London - Starting at Zero

ZERO - Where Time Begins

Greenwich meantime - GMT.  Now be honest.  Where do you imagine this is located? And how do you think its location was determined; possibly some sophisticated, unique astronomical determinant? Well, as a long time boater, engineer and history buff, this question has been occupying Captain Steve into the wee hours.  Imagine our surprise to discover that a quick ride on the Thames fast ferry, exiting at the Greenwich Pier, walking up the hill to the Royal Observatory and you’re there!


Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) defines time for the world. Talk about drawing a definitive line, GMT is actually the orange line you see above. It’s the world’s prime meridian line, located at Longitude 0, 0’, 0” and Latitude 51, 28’, 38”. When the sun is at its highest exactly above the prime meridian, it’s 12 noon on the Shepherds Gate Clock, the name of the 24-clock showing GMT, which  is located at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, a borough of London England.

The  concept of GMT began in the 15th century to aid navigators in finding the “New World”. In 1675 the race to create accurate navigational maps was formally launched by King Charles II (pictured far left) when he gave land to the Royal Society for Britain’s first National Observatory; designed by the famous British architect Christopher Wren. The building and its dome are in place to this day. Over the next two centuries,  competitions ensued to make clocks more predictable and map makers began to set latitude. Finally on November 1,1884 GMT was universally adopted and the international date line, as well as a 24 hour time zone established. To put this into perspective, at that time there were over 300 local times in the United States alone. 

ONE - Iconic Sporting Event

There is only ONE Wimbledon, with its iconic purple, green and white colored logo.  The  first Wimbledon Championship was held in 1877 on a croquet lawn of the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. In 1884 a woman’s championship was introduced.  Good thing, or we wouldn’t have been able to see Serena Williams play Giulia Gato-Montiocne on a very warm July 2nd.  That was after Rodger Federer played  Lloyd Harris on Central Court.  It was very thoughtful of Kate and  Carmella to save us seats in the Royal box! 

TWO - Teams Worth Worth Traveling For

So what prompted this trip to London you might ask. Have you heard of the Red Sox and Yankees rivalry, arguably the most combustible in baseball? Well, if your boys were flying across the ocean to play the first ever regular MLB season games in Europe against “the evil,empire”, what choice would you have but to follow along?

So there we were at London Stadium, in Stratford in northeast London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park at what was originally the 2012 track and field venue, now the home of the West Ham United Football Club - soccer to us Americans.  

 Nearly 60,000 fans packed both games, including Prince Harry with his American wife Meghan Markle,  now the Duchess of Sussex. There was fantastic pageantry with oversized country flags and dueling national anthems sung.  First pitches thrown, British little leaguers showed their stuff and the games commenced.  Take Me Out to the Ball Game was interspersed with God Bless America and, of course, Sweet Caroline for the Boston crowd.  Yankees ended up winning both games, but that didn’t deter cheers from Sox fans, who were disproportionality represented.  The sea of red would indicate that nearly half were Boston fans - which is amazing when you consider that Boston is a city of about 650 thousand and New York a city of over 8 million.  Goooo Sox!!!

THREE - Bridges out of 33

There are 33 London Bridges - here is three of our favorites from this trip. 

Millennium Bridge, which opened in June of 2,000. It’s a 1,000 foot long pedestrian footbridge that connects Christopher Wren’s iconic St Paul’s Cathedral with the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre - or The City of London with Bankside.  Londoners nicknamed it the Wobbly Bridge after experiencing a slight swaying at its initial opening.  It’s since been fixed and yes, there are other ways to get across the Thames, but a wander across the Millenium Bridge is so much more memorable!

The Tower Bridge was built in 1894 and is located near the Tower of London.  The bascule design is 801 feet long with a 230 foot span that can be raised up and down as high as 139 feet, allowing  ships to access the port facilities at the Pool of London, between London Bridge (that’s next) and the Tower of London. On average it opens twice daily. 

London Bridge did actually fall down, or was pulled down several times during its history.  The first was a wood structure built by the Romans. In Medieval times it was replaced by a stone bridge and then another stone arched bridge in the 19th century. The current concrete and steel version was opened to traffic in 1973.  

FOUR - Performances Worth Searching For

What would a visit to London be without taking in its live theatre? Tickets or free, it’s all there for the taking!

Charlie Chaplin has taken up residence at an outside space at Covent Garden.  We saw him in 2012 down near the Tate. Charlie’s only gotten better!   Tina is one of the best of its genre and currently one of London’s most popular theatre offerings. By the end, your absolutely guaranteed to be on your feet and singing!  The Lehman Trilogy is as much about the immigration story as it is the history of the rise - and fall - and rise - okay and the challenges  of capitalism. As fascinating as the story, is the simple set design and versatility of its three actors who play multiple characters without changing costumes.  Definitely one to see.  And then there’s the live music. 

