Lee Foster (blog.fostertravel.com)

The New National Harbor Attraction in Washington, D.C.

2009-09-01T12:38:46-07:00

National Harbor, a new attraction in the Washington, D.C., area, is a development along the Potomac River in Maryland, barely south of the D.C. border. The site assembles hotels, restaurants, shops, and condo living spaces around a marina with water-side walking paths. The signature visual icon of the area is a remarkable sculpture call The Awakening.

The conventional way to get to National Harbor is by car along a tangle of roadways that are somewhat circuitous and tricky to navigate because of signage issues. However, a more interesting way to arrive is by the $7 Water Taxi from Alexandria. It is possible to take the Metro from anywhere in DC to the King Street Station in Alexandria, catch the free historic trolley down King Street to the water, then board the Water Taxi for an enjoyable look at the watery expanse of the Potomac and the newly refurbished Wilson Bridge before arriving on the opposite bank at National Harbor. This advent helps a visitor comprehend the expansive waterways around Washington, D.C., both on the Potomac and on Chesapeake Bay.

Once you arrive, the remarkable art artifact to see is the large outdoor sculpture on the shoreline, called The Awakening. This is one of the more interactive sculptures you will find in America today. Kids love to crawl around on it. The Awakening is a 100-foot statue of a giant who seems to be embedded in the earth, but strains to emerge. He consists of five separate aluminum pieces buried in the ground. The giant seems panicked and wishes to escape from the earth. The left hand, head, right foot, left leg, and right arm protrude from the earth. This is the theme of the awakening, and it is a powerful metaphor, well executed.

The sculpture was created in 1980 by artist J. Seward Johnson for a sculpture exhibition and installed at Hains Point in Washington, D.C. In 2007 the sculptor sold the piece to the National Harbor people for $750,000 and it was moved here.

On a cement walkway above the sculpture, at street level, there is an intriguing mosaic inlay map of the Washington, D.C., region. Benches around the mosaic have challenging questions on them, enticing you to play a game identifying the location of the region’s historic places and people.

Aside from the sculpture and mosaic, it is interesting to walk out the piers to look at the marina and boats or to stroll along the water-side path, which is hooked into the elaborate D.C. region pathways that can make for some terrific biking outings or walks. In the marina it is possible to take canoeing, kayaking, and sailing lessons. Details at www.calleva.org.

I enjoyed lunch at the outdoor restaurant next to The Awakening. This eatery is a branch of the McCormick & Schmick’s chain, with good seafood. The Bay Scallops/Rock Shrimp Fettucine with a classic Alfredo cream sauce was tasty.

It is also interesting to explore the Gaylord Hotel, the main lodging in the area. This property has the signature Gaylord atrium interior, similar to those in Nashville and Orlando, with a huge interior space enclosing a few houses in a quasi-village. I found the atrium a welcome climate-controlled space in the hot and muggy Washington, D.C., weather scene typical of August. The huge size of the hotel makes this a popular convention space.

Later, outside, I walked through the condo and shops area, enjoying the Sunday Farmer’s Market, which had both foods and crafts on display.

National Harbor amounts to a pleasing waterside “destination” outing to consider in Washington, D.C., especially if you want relief from the urban images of the city core. For more details, see www.nationalharbor.com.

Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

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The Enduring Relevance of the Newseum in Washington DC

2009-08-24T10:45:11-07:00

I had an opportunity to look again at the Newseum in Washington DC and was reminded how significant a part it plays for the traveler visiting the city.

The mission of the Newseum is as relevant as ever. It reflects on the role of the media in our lives, and that role is certainly not diminishing.

Hauntingly poignant in the lobby, projected onto a large screen, is a sobering clip of the late journalist Walter Cronkite informing us that John Kennedy had been shot.

Equally touching, on the fourth floor, is the partially melted TV transmission antenna that sat atop one of the World Trade Towers when the 9-11 terrorists hit the building.

The Newseum also hosts changing shows, along with its permanent exhibits. The one I found most fascinating was Fotobama, a collection of images by pro photographers of the historic campaign, election, and inauguration of Barack Obama. This show was organized by Theo Adamstein and the FotoweekDC group. Keep this FotoweekDC event in mind if you happen to be in Washington DC when it occurs, November 7-14. Details at www.fotoweekdc.org.

