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See you there. Blog season has begun!
KG
Monday, June 16, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Back in the Apple
It was a cold day in NYC. Some people may doubt my credibility about cold as it's been a long time since I have lived in the city or in Vermont. Others will have checked out the temps on The Weather Channel and not doubt so much. To further validate my point, I saw lots of cold weather fashion today on people who would just as soon be taking out their capris and sandals. There was a charming Tibetan hat with silk cap surrounded by black fur. I was on the East Side today and there were several full length mink coats perhaps worn by the F-PETA people. I particularly liked the woman with mink and old sneakers with saggy socks-not leggings-saggy socks. Most of us were wearing our warmest sports gear-the New Yorkers in black, of course.
I did make an effort to conform. Jeans are my warmest pants, so I wore the standard blue, but paired with a black turtleneck though it was the Coldwater Creek very thin ones. I paired it with one of my new Charming Charlie b&w scarves, and if I can get the photo on the blog you might see me or you might just think I was another New Yorker in the photo. I was very grateful for my smart socks but opted for my regular black Keens rather than my brand new UGGs. It was a day for cab rides and museums and I did quite well with shoes. No rain and no snow-otherwise it would have been an UGG day.
I eased into the day with my "do not disturb" sign on my hotel room door and got down for Starbucks-fully dressed though I did see some young women in jammie bottoms and leather jackets in the lobby-at 11AM. I opted for the Whitney today as I don't think I have ever been there. The Calder made me think I might but as I recall it was a Calder exhibit in the Guggenheim sometime around 1977. So the Whitney was good and entertained me for several hours. I particularly liked the Whitney Biennial 2014 collection. The American Legends: From Calder to O'Keeffe was a treat as well. I sent out several photos. They are my postcards these days. I like that I can send quite a few rather effortlessly. I hesitated to take photos in the O'Keeffe but it was clear you could take them in the Biennial exhibits. There was one O'Keeffe that particularly caught my eye. Done in 1960 in blues and it made me think that she just kept getting better and better.
I had lunch at the museum and to my delight they serve breakfast all day. I had a lovely mushroom spinach omelette sans cheese and English Breakfast tea-perfect for a late riser on a bitterly cold day. By 3 I was ready for home and a nap. It was considerably colder outside and I was wishing I might have packed my long johns, but was otherwise warm and there are always plenty of taxi's on the East Side.
I had a bit of a debate with myself about dinner, but decided on Sapporo. It's just down 7th Ave a few blocks just past Barclay's Bank. I ate there last year with Carol on a cold day but rather tropical in comparison to today. I decided to go early to beat the rush and to stop by duane reades for more bottled water and paper towells. Sheraton gives me one bottle of Dasani per day and it just isn't enough. The walk over to DR made me glad I hadn't though this through too much as night was falling and the wind was picking up. I've always thought of NYC as having canyons and the icy wind will sure enough race down them with the enthusiasm of a freight train. Particularly challenging walking west tonight. So, DR was a welcome break along the way and only one block out of the way.
People dining alone will often find it easier to be seated-at the bar. This was true of the museum as well. The young moms with strollers were faced with a 25 min wait or a trip outside-hard call to make on a day like today. I, on the other hand, was offered first available and it was fast available. At Sapporo I got the seat nearest the door which was surprisingly not drafty. When I saw people eating in the front window bar I was glad for my seat observing the chefs rather than being the observed while slurping my ramen. I had the Shoyo whole wheat ramen and a cup of saki. I'll try to post the photos. Perfect food for cold.
Walking back I joined the throngs of New Yorkers longing to be in the place where I usually live. One couple was going to the theater-probably opening night as she was all dolled up in black (of course) with jewels and stiletto heels and with her cleavage getting frozen. She would have taken a mink in a New York minute.
I'll see if I can get some photos up now. Tomorrow is expected to be much warmer.
KG
I did make an effort to conform. Jeans are my warmest pants, so I wore the standard blue, but paired with a black turtleneck though it was the Coldwater Creek very thin ones. I paired it with one of my new Charming Charlie b&w scarves, and if I can get the photo on the blog you might see me or you might just think I was another New Yorker in the photo. I was very grateful for my smart socks but opted for my regular black Keens rather than my brand new UGGs. It was a day for cab rides and museums and I did quite well with shoes. No rain and no snow-otherwise it would have been an UGG day.
I eased into the day with my "do not disturb" sign on my hotel room door and got down for Starbucks-fully dressed though I did see some young women in jammie bottoms and leather jackets in the lobby-at 11AM. I opted for the Whitney today as I don't think I have ever been there. The Calder made me think I might but as I recall it was a Calder exhibit in the Guggenheim sometime around 1977. So the Whitney was good and entertained me for several hours. I particularly liked the Whitney Biennial 2014 collection. The American Legends: From Calder to O'Keeffe was a treat as well. I sent out several photos. They are my postcards these days. I like that I can send quite a few rather effortlessly. I hesitated to take photos in the O'Keeffe but it was clear you could take them in the Biennial exhibits. There was one O'Keeffe that particularly caught my eye. Done in 1960 in blues and it made me think that she just kept getting better and better.
I had lunch at the museum and to my delight they serve breakfast all day. I had a lovely mushroom spinach omelette sans cheese and English Breakfast tea-perfect for a late riser on a bitterly cold day. By 3 I was ready for home and a nap. It was considerably colder outside and I was wishing I might have packed my long johns, but was otherwise warm and there are always plenty of taxi's on the East Side.
