Ladee's Travels

Phoenix - Vietnam War Memorial

2012-02-05T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Vietnam War Memorial sits to the South of Wesley Bolin plaza. Black slabs with the names of those lost in the war surround a center platform. The platform gives significant events throughout the War. The dedication plaque. The statue, while it depicts a sad event, is beautifully done. The statue was done by Jasper D'Ambrosi in 1985 and cast by Arizona Bronze. I was thrilled to learn that we

Phoenix - Korean War Memorial

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

This memorial is located in the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. It honors the Arizona Casualties of the Korean War. The bell is beautiful. It is very tempting to ring it.

Phoenix - USS Arizona Anchor and Mast

2012-01-19T06:00:00.002-07:00

Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza is the home to the anchor from the USS Arizona and a mast. (Note that the original Arizona bell now hangs in the University of Arizona (Tucson) Student Union Memorial Center bell tower. The bell is run after every home football victory. Other artifacts are permanently housed at Arizona State Capital museum.) You can read about the USS Arizona here. This is the

Phoenix - Ernest W. McFarland Memorial

2012-01-18T06:00:00.002-07:00

I work near the Capital building and have started exploring the monuments and memorials in the area. I find it quite interesting that I have lived in Phoenix for such a long time, yet there are still a lot of sites that I do not take the time to visit. Isn't that true of our own hometowns a lot of the time? This is located in the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. The first memorial that I visited

Pittsburgh - Stephen Foster Memorial

2012-01-17T07:38:00.002-07:00

The Stephen Foster Memorial is located on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Yes, Stephen Foster is yet another Pittsburgh native. We weren't able to enter the building due to a scheduled event, but the grounds were wonderful. Be sure to check the official campus website (here) so that you are sure of the hours. I am going to show a few of the photos that I took and the things that caught

Pittsburgh - Heinz Memorial Chapel

2012-01-16T18:22:00.006-07:00

The Heinz Memorial Chapel is on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Click here for a wikipedia description of the building. All architects and designers are listed on the site and I credit my information to wikipedia. I won't repeat a lot of what is provided, but will give a brief description. This building is worth seeing. It is in an area of the campus along with the Stephan Foster

Pittsburgh - River Cruise

2012-01-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

I love the river cruises in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is not complete unless you travel the river and see the connections on each shore. This is quite interesting. It appears to be an overturned barge, painted, with a little bit of graffiti. Not the best photograph, and certainly not the most glamorous along the river. This is the baseball stadium with the stands filled to see a Pirate game.

Arizona State Fair - Amateur Photography Division

2011-11-12T21:22:00.001-07:00

These photos were entered in the Arizona State Fair, in the Amateur Photography Division. This is the last year that I can be in this division and next year will be moved up to the Pros. So I am enjoying any recognition that I get this year because next year the competition will get tougher. This is the Roman Forum. It was displayed but no ribbon. This is the Sans Souci castle in Pottsdam,

Phoenix - Beckett's Table

2011-10-22T18:21:00.000-07:00

Beckett's Table has been open for a few months and I finally had an opportunity to enjoy a wonderful dinner. We had reservations so our table was ready when we arrived. I have noticed driving by in the past that the parking lot is full, so I recommend reservations so that you won't have to wait. We made reservations a week in advance because it was "Phoenix Restaurant Week" and this place was

Versailles - A Garden in Four Seasons

2011-10-15T23:37:00.000-07:00

The sumptuous palace and gardens of Versailles represented both Louis XIV’s celebration of himself and a perfectly balanced integration of art and nature. Millions of tourists have long admired the gardens for their inexhaustible source of new life and enduring mystery. The allées and parterres resonate with memories of pomps and promenades, feasts and follies. As a monument to the Sun

Paris Food - From Plate to Pixel

2011-07-08T06:00:00.002-07:00

Click on the book to go to Amazon. This is an affiliate link and supports the blog with pennies on the dollar spent.) Plate To Pixel - non-affiliate link. This is a non-affiliate link that you can use if you want. A new photography book was released in May, 2011, just after the return from my last trip where I spent weeks eating and photographing food. This book has prompted me to review my

The Art of Just Sitting

2011-07-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

There is much to be said for sitting, especially while traveling (or touring). Sometimes, the best part of the day is when one stops touring for just a while and enjoys the local scenery. You can go to the park and use the chairs as a table for your chess board.Luxumbourg Garden, Paris The same chair can be an island to claim your space while you read. Or, you can claim the entire bench and

Paris-Montmartre - The Art of the Stroll

2011-07-01T11:35:00.004-07:00

It is worth the quick trip from the middle of Paris via the Metro to the area north called "Montmartre". There is so much to see, and such a wide variety of sights. The street leading from the Metro station is filled with shops and cafes The glowing whiteness of Sacre Coeur becons you to the top of the hill. And once you reach the top, you are rewarded with a breathtaking view of Paris. But wait