The Newseum is an independent entity, not part of the Smithsonian, so it depends on tickets for its survival. The cost is $20 for an adult.

In past visits to the Newseum I’ve gone for lunch at Wolfgang Puck’s food court in the basement. This is an upscale food court with inviting dishes. On this occasion I went to his fine dining restaurant, The Source, which is adjacent to the Newseum. Everyone is served a naan bread with a cucumber sauce dip and tangy chutney. The Chinois or Thai Chicken salad entrees are a good choice, perhaps accompanied by a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio.

The Newseum is worth seeing and can continue to be re-explored. Prepare for a visit with a look at their website www.newseum.org.

I then walked down the mall to the Museum of American History to see the new display of the star spangled banner flag, from the famous battle of Baltimore in 1812. This is the fag that inspired the national anthem. The flag is now on display in a restful, dimly-lit space because it is aging and can’t take much stress without falling apart.

One ingenious part of the display is an adjacent visual station where elements of the flag keep changing, showing lots of flag lore, such as what kind of bullet happened to make a certain hole in it.

Another currently popular display at the Museum of American History is the kitchen of Julia Child, which seemed to be crowded with people anticipating the movie Julie & Julia.

Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

The Movie Julie & Julia, Plus Julia Child’s Actual Kitchen at the Smithsonian in Washington DC

2009-08-14T15:41:56-07:00

Washington, D.C., is the only place where you can see Julia Child’s actual kitchen, which is at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and then step out to a movie theatre and see the new movie Julie & Julia. I recently did just that.

In the movie you see two parallel lives, that of the actual Julia and that of a young woman blogger who set out to recreate in one year the 524 recipes in Julia’s landmark book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Both stories are love stories with some rough patches, but happy endings

Julia Child’s actual kitchen shows a fortuitous congruence of an American and a French sensibility. Julia was a head-strong young woman from a wealthy Pasadena, California, family. Her modest kitchen, from her later Boston home, has the precise orderliness of a Racine play. One telling scene in the movie shows her husband Paul outlining where each pan will go on a pegboard. There is a pan for everything, and every pan must be in its place.

The movie, if true to her life story, shows just how accidental was Julia Child’s celebrated food journalism career. It was an accident that USIA (United States Information Agency) husband Paul happened to get stationed in Paris. What would wife Julia do to pass the time, since they had no children? She took up hatmaking, but felt bored. She enjoyed food and cooking. She took up cooking classes, and was allowed to take special classes at the Cordon Bleu school, at a time when only men were considered worthy of such training. By chance she met two French women working on a cookbook, who eventually got her involved in their project, which became her project. The book was initially rejected. It was Paul who suggested that she might be just right for the new media, TV. All through the film, full of life’s ups and downs, the exuberance of Julia Child carries the plot forward.

The blogger, Julie, is similarly un-focused. She is working in a post 9-11 government office in New York helping people deal with the tragedy. Her days are fully of the anger, pain, and disappointment of callers. She needs some nightly relief, something fun. What should she do? Well, she likes to cook. Maybe she could set up a project for herself. Maybe she could cook all of the 524 recipes in Julia’s book in one year. That would be the goal. Maybe she could blog about it. She does blog, and initially no one is reading it. But eventually, one day, she gets her first Comment.

The movie is appealing for two reasons. Both women are part of love stories, which will eventually have a happy ending, but it’s good to have a steady partner in the down times. And both women go through some difficult downers before they become successful. The viewer can relate to the misery and wants to because there is good news coming after adversity.

Julia’s husband Paul gets pulled before the McCarthy red-baiting tribunals and his career gets cut short, with the couple banished to a minor post in Oslo. When Julia gets back to the U.S., with a growing dream of a multi-volume book series, the concept gets rejected by the publishers. The publisher then attempts to dumb down the project. Finally, a talented editor from a new publisher takes Julia’s book on and gets it. Julia’s career takes off.

Julie the blogger has many challenges. Her sense of her own purpose is not strong. Her mom reads her blog and keeps calling to ask why is she wasting her time. Dishes do not always turn out well. Boss at work definitely does not want to ever appear in blog. Husband needs a break from the modest apartment for a time because Julie is having too many tantrums and meltdowns, and is totally focused on food. Julie writes about all the down and dirty details and suddenly becomes a strong human interest story because the public loves misery with the later prospect of success. A newspaper editor becomes aware of the blog and publicizes it. Julie takes off.

