Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 7 & 8, 2015--Wichita Falls, Lawton, and Dodge City
My friend Merryl's mother died in the evening between last Thursday and Friday after a long period of health problems. The funeral will be tomorrow (Monday) in Perryton, TX which is right at the top right-hand corner of the Texas Panhandle. I had been thinking for weeks as it looked as if she might die that I would drive up for the funeral. That is why I am traveling.
No matter what the purpose of a driving trip, I try to take a route I have not traveled or to visit some places I have not visited even if it takes me a bit out of the way. That is what I am doing on this trip to Perryton.
I left yesterday traveling up US 281 from San Antonio to Wichita Falls. It was the first time I had gone over more than about 1/3 of this route. And I had never been to Wichita Falls except when passing through on a bus once on a trip to California. I didn't leave San Antonio until 14:00, so it was dark and 19:30 when I got there. I almost ran out of gasoline getting there, though. I knew I was about 25 miles away with no other towns ahead of me when my light on the car indicated it was low on fuel. I had just passed what I expected to be the last gas station in a small town. At first, I thought I would just drive all the way, since the warning light usually comes on when the car still has about 2 gallons (8 liter) of gas. But I remembered my computer on board and checked; it said I could only go 12 more miles!! I turned around and bought gas at the small town before continuing my trip. Upon arrival in the city, I just found my motel, checked in, and ate at he What-a-Burger right across the street. Then I called it a night.
This morning, I spent about 1 1/2 hours wandering the city before leaving. I saw "The Falls" which have an interesting story. I believe that there was once a falls in the area long ago that got washed out in a flood. Since everyone coming to the city asked where the falls were, the city decided a few years ago to build one. So they have an artificial falls which comes over a rocky outcrop and drops into the river below. They are pretty, and they are very hard to reach--on a hiking tail with no nearby parking as far as I could tell. They were positioned where people could see them from the highway when entering the city from the north. I doubt that many visitors hike to them.
I explored downtown which is a disaster--probably the worst downtown I have seen anywhere in a city of that size (a little over 100,000). I can see why it died. There are no neighborhoods near it. It is cut off from the rest of the city by expressways and a river. So it took more of an effort to get downtown with ugly routes there than elsewhere. It as interesting to note that even many of the old bank buildings there are vacant. About all that is left in the area with any activity are government buildings.
I drove around the Midwestern State University campus. It's pretty. All the buildings have unique architectural features and share the same type of brick. The campus is green and attractive. And I explored an area of large, beautiful homes along Hampstead and Hamilton Streets.
Lawton is about an hour or so north of Wichita Falls in Oklahoma. I had flown into there three times to give workshops for teachers in southeastern Oklahoma, but I had never explored the city or the area. Knowing time was important due to the long drive ahead of me, I spent only about 2 hours in the area. I toured the campus of Cameron University which was not nearly as nice as the campus in Wichita Falls. (No link because I couldn't find photos of the typical buildings on campus.) It's a small campus with buildings that look to have been constructed rather inexpensively.
The big treat in Lawton was a trip through the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. I spent about an hour on the roads there. It has herds of Texas longhorn cattle, American bison (buffalos), deer, etc., and large prairie dog towns. The mountains are of stacked, rounded red boulders with trees in the low areas. I hiked a short trail that overlooked the mountains and a winding river below.
From there, I headed straight to Dodge City without stopping. Along the way, however, I passed through a large section of the Black Kettle National Grassland. It was beautiful seeing the low hills covered in various grasses.
It was 18:00 and dark as I pulled into Dodge City. I drove directly to the hotel and checked in. Then I drove to Burger King and got a Whopper for dinner here in the room. I was back just in time to watch the three Masterpiece Theater productions I have been following on public television for the past few weeks. I'll explore the town tomorrow morning before I head to Perryton. The funeral is at 14:00, and it is just a two-hour drive from here to there. I'll spend a couple of hours here in town and then get to Perryton in time to have lunch.
Note to Readers about Novels: I made a few posts here about books I have been reading, because I have always noted here the books that I have read while traveling. However, I decided not to do that here any further. Instead, I have started a new blog to keep track of the books I have read. If you ever want to see what I have read and what I thought of it, click here to go to the address for the new blog.
Sunday, November 08, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Two Books Set in Maine
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015--San Antonio
I've finished two novels in the past two weeks. Both were well written and interesting with settings in coastal Maine.
Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Stout is a collection of short stories about people living in a small coastal town in Maine. It was the winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. The character in the title weaves through all the stories because she was a middle school math teacher who taught many of the people or their children, because she knew them through church, or because she knew them as customers at her husband's hardware store. She is not a particularly likeable character, but the stories are quite interesting and enjoyable. 3 stars out of 4.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a novel that covers the lives of two women who lived their youth with other families due to unfortunate circumstances. One, an Irish immigrant in the 1920s was sent on an Orphan Train for adoption in the Midwest after a fire in her tenement apartment in New York. The other, a young goth girl of today has been in the foster home program since her father died and her mother was sent to a mental hospital. It's a well written book that, like the one above, is set in a coastal main community with flashback stories to the 20s through the 40s, and both stories are interesting. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
I've finished two novels in the past two weeks. Both were well written and interesting with settings in coastal Maine.
Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Stout is a collection of short stories about people living in a small coastal town in Maine. It was the winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize. The character in the title weaves through all the stories because she was a middle school math teacher who taught many of the people or their children, because she knew them through church, or because she knew them as customers at her husband's hardware store. She is not a particularly likeable character, but the stories are quite interesting and enjoyable. 3 stars out of 4.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a novel that covers the lives of two women who lived their youth with other families due to unfortunate circumstances. One, an Irish immigrant in the 1920s was sent on an Orphan Train for adoption in the Midwest after a fire in her tenement apartment in New York. The other, a young goth girl of today has been in the foster home program since her father died and her mother was sent to a mental hospital. It's a well written book that, like the one above, is set in a coastal main community with flashback stories to the 20s through the 40s, and both stories are interesting. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Winter Garden: A Novel
Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015--San Antonio
I just finished reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. Although it starts slowly and took some time for me to get involved in it, the book really comes alive by the mid-point. Unfortunately, there are two problems keeping it from being great: 1) One of the main turning points in the book has already served as a shocker in another major book that became a popular film, and 2) The ending seems a bit contrived by including a coincidence that could happen but rarely does. Overall, I give the book 3 stars out of 4.
I just finished reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. Although it starts slowly and took some time for me to get involved in it, the book really comes alive by the mid-point. Unfortunately, there are two problems keeping it from being great: 1) One of the main turning points in the book has already served as a shocker in another major book that became a popular film, and 2) The ending seems a bit contrived by including a coincidence that could happen but rarely does. Overall, I give the book 3 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Finished Another Novel: The Summer We Fell Apart
Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015--San Antonio
I finished another novel this morning. I am reading them while I walk at the local park each day as well as just before going to bed in the evening. This one is about a dysfunctional family and follows the lives separately of the mother, the father, the two daughters and the two sons. It includes humor, disaster, struggles, etc. Somehow, each character progresses through life, although it isn't a smooth ride. The book is The Summer We Fell Apart by Robin Antalek. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.
I finished another novel this morning. I am reading them while I walk at the local park each day as well as just before going to bed in the evening. This one is about a dysfunctional family and follows the lives separately of the mother, the father, the two daughters and the two sons. It includes humor, disaster, struggles, etc. Somehow, each character progresses through life, although it isn't a smooth ride. The book is The Summer We Fell Apart by Robin Antalek. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
The Girl Under the Olive Tree
Aug. 11, 2015--San Antonio, TX
In addition to writing about my travels, I have used my blog to keep track of the books I have read. That's because I have tended to read novels only when traveling. I've decided to start reading more novels at home, so I will continue to keep a record of what I have read here. I just finished The Girl Under The Olive Tree (using the capitalization as presented on the book cover) by Leah Fleming which I have rated 3 stars out of 4. I would have rated it higher based on the beginning of the book, but it seemed to bog down a bit too much in the mountains of Crete during WWII. Still, it was a good story.
There are upcoming travels. I'm just not sure what yet. I will make a short trip somewhere this fall. New York City? Somewhere else? Coming up in the next 2-3 years are the following trips:
One maybe 2-3 months to Colombia and Ecuador.
One maybe 2-3 months to Peru and Bolivia (and maybe northern Chile).