I had a bit of a debate with myself about dinner, but decided on Sapporo. It's just down 7th Ave a few blocks just past Barclay's Bank. I ate there last year with Carol on a cold day but rather tropical in comparison to today. I decided to go early to beat the rush and to stop by duane reades for more bottled water and paper towells. Sheraton gives me one bottle of Dasani per day and it just isn't enough. The walk over to DR made me glad I hadn't though this through too much as night was falling and the wind was picking up. I've always thought of NYC as having canyons and the icy wind will sure enough race down them with the enthusiasm of a freight train. Particularly challenging walking west tonight. So, DR was a welcome break along the way and only one block out of the way.
People dining alone will often find it easier to be seated-at the bar. This was true of the museum as well. The young moms with strollers were faced with a 25 min wait or a trip outside-hard call to make on a day like today. I, on the other hand, was offered first available and it was fast available. At Sapporo I got the seat nearest the door which was surprisingly not drafty. When I saw people eating in the front window bar I was glad for my seat observing the chefs rather than being the observed while slurping my ramen. I had the Shoyo whole wheat ramen and a cup of saki. I'll try to post the photos. Perfect food for cold.
Walking back I joined the throngs of New Yorkers longing to be in the place where I usually live. One couple was going to the theater-probably opening night as she was all dolled up in black (of course) with jewels and stiletto heels and with her cleavage getting frozen. She would have taken a mink in a New York minute.
I'll see if I can get some photos up now. Tomorrow is expected to be much warmer.
KG
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Back at the Beach
Our check in time was 3, but we were about three hours later getting in. It does take more than 2 hours to get here, but I was giving the cleaning lady extra time as we thought there was a family leaving this morning at 11. As it turned out, that family had motorcycle wreck troubles and didn't ever make it here, and we encountered a train in Baldwin that encourages neighbors to get out of their cars and visit with each other and smoke. Even the First Baptist Church electronic sign says, Stopped by a Train-take the oppoirtunity to pray.
We thought about Callahan BBQ for dinner, but they are closed on Sundays, so we setled for Sonny's take out and waited till we were pretty moved in and cooled down. I had gotten as far as setting up the electronics and couldn't find the wi-fi password. It wasn't in "the letter" that our landlady sends with the info we need. I did look on the reciever but didn't see it. Just as well as it was an excuse to knock on the neighbor's door. The first responders are always a gaggle of dachshunds and then some time later by Nell. She came over and suggested look behind the tv and there it was. However, she stayed and visited for awhile. Last year she was with her sister, Alex. Alex had had a leg removed at the hip, but she relied upon herself for whatever. Sometimes we would find things she left on the front stairs when she would scoot herself up one step at a time. She was the one who brought us our first piece of Ms Carolines coconut cake. She died in April. Nell said that she was at the door of her own house letting the dogs out and just died. Not a bad way to go. Hard for Nell and hard for Alex's dog who now lives with Nell and her dogs.
We got several other stories before she left including the new location of Ms Caroline's and their extended hours. I think she is relieved to have someone in shouting distance or banging distance. She makes a good neighbor for us as well.
Stella loves the beach-always has. Shes not as fast, but the smile is the same. Of course, she remembers the house, but she gave it a good inspection just the same.
We are alnost settled in. It's nice to know where everything is. I tried to get our landlady to keep my last year's deposit for this year, but she has her system and it doesn't include keeping deposits. I might just try again to put in for next October when we leave this year. It's really perfect for us here. Marcia even found our Penzey's half sharp paprika in the spice cabinet left from last year. She does have to reinstall the handhell shower head though.
So we are breathing in the salt air. There is a trip to Publix tomorrow and tomorrow evening a visit from a cousin. Never met her, but I've seen her genome.
KG
We thought about Callahan BBQ for dinner, but they are closed on Sundays, so we setled for Sonny's take out and waited till we were pretty moved in and cooled down. I had gotten as far as setting up the electronics and couldn't find the wi-fi password. It wasn't in "the letter" that our landlady sends with the info we need. I did look on the reciever but didn't see it. Just as well as it was an excuse to knock on the neighbor's door. The first responders are always a gaggle of dachshunds and then some time later by Nell. She came over and suggested look behind the tv and there it was. However, she stayed and visited for awhile. Last year she was with her sister, Alex. Alex had had a leg removed at the hip, but she relied upon herself for whatever. Sometimes we would find things she left on the front stairs when she would scoot herself up one step at a time. She was the one who brought us our first piece of Ms Carolines coconut cake. She died in April. Nell said that she was at the door of her own house letting the dogs out and just died. Not a bad way to go. Hard for Nell and hard for Alex's dog who now lives with Nell and her dogs.
We got several other stories before she left including the new location of Ms Caroline's and their extended hours. I think she is relieved to have someone in shouting distance or banging distance. She makes a good neighbor for us as well.
Stella loves the beach-always has. Shes not as fast, but the smile is the same. Of course, she remembers the house, but she gave it a good inspection just the same.
We are alnost settled in. It's nice to know where everything is. I tried to get our landlady to keep my last year's deposit for this year, but she has her system and it doesn't include keeping deposits. I might just try again to put in for next October when we leave this year. It's really perfect for us here. Marcia even found our Penzey's half sharp paprika in the spice cabinet left from last year. She does have to reinstall the handhell shower head though.
So we are breathing in the salt air. There is a trip to Publix tomorrow and tomorrow evening a visit from a cousin. Never met her, but I've seen her genome.
KG
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
How to Top Off a Fine Week in Toronto
Do all the things on your bucket list that you have energy for, but top it all off with a late afternoon cruise on the three masted Kajama.