The talent of actress Meryll Streep makes this cinematic event a success.

The Smithsonian is to be congratulated for preserving the kitchen of this American original, Julia Child, whose love of life and food is uplifting. If Henry James were alive today, he would have written the definitive novel and film script. He would portray how this can-do American energy pursued French culinary discipline in Paris and lived happily every after.

Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

The Tasty Farmer's Market at Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C.

2009-08-04T14:14:57-07:00

The Sunday Farmer’s Market at Dupont Circle amounts to one of the more ambitious such markets and tasting experiences that I have encountered.

I was in D.C. to gather more material for future editions of my recent co-authored book, The Photographer’s Guide to Washington, D.C. I also have several Washington DC articles on my website that I like to keep fresh, plus more photos to make as I document this ever-evolving city.

My immersion in the market occurred last Sunday. The range of summer tree-ripened fruits was particularly intense, with many tasting opportunities of peaches and nectarines, the sweetest I’ve had in years.

For a snack lunch at the market I enjoyed empanadas filled with smoked salmon and mushrooms from Chris’ Marketplace. That was after the enticement of their free samples of crabcakes and gazpacho.

The market is a reminder of just how fertile the farms are in Maryland and Virginia, plus how skillful and dedicated are the various purveyors.

Ranges of specialties proved amazing, way beyond fruits and vegetables. Some sellers did jams only. Others were fully focused on goat cheese, lamb, or sausages. If you wanted to know what feed went into the animal products you eat, this was the place.

Many steady relationships between farmers and city folks were apparent. “Regulars” were stocking up for the week. Since the market operates year round, one could live from this market by doing a robust Sunday shopping spree. Even bakeries were represented.

The market takes one city block, turning the streets into walkways, on the north end of Dupont Circle. The area is one of my favorites in Washington, D.C., because it is so lively and progressive. Some of my haunts here are the bookstore, Kramerbooks, and its cleverly-named Afterwords Café. If you enjoy specialty teas and Asian treats, try Teaism.

One new element is the self-service time-share rental bike system that is now placed at stations throughout the city by www.smartbikedc.com. There is one such station at Dupont Circle, and I noticed another at Gallery Place later in my adventure. This is an excellent option for Washington, D.C., where the terrain is relatively flat and the surface transportation can be congested.

After the Farmer’s Market I went three stops over on the Metro to Gallery Place to see the new interior of the National Portrait Gallery. The style of many grand buildings in Washington DC from the late 1800s included a large interior courtyard. What is new for the Portrait Gallery is that the interior has been covered, as an atrium. It proved to be a pleasant, cool place to stop, especially in the heat of the D.C. summer. Tables and chairs, plus a small café, make this a welcoming public space. I enjoyed seeing the paintings in a show 1934: A New Deal for Artists. Especially poignant was Ross Dickinson’s Valley Farms, a painting of a California agrarian landscape with foothills.

I paused for lunch across from the National Portrait Gallery at Rosa Mexicana, where they make your guacamole table side and the chicken tacos were tasty. The tacos are a make-your-own at your table with small, custom size tacos and a platter of chicken, beans, corn, and a beguiling smoked pepper sauce. The décor of masks in the restaurant is engaging and I am told the happy hour scene at the ample bar is inviting.

This happened to be my day for grand interiors in Washington, D.C., because I decided to walk a short distance over to the National Building Museum to see its sumptuous atrium. The massive columns in this 1887 palace of the government bureaucracy were impressive. The original use of the building was for something called the Pension Bureau.

One thing wonderful about Washington, D.C., is that there are always intriguing, free exhibitions to see. At the National Building Museum the emphasis is on building, city planning, and innovations in development. I took in a Green Community exhibit, highlighting urban planning innovations at several worldwide locations.

The National Building Museum is also one of the most kid-friendly spots I know of in Washington, D.C., with plenty of Legos and other construction play options for kids.

Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

Laguna Beach's Annual Pageant of the Masters

2009-07-23T17:23:50-07:00

Laguna Beach celebrates art each summer with its Festival of the Arts, including a tour de force live performance called the Pageant of the Masters, in which classic paintings are depicted as tableaux vivants. This nightly spectacle is a major art experience if you happen to be headed to Orange County.

