabs as well as various seafood salads, sandwiches, pastas and grilled steaks.

The Black Olive is an option for those who like to have their food prepared table side.  Kali’s Court, just a bit down the road from the Black Olive is also a favorite of the locals which serves a variety of prepared dishes in tasty sauces, as well as their famous, whole-grilled fish selections.  You can never really go wrong when looking for a great place for seafood, the city of Baltimore was built on it, and continues to thrive.  For the seafood lover, this is one of the best places to be.

We decided to make the most of our second to last day in Florence and we took a walk to San Miniato al Monte, which is perched up high on a hill that gives a fantastic view of Florence. We started from Ponte Vecchio, which wasn’t too far from our Florence hotel and we walked up a steep road, going past the home a Galileo Galilei and then on up to Forte Belvedere. The walk then took us up another steep hill, and them back down again, then up towards the church. Once we reached the top, we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the whole of Florence.

I’m writing this while lying in my hotel room bed, it’s our last day in Florence and it’s just after 9am and I’ve been for breakfast and am ready for another day of sightseeing, but it’s absolutely pouring rain outside! Plus, it’s dark and there’s lightning and thunder. I’ve never seen it rain so hard in my life; the rain’s bouncing off the ground! We were expecting a beautiful blue sky and sunshine for most of our vacation, because this is Italy’s dry season. Hopefully, this will be the only day of bad weather during our trip. So, we decided to stay in the hotel for a while and hope that there would be a break in the weather. After about an hour, the rain was letting up just enough for us to venture out. An umbrella was not what we wanted to carry around with us for sightseeing, but better safe than soaking wet.

Today, we set out for the Duomo, and if it hadn’t been raining, we would have taken the more picturesque route by the River Arno, but instead, we walked through the narrow streets to get as much shelter from the rain as we possibly could without making any shop owners angry. We reached the Duomo at around 11am and due to the rain, the queue was pretty small in comparison to yesterday. We paid 6 Euros entry fee and began the 463 steps to the top. I don’t recommend this climb to anyone feeling tired or under the weather or for that matter, unfit. We were fairly fit ourselves, but we found the step daunting. There are many narrow winding staircases and some steps became more ladder like and you get closer to the top. 463 steps later we were rewarded with a fantastic view of Florence in all directions.

On our way down, we walked round the inside of the Dome again, but this time on a higher walkway. This walkway has the “Last Judgement’ frescoes by Vasari. It began to rain, hard once we were outside to Duomo. We rushed back to our hotel, sopping wet and went straight to our room. Time to pack and head off to Siena!

Seattle is known for quite a few of its aspects. It is frequently considered to be the coffee capital of the country and it is also known for having initiated the grunge movement. And specifically regarding the geographic elements of the city, it is well known for the amount of rain it gets and also its location off of Puget Sound. The Seattle Seahawks and the Seattle Mariners and the SuperSonics are common sports associations to the city. Finally there are some of the city landmarks that are also recognized and strongly identify the city. These are the Space Needle and Pike Place Market.

Seattle has also made its way onto both the big and the little screen. It was the setting of the popular movie Sleepless in Seattle and it is the location of the current popular television series Grey’s Anatomy. Dark Angel is also set in Seattle as well as were the films It happened at the World’s Fair and iCarly. These films and television programs have helped bring Seattle into the mainstream pop culture consciousness. Sleepless in Seattle was enormously popular and starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Attendance at the Space Needle increased drastically after the release of that film. And many of the visitors had come from out of the state and were staying in one of the Seattle luxury hotels.

Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama that deals with the lives of residents, interns and their mentors in the fictional hospital called Seattle Grace Mercer West Hospital. It is currently in its sixth season and continues to grow in popularity. It has been claimed that the cast is contracted through at least eight seasons of the show. It has won two Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes and remains one of the most popular shows on prime time television. The stars of Grey’s Anatomy include Patrick Dempsey who plays the sex symbol Dr. Derek Shepherd, as well as Isaiah Washington, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl and Chandra Wilson among others.

Well, I arrived safe and sound in the place the South Africans call the Mother City, Cape Town. It feels a little like heaven on earth to me. The weather was perfect, the landscape is stunning, and the car hire in South Africa gave me a great jeep, very reliable, the hotel I’ve been staying at is superb. The food and drink are unbelievably cheap.

With just over 2 weeks to explore this place, I’ve decided to take things very slow and mostly catching up on my reading while I sip a beverage or two and hang with my newly found friends. It just dawn on me just how much I need R & R after having been constantly on the move for 3 whole months.

My first outing was to take the cable car up Table Mountain. Spectacular and awe-inspiring. The second thing I did, after sleeping a bit and lazing around, was to take a boat ride to Robben Island. This is where Nelson Mandela was held for all those years. Apart from that, I’ve done what I’ve planned, sleep and read.

I know Christmas is fast approaching, but here in South Africa, it’s great that it doesn’t feel that way. There are Christmas decorations out and Christmas music on the radio, but I guess I’m refusing to believe that the holiday can be properly celebrated in 30 degree centigrade. Christmas needs to be cold for me and there should be snow on the ground or even a small little snow fall. Actually, I’m glad that Cape Town is what it is, or otherwise I’d get homesick. You’d think I’d want to be home during the holidays, but I can’t tell you just how thrilling this place really is. It’s captivating.

After I finish this blog, I’m going out to my terrace and sip on some chardonnay in the blazing sun while Table Mountain looms over me as I read my book.

Cape Town is a spectacular place to visit, offering many new opportunities to get in tune with the world.  For arts and culture, there is always something exciting going on.  Cape Town has a fabulously complicated history in terms of performance and music, and there are hundred of groups here making new works that speak to the extreme moment, and are also variously influenced by the legacies of the artists who worked here during the last generation’s time on the world stage.  Of course, generations overlap, and there’s room for the very young as well as the very old, in the complex social structures that make up the art community in South Africa.  When it comes to speaking and creating new work simultaneously, the spirit of improvisation can fill the air, and suddenly everything that was known and solid become open for new questions again.

There are plenty of things to do in an evening in Cape Town.  Fine dining should always be on the agenda, because there is so much fantastic food here.  The unique mix of cultures and traditions bring their own sensibilities for taste and style, and the easiest access into another world is through the cuisine.  There are also plenty of world-class chefs working here, trained locally or elsewhere, who have a host of traditions in their arsenal, and are ready and able to compete in the world marketplace of culinary delights.  A sensational evening here can begin with local flavors, and then go deeper into the local flavors in the night life.  The visual art scene here is also particularly spectacular, with amazingly creative people coming here all the time.  You may have the chance to see work by South Africa’s own Strijdom van der Merwe.

He’s worked and shown all over the world, but has a very particular attachment to this place.  To say that Cape Town specifically, and South Africa in general, has an influence on his work is a bit of an understatement.  He describes himself as a land artist, and there’s probably no other way to describe his enormously beautiful and astonishing works.  He works with the land, using the materials that are here, and creating large sculptures that spread out before your feet, like a visual reminder of the presence of ancestors in all things.  Some of the work is more ethereal than others, with forms made at the edges of a beach, where the next wave is on its way to take it all away, and some are more permanent, lending themselves to installation work, but all speak of a temporal beauty that registers a knowledge of the memory in the soil.