Moon Petal

Rome is one of the world’s city’s the continually entices tourists and gains attention from people from around the globe. And with all major historic city’s, particularly one that has held such a prominent role in the world’s continued evolution and development, not all of the attention that is bestowed on it is positive. Since mass media and broad information spreading first began, Rome has been surrounded by tremendous intrigue, awe and respect as well as controversy. Much of the controversial aspects that are part of the city’s history also contribute to the amount of interest people have in it.

Tourists love to consider stories like that which was involved with Da Vinci Code and other conspiracy oriented pop culture as well as more clandestine information outlets. However, the majority of Rome’s tourists , as well as those at other major world cities, understand that the story behind The Da Vinci Code is fiction and it simply falls into their interest and entertainment perspectives on certain aspects of the city. Most of the time it increases a personal interest in the locations and settings that occur in that book and other works of fiction.

The actual plot of The Da Vinci Code begins with a murder at the Louvre Museum in Paris . The consequential investigation leads to a conspiracy involving the Catholic Church and a secret relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. And of course nothing as controversial as the subject matter of this book, or most references to the Catholic Church can escape bringing up the city of Rome and Vatican City . Both Rome and the Catholic Church have existed for centuries and neither is unfamiliar with the plethora of intriguing stories associated with them and these somewhat controversial intriguing reasons for some people’s visits. However, regardless of your reason for being fascinated with Rome and Vatican City and even some of the art, you are welcome to tour the facilities as long as you maintain appropriate behavior and are respectful.

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Columbia, MD, is not where I wanted to be at this moment, but the weather conditions dictated otherwise. I was on my way to Washington D.C. when an unexpected winter storm hit, rather I should say, unexpected to me, since I don’t follow the news. I managed to find a local hotel , which was extremely accommodating since I had no reservations. I asked the front desk how long do they expect the snow storm to last, and they smiled and said that it could last for a day or two according to the weather report. But, they did inform me that Columbia maintains their roads with a constant vigilance of snow-plows and salt, so if my plans require that I be in D.C. at a certain time, I should have no issues with driving on I-95.

I appreciated their information concerning road conditions, so I told them to book me for tonight only. I also asked them if there was a good place to have dinner, preferably some place catering to my french palate. They first told me about their on-site restaurant ‘The Great American Grill’, but for French cuisine I should try the Cafe de Paris , which was only a mile down the road. I also asked if there was a gym anywhere nearby where I could workout before dinner. I was very happy to hear that they have their own facilities and an indoor swimming pool! I went to my room and put on my swimsuit and went down to the indoor swimming pool to do several laps before I worked on the machines.

After about an hour, I went back to my hotel room, took a shower and dressed for dinner. The staff was correct about the road conditions in town, the roads were very well maintained, so I did not have difficulty driving to the Cafe de Paris. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised with free valet parking. When I walked inside, the atmosphere was that of casual and of a neighborhood restaurant. Luckily, I didn’t over-dress. I was seated and was treated to a complimentary glass of wine from the owner who was trying out on his new found wine on his guests. It was very light and not overbearing, which Rieslings have a tendency to do. So I ordered a bottle (what I don’t finish here, I will finish back in my hotel room).

Cafe de Paris’s menu offered French cuisine that covered many regions of France and a few dishes from Alsace and the Mediterranean. As I relaxed with looking over the menu, drinking a nice Riesling, I found myself feeling very much at home here. The staff was attentive and friendly and most of the patrons were jovial. My server told me to not rush, because the owner prefers everyone to savor every moment. For starters, I ordered the Terrine Du Chef Maison, which is Pate’ served with a small salad and cornichons. For my main course I ordered the chef’s special – Assiette De Poisson, which is pan seared salmon, shrimp prawns, crab cake, scallops with red peppercorn cream sauce served with Spanish rice and mixed vegetables. Each bite was a deliberate taste adventure. My palate was stimulated to the point of salivating. I was in heaven. After my meal, I sat back finishing my 3rd glass of wine and made a toast to bad winter weather.