London truly has something for all tastes and walllets. 

FIVE - Museums Worth a Wander

Museum shows can be a tepid in the summer, but not so in London. There  are a couple of annual summer shows that you absolutely won’t want to miss! And London Art Week keeps venues opened on Sundays, with opening parties and visiting artists at many of the galleries near St James.  

1. The National Portrait Gallery’s Portrait Award - showcases 44 diverse and exceptional work selected from 2,538 international entries done in a wide variety of mediums and considerd anonymously by the judges, is in its 30th year.  Catch it between mid June and October. And it’s free! The National Portrait Gallery has the most extensive portrait collection in the world, with 215,000 works, spanning the 16th century to the present day.

2. The National Gallery - Has an exceptional collection of Flemish and Dutch art among its 2,300 pieces that date from 1250 through  the 1900’s.  The collection has three of Johannes Vermeer's 35 paintings completed in the mid to late 1600’s, known for his simple composition  and ability to capture minute reflected light.

3. The Royal Academy of Arts also has an annual juried show of 1,500 pieces called The Summer Exhibition, Rooms are organized by themes set by the show curators. All of the pieces are for sale, so bring your checkbook.  Note the red dots on this perennial favorite Stolen Thunder (The Final) by a a Camelia Parker. There’s a story there.  

4. The National Maratime Museum is the world’s largest maritime museum. What stands out is the truly state-of- the-art interactive exhibitions that covers an exceptionally broad array of topics from new world to arctic explorations. Give it a try.  Truly.  We liked it so much, we became members so that we could go back for more.

5. Old Royal Naval Academy 

The building itself was designed by, you guessed it, Christopher Wren.  But you want to come here to see the Sistine Chapel of the United Kingdom. Measuring over 43,00 square feet, no picture can do this oil paint on plaster justice. Sir James Thornhill painted this ode celebrating the English Monarchy over a 19 year period beginning in 1705. The ceiling recently went through a 2-year renovation that cost nearly 11-million US Dollars and reopened in March of 2019. 

Artists & Roamers - Abiquiu, Santa Fe, Galisteo, Madrid, Corrales, Albuquerque

 

O’KEEFE’S PEDERNAL FROM GHOST RANCH, ABIQUIU, NM

Artists and photographers will talk about being mesmerized by certain locations;  the color quality, the light.  This can be difficult to understand until you have experienced it, then there is this sudden ah-ha moment.  New Mexico is one of those places.  The endless flat plains between the mountains, the rich warm color of the soil punctuates softly hued sand and sage colored growth, the contrast of mountains rising, the way foliage mimics the diverse colors found in the landscape - all of these combine to create a landscape that draws you in, allowing the individual to feel minute among majestic forms. This sense of being inconsequential is oddly freeing.  And then there is the light - harsh yet warm with dynamic changes throughout the day. Is it the particulate matter that hangs in the atmosphere or the incompressible above sea level heights that create this magic?

All of these elements comes together perfectly in Pedernal, painted by Georgia O’Keeffe in 1941 from her Ghost Ranch studio home in Abiquiu, NM.  The Cerrillos Pedernal, which means “flint hill”, is a narrow mesa in northern New Mexico that lies on the north flank of the Jemez Mountians, just south of Abiquiu Lake.  It was a popular subject of O’Keeffe’s who had her ashes scattered here.  The location catches one’s  breath and gently blows it away.  

 
OKEEFFE’S BLUE RIVER IS OF THE CHANA RIVER BETWEEN ABIQUIU AND ESPANOLA, NM

 Try this article Why So Many Atists Have Been Drawn to New Mexico for insight into why this out of the way place maintains such a powerful draw.

Georgia O’Keefe (1887 - 1986) is arguably the artist most strongly associated with New Mexico. Born in Wisconsin, she studied at the Art Student’s League in NYC and ended up in New Mexico purely by chance. One visit was all it took to make this land her new home.  In comparison to her contemporaries, her work was singular in subject matter (often flower abstractions) and style. She was both controversial and highly popular in her own time. Her love of wearing black only gives her extra points with me. 

UBIQUITOUS CHILIS AND THE UNIQUE LORETTO CHAPEL 

Santa Fe, NM - iconic in so many ways - is New Mexico’s capital city of roughly 83-thousand residents, the 4th largest city in NM and sits over 7,000 feet above sea level, although drive a few miles out of town and you will easily get closer to 10,000. Wonderful restaurants abound, as well as art galleries, cultural venues and its famous plaza market that sells much sought after turquoise and local crafts are all a sampling of what attracts people here.  The Loretto Chapel, which opened in 1878,  is known for its its unusual 20 feet tall helix-shaped “Miraculous Staircase”. The Sisters of Loretta credited Saint Joseph with inspiring its wooden construction held together by wooden pegs and glue.   If you’ve been to Santa Fe, the chances are you have been to the chapel or the weekend art market held on its grounds.  

