Vacation Advisory!

Started by SonicMan46, June 01, 2007, 06:57:18 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

springrite

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on March 28, 2013, 07:06:52 PM
Isn't that Navneeth's home turf?

Yes. He is the Sri Najaraj of Chennai.
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

Opus106

Regards,
Navneeth

springrite

Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

kishnevi

More a daycation, than a real vacation.  But a trip of eighty miles round trip should count for something!

Made an afternoon at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in south Palm Beach County.   The origins of this museum are a century old, with a small group of Japanese immigrants who attempted to make an agricultural community in the area.   The community dissolved in the great land boom of the 1920s, but individual members stayed on; one of them being George Morikami,  who several decades later donated the land on which the museum and gardens stand; the museum was founded in 1977.   Originally it was one smaller building in the middle of the gardens;  now there are two buildings and more gardens.  The original building, which imitates a small Japanese home, has two permanent exhibitions, one devoted to the history of the Yamato colony, as the Japanese community was called, and the second a child's view of modern Japan, emphasizing school and family life.  The newer, larger building, which forms the entrance to the complex, holds a gift shop, a small cafe, a theater that normally shows a continually playing movie about George Morikami and the Yamato colony, a "tea room' used for monthly demonstrations of the Tea Ceremony (October through June), and temporary exhibitions drawn from the museum collection.

In all honesty I found the exhibitions to be at best mildly interesting.  The new temporary exhibition is devoted to contemporary artists use of a pseudo folk tradition of dolls (kokeshi) (pseudo folk is the term I use because it seems these sorts of dolls did not appear until the 19th century).   It was the gardens which are the real beauty of this museum, in all senses of the word.  They consist of a series of six smaller gardens in which are presented the development of the Japanese garden as an art, from Heian times (when gardens were essentially an imitation of Chinese gardens) through the entire samurai era of Japanese history, and into the 20th century when Euro-American gardens began to influence native design.  The tour consists of a walk of 7/8 of a mile in length around the edge of a large lake,  the gardens presented more or less in chronological order, and the smaller, older museum near the end.  Attached to the smaller museum is a bonsai garden of trees grown in the bonsai manner from all over the world, and some incidental garden related items, and a small waterfall, are included near the end of the walk.   I took approximately a 100 photographs as I walked around (it took me about an hour to complete the garden tour), and when I figure out where to upload them online (either Flickr or Photobucket, probably),  I'll post a link either here or in the Pictures I Like thread.  But honestly, a photo online just doesn't capture the beauty  of the gardens.  (Nor the humidity,  but that's life in Florida.)

Meanwhile,  you can view the museum's website here
http://www.morikami.org/
If you are interested in Japanese tea sets, the museum store had a large selection (I have what I want at the moment, so I didn't get anything), plus some other items of Japanese related interested.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on June 02, 2013, 06:27:50 PM
More a daycation, than a real vacation.  But a trip of eighty miles round trip should count for something!

Made an afternoon at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in south Palm Beach County...................

Hi Jeffrey - my in-laws use to live in Delray Beach - we visited them annually (spring or fall) - the Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens were several early visits and quite beautiful as you describe; also, we had lunch at their cafe both times - kind of a pan-Asian fusion menu, as i recall.  My FIL passed away in the last decade so we've not returned to Delray, BUT we still go to FL in the spring yearly, usually alternating the east & west coasts - most recent trip to Naples (believe I posted here & in the food thread).  If we do get back to the Palm Beach-Delray area, the Morikami complex will be put on our itinerary - thanks for the reminder!  Dave :)

The new erato

Leaving for a months vacation in a few hours time, including a week on a river boat on France's Canal du Midi (with another couple from Bergen) and two weeks in Spain's basque country, including Bilbao (with the Guggenheim), a few days in San Sebastian (with several world class restaurants booked), Bourgos (for the cathedral and the pilgrimage road to Santiago), and some wine tasting in Rioja before I return to southern France for a friends 51st birthday before the return. Needless to say I am looking forward to it!   

ibanezmonster

Has anyone been to Tampa or St.Petersburg, FL? Going there next month for a few days...