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Coming to another place, an island, where there is very little opportunity to see things that will remind me of the place I left, is always the perfect antidote for fire that has left. It is never easy to move with grace, not when the heart is so heavy as it is, but in time, with many wounds, it is possible to muster something that resembles a kind of elegance. But each time, it seems like a diminishment of the grace that I once used to carry, not a diminishment of the weight, which continues to grow with each year, and with each new adventure.

Coming to a place where there are these kinds of luxury hotels, Honolulu seems to offer something both inside and outside of memory. This is the fire I carry with me, and I find my way around the place where fire and water easily mix. A short coffee in the morning, and I start to remember some of the things that brought me here, and some of the things that I want so desperately to forget. There is a spirit here, or a band of spirits, that seem to want to whisper to me about all of the things that I ever lost in this world.

There are other worlds beyond this one. A lesson from Honolulu is that beyond the views that make great postcards, there is more. There will always be more, too, because there has always been more. I would see myself falling into the mystery here, wanting to imagine a life lived as a kahu , even if it does mean to purchase a ticket to some of the more reprehensible stories of how stories get taken away when they are not given their proper names. In Hawaii, there are traditions of fire that speak to the fire in my soul, and turn it back to water.

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Are you a bird person? Do you like to find areas of the world that have large bird species and the people who know were they are? Hong Kong has lots of birds and the hotel room is not were you will find them. Your going to have to leave that cozy bed and warm bath to venture out into the forests and waters to see an array of beautiful birds. You may want to check with the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society to see what is going on with the birds in the area. Currently, they are trying to stop a railway from being built through Long Valley in the New Territories of Hong Kong. There are more than 200 species of birds in that area because of the wet flood plains that are there. It is the last wet agriculture area so it holds a special kind of bird heritage. It would be a great loss to the Hong Kong birds if they destroy it.

This society keeps an eye on birds located all over the near by area. The offer tours from one day to week long. There are about 450 bird species in the Hong Kong area so that should keep you busy all you need is a good guide, binoculars and telescope, notebook and pen. A camera if you can catch them fast enough would be great too. There is a great guide book by Clive Viney and Karen Phillips called Birds of Hong Kong and South China. It can direct you into some of the areas as what to look for. Bird watchers can start looking right in Hong Kong Park and branch out to Kowloon Park, many areas in the New Territories and other islands. So don’t forget your mosquito repellent, snacks and water for the longer outings and enjoy.

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The NAMM Foundation is an organization which promotes music by providing a variety of musical instruments and equipment to people in hopes of encouraging support and musical education.  One of the divisions of this foundation is located in Carlsbad, California.  This is the Museum of Music Making.   When traveling to Carlsbad, many people come searching for a great beach hotel, and a little bit of fun and sun on the beach and in the water of the Pacific.  The beaches in Carlsbad are wonderful, however for music lovers of all ages, a stop into this museum is a must.  And should you be staying in either Los Angeles or San Diego, this trip to Carlsbad is just an hour and a half from LA, and about an hour from San Diego–a short trip that is well worth it.

There is a music history that lies within the instruments and products themselves.  That history is outlined at the museum, from the beginnings of the 1890′s through the current world of music today.  There are also exhibitions with illustrate the dedication the hard work, the challanges and the inspiration that lie within music making and within the industry.  Innovations in products over the years is included in the history, as well as lectures and shows that are designed to illuminate the audience to the fact that the world of music is a global collective.

The relationship between the old and the new, and the musicians themselves is one that is and always has been a symbiotic one.  Ever changing, but always important.  There are many unique products and instruments that most people are not aware of and their unknown stories are told at the museum.  Over the year they present many concerts, workshops, discussion and films and they have a program for disadvantaged young people, giving them the chance at a world they were unable to enter, or had no idea even existed at all.  This is a marvelous place, just a great look at the world of music, and the ways in which we can all find inspiration when traveling in that world and spending time with it.

