MONUMENT VALLEY TRIBAL PARK, AZ - EXPERIMENT, "PICTURE 0045" Number 3

Of all the shots in this little series of "0045" images, this is the one which probably needs no identification.

Monument Valley. One of the most stunning, picturesque and serene places on this Earth.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES - EXPERIMENT, "PICTURE 0045" Number 2

The second picture with file number 0045 is from Prizzi's Piazza, a now-closed restaurant owned by our friends, which was our favorites in the Hollywood area for a number of years.  In its run Prizzi's became a wonderful out of the way "hot spot" in Hollywoood, with its share of celebrity clientele as well as locals and friends.

The restaurant moved to North Hollywood where it ran into hard times and had to close its doors, taking with it the fun, ambience and amazing -- and I mean amazing -- breadsticks. A sad end to a wonderful place.

But during its run, wow.

SYDNEY, NSW - EXPERIMENT, "PICTURE 0045" Number 1

I'm in a weeklong workshop which starts a bit too early for me to be to post my daily shots and still make it out the door to fight the traffic and make my way to the session on time.

So..just for fun I've selected four different pictures all with the same file number. and am posting in advance. My archives are set up so that multiple images might have the same file number, but are kept separate by date and location, making for images from all over which might share a specific number.

That noted, I simply selected four shots with the file number of "0045" to see what I got.

This week you get to see as well.

First up: DARLING HARBOUR, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

Located a bit "around the corner and inland" of the famous  Circular Quay and The Rocks, Darling Harbour is a fun and expansive area of restaurants, museums and other attractions. Worthy of a day in and of itself, it's a great side trip away from the Opera House, Coat Hanger and "usual" Sydney stops.

Oh, and the view of the Sydney skyline is pretty spectacular too.

THE SUNDAY QUOTE

OUR NATIONAL PARKS - HAPPY 100TH ANNIVERSARY!

Forgive me, but I'm a few days late on this little bit of news. Congratulations to the United States' National Parks Service in honor of its 100th Anniversary.

Over the years we've managed to get to a fair number of the parks, monuments and battlefields. Everything from Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts, to the Grand Canyon itself. From Gettysburg National Battlefield to the Everglades to Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii.

It's an amazing legacy and one which our country should be absolutely proud.

I've got a lot more to visit, and I look forward to the many great discoveries to come.

Just a few from my travels....

Hawaii Volcanoes NP

Mt St Helens

El Yunque NP, Puerto Rico

Washington Monument

Liberty Bell and Independence Hall 

Grand Canyon NP

Great Falls Park, Virginia

Mt Haleakala NP, Maui

Painted Desert and Petrified Forest NP

San Antonio Missions (The Alamo)

Valley Forge

Columbia River Gorge

Joshua Tree NP, California

The San Juan Islands NHP

Minute Man NHP

Gateway Arch, St Louis

Arlington National Cemetery

Statue of Liberty

Rocky Mountain NP

Gettysburg NB

Everglades NP

GOURDON, FRANCE - A MOVIE MOMENT

This next week I'll be posting a blog entry I've tentatively entitled "Familiarity Breeds Affection" which will discuss the effect of being somewhere versus imagining what it "must be like". If that's confusing, wait until the entry. Should be clearer (I hope).

But in the meantime it's a fun moment when I'm watching a film or tv show which suddenly appears in a place I've been. That I may have a little bit more than passing familiarity with.

In the last couple of months my wife and I have been watching a series of film classics. Movies such as THE AFRICAN QUEEN; PSYCHO; ARSENIC AND OLD LACE; BLADE RUNNER (Director's cut); VICTOR/VICTORIA and others.

This last Tursday night we watched one of my favorites: TO CATCH A THIEF with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant. It's a marvelous film in so many ways, and takes place on the French Riviera. And yes, some of the fun is being familiar with the locations now that I've visited the area, an enjoyment not open to me on previous viewings.

One of the most fun is only fleeting, but at one point the camera trains its eye on the hilltop town of Gourdon (below), in the Maritime Alps. It's a wonderful little town, and one of the most memorable meals we've eaten was a lunch in small bistro overlooking the mountains.

It's ne of the best perks of travel: a personal relevance to the locations we see in films.

But more about that later.

