Travel Tips & Adventures

Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw; Photos by George Bradshaw

Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote a letter to sculptor Korszak Ziolkowski asking if he would carve a monument to the great Oglala warrior Crazy Horse. Ziolkowski worked on the carving of Mt. Rushmore and Standing Bear wanted the white man to know that the Indians had great heroes also.

The carving was started in 1948 on Thunderhead Mountain, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a mountain considered sacred by many tribes. Many tribes oppose the defilement of the sacred mountain.

How the Crazy Horse Monument is supposed to look when completed

(more…)

If you are interested in Totem Poles (and who isn’t?), you have two distinct possibilities to see them firsthand in Vancouver. B.C.  One option is “free” near the entrance of Stanley Park (see our September 28 blog).  The constant rumbling of tour buses stopping in the parking area is an interesting juxtaposition of ancient cultural and modern forms of pollution … 

I’m sure the original First Nations population of British Columbia would have been appalled, or at least confused by the throngs of tourists snapping photos and taking videos of the assembled collection of Totem Poles in the park.   

The other option for seeing Totem Poles and other collections of First Nations art is not free, but without the tour buses. 

Approximately 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, and an interesting drive through the suburban area of south Vancouver, is a quieter and reserved observation of the creations of the First Nations peoples.

(First Nations – - – refers to the over 600 aboriginal bands of peoples of Canada.)

A large collection of over 35,000 artifacts are housed at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) located on the campus of the University of British Columbia.  Today’s building is far more complex than its humble beginnings in 1949 in the basement of the University Library. 

The current museum was designed and built in 1976, holding collections of not only First Nations artifacts, but that of the South Pacific, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. 

Most well-known for its Northwest Coast collections, the MOA exhibits large sculptures in the Great Hall. 

These large wooden sculptures of red cedar are representative of several First Nations communities such as the Haida, Kwakwaka’wakw, and Oweekeno.  

Even a thousand years ago, guys were telling fish stories…

"Really guys! The fish was THAT big!"

(more…)

Every piece of travel material on Vancouver mentions Granville Island as a great place to go.  We agree.  Even on a rainy day, we found Granville Island with its Public Market a great opportunity to eat, see and experience.

The Public Market has several large buildings where the same vendors have been for years.  The variety of products sold range from gorgeous produce to cheese to flowers to pastries to  tea to – well, you name it!

Gorgeous produce arrayed at Granville Island's Public Market

There are also food stands where you can purchase burgers and other food, ready made, even from buffalo. Almost every ethnic food variety is represented.  Bagels, pizza, teriyaki, fish (fresh and cooked) and almost too many choices! (more…)

We were staying in the downtown area on Robson Street – the center of commerce…

Downtown

In our downtown hotel location on Robson Street, there are shops (like Guess, Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger) with upscale names and glamorous window displays. The prices were glamorous, too, except for a modest Chinese Restaurant, Hon’s Wun-Tun House, which whipped out our food very quickly for takeout. The menu was enormous and we had a hard time choosing, but the prices were generally under the $10 (Canadian) price range for each entrée.

In contrast, we spent considerably more – $40-plus with tip – at O’Doul’s (Listel Hotel) for a corned beef hash and Eggs Benedict breakfast.

Sculpture on Robson Street

A sculpture, appearing to be a whimsical orange twisted wire, was in front of O’Doul’s. We saw other interesting art around Vancouver. (more…)

Think of Scottsdale on the ocean, less heat and no malls — You’ve got Cannon Beach on Oregon’s Pacific Coast.

An upscale beach community, Cannon Beach was the second resort town on Oregon’s coast. (Seaside was the first.) Art galleries, boutique shops, unique toy stores, candy makers and specialty restaurants abound.

Shops on Hemlock Street

(more…)

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

My favorite War Memorial in Washington, DC is the Korean War Veterans Memorial with its band of realistic bronze soldiers warily and wearily crossing a field headed into harm’s way. Dedicated on the 42nd anniversary of the armistice, July 27, 1995, the memorial honors the more than 54,000 who died there, and the thousands of veterans of this conflict.

Korean War Memorial - Photo by George Bradshaw

(more…)

By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw

The Native Heritage Center, located outside of Anchorage, Alaska, introduces you to native traditions and customs of both the past and the present. We stopped there on our way from Whittier to Anchorage. (more…)

Once you’ve had a chance to see the art and architecture on the grounds of the Getty Center (see yesterday’s blog), head inside for some tours of the different pavilions.  

Tours around the Getty Center will provide some enlightening and entertaining background on the art on display.  The great thing about the Getty is that the tours are free and the tour guides are lively and interesting. (more…)

Before choosing to visit the Getty Center in Los Angeles, I asked a friend who had been there recently if it was worth traveling there.  Sometimes things are just hype, after all. 

Well, I’m happy to report that the Getty Center is absolutely worth visiting (as my friend said).  Especially the buildings, which are works of art themselves.

Arriving from the 405, which can be backed up with typical LA traffic, the Getty Center is reached by a tram from the parking garage.  Even the tram ride is an efficient, clean and scenic experience.

(more…)

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!

(more…)