Edible Adventures in Paris

2011-06-25T11:31:00.006-07:00

Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris reminded me of the days spent strolling the streets of Paris, making frequent stops at Pâtisseries and cafes. Thinking back to the "edible adventures", I fondly remember quite a few. Soupe à l'oignon française, the original French Onion Soup from "Au Pied de Cochon" near Les Halles. We were so exhausted from our travels that we could have slept at the

Giverny - The Magic of Monet's Garden

2011-06-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

While looking through books on Amazon, I came across these two about Monet's garden. The first one, Monet's Garden Through the Seasons at Giverny, is something that interests me. I've taken photos in the Spring, Summer and Fall. I want to see how my impressions compare. The cover of the second book "The Magic of Monet's Garden" reminded me of the one of the photos below. These books

France - Spring Flowers and The Most Beautiful Walk in the World

2011-05-21T09:44:00.003-07:00

The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris I've found this incredible book for Summer reading. Buy it using this link (or click on the book photo on the left) and help to support the blog. What a joy to look at the Paris photos again, and gather all of the spring flower photos in one spot and look at the beautiful colors. I love Paris in the Springtime! Royale Palais Gardens

Vienna - Souvenirs

2011-05-20T19:01:00.004-07:00

There were plenty of souvenir shops in Vienna and you could certainly buy all that you want of a variety of items. You need to plan ahead to have extra baggage room for your souvenirs. Stores were clearly marked. There were plenty of T-Shirts and postcards. Plates to hang on the wall. Plates of places and people. A fancy beer stein to sit on the shelf or actually use. Fancy decorated eggs. Or

Vienna - Vienna Opera (Staadtoper) Tapestry and inlayed stone in Tea Rooms

2011-05-17T13:10:00.004-07:00

During World War II, the stage was destroyed by Allied bombs and the building gutted by fire on March 12, 1945. The foyer, with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room were spared. There are two tearooms in the Vienna Opera. One displays the original tapestries by Schwind, and the other has more modern pictures made of

London - Ebury Restaurant and Wine Bar Meal #4

2011-05-16T15:38:00.003-07:00

We decided to eat in the wine bar area of the Ebury Restaurant for our last night. Here are some of the offering on the wine bar menu. Nice global selections of red wine. Roasted garlic on toast. A hamburger with very tasty beef. Many kudos to the great cast of characters in the restaurant.Thank you for making us feel so welcome in your home.Artur, Steve, Alan and Lena Double click for an

London - Tom Tom Cafe

2011-05-16T15:24:00.001-07:00

Tom Tom Cafe sits across Ebury Street from the Lime Tree Hotel. During my first trip in 2006 with my sister and son, this was a little community grocery. The second time that we came through the neighborhood in 2007, the shop was empty. It was good to see a vibrant business in the space. The Tom Tom Cafe with the outside tables. The inside seating area is small. You can walk inside and place

London - British Museum exhibits and shops

2011-05-16T15:09:00.000-07:00

I continued to wander through the British Museum and stopped to see some of my favorites. I also visited some sections that are new to me, and stopped to watch a technology video on how anthropologists are discovering the colors of these ancient worlds. History of the World in 100 objects. This link will take you to information on the museum's program: "Discover the 100 objects featured in the

London - Statue Mouth Study

2011-05-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

I've been traveling for five weeks, and have started to see and become fascinated, with different things. Statue mouths caught my attention at the British Museum. What do you think? I must have looked crazy walking around the museum taking these pictures. But no one said anything...

London - Court Restaurant at the British Museum

2011-05-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Phew, being a tourist is tough. It was time to enjoy lunch at the British Museum. The Court Restaurant is a fancy dining area on the second floor. The menu items change often as some of the menu item flavors follow the tone of the special exhibits in the museum at the time. If you are not very hungry, go to the little cafeteria setup on the first floor. Assam chai served with spices

London - The British Museum

2011-05-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

I wanted to select one museum and spend the day wandering through the exhibits. I had been here in 2006 with my sister and son and saw the main name pieces in the museum. So, open to seeing anything, off we went. We took a bus from Victoria Station to a street close to the museum. It was nice to ride through the streets and see all of the weekend activity. The cost of the bus was less than 2

London - Ebury Restaurant and Wine Bar Meal #3

2011-05-16T13:39:00.002-07:00

We decided to go to Ebury Restaurant for meal #3. This way, we could determine if the meal itself was good and you made a good selection, or was the menu good? You need to try a restaurant more than one time to see if there is a consistency to the food quality and the service. Tonight I decided to mix it up a bit and order off of the menu instead of the fixed price set menu. The Ebury on the