Thursday, February 19, 2009
Welcome to 2009
Where the hell did 2008 go? Now the plan is to update this blog each week at least - That's the goal. Let's see how I do!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Day 28 - 07/04/07: Los Angeles (Beverly Hills)
The last day of this amazing holiday was finally upon us & as it was now just down to the 3 of us, we made a decision to spend the last few hours around the Rodeo Drive, just savouring this opulent, spoilt, totally consumer orientated past of the world.
Returned to the Hotel - The Peninsula - in the late afternoon & retired to the roof-top bar & pool to savour the last few hours of this amazing break watching the sunset in front of a roaring fire with a glass of French Champagne. Before you berate me for this decadent lifestyle, remember that it's all about the choices you make in life.
Were picked up just after 8pm & dropped @ the airport 45 minutes later for the flight home. Time then to plan the next trip to somewhere far away...
Returned to the Hotel - The Peninsula - in the late afternoon & retired to the roof-top bar & pool to savour the last few hours of this amazing break watching the sunset in front of a roaring fire with a glass of French Champagne. Before you berate me for this decadent lifestyle, remember that it's all about the choices you make in life.
Were picked up just after 8pm & dropped @ the airport 45 minutes later for the flight home. Time then to plan the next trip to somewhere far away...
Day 27 - 07/04/07: Los Angeles (Beverly Hills)
Awoke after a good nights sleep in one of the most comfortable beds I've ever experienced - One of the highlights were the monogrammed pillow cases with our initials on them (CAM & SFO - some may say "wanky", I say "that's cool!).
Some history about Beverly Hills; It began with a Spanish land grant assigned to Maria Rita Vladez De Ville & known as "El Rancho Rodeo De Las Anguas - The Ranch Of The Gathering Waters). It was Spanish explorers & Missionaries who transformed California from Indian Territory to ranching & farming country.
Today Beverly Hills is a 5.7sq mile city with 33,000 residents & a daytime population of 200,000. The ties to entertainment remain strong & the city's 900 retailers serve as emporiums to the stars, with many famous names residing here. The powerhouses of the film industry, such as Castle Rock Entertainment, The Firm, Dreamwork SKG & many others also call Beverly Hills home.
Star gazing is a major past time with big name stars & the familiar faces of supporting casts spotted regularly around the bars, restaurants & clubs.
Today was designated "Shopping Day", so we headed off to the "Beverly Center" for some retail therapy. I had a lot of fun shopping in Macy's @ the Ralph Lauren area & picked up a bundle of bargains @ "cents in the dollar" of what I would have paid in Australia.
After shopping & lunch @ "Harper's" on Santa Monica Blvd, we headed back to the hotel to change, had a bottle of Moet in the lobby lounge & then headed out to dinner. We left the hotel at the same time as Wendy who was heading off to the airport for the flight home; Now when you stay @ "The Pen", you don't travel to dinner by taxi, no you take their "house-car", which is a "Rolls Royce Phantom". That was impressive.
Dinner was at another Beverly Hills institution "Mastro's Steakhouse", renowned for its steaks @ seafood. The amazing thing about the food & how it's served, is that the steak comes out on a normal plate that is extremely, and I mean extremely hot & the meat is actually still cooking on the plate as you begin to eat it - Wow. Again for the trip home, no taxi, the Rolls came for us again - could certainly get very use to this style of living.
Some history about Beverly Hills; It began with a Spanish land grant assigned to Maria Rita Vladez De Ville & known as "El Rancho Rodeo De Las Anguas - The Ranch Of The Gathering Waters). It was Spanish explorers & Missionaries who transformed California from Indian Territory to ranching & farming country.
Today Beverly Hills is a 5.7sq mile city with 33,000 residents & a daytime population of 200,000. The ties to entertainment remain strong & the city's 900 retailers serve as emporiums to the stars, with many famous names residing here. The powerhouses of the film industry, such as Castle Rock Entertainment, The Firm, Dreamwork SKG & many others also call Beverly Hills home.
