THE FRIDAY MARTINI

(Sorry so late. Heh...you know you're in trouble when your Friday STARTS with a need for a martini!

(But, alas, that will have to wait until after 5pm.)

Until then, have a great start to your weekend, and enjoy a martini or two after hours.

This week's cocktail is from the Embassy Suites Hotel in University Town Center, La Jolla, California.

And don't forget to check out the sample chapter of my upcoming book CHASING MARTINIS

MALIBU, CA - TIME OUT

Though this shot was made in Malibu, California, not far from the famed "Malibu Colony", it's a scene easily replicated millions of times a day around the world.

It isn't necessarily about bringing home dinner. Or making a living. Though for millions of people it may be exactly that. The art of fishing isn't just about the food. It's about the experience.

The art of escape. Of solitude. Of a moment away from the hustle and bustle. Just you, the sea and your fishing rod. Doesn't matter who you are, or may be, it's an experience everyone can appreciate.

(Even those of us who don't actually, you know, fish...)

NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE, MR. TRUMP

 

  

"Our airports are like from a Third World country." - Donald Trump







I don't often find myself wanting to get political in my column, but the above quote from Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States demands a response from any and all reasonable travel professionals.

Trump, who likely possesses only a very limited knowledge of airports (more on that in a moment) - and actually has a grudge against one of them - seems to believe the quality of our domestic facilities are virtually "Third World". Granted, he seemed to be directing his attention to New York City's airports, but made a blanket statement mudding the rest of the country's facilities in the process.

Mr Trump obviously flies. A lot. So much so, he has his own plane. He would likely tell you it's a wonderful plane. A Beautiful plane. A plane better than anybody else's plane.

I've seen his plane. It certainly looks nice. It was parked on the tarmac at a private gate facility at LAX when I saw it. Not at a regular terminal. A terminal designed for private aircraft like Trump's.

This is where his authority begins to sag. Mr Trump doubtless flies into a lot of airports. But from there his perceptions are seriously suspect. Like most high-value celebrities he doesn't use the same facilities we "regular" travelers do. He doesn't go through the same terminals, he doesn't use the same TSA checkpoint, he doesn't sit down at one of the airport's restaurants or lounges.

He simply hasn't bothered to do so...it may be "beneath" him...and yet claims to have enough knowledge of our national airports that he can describe them in deliberately insulting terms.

Bullshit. I'll call it.

First: How would he know? Yes, I know he often uses the suggestion "people are saying" or some other dodge, but that's the mind of a ten year old covering for their own lack of knowledge. Trump doesn't use the airport facilities I do, or you do for that matter. (Unless the reader is Warren Buffett or Mark Cuban, at which point I apologize for my presumption.) HIs perspective is suspect from the start.

Second: Other than LaGuardia, which may be the very airport he is trying to describe here, most of America's airports are equal to other First World facilities in other countries. 

I know.  I have the requisite perspective.

In the last five years I've been to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, The United Kingdom, Italy and France. Heathrow,  Roma, Nice, De Gaulle. Vancouver. Auckland. Melbourne, Sydney, Perth. A decade ago I went through Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.

All "First World" countries with "First World" facilities.

In those same five years I've been through Phoenix, Dulles, Reagan National, BWI, JFK, Miami, Tampa, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Oakland, Honolulu, Long Beach, LAX, San Diego, Orange Country and dozens of others. 

So, yes. I'm a little bit of an authority on airport facilities. 

Trump is wrong. Dead wrong.

I am not saying America's airports are perfect. Far from it. I've railed against issues in the past and will do so again in the future. There are problems. But Third World? I question whether Mr Trump has even BEEN to a third world country, let alone gone through their airport's main terminal.

If you have little or no experience with something, then keep your mouth shut. 

Or, as Abraham Lincoln once noted: "It is far better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

Rapid City, SD

Washington Dulles

Kennedy Airport, New York

Portland, OR

Long Beach, CA

And many more....

SEATTLE, WA - MORNING JOE

Feeling the need for a strong cup of coffee this morning. I've got some Cafe du Monde in the coffee maker, but this perfect little lovely is from the Bang Bang Cafe -- terrific for breakfast  burritos as well as caffeine -- in Seattle, Washington.

ROVINJ, CROATIA - LITTLE STREETS, LITTLE STORIES

A little street, almost an alley, in the old town section of Rovinj. 

I love exploring these sorts of throughways...you never know what you'll find at the other end, and it's a fascinating way to learn about a city. There are stories down each street and corridor.

BRITISH COLUMBIA - RAIL AND RIVER

A CN  engine hauls its goods through the mountains just north of Squamish, British Columbia.

The only "TRUE" coast to coast rail provider in North America, CN is one of the fundamental infrastructure provers in both Canada and for US goods as well.

Plus, I just like trains.