THE INN OF THE FIVE GRACES - SERET’S ONE-OF-A-KIND CREATIVE OASIS 

What you would not expect is a multi cultural, eastern oriented retreat in the heart of Santa Fe.  The Inn of the Five Graces is a boutique Relais & Chateau hotel retreat, owned and every inch designed by Sylvia and Ira Seret. Each room is completely unique. It’s installed with textiles and woodwork imported by the couple and mosaics designed and physically laid by Sylvia. (The Lavender suite includes a sitting room and kitchenette living dining space that’s worth entertaining in!) The couple is likely best known for introducing what became much sought after middle eastern design in the mid 1960’s. If you are of a certain age, you remember the highly embroidered fur trimmed vests, coats and boots offered by Anne Klein and Oscar de la Renta, becoming so popular it eventually made its way down to the masses.  Their nearby store, Seret and Sons, has every imaginable textile, stone and woodworked import that attests to the collaboration they have with designers around the world, as well as their ongoing commitment to being a Silk Road design resource. Their cottage industry efforts begun decades ago persevere to this day.  

INTERIOR ACCENT COLORS AND SPRING FLOWERS REFLECT SUN-PAINTED LANDSCAPES

 

Galisteo, NM - has roughly 253 residents, is 2.5 square miles and is 6,000 feet above sea level. Less then 25 miles from Santa Fe, it is known to be a haven for artists and writers.  Simple adobe houses and casitas are surrounded by adobe walls, yet there is a feeling of quite comradery.  My friend Jennifer has been slowly restoring a small home with brick patio and casita.  Now a print making studio will continue to tempt her from Chicago to this creative and colorful retreat.  (If your driving from Santa Fe to Galisteo stop halfway at Cafe Fina for a wonderful assortment of food and to pick up, the most recent silk screened sackcloth towel designs from Kei and Molly .)

BLINK AND YOU COULD MISS IT - BUT STOP AND YOU’LL BE GLAD YOU DID

Madrid, NM - has 204 residents and is about 1.4 square miles along NM State Road 14 - AKA The Turquoise Trail.  Hailed as an artist colony, some would say it’s where to go if you cannot afford Santa Fe.  I would say make a stop for an authentic unadulterated Southwest moment. The  Holler is an indoor/outdoor restaurant directly across from the much larger, boisterous Mine Shaft Tavern that hosts bands and the occasional crawdaddy fest. (Enjoy the music but crawdaddys that far from water might be worth a pass.) Stopping at Range West for the mica flecked pottery, stonework and exceptional exotic woodwork from couple Kathleen Casey and Joshua Gannon makes the trip worthwhile. Wildland Press offers letterpress materials, but it’s  Blossom Merz watercolor pallets, hand-ground from locally collected minerals, that will inspire you - even if you’ve never attempted watercolor before.  But call ahead (505-629-0763). Blossom is often out of town on concert tours. 

PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLIES - FEASTING ON LOCAL SALVIA 

Corrales - a village of Albuquerque, NM -  has a population of 8-thousand, was founded by Spanish Colonists in the late 1500’s and has long been a center of agriculture.   Many of today’s  residents enjoy keeping donkeys, horses, llamas and various other livestock and, again, artists abound with printmaking seemingly abundantly  present. The Rio Grande Bosque borders it’s eastern edge, providing refuge for native animals and plants.  The village continues to maintain its rural character, fighting the nearby intrusion of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho. It’s open spaces act as one of the staging areas for the well known annual Albuquerque Ballon Festival.  Or simply call our friends the Stockers and they’ll provide the inside scoop.  There are a number of galleries sharing the work of local artists and plenty of small restaurants to settle into. 

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND HISTORY

Albuquerque, NM - has a population of over 500-thousand - by far the largest in NM and 32-nd most populous in the US.  It’s greater metro area (which includes Corrales) has nearly 1-million.  It is over 189 square miles and sits in the high desert at an elevation of 5,300 feet above sea level. The city, was founded in 1706 as a Spanish  colonial outpost along the Camino Real. Today it is a mixed sprawl of old and new. It boasts  a selection of cultural venues and diversity of museums that might surprise you.  Besides art and music, there is the well known annual International Ballon Festival in early October.  The Albuquerque International Balloon Museum is a fantastic surprise. Dedicated to “the worldwide history, science and art of all types of ballooning and lighter-than-air flight”. You’ll love it.  Okay - you might think too much time was spent in the sun, with little oxygen, but I promise that once you try the balloon flight simulator, you simply won’t want to leave.  Steve is begging to go back for summer camp!