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Have you ever put a person from California and a person from Florida in the same room together? It is a sight to see. There is some serious rivalry going on there and I wonder if it has something to do with the need to be the best, warm state out there. I mean, when you look at a Florida map and a map of california it is easy to tell right off the bat which will be more consistantly warm if only because so much of California is not all that close to the equator. For the most part it is actually in the middle of the country and has a lot more space inland than Florida does. Now, this doesn’t make either one better than the other, but my two best friends seem to think so.

I have never really lived in either one, I live somewhere in the middle, but I went to school in each state, which is why I have a best friend from each. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to try to get all three of us together, but here it is the night before my wedding and my two friends have been having a debate about the best and worst qualities of either state. Truth be told I don’t see the problems in either state, they both have great beaches and great weather as long as you are in the right area, and if you aren’t in the right area then they each have their fair share of terrible weather. Hurricanes and rainstorms splatter Florida constantly among other problems with it.

I personally think the best part of either state is the consistently sunny days full of great weather of sitting outside and studying, or for catching a beach party when you can’t study any longer. I don’t know if I could concentrate enough in either one to hold down a serious job though. I would always want to be out and about doing one of any number of things in one of the large cities. I think this is why there are so many people in each state, they are both truly great states and generally for many of the same reasons, just don’t let either of my friends know I think so.

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There was something homey and comforting to sit around with my Grandma Marie and watching the Golden Girls. As have been planning a trip to Miami and looking at all the hospitable hotels in Miami Florida it came to me how much fun we would have together. We would grab some dinner and then share some ice cream or a box of cookies while watching the television series, Golden Girls. My grandmother has now passed on and so have some of the great actresses that were starring in the show but a few live on.

The show centered around four older ladies who lived in Miami and share a home. They were Blanche Devereaux played by Rue McClanahan, Rose Nylund played by Betty White, Dorthy Zbornack played by Bea Arthur and Sophia Petrillo played by Estelle Getty. It started with the owner of the house Blanche taking in her friend Rose after she was widowed. Then came long Dorothy who responded to a room for rent add after a divorce. Then Dorothy’s mother moved in when the retirement home burned down.

It was just an everyday comedy that kept you laughing. The writers Kathy Speer and Terry Grossman, first four years and Marc Sotkin for later years, did a great job with the one liners and silly twists. It won some awards in the entertainment and television arenas. All the ladies won an Emmy Award for there characters played on the show. The writers also won Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. There were a few Golden Globes for Best TV series and Best performance by an actress in a TV series for Estelle Getty. This are only a few awards the show was given or nominated for. If your going to go hang out with the old folks in Florida than brush up on your Golden Girls trivia.

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I’ve traveled to Salt Lake City a few times in my life, but usually to head straight from the airport, into a van, and off to the mountains and Park City.  I’m beginning to believe, though, that I’ve missed out on a few attractions in town, such as the Tracy Aviary, which has been in the center of the city for seventy-two years, opening up to the public in 1938.  For the true bird lover, it’s well worth a stop in the city itself.  Find a hotel at www.hotelsaltlake.com, stay the night and really see this place which hopes it is in the act of becoming the Aviary of the Americas.

A banker, Russel Lord Tracy, donated his collection of private birds to Salt Lake City in the early part of the Twentieth Century, and the aviary grew from there.  It now has a collection of about four hundred birds and one hundred and thirty-five species.  Many birds here are considered endangered or rare.  You’ll find within this free-standing aviary an Andean Condor, a Black-crowned Night Heron, and a Chilean Flamingo.  You can see an American White Pelican, a King Vulture, a Sand Hill Crane, and a Scarlet Ibis.   You’ll also find a Sun Conure, a Peacock, and other wild birds.

