One Day In The City

At the end of my July New York trip, I spent one day in the City with my sister. While she was at her French class, I read by the window in her apartment and admired the view:

An hour before she got back, I ventured outside for a walk and walked with my head tilted back so I could admire the buildings. I might as well have been wearing a t-shirt that said Please Mug Me, I'm An Idiot Tourist.

I only had five minutes to pop inside Grand Central Station, but really, that's all the time you need.

After lunch in Chelsea, my sister and I walked along the High Line, a public park built on an old elevated rail track. Artwork is scattered along the route, and the foliage in July was lush and beautiful. It's a great perspective of the City: you get to look down on traffic and see the City stretching before you.

I could have spent all day on the High Line, except it was about 90 degrees outside, humid and SUNNY. I could theoretically handle the heat and humidity, but I am a vampire that turns to ash in the sun. But at least we walked far enough to see the Empire State Building.

After a visit to the Guggenheim, my sister and I bought macarons at Laduree and then gorged ourselves while sitting on a bench in Central Park. The boats are operated by remote controls that you can rent, and we considered renting two controls... but the boats drift along slowly, like boat turtles. No fun. I want the boats to speed around the lake at 50 mph and then self-destruct in an enormous fire ball. But, I suppose the slow mellow boats are more photogenic.

Thank you, Katherine, for a wonderful sister day in the City! I give you permission to continue living in Manhattan, because the Big Apple is so much fun to visit. (But you do need to come home for Labor Day, Columbus Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and Arbor Day.)

New Mexico!

Last month, Nathan and I visited New Mexico. We flew into Albuquerque  on a Friday and rode the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of the mountain. The tram travels 2.7 miles to the top of a mountain, and the views are spectacular. At the highest point, we were about 7,000 feet above the ground (or, as the guide said, "about seven seconds on a bad day"). Riding the Tramway is probably the most adventurous thing I will ever do in my life, and that's okay (Swimming with sharks? Climbing a glacier? Skydiving? No thanks, no thanks, no thanks).

Then we drove about an hour to Santa Fe. The drive between Albuquerque and Santa Fe is about 5% pretty and 95% desolate wasteland. I was expecting lots of red glowing rocks and interesting geological formations. Instead, it was just a lot of flat land with scrubby plants - kind of like California's desert, but even more depressing.

But Santa Fe itself was wonderful. It's a foodie town and every meal we ate was delicious - especially our dinners at Il Piatto and Compound, and the outstanding pizza at Upper Crust. I thought Santa Fe was going to be all about Southwestern cuisine; and yes, there are plenty of chilis; but you can dine on many different types of cuisine as well (e.g. pizza). 

We stayed at a hotel within walking distance of the Plaza. If you go to Santa Fe, this is the thing to do. However, I can't recommend our hotel, because the mattress was utter crap.

On Saturday, we went to the Taos Pueblo, an interesting but depressing historical site. About 135 people still live in the Taos Pueblo - without plumbing, electricity or any modern comforts. According to our tour guide, the tribe has a patriarchal government. Translation: women are not allowed to hold political office. The poverty and patriarchal government depressed the hell out of me. 

Then, since we were in the area, we visited the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I was actually more spooked by our walk across the bridge than our ride on the aerial tram. I know, my fears make no sense. 

 

On Sunday, we spent the day wandering around Santa Fe. Locals sell turquoise trinkets and jewelry in front of the Palace of the Governors (pictured directly below). At 9:50 a.m. on Sunday, I decided to buy a necklace from an old lady. It cost $35. I gave her two twenties, but she did not have change. As a matter of principle, I refused to pay $40 for a $35 necklace. I took the money back and we walked away. Nathan later bought me a much more beautiful turquoise necklace from a proper shop (which I now wear nearly everyday). We still talk about the old lady. I was ready to pay $35 for the necklace! She had my money in her hand! She just let us walk away!  Holy crap, lady, it's 2012. If you don't take credit cards, you need to at least be prepared to make change for a twenty at 9:50 a.m.

Strands and wreaths of chili were for sale everywhere, but I did not see a single tourist walking around with the chilis. They were, however, lovely to admire.