Star gazing is a major past time with big name stars & the familiar faces of supporting casts spotted regularly around the bars, restaurants & clubs.
Today was designated "Shopping Day", so we headed off to the "Beverly Center" for some retail therapy. I had a lot of fun shopping in Macy's @ the Ralph Lauren area & picked up a bundle of bargains @ "cents in the dollar" of what I would have paid in Australia.
After shopping & lunch @ "Harper's" on Santa Monica Blvd, we headed back to the hotel to change, had a bottle of Moet in the lobby lounge & then headed out to dinner. We left the hotel at the same time as Wendy who was heading off to the airport for the flight home; Now when you stay @ "The Pen", you don't travel to dinner by taxi, no you take their "house-car", which is a "Rolls Royce Phantom". That was impressive.
Dinner was at another Beverly Hills institution "Mastro's Steakhouse", renowned for its steaks @ seafood. The amazing thing about the food & how it's served, is that the steak comes out on a normal plate that is extremely, and I mean extremely hot & the meat is actually still cooking on the plate as you begin to eat it - Wow. Again for the trip home, no taxi, the Rolls came for us again - could certainly get very use to this style of living.
Day 26 - 06/04/07: New Orleans - Los Angeles
Up fairly early & off for breakfast @ "Cafe Du Monde", a New Orleans institution since 1862. On the menu:
- Cafe Au Lait (made with ground Chicory Root) &
- Beignets (sweet pastries dusted with powdered sugar)- The unofficial doughnut of New Orleans.
From breakfast I walked through "Jackson Square", the heart of Vieux Carre, constructed with the symmetry of French & Spanish Colonial architecture and which opens up onto the Grand 1794 "St Louis Cathedral" designed by Gilberto Guillemard. One of New Orleans' most notable landmarks. This venerable building, its triple steeples towering above its historic neighbors, the Cabildo and the Presbytere - looks down benignly on the green of the Square and General Andrew Jackson on his bronze horse and on the block-long Pontalba Buildings with their lacy ironwork galleries. Truly, this is the heart of old New Orleans.
Once past this impressive cathedral, I headed for Rev. Zombie's Voodoo Shop to do the 10am "Cemetery History Tour - Cities Of The Dead..." This tour took us within the walls of the oldest & most interesting burial ground in all of New Orleans - St Louis Cemetery #1.
"St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was founded in 1789, and it is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Located at the corners of St. Louis and Basin streets. At one time the cemetery was much larger (300 square feet) but today it is much smaller due to development around it. Like most cemeteries in New Orleans, most of the graves are above ground tombs or wall vaults.
Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It just recently (March 2004) benefited from a big restoration project.
Saint Louis Cemetery is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of Marie Laveau, a Voodoo priestess, and her daughter...both are buried in this cemetery. Supposedly they return to life each St. John's Eve and lead their faithful voodoo practitioners in a wild ceremony/orgy. The area in front of her grave is filled with all sorts of gifts left by cemetery visitors - beads, herbs, bricks wrapped in foil, dried beans, bones, etc. Also, her tomb is covered in small x's or crosses...people draw them on the tomb for luck. It's also said that if you turn around three times, either clockwise or counter clockwise, in front of her tomb and then knock on it three times your wish will be granted". Not sure about that, but I did leave a "dime" on her tomb for luck. Source: http://www.graveaddiction.com/1stlouis.html
Apart from visiting Marie Laveau's tomb, we also learnt the fascinating history & burial practices of this evocative above ground graveyard - which was also used in the movies "Interview With A Vampire" & "Easy Rider".
The history and mysterious world of voodoo was also discussed, with its connections to ancient West African religions & the crossovers it made with Roman Catholicism in the slave-holding colonies of the 1800's. Also caught a glimpse of what current practitioners are doing within the "Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo" on Bourbon St.
On completion of this great & informative 2-hr tour, I met up with the girls for the taxi ride to the airport for the journey back to LA (after another stop over in Dallas/Forth Worth - had a drink , but no haircut required).