I took a cab about noon time to the new City Hall where I did see the Ai Weiwei zodiac. Then made my way to the Hudson Bay Company store where I had lunch in the Lower Level. There is an amazing array of food and all high quality-no Burger King food court here. I had two salmon and chopped fennel slaw tacos and a side slaw of diakon, carrot and occasional raisin and vinegary red onion soaked soft. I washed it down with a lemon green tea. I walked around the store a bit and was tempted by some socks, but they would actually have been quite hot most of the time, so I passed on them. Better that they warm some North Country legs this winter.
I did a bit of walking down to King street and eventually wandered into St James Church. We had heard about this church many times from riding the Ho Ho, so it's C of E interior was not a surprise, but there happened to be an organ concert and I was able to catch the last 10 minutes. Very nice way to rest my legs and much more inspiring than just the decor. I was puzzled at why there would be a pew 106 and the next pew would be 106 1/2 when all the others were whole numbers. Didn't get to ask the Vicar, though he was standing nearby, as he was engaged in conversation. We do know, from our many rides on the Ho Ho that this church had a pew tax so that the smaller church in Corktown was built for immigrants fleeing the potato famine and it did not require a fee. St James has done away with their fee, but, when the Queen is in town she worships there and the pew fee comes back. At least $400 CAD (one assumes) and higher the closer you sit to her. Though I have never been Catholic, buying indulgences seems more prudent. One wonders if the pew fee goes up if the new Prince goes to church. He could be worth is weight many times over.
Church done I decided to head down King St to take a peek in the household furnishings design shops. I also popped into a chi chi wine shop and asked the manager why I could not find any BC wines in Ontario. He did his best to promote the one red BC wine he had, but said that the government of Canada is the one responsible. That it is a long way to ship the wine. I suggested that New Zealand seemed further and I had been enjoying NZ wines in Canada. He smiled and moved on in conversation. He knew my fave, Joyeau Nobel and agreed that they made excellent wines-that they have the dry climate that makes for good wines. He also pointed out that worse things could happen than going to BC and I had to agree. Sounds like provincial wine battles in Parliament to me.
The chi chi design furniture eluded me. I was particularly intrigued by the Amish Urban, but won't get to see it this trip. I spied the St Lawrence Market and decided to take a look. It was mostly food and goddess knows we need to clean out the refer before we go, but I did want to take a look around. I found a t-shirt for MDT and will try to get a photo for you to see. It involves fishing. Then I found a bag of cheese curds and it is a longstanding thing with us that when we spot them we buy them, so I did in spite of the refer delima. Then I caught a cab back home in time to meet Suz for the sail
Kajama is quite lovely and only costs $20CAD for about 1.5 hrs. We thought that a 4 pm sailing would be about perfect and it was. We have literally thousands of photos to sort through and edit. I sampled a Steam Whistle Pilsner on board and it was quite good. When in Toronto I would suggest having one.
On the way back to the condo a short one block away from the ship's landing, we had to pass the lobster roll stand that I have been oogling for a week, and it didn't take much to convince Susan that we needed to support the local economy and get them. The partners in the condo declined, so Suz and I dined and then helped out with the cheese curd and fruit and assorted Chinese pastries. I also have a bottle of wine that I have almost cleaned up, but it's that oaky chard tasting thing, so the salted cheddar is working with it.
When I finish this blog I have to go pack. It is the saddest thing about the journey. So much to do and so little time. We are covered for the Powerball drawing, so perhaps we will be back soon.
KG
I took a cab about noon time to the new City Hall where I did see the Ai Weiwei zodiac. Then made my way to the Hudson Bay Company store where I had lunch in the Lower Level. There is an amazing array of food and all high quality-no Burger King food court here. I had two salmon and chopped fennel slaw tacos and a side slaw of diakon, carrot and occasional raisin and vinegary red onion soaked soft. I washed it down with a lemon green tea. I walked around the store a bit and was tempted by some socks, but they would actually have been quite hot most of the time, so I passed on them. Better that they warm some North Country legs this winter.
I did a bit of walking down to King street and eventually wandered into St James Church. We had heard about this church many times from riding the Ho Ho, so it's C of E interior was not a surprise, but there happened to be an organ concert and I was able to catch the last 10 minutes. Very nice way to rest my legs and much more inspiring than just the decor. I was puzzled at why there would be a pew 106 and the next pew would be 106 1/2 when all the others were whole numbers. Didn't get to ask the Vicar, though he was standing nearby, as he was engaged in conversation. We do know, from our many rides on the Ho Ho that this church had a pew tax so that the smaller church in Corktown was built for immigrants fleeing the potato famine and it did not require a fee. St James has done away with their fee, but, when the Queen is in town she worships there and the pew fee comes back. At least $400 CAD (one assumes) and higher the closer you sit to her. Though I have never been Catholic, buying indulgences seems more prudent. One wonders if the pew fee goes up if the new Prince goes to church. He could be worth is weight many times over.
Church done I decided to head down King St to take a peek in the household furnishings design shops. I also popped into a chi chi wine shop and asked the manager why I could not find any BC wines in Ontario. He did his best to promote the one red BC wine he had, but said that the government of Canada is the one responsible. That it is a long way to ship the wine. I suggested that New Zealand seemed further and I had been enjoying NZ wines in Canada. He smiled and moved on in conversation. He knew my fave, Joyeau Nobel and agreed that they made excellent wines-that they have the dry climate that makes for good wines. He also pointed out that worse things could happen than going to BC and I had to agree. Sounds like provincial wine battles in Parliament to me.