There must be at least a hundred art galleries in Santa Fe, and every other store is selling turquoise or cowboy boots. The town was founded in the early 1600s, and you can just feel the history oozing from the buildings.  

We visited both the New Mexico History Museum and the New Mexico Museum of Art. I highly recommend both.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing photos from our day trip to Bandelier National Monument, by far the best part of our New Mexico trip.

Until then: stay safe! where your sunblock! and make sure the batteries in your smoke detector are still working!

Hearst Castle!

Last weekend, Nathan and I finally made the pilgrimage to Hearst Castle, which is about five hours away from Pasadena (in between L.A. and San Francisco).  My family took two or three trips to Hearst Castle when I was growing up, but I have not been since my senior year of high school.  (Which, oh my god, was fifteen years ago.  I'm old).

This is how I like to describe Hearst Castle: it's a historical site; an art museum; a design/furniture museum; an architectural wonder;  a monument to wealth, capitalism and extravagance; a botanical garden; and a nature sanctuary; all rolled into one ridiculous package.

William Randolph Hearst built his "little ranch" on the top of a hill.  If you want to visit the Castle, you have to buy tickets for a tour at the visitor's center.  No tour, no castle.  A bus shuttles you to the Castle.  It's about a ten minute drive on a winding road, and the Castle and ocean views appear, disappear and reappear many times.  This is the same road that Hearst himself and his guests took when they were visiting the Castle.

I would need a helicopter or reliable jet pack to take a photograph of the entire 165 room estate (including the main castle, the three guest houses, gardens, outdoor pool, and tennis courts).  But I left my jet pack at home (and it's a very moody, unreliable brat), so I just took this photo for you.  It's the main entrance to the Castle.

The Castle is California's answer to the Palace of Versailles.  We first went on the Grand Rooms Tour and saw the Assembly Room, where people like Charlie Chaplin and President Coolidge played poker, the dining room, the billiard room, a sitting room, and the movie theater.  Every night, Hearst screened the latest Hollywood hit, and the staff watched the movie with the guests.  After dinner, the guests had to wait until the staff were finished cleaning up before the movie could start.

The dining room (below) is decorated with 600 year old Italian silk flags.  The tour guide is standing in front of Hearst's chair.  It's hard to see in the photo, but the table was always set with ketchup and mustard.

I love how the billiard room is decorated with a tapestry that belongs in the Met.

After the Grand Rooms Tour, we wandered around the gardens.  In the background of the photo below, you can see one of the guest houses.  (By the way, I'm wearing my Black Exercise Shame Pants, which are so stretched out of shape, Nathan was worried I'd trip over my own feet.  But we had a five hour car drive and I wanted to be comfortable!  Also, I'm perfectly capable of tripping over my feet at any time, no matter what I'm wearing).

This is my favorite statue in the gardens.  I call it "Greek Hottie Feeding An Ear of Corn To A Goat."

Then we sat down and admired the view.  If forced to live at Hearst Castle, I suppose I would eventually tire of the panoramic views of the Pacific coastline...

And the outdoor swimming pool.  I'd totally hate the outdoor pool after a few days...

Oh, who am I kidding?  Hearst's outdoor pool is my happy spot, and I would gladly pay $1000 just to swim there for an hour.  (The State of California owns and operates Hearst Castle, and this might be a good way to solve California's next budget crisis).  

Then we took the Cottages and Kitchen Tour.  Since we had made the trip to Hearst Castle, we figured we might as well take two tours. 

This piece of art was hanging in a tiny guest bedroom.  It's probably worth more than my house and all of its furnishings.

  

When Hearst was decorating the Castle, Egyptian antiquities were "the rage" so he bought these Egyptian statues for the garden.  For 3,000 years, the statues watched over the Nile River.  Now they watch over tourists and the Pacific Ocean.

Below is the pantry.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It's the pantry, not the kitchen.  (Please don't show this photograph to my pantry, its self-esteem is already low, seeing as it's just a collection of shelves).

We also saw Hearst's wine cellar, but it was too dark for good photos (flash photography is forbidden inside the Castle).  I expected a vast cavern that stretched under the entire estate, but the cellar was just two smallish rooms.  Yawn.