Then there is the National Museum of Nuclear Scince.  It’s not what you think and no matter how much time you have earmarked for it, it’s not enough.  It’s a national repository of nuclear science as chartered by Congress to tell the story of the Atomic Age spanning “early research of nuclear development through today’s peaceful uses of nuclear technology.” Besides understanding the international backstory to the Manhattan Project, and the devastation  it led to, there’s the opportunity to see how this scientific evolution impacted the world culturally.  High Atomic Culture Films (1949-1963) reflected the euphoria at the end of WWII and included action adventure, scince fiction and comedy - including Mickey Rooney. (Am I showing my age?) Exhibits on today’s sources of energy and nano technology will fascinate and of course there’s a direct correlation between truly understanding these exhibits and youth. Next time I’m going with my eight year old granddaughter! And naturally there’s a pervasive nerdy humor that only an MIT grad can truly appreciate, so stop at the gift shop to find a plethora of nerdy humor gifts for that hard to shop for engineer or lovable high tech geek.  

New Mexico’s rugged magic was first discovered by Native Americans. These indigenous populations arrived countless decades before Western European populations and have forever influenced its very fiber. Today there are 23 Indian tribes - nineteen Pueblos, three Apache and the Navajo Nation.  They understood the power and beauty of this place of extremes in a way few can - except maybe a handful of artists and those who sit quietly enough to let this place tell its story.  It’s worth the silence.  

Getting My Fix in NYC

                                   

 

NYC ICONIC YELLOW CAB

Many decades ago I found myself working on a project, back in New York City after moving to New Orleans with the intent of never returning to The City, where I had been living and working for some time.  I’ll always remember being stopped by Rick, a much older executive I had previously worked for, who said to me with a big knowing smile, “I knew you’d be back. When your from New York, you never really feel at home anywhere else.” At the time I was highly skeptical.  Although I was born in NYC, I grew up on Long Island and, although we visited The City regularly, I certainly never meant to actually live here or work for a large corporation. I wanted a small college town - the countryside with intellectual stimulation and a position as an art therapist - joining my passions into a manageable life and hippy-crunchy-granola leanings.  Well those of you that know my story can attest that’s not exactly how it worked out - on ANY dimension.  I stayed in NYC for twenty more years, had boyfriends, married, had complex responsibilities in fortune 100 companies, could walk miles in heels and didn’t own more than one pare of jeans until I was nearly 50, although I did learn to make an excellent granola and did canning of farmer market finds in my kitchen. And Rick was right - no matter where I live or travel, as soon as I’m back in New York, I know I’m home - with my tribe.  

HUDSON YARDS - “VESSEL” AND LOOKING WEST OVER THE WEST SIDE YARDS 

On a VERY damp and chilly day, my Mom and I made our way to Hudson Yards. This is an area on the west side of NYC, around 34 to 36 Streets that reaches from the Long Island Railroad and will have platforms extending over the West Side Yards, the train  storage area, which you can see above. Upon its completion, it will be the largest private real estate development in the US by area and be comprised of green spaces, mall, cultural facilities, hotel, office and residential buildings.  The ground breaking was in December 2012. It first opened in 2019, with the focus on green, cultural and mall spaces.  “Vessel” is a massive sculpture and the project’s centerpice. The intent of its British designer, Thomas Heatherwick, is to “lift people up to be more visible and enjoy the views and perspective of each other.” It’s 154 interconnected staircases that create over a miles worth of climbable pathways provide that opportunity.  We instead opted to view the Vessel while having a small-plate inventive seafood lunch at Estario Milos. We’d go back in a heartbeat!    

“I WAS HERE” - A WALL OF SEQUINS By LARA SCHNITGER

The contemporary open, airy 1,000,000 square foot mall space has 100 shops and 20 restaurants. Neimum Marcus  occupies the top 3 stories. The other retail offerings are broad - spanning little known designer, tech in all forms, accessible stores such as Muji, Zara and H&M. Need to grab groceris on the way home? The lower level has FAIRWAY - the local NYC can-NOT-do-without-it food store.  Truly shopping for everyone, which is its developer’s intent. The art installations within the shopping area are meant to be interactive for all ages - note my Mom and the 4-year old, both drawing on the sequin covered wall. The brightly covered sequin fabric wall is equally exciting, inviting and oddly soothing as one moves their fingers across; changing the material’s color, with the option to move in the other direction to “erase” your creative mark making.  You really could spend hours just here.   It’s NYC, or maybe Asia - no it’s NYC - and there really is nowhere like it.  