One for maybe 4-5 months in Asia--Parts of China, Vietnam, Thailand, and India most likely.
One maybe 2 1/2 months exploring secondary cities and rural areas of Spain.
One maybe 2 1/2 months exploring secondary cities and rural areas of France.
One of undetermined length to visit islands of Greece in the "off" season--late spring or early fall.
In addition to writing about my travels, I have used my blog to keep track of the books I have read. That's because I have tended to read novels only when traveling. I've decided to start reading more novels at home, so I will continue to keep a record of what I have read here. I just finished The Girl Under The Olive Tree (using the capitalization as presented on the book cover) by Leah Fleming which I have rated 3 stars out of 4. I would have rated it higher based on the beginning of the book, but it seemed to bog down a bit too much in the mountains of Crete during WWII. Still, it was a good story.
There are upcoming travels. I'm just not sure what yet. I will make a short trip somewhere this fall. New York City? Somewhere else? Coming up in the next 2-3 years are the following trips:
One maybe 2-3 months to Colombia and Ecuador.
One maybe 2-3 months to Peru and Bolivia (and maybe northern Chile).
One for maybe 4-5 months in Asia--Parts of China, Vietnam, Thailand, and India most likely.
One maybe 2 1/2 months exploring secondary cities and rural areas of Spain.
One maybe 2 1/2 months exploring secondary cities and rural areas of France.
One of undetermined length to visit islands of Greece in the "off" season--late spring or early fall.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Visiting Universities on the Last Day
Sunday, May 24, 2015--Battle Creek to Detroit via Lansing and Ann Arbor
We were interested in seeing both Lansing and Ann Arbor mainly because of the two major university campuses, but also to explore their downtowns. Lansing surprised us by having a rather plain downtown with little happening there. The Capitol was undergoing restoration on its dome and was closed for the Memorial Day weekend. We walked the streets, but found nothing much of interest .
The campus of Michigan State University is away from the downtown area. They have a beautiful campus with lots of open green spaces. It was rather quiet, but some people were around. Unfortunately, the buildings were closed because of the holiday weekend, I guess. We drove up and down the streets through the campus seeing the massive buildings that seldom had any special architectural charm. As I stated above, it is the green spaces that make the campus pretty. We stopped at a park and ate a picnic lunch in the car, since there were no picnic tables in any of the green spaces we saw. We would have liked to have had an ice cream cone at the Student Center from the shop operated by the campus dairy farm, but the building was closed even though their literature said it is open on Sundays.
Ann Arbor was more interesting. The campus and the downtown area have grown together. There were crowds on the streets and on the campus. We wandered around watching people and looking at the buildings. The Law School Quadrangle on campus was especially beautiful mainly because of the architecture of the old stone buildings. The campus had prettier buildings than the campus at Michigan State, but their campus lacked the open green spaces that Michigan State had and that would have made it more attractive. Downtown, we searched for Fairy Doors--small doors for gnomes that businesses have made in a campaign to have something interesting downtown. Unfortunately, the campaign has not been highly successful, so we really had to search; finally, we came across about 4 of the doors.
Monday, May 25, 2015--Back to San Antonio
Our flight was at 6:05, and we had to return our rental car. Therefore, we set the alarm for 3:30--UGHHHH! Everything went smoothly, though. We made it into San Antonio around 11:00. That brought us back to reality. Wes had to leave for Corpus, since he had a class scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. I had to start dealing with both my new and old homes again and had to start studying for an exam on Friday to become a Certified Tourist Ambassador. Life goes on.....
We were interested in seeing both Lansing and Ann Arbor mainly because of the two major university campuses, but also to explore their downtowns. Lansing surprised us by having a rather plain downtown with little happening there. The Capitol was undergoing restoration on its dome and was closed for the Memorial Day weekend. We walked the streets, but found nothing much of interest .
The campus of Michigan State University is away from the downtown area. They have a beautiful campus with lots of open green spaces. It was rather quiet, but some people were around. Unfortunately, the buildings were closed because of the holiday weekend, I guess. We drove up and down the streets through the campus seeing the massive buildings that seldom had any special architectural charm. As I stated above, it is the green spaces that make the campus pretty. We stopped at a park and ate a picnic lunch in the car, since there were no picnic tables in any of the green spaces we saw. We would have liked to have had an ice cream cone at the Student Center from the shop operated by the campus dairy farm, but the building was closed even though their literature said it is open on Sundays.
Ann Arbor was more interesting. The campus and the downtown area have grown together. There were crowds on the streets and on the campus. We wandered around watching people and looking at the buildings. The Law School Quadrangle on campus was especially beautiful mainly because of the architecture of the old stone buildings. The campus had prettier buildings than the campus at Michigan State, but their campus lacked the open green spaces that Michigan State had and that would have made it more attractive. Downtown, we searched for Fairy Doors--small doors for gnomes that businesses have made in a campaign to have something interesting downtown. Unfortunately, the campaign has not been highly successful, so we really had to search; finally, we came across about 4 of the doors.
Monday, May 25, 2015--Back to San Antonio
Our flight was at 6:05, and we had to return our rental car. Therefore, we set the alarm for 3:30--UGHHHH! Everything went smoothly, though. We made it into San Antonio around 11:00. That brought us back to reality. Wes had to leave for Corpus, since he had a class scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. I had to start dealing with both my new and old homes again and had to start studying for an exam on Friday to become a Certified Tourist Ambassador. Life goes on.....
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Lower Western Coast of Michigan
Saturday, May 23, 2015--Grand Rapids to Battle Creek
Today was a warm and sunny day. As part of Memorial Day Weekend, the tourists were out, especially at most of the places we went which are popular tourism destinations on the western coast of Michigan.
We went to Holland, Michigan, first. It's a Dutch settlement that has gone whole hog on the connection to The Netherlands. They have an amusement park named Dutch Village , a tulip garden with a windmill imported from Holland, architecture which sometimes relates to a Dutch style, etc. (Unfortunately, the tulips were gone, but we saw so many tulips up north that it didn't matter to us.) The downtown, however, stands on its own as a delightful shopping district which draws people just for that purpose. There are several blocks of very nice Victorian-age commercial buildings with intricate design features. The shops serve local people as well as the tourists, because they contain popular clothing stores such as Jos. A. Banks, Talbots, etc., as well as fancy gift shops, restaurants, etc.
Holland was having its Saturday farmer's market downtown, and it was crowded with people enjoying the spring weather. Most were buying plants for their lawns or porches. But everything was being sold--cheeses, breads, vegetables, chocolates, meats, etc. It was fun to see it all and to watch the crowds there. A lot of very white legs and shoulders were in danger of becoming pink by the end of the day!
From Holland, we headed south stopping at smaller towns that cater to tourists wanting to be near the water and to enjoy the atmosphere of quaint villages. We stopped at Saugatuck, Douglas, and South Haven. Saugatuck seems very exclusive while being casual. It is built around a lake lined with nice homes with boats out back. The downtown has lots of boat slips with some of them housing huge yachts. Douglas is across the lake from Saugatuck and is more laid back. It's main street is much shorter, it's lake front is more quiet, and the number of tourists is much less. We ate our picnic lunch there on a bench in front of the Old School House.
South Haven reminded us of a poorer, smaller Holland, but it combined the big downtown with shopping with a beach and a pier which made it a very nice all-around place to visit. We walked the streets seeing the shops and watching the people, then we walked to the beach and out on the peer continuing to watch everyone. Jet skiers were in the water performing tricks--corkscrew turns and backward flips.
After visiting those places, it was time to head inland, since we have to be in Detroit tomorrow night. We drove through Paw Paw, another town with a nice lake lined with homes, and Kalamazoo where we toured the campus of Western Michigan University and drove through the downtown. We also stopped at Sweetwater's Donuts there and were impressed with the selection and their prices. A dozen is about a 30% discount from buying single ones, so we sure were tempted to eat a lot of caolories!! Instead, I had one buttermilk donut and Wes had one chocolate donut with a peanut butter frosting.
We are staying in Battle Creek tonight which is a part of the Kalamazoo metropolitan area. Our hotel is just two blocks from another Sweetwater's Donut location, so we are fighting temptation. It's open 24 hours per day!! We will head out to eat dinner and to explore Battle Creek some in a few minutes while trying to avoid stopping at Sweetwater's.
Today was a warm and sunny day. As part of Memorial Day Weekend, the tourists were out, especially at most of the places we went which are popular tourism destinations on the western coast of Michigan.