Arrived in LA by 7.30pm & was @ our hotel thanks to a stretch-limo. The Peninsula Beverley Hills is home for the next 2 nights
- Cafe Au Lait (made with ground Chicory Root) &
- Beignets (sweet pastries dusted with powdered sugar)- The unofficial doughnut of New Orleans.
From breakfast I walked through "Jackson Square", the heart of Vieux Carre, constructed with the symmetry of French & Spanish Colonial architecture and which opens up onto the Grand 1794 "St Louis Cathedral" designed by Gilberto Guillemard. One of New Orleans' most notable landmarks. This venerable building, its triple steeples towering above its historic neighbors, the Cabildo and the Presbytere - looks down benignly on the green of the Square and General Andrew Jackson on his bronze horse and on the block-long Pontalba Buildings with their lacy ironwork galleries. Truly, this is the heart of old New Orleans.
Once past this impressive cathedral, I headed for Rev. Zombie's Voodoo Shop to do the 10am "Cemetery History Tour - Cities Of The Dead..." This tour took us within the walls of the oldest & most interesting burial ground in all of New Orleans - St Louis Cemetery #1.
"St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 was founded in 1789, and it is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Located at the corners of St. Louis and Basin streets. At one time the cemetery was much larger (300 square feet) but today it is much smaller due to development around it. Like most cemeteries in New Orleans, most of the graves are above ground tombs or wall vaults.
Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1 was listed on National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It just recently (March 2004) benefited from a big restoration project.
Saint Louis Cemetery is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of Marie Laveau, a Voodoo priestess, and her daughter...both are buried in this cemetery. Supposedly they return to life each St. John's Eve and lead their faithful voodoo practitioners in a wild ceremony/orgy. The area in front of her grave is filled with all sorts of gifts left by cemetery visitors - beads, herbs, bricks wrapped in foil, dried beans, bones, etc. Also, her tomb is covered in small x's or crosses...people draw them on the tomb for luck. It's also said that if you turn around three times, either clockwise or counter clockwise, in front of her tomb and then knock on it three times your wish will be granted". Not sure about that, but I did leave a "dime" on her tomb for luck. Source: http://www.graveaddiction.com/1stlouis.html
Apart from visiting Marie Laveau's tomb, we also learnt the fascinating history & burial practices of this evocative above ground graveyard - which was also used in the movies "Interview With A Vampire" & "Easy Rider".
The history and mysterious world of voodoo was also discussed, with its connections to ancient West African religions & the crossovers it made with Roman Catholicism in the slave-holding colonies of the 1800's. Also caught a glimpse of what current practitioners are doing within the "Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo" on Bourbon St.
On completion of this great & informative 2-hr tour, I met up with the girls for the taxi ride to the airport for the journey back to LA (after another stop over in Dallas/Forth Worth - had a drink , but no haircut required).
Arrived in LA by 7.30pm & was @ our hotel thanks to a stretch-limo. The Peninsula Beverley Hills is home for the next 2 nights
Day 25 - 05/04/07: New Orleans
Today was "Visit a Plantation Day" & the taxi that we had arranged the night before to take us out there arrived @ 10.45am. After driving for almost 2hrs (it's a 45 minute journey, but he got lost 3 times!!!), the famous "Oak Alley Plantation" was finally spotted on horizon just before 1pm.
"Oak Alley Plantation" - The Grande Dame of the Great River Road is located in Vacherie, Louisiana, and rests along the banks of the Mississippi River between New Orleans & Baton Rouge. Built in 1839, the plantation is internationally renowned for its 800 feet long alley of 28 evenly spaced giant Live Oak Trees, from which the property derived its present name. Planted well before the house was constructed in 1837, this formal planting is a historic landscape design long recognized for its beauty.
This National landmark is recognized for having one of the most spectacular settings in the entire South and has been the setting for motion pictures such as "Interview with a Vampire" & "Primary Colours".