The Pacific NW - Understated Majestic Beauty

Oops! Lounging in my draft folder since August! 

The Pacific Northwest has its own particular look, feel and culture that’s distinctly different then New England or virtually any other place we have been and, as those of you who follow our humble blog know, we’ve been to more then a few places.  Besides the visual, this unique sense permeates the food - people’s sense of personal space - the pace in which they walk.  

For  us, no trip out west feels complete unless we’ve been in Eugene to visit Evie, Clara, Erin and Jeremy.  The landscape has a bit of everything, but we particularly love the rolling hills. The kids small piece of paradise thrives with fruit trees, veggies, flowers, hay, chicks and a few other four legged critters.  Close by vineyards in the Willamette Valley offer an evening escape for the adults, with Karen gladly sampling a flight of local whites.  The summer days are warm, as we join the family for an early bike ride along the river, allowing Evie to demonstrate her newly expanded bike riding skills.  Pop-pop and Bubbie are more than happy to go with her to her to witness her new found fascination with horseback riding.  Clara’s  artwork and passion for reading are complimented by her participation in debate club. Erin continues her art making and finds time for hospice work.  Jeremy continues to teach in the nursing program while caring for the farm’s orchard.  (Only Evie agrees to the occasional photograph, or we’d gladly include a picture of the entire family.) 

Then it’s on to Orcas Island - north of Seattle on the Puget Sound and nestled in the San Juan Islands close to Vancouver Island.  Yes, that is a bit complicated.  You can take a ferry and weave through a hundreds of verdant islands or you can fly by seaplane. We chose the latter. One’s entire energy shifts as Seattle’s Harbour disappears behind you and literally hundreds of islands appear below you.  By the time one lands, the mainland seems thousands of miles and many days in your past.   Anyone recognize the cool looking guy in the shades?

We were hosted on Orcas by dear friends Stephanie and Frank.  Orcas is known for its bucolic natural beauty, picturesque water inlets, terrific hiking opportunities and love of nature both by its native America residents and those who are more recently arrived, as well as its wildlife - particularly the Orca whale.  We gladly went to local outdoor markets, hiked, indulged our senses, slept late and simply enjoyed these amazingly peaceful surroundings.  (Yes, I was there too, but someone has to take the photos!) 

A less known Orcas Island factoid is it’s history as a west coast berry growing stronghold.  In 1935, local farmers established the Orcas Island Berry Growers Association (OIBGA) to build a cold packing berry station in the town of Olga. The plants opening  was made possible by the arrival of electricity through a New Deal program, which, in 1938, brought electricity via underwater cable. Workers brought flats of freshly picked berries from trucks through the buildings large sighed door and weighed them on a floor scale, present even today.  The site also boasts a wonderful small restaurant and gallery filled with diverse works by local artists.  So add the Catkin Cafe in Olga on Orcas to your list for an outside lunch date. The Dutch Baby Pancake is ABSOLUTELY worth the calories.  

 Beautifully green hills dotted with richly colored wildflowers, views of water around nearly any bend and friendly folk who smile simply to be surrounded by such beauty. We have a friend who insists Orcas Island is where she is determined to take her last breathe.  We can now understand why. 

Fourth of July - Bahama style

Happy July 4th from Harbour Island 🇧🇸 Bahamas! 

Ironic since originally those arriving from America  were British Loyalists who escaped during THE  Revolution.  But the Bahians are willing to put on fireworks for the rest of us, so who are we to argue? 

And keep your eye out for cigar shaped manatees.  Often over 8 - 10 feet long and easily weighing in at 800 to 1,200 or more pounds, they love the cool fresh water from the boats and will gladly accept a few leaves or romaine if you have them handy.  

Even without a boat, arriving here is easier then you think.  Fly into Miami or Ft Lauderdale, take a puddle jumper flight less then 200 miles to the Eleuthera airport and in 10 minutes a water taxi will have transported you across the harbour to Harbour Island.  There are several guest houses and small single story “hotels” to choose from.  The later is generally a traditional Bahamian home now consisting of a central dining room and bar with 8-10 cottages on the grounds built high on the island, looking east over its pink sand beach.  You’ll definitely want to rent a golf cart to get around.  Beach access near Dunmore’s will guarantee a much quieter experience then accessing next to Coral or Pink Sands, where the college crowd gathers and a DJ keeps things lively.  Walk the beach, cool off in refreshingly warm celadon colored waters, rent an umbrella and lounge chair for sun protection and your good for the day!

There’s no shortage of delicious food and equally memorable views.  Dunmore's or Sip-Sip (closed Wednesdays) has wonderful lunch and an escape from midday heat.  Runaway offers Thai inspired options, along with more traditional Bahamian fare. Her owner acts as DJ, with curated music influenced by who she observes in the dining room, eventually slipping into music for its sophisticated evening bar retreat.  Aguapazza has moved to Romora Bay Resirt marina and Massimo’s  Italian influenced recipes never disappoint.  