We went to Holland, Michigan, first. It's a Dutch settlement that has gone whole hog on the connection to The Netherlands. They have an amusement park named Dutch Village , a tulip garden with a windmill imported from Holland, architecture which sometimes relates to a Dutch style, etc. (Unfortunately, the tulips were gone, but we saw so many tulips up north that it didn't matter to us.) The downtown, however, stands on its own as a delightful shopping district which draws people just for that purpose. There are several blocks of very nice Victorian-age commercial buildings with intricate design features. The shops serve local people as well as the tourists, because they contain popular clothing stores such as Jos. A. Banks, Talbots, etc., as well as fancy gift shops, restaurants, etc.
Holland was having its Saturday farmer's market downtown, and it was crowded with people enjoying the spring weather. Most were buying plants for their lawns or porches. But everything was being sold--cheeses, breads, vegetables, chocolates, meats, etc. It was fun to see it all and to watch the crowds there. A lot of very white legs and shoulders were in danger of becoming pink by the end of the day!
From Holland, we headed south stopping at smaller towns that cater to tourists wanting to be near the water and to enjoy the atmosphere of quaint villages. We stopped at Saugatuck, Douglas, and South Haven. Saugatuck seems very exclusive while being casual. It is built around a lake lined with nice homes with boats out back. The downtown has lots of boat slips with some of them housing huge yachts. Douglas is across the lake from Saugatuck and is more laid back. It's main street is much shorter, it's lake front is more quiet, and the number of tourists is much less. We ate our picnic lunch there on a bench in front of the Old School House.
South Haven reminded us of a poorer, smaller Holland, but it combined the big downtown with shopping with a beach and a pier which made it a very nice all-around place to visit. We walked the streets seeing the shops and watching the people, then we walked to the beach and out on the peer continuing to watch everyone. Jet skiers were in the water performing tricks--corkscrew turns and backward flips.
After visiting those places, it was time to head inland, since we have to be in Detroit tomorrow night. We drove through Paw Paw, another town with a nice lake lined with homes, and Kalamazoo where we toured the campus of Western Michigan University and drove through the downtown. We also stopped at Sweetwater's Donuts there and were impressed with the selection and their prices. A dozen is about a 30% discount from buying single ones, so we sure were tempted to eat a lot of caolories!! Instead, I had one buttermilk donut and Wes had one chocolate donut with a peanut butter frosting.
We are staying in Battle Creek tonight which is a part of the Kalamazoo metropolitan area. Our hotel is just two blocks from another Sweetwater's Donut location, so we are fighting temptation. It's open 24 hours per day!! We will head out to eat dinner and to explore Battle Creek some in a few minutes while trying to avoid stopping at Sweetwater's.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Old Coastal Towns and a City Disaster
Friday, May 22, 2015--Traverse City to Grand Rapids
Traverse City is really a nice place. It's interesting that the downtown area is more alive than the suburban mall area. Somehow, the city has managed to turn the downtown area into an entertainment and dining complex along with a center for offices (which are still being built with several new office buildings in the area). The downtown even has two cinemas, along with lots of bars and restaurants and food truck parks. It is filled with nice old buildings which all seem to be used rather than vacant.
We left there this morning to head south. We drove to Manistee which bills itself as a city of Victorian buildings. The downtown has several blocks of wonderful, old buildings. Unfortunately, many are vacant. The downtown isn't very successful economically, but it is beautiful. Also, they have a very nice river walk they have built behind the row of downtown buildings that goes all the way through town to the shores of Lake Michigan. Many apartments overlook it, and people seem to enjoy it for jogging. It also houses a municipal marina where people can dock their boats in an area that is safer from the storms while allowing quick access to the lake.
Ludington was our next stop. It has a very successful downtown which attracts tourists, but the buildings are far from being as nice as the ones in Manistee. Part of the popularity of this town, however, is that it is also the dock for a car ferry that goes across Lake Michigan between there and a city in Wisconsin. The ferry was there loading for an outgoing trip.
We stopped at a roadside park for lunch. It was fine for a while, but then the wind picked up making it difficult to deal with the food and making it too cool to enjoy being out. We went back to the car to finish our dessert.
Muskegon was the surprise of the day. We went downtown to find a strange situation. There were a few old scattered buildings and a few new scattered buildings, but there were empty lots all over the place. I questioned whether there had been a disaster, because it reminded me of downtown Waco after the tornado years ago that left lots of vacant lots. When I got onto the computer later to see what had happened, it had been a disaster, but a man-made one. The city tore down many of their old buildings and built a shopping mall to try to save downtown. It worked only for a decade or so before someone built a suburban mall and the stores started leaving downtown. They eventually tore down the new downtown mall and are trying to fill the gap left by it with new buildings. They have a long way to go. The photos of what used to be there give an idea of what a disaster the idea was to tear down most of downtown and build a "modern" shopping mall.
Our destination today was Grand Rapids. It's the second largest city in the state and in some ways the most successful one lately. It has a very large downtown area which has a mixture of many beautiful old buildings and newer modern ones. They've created open spaces for people to congregate, and they have brought in many university programs to keep downtown more alive. It also has new city facilities (arena, theater, convention center) along with gleaming modern office buildings to indicate that it is a progressive place. The river has "rapids," but they are man-made ones with constructed lines every 100 yards (meters) or so that cause the water to ripple over them and on down the river.
Traverse City is really a nice place. It's interesting that the downtown area is more alive than the suburban mall area. Somehow, the city has managed to turn the downtown area into an entertainment and dining complex along with a center for offices (which are still being built with several new office buildings in the area). The downtown even has two cinemas, along with lots of bars and restaurants and food truck parks. It is filled with nice old buildings which all seem to be used rather than vacant.
We left there this morning to head south. We drove to Manistee which bills itself as a city of Victorian buildings. The downtown has several blocks of wonderful, old buildings. Unfortunately, many are vacant. The downtown isn't very successful economically, but it is beautiful. Also, they have a very nice river walk they have built behind the row of downtown buildings that goes all the way through town to the shores of Lake Michigan. Many apartments overlook it, and people seem to enjoy it for jogging. It also houses a municipal marina where people can dock their boats in an area that is safer from the storms while allowing quick access to the lake.
Ludington was our next stop. It has a very successful downtown which attracts tourists, but the buildings are far from being as nice as the ones in Manistee. Part of the popularity of this town, however, is that it is also the dock for a car ferry that goes across Lake Michigan between there and a city in Wisconsin. The ferry was there loading for an outgoing trip.
We stopped at a roadside park for lunch. It was fine for a while, but then the wind picked up making it difficult to deal with the food and making it too cool to enjoy being out. We went back to the car to finish our dessert.
Muskegon was the surprise of the day. We went downtown to find a strange situation. There were a few old scattered buildings and a few new scattered buildings, but there were empty lots all over the place. I questioned whether there had been a disaster, because it reminded me of downtown Waco after the tornado years ago that left lots of vacant lots. When I got onto the computer later to see what had happened, it had been a disaster, but a man-made one. The city tore down many of their old buildings and built a shopping mall to try to save downtown. It worked only for a decade or so before someone built a suburban mall and the stores started leaving downtown. They eventually tore down the new downtown mall and are trying to fill the gap left by it with new buildings. They have a long way to go. The photos of what used to be there give an idea of what a disaster the idea was to tear down most of downtown and build a "modern" shopping mall.
Our destination today was Grand Rapids. It's the second largest city in the state and in some ways the most successful one lately. It has a very large downtown area which has a mixture of many beautiful old buildings and newer modern ones. They've created open spaces for people to congregate, and they have brought in many university programs to keep downtown more alive. It also has new city facilities (arena, theater, convention center) along with gleaming modern office buildings to indicate that it is a progressive place. The river has "rapids," but they are man-made ones with constructed lines every 100 yards (meters) or so that cause the water to ripple over them and on down the river.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Vineyards, Orchards and Quaint Villages
Thursday, May 21, 2015--Traverse City Area
There are two peninsulas that jut out to the north of Traverse City. Each has a roadway designated as a scenic byway. We spent today exploring those.
M-37 Scenic Byway goes up the Old Mission Peninsula, a very narrow spit of land. It ends at the Mission Lighthouse. It is lined with many grand homes--both old and new. Along the way were several wineries, lots of blossoming cherry trees, and a very interesting Mission General Store to see/visit. While in the store which sells everyday items for locals but also has lots of unique and interesting items for tourists (such as an old pickle barrel, old-fashioned cake donuts, lots of out-of-date items from far in the past, etc.), the lady asked where we were from and announced, "We have Indiana, Ohio, and Texas here right now!"
