2017 Year In Review

It is the end of another year.  Time flies when you are not looking... Let’s be honest and say that 2017 was an interesting year.  It was filled with marches, tweeting, volunteering.  It was a year of change.  But passions helped to keep me grounded and things in perspective.  In that regard, it was an amazing year.  It began on an epic cruise ship through so many islands now wiped out by hurricanes, and concludes with my first trip to Central America snorkeling on the second largest coral reef in the world.  I took time planning trips to exotic locales and quick getaways around DC.  And while I still did not get to my final state, I did, truly, see some breath-taking views.

 

 Water and weather played a huge role in my 2017.  So many trips involved islands, coastlines, oceans, seas, rivers, bays and straits.  I was able to drip my toes in cold and warm waters – in the Pacific NW and the Caribbean.  I explored areas on both coasts and was able to see marine mammals, birds, aquatic life of all kinds in various environments I got to see the 2 different kinds of rainforest in one year, tropical and temperate, in the Pacific NW and Belize.  We got to small towns and big cities on the water.  And then there was the rain…oh the rain!

 

 

 

Year End Summary

• States/Territories Visited: VA, MD, WV, DE, NJ, NY, TN, FL, NV, CA, WA

• Countries: USA, Belize, Mexico, Canada (technically)

• Key Cities: Orlando, San Jose, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Anaheim, Redding, Seattle, Nashville, Cancun, Reno, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Belize City, New York
• Art Towns – St Michaels, Maryland; Friday Harbor, Washington

 

• (new) Parks & Park Units: Lassen Volcanic National Park; Whiskeytown National Recreation Area; Point Reyes National Seashore; Stones River National Battlefield; San Juan Island NHP; George Washington's Birthplace NM; Fredrick Douglass NHS; Belmont-Paul Women's Equality NM; Tulum National Park, Mexico; Blue Hole National Park, Belize; Lake Tahoe State Park, NV; McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park, CA; Swallow Falls State Park, MD; Lime Kiln State Park, WA

• Concerts:  Cher, Neil Diamond, Dianne Krall, 3 Cellos, Rod Stewart & Cyndi Lauper, Chicago, Guns & Roses, New Kids On the Block, Paula Abdul, Boyz II Men, Megan Hilty, Richard Marx & Rick Springfield, Queen, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga

• Theater: War Paint, Puffs, The King & I, Bandstand, A Bronx Tale, Groundhog Day, In Transit, The Little Mermaid, Mamma Mia, Fun Home, Cagney, Midwestern Gothic, Mean Girls

• Aquariums: Cancun Aquarium

• Ghost Tours: Winchester Mystery House, Nashville

• Iconic or Plain Ole’ Amazing Sites: Chichen Itza, Tulum, Xunantunich, MesoAmerican Reef, Harry Potter World, Disney, Nashville's Parthenon,  Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Sun Dial Bridge, 500,000 plus people marching in DC for the Women's March, THE ECLIPSE

The BIG Event of the Year - I Was There

I planned this trip to Nashville over a year ago.  The Washington Post published an article asking "where will you be?" and it left me wondering "where."  So, I started researching over a year ago for this one day - August 21st. 

Nashville from the Cumberland River

After talking it over with my boyfriend, we started looking out west in Wyoming and quickly found out that even a year in advance, we were too late to the party.  Rooms were booked in the path of totality.  This was beyond frustrating - I wanted to be ahead of the curve and instead I was playing catch up.  So, out came that Washington Post map and we looked at areas all over the west.  With the path cutting from Oregon to South Caroline, we had options - or so we thought.  Everywhere we looked was booked.  So, we gave up on our western wishes and started looking at alternatives.  We already knew that Charleston would be out as a option since we visited last year AND the summer weather runs a higher risk of storms.  In the center of the country, a few mid-western cities had options - St Louis, Kansas City, Nashville... I had been to all of them but John had not.   Nashville seemed like the best option.  He really wanted to visit and my last trip there was over 10 years ago. It was the biggest major city on the path.  When I found a room with a decent rate in the burbs of Nashville, and I locked that in immediately.  With rooms booking around $700-$800/night, finding something under $150 was a treasure.  Decision made!

