Travels Around the World

my travels around the world

 

When I was making my traveling rounds I came across a folder of old newspapers and other periodicals. Among the items that I gleefully thumbed through in this folder were: The flask of gin, camp fire fingerprint, Claridge’s Mother, Socks and other articles about Mary Ann doll, fashion designer to top, tombstone, flowers and other objects of periodical interest.

This Northern California Museum of the Californias was established in 1884 and is up in Somona. It was incorporated in 1911. It is located in the heart of Somona’s Cow Hollow neighborhood making it one of the few 1914-era buildings in the city.

I like the new Charter House Hotel. It is just across the street from the University and is about a mile down on Lexington Avenue. I have been there three times and stayed in a armature that is locally owned and maintained.

My mother used to own a grocery store and we often took family trips to it. The key is, you have to be willing to rent a car. Driving is not typically an easy thing to do at home, it is usually cramped and you don’t want to be with five children under the age of five.

There are a lot of things to do around the University, such as Surfing, Spring Break and of course, weddings. When my family and I were growing up, it was no problem to get around. My folks rented a car and stayed in a nearby hotel.

But, things are a lot different today. You need a car and can’t always drive to every shop and restaurant. What is a real challenge is getting to all the sites and events.

We always did the trip to Charleston and Savannah once a year. Driving these days is an adventure and can be a real challenge.

We went to Charleston once and stayed in an apartment in Boston’s North side. We walked from point A to point B. And once we arrived, there were no rest stops in the city. One at a time, you had to walk 200 yards to get to a rest stop.

What a luxury to be able to walk the neighborhoods at your leisure. And take in the sites along the way.

The other day, we traveled to Portland for a day. We left New York at 7am and arrived in Portland at 9. The weather was much cooler than New York City and as a plus, we had the added benefit of the Glacier View Pedestrian Bridge to see the coast and parts of Idaho Falls.

With a heavy heart, we left Portland as well. It was much cooler than New York City and the ingrained heat took its toll. We went to a library car of the Pacific Institute of Natural Resources and also grabbed a cup of tea from the local Buddhist temple.

In New York City, we went to China Town along Broadway and then dined at a Jewish deli. We were walking, talking and eating in Chinatown. We saw aides and trolleys whiz by on the sidewalk with Chinese notes in their spangles.

We had a wonderful dinner at a Yiddish owned restaurant. After dinner, we went to Stumptown Café and sip makers ice cream right on the sidewalk.

We got a little tired and Medical Jane took us two more trolleys to the park across the street from Children’s Hospital.]

From the corner of Broadway and the Embarcadero, we had the luxury of riding on the new, gourmet Pedestrian Bridge. It was so wide and the fixtures and amenities were so clean, it was like traveling on a cruise ship. Couture-clad business executives strolled side by side with burly police officers in their dark suits and Black Chicago Bears football players. Downtown offices glow with neon light like an elementary school on after school. It’s just one of the many advantages of living in the cultural ‘sha Ka Wa’ of Asia.

Yangon, the former hill station of Burma’s former Prime Minister U Nu, is now a combination of a sea port and a glorious beach resort and similar to sell my house Jacksonville FL where I came from. We went to the beach in the morning and leaped into the water without a care in the world. We swam and snorkeled in the clear waters. We watched families establish their own noodles at the end of a shrine. And we watched troops of Thai fishermen bring back seafood and sardines from the waters to barbecue in the evening. We paid no attention to the nightly affair. We are used to better behavior.

We walked more than 20 kilometers eastwards out of the city. Suddenly, my feet felt vice-like. I felt as if I wanted to gasp for air. I gulped and splurged a bit.