M-22 Scenic Byway goes up and down a much broader peninsula to the west of the one above. The countryside is probably not as scenic and the homes are not as grand as on the other one, but there are a number of really nice villages--Suttons Bay, Northport, Leland, and Glen Arbor. There were wineries and more cherry orchards along this route, too.
On the western end of M-22 is a cut-off on M-109, another scenic byway, to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We ate a late picnic lunch there and then did the "Dune Climb." It's a huge dune that has no vegetation on a wide swath of it. People climb it, but there's a surprise. From the parking lot, it doesn't look so high. But that first part leads to a plateau with another climb behind it which leads to another plateau with a final climb behind it. We spent about 1 1/2 hours climbing the dune, enjoying the view, and returning back to the bottom of the dune.
By then, it was late afternoon, so we explored one more village--Empire, which is the home of the park. Then we returned to Traverse City for the evening.
There are two peninsulas that jut out to the north of Traverse City. Each has a roadway designated as a scenic byway. We spent today exploring those.
M-37 Scenic Byway goes up the Old Mission Peninsula, a very narrow spit of land. It ends at the Mission Lighthouse. It is lined with many grand homes--both old and new. Along the way were several wineries, lots of blossoming cherry trees, and a very interesting Mission General Store to see/visit. While in the store which sells everyday items for locals but also has lots of unique and interesting items for tourists (such as an old pickle barrel, old-fashioned cake donuts, lots of out-of-date items from far in the past, etc.), the lady asked where we were from and announced, "We have Indiana, Ohio, and Texas here right now!"
M-22 Scenic Byway goes up and down a much broader peninsula to the west of the one above. The countryside is probably not as scenic and the homes are not as grand as on the other one, but there are a number of really nice villages--Suttons Bay, Northport, Leland, and Glen Arbor. There were wineries and more cherry orchards along this route, too.
On the western end of M-22 is a cut-off on M-109, another scenic byway, to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We ate a late picnic lunch there and then did the "Dune Climb." It's a huge dune that has no vegetation on a wide swath of it. People climb it, but there's a surprise. From the parking lot, it doesn't look so high. But that first part leads to a plateau with another climb behind it which leads to another plateau with a final climb behind it. We spent about 1 1/2 hours climbing the dune, enjoying the view, and returning back to the bottom of the dune.
By then, it was late afternoon, so we explored one more village--Empire, which is the home of the park. Then we returned to Traverse City for the evening.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Entering the Country of Cherry Orchards and Vineyards
Wednesday, May 20, 2015--Sault Ste. Marie to Traverse City in Michigan
The sun was shining, but the air was still cold today. It got below freezing last night. We traveled southward heading back to lower Michigan for the rest of our trip.
Just after passing the Mackinac Bridge again, we headed westward for the shoreline roads going through tiny villages such as Bliss and Cross Village. From the latter, we took M-119, a state roadway called the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Route. It is a beautiful coastal road not even wide enough for a center stripe. It is lined with tall trees on either side and with huge, expensive homes backing up to Lake Michigan for about 25 miles (about 40 km).
At the end of that roadway is Harbor Springs which is a very beautiful and exclusive little town on the water. It is so clean and has such nice shops in well-kept buildings downtown that it reminded me somewhat of exclusive little towns in California. We walked the streets and down to the waterfront. Then we drove through a very nice enclave filled with homes valued in the $2-3 million range.
From there, we explored Petoskey, a similarly fancy town with expensive homes and shops, except it is on a hillside with views toward the water. We entered several of the shops there--a nice toy store; Cutlers, a very nice kitchen gadget store; a fancy pie shop; etc.
Continuing onward, we drove through another nice town named Charevoix and through countryside filled with blooming cherry orchards and with vineyards. Unfortunately, it is too early for fresh cherries, or we probably would have been able to buy boxes of them along the highway. This area is the home of most of the vineyards in Michigan, and most of the wines produced are sweet ones.
Our destination was Traverse City. We arrived here at 17:00 and checked into our hotel. We will spend two nights here, because there are more nice places to explore to the north, northwest, and west of here tomorrow.
The sun was shining, but the air was still cold today. It got below freezing last night. We traveled southward heading back to lower Michigan for the rest of our trip.
Just after passing the Mackinac Bridge again, we headed westward for the shoreline roads going through tiny villages such as Bliss and Cross Village. From the latter, we took M-119, a state roadway called the Tunnel of Trees Scenic Route. It is a beautiful coastal road not even wide enough for a center stripe. It is lined with tall trees on either side and with huge, expensive homes backing up to Lake Michigan for about 25 miles (about 40 km).
At the end of that roadway is Harbor Springs which is a very beautiful and exclusive little town on the water. It is so clean and has such nice shops in well-kept buildings downtown that it reminded me somewhat of exclusive little towns in California. We walked the streets and down to the waterfront. Then we drove through a very nice enclave filled with homes valued in the $2-3 million range.
From there, we explored Petoskey, a similarly fancy town with expensive homes and shops, except it is on a hillside with views toward the water. We entered several of the shops there--a nice toy store; Cutlers, a very nice kitchen gadget store; a fancy pie shop; etc.
Continuing onward, we drove through another nice town named Charevoix and through countryside filled with blooming cherry orchards and with vineyards. Unfortunately, it is too early for fresh cherries, or we probably would have been able to buy boxes of them along the highway. This area is the home of most of the vineyards in Michigan, and most of the wines produced are sweet ones.
Our destination was Traverse City. We arrived here at 17:00 and checked into our hotel. We will spend two nights here, because there are more nice places to explore to the north, northwest, and west of here tomorrow.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Cold with Snow on the Upper Peninsula
Tuesday, May 19, 2015--Upper Peninsula of Michigan
We headed across the Mackinac Bridge after breakfast this morning. Not long afterward, snow started falling. Of and on all day there was snow with strong, cold wind.
We drove along the southern coast as far as Manistique. Then we headed northward passing by Curtis and taking Michigan Highway 123, a scenic route through the woods to the coast of Lake Superior. Then we arrived in Sault Ste. Marie in the late afternoon--still with snow and cold wind. (Before Alaska joined the union, Sault Ste. Marie was often named as the coldest city in the U.S., especially in the winter.)
We forced ourselves to get out and drive around the city. We stopped to see the Soo Locks where the large ships pass through changing levels as they go from Lake Huron into Lake Superior. We drove around the downtown area, and we explored the campus of Lake Superior State University which is housed on the grounds of an old fort. But Sault Ste. Marie has little worth seeing. It is a rather poor city that is depressing to see.
We crossed the International Bridge to visit the other Sault Ste. Marie--the one in Ontario in Canada. It is a much nicer city--bigger, wealthier, more progressive, etc. We spent maybe 1 1/2 hours over there exploring. Then we headed back.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan may be a nice place to explore during warm weather, but the cold weather today did not aid in enjoying the lake side beaches and the small tourist towns that are built around the lakes (both the Great Lakes and the many small lakes).
We headed across the Mackinac Bridge after breakfast this morning. Not long afterward, snow started falling. Of and on all day there was snow with strong, cold wind.
We drove along the southern coast as far as Manistique. Then we headed northward passing by Curtis and taking Michigan Highway 123, a scenic route through the woods to the coast of Lake Superior. Then we arrived in Sault Ste. Marie in the late afternoon--still with snow and cold wind. (Before Alaska joined the union, Sault Ste. Marie was often named as the coldest city in the U.S., especially in the winter.)
We forced ourselves to get out and drive around the city. We stopped to see the Soo Locks where the large ships pass through changing levels as they go from Lake Huron into Lake Superior. We drove around the downtown area, and we explored the campus of Lake Superior State University which is housed on the grounds of an old fort. But Sault Ste. Marie has little worth seeing. It is a rather poor city that is depressing to see.
We crossed the International Bridge to visit the other Sault Ste. Marie--the one in Ontario in Canada. It is a much nicer city--bigger, wealthier, more progressive, etc. We spent maybe 1 1/2 hours over there exploring. Then we headed back.
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan may be a nice place to explore during warm weather, but the cold weather today did not aid in enjoying the lake side beaches and the small tourist towns that are built around the lakes (both the Great Lakes and the many small lakes).
