When we were in L.A. a week ago, we detailed some places to go, and people to see. Actually, we didn’t give you any people to see, but that won‘t be hard in a city of 4,010,000 (if you really can’t find anyone to see there are 11,000,000 in Los Angeles County).
So there are things to do, and people to see, but, also, you’ve gotta eat …
Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
When Gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896 and a ton of gold arrived in Seattle in 1897, the gold rush was on! Everyone rushed to the goldfields through Chilkoot Pass. It was six hundred miles over treacherous and dangerous trails and waterways. Another trail was developed through White Pass and this became the route of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad.
White Pass and Yukon Railroad on its Climb to the Klondike Photo by George Bradshaw
By Guest Author Peggy Bradsaw
The Alaskan gold rush lured thousands to Skagway, which became known as the gateway to the goldfields. By 1898, it was Alaska’s largest town with a population of about 20,000, not counting the 10,000 people living in the tent city of nearby Dyea. Today, Skagway has less than 1,000 residents but the population more than doubles on the days when the cruise ships pull into the dock.
Skagway boasted the shortest route to the Klondike, but it was far from being the easiest. Over a hundred years ago, the White Pass route through the coast mountains and the shorter, but steeper, Chilkoot Trail, were used by thousands of stampeders. The treacherous Chilkoot Trail, combined with the area’s cruel elements, left scores dead. The hotels, saloons, dance halls and gambling houses prospered, but as the gold supply dwindled, so did the population of the town, as the miners left to go to newly-discovered gold fields.
By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
A whale watch is a rare and exciting experience that provides views of our fellow mammal, the whale. In Alaska, The whale watch tour we took began in Auke Bay at the marina and traveled through the Saginaw Channel to the Lynn Canal, the main summer feeding waters of the humpback whale. You are always assured of seeing at least one whale, and seeing just one is a rarity. (more…)
Los Angeles has fascinating attractions. Some of the finest and most reasonable are in LA’s giant park, Griffith Park. Spread out over 4,200 acres, Griffith Park has something for everyone. Nestled northeast of downtown LA, Griffith Park is “the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States.” (LA Parks Web site)
With grassy lawns, but also mountain vistas, you can see for miles – smog permitting. The roads leading into the park do not all connect, so it’s best to know where you want to go before you arrive or you may wander about trying to get to the correct location.
There are pony rides, horseback trails, hiking trails, picnic areas, an observatory and a merry-go-round, among other attractions. (more…)
Unfortunately, I was a victim of a scam this past week. It could have happened anywhere, to anyone, any time. But, it happened to me and I could kick myself!
Also, I paid the penalty by spending hours talking with my credit card company and the police, giving statements and trying to reconstruct a timeline.
Luckily, American Express was the credit card we had used to cover our travel expenses and they picked up on an irregular charge. They alerted me, so I could also look at my account and see that there was another charge, as well, that I had never made.
How did someone do this to me? I consider myself knowledgeable, skeptical and savvy. Well, it’s a long story, but it comes down to the fact that my zip code changed and I was vulnerable to people who said my credit information did not go through. This has happened numerous times, as this is the second time in two years that my zip code has been changed.
For most people, a trip on an ocean liner is not something they would consider. It takes longer to get places that way and delays arrival at a destination.
Since The Queen Mary is now docked in Long Beach, California, the Queen Mary Hotel can provide an approximation of what it would have been like to travel the Atlantic in style.
Queen Mary from Long Beach
We had been invited to spend time with the Queen, the ship the Queen Mary, that is.
Docked permanently in Long Beach, California, the cruise liner Queen Mary saw many years of active service until it reached its current permanent berth.
Queen Mary with Russian submarine
Now a hotel, tourist attraction and historical museum, the Queen is a venerable ship that first plied the waters in the time just before World War II. The passenger capacity was almost 2,000, with the crew representing a little more than half that number.
Los Angeles is known for being the center of the movie world, covered with a layer of smog, and dense with cars on crowded highways. It is all of those things, but much more.
Traveling up the coast of California from San Diego, there are a number of glamorous beach towns and resorts and a clear view of the Pacific Ocean that makes it understandable why people would live in LA. From almost anywhere in California, you can be at the beach within a couple of hours. There is something calming and restorative about being near an ocean.
We chose a recent weekend to visit LA, not our first visit and certainly not our last. The climate was balmy with daytime temperatures in the 80 degree (Fahrenheit) range with a breeze blowing to keep it cool. For people who live in Arizona and endure 115 degrees in summer, it is heaven!
We crammed our weekend full of fun adventures that we’ll share, including our observations and suggestions. Some new experiences we’ll share include a visit to Griffith Park, including an observatory and a merry-go-round, an afternoon at the Getty Center, and a shopping trip to the LA Farmer’s Market.
Tomorrow: Some details about our visit to the Queen…the Queen Mary.
When people think of art museums, they think of stuffy places with art that is centuries old. At Phoenix Art Museum, they’ve have a collection of older works, but have expanded their exhibit space to include a light-filled new wing with an eye appealing collection of modern art.
(The centuries-old masters are there – even a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, for example.)
But, head to the back because the new wing features riveting and thought-provoking modern art.
Experimentation with mediums is the name of the game. Felt, resin, plexiglass, burnt wood, mirrors, metal buckets, lights, blown glass, books, plaster, pottery, ceramic, and the more conventional – oil or acrylic on canvas- are all on display.
Modern artists are anything but stuffy!
Feet as art - Seascape #14 by Tom Wesselman
Who would think that a giant, plexiglass foot could be so appealing? Tom Wesselman’s “Seascape #14” is three-dimensional and just jumps out at you. Colorful, to say the least!