I had heard of the performance, but had not seen it until recently. The nightly show, in its 75th year, occurs from July 8 to August 31, with tickets ranging from $20 to $350, http://www.lagunafestivalofarts.org.

The evening begins about 6 p.m., when you stroll around a courtyard, perhaps savoring some food, drink, and live music, as you peruse the works of numerous, major, high-end artists. The range of arts involved is considerable. I saw paintings in several media, ceramics, sculpture, photography, furniture design, fine woodworking, fiber arts, glass arts, and jewelry. What makes the experience special is that each artist is personally available to meet you and discuss his or her work.

Then, as night falls around 8:30 p.m., you enter a large outdoor amphitheater to see a 90-minute performance on what are called tableaux vivants, or presentations of classic and contemporary paintings with live people in the frames. This is a specialized art of dramatic presentation. Bring your binoculars to appreciate the details of the Pageant because you may be seated amidst several thousand others on a sold-out night.

(No photos are allowed of the Pageant itself, and photos of the artists with their art works are discouraged, so the visuals to illustrate this event are somewhat limited.)

The tableaux vivants are introduced with an engaging narrative focused on the joy and mystery of art as they influence our lives. An eclectic evening of appropriate music is presented by the Pageant orchestra as the performance proceeds.

Each year the Pageant has a new theme, and for 2009 it is The Muse, those female inspirers of the arts, whether on an ancient bas relief or in the works of Maxfield Parrish. A new range of artists is also selected each year, and this year the works of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Camille Claudel, Claude Monet, and Paul Gauguin, among others, are depicted. Traditionally, the event closes with a portrayal of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

The human figures hold their pose, transfixed, for the minutes in which they are on the stage. A volunteer group of about 500 answers the casting call in January to start the annual process.

The combination of an evening with artists selling their works and then a theatrical presentation of tableaux vivants affords a satisfying arts experience for travelers headed to Orange County.

Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

Photographer Richard Avedon's Incisive Portraits

2009-07-15T16:14:55-07:00

The new retrospective show of photographer Richard Avedon’s work now open at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) emphasizes just how incisive his portraits were.

When an artist dies, whether Michael Jackson or Richard Avedon, his oeuvre is complete. The next step is assembling all the artifacts and assessing their importance.

Avedon’s work from 1946-2004 was vitally important for several reasons.

He flourished in the era of the great magazines, when there were lavish budgets to support writers and photographers. Those of us who remember that era view it with some nostalgia. Avedon found his niche at Harper’s Bazaar and elsewhere. He had an outlet for his work. He was paid well. The magazine also delivered an audience to the artist.

Avedon worked for a long time, from 1946 until his death in 2004. He was especially active in the 1960s and 1970s, creating many of the defining portraits of the time. He photographed the heroes and villains, from John Kennedy to George Wallace, with equal passion. The turmoil of the era provided an animating intensity to Avedon’s work.

He photographed many of the major movers and shakers of the era, but he also catalogued fashion. And he photographed the common people, especially when one Texas patron gave him a multi-year mandate to photograph the working eople of the Southwest. The breadth of his work in this show is quite stunning.

Avedon had a defining style, which you can see over and over in his portraits, applied with the same intensity to the elite of society and to the common people.

An Avedon portrait has some special characteristics.

It is black and white, of course, which has its own aesthetic. Since we live in a world of total color today, black and white as a medium has a certain theatrical quality, the appropriate technique of an earlier era. We view an Avedon portrait as we would an Ansel Adams landscape photo.

Usually he shoots a person's head and torso rather than just the head. This brings the full body of the subject into the image. One could say that body language often is a critical factor.

The background is, typically, seamless white paper. Avedon simplifies the background, making the subject’s face and torso the full defining subject, omitting the ambiance or environment around the subject. The subjects are isolated and monumental, alone, cut off from their defining milieu, reflecting on themselves.

The subject is focused on the photographer or on some inner musing, but it is focused. These are not candid or casual photos. His subjects have no compelling need to smile or please. This is not slice of life. There is a seriousness about the enterprise. The subject seems to realize his will be a record of the times.

When Avedon prints the portrait, he includes the black photo border, the limit of the film. This has the effect of indicating the image is a highly deliberate artifact, not a casual or cropped look.