The chi chi design furniture eluded me. I was particularly intrigued by the Amish Urban, but won't get to see it this trip. I spied the St Lawrence Market and decided to take a look. It was mostly food and goddess knows we need to clean out the refer before we go, but I did want to take a look around. I found a t-shirt for MDT and will try to get a photo for you to see. It involves fishing. Then I found a bag of cheese curds and it is a longstanding thing with us that when we spot them we buy them, so I did in spite of the refer delima. Then I caught a cab back home in time to meet Suz for the sail
Kajama is quite lovely and only costs $20CAD for about 1.5 hrs. We thought that a 4 pm sailing would be about perfect and it was. We have literally thousands of photos to sort through and edit. I sampled a Steam Whistle Pilsner on board and it was quite good. When in Toronto I would suggest having one.
On the way back to the condo a short one block away from the ship's landing, we had to pass the lobster roll stand that I have been oogling for a week, and it didn't take much to convince Susan that we needed to support the local economy and get them. The partners in the condo declined, so Suz and I dined and then helped out with the cheese curd and fruit and assorted Chinese pastries. I also have a bottle of wine that I have almost cleaned up, but it's that oaky chard tasting thing, so the salted cheddar is working with it.
When I finish this blog I have to go pack. It is the saddest thing about the journey. So much to do and so little time. We are covered for the Powerball drawing, so perhaps we will be back soon.
KG
Dicy Buddies
Good morning blogophiles. I neglected to blog last night though I had a couple of adventures yesterday. One of my travelmates has introduced me to Dice With Buddies which is basically Yhatze. We started out with one game and then she showed me how to start another game and while she was away for a bit I fiished my turns on all of the games we had started and I spied the already been won games and opted for a rematch and before you knew it we had 97 games going. I'm still not sure how it all happened, but there we were last night working our little stylus to the metal trying to finish some of those games.
Yesterday's adventures were, for me and Marcia, the ROM, Royal Ontairo Museum. My Ho Ho pass has expired so we took a cab. Easier and quieter. The featured exhibit was Mesopotamia on loan from the British Museum (you may remember several adventures at the big BM). The artifacts were good, but what caught my attention were the little films telling about the digs and issues of the wars fought in this area. Apparently the French and British were all about the artifacts and the Germans came along and excivated the arcitecture. This brought to mind the museum Cathy and I visited in Berlin that had huge exhibits giving one an idea of the scale of these ancient cities and the skill it took to build them. I still have no idea how Nebakanazer's folks got the water to rise several stories to make waterfalls and to water the hanging gardens.
The other thing that there were plenty of were the clay or stone cylinders used for sealing. Not letters because writing was on wet clay (with stylus-full circle back to iPad) but crates of stuff belonging to important people. The little cylinder told a little story, the meaning of which was probably something like a warning with implications about what might happen to the person who broke the seal. Having dabbled in clay myself I couldn't help but think that some of the seals probably got broken by accident and how unfortunate that would have been.
The last little film I watched reminded us that the Babalonians used a base 6 number system, hence we have 60 minutes in an hour and 12 signs of the zodiac.
Time for lunch. Choices were the noisy cafe or a swank sit down bistro. The ROM lives at one end of the Millionaire Mile, where the sidewalks are paved with granite and the shops are designer. If you plan to shop here choose a sunny day as rain and ice on granite are trecherous. In spite of a forecast of rain, our day was sunny and we made it a short way down the mile to the Bistro and enjoyed a delightful lunch. Apparently we are on a Benedict binge as the thing that appealed to us both was a lobster benedict. Marcia got a bowl of gaspacho as well and it was quite tasty. I opted for the mimosa which was quite good as well. Rather tart.
Back at the museum Marcia went to the second floor to see bones and crystals and minerals and rocks and I went straight for Asia. There were some very fine 11th century Buddhas to look at as well as ancestor paintings. I particularly enjoyed some of the ceramics and have a photo or two.
We came back to the condo for a rest, and I caught up on some dice with my buddie. Suz and Charlotte had a nice stroll through the distillery which has been converted into shops and restaurants. Then took a long walk back to the condo mostly by the lake. Suz got great photos of sailboats on the lake. I'll see if she might share.
Dinner was leftovers, but what great leftovers. Chinese duck with veggies and a bit of pasta. I tried the Ontario Savignon Blanc and was not impressed. There is a little store in our block that sells nothing but Ontario wines and when I told the clerk that I liked the New Zealand Marlborough SB she enthusiastically recommended this Ontario SB. It had an oaky chard taste that was not unplesant but not my light and grapefurity NZ SB. My favorite Canadian wine, Joyeaux Nobel from BC does not seem to be available here. I wonder what is the problem? One might think that Canada would be all about promoting Canada wines whether they were from BC or Niagra. I cannot even get it shipped to the US. Who knows. Must make sense to someone.
My plans for today are modest. I want to see the Ai Weiwei Chinese zodiac statues at the new City Hall. I actually want to see the City Hall as the tourist bus just offers a sideways glimpse. I might drop by the Bay Company Store as well since it is in the neighborhood. Remember the Hudson Bay Company from 5th grade history? Well, it still exists in the form of a huge department store just catty cornered from City Hall-the old one which is next to the new one.
Sadly, tonight will be all about packing and tidying up in preperation for our flight on Wednesday. Over soooooo soon.
KG
Yesterday's adventures were, for me and Marcia, the ROM, Royal Ontairo Museum. My Ho Ho pass has expired so we took a cab. Easier and quieter. The featured exhibit was Mesopotamia on loan from the British Museum (you may remember several adventures at the big BM). The artifacts were good, but what caught my attention were the little films telling about the digs and issues of the wars fought in this area. Apparently the French and British were all about the artifacts and the Germans came along and excivated the arcitecture. This brought to mind the museum Cathy and I visited in Berlin that had huge exhibits giving one an idea of the scale of these ancient cities and the skill it took to build them. I still have no idea how Nebakanazer's folks got the water to rise several stories to make waterfalls and to water the hanging gardens.