 

Months in advance, I purchased our solar goggles (not paper glasses) and I started shopping for camera necessities.  I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into trying to photograph this event.  I am much more of a nature photographer and this was beyond my area of knowledge... so out came the books, the research and lots of questioning others.... I ended up "wishing" for telephoto lenses for my mirrorless camera (wishes not granted), purchasing a fancy tall tripod and some new filters for the telephoto in my possession.  I was not going to wait until the last minute.

The Hermitage

I also wanted to plan the trip for fun outside of the main event.  Price gouging was already underway a year in advance.  This meant we needed to lock things down, but after looking at the airline prices, and fuming over the prices (of over $700/person), we decided to drive to Nashville.  This would give us more flexibility and add to our mobility in the city.

Flash forward a year, with an ambitious itinerary laid out, we left for Tennessee on a Friday afternoon, well ahead of the crowds... or so we thought. After a night in Knoxville, we arrived at the Hermitage to insane crowds.  People were parking in the grass fields.  As the afternoon temperatures soared, the line to view Andrew Jackson's house kept growing.  It was here, that we heard for the first time that Nashville was unprepared for the crowds of the weekend.  We waited for over 1.5 hours to walk through the home; afterwards, I walked some of the grounds, before we both retreated to the air conditioned museum.  But these lines meant that our plan to visit Belle Meade had to be scrapped.  We had enough time to make it to Brentwood, check into the hotel, change and head into the city for our dinner cruise. 

These Last Weeks of Summer

Travel was sporadic this summer.  Some of that was attributable to heavy travel this spring, some to conflicting schedules with friends, some to an awesome lineup of summer concert and some because of plain financing. I still have not found that money tree.  Honestly, I needed a break after the hectic spring and big trips to Mexico, Nevada and California. 
Things are about to change...




Path of Totality

A year ago, we started talking about the upcoming solar eclipse.  And a year ago I started looking at options.  This was no time to dilly-dally.  Rooms a year in advance in Wyoming were sold out in the path of totality.  After trying everything in Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon, we decided to head to Music City - Nashville.  I have not been in over 10 years and John has never visited.  We jumped on a great room rate at the Sheraton 4 Points and decided to make it a mini-trip.

Well, the eclipse is less than 2 weeks away.  We have a huge road trip planned.  My trip schedule is packed with things I missed my first time to the city, and can't miss things for John.  We booked a ghost pub tour, a dinner cruise on the river, and plan to visit the area national park site, Stone River,  for the big event.  We will hop on and off the trolley to hit big city sites, and drive around to see The Hermitage, Belle Meade and the zoo.  I am super excited to visit the Parthenon again - I swear one day I will see the original in Greece. A few tours of caught my eye at historic homes, museums and historic music halls; I am hoping to catch the screen printing tour at the Ryman.  After the eclipse at the park, if we can hit the road quickly, I think we can squeeze in a tour at Jim Beam after the eclipse in Lynchburg since Stone River National Battlefield is already a half hour south of the city.  It will be a busy three days... and then I have to rush back because I have tickets to another concert the evening after the event.... no, I never do things simply.

Before I get too ahead of myself, we have to make it through this upcoming weekend.  We have some fun planned in Hershey Pennsylvania.  We are going bang our heads to Guns & Roses (hopefully Axel shows up).  Of course the weather is predicted to be nasty - sever storms!   That always makes an outdoor concert fun!  We are playing the amusement park by ear.  I haven't been inside the park since I was in junior high; I have fond memories of riding rollercoasters and the Rotor (a great spinning machine that suck you to the walls).  I hope we can get some quality time in the park and reclaim some of our youth.