SonicMan46

Quote from: Greg on June 12, 2013, 04:16:44 PM
Has anyone been to Tampa or St.Petersburg, FL? Going there next month for a few days...

Hi Greg - we've been there many times - Clearwater Beach last spring (our 2nd visit), St. Pete's Beach (Don Cesar Hotel) 3-4x over several decades, and Tampa several times - what do you want to know?  NOW, as you likely also know I live in NC, but we've gone to FL for many years on an annual basis and split the coasts - Dave :)

ibanezmonster

Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 12, 2013, 04:59:01 PM
Hi Greg - we've been there many times - Clearwater Beach last spring (our 2nd visit), St. Pete's Beach (Don Cesar Hotel) 3-4x over several decades, and Tampa several times - what do you want to know?  NOW, as you likely also know I live in NC, but we've gone to FL for many years on an annual basis and split the coasts - Dave :)
Ha, I had a feeling you've been there. Likely just forgot.

Places I plan to visit:
-St.Pete's Beach
-whatever malls around there
-Guitar Center
-Pete's Smokehouse
-whatever Thai restaurant my friend recommends me

Do you know of any places to visit that aren't expensive or free (maybe even just places to walk around)?

I'm finding that I-75 (275 in Tampa) intriguing... this same road goes to Canada, Flint, Cincinnati, Bowling Green (Ohio), Lexington, Chattnooga, Atlanta, Gainsville, Ocala, Tampa, and starts in Hialeah. I've been up it (to Lexington), but not down it. It also seems useful as a reference point, much in the same way that US 441 is for almost anywhere I go.

SonicMan46

Quote from: Greg on June 12, 2013, 08:33:27 PM
Ha, I had a feeling you've been there. Likely just forgot.

Places I plan to visit:
-St.Pete's Beach
-whatever malls around there
-Guitar Center
-Pete's Smokehouse
-whatever Thai restaurant my friend recommends me

Do you know of any places to visit that aren't expensive or free (maybe even just places to walk around)?

I'm finding that I-75 (275 in Tampa) intriguing... this same road goes to Canada, Flint, Cincinnati, Bowling Green (Ohio), Lexington, Chattnooga, Atlanta, Gainsville, Ocala, Tampa, and starts in Hialeah. I've been up it (to Lexington), but not down it. It also seems useful as a reference point, much in the same way that US 441 is for almost anywhere I go.

Hi Greg - quoted below is a quick list that I just put together which should give you plenty to do in that tri-city area depending on your interests and times - there are plenty of ethnic restaurants (try Ybor City in Tampa - Cuban/Carribean) - Susan & I invariably eat seafood - pick up a AAA book for attractions & search online for restaurants (I use Trip Advisor & Yelp).

ALSO, be sure to take the I-275 Bridge across the entrance to Tampa Bay - goes from St. Pete's to near Brandenton - if you get there visit the South Florida Museum & Acquarium (see the Snooty show - a 60+ y/o manatee, if still alive - don't know?).  Dave :)

QuoteClearwater Beach
  Clearwater Marine Acquarium - Dolphin Tale movie; great marine naturalist boat ride
  Suncoast Bird Sanctuary - small & runned down but interesting
  Pier - lot of ladies in skimpy bikinis (BUT, of all ages and sizes!)
  Crabby Bill's Seafood near the Pier w/ also plenty of boat rides

St. Petersburg Beach
  Don Cesar Hotel (we've stay there 3-4x - stop in for a drink at least)
  Dali Museum (and other museums)
  Waterfront area - shops & boat rides

Tampa
  Sea World
  Busch Gardens (African theme)
  Ybor City (immigrant; history) - ethnic food
  Plenty of museums
 

ibanezmonster

Awesome, thanks for the info.  :)

ibanezmonster

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on June 02, 2013, 06:27:50 PM
More a daycation, than a real vacation.  But a trip of eighty miles round trip should count for something!