The other thing that there were plenty of were the clay or stone cylinders used for sealing. Not letters because writing was on wet clay (with stylus-full circle back to iPad) but crates of stuff belonging to important people. The little cylinder told a little story, the meaning of which was probably something like a warning with implications about what might happen to the person who broke the seal. Having dabbled in clay myself I couldn't help but think that some of the seals probably got broken by accident and how unfortunate that would have been.
The last little film I watched reminded us that the Babalonians used a base 6 number system, hence we have 60 minutes in an hour and 12 signs of the zodiac.
Time for lunch. Choices were the noisy cafe or a swank sit down bistro. The ROM lives at one end of the Millionaire Mile, where the sidewalks are paved with granite and the shops are designer. If you plan to shop here choose a sunny day as rain and ice on granite are trecherous. In spite of a forecast of rain, our day was sunny and we made it a short way down the mile to the Bistro and enjoyed a delightful lunch. Apparently we are on a Benedict binge as the thing that appealed to us both was a lobster benedict. Marcia got a bowl of gaspacho as well and it was quite tasty. I opted for the mimosa which was quite good as well. Rather tart.
Back at the museum Marcia went to the second floor to see bones and crystals and minerals and rocks and I went straight for Asia. There were some very fine 11th century Buddhas to look at as well as ancestor paintings. I particularly enjoyed some of the ceramics and have a photo or two.
We came back to the condo for a rest, and I caught up on some dice with my buddie. Suz and Charlotte had a nice stroll through the distillery which has been converted into shops and restaurants. Then took a long walk back to the condo mostly by the lake. Suz got great photos of sailboats on the lake. I'll see if she might share.
Dinner was leftovers, but what great leftovers. Chinese duck with veggies and a bit of pasta. I tried the Ontario Savignon Blanc and was not impressed. There is a little store in our block that sells nothing but Ontario wines and when I told the clerk that I liked the New Zealand Marlborough SB she enthusiastically recommended this Ontario SB. It had an oaky chard taste that was not unplesant but not my light and grapefurity NZ SB. My favorite Canadian wine, Joyeaux Nobel from BC does not seem to be available here. I wonder what is the problem? One might think that Canada would be all about promoting Canada wines whether they were from BC or Niagra. I cannot even get it shipped to the US. Who knows. Must make sense to someone.
My plans for today are modest. I want to see the Ai Weiwei Chinese zodiac statues at the new City Hall. I actually want to see the City Hall as the tourist bus just offers a sideways glimpse. I might drop by the Bay Company Store as well since it is in the neighborhood. Remember the Hudson Bay Company from 5th grade history? Well, it still exists in the form of a huge department store just catty cornered from City Hall-the old one which is next to the new one.
Sadly, tonight will be all about packing and tidying up in preperation for our flight on Wednesday. Over soooooo soon.
KG
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Ho Ho AGO
It's the Art Gallery of Ontario and Marcia and I toured it today. All of these museums are more than can be done in a day, so we took our time getting up and going this morning, left Suz and Charlotte with the laundry and took the long Ho Ho ride to stop #11. By the time we got there it was past our lunch time considerably, so we stopped at Franks, the nice restaurant next to the museum and had the bennys-eggs benedict on a croissant with a side salad. Very nice. Photo to follow.
Speaking of photos, we are being frugal with the iPhone and not doing data here because it costs quite a bit more, so the iPhotos will make it to the blog when the big girl camera photos do.
What I liked about the AGO was the portraits. In particular the shots front and profile of mostly men in Indochina in the mid 19th century. They were found in a museum of anthropology in Paris. Each photo has the person's name and age. I was struck by how they look older than their age. I can imagine that life might have been hard on them. I have a lovely photo of a portrait of the Queen, g grandmother Queen these days. She has her eyes shut. I imagine she hates the portrait, but...
We missed the Ai Weiwei exhibit which will start 17 August. We also missed a Blue Jay's home game which is really a shame as it would have been three blocks away from us. However, this condo is lovely enough to rent again, so maybe we will catch up with the Jays. I'll have to check on Weiwei's tour to see if he might come to Atlanta.
I'll let Marcia tell you herself about what she saw. We learned a long time ago to go our own ways in a museum and share later. She did have a good time.
We came home to find Charlotte under the weather with stomach troubles. She has had several OTC remedies and is now up, so it looks promising.
The Phillies and the Braves are all tied in in the 12th, so we have a game going. Soon back to bed to rest up for another day.
KG
Speaking of photos, we are being frugal with the iPhone and not doing data here because it costs quite a bit more, so the iPhotos will make it to the blog when the big girl camera photos do.
What I liked about the AGO was the portraits. In particular the shots front and profile of mostly men in Indochina in the mid 19th century. They were found in a museum of anthropology in Paris. Each photo has the person's name and age. I was struck by how they look older than their age. I can imagine that life might have been hard on them. I have a lovely photo of a portrait of the Queen, g grandmother Queen these days. She has her eyes shut. I imagine she hates the portrait, but...
We missed the Ai Weiwei exhibit which will start 17 August. We also missed a Blue Jay's home game which is really a shame as it would have been three blocks away from us. However, this condo is lovely enough to rent again, so maybe we will catch up with the Jays. I'll have to check on Weiwei's tour to see if he might come to Atlanta.
I'll let Marcia tell you herself about what she saw. We learned a long time ago to go our own ways in a museum and share later. She did have a good time.