We did the 1pm tour of the mansion which was conducted by a guide dressed in period costumes and lasting about 40 minutes. What we learned was:
"Originally named Bon Sejour, Oak Alley was built in 1837-39 by George Swainey for Jacques Telesphore Roman, brother of Andre Roman who was twice governor of Louisiana. Joseph Pilie, Jacques Telesphore Roman's father-in-law, was an architect and is thought to have provided the design of Oak Alley.
Oak Alley's most distinguishing architectural feature is a full peripteral (free-standing) colonnade of 28 colossal Doric columns. Such plantation houses were once scattered along the Mississippi valley, though Oak Alley is probably the finest of those remaining.
In 1866, Oak Alley was sold at auction to John Armstrong. Several owners followed Armstrong, and by the 1920s, the house was is in a state of deterioration. Andrew and Josephine Stewart purchased the property in 1925 and hired architect Richard Koch to conduct an extensive restoration. The pale pink of the plastered columns and walls and the blue green of the louvered shutters and gallery railing were color choices of Mrs. Stewart at that time. Square in plan, the interior has a central hall from front to rear on both floors. At each end of both halls the doors have broad fanlights and sidelights framed with slim, fluted colonnettes. Rooms at the first floor rear were partitioned and adapted to modern uses at the time of restoration in the 1920s". Source: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/oak.htm
On the way back to New Orleans we viewed majestic Cypress trees in Louisiana's swamps bordering the Mississippi River. Back in New Orleans we dined @ a great little restaurant on Bourbon St & then I did "The New Orleans Ghost & vampire Tour" -the others said that they were tired - I believe that they were too scared to do the tour - that's what I believe...
The tour started at Flanaghan's Pub in St Phillip St, allegedly the most haunted street in the French Quarter. At 8pm the tour proceeded to weave through the shadowy, darkened streets taking us to locations associated with ghostly apparitions, paranormal activity and the supernatural as well as vampiric-style crimes.
Sites included:
* The Lalaurie Mansion - For more than 150 years, and through several generations, this house at 1140 Royal Street has been considered to be the most haunted, which in April 2007 Nicholas Cage allegedly purchased, and the most frightening location in the French Quarter.
* The Sultan's Retreat,
* The Witch of The French Opera,
* The Ghost of The Quadroon Mistress,
* Pere Dagobeat of the St Louis Cathedral
* The spectre of General P.G.T Beauregard, plus
* Anne Rice sites.
The tour went about 1.5hrs and although interesting didn't live up to my expectations, but then they don't always - not scary enough - To say that the scariest moment was when an egg was thrown from a balcony window and narrowly missed myself & the guide should sum up the tour...
"Oak Alley Plantation" - The Grande Dame of the Great River Road is located in Vacherie, Louisiana, and rests along the banks of the Mississippi River between New Orleans & Baton Rouge. Built in 1839, the plantation is internationally renowned for its 800 feet long alley of 28 evenly spaced giant Live Oak Trees, from which the property derived its present name. Planted well before the house was constructed in 1837, this formal planting is a historic landscape design long recognized for its beauty.
This National landmark is recognized for having one of the most spectacular settings in the entire South and has been the setting for motion pictures such as "Interview with a Vampire" & "Primary Colours".
We did the 1pm tour of the mansion which was conducted by a guide dressed in period costumes and lasting about 40 minutes. What we learned was:
"Originally named Bon Sejour, Oak Alley was built in 1837-39 by George Swainey for Jacques Telesphore Roman, brother of Andre Roman who was twice governor of Louisiana. Joseph Pilie, Jacques Telesphore Roman's father-in-law, was an architect and is thought to have provided the design of Oak Alley.
Oak Alley's most distinguishing architectural feature is a full peripteral (free-standing) colonnade of 28 colossal Doric columns. Such plantation houses were once scattered along the Mississippi valley, though Oak Alley is probably the finest of those remaining.