Monday, May 18, 2015
Mackinac Island with Bikes and Horse-Drawn Buggies
Monday, May 18, 2015--Mackinac Island, Michigan
The day dawned with clear skies and a breeze. The bugs weren't quite so bad as yesterday. Maybe that was a result of the rains we got last night, or maybe it was because of the breeze. We caught the 10:00 Arnold Ferry along with a large group of college students and a few others.
Mackinac Island was a surprise in that there were hardly any bugs!! Do they try to control them? Or do the bugs not swarm there because the island tends to have breezes much of the time? Anyway, the day was much more pleasant than we feared.
As the boat docked, we could see the horse-drawn buggies lined up on the street waiting for us. The island does not allow motorized vehicles. There are horse-drawn buggies, horse-drawn wagons, and bicycles. That's it except for some motorized emergency and construction vehicles which are not normally seen. Even the garbage is picked up in a horse-drawn wagon!
The island was occupied back in the 1600s, but most of the growth occurred in the late 1800s. At that time, most of the island was designated a park--originally a national park and eventually a state park. It is most known for the Grand Hotel, a huge wooden building with a very long porch with rocking chairs. In the early 1900s, it was a typical summer hotel resort for the wealthy. Because of the uniqueness of the island with its no-cars rules, the hotel has remained popular through the decades. It was the location for the shooting of the film Somewhere in Time a few decades ago which also helped it retain its popularity.
The town has a very long main street that is lined with fudge shops, t-shirt shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. The island, because it is a park, is lined with trails and is encircled by a road that is popular with cyclists. Wes and I walked about 1/3 of the way around the island on the outer road, then we headed inland on trails that took us further to the far side of the island and then back over the hilly hump of the island to the town again. It's a mostly wooded island, so our hikes were nice with all the trees and wildflowers.
In town, we passed many beautiful old mansions, most of them huge and built of wood. We went though the exclusive Hubbard's Annex. We passed through the grounds and just in front of the Grand Hotel. Throughout all of this the sun was shining, the temperatures were comfortable, and the bugs were missing!
We caught the 17:00 boat back to the mainland and visited the old lighthouse here. By then we were tired and hungry. We ate dinner and returned to the hotel for the night.
The day dawned with clear skies and a breeze. The bugs weren't quite so bad as yesterday. Maybe that was a result of the rains we got last night, or maybe it was because of the breeze. We caught the 10:00 Arnold Ferry along with a large group of college students and a few others.
Mackinac Island was a surprise in that there were hardly any bugs!! Do they try to control them? Or do the bugs not swarm there because the island tends to have breezes much of the time? Anyway, the day was much more pleasant than we feared.
As the boat docked, we could see the horse-drawn buggies lined up on the street waiting for us. The island does not allow motorized vehicles. There are horse-drawn buggies, horse-drawn wagons, and bicycles. That's it except for some motorized emergency and construction vehicles which are not normally seen. Even the garbage is picked up in a horse-drawn wagon!
The island was occupied back in the 1600s, but most of the growth occurred in the late 1800s. At that time, most of the island was designated a park--originally a national park and eventually a state park. It is most known for the Grand Hotel, a huge wooden building with a very long porch with rocking chairs. In the early 1900s, it was a typical summer hotel resort for the wealthy. Because of the uniqueness of the island with its no-cars rules, the hotel has remained popular through the decades. It was the location for the shooting of the film Somewhere in Time a few decades ago which also helped it retain its popularity.
The town has a very long main street that is lined with fudge shops, t-shirt shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. The island, because it is a park, is lined with trails and is encircled by a road that is popular with cyclists. Wes and I walked about 1/3 of the way around the island on the outer road, then we headed inland on trails that took us further to the far side of the island and then back over the hilly hump of the island to the town again. It's a mostly wooded island, so our hikes were nice with all the trees and wildflowers.
In town, we passed many beautiful old mansions, most of them huge and built of wood. We went though the exclusive Hubbard's Annex. We passed through the grounds and just in front of the Grand Hotel. Throughout all of this the sun was shining, the temperatures were comfortable, and the bugs were missing!
We caught the 17:00 boat back to the mainland and visited the old lighthouse here. By then we were tired and hungry. We ate dinner and returned to the hotel for the night.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Frankenmuth, Bay City, and Mackinaw City (BUGS!!!!)
Sunday, May 17, 2015--Detroit to Mackinaw City
Today was a travel day. We left Detroit about 9:30 and headed northward. We turned off on Michigan Highway 15 which is a scenic route. Our first destination was the town of Frankenmuth, a German-settled village which has built a huge tourist trade around a Bavarian theme. It has restaurants, shops, bakeries, etc., all in buildings with Bavarian-style architecture. The town is built along a river which has a steam paddle boat that gives tours, and there is a covered wooden bridge that goes over the river. It's very scenic, but it is also very artificial. It's a huge success with tourists, though, and the whole thing seems to have been developed by a woman named Evelyn Zender who first established a successful chicken restaurant in the city and then added one feature after another until it became what it is today.
From there, we drove to Bay City which has a very large downtown which is being redeveloped along its riverfront with a promenade, hotels, condos, etc. It also has a multi-block long section of Center Street that is lined with impressive old homes.
Next, we headed straight for Mackinaw City, our final destination which was another 2 1/2 hours away. We arrived at 18:00 and found exactly what Wes' sister had described that she encountered last May when she was here--BUGS!!! She claimed they were mosquitoes, but they actually are midge flies which don't bite and seem to be bugs much like the ones we call "love bugs" in Texas. They fly in swarms and tend to stay close to warm areas, meaning that they will swirl around a body and follow it along! It's a big hassle to deal with them. After checking into our room, we walked downtown with the bugs swarming while we tried to fan and swat them away. It would be nice to have one of those net headpieces that they sell, because even if they don't sting, they are bothersome and one has to be careful not to breathe them in through the nose or the mouth!
Mackinaw City itself is quite nice. It gets lots of tourists who stop here to visit Mackinac Island (a ferry ride away). (As the local brochure says, "Whether it ends in 'aw' or 'ac,' it's always pronounced Mack-in-Awe!") That (visiting the island) is what we will do tomorrow. The city where we are tonight has fudge and other types of candy shops, restaurants, bakeries, gift shops, and lots of motels. There are three ferry companies making the trip to the island and back.
It's going to be a hassle trying to enjoy the island tomorrow with these bugs. (To enter our room, we've learned to open the door just enough that we can finish pushing it open when we arrive. Then we walk down the hallway 5-6 doorways, turn, and run together to get ahead of the bugs. We rush through the door and close it quickly.) So far, we have found only a couple of the bugs in our room, whereas it is quite common to have a hundred or more of them swirling around our bodies outside. But being this close, we plan to go to the island even if we have to fight the bugs!
Today was a travel day. We left Detroit about 9:30 and headed northward. We turned off on Michigan Highway 15 which is a scenic route. Our first destination was the town of Frankenmuth, a German-settled village which has built a huge tourist trade around a Bavarian theme. It has restaurants, shops, bakeries, etc., all in buildings with Bavarian-style architecture. The town is built along a river which has a steam paddle boat that gives tours, and there is a covered wooden bridge that goes over the river. It's very scenic, but it is also very artificial. It's a huge success with tourists, though, and the whole thing seems to have been developed by a woman named Evelyn Zender who first established a successful chicken restaurant in the city and then added one feature after another until it became what it is today.
From there, we drove to Bay City which has a very large downtown which is being redeveloped along its riverfront with a promenade, hotels, condos, etc. It also has a multi-block long section of Center Street that is lined with impressive old homes.
Next, we headed straight for Mackinaw City, our final destination which was another 2 1/2 hours away. We arrived at 18:00 and found exactly what Wes' sister had described that she encountered last May when she was here--BUGS!!! She claimed they were mosquitoes, but they actually are midge flies which don't bite and seem to be bugs much like the ones we call "love bugs" in Texas. They fly in swarms and tend to stay close to warm areas, meaning that they will swirl around a body and follow it along! It's a big hassle to deal with them. After checking into our room, we walked downtown with the bugs swarming while we tried to fan and swat them away. It would be nice to have one of those net headpieces that they sell, because even if they don't sting, they are bothersome and one has to be careful not to breathe them in through the nose or the mouth!