Before Harbour Island (I know this is working backwards, but you can do this!) we anchored out at behind an essentially deserted island cay. To the west, clouds lowered at sunset, with bright gold offsetting bulky dark, tall, dark silhouetted clouds.  It was the post sunset eastern view;under-lighting this anvil like cloud formation that really caught our attention.  Part of the magic of “swinging on the hook” instead of tieing up at a marina.  

Our first stop post Ft Lauderdale (remember we’re working backwards) was Great Harbour Cay; part of the Berry Islands where passports can be stamped and boats pass out of quarantine. But we like it’s laid back unpretentious nature and always try to stay for a few days.  The weekly mailboat hadn’t arrived - so neither had the island’s groceries. We had brought plenty of our own provisions - a must when going to the Bahamas.  Our usual favorite restaurant, Carriearal, was not accepting diners,  as it struggled to feed its own guests.  So we tried the more local no name restaurant, down by the government dick, whose chef is also its part time driver (the island’s sergeant also helps out) AND a retired Nassau (Bahamas) Detective.  (Bahamians tend to piece together a livelihood on the smaller islands.) Although the food was limited, how can you beat freshly caught fish and lobster? We’ll be back!

Karen also found the sea grape she’s promised to draw, among some other tropical plants, for a Useppa botanical guide.  The boats running well.  Our first guests have arrived - so we are off to a good start!!

(Except for some internet issues, which is WHY this particular entry is in reverse. Hmmm.) 

Memorial Day Weekend and the Chicago Dogs

On Memorial Day Weekend,  we escaped to Rosemont, Chicago for the opening of Impact Field on May 25 - the new home of the Chicago Dogs.  AND please note,  the incorporation of the  Chicago flag classic color and five-star logo..  The “Dogs” are part of the American Association of Professional Baseball,  an independent league founded in 1902 as an independent minor league foe the larger midwestern cities.  Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Wiley Mays got their start in this league.  Following their old school tradition, the Chicago Dogs move by bus to play over 100 games per season against 4 other midwestern and 1 Canadian Team as part of the AAP Northern Division. 

On opening day, families, little league teams and people of all ages swarmed the 6,300 seat stadium, with its 360 degree open concourse.   No, it’s not the same as seeing the Cubs, but with ticket prices beginning at $5, a family can attend live baseball for less than a movie.  Every day is Fan Apprectiation Day, with the stands and its activities created so that the fans are the heroes at every game.  There something for everyone, whether it’s inter inning fan competitions, after game fireworks and guests as young as two running the bases. There’s something for everyone at the uniquely Chicago style baseball field. 

And most importantly, don’t forget there’s NO CATCHUP on a Chicago Dog! Yes, there’s ONLYN the classic nine ingredients - bright green pickle relish, chopped onion, 4 tomato wedges, 1 dill pickle spear, 2 sport pepper, celery salt, yellow mustard, enwrapped in a poppy seed bun and  the all beef hot dog is almost ancillary.   Mustard is the Chicago Dog mascot, but that doesn’t mean that the evil tomatoes squezze bottle doesn’t try to make its way onto the field. Just a three miles from O’Hare and less then half a mile from the convenient Aloft Hotel, Fadion Outlet Mall of Chicago, Dave and Busters arcade (a Chicago classic), Alllstate Arena, Stephens Convention Center - a stop at Independent Field for a Chicago Dogs is definitely worth a stop. Have you experienced Chicago traffic lately!  With 70 million cars annually traveling by the stadium’s digital billboards on Interstate 294 each year, why not take a break? And yes - a quick congrats to our friend and an Impact Field co-founder, Steven Gluckstern and his wife, Judy, for creating a baseball experience everyone can enjoy! 

Looking for some affordable family fun near Chicago? Landing at O’Hare or planning on staying near the airport with a few hours to spare? Make your way to Independent Field and catch the Chicago Dogs! 

  

Shanghai - Everyday life

Name a brand and you will find it in Shanghai, including Ikea, which is so popular that seeing those bright blue bags over someone’s arm is hardly a surprising sight! 

With the largest middle class in the world, the stores and pedestrain streets throng with people dressed in a completely western style (okay, people still walk around with umbrellas when the sun shines, but other then that) and enjoy a modest but arguably more balanced economy then most Americans can imagine.  For example loosing a job here or being “relocated” does not mean that you are expected to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, collect short term unemployment that requires  managing on a fraction of your salary or worry about basic education and healthcare.  Life is much more like what you would expect in western Europe then what we experience in the US. 