Looking at this huge retrospective show can be a remarkable educational experience. It reminded me of my own life and the cast of the characters who have defined our time, from Dwight Eisenhower and Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles to more recent subjects. It also reminded me of the dignified humanity of many common people of the Southwest, such as a snake skinner or a coal miner or a physical therapist. All the human subjects, great and common, are invested with a similar respect and gravitas.

This particular massive show of Avedon’s work was assembled by an art museum in Denmark with an unusual name, Louisiana. I have been to that Danish museum. It seems like an unlikely sponsor, but such is the nature of art exhibitions. San Francisco is the only U.S. location for this show. When the show closes at SFMOMA on November 29, the photos will begin touring in Europe.

When the art of portraiture is discussed in the long history of photography, Richard Avedon’s legacy will enjoy a special prominence.

For further details on the Richard Avedon show at SFMOMA, see http://www.sfmoma.org.

Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

The Viansa Winery in Sonoma, California

2009-07-06T17:04:46-07:00

My short-list for the most pleasing wine-food tasting places in an inspiring setting in Northern California would include the Viansa Winery in southern Sonoma County.

I returned there recently to check the place out after an extended absence.

The setting is quite magnificent and romantic. Situated on a flower-filled hilltop in southern Sonoma County, the edifice overlooks a swath of country full of vineyards and olive trees. At the base of the hill is an extensive wetlands, an extension of San Francisco Bay, rich in birdlife. The number of bird species documented here has reach 351.

The romance of the place begins with the name, Viansa, which flows on the lips like a pleasing sip of wine. This name is a combination of “Vicki and Sam” Sebastiani, of the legendary Sebastiani wine-making family.

They built the winery on the hilltop of a 200 acre parcel of land and later sold it in 2006 to an individual, Lloyd Davis. The romance today continues for a consumer enjoying some wine/food on the lovely outdoor tasting/picnic area overlooking the vineyards and wetlands. The weather is usually cooperative here, creating a sunny daytime environment, April-September, good both for travelers and grapes.

I happened to be with a small group of about 10 people, so we set up in advance a tour and then a pairings tasting of wine and food. If traveling alone, one could look around by oneself and pick up some food in the Marketplace and Tasting Room to go with wine on the outdoor deck.

I enjoyed many small details in the architecture. For example, the wrought iron fence along the walkway as I approached the hillside winery was a hand-made affair with a motif of vine leaves and grape clusters.

A lot of people were having a good time at picnics in the outdoor areas at the top. A band was playing. Kids were running around. Families were enjoying the outing. You could even bring your own picnic food if you bought at least two bottles of wine. The aura of the place is of an Italian family gathering, with wine (Sam is third generation winemaker) and food (Vicki has a background as an executive chef).

A sign explained details about the 90 acres of wetlands, a joint venture between the Sebastianis, Ducks Unlimited, and other conservation groups.

Our knowledgeable tour guide was Charlotte Boblitt, who was articulate and passionate about wine. She mentioned that each year she made wine herself from three tons of grapes at her home in Sonoma, so she was, one might say, immersed in the subject.

Charlotte described how Sam and Vicki went back to the Tuscany area of Italy and studied the legacy of the grandfather who started the migration of Sebastianis to Sonoma. When they returned, they hired an architect to build a villa with Tuscan convent motifs. They brought back varietals that the grandfather favored, planted them, and nurtured their reputations. One special aspect of the winery is that its wine production, about 50,000 cases, is sold only here, not in retail stores. Of course, the modern consumer can buy it over the Internet from Viansa, but all sales are direct.

We walked through the fermentation room and cellars, amidst the hand-painted frescos and picturesque oak barrels. The more pedestrian bottling line is on Eighth Street in Sonoma rather than here, and that is fine, because the traveler does not benefit hugely from seeing an industrial bottling operation. The romance is in the lore, the frescos, and the oak barrels.

Charlotte was precise about many nuances of wine making, taste, and history. She explained how this Carneros region in southern Sonoma has a special cool climate and afternoon winds. She said that the Italian varietal Nebbiola was Caesar’s favorite grape for wine. With little rain from April through August, Viansa was an ideal place to let grapes mature, assuming you could keep the birds off them when the sugars began to build.

“There are four main components in a good wine,” she said, echoing a litany that many wine lovers have internalized. “They are the soil, the climate, the varietal, and the winemaker’s technique.”