Mackinaw City itself is quite nice. It gets lots of tourists who stop here to visit Mackinac Island (a ferry ride away). (As the local brochure says, "Whether it ends in 'aw' or 'ac,' it's always pronounced Mack-in-Awe!") That (visiting the island) is what we will do tomorrow. The city where we are tonight has fudge and other types of candy shops, restaurants, bakeries, gift shops, and lots of motels. There are three ferry companies making the trip to the island and back.
It's going to be a hassle trying to enjoy the island tomorrow with these bugs. (To enter our room, we've learned to open the door just enough that we can finish pushing it open when we arrive. Then we walk down the hallway 5-6 doorways, turn, and run together to get ahead of the bugs. We rush through the door and close it quickly.) So far, we have found only a couple of the bugs in our room, whereas it is quite common to have a hundred or more of them swirling around our bodies outside. But being this close, we plan to go to the island even if we have to fight the bugs!
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Market Day and Other Attractions
Saturday, May 16, 2015--Detroit
We started the day by going to the Eastern Market, named that because it is just east of the downtown area. It's an old, traditional market that is held on Saturdays each week and also on Tuesdays during the summer months. Up to 45,000 people go to the market each week. Even though there was drizzle today, it was crowded. There are 4 covered sheds offering flowers, herbs, vegetables, nuts, meats,baked items, and other products. It was fun weaving through the crowds to see what was for sale as well as watching the people there to buy. There were so many choices within each category. Wes was especially attracted to the pies (with homemade crusts) at one stall. I found a couple of the bakeries that had heavy, dense multi-grain breads and crusty sourdough breads interesting. Many of the items on sale today were plants, because it is just the beginning of planting season here. There were lots of hanging baskets, bedding flowers, potted flowers, etc.
From there, we visited New Town, the area just north of where we were yesterday. It has a concentrated development within about 4 blocks that includes several huge buildings (the old General Motors headquarters which is now called Cadillac Place and the home of Michigan government offices, the Fisher Building which was the headquarters for Fisher Body Works and houses an the old Fisher Theater, the Argonaut which now houses a school of design and art, the Alfred Kahn building which headquarters the architectural firm which designed many of the impressive buildings in Detroit, the St. Regis Hotel, and several smaller outlying buildings).
From there, we explored some exclusive housing enclaves in Highland Park--the Boston-Edison neighborhood and the Arden Park-East Boston neighborhood. Then we headed to the nearby Polish area of Hamtramck.
Having tired of the inner city area, we thought we would explore one of the more expensive parts of town--the Somerset Collection which consists of two malls on either side of a suburban street connected by an overhead sky walk. It was interesting to see how clean and nice the nearby area was in comparison to where we had been inside Detroit and to watch the people.
To end the day, we headed back to the inner city. We drove up and down the streets of Corktown seeing the old, small wooden residences that originally housed Irish immigrants and have been restored mostly by young residents in the past few years. While there, we also visited St. Anne's Church which is the oldest church in Detroit--a huge structure with nice stained glass windows and other features, although it is in need of LOTS of restoration work. The church was closed, but Joseph who attends services there invited us inside to see it.
Finally, we visited Mexicantown just beyond that which houses quite a few restaurants with outdoor dining, tortilla factories, bakeries, Mexican grocery stores, gift shops, etc. It is big enough that it makes a nice destination for tourists and people living throughout Detroit to enjoy its atmosphere and its offerings.
We started the day by going to the Eastern Market, named that because it is just east of the downtown area. It's an old, traditional market that is held on Saturdays each week and also on Tuesdays during the summer months. Up to 45,000 people go to the market each week. Even though there was drizzle today, it was crowded. There are 4 covered sheds offering flowers, herbs, vegetables, nuts, meats,baked items, and other products. It was fun weaving through the crowds to see what was for sale as well as watching the people there to buy. There were so many choices within each category. Wes was especially attracted to the pies (with homemade crusts) at one stall. I found a couple of the bakeries that had heavy, dense multi-grain breads and crusty sourdough breads interesting. Many of the items on sale today were plants, because it is just the beginning of planting season here. There were lots of hanging baskets, bedding flowers, potted flowers, etc.
From there, we visited New Town, the area just north of where we were yesterday. It has a concentrated development within about 4 blocks that includes several huge buildings (the old General Motors headquarters which is now called Cadillac Place and the home of Michigan government offices, the Fisher Building which was the headquarters for Fisher Body Works and houses an the old Fisher Theater, the Argonaut which now houses a school of design and art, the Alfred Kahn building which headquarters the architectural firm which designed many of the impressive buildings in Detroit, the St. Regis Hotel, and several smaller outlying buildings).
From there, we explored some exclusive housing enclaves in Highland Park--the Boston-Edison neighborhood and the Arden Park-East Boston neighborhood. Then we headed to the nearby Polish area of Hamtramck.
Having tired of the inner city area, we thought we would explore one of the more expensive parts of town--the Somerset Collection which consists of two malls on either side of a suburban street connected by an overhead sky walk. It was interesting to see how clean and nice the nearby area was in comparison to where we had been inside Detroit and to watch the people.
To end the day, we headed back to the inner city. We drove up and down the streets of Corktown seeing the old, small wooden residences that originally housed Irish immigrants and have been restored mostly by young residents in the past few years. While there, we also visited St. Anne's Church which is the oldest church in Detroit--a huge structure with nice stained glass windows and other features, although it is in need of LOTS of restoration work. The church was closed, but Joseph who attends services there invited us inside to see it.
Finally, we visited Mexicantown just beyond that which houses quite a few restaurants with outdoor dining, tortilla factories, bakeries, Mexican grocery stores, gift shops, etc. It is big enough that it makes a nice destination for tourists and people living throughout Detroit to enjoy its atmosphere and its offerings.
9-Hour Walking Day
Friday, May 15, 2015--Detroit
Our flights yesterday went fine. United checked our carry-on bags all the way through for free, so that made the transfer of planes in Houston much easier. We picked up our rental car and easily found our way to our motel where we are staying. Tired from getting up early (and to bed late the night before), we just explored our neighborhood and ate locally.
Today, however, we made a full day of exploring. We headed toward Midtown, a large area of Central Detroit just north of Downtown and just south of New Town, another section that makes up Central Detroit. On the way, we turned the wrong direction (due to it being unclear on our small map which expressway went where as they circle the central part of the city). That sent us off into East Detroit and allowed us to accomplish one of our goals of the trip: to explore the areas of Detroit which have been greatly abandoned over the years. We passed block after block that had maybe 2-3 houses with the rest of the block being open ground where everything had been removed. Of the standing houses, many of them have had fires in parts of them and are uninhabitable or falling down.
In my opinion, what has happened over time will work to the advantage of this city. Huge swaths of neighborhoods have disappeared. But they were neighborhoods with sub-standard buildings that would never be worth rehabilitating. By having the area cleared, it presents a great opportunity for redevelopment. But it is such a large area, that it will take decades--probably building outward from the downtown area until it eventually reaches the far corners.
In the papers, we not only read about these (temporarily) abandoned areas, but we also read about the fall of population from 2,000,000 to 600,000. But those people didn't leave the Detroit area. The metropolitan population is around 6,000,000 people. So as the redevelopment occurs, new residents and many who are now in the suburbs will likely decide to move closer to town to take advantages of the entertainment opportunities and the short commutes.
After finding our way back to where we wanted to be, we parked near the Detroit Institute of Art where we planned to visit later in the day due to its being open until 22:00 on Fridays. We walked down Woodward Avenue noticing that it is already being revitalized with new apartments, new office buildings, etc. Woodward is probably the most important artery within Detroit (not counting Interstate highways). It runs from the riverfront all the way out to the suburbs.
As we entered the downtown area, we branched off Woodward wandering back and forth as we saw things that looked interesting--Comerica Park, the baseball stadium; Ford Field, the not so impressive football stadium; Greektown Casino; Renaissance Center, the home of General Motors; the Guardian Building; the Pnobscot Building; the Fox Theater; the Fillmore Theater; etc. LOTS of redevelopment is taking place in the downtown area--not where buildings are being town down, but where impressive older buildings are being gutted and rebuilt within to create lofts, offices, etc. Downtown Detroit has definitely turned a corner and will be progressively improving over time. While there, we ate lunch at Lafayette Coney Island, a downtown institution since the 1920s--a hot dog with chili and onions.