Made an afternoon at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, in south Palm Beach County.   The origins of this museum are a century old, with a small group of Japanese immigrants who attempted to make an agricultural community in the area.   The community dissolved in the great land boom of the 1920s, but individual members stayed on; one of them being George Morikami,  who several decades later donated the land on which the museum and gardens stand; the museum was founded in 1977.   Originally it was one smaller building in the middle of the gardens;  now there are two buildings and more gardens.  The original building, which imitates a small Japanese home, has two permanent exhibitions, one devoted to the history of the Yamato colony, as the Japanese community was called, and the second a child's view of modern Japan, emphasizing school and family life.  The newer, larger building, which forms the entrance to the complex, holds a gift shop, a small cafe, a theater that normally shows a continually playing movie about George Morikami and the Yamato colony, a "tea room' used for monthly demonstrations of the Tea Ceremony (October through June), and temporary exhibitions drawn from the museum collection.

In all honesty I found the exhibitions to be at best mildly interesting.  The new temporary exhibition is devoted to contemporary artists use of a pseudo folk tradition of dolls (kokeshi) (pseudo folk is the term I use because it seems these sorts of dolls did not appear until the 19th century).   It was the gardens which are the real beauty of this museum, in all senses of the word.  They consist of a series of six smaller gardens in which are presented the development of the Japanese garden as an art, from Heian times (when gardens were essentially an imitation of Chinese gardens) through the entire samurai era of Japanese history, and into the 20th century when Euro-American gardens began to influence native design.  The tour consists of a walk of 7/8 of a mile in length around the edge of a large lake,  the gardens presented more or less in chronological order, and the smaller, older museum near the end.  Attached to the smaller museum is a bonsai garden of trees grown in the bonsai manner from all over the world, and some incidental garden related items, and a small waterfall, are included near the end of the walk.   I took approximately a 100 photographs as I walked around (it took me about an hour to complete the garden tour), and when I figure out where to upload them online (either Flickr or Photobucket, probably),  I'll post a link either here or in the Pictures I Like thread.  But honestly, a photo online just doesn't capture the beauty  of the gardens.  (Nor the humidity,  but that's life in Florida.)

Meanwhile,  you can view the museum's website here
http://www.morikami.org/
If you are interested in Japanese tea sets, the museum store had a large selection (I have what I want at the moment, so I didn't get anything), plus some other items of Japanese related interested.
That sounds very interesting... I'd like to go, but a 3 1/2 hour drive would be hard to decide with my older car.

Florestan

Quote from: Greg on June 13, 2013, 07:20:01 AM
That sounds very interesting... I'd like to go, but a 3 1/2 hour drive would be hard to decide with my older car.

How old is your car then?
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini

ibanezmonster

Quote from: Florestan on June 13, 2013, 07:21:44 AM
How old is your car then?
1997, with ~110,000 miles. It would probably be fine, but it has a pattern of having at least one major problem each year. One time, it completely shut down while going 50 mph, and I could barely steer it to get off of the road. That's a scenario I would have to prepare for while 3 hours away from home.

springrite

My trips to India, Malaysia and Singapore has been postponed till the last quarter of the year, which is probably a better thing, since there weather will be more pleasant (for me), and it won't take away from my busy season in the summer.

Looks like I will be in China until my October trip to Pheonix and LA. This is the longest I have stayed in China for a long time. I try to have at least three overseas trip per year. So there should be one every 6 months or less!

Oh well...
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

kishnevi

Quote from: Greg on June 13, 2013, 07:20:01 AM
That sounds very interesting... I'd like to go, but a 3 1/2 hour drive would be hard to decide with my older car.

And most of it would be across the Everglades or farming country where, if you got stuck, you'd be really stuck.

However, if you are willing to get out of the immediate Tampa/St. Pete area,  Sarasota is not that far away, and has the three Ringling Museums (the John Ringling residence, Ca'd Zan, built like a Venetian palazzo; the Museum of Art;  the Circus Museum; and also the Asolo Theater, although I don't know what their summer schedule is).   John was the Ringling in Ringling, Barnum and Bailey, hence the Circus Museum; and RBB&B still keep their clown school and their off season residence/training facilities somewhere in the Sarasota area.  At least some of that is also available for public viewing, although I don't know the details or the summer schedule, if there is one.

ibanezmonster

Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on June 13, 2013, 06:24:46 PM
And most of it would be across the Everglades or farming country where, if you got stuck, you'd be really stuck.
Ouch.


Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on June 13, 2013, 06:24:46 PM
However, if you are willing to get out of the immediate Tampa/St. Pete area,  Sarasota is not that far away, and has the three Ringling Museums (the John Ringling residence, Ca'd Zan, built like a Venetian palazzo; the Museum of Art;  the Circus Museum; and also the Asolo Theater, although I don't know what their summer schedule is).   John was the Ringling in Ringling, Barnum and Bailey, hence the Circus Museum; and RBB&B still keep their clown school and their off season residence/training facilities somewhere in the Sarasota area.  At least some of that is also available for public viewing, although I don't know the details or the summer schedule, if there is one.
Not sure if I'll do it or not, since the three days I took off are starting to look more and more full. I see the museum's site, but it seems hard to find much info about the training facilities.

My parents are going to Sarasota (at least, 90% sure that's the place they said) right when I get back, so I'll tell them about it.

SonicMan46

Susan & I just returned from a short mountain trip concentrating on a 50+ mile stretch on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) around the 334 milepost marker (Switzerland Inn is located there, our lodging & eating place - food much better than expected!).  We have travelled the BRP for more than 40 yrs and likely have been on the entire 469 miles multiple times, but have not been to this particular stretch in 20+ years!

First day headed south on the parkway and visited Craggy Pinnacle at 5892 ft. for a spectacular panoramic view (first 2pics below); the rhododendrons were in bloom (next 2 pics w/ Susan coming up the climb to the top of the pinnacle).  Next was Mt. Mitchell @ 6694 ft. - highest mountain east of the Mississippi River; now keep in mind that the Appalachians are old & worn down, probably first forming about a half billion years ago - estimated that their original heights were similar to the Rockies w/ a LOT of volcanic activity (about the time of Pangea coming together).

Second day headed north toward Linville Gorge & Falls w/ spectacular overlooks & vistas in both directions.  The Falls consist of upper twin small ones and a higher single lower falls (featured prominently in the film 'The Last of the Mohicans'); there's a spectacular basin where the waters from the upper falls swirls around rock formations (created by a much more dramatic river eons ago); the Gorge is nicknamed the 'Grand Canyon of North Carolina' w/ the river 1400 ft. below; the tree-lined mountains hide the majestic size of this gorge (pics below).  Dave :)


 

 

 

 

mc ukrneal

Quote from: SonicMan46 on June 16, 2013, 11:27:13 AM
Susan & I just returned from a short mountain trip concentrating on a 50+ mile stretch on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) around the 334 milepost marker (Switzerland Inn is located there, our lodging & eating place - food much better than expected!).  We have travelled the BRP for more than 40 yrs and likely have been on the entire 469 miles multiple times, but have not been to this particular stretch in 20+ years!

First day headed south on the parkway and visited Craggy Pinnacle at 5892 ft. for a spectacular panoramic view (first 2pics below); the rhododendrons were in bloom (next 2 pics w/ Susan coming up the climb to the top of the pinnacle).  Next was Mt. Mitchell @ 6694 ft. - highest mountain east of the Mississippi River; now keep in mind that the Appalachians are old & worn down, probably first forming about a half billion years ago - estimated that their original heights were similar to the Rockies w/ a LOT of volcanic activity (about the time of Pangea coming together).

Second day headed north toward Linville Gorge & Falls w/ spectacular overlooks & vistas in both directions.  The Falls consist of upper twin small ones and a higher single lower falls (featured prominently in the film 'The Last of the Mohicans'); there's a spectacular basin where the waters from the upper falls swirls around rock formations (created by a much more dramatic river eons ago); the Gorge is nicknamed the 'Grand Canyon of North Carolina' w/ the river 1400 ft. below; the tree-lined mountains hide the majestic size of this gorge (pics below).  Dave :)


 

 

 

 
Unbelievably beautiful! You got some great shots too.
Be kind to your fellow posters!!

Florestan

Quote from: Greg on June 13, 2013, 07:26:24 AM
1997, with ~110,000 miles.

That's about 177,000 kilometers. Time to change it, perhaps?  ;D

Is it oil or diesel?

Quote
One time, it completely shut down while going 50 mph, and I could barely steer it to get off of the road.

Ouch! That's not good at all, my friend! Be careful!
Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind. — Rossini