We then tasted three special wines, some of the best of Viansa. The winery gives their wines a personal name to associate with the varietal. They were:

“Cento per Cento” Chardonnay 2006. Oaky but crisp and balanced.

“Piccolo” Sangiovese 2003. This is the most widely planted red wine grape in Italy and the hallmark of the Chianti region.

“Samuelle” Cabernet Franc 2005. A rich and intense red wine.

Charlotte closed our visit with a quote from Robert Mondavi, the father of much California wine appreciation, who noted, “Acidity is the bones of a wine. And fruit is the meat.”

My tastebuds were pleased. I then went into the Marketplace and Tasting Room where wine and food products could be purchased. Four “flights” of wine can be tasted for $5, with the fee applied to a purchase. You taste the wines with a “Wine Educator.” The winery has a Tuscan Wine Club offering discounts. Even these select wines were relatively affordable, around $20-$40. The Marketplace had an ample tasting of cheeses, mainly California and Italian, plus pesto, mustard, preserves, plenty of specialty foods for a picnic lingering on the outdoor, elevated terrace or a gift to take home.

Viansa Winery and Marketplace is at 25200 Arnold Drive (Highway 121), Sonoma, CA 95476, 800-995-4740, www.viansa.com.

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Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

Bamboo as a Green Architecture Building Material in Travel Lodgings

2009-06-28T14:43:01-07:00

I became aware of the virtues of bamboo as a “green” architecture material recently at a lodging in Marin County, California, known as Inn Marin.

The floors and the furniture of my room were made of bamboo, as might be expected. But even the comforter on my bed was made of bamboo fibers, according to Kriss Hillard of Inn Marin.

“Bamboo has many virtues,” said Hillard. “It’s a fast growing, durable, perennial grass that stabilizes the soil. Bamboo is not some precious rainforest hardwood.”

Hillard also pointed out how soon bamboo can be harvested.

“We don’t have to wait for an old growth forest to develop,” added Hillard. “These floors were made from five-year-old bamboo.”

Apparently, the bamboo plant is also superlative in terms of the oxygen it adds to the environment and the carbon dioxide it subtracts.

“The experts call bamboo an efficient carbon dioxide ‘sink,’” noted Hillard. “It may be doing more for the environment than trees of the same mass.”

The floors looked quite handsome and appeared hard and durable to the touch. It was surprising how many other aspects of the room were made of bamboo. For example, a shelf in the bathroom for putting toiletry items on would normally be made of glass or plastic. Here it was made of bamboo. The ice bucket in the room has a bamboo sheath around it. In the closet the hangers were bamboo. More obviously, the décor for the room, the wood around the ceiling joints, was made of bamboo.

The owners of Inn Marin have developed a coordinated effort to create a green lodging. They retrofitted and upgraded an earlier structure on the property with a green architecture goal in mind. Bamboo use is only one of several strategies used to further Inn Marin’s green vision.

For their efforts, Inn Marin has won a high level green certification from the State of California. They were awarded a State Certification at the Leadership Level for California’s Green Hotel Certification program. Inn Marin was the first property in California to receive this certification

I didn’t stay at Inn Marin just for the bamboo. The Inn, located in Novato, was conveniently between the Viansa Winery in Sonoma and kayaking in Tomales Bay, the two quests for my trip.

However, it was satisfying to stay at Inn Marin and see the extent to which “green’ has taken hold in lodging construction, with bamboo an important element.

Inn Marin is at 250 Entrada Drive, Novato, CA 94949, 415-883-5952, www.innmarin.com.

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Posted by:
Lee Foster
Foster Travel Publishing
PO Box 5715
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-549-2202
lee@fostertravel.com

Kayaking Tomales Bay, California

2009-06-20T14:38:19-07:00

The pristine beauty of Tomales Bay in Marin County, California struck me as I kayaked there recently. You know the waters are pure when oysters can be farmed there.

I traveled with Blue Waters Kayaking, leaving out of Nick’s Cove, which is four miles north of Marshall along Highway 1. Marshall is on the east side of Tomales Bay, a coastal inlet protected from the sea by the Point Reyes Peninsula.

My guide was Chris Starbird, who had a thorough knowledge of the environment and of the oyster industry.

