QueenoftheHighway

So worth it! I went to visit a friend in Tampa, and we took the boat out to Egmont. It’s only accessible by boat, but quite close to Fort de Soto. It’s a typically tropical island- white sand, clear water, palm trees almost up to the high tide line, tons of shells. But my favorite part is the remains of Ft. Dade, used by Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders as a coastal defense fort after the Spanish American war. There are remains of several batteries, old brick roads, and a lighthouse. We also saw several tortoises and ospreys. For me, it was the perfect mix of “tropical paradise” and historical nerdiness. Loved it.

Should be going (weather permitting, I guess) in February!

Solstice Canyon is a coastal canyon off of PCH in the Santa Monica Mountains (by Malibu). It’s pretty pristine- old oaks, streams, waterfalls… We took the Rising Sun Trail up the ridge, which then drops down into the valley at Tropical Terrace- the ruins of an old house that burned. It has tons of old fountains, fireplaces, a statue of Mary, and a Cold War bomb shelter. We also climbed (literally) up the rocks to the waterfall. Both the natural landscape and the ruins were beautiful. I’d love to go back.

Nice people here- really. Went because we have some friends here. It’s not unlike many other places in LA…

How could it not be worth it to see the Mona Lisa? But I agree about the crowds of pushy people and the annoying flash-picture takers. What to do? The Louvre stays open until 9:45 on Wednesdays and Fridays, but most people either don’t know this or have dinner plans, etc and leave at 5. Stay! You’ll have a much more pleasant and worthwhile Mona Lisa viewing experience.

... I live in LA county, but if I walk to Starbucks, I’m in Orange County. I work in OC… and it has pretty beaches, Disneyland, etc. Not a bad place, really.

.... that “no one” knows the meaning of the two stained glass window panels in the ball room. There are two quotations from Shakespeare on the windows: “Unclasp the tables of my thoughts” and “these same thoughts people this little world”. Your tour guide may not know what it means, but in the context of 19th century spiritualism, and what Sarah Winchester purported to be doing at her house, the meaning isn’t unclear at all. “Unclasping the tables of her thoughts” is what she was doing in her seance room. And she was building the house for the spirits of victims of the Winchester rifle. So those channeled through her “thought” in her seance room people that little world… Whether or not you believe in spirits/ghosts/the afterlife, you have to admit, that declaration is a bit chilling.

I wrote my senior thesis on Gothic architecture, and Ste. Denis was of course the first recognized Gothic structure, (the apse, work of Abbot Suger) so I took the longish train ride out to the suburbs of Paris to visit it last time I was there… It was so wonderful- there were only two other visitors, and the place is so beautiful. The crypt holds many of the royals, and holds dark stories of the French Revolution… In contrast, we went back to Notre Dame, and while amazing, it’s comparitively dark and very crowded. For a nicer and quieter French Gothic experience, visit Saint-Denis.

Although I especially love the Medieval collection at the Getty Centre, I like the ambiance of the Getty Villa a bit better. The restoration is near perfection, with the collection and the Villa itself working together beautifully. The only thing I didn’t like is that the newer buildings- the gift shop, cafe, and outdoor ampitheatre, are a bit industrial looking. But once inside the Villa, you can ignore all that. The Villa itself is created to look exactly as a Roman villa would have in the first century or so. I can’t wait to go back- unfortunately, it will have to be after they stop requiring tickets….

Because Jim Morrison fascinates me in a very morbid and somewhat pathetic way. I’ve driven by this place many times, but haven’t stopped in, because I didn’t want to succumb to the “someone famous wrote a song about this place/lived next door to it” bit. But, whatever, I want to go. ;)