I have several more trips in the works ... this is just August after all.  I have plenty of time to talk about my trip plans for the fall and winter! I don't want to get ahead of myself and not enjoy the moment.

 

 

Time to Start Blogging Again (2012 review)

Hello friends, family and neighbors.  It has been almost a year since I have posted here.  I must apologize for the delay, but I have a valid excuse… my home was flooded last year.  I lost much (and among the damaged items was my computer).  With no real time, home or technology to use, I lost track of my new hobby.  I have a year of pictures still to download off my cameras!!! Somehow my insurance company thinks that all of this was perfectly acceptable (I will save that rant for later).

 That is not to say that I did not travel – oh, I traveled last year.  Now, I am stuck with where to begin.  Do I start with the past and then get to recent trips, or do I act like the airlines and cover the current stuff and fill in the past when I get a chance?  Anyone have ideas? 

Because there is really much to write about, I will start with a basic year summary for 2012:

• New States – I only got to one new state in 2012 – Arkansas (and finished the “A” states).  I was pleasantly surprised by my stay and will definitely plan another visit to areas I missed
• All States Visited – AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, LA, MD, NC, NJ, NM, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA
• New Cities – Memphis, TN; Flagstaff, Arizona; Lake Charles, LA (technically I was there before for 4 hours)
• Art Towns – Flagstaff and Tubek Arizona
• New Aquariums – Moody Gardens (Galveston, TX)
• New Art Museums – Albuquerque Art Museum (for a show on Goya), Seattle Art Museum
• New Parks/Monuments – Chiricahua National Monument (AZ), Petrified Forest National Park (AZ), Pipe Organ Cactus National Monument (AZ), Big Thicket National Preserve (TX), Flight 93 National Memorial (PA), President Clinton Birthplace Home (AR), Golden Gate National Recreation Area (CA)
• Funky Features/Events – Alaska State Fair (the world record cabbage), Diamond State Park, Arkansas (sadly I did not find a diamond), Chihuly Garden and Glass (Seattle), Gas Plant Park in Seattle, Meteor Crater (AZ)
• Paranormal Adventures – ghost tour on the Queen Mary (California)
• Iconic Structures – Queen Mary, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Disney World, Disney Land, Graceland, Golden Gate Bridge
• Bowl Game – Russell Athletic Bowl (Orlando, FL)

There were several truly notable trips last year that struck a chord, places that I have wanted to visit for a while.  First and foremost, I must say that Arkansas is not what I had imagined.  It was much greener and lusher.  In my mind, I had created a landscape similar to that of Texas.  It is not!!! In fact, its features reminded me of northern New Jersey with the rolling mountains, meandering streams and woodland areas.  I was only able to visit 3 southwestern areas of the state – Texarkana, Hope and Murfersboro.  I already know that I need to go back and visit Hot Springs.  While in Arkansas this trip, I stopped in Hope to visit the Clinton home.  In order to get a picture, you literally have to walk across the street to get a good view.  From that “little town called Hope,” I traveled north to the infamous Diamond State Park.  Yes, you can keep what you find.  And NO, it is not easy.  Diamond pit mining is not for the faint of heart.  And going in June is not a good idea.  I went to say I tried and tip my hat to all the die-hards/regulars that make a go at the search.  I must say that the park offers plenty of enticement, with bronzed shovels where the real big finds were uncovered.   What amazed me most was the willingness of so many to dig through the cracked earth for hours, the excitement at their find and then the sad let down when appraisers tell them their find was just a piece of quartz.  It was interesting… and I can say I tried (for a few hours).  It was good to see they had a waterpark attached – you need it to cool down.  So, if this park interests you – don’t go in the summer, aim for the fall or spring!

Yes, that is a mouse on the wheel!

Cabbage = 136 lbs.