The weather was ideal, a cool but sunny morning with a light breeze. There could have been a killer wind, which would have made this an ordeal. The skies could have been foggy and overcast because the month was June, but they were clear. Everyone came prepared with foul weather gear, which was prudent, and then rejoiced at the mildness of the day.

I glided over the eel grass, full of fish life. Large concentrations of birds, including one raft of brown pelicans, white pelicans, and cormorants, testified to the presence of large fish schools. In the eelgrass I could see jellyfish too.

The cormorants were so numerous on the trees at Hog Island that the trees were dying, due to the intense urine secreted by the birds.

An occasional harbor seal made a cameo appearance in this maritime drama.

We passed stationary rafts where oysters are grown from seedlings to edible size. One restaurant in the San Francisco Ferry Building, called Hog Island, serves as an outlet for much of this oyster production.

We paddled north on the bay for a couple of hours, with Chris stopping for our group of eight double kayaks every once in a while for a discussion of some aspect of the environment or of oyster production.

Then we paused for lunch at a beach on the Point Reyes side and paddled south along Point Reyes, scanning the hillsides for the tule elk that flourish here. This is a remnant herd of the large population of elk that flourished in the 19th century, nearly went extinct, and then was brought back by careful management and distributed to several locations around Northern California, including Point Reyes.

Blue Waters leads tours both here and for whale watching in Baja, Mexico.

Blue Waters Kayaking is at POB 983, Inverness, CA 94937-0983, 415-669-2600, www.bwkayak.com.

California's State Parks May Close

2009-06-12T16:30:07-07:00

The closing of the California state park system, which is now likely, will signal a significant decline in the quality of life in the Golden State.

Every day the extent of the California financial crisis becomes more documented and apparent. Critical health services for thousands of people will be cut off. The education system, already funded at one of the lowest state levels in the country, will be further decimated.

Tax revenue is falling. Californians have also mandated, with Prop 13, that 2/3rd of legislators must agree before there is any budget OK or raising of taxes. It is nearly impossible to get the 2/3rds agreement.

Closing the state parks will have a devastating effect on travel in California.

One of the ironies in the anticipated state parks closure is the argument that state parks actually generate more tax revenue than they cost to run. That’s because every B&B and restaurant near a state park pays taxes if it has patrons. An astute observer of these nuances, John Poimiroo, a former Commerce Secretary to a governor and a lifelong student of the state park system, has sent out a communication estimating that closing the state parks will save about $149 million, but lose about $350 million in taxes, resulting in a net loss of $201 million.

California’s state parks are arguably the premier state park system in the nation.

The parks bring joy to countless visitors. Their diversity is astonishing.

They are one of my favorite subjects of reportage.

Anza Borrego Desert State Park is the largest, located in a pristine desert area east of San Diego. Wander out to Font’s Point, named after an early explorer, and you can commune with yourself in the loftiest desert tradition. The photo is of Font’s Point, a place offering solitude, a treat in populous Southern California. See my article on Anza Borrego at

http://www.fostertravel.com/temp-CAANZA.html

Interest in the California state parks is not a parochial matter. Reportages such as this are of national interest. This article of mine ran in Travel + Leisure.

Angel Island, in San Francisco Bay, is another outstanding state park. It is now the home of a refurbished Immigration Station, which testifies to the manner in which many Asians came into America. A huge investment has been made in bringing forth this story at a site that is truly an Ellis Island West. Angel Island also is a place of innovation in travel. You can take a Segway tour around the island. See my coverage at

http://www.fostertravel.com/temp-CAANGE.html

MacKerricher Park is a joy along the Mendocino Coast. This is a good example of a remote park whose surrounding community will be devastated by a state park closure. The restaurants and B&B lodgings of Fort Bragg and Mendocino are highly dependent on the birders, hikers, bicyclists, and general nature lovers who peruse MacKerricher Park. I recently refreshed myself on this wonderful travel resource and reported on it. See the writeup at

http://www.fostertravel.com/CAMEN2.html

Crunch time is coming in the California financial crisis. As a citizen, though I love travel, I would be hard pressed to recommend that people with life-threatening medical conditions be cut off from support in favor of keeping the state parks open. However, possibly the estimation that the state parks generate more tax revenue than they cost will be considered. The need to balance the budget may be absolute, and no good choices are apparent.