Back out at the Art Institute after 6 hours of walking and exploring, we paid our admission and spent another 3 hours wandering its galleries. It is considered one of the more important collections in the U.S. and has been in the news lately due to the threat that the city, in its bankruptcy proceedings feared that it might be required to sell all the paintings to pay off debts. Eventually, the art was spared, and the museum kept its reputation which was enhanced in our eyes by the number of paintings that were missing from the walls with notes indicating that they were on loan for traveling exhibitions that are going to other major art museums throughout the world.
We were very tired after such a long day of exploring, so we again ate near our motel and rested for the remainder of the evening!
Our flights yesterday went fine. United checked our carry-on bags all the way through for free, so that made the transfer of planes in Houston much easier. We picked up our rental car and easily found our way to our motel where we are staying. Tired from getting up early (and to bed late the night before), we just explored our neighborhood and ate locally.
Today, however, we made a full day of exploring. We headed toward Midtown, a large area of Central Detroit just north of Downtown and just south of New Town, another section that makes up Central Detroit. On the way, we turned the wrong direction (due to it being unclear on our small map which expressway went where as they circle the central part of the city). That sent us off into East Detroit and allowed us to accomplish one of our goals of the trip: to explore the areas of Detroit which have been greatly abandoned over the years. We passed block after block that had maybe 2-3 houses with the rest of the block being open ground where everything had been removed. Of the standing houses, many of them have had fires in parts of them and are uninhabitable or falling down.
In my opinion, what has happened over time will work to the advantage of this city. Huge swaths of neighborhoods have disappeared. But they were neighborhoods with sub-standard buildings that would never be worth rehabilitating. By having the area cleared, it presents a great opportunity for redevelopment. But it is such a large area, that it will take decades--probably building outward from the downtown area until it eventually reaches the far corners.
In the papers, we not only read about these (temporarily) abandoned areas, but we also read about the fall of population from 2,000,000 to 600,000. But those people didn't leave the Detroit area. The metropolitan population is around 6,000,000 people. So as the redevelopment occurs, new residents and many who are now in the suburbs will likely decide to move closer to town to take advantages of the entertainment opportunities and the short commutes.
After finding our way back to where we wanted to be, we parked near the Detroit Institute of Art where we planned to visit later in the day due to its being open until 22:00 on Fridays. We walked down Woodward Avenue noticing that it is already being revitalized with new apartments, new office buildings, etc. Woodward is probably the most important artery within Detroit (not counting Interstate highways). It runs from the riverfront all the way out to the suburbs.
As we entered the downtown area, we branched off Woodward wandering back and forth as we saw things that looked interesting--Comerica Park, the baseball stadium; Ford Field, the not so impressive football stadium; Greektown Casino; Renaissance Center, the home of General Motors; the Guardian Building; the Pnobscot Building; the Fox Theater; the Fillmore Theater; etc. LOTS of redevelopment is taking place in the downtown area--not where buildings are being town down, but where impressive older buildings are being gutted and rebuilt within to create lofts, offices, etc. Downtown Detroit has definitely turned a corner and will be progressively improving over time. While there, we ate lunch at Lafayette Coney Island, a downtown institution since the 1920s--a hot dog with chili and onions.
Back out at the Art Institute after 6 hours of walking and exploring, we paid our admission and spent another 3 hours wandering its galleries. It is considered one of the more important collections in the U.S. and has been in the news lately due to the threat that the city, in its bankruptcy proceedings feared that it might be required to sell all the paintings to pay off debts. Eventually, the art was spared, and the museum kept its reputation which was enhanced in our eyes by the number of paintings that were missing from the walls with notes indicating that they were on loan for traveling exhibitions that are going to other major art museums throughout the world.
We were very tired after such a long day of exploring, so we again ate near our motel and rested for the remainder of the evening!
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The End of the Mexico Trip, Winter, 2015
Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015--Cuernavaca to San Antonio
It was a long day of travelling, but all went well. We walked to Costco to have brunch before taking the bus from the station half a block from there. The bus took about 1 1/2 hours to reach the airport in Mexico City.
The Mexico City airport is greatly improved over the last time I was there--maybe 8-9 years ago. It is cleaner, nicer, and the rather undesirable neighborhood (which always had warnings about being cautious) is separated more from the terminal than it used to be. It was a bit frustrating finding out where to check in, though. Each airline has TWO check-in points--one for domestic flights and one for international flights. The directions to the latter were not easy to follow because they are in a new end of the terminal and require going up one level. Anyway, we found the right place and got checked in with plenty of time before our flight.
The Interjet flight was almost full. Most passengers are native-Spanish speakers. There was only a handful of us Gringos on board. Service is better than most U.S. flights. They gave us a choice of types of packages of chips and they served complimentary drinks, including alcohol. The flight took only about 1 hr. 45 minutes.
Immigration and customs in San Antonio is so much easier than in large hub airports. It took only about 15 minutes for us to get our luggage and get out. Of course, it helped that we got our luggage earlier than most other passengers and that we were in the line for citizens/residents rather than the line for visitors. I was surprised to see remodelling of the immigration/customs area is already completed since an announcement just 2-3 weeks ago was worded to indicate it would be done this spring. The expansion included an expansion of the underground hallway to make more of the gates (previously only 4 of them) available to accept international flights. The number of immigration agents and the space for lining up can now more easily handle situations when more than one flight has arrived at the same time. Unfortunately, they did not expand the luggage belts--they are still flat against the wall rather than snaking out from it to give room for more fliers to stand near the belt while waiting for their luggage. And as far as I know, they still require connecting passengers to take their luggage upstairs to be re-checked rather than using the side belt to send them from the immigration exit outside to be put on the next plane.
Spending Update: The trip was a rather inexpensive one. We spent a total of $1205.36 over a period of 16 days for an average per person of only $37.67.
It was a long day of travelling, but all went well. We walked to Costco to have brunch before taking the bus from the station half a block from there. The bus took about 1 1/2 hours to reach the airport in Mexico City.
The Mexico City airport is greatly improved over the last time I was there--maybe 8-9 years ago. It is cleaner, nicer, and the rather undesirable neighborhood (which always had warnings about being cautious) is separated more from the terminal than it used to be. It was a bit frustrating finding out where to check in, though. Each airline has TWO check-in points--one for domestic flights and one for international flights. The directions to the latter were not easy to follow because they are in a new end of the terminal and require going up one level. Anyway, we found the right place and got checked in with plenty of time before our flight.
The Interjet flight was almost full. Most passengers are native-Spanish speakers. There was only a handful of us Gringos on board. Service is better than most U.S. flights. They gave us a choice of types of packages of chips and they served complimentary drinks, including alcohol. The flight took only about 1 hr. 45 minutes.
Immigration and customs in San Antonio is so much easier than in large hub airports. It took only about 15 minutes for us to get our luggage and get out. Of course, it helped that we got our luggage earlier than most other passengers and that we were in the line for citizens/residents rather than the line for visitors. I was surprised to see remodelling of the immigration/customs area is already completed since an announcement just 2-3 weeks ago was worded to indicate it would be done this spring. The expansion included an expansion of the underground hallway to make more of the gates (previously only 4 of them) available to accept international flights. The number of immigration agents and the space for lining up can now more easily handle situations when more than one flight has arrived at the same time. Unfortunately, they did not expand the luggage belts--they are still flat against the wall rather than snaking out from it to give room for more fliers to stand near the belt while waiting for their luggage. And as far as I know, they still require connecting passengers to take their luggage upstairs to be re-checked rather than using the side belt to send them from the immigration exit outside to be put on the next plane.
Spending Update: The trip was a rather inexpensive one. We spent a total of $1205.36 over a period of 16 days for an average per person of only $37.67.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Exploring Cuernavaca Further
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015--Cuernavaca
We had breakfast today at a more touristy place than where we would normally go. I recognized it from the guidebook, so we went in. If we had gone half a block further, we could have had the same breakfast for 60% of the price. Anyway, Las Iguanas Green's is unique. It is painted in bright colors and has handwritten notes on the walls left by customers. We each had chiliquiles verdes with chicken. It was tasty with a rich cream and cheeze on top.
We toured the three major tourist sites downtown after that. First came the Botanical Gardens. They are the grounds of an old mansion, and the plants were not as impressive as ones we have seen in private gardens around town. But they also had two art exhibits that were interesting. One was photographs of Cuernavaca over the years by Dutch photographer Bob Schalkwijk. The other was paintings from throughout the life of Mexican artist Angel Zarraga.