In 1866, Oak Alley was sold at auction to John Armstrong. Several owners followed Armstrong, and by the 1920s, the house was is in a state of deterioration. Andrew and Josephine Stewart purchased the property in 1925 and hired architect Richard Koch to conduct an extensive restoration. The pale pink of the plastered columns and walls and the blue green of the louvered shutters and gallery railing were color choices of Mrs. Stewart at that time. Square in plan, the interior has a central hall from front to rear on both floors. At each end of both halls the doors have broad fanlights and sidelights framed with slim, fluted colonnettes. Rooms at the first floor rear were partitioned and adapted to modern uses at the time of restoration in the 1920s". Source: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/oak.htm
On the way back to New Orleans we viewed majestic Cypress trees in Louisiana's swamps bordering the Mississippi River. Back in New Orleans we dined @ a great little restaurant on Bourbon St & then I did "The New Orleans Ghost & vampire Tour" -the others said that they were tired - I believe that they were too scared to do the tour - that's what I believe...
The tour started at Flanaghan's Pub in St Phillip St, allegedly the most haunted street in the French Quarter. At 8pm the tour proceeded to weave through the shadowy, darkened streets taking us to locations associated with ghostly apparitions, paranormal activity and the supernatural as well as vampiric-style crimes.
Sites included:
* The Lalaurie Mansion - For more than 150 years, and through several generations, this house at 1140 Royal Street has been considered to be the most haunted, which in April 2007 Nicholas Cage allegedly purchased, and the most frightening location in the French Quarter.
* The Sultan's Retreat,
* The Witch of The French Opera,
* The Ghost of The Quadroon Mistress,
* Pere Dagobeat of the St Louis Cathedral
* The spectre of General P.G.T Beauregard, plus
* Anne Rice sites.
The tour went about 1.5hrs and although interesting didn't live up to my expectations, but then they don't always - not scary enough - To say that the scariest moment was when an egg was thrown from a balcony window and narrowly missed myself & the guide should sum up the tour...
Day 24 - 04/04/07: New Orleans
We allowed ourselves a nice sleep-in this morning & then arranged a "Combo-City Tour" with "Tours By Isabella", who are celebrating their 27th year in the tour business; so they must be doing something right.
The tour started in the famous "French Quarter" old Creole city - though less than a mile long & a half mile across, this area is synonymous with New Orleans - Its spiritual heart & soul. We discovered its history - When the city was laid out in 1718, the "French Quarter" (with its amazing architecture-lacy ironwork balconies, coloured rows of shops & shuttered windows)was New Orleans; "Jackson Square" & the impressive "St Louis Cathedral", soon followed as the city grew in numbers.
We drove past the famous "Pontalba Row Houses" of Jackson Square, built by Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba during the mid-1800s, received an overall view of the mighty Mississippi River,levees & flood walls. Continuing by the French Market, the old U.S. Mint and the stately mansions along Esplanade Ave.
We then stopped for a guided walking tour of historic St. Louis Cemetery #3 on 3421 Esplanade Avenue. The St. Louis #3 cemetery is probably the most accessible as well as the largest of the St. Louis group. Established in 1854, it contains the outstanding Byzantine tomb of the Hellenic Orthodox Community and the final resting place of Storyville photographer Ernest Belloq.
Riding along peaceful Bayou St. John, we viewed raised houses from the late 1700s and had explained their architectural significance in a city below sea level. (Hint: they don't flood as they as built on raised posts). We continued on through City Park, and would have seen the antique Carousel, but had been removed as badly damaged by Hurrican Katrina, though the centuries old Live Oaks that thankfully had survived.
Along Lake Pontchartrain’s shores their levee system was explained and the longest of all Causeway bridges seen. We soon reached the London Avenue Canal Breach and the most sobering moments of the tour, where we viewed from the van the complete destruction "Katrina" had caused. We drive along the Lakeshore past the remains of the Southern Yacht Club and the marinas, reaching the second levee breach at the 17th Street Canal and viewed from the van the violent and utter destruction it caused to the Lakeview neighborhood. 18-mths later most of this suburb is still deserted - Just like a ghost-town.