We came home to find Charlotte under the weather with stomach troubles. She has had several OTC remedies and is now up, so it looks promising.
The Phillies and the Braves are all tied in in the 12th, so we have a game going. Soon back to bed to rest up for another day.
KG
Ho Ho Hos
We all have passes for the Ho Ho bus. All except Marcia who was not feeling well enough to go yesterday. My plan was to do a whole loop without getting off and then have another Dim Sum with Marcia.
The city reminds me of Chicago. Several Art Deco buildings and lots of glass and steel. Like Chicago, fire was a threat and the city burned several times. After that they realized that just because wood was plentiful it might not be the best building material for a city and they passed laws about brick. These days it is all about glass and steel and there is quite a bit of it. And more to come. We are totally blown away by the amount of construction all over town. There is big money floating around. Who knew that three cents on the dollar would promote such growth. Or is it the other way around?
Dim Sum was quite good again. The restaurant has windows all around and the center is three steps higher than the window side tables, so there is really not a bad table in the house. The boats on the lake sail casually by as one picks delicious little treats from the rolling trays. Our landlady tells us that people come from around the world just for this restaurant. She also promises to send us a list of her favorite restaurants.
After lunch I caught the Ho Ho bus again. Susan and Charlotte rode the morning bus with me to their stop, #11-Chinatown, AGO (art museum), Kensington, and the general sites of Spadina St. They had lunch in Chinatown and visited the Ding Dong Bakery before taking a long walk home. I rode the bus again. By the time I got to the AGO myself it was 1.5 hrs before closing and there isn't a two day pass, so I decided to wait till another day-perhaps today. The disadvantage of the Ho Ho is that it is not direct and takes a long time. Sometimes this is just fine as we have energy for just doing the museum and riding the bus is low energy entertainment, but it didn't work for me yesterday. It did work in the sense that I got a nice walk around Chinatown and Kensington, which is like a hippy district with retro boutiques and Tibetan Clothing and lots of food markets and little restaurants. Since they never have my size and I couldn't even find an appealing scarf and we had done the marketing, it was a quick trip for me. When I was really hot and thirsty there appeared before me a cane juice stand. I remember seeing them in China. The canes are sliced down the middle and fed through a little press and the juice is caught. I had the guy fill my cup to the top with ice and then he poured in the juice and sealed it with a thin aluminum foil cover. One grabs a straw which has a pointed end and perforates the foil and voila-a form of Gatorade. My rejuvenated electrolytes made their way through the rain and back on the bus. I was able to get a seat on the bottom level which was fortuitous as the skies opened up a short time later.
Meanwhile, Suz and Charlotte had made it home mid afternoon and were lounging and indeed napping. Marcia made us dinner of roti chicken, linguini with pesto and shiitake and campari tomatoes and onions, steamed asparagus and ourfavorite chibatta baguette. We got deserts from the Sobey's and Suz and Charlotte got Ding Dong deserts, so it was more desert than I usually have, but it was all so good. Even the Ding Dong was quite nice.
Down below us at the harbour front is supposed to be a rather large Caribbean festival this weekend. Our Ho Ho guides said that 2 million people are expected at the parade. We don't know where the parade route will be, but under our balcony seems unlikely as there is massive construction going on and you can barely get a bus through the maze of fencing. You certainly wouldn't know there was a festival about to happen looking down there now, but it is fairly early yet. Island time, ya know.
Charlotte could probably turn cartwheels all the way to the Casa Loma from here, but Suz and I are knackered. I'm hoping that the big cup of coffee I just had will prompt me to get on the bus and go to the museum, but it's not looking good at the moment. Maybe a nice hot shower will make a difference.
KG
The city reminds me of Chicago. Several Art Deco buildings and lots of glass and steel. Like Chicago, fire was a threat and the city burned several times. After that they realized that just because wood was plentiful it might not be the best building material for a city and they passed laws about brick. These days it is all about glass and steel and there is quite a bit of it. And more to come. We are totally blown away by the amount of construction all over town. There is big money floating around. Who knew that three cents on the dollar would promote such growth. Or is it the other way around?
Dim Sum was quite good again. The restaurant has windows all around and the center is three steps higher than the window side tables, so there is really not a bad table in the house. The boats on the lake sail casually by as one picks delicious little treats from the rolling trays. Our landlady tells us that people come from around the world just for this restaurant. She also promises to send us a list of her favorite restaurants.
After lunch I caught the Ho Ho bus again. Susan and Charlotte rode the morning bus with me to their stop, #11-Chinatown, AGO (art museum), Kensington, and the general sites of Spadina St. They had lunch in Chinatown and visited the Ding Dong Bakery before taking a long walk home. I rode the bus again. By the time I got to the AGO myself it was 1.5 hrs before closing and there isn't a two day pass, so I decided to wait till another day-perhaps today. The disadvantage of the Ho Ho is that it is not direct and takes a long time. Sometimes this is just fine as we have energy for just doing the museum and riding the bus is low energy entertainment, but it didn't work for me yesterday. It did work in the sense that I got a nice walk around Chinatown and Kensington, which is like a hippy district with retro boutiques and Tibetan Clothing and lots of food markets and little restaurants. Since they never have my size and I couldn't even find an appealing scarf and we had done the marketing, it was a quick trip for me. When I was really hot and thirsty there appeared before me a cane juice stand. I remember seeing them in China. The canes are sliced down the middle and fed through a little press and the juice is caught. I had the guy fill my cup to the top with ice and then he poured in the juice and sealed it with a thin aluminum foil cover. One grabs a straw which has a pointed end and perforates the foil and voila-a form of Gatorade. My rejuvenated electrolytes made their way through the rain and back on the bus. I was able to get a seat on the bottom level which was fortuitous as the skies opened up a short time later.