I was morally obligated to strike a pose when I saw Hearst Castle's version of the Kitchenaid stand mixer.  (I no longer resent my stand mixer for taking up a huge chunk of counter space).

Lastly, before catching a bus back to the visitor's center, we admired the indoor pool. 

Some random thoughts if you want to visit the Castle:

•  We bought our tickets online the day before our visit.  This guaranteed we got to take the tours we wanted, when we wanted. 
• There is perfectly acceptable lunch food at the Visitor's Center.  It's nothing fancy, but it's convenient.
• Strollers are not allowed!  If you have a little one, be prepared to schlep that child around.  The tours involve a lot of walking and stairs.
• I first visited the Castle in the fourth or fifth grade and loved it.  Nerdy ten year olds will appreciate the tour. 

The Omaha Zoo

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to Nebraska for Nathan's cousin Lauren's wedding.  While we were there, we spent an afternoon at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.

Before I continue, let's get this out of the way:

As a Southern California native, I grew up assuming the San Diego Zoo is the greatest zoo in the world.  It does, after all, have pandas.  I've also visited the zoos in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, London, the Bronx and Central Park.  The Omaha Zoo does not have a panda, but it's still my favorite.

Nathan has taken me to the Omaha Zoo twice, and we have still not seen all the exhibits.  There are so many animals!  Many of the animals are outside like at a traditional zoo, but there are also enclosed "environments" like the Desert Dome and the Lied Jungle. 

(And, because I'm feeling really mature, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that I have not yet had a chance to visit the Grewcock Butterfly & Insect Pavilion, but I just want to mention the Grewcock Pavilion because it's called "Grewcock" and holy crap, how does anyone ever say that last name with a straight face?) 

My favorite part of the zoo is probably Skyfari, which is like a ski lift that crosses over the park.  You fly only about twenty or thirty feet above giraffes, monkeys, ostriches and other fun animals.  If you ever visit Nebraska, I highly recommend the Omaha Zoo.

Oh yeah, I might have gone crazy with my camera while we were there....

Confession: I Cannot Pack Lightly To Save My Life

I wish I was the sort of woman who has a talent for packing lightly.  You know who I'm talking about.  The sort of woman who packs a scarf, a dress, and a pair of capri pants and looks MAGNIFICANT during a two week European vacation.  It's as if she packed Magic Clothes that are perfect for every occassion in every climate.

But I am not that sort of woman.  I am the sort of woman who packs way too much.  For a two night trip, I'll pack eight outfits, convinced that if I pack less, the trip will be ruined. 

Last week, Nathan and I went to Las Vegas and Phoenix, and once again, I packed way too much.  For example, I brought a dress and high heels just in case I wanted to dress up for dinner - even though, I secretly knew I would just wear pants and flats at night to stay warm and comfortable.  Other items I packed but never used: a Southwest guidebook; bathing suit; flip-flops; a rain jacket; and several sweaters and t-shirts. 

Before a trip, I always tell myself that this time, I am going to streamline my packing list and only bring the bare essentials.  And every time, I fail.  Spectacularly.  But last week, even I was impressed by my ability to pack too much.

When we arrived at the Bellagio, Nathan offered to wheel my suitcase to our hotel room.  His suitcase weighed about 10 pounds (including the weight of the suitcase itself).  My suitcase weighed at least 60 pounds.

But I insisted upon wheeling my own suitcase.  If I had packed it, then I could haul it up to the room.

The next day, my chest/shoulder area hurt.  For several hours, I thought I had heartburn from eating rich food at the Paris breakfast buffet.  Then I realized the truth: I was just really, really, really freaking sore from pulling my too-heavy suitcase the day before.

Seriously?  It was a four night trip!  How did I manage to pack so much crap that I actually injured my shoulder?  And I wasn't just a little sore.  My shoulder hurt so badly, I could not carry a purse.  When I went to bed that night, I had to creatively layer several pillows to prop my body up into a comfortable position.  The next day, I was a little better, but I still had to take Advil to numb the pain.

I need professional help.  Can anyone recommend a good Packing Consultant?  Or maybe a trained Overpacking Therapist?  I need to learn how to pack lightly or next time, I might pull my arm out of its socket.