Yangs Dumplings - boiled then seared - are a must. Remember to pierce with your chop stick to allow the “juice” to run out prior to biting into these tasty morsels.  Now your eating like a Shanghainese!

There are stores, LOTS of urban malls and innumerable eateries. Even though the 2015 GDP per capita is US$16,553, everything bustles, reflecting that Shanghai is generally an affordable city. Yangs Dumplings is popular with both locals and Trip Advisor voters for a memorable meal costing US$5US. Our Grand Central Hotel centrally located near The Bund, offered an incredibly popular all you can eat buffet for US$40 with piles of crawfish, carving stations etc. A good glass of wine US$7.   M on the Bund  will set you back a bit more, but this Australian entrepreneur, Michelle Garnaut, who now has a sister location in Beijing, offers an incredible combination of delightful food, amazing art and unforgettable views. 

Starbucks can be found throughout Shanghai, but the Reserve Roastery is a destination not to be missed, even if you don’t like coffee. 

Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Shanghai in many ways personifies the direction of this city and China overall.  Two full floors of sipping, eating and buying options are open from 7AM - 11PM and offer an experience you won’t soon forget.  Coffee beans from around the world are freshly roasted here behind a glass wall for all to see. A stock exchange type board educates consumers of their province and announces when they are being released via pneumatic tubes and to what coffee station. Sit at the bar as your personal barista creates a coffee tasting flight.  Another area has a broad selection of teas.  Multiple open kitchens create a wide variety of scrumptious western and eastern foods. The well curated merchandise offerings are of incredibly high quality and are certainly pricey, even by western standards, but move quickly.  By the way, Starbucks flagship Reserve Roastery is in Seattle, one is opening this Summer in NYC’s Meatpacking District and another is planned for Chicago.  

Fashion in Shanghai is certainly on par with London, Paris or New York.  Presence is important here, whether your Gucci, Chanel, Burberry, a new Chinese designer or Botega Veneta.  Shanghai’s own Feiyue sneaker brand is very popular in Paris, but available at bargain prices in here.  Long gone are the drab grey, olive and blue that many associate with China’s past.  

Winding through pedestrian streets in protected neighborhoods, undisturbed by development, feels like an oasis. 

Archetypical meets contemporary in specific parts of the city.  The government keeps rents incredibly low in the French Concession market, Tianzi Fang. Here tiny shops host both traditional goods and new fresh designers, safe from being crowded out by far more powerful brands. Shanghainese will tell you if a business can’t survive here, it can’t survive anywhere. It also provides a restful vintage feel that we all crave from time to time. 

The art is incredibly more varied and free then 10 years ago and certainly more so then what you see here - but I just loved this monochromatic selection. 

Art galleries are plentiful and varied in material usage, subject matter and approach.  Images may reflect the past or comment on the future. There’s a surprising amount of high tech and interactivity that allows images to change colors and move, such as watching a young girl balance as she actively dances across a clothesline. M50 Hub,  is anotable area of artist studios and galleries that are generally open to the public.  Wander around, stop at one of the eateries and reminisce about the SoHo of days gone by.  

One way bicycle rental is readily available at nearly free prices. 

Getting around Shanghai is not as challenging as you might imagine. Although the presence of automobiles has increased dramatically, so too has the easy to use and very inexpensive subway system. (Apparently subways are easier to build in Shanghai then the stalled 2nd Ave line in NYC.) Motor scooters and bicycles were the traditional modes of transportation, so bike lanes and lane sharing is something Chinese take for granted, particularly within the older areas of the city.  However the newly built major arteries can easily get clogged with traffic and a 6 mile car ride can take the better part of 45 minutes. (Think of the Long Island Expressway.)  Yes, air pollution can certainly be an issue - similar to LA of the 80’s. But with a government who takes a long term view and exerts a steady hand, strict limits, easy access to bicycles and creating architecture focused on incorporating alternate energy and carbon footprint reduction would imply that this problem too will be solved.  

Shanghai - China’s largest city

Shanghai and China poses some interesting and sobering facts:

With a population of 1.38 Billion, China is the most populated country in the world - followed by India at 1.29 Billion  and the USA in position number three at a mere 329 Million. YUP - that is considerably less than 25% of China’s population.  It takes  a moment to fully absorb that littl factoid.  From a marketing perspective - that’s the equivalent of saying that if 25% of the Chinese population prefers Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks, it is the same number as 100% of  the American population preferring Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks. (More on Starbucks later.)  So, when it’s reported that there are more consumers drinking wine in China then in any country in the world, what is that report actually saying? Is it then any wonder that a wide variety of brands are focused on a rising middle class in Asia? The numbers are fascinating.  