THE SUNDAY QUOTE

TAOS, NM - THE DRAGONFLY CAFE

Anybody who reads this column regularly knows I love finding cool little eating places with a distinct personality and a high quality of food. If you really want to get a feel for a place, find the local breakfast joint. 

Even if it's not breakfast time. 

Grab a meal and sit for an hour watching and listening to the people around you. This tells you more about a place and its people than just about anything else. And also fills you up for the next stage of your journey.

This is one of my favorites. Eating at the Dragonfly in Taos, New Mexico, is like eating a pleasant meal in your friend's dining room. If your friend happens to be an excellent cook, that is. Or on their patio if you prefer to eat outdoors.

The Dragonfly Cafe, Taos, NM.


AFTER POSTING THIS I HAVE DISCOVERED THE DRAGONFLY IS NOW PERMANENTLY CLOSED. BIG LOSS. FOR A BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION YOU MIGHT ENJOY READING THIS ARTICLE.)

THE FRIDAY MARTINI

It's been a week and then some! Let's grab a martini and relax by the pool.

Have a great weekend!

(This week's martini is from the Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern in Missoula, Montana. Vodka is Quicksilver.)

THE HAPPY PLACE

I'm back. 

When things are difficult we're often told to "find a happy place".

Times get difficult for everyone, and in my opinion Travelers have more "Happy Places" to work with. My happiest places always seem to involve an ocean.

One of my go-tos: North Shore of Kauai, Hawaii.

It's a serene, almost empty series of beaches between several far more active areas. You're alone, but not too far from the fun.

What's your favorite "Happy Place"?

BEVERLY BARBER: 1933 - 2016

I have mentioned the fundamental impact my parents had on my passion for travel. This last week we lost my mother to Alzheimer's Disease. Below is her official obituary. I hope it gives you a small sense of who she was.

Beverly June Kingsbury Barber (b. March 26, 1933 Santa Monica, CA, d. September 8, 2016 Annapolis, MD) was proud to serve her country as the wife of 61 years to career Navy officer, Captain James A. Barber, Jr.

She met her then-future husband in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Boys Band. He was a drummer and she was his "pom-pom girl". They were married in Los Angeles on June 12, 1955, embarking on the adventurous life of a career Navy family. 

Beverly managed the multiple moves for Navy deployments around the world while raising three children: Judith Barber Joyce, Steven Barber and Susan (Suki) Barber Blackwell. She loved that the family was able to experience living in places like Yokosuka, Japan; Washington, D.C.; San Diego, California; and Pearl City, Hawaii among many others. 

Despite the pressures of a military life, Beverly always found the fun and positive to focus on, and would, when possible, jet off to exotic locations like Hong Kong or London to meet James for a week's get-together to make up for the sometimes long periods where she managed the home while he was at sea. 

After nearly three decades in the Navy, Beverly and James moved to Annapolis to allow James to assume the Chief Executive and Publisher role for the United States Naval Institute. Settling down, they made their home in Davidsonville where they have lived for the last thirty years. 

Beverly deeply loved their home, community and life together. Beverly is survived by all of the loves of her life: James, Judy, Suki, Steve and her children-in-law Cris Barber and Darren Joyce; grandchildren Anthony Pratt and his wife Jennifer, Tommy Blackwell, Andrew Blackwell, William Blackwell; and her great grandchildren Alexandra and Alden Pratt. 

Relatives and friends may call on Saturday, September 17, from 2-3 PM, followed by a funeral service at 3, at Hardesty Funeral Home, P.A , Annapolis.


Interment will be in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

Photo by Susan Blackwell

WE'LL BE BACK...

APOLOGIES, BUT PRESSING NEEDS WILL KEEP ME AWAY FROM THE BLOG FOR A WEEK OR TWO. I MAY POST INTERMITTENTLY, BUT WILL BE AWAY FROM MY DESK FOR A MINIMUM OF A WEEK PERHAPS LONGER.

CATCH YOU ON THE FLIP SIDE.

THE FRIDAY MARTINI

Well. This is embarrassing.

Yeah, it's a Marriott somewhere, but I'm not sure which one. 

I'm thinking it's Kansas City but am not certain. The midwest, certainly, but...

Still. I like how it came out. So we'll just give the location as "Marriott".

It's a cinch this one isn't in the book.

Sample Chapter CHASING MARTINIS

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

TULUM RUINS, TULUM, MX - EXPERIMENT, "PICTURE 0045" Number 4

Welcome to September. The year is just blasting on by...

The final "0045" image for the week is from the ruins at Tulum, on the Yucatan 

Peninsula in Mexico. The only set of ruins adjacent to the Caribbean Sea the day was unbearably hot and exhausting. Even the locals were hiding under the few trees available for shade. Our frozen water bottles quickly warmed up and by the time we left they were actively bottles of hot water.

Should have brought our swim suits.