Arizona = Cactus Country

Last week, after our vacation in Las Vegas, Nathan and I drove to Arizona to visit his grandparents.  His paternal grandparents live in Nebraska but are wintering in Fountain Hills, a community close to Phoenix that is geared towards the retired set.

Before I go further, I should mention my first blog.  Before I started this blog, I had a blog called Wendy the Cactus, which chronicled the adventures of the world's most self-absorbed and delusional cactus.  I had a small cactus that I carried around everywhere in a ziploc bag.  I even took Wendy to Disneyland once!  But after awhile, I retired Wendy.  I was sick of toting around a small cactus in my purse and getting stabbed when I reached inside for my keys or wallet.  Also, Wendy is a bitch and channeling her negative thoughts was a bit of a downer.  But, when we were in Arizona, I thought fondly about Wendy.  She would have enjoyed Maricopa County and had a crush on half the cacti population.  Maybe one day I'll resurrect Wendy and she can write some guest posts for The Cranky Pumpkin.

Anyway, back to our trip to Fountain Hills, Arizona.  Can you guess what the town of Fountain Hills features?  If you guessed "an enormous fountain," give yourself a gold star!  The town has a lovely park and a fountain that shoots about 500 feet into the air. You can see the fountain from miles away.  I'm sorry, but I did not get any good photos of the fountain. 

Instead, I took about a hundred photos of cacti.  This was easy to do, because the Maricopa County landscape is dominated by the saguaro cactus.  

I noticed that some of the cacti had metal supports:

WTF?  I'm pretty certain the saguaro cactus evolved before cities and retirement communities were built in Arizona.  I'm also pretty certain that the saguaro cactus population was doing just fine before man learned how to work with metal.  Are these metal cactus supports part of the fossil record?  Do you expect me to believe that an elite cactus species with metal support systems recently evolved?

Okay, so these cacti are growing alongside a busy road.  Maybe it would cause a problem if one of the cacti toppled into the road during rush hour.  But how often does that happen?  During our two days in Arizona, I saw some dead cacti but I did not see a single fallen cactus.  No, the dead cacti were still standing up and just looked brown and rotten.  

And what makes the saguaro cacti so special that it needs metal supports?  If the saguaro cacti needs metal supports, what about all the beautiful trees in Pasadena?  Do the trees in front of my house need metal supports?  Maybe I should start collecting signatures for a Tree Support Referendum for the next election...

And why do only some of the saguaro cacti qualify for metal supports?  Is there a government employee driving around Maricopa County and deciding what cacti need the supports?  That sounds like an excellent use of the tax payers' money.

Is there a government department devoted to preserving the saguaro cacti?  Maybe I'm just uninformed, but it looks like the saguaro cacti is doing just fine on its own.  I saw thousands of them.  If Arizona doesn't watch out, the saguaro cacti will revolt and reclaim the desert.  In fact, I think I'm going to go write a screenplay now called Rise of the Saguaro.  It will be like Hitchcock's The Birds meets Planet of the Apes, except so much better. 

I do not know who is responsible for building and installing the metal supports for the Maricopa County saguaro cacti population.  But instead of building supports, I think the authorities should start building cages for these cacti.  They look treacherous.

Vegas Adventures

Last week, Nathan and I went to Las Vegas.  Even though I have lived in Southern California for almost my entire life, this was only my third trip to Sin City.  My first trip to Vegas was in June 1994 when I was 15 years old.  We were there for my oldest cousin's wedding, and for a 15 year old in 1994, Vegas sucked.  I was too young to drink or gamble and just felt really awkward. 

Then, I went to Vegas again about five or six years ago with a work friend for a girls' weekend.  Shortly after we arrived, my friend announced that she likes to gamble alone and then she ditched me in the casino.  I was left to my own devices.  I won about $80 from a slot machine, but it was otherwise the worst girls' weekend ever.  

So I had low expectations for last week's Vegas trip.  I assumed I would spend the entire trip feeling disoriented from the dim casino lights and ill from eating too much crappy food at overcrowded buffets.