I had a huge Alaska let-down in 2012.  For years, I have wanted to visit Katmai National Park – not exactly  This time, I thought I had a plan – heck, I even had reservations.  Alas, it was not to be, as work pulled out at the very last minute, as in the day before I was to leave.  This left me with time to fill and with no place to stay in King Salmon; I had to scrap my plans.  The newfound time allowed me to head to the Alaska State Fair for the first time.  If you have never heard of this fair, you must look it up!  Here, Alaska farmers really shine with gigantic vegetables (the world record was cabbage was shattered last year).  Typically you see huge pumpkin, zucchini, cabbage – those harder skinned veggies and leafy heads.  Of course, the fair is more than veggies – you get all the fun of a boardwalk for 3x the price.  Games I grew up playing at Seaside were $5 a pop here.  There were rides, food, musicians, shows 4-H animal exhibits and even a magician. 

Shopping in Memphis - South Main Arts District

Back from Memphis … the home of Elvis… River City … birthplace of Rock and Roll… and it was quite a trip.  Only a weekend really, for my mom’s birthday. Had plans to see many of the sites, not really thinking that I could not get most of it done in a few days.  Well – I was not counting on the twists and turns thrown my way.  Between travel issues (weather and non-weather), the freezing temps (for someone coming from Southern Florida), the tornado warnings, time spent at some attractions, the distance to others and the fact that Memphis closes up on Sunday early… we failed to see everything that we set out to explore.  So … I have a few things to admit about my trip to Memphis :  (1) it was not at all what I was expecting.  (2) You can’t see everything in one weekend.  (3) Graceland was not as strange as I thought it would be. 

I thought I would get a good helping of New Orleans (music, art and food) with a bit of a Savannah pacing; instead, I got more of a Cleveland feel.  There was stuff to see and do, but the city itself was struggling.  So many empty store fronts - closed shops, hotels, restaurants.  Down in the West End Shopping District, there were a few buildings that popped with color and effort... industrial space condos, new boutiques, and even a few new cafes and bars.  The problem was that in between the small clusters of retail store front were large stretches of abandoned buildings.  The street, Main Street,  looked dead; yes, the Trolley rolled up and down the street, but no one got out.  While we walked (quickly) down the street, we never saw a soul outside of the shop-keepers.  They were all very sweet, and even gave us a history of the area; you had to wonder if we were the only people that they saw those days.  Some recommended other shops, some recommended restaurants, some  local sites.  Most notably, the shop "mom" at EverLeah gave us great advise on other Memphis sites and shared the scoop on other shops and local eateries (including Earnestine & Hazel's hamburgers and Arcade's breakfast).   The shop itself, had the most adorable purses and some equally adorable shirts and jackets; this store gets special mention since it was the only shop open on Sunday early evening when, surprisingly, all shops had long since closed their doors (or not opened them at all).  I only wish my opinion of the shop stayed as positive as its initial impression... alas, not!  Monday, after a quick morning visiting the Peabody ducks and riding the trolley, we jumped off in the South End to revisit a few shops we were interested in (that were closed on Sunday) and that friendly shop mom stopped us in the street to tell us that our transaction the previous evening did not work due to a glitch in the system.  We re-entered the store and showed the unhooked credit card reader.  Problem - how were we to know that it was unhooked the day before.  They had a receipt that I signed, and I had a copy...  there was nothing noted that said transaction cancelled or failed.  I am usually a trusting person, but this was ridiculous.  I promised to check my accounts and send a check if nothing hit my account...

That little stretch of  South Main kept us busy; we picked out a few things to covet, a few things to purchase and ate breakfast at the famous Arcade Cafe.   We found a great spring coat at "Muse" (a boutique that I recognized from New Orleans); in fact, there were many great treasures there - including Knut jeans.   We searched the racks at "Shop Girl New York City" and found adorable sweaters, and a perfect pair of casual pants for Mom.    We ohhed and ahhed at the interchangeable jewelry store - Charolette Memphis.   We stopped in the Blues Foundation for a short education on the group, its events and strolled around the building looking at their folk art collection; my mom's love of blue glass was answered by their interesting blue glass bottle tree and drinking-bottle collection.  And we spent hours in the National Civil Rights Museum, housed at the very hotel where Martin Luther King was shot.