Meanwhile, Suz and Charlotte had made it home mid afternoon and were lounging and indeed napping. Marcia made us dinner of roti chicken, linguini with pesto and shiitake and campari tomatoes and onions, steamed asparagus and ourfavorite chibatta baguette. We got deserts from the Sobey's and Suz and Charlotte got Ding Dong deserts, so it was more desert than I usually have, but it was all so good. Even the Ding Dong was quite nice.
Down below us at the harbour front is supposed to be a rather large Caribbean festival this weekend. Our Ho Ho guides said that 2 million people are expected at the parade. We don't know where the parade route will be, but under our balcony seems unlikely as there is massive construction going on and you can barely get a bus through the maze of fencing. You certainly wouldn't know there was a festival about to happen looking down there now, but it is fairly early yet. Island time, ya know.
Charlotte could probably turn cartwheels all the way to the Casa Loma from here, but Suz and I are knackered. I'm hoping that the big cup of coffee I just had will prompt me to get on the bus and go to the museum, but it's not looking good at the moment. Maybe a nice hot shower will make a difference.
KG
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Tuckered in Toronto
I woke up wondering where was the truck that ran over me and realized it was an airbus. So I decided to put up my feet and rest in hopes of stockpiling some energy for the rest of the week. I had my breakfast shake and coffee and by 10:30 I was ready to do my exercises. Suz and Charlotte were texting from the Ho Ho bus which can be caught at the Raddison which is across the street and about a block away. They now have a week pass which will serve as transportation to the sites we want to see around town. Museum, museum, museum!
Marcia found a Japanese restaurant across the street in the Terminal building which is a combo business center and mini mall harbourfront. By 12:30 we were ready to cross the street. Turns out there is a little Sobey's grocery in the terminal as well. Also turns out the Japanese restaurant is in a little food court and next to it is a sit down Chinese restaurant called Pearl which serves Dim Sum daily from 11:30 to 3pm. We were down for Dim Sum in no time flat. Beautiful views of the harbour and good food-light and easy. We'll probably be taking Suz and Charlotte soon as there is a Caribbean Festival in the park next to the terminal and across the street from us and as the weekend comes it is likely to get fairly crowded. Of course, there will be live music that will probably be able to be heard from our balcony and I'm sure the food vendors will be out. Jerk chicken, pigeon peas and rice and plantains fried. Works for me. Regge on!
So, we came home and had more rest which now feels well worth it. Suz and Charlotte joined us mid afternoon full of useful info about the Ho Ho bus and a bunch of photos. Charlotte and I took off for Longos for some Salmon and other supplies that we didn't get yesterday. That was plenty of exercise for me.
I did mention that wine is expensive, but today I bought laundry detergent- an average sized bottle of unscented Tide for almost $11 CAD. One has to factor in that the Sobey's is on the harbourfront, but ex-pen-sive! We are clean though. Suz for one appreciates a harbourfront condo with laundry service. Scullery is my specialty!
Tonight's menu: Salmon a la Charlotte, ww pasta, Brussels Sprouts Marcia and the lovely chibatta baguette from the Longo bakery. There is also a selection of lovely tarts. The special French bakery is 16 blocks away, so we will see if the Ho Ho will take us near there.
KG
Marcia found a Japanese restaurant across the street in the Terminal building which is a combo business center and mini mall harbourfront. By 12:30 we were ready to cross the street. Turns out there is a little Sobey's grocery in the terminal as well. Also turns out the Japanese restaurant is in a little food court and next to it is a sit down Chinese restaurant called Pearl which serves Dim Sum daily from 11:30 to 3pm. We were down for Dim Sum in no time flat. Beautiful views of the harbour and good food-light and easy. We'll probably be taking Suz and Charlotte soon as there is a Caribbean Festival in the park next to the terminal and across the street from us and as the weekend comes it is likely to get fairly crowded. Of course, there will be live music that will probably be able to be heard from our balcony and I'm sure the food vendors will be out. Jerk chicken, pigeon peas and rice and plantains fried. Works for me. Regge on!
So, we came home and had more rest which now feels well worth it. Suz and Charlotte joined us mid afternoon full of useful info about the Ho Ho bus and a bunch of photos. Charlotte and I took off for Longos for some Salmon and other supplies that we didn't get yesterday. That was plenty of exercise for me.
I did mention that wine is expensive, but today I bought laundry detergent- an average sized bottle of unscented Tide for almost $11 CAD. One has to factor in that the Sobey's is on the harbourfront, but ex-pen-sive! We are clean though. Suz for one appreciates a harbourfront condo with laundry service. Scullery is my specialty!
Tonight's menu: Salmon a la Charlotte, ww pasta, Brussels Sprouts Marcia and the lovely chibatta baguette from the Longo bakery. There is also a selection of lovely tarts. The special French bakery is 16 blocks away, so we will see if the Ho Ho will take us near there.
KG
KRISTINA T MESSAGE
I have your keys but not your email. Will be in Toronto for a few days. kayeliz@bellsouth.net Besides that, would love to see you if you are in town and not touring Europe. Should we look in BP or on the Spanish Steps?
Kay
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Day One Toronto
Up at 4 am and all went well with the flight. Suz got us in exit seats so we were not so cramped.