THE FRIDAY MARTINI

Friday. It's not so much "Gittin' down" on Friday as "Getting up".

Today's martini is from the OXO Brasserie on the South Bank of the Thames River in London. It's a bit of a throwback to earlier days of sipping your martinis and having a wonderful conversation.

It's just one of the martinis to be featured in the new book CHASING MARTINIS, an advance chapter of which can be read here.

Have yourself a wonderful weekend.

LOS ANGELES, CA - BACKSTAGE

Backstage on the Paramount Pictures lot.

You may recognize that sky-like backdrop from quite a few films taking place on the high seas. There is a lower section of the parking area here that can be sectioned off and filled in with water, creating a quite convincing "high seas" set right in the middle of Hollywood.

Although there are handful of smaller studios in the are, Paramount is the only "major" to have a studio in Hollywood itself. The others are elsewhere in the LA metro area. (21st Century Fox is in West LA, Sony and Columbia are in Culver City, while Warner Brothers and Disney are in The Valley.)

 It was a cloudy day during this visit, greatly enhancing the effect of the "sea wall".

PORT DOUGLAS, QUEENSLAND - SWIMMING NOT PERMITTED

Drifting along in Packers Creek, Far North Queensland (the FNQ), adjacent to Port Douglas.

No swimming, for what will soon be obvious reasons.

JOSHUA TREE, CA - REMNANTS

If you spend enough time driving the bygone roads of the Southwestern United States this is a scene you will become all-too familiar with.

Service station. Shuttered and in decay.

It harks back to an era when cars needed more constant refueling and frequent equipment repairs. If you grew up in my generation (Baby Boomers) you will have tales of in-desert breakdowns that took ours or even days for repair. 

Today's more reliable and fuel efficient vehicles streak across the desert floor with little effort, leaving these dusty hulks rusting in their wake.

LAS VEGAS, NV - BREAKFAST AT THE PEPPERMILL

It's Monday. You look like you need a strong cup of coffee.

I know I do.

From the very wakeful Peppermill Restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.

Try the "make it yourself" breakfast burrito, aka chorizo and eggs. It'll cure what ails ya.

THE SUNDAY QUOTE

JUNEAU, ALASKA - THE MENDENHALL GLACIER "BIO SHOT"

Um.

Not sure why, but have I ever discussed the above shot? My bio shot?

Technically it's breaking the rules since I (obviously) didn't take the picture.

But the shot originated at the Mendenhall Glacier just north of Juneau, Alaska. Roughly a decade ago as we toured around Juneau, The Northern portion of The Inside Passage, Skagway and the The Yukon. It was a full trip and one of these days I'll recount the story of our adventure with the broken down Alaska Ferry. Two words: stay flexible.

Words to live by.

But for now that's me in front of the Mendenhall Glacier. My personal subtitle for this image is "Slowly the glacier crept up on Steve..."

Enjoy your weekend.

THE FRIDAY MARTINI - HOUSE OF BLUES

"Everybody's working' for the weekend!"

Enjoy yours. Cheers.

(House of Blues, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas)

(Very red)

#chasingmartinis

VENICE, ITALY - BACK ALLEYS, MAIN STREETS

Venice is famously known for its waterways. The lagoon and the myriad of canals
which carve their way through the city.

But equally fascinating are the narrow alleys and walkways which wind "behind the scenes". If ever there was a city designed for exploring on foot it may surprise you that Venice is one of the very best. It's easy to get lost, and equally easy to get found again.

SOMEWHERE OVER THE MIDWEST - CLOUDS!

Clouds. 

I love the clouds.

My first moment of pure cloud-induced wonder was on a flight many years ago, departing Cincinnati at dawn. Darkness below, and a moment of absolute glory as we rose above the clouds 

and into a brilliant white cotton candy fantasyland. 

The opportunity to see clouds from 30,000 feet as we race from one part of the country (or world!) to another is an experience only those of us in the last hundred years of human evolution can claim.

That's really something if you think about it. Given the billions of people who have lived over the last ten thousand or so years of human civilization, only the last few generations have seen the world from above the clouds. They have dreamed of it, and in many cases have labeled it "heaven". 

Who am I to argue?

I spend my flights looking out the window and appreciating the view.

Particularly the clouds.