We then stopped @ "Long Vue" Mansion & Gardens for a very impressive & informative guided tour of this 1939, 8 acre Grand city estate. Truly a masterpiece of unity between house & garden. The girls picked up some souvenirs of this unique structure. From one exquisite mansion to many more, we headed uptown to "St Charles Avenue", which follows the curve of the Mississippi, taking us past a few vast Universities, as well as Greek Revival, Gothic & Queen Anne-style grand colonial mansions. Then it was through the "Garden District", perhaps the grandest of New Orleans neighbourhoods; stately mansions surrounded by expansive & well manicured lawns & gardens, were the order of the day.
Downtown, we travelled past the infamous Superdome and through the heart of the business district, before returning to our hotel. We then headed down to "Bourbon St" for drinks & dinner - named not after the libation poured in its taverns, but for the French Duke of Bourbon.
Dinner was at a traditional Creole restaurant & had a "Po'Boy" - New Orleans version of the Submarine sandwich - Very, very yummy...
The tour started in the famous "French Quarter" old Creole city - though less than a mile long & a half mile across, this area is synonymous with New Orleans - Its spiritual heart & soul. We discovered its history - When the city was laid out in 1718, the "French Quarter" (with its amazing architecture-lacy ironwork balconies, coloured rows of shops & shuttered windows)was New Orleans; "Jackson Square" & the impressive "St Louis Cathedral", soon followed as the city grew in numbers.
We drove past the famous "Pontalba Row Houses" of Jackson Square, built by Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba during the mid-1800s, received an overall view of the mighty Mississippi River,levees & flood walls. Continuing by the French Market, the old U.S. Mint and the stately mansions along Esplanade Ave.
We then stopped for a guided walking tour of historic St. Louis Cemetery #3 on 3421 Esplanade Avenue. The St. Louis #3 cemetery is probably the most accessible as well as the largest of the St. Louis group. Established in 1854, it contains the outstanding Byzantine tomb of the Hellenic Orthodox Community and the final resting place of Storyville photographer Ernest Belloq.
Riding along peaceful Bayou St. John, we viewed raised houses from the late 1700s and had explained their architectural significance in a city below sea level. (Hint: they don't flood as they as built on raised posts). We continued on through City Park, and would have seen the antique Carousel, but had been removed as badly damaged by Hurrican Katrina, though the centuries old Live Oaks that thankfully had survived.
Along Lake Pontchartrain’s shores their levee system was explained and the longest of all Causeway bridges seen. We soon reached the London Avenue Canal Breach and the most sobering moments of the tour, where we viewed from the van the complete destruction "Katrina" had caused. We drive along the Lakeshore past the remains of the Southern Yacht Club and the marinas, reaching the second levee breach at the 17th Street Canal and viewed from the van the violent and utter destruction it caused to the Lakeview neighborhood. 18-mths later most of this suburb is still deserted - Just like a ghost-town.
We then stopped @ "Long Vue" Mansion & Gardens for a very impressive & informative guided tour of this 1939, 8 acre Grand city estate. Truly a masterpiece of unity between house & garden. The girls picked up some souvenirs of this unique structure. From one exquisite mansion to many more, we headed uptown to "St Charles Avenue", which follows the curve of the Mississippi, taking us past a few vast Universities, as well as Greek Revival, Gothic & Queen Anne-style grand colonial mansions. Then it was through the "Garden District", perhaps the grandest of New Orleans neighbourhoods; stately mansions surrounded by expansive & well manicured lawns & gardens, were the order of the day.
Downtown, we travelled past the infamous Superdome and through the heart of the business district, before returning to our hotel. We then headed down to "Bourbon St" for drinks & dinner - named not after the libation poured in its taverns, but for the French Duke of Bourbon.
Dinner was at a traditional Creole restaurant & had a "Po'Boy" - New Orleans version of the Submarine sandwich - Very, very yummy...
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