But holy crap, we had so much fun.  I officially "get" Vegas.

We drove from Pasadena to Vegas last Wednesday morning.  By "we drove," I mean "Nathan drove and I sat in the passenger seat taking photos."  It was a rainy day, and for about five minutes, it snowed.  Fun fact: in the past 4 months, Nathan and I have been in two snowstorms, both in Southern California (the first was during our November 2011 Palm Springs trip). 

Do you watch Pawn Stars on the History Channel?  That is one of our favorite t.v. shows.  Before we even checked into our hotel, we visited Gold & Silver Pawn of Pawn Stars fame.  The stars of the show (Rick, the Old Man, Big Hoss and Chumlee) were all on vacation (boo), but it was still cool to actually walk into the shop.  It was a lot smaller than I expected it to be, and not a lot of merchandise was for sale.  About half the shop is devoted to souvenirs for the show, e.g. Chumlee t-shirts and Old Man shot glasses. 

After paying our respects to Pawn Stars, we went to Circus Circus, hoping to see one of the free circus shows.  We did not get to see a show, but we walked around the midway and discovered a carnival game with the best prizes ever: Minions!!!  (If you do not recognize the minions, go watch Despicable Me immediately if not sooner).  Nathan won me a mid-sized minion, and it is now proudly displayed on our living room sofa.

Next stop: the Bellagio!  Nathan booked us a room online for the cheapest price available, and then he bribed tipped the front desk clerk $40 for an upgrade.  The clerk gave us a room on the 28th floor with amazing views.  Not only did we have views of the Strip, but we were the last room on the floor, which meant we were the corner room and had views of the Strip in both directions.  Best bribe tip ever.

In addition to the usual shampoo and lotion, the Bellagio provides a complimentary loofah for its guests.  How bitching is that?  (And yes, the complimentary loofah is now in my shower at home).

We had an unobstructed view of the Paris hotel, which is across the street from the Bellagio.  I don't know which I like better, the late afternoon view of Paris:

Or the nighttime view:

But the best part of our rooms at the Bellagio was our view of the fountains.  Before we left, Nathan told me the Bellagio fountains are really impressive.  I imagined the fountains would be like something you see at a fancy mall.  Wrong.

The fountains are HUGE and they can do all sorts of tricks.  They can act like a geyser and blast water 30 stories into the air; but they also delicately twirl water around like graceful dancers.  The shows are synchronized to music, like Elvis/Viva Las Vegas, Sinatra/Luck Be A Lady, the Star Spangled Banner, Andrea Bocelli/Time to Say Goodbye, Michael Jackson/Billie Jean, and Copland/One of His Famous Uplifting Pieces. 

Here you can see the fountain apparatus underwater.  As you can see, this is not your average shopping mall fountain!

And here are the fountains, in action.  I cannot say enough about the Bellagio fountains.  They are beautiful and inspiring.  Think of the best fireworks display you ever saw, and then merge that with the best ballet performance ever, and then make that aquatic.  That's what the Bellagio fountain shows are like.  

At night, the shows are lit up and run every fifteen minutes.  During our first night in Vegas, Nathan and I felt like we were "slaves to the fountains."  We were tired and just wanted to zone out and watch television, but every fifteen minutes, we crawled out of bed to watch the next fountain show.  We could not, in good conscience, lie in bed while one of the Modern Wonders of the World was right outside our hotel window.

The Bellagio also has a beautiful conservatory that was decorated for Chinese New Year.

 

Despite what my photos may suggest, we did not spend our entire trip at the Bellagio.  We ate some amazing meals at other casinos, including one of the best Italian dinners of my life at Rao's.  And don't even get me started on the breakfast buffet at Paris' Le Village Buffet - I ate a crepe that is easily one of the five best things I have ever eaten in my life.  We also went to the top of the Stratosphere and walked around the Venetian's "canals." 

We were in Vegas for about 36 hours, and we gambled for about a total of 20 or 30 minutes (playing a Deal or No Deal slot machine - we won $3).  We also only had two drinks each.  So, we did not exactly have the Hangover or Swingers Vegas experience.  But so what?  We had fun, just in our own Vegas way.  I cannot wait to go back!