The weather was so cold and the shops on South Main ran lean... but that museum can keep you busy for hours.  It begins as a very comprehensive overview of civil rights - with time lines, keypoints in history.  The true story of the museum comes later as it breaks down that infamous acts... the soda shoppe protests, the marchs, the voter registration drives, the bus boycotts, the story of the Little Rock 9...full of pictures, quotes, artifacts, sets (like a bus, a counter) and, at times, audio/visual content.  It brings you right through MLK's last acts and that final moment of his life, leaving to go to dinner - shot right outside the front door of his hotel room at the Lorraine.  And I was an idiot, not realizing how emotional my mother was getting in the museum... when I called for her to read a section about the Birmingham bus boycott, my mom reminded me that she grew up during this time and lived this... of course, mathematically that made sense, but I never really thought about it in terms that my own mother had her own learning experiences and memories... sometimes it is easy to forget the history that our own families laid witness too - my grandparents did not like talking about the Depression or WWII, extended family did not like to discuss Vietnam, and now my mom surprised me with her connection to this movement.  It seems so long ago, and yet, we all know that it really wasn't.  

We needed happier and more light-hearted fare... so we headed back to our hotel and caught the shuttle to Sun Studios....

Ready to Visit Beale St

I am planning a short weekend away for with my mom to celebrate her birthday... neither of us has ever visited Memphis, so away we go.  I don't know why, but I always thought that she wanted to visit Graceland.  It just made sense; and honestly, I am not against the idea either.  I am curious about the Graceland experience.  I really don't have expectations, but imagine I am in for a tour that is a cross between a historical mansion tour (like you get in Newport Rhode Island) and the White House.

Of course, you can't make an entire weekend about just Graceland... and there seems to be plenty to do that will occupy a few days.  A little over a year ago, I took a date to see the musical "Million Dollar Quartet."  It was the last night at Sun Records Studio.... before my time, but that doesn't mean that I don't love that music... and you can go on a tour of Sun Records while in Memphis.  Add that to my list!!!

Of course we will be heading to Beale Street.  I think that is a Memphis requirement.  One of the most famous streets in the US, Beale is full of music and BBQ.   Have been to many famous strips - Vegas's Strip/Las Vegas Blvd, NOLA's Bourbon, Key West's Duval, Chicago's Miracle Mile, NYC's 5th Ave & Broadway, Philly's South St, LA's Mulholland Dr & Sunset Blvd, Fort Lauderdale's Las Olas, Miami's Ocean Dr.... I could go on.  So, you have to wonder, do most cities have a strip, a street where it is "the" place to see?  Just from this small list, I can tell you that not all famous streets are the same.  Some have music, some theatre, some shopping, some entertainment, scenery, business/office space... Famous streets are iconic for those cities and tend to represent what those cities have to offer.  I imagine that Beale's character is similar to Bourbon's in that it is filled with bars, music and food; mixed with a bit of  tourist shopping that you might find on Denver's 16th Street Mall.  If that street ramble made you curious about other famous streets, you can test this neat quiz I found.  (I missed 3!)


We will try to visit many of the city's sites in the few days we have there.  Unfortunately, there are no shows or festivals , shows or concerts that weekend.  I imagine that there will be plenty of music all around.  and I did find that a local folk rock group is playing at the a folkart center.  I listened to Star & Micey enough to possibly go to this show... I just have to see if my mom would be interested.  The have an upbeat folk rock feel - they kinda remind me of a mello CarbonLeaf.

Looks like we should head to the Memphis Zoo (since the zoo and aquarium are co-located).  The art museum (with a special exhibit on their McCall Purchase scandal), civil rights history museum, the pyramid in the middle of the city... looks like we have a full weekend ahead of us.

If anyone has recommendations, please let me know!