You can learn, too, about migration, tracing the path that birds take from Argentina to Alaska and back.  Utah plays an important part of these long-ranging, traveling birds.  This fascinating world of birds is explored in an exhibit called Destination Argentina!  It’s a terrific place for the whole family.  For those with an interest in local history, you may also find the Chase Mill on the Aviary grounds.  This is Utah’s oldest industrial building, opened in December of 2006 for events.  It’s considered a kind of historic monument, partly because it bears the original initials of Brigham Young.  Next time you’re in Utah, it may pay off to stay a day or two in Salt Lake City and see some birds you’d never see anywhere else, before heading up to the slopes of Park City.

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Anyone who knows me knows I’m a fan of public transportation, not particularly buses, but of subway systems.  In London, we have Tube or Underground; in Paris and Washington, D.C., and even Los Angeles, it’s the Metro.  In the older, European cities, these underground trains enable you to see much of the city, without any of the trouble of driving; however, even I admit that there are times when public transportation is not the best choice available, especially when traveling.  The conveniences of renting a car, even in a city which boasts great mass transportation, such as New York City, is undeniable.  With a car, you’re truly free to explore in a way that completely unfetters your time.  And today, it’s easier than ever to obtain a car.  You can do it now, just by renting here.

In New York, much of the transportation routes link together the various airports, such as JFK, La Guardia and Newark, with Manhattan.  But there are five boroughs of New York City, such as The Bronx, which is the only one actually on the mainland of the U.S.; the other four exist on different islands, such as Queens and Brooklyn, on Long Island, Staten Island, and Manhattan.  While most of the usual tourist sites are accessible with mass transportation, some are not, such as the woodlands in Staten Island or the Bronx parkways.

Some people might be a bit nervous about driving in a major city, but they needn’t worry too much.  There are a few simple rules to remember: one is that you can’t turn right on a red light in Manhattan (made famous by a line in a Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, where he makes states that the only cultural advantage Los Angeles has over New York is the ability to make a right turn on a red light).  Also, be careful of gridlock.  If you’re stuck in an intersection, you may find yourself with a hundred dollar fine.  But that’s easy to control, just don’t enter an intersection if you’re not absolutely certain you can make it all the way to the other side.  With a car in New York, you’ll easily be able to make it to other areas in New York, and even to other nearby states, such as Connecticut.  So, as a general rule, while I prefer mass transit, every once in a while, pick up a car and explore.

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Twelve years ago today, or sometime this month anyway, my best friend Julie finally talked me into moving to Los Angeles with her. She had been wanting to for quite a while but the last six months she would talk about it almost non stop. It really started to bother me but in a weird way. On one hand I was incredibly interested in the idea and her excitement and insistence really inspired me, yet on the other hand I couldn’t really get away from it and she just wouldn’t shut up about it or let me have time and peace of mind to really give it some thought. So, when I say she talked me into it, I really meant it. One night we were out having pizza and were going to go to a movie and I guess I just simply had enough. I couldn’t hear about it anymore and didn’t want her to whisper about it during the movie. “Fine, I’ll go.” And it was out. I said it and we both knew there was no taking it back. In fact, there was about a minute of silence between us before she threw up her arms, hugged me and said, “than it’s final, we’re going!”

Of course that didn’t stop her from talking about it, though she was quiet during the movie, and instead of trying to talk me into it, she began talking about how much fun we were going to have and how exciting this move was going to be. In a desperate attempt to get her to shut up I suggested we move as soon as possible and that weekend we took a road trip to LA to pick out an apartment. We found a great little place to stay and our first morning in town we found a little two bedroom bungalow in West Hollywood. We decided we could afford it if we both found jobs quickly. As it turns out Julie got a job in a restaurant that weekend and I quickly landed a courier position with a small company our first week in town. I’m a singer songwriter, which is now how I make my living I’m proud to say, but at the time, and for a few years, I needed the income. We spent a lot of time at the beach that week and did things like go to the La Brea Tar Pits and that kind of stuff. Oh, and moving to LA did nothing to shut Julie up. I’ll never forget her words the first night in our apartment. “We’re here, we’re actually here! We’re going to have so much fun in Los Angeles, I can’t wait to . . .”

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