I had forgotten that our check in time was 3 pm, so we were at the place where we pick up the keys at about 11:30. Bit of panic added to the panic of not knowing if we could waltz into a bank here and get enough cash to pay the rent. The owner called us to remind that the key would be dropped off in the afternoon. We were able to get the desk guy to let us drop our luggage and went around the corner to, of all things, Thompson's Diner. The food was quite good and there was not a crowd so we could sit for as long as we liked. Two of us got fish and chips, one got the Deep South burger which was a large hamburger with puled pork bbq and onion rings, and one of us got the mushroom, asparagus, roasted red pepper and goat cheese omelette with home fries.
After our lunch was taken care of, three of us headed out in search of a bank and one held down the fort. It is truly amazing to me that one can truly waltz into the Royal Bank of Canada with several pieces of plastic and a passport and emerge with enough cash to pay the rent and have some spending cash. The bills are pretty interesting too. The Canadians have invested in plastic bills with see through strips with holograms. Don't they melt, you may ask. Don't money burn, I would reply. It's really much more durable and at least as light. We have been using credit card for most purchases except cab fare, so we haven't gotten any loonies or twoonies yet. We have brought along coin purses as we remember the quick accumulation of change.
So, all's well that ends well and we think today will. Once in our condo we got wi-fi and found a nearby grocery-Longos. Luckily we emptied a suitcase and took it along with a backpack so all we had to tote home in bags were a heavy wine bag and several paper products bags. It's not a long schlep to Longos from the condo, but after a long day of travel it is a bit much.
Longos is something of an upscale yuppie store which means it has everything our hearts desire and then some. Currently on my dinner nosh plate are the following: hunk of cibatta baguette, several fresh cherries, half a white peach, several small black mission figs, slices of mancheco, oka cheese, herbed and garliced goat, procuttio and a few crustini. Wine is quite expensive here and only bought at the province store, but it was conveniently located upstairs from Longos. The selection was limited and sadly there was no Joyeau Nobel from Vancouver, but I have two bottles of Kim Crawford which cost half again as much as I can buy it at home, and after a long day and a walk to and from Longos it seems well worth it.
We can see several different kinds of ferry boats or tourist boats we might like to check out. We have a nice view of the lake right near the ferry terminal. More sail boats appear after working hours. I'll probably get you a nice photo of the Maple Leaf flapping across the street ideally with some sailboats beyond on the lake. However, if it rains, and it promises to, there is a lovely salt water aquarium indoors and at about 6 the black light comes on making things florescent. It's not nice to flash at the fish, but I'll see what I can do with the big girl camera, or better yet, put Marcia on the task.
We are some tired somebodies, but we still have dreams of what we will do tomorrow. The harbour becons and there is a So So bus to check out the lay of the land. We usually take the Ho Ho bus, but here we find a Step On Step Off bus. We assume the quality is the same. Will let you know.
As you may remember from 2006 and 2007, we love Canada.
KG
I had forgotten that our check in time was 3 pm, so we were at the place where we pick up the keys at about 11:30. Bit of panic added to the panic of not knowing if we could waltz into a bank here and get enough cash to pay the rent. The owner called us to remind that the key would be dropped off in the afternoon. We were able to get the desk guy to let us drop our luggage and went around the corner to, of all things, Thompson's Diner. The food was quite good and there was not a crowd so we could sit for as long as we liked. Two of us got fish and chips, one got the Deep South burger which was a large hamburger with puled pork bbq and onion rings, and one of us got the mushroom, asparagus, roasted red pepper and goat cheese omelette with home fries.
After our lunch was taken care of, three of us headed out in search of a bank and one held down the fort. It is truly amazing to me that one can truly waltz into the Royal Bank of Canada with several pieces of plastic and a passport and emerge with enough cash to pay the rent and have some spending cash. The bills are pretty interesting too. The Canadians have invested in plastic bills with see through strips with holograms. Don't they melt, you may ask. Don't money burn, I would reply. It's really much more durable and at least as light. We have been using credit card for most purchases except cab fare, so we haven't gotten any loonies or twoonies yet. We have brought along coin purses as we remember the quick accumulation of change.
So, all's well that ends well and we think today will. Once in our condo we got wi-fi and found a nearby grocery-Longos. Luckily we emptied a suitcase and took it along with a backpack so all we had to tote home in bags were a heavy wine bag and several paper products bags. It's not a long schlep to Longos from the condo, but after a long day of travel it is a bit much.
Longos is something of an upscale yuppie store which means it has everything our hearts desire and then some. Currently on my dinner nosh plate are the following: hunk of cibatta baguette, several fresh cherries, half a white peach, several small black mission figs, slices of mancheco, oka cheese, herbed and garliced goat, procuttio and a few crustini. Wine is quite expensive here and only bought at the province store, but it was conveniently located upstairs from Longos. The selection was limited and sadly there was no Joyeau Nobel from Vancouver, but I have two bottles of Kim Crawford which cost half again as much as I can buy it at home, and after a long day and a walk to and from Longos it seems well worth it.
We can see several different kinds of ferry boats or tourist boats we might like to check out. We have a nice view of the lake right near the ferry terminal. More sail boats appear after working hours. I'll probably get you a nice photo of the Maple Leaf flapping across the street ideally with some sailboats beyond on the lake. However, if it rains, and it promises to, there is a lovely salt water aquarium indoors and at about 6 the black light comes on making things florescent. It's not nice to flash at the fish, but I'll see what I can do with the big girl camera, or better yet, put Marcia on the task.
We are some tired somebodies, but we still have dreams of what we will do tomorrow. The harbour becons and there is a So So bus to check out the lay of the land. We usually take the Ho Ho bus, but here we find a Step On Step Off bus. We assume the quality is the same. Will let you know.
As you may remember from 2006 and 2007, we love Canada.
KG
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