This Shanghai Urban Planning Museum 2010 model, indicatesin yellow all then current structures and lighted planned projects, now completed on both sides of the Huangpu River,

Shanghai, with a population of 34 million  is the most populated city in China and yes that’s more than 10% of the entire USA’s population and over 4 times larger than NYC’s population of 8 million. Shanghai is also the most populous city in the world. Although growth began in the late 19th century, Shanghai has experienced  a population growth of 37.53% since the year 2000. It is known for its architecture, temples, and gardens.  More recently, it has become the financial and industrial center of China, and increasingly considered its art and fashion capital, rivaling Paris and London.

The Huangpu River divides and, in many ways, defines Shanghai. The Huangpu  is 70 miles (113 kilometers) long and was man made in 221BC as a major tributary to the Yangtze River, which then empties into the China Sea.    (Yes, the river was excavated and completed by 221BC, another factoid that takes a moment to absorb.) The river defines Shanghai’s two primary districts. On the western shore is the historic area of Puxi, home to The Bund which is known for its historic early 20th century Beaux Arts style architecture that housed international consulates, trading and banking houses On its eastern shore is the modern area of Pudong, home  of the iconic pink Pearl Tower. The Communist Party of China (CPC) was founded in Shanghai by Chen Duxiu and LI Dazhao on July 1, 1921 in the neighborhood referred to as the French Concession. Today, Rodya, Shanghai is the home to two branches of the China Stock Exchange, cementing its importance as a Chinese financial center. One should take care to not confuse Communism as a form of governing with its underlying free market economy. Anyone would be challenged to find such a rapidly growing, prosperous midlle class in any American or western city.  The economic change here in the last decade is simply jaw dropping. 

We were last here in 2007,  the year before returning for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. There was the unique and  iconic pink Oriental Pearl Tower. along with a handful of low, bland buildings on the Pudong side of the river.  (When Steve had been here in in 1999 Pudong was farmland being plowed by water buffalo, so to him, even this initial transformation seemed exceptional.)  However, over 25% of the world’s  building cranes were also here in 2007. Today the Oriental Pearl Tower blends in with a bevy of internationally designed,  modern, high tech architectural wonders. This vertcal building boom inspires architects to create multi-use structures built to withstand typhoon winds and reduce carbon footprints by increasingly utilizing wind turbines and rainwater collection to work with building materials to warm, cool and light. Today there are over 30,000 buildings with a minimum of 24 stories in Shanghai, including the 128-story Shanghai Tower - the tallest in the city and 2nd largest in the world. 

There is a light show for several hours every evening, before the buildings go basically dark to conserve electricity. Thousands flock  to The Bund for photos. Absorb the full affect by taking an evening cruise  on the Huangpu. It’s an event to remember. 

By comparison, the Hong Kong’s nightly laser show pales in comparison. Might there be a message there? 

And what about everyday life?

Ia country that prescribes a specific amount of green space per capita, Shanghai is no concrete jungle.  Particularly on the weekends people get outside for socializing and fun.  ThecPeoples Park Matchmaking Corner is not to be missed. Beyond the usual city park activities, parents come here to pin the bios of their adult single children to umbrellas, hoping to meet and exchange information with other parents who are “shopping” for potential suitors for their single children. Bios include height, weight, education, interests of both the suitor and the person they desire to meet.  Very important is if there is a “marriage home”, because who really wants to live with their in-laws? AND if the parents have already met and like each other, then that removes a huge potential barrier to a promising match.  Parents generally scope out “their soot” among the hundreds who come here. Not  so surprisingly, this meeting and exchange becomes a weekly social event. Who needs to go on-line? This could truly be an exportable idea!

This entire love lorn concept, may also attract just a bit of theatre.  Here we find a young man who claims that after seeing this beautiful Chinese woman on-line, he has spent years searching her out.  He has traversed  oceans, travelled thousands of miles, conquered multiple challenges and all for love. And yes, today he is going to meet her for the first time.  The crowd gathers.   The girl is ushered in by his friends who capture on video the long anticipated meeting.  She seems in awe, shyly smiles, is smitten and after a short time is literllly carried away. Will they reappear next week to again live out this tender moment? We’ll never know.  

Parks are also a place for older people to gather daily during the week.  Retirement is mandatory at 55 for women and 60 for men.  There is time to be filled; with city parks and senior centers waiting.  Besides morning Tai Chi, there are a wide variety of activities throughout the day. I wandered through Fuxing Park, built in 1909, in the French Concession.  Dancing is VERY popular. But there are coral groups, musical instruments to learn to play - including Maraca, the card game  Dou Dizhu, aka “fighting the landlord” , Mahjong and chess. Maybe  you want to practice your painting or character making with sumi brush and water?  This man writes - “beautiful land” - the Chinese characters for America.