From there, we crossed the street to visit the Cathedral. It is really different from any of the major churches we have seen on this trip. It is an old building (from the early 1500s) and has some original paintings on the interior stucco. At the same time, it has a very modern alter. We were fortunate to be there while a choir was rehearsing for a wedding which was to begin within a few minutes.
After that, we walked to the Cortes Palace. It was the biggest disappointment of the day. First, it is a reconstruction of what they think it was like. Only the foundations remained along with a few drawings of parts of the exterior of the palace to guide the reconstruction. Second, nothing inside has to do with Cortes. It is like a small city history museum with a hodgepodge of exhibits. The best part was a series of murals by Diego Rivera showing the history of Mexico from the time of the arrival of the Spanish. They were on the outer walls of an upstairs patio.
We wanted to try to see some of the modern parts of the city, so we followed a plan to get to the nicer areas. It was interesting in that it seemed more like we were in California out there than in Mexico. The houses were nice, the office buildings were very modern. The plants were very colorful. And the businesses included Gold's Gym, Chili's, Subway, Krispy Kreme, etc.
We ate a final torta--pulled pork in a nice sauce.--for dinner. Then we wandered back to the hotel for the night after watching some native dancers in costume on the zocolo. Tomorrow is a travel day to get home.
We had breakfast today at a more touristy place than where we would normally go. I recognized it from the guidebook, so we went in. If we had gone half a block further, we could have had the same breakfast for 60% of the price. Anyway, Las Iguanas Green's is unique. It is painted in bright colors and has handwritten notes on the walls left by customers. We each had chiliquiles verdes with chicken. It was tasty with a rich cream and cheeze on top.
We toured the three major tourist sites downtown after that. First came the Botanical Gardens. They are the grounds of an old mansion, and the plants were not as impressive as ones we have seen in private gardens around town. But they also had two art exhibits that were interesting. One was photographs of Cuernavaca over the years by Dutch photographer Bob Schalkwijk. The other was paintings from throughout the life of Mexican artist Angel Zarraga.
From there, we crossed the street to visit the Cathedral. It is really different from any of the major churches we have seen on this trip. It is an old building (from the early 1500s) and has some original paintings on the interior stucco. At the same time, it has a very modern alter. We were fortunate to be there while a choir was rehearsing for a wedding which was to begin within a few minutes.
After that, we walked to the Cortes Palace. It was the biggest disappointment of the day. First, it is a reconstruction of what they think it was like. Only the foundations remained along with a few drawings of parts of the exterior of the palace to guide the reconstruction. Second, nothing inside has to do with Cortes. It is like a small city history museum with a hodgepodge of exhibits. The best part was a series of murals by Diego Rivera showing the history of Mexico from the time of the arrival of the Spanish. They were on the outer walls of an upstairs patio.
We wanted to try to see some of the modern parts of the city, so we followed a plan to get to the nicer areas. It was interesting in that it seemed more like we were in California out there than in Mexico. The houses were nice, the office buildings were very modern. The plants were very colorful. And the businesses included Gold's Gym, Chili's, Subway, Krispy Kreme, etc.
We ate a final torta--pulled pork in a nice sauce.--for dinner. Then we wandered back to the hotel for the night after watching some native dancers in costume on the zocolo. Tomorrow is a travel day to get home.
Last Stop
Friday, Jan. 16,
2015—Taxco to Cuernavaca
The hotel had a
small continental breakfast this morning (served only on Fridays,
Saturdays, and Sundays). We had apple juice, cereal, a toasted
waffle with jam and butter, and Mexican sweet bread. Then it was
time to head to the bus station. Our bus for Cuernavaca was
scheduled to leave at 10:10. The best part of that was that we were
leaving the noise and difficulty of getting around Taxco behind us.
Our hotel is the
Bajo el Volcan in Cuernavaca. It has a pool and lots of tropical
plants. Our room has a patio with a table and chairs overlooking the
pool. After checking in, we headed off to take care of the necessary
chore of buying our bus tickets to get to the airport on Sunday. We
walked to the Pullman Terminal, the bus company that sells tickets
for a bus that goes directly the the airport to get them.
Just half a block
north of the bus station was a Costco, so we headed there afterward
so I could buy some tequila to bring home. While there, we tested
the samples and then ate a late lunch.
Cuernavaca is not
what I expected. I thought it would be a beautiful and wealthy city. Maybe
wealthy people live here in beautiful homes outside the center of
town, but downtown is not attractive at all. Any colonial buildings
that still exist have not been maintained except for a few important
ones such as the Palace of Cortez and the Cathedral. Facing the
zocolo are some very ugly, cheaply-built buildings that look to be
from the 1950s. The best aspect of the city is the beauty of the
plants. It is a tropical garden.
We went to the
zocolo in the evening. Unfortunately, it is filled with many stalls
and seems more like a market than a plaza. (Note: The photos at the link do not show the stalls nor the ugly buildings, because no one would ever want to take a photo of them.) However, we went for one
particular event. On Friday evenings (and Tuesday and Sunday
evenings) they have danzon on the square—the dance from the
Veracruz area that we enjoyed seeing last year. The dancers were not
dressed as elegantly as the ones in Vercruz, and the music was
recorded rather than having a live band. However, some of the
dancers were great, especially a young couple who had more elegance
and more precision than the others. The music for danzon is really
nice—pretty, as well as catchy. I don't know how it has migrated
this far from the Gulf Coast, but I wish it would spread even
further. Here is another video of danzon in Cuernavaca but not at the zocolo.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Taxco: Beautiful, But Difficult for Visitors
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015--Taxco
Built centuries ago high in the mountains, Taxco is beautiful, but being a visitor here is frustrating. The streets are narrow without sidewalks and are mostly 2-way without being wide enough in many areas for vehicles to be able to pass. The streets twist and wind up and down the hills. There are limited routes to get from one part of town to another, so there tends to be vehicle after vehicle on each street. Pedestrians have to walk to the side and sometimes to even step up into doorways for a vehicle to pass. Vehicles often have to back up to a wider area for an oncoming vehicle to be able to get through. Besides the difficulty getting around by walking, the noise of the vehicles is a constant problem in the city. There seems to be no way of solving the problem, since the city is big enough that there are no open areas for trying to re-route traffic while getting it everywhere it needs to be. Taxis as are Volkswagon Beetles, so that helps a bit in letting the flow to work better, but there are also too many taxis as evidenced by many of those flowing in the traffic being empty and moving in anticipation of maybe picking up a fare.
We had breakfast in the local market, a surprisingly large facility that cascades down the mountainside with many levels between two main roadways. It's a maze, and it took us some time to find our way back out to the level where we needed to be.
Today, we climbed and climbed and climbed. The inclines can be very steep, so it is very tiring. We had hoped to make it to the top of one of the mountains that has a Christ statue, but it was impossible to know the route. We finally came to a high dead end where vehicles could not continue. But there were multiple stair step pathways continuing, and we had no way to know which to take. We gave up and returned to town.
We spent part of the afternoon at the Zocolo watching people, especially students in their uniforms who were passing through at the end of the school day. We each got another cup of mamay-flavored ice cream while there. We left about the time the children who sell items started showing up. They are a real menace. Not only will they not leave when you tell them you are not interested, but they will tag along with you talking and further pestering you by tapping your arm if you leave them.
The city is full of silver shops, but we haven't visited any. Mines still operate here, and artisans have been making and selling silver jewelry, plates, and other items for centuries. Another difficulty for tourists relates to these shops. Almost every one has someone outside the door as a hawker trying to encourage tourists to come inside the shop.
After resting a while in the room, we went back out to explore local eating places along the highway through town. We found several places, but we decided on a small three-table restaurant in the garage of a family home. The man and the woman living there were operating it. They had a spit of meat cooking over a flame. We ordered gringas, because I have never had them and they are always recommended in the guidebook. It consists of two flour tortillas which are toasted as cheese melts between the two of them. Then they peal the tortillas apart and slice meat off the pit to form a layer inside with the cheese. They slice the gringa into 4 quarters and serve it with salsas. They were good, but it wasn't enough for a meal, so we each got 2 tacos al carbon to go finish off the meal. There were 3 salsas, but one, a creamy green one, was the best. Ummmm!
Built centuries ago high in the mountains, Taxco is beautiful, but being a visitor here is frustrating. The streets are narrow without sidewalks and are mostly 2-way without being wide enough in many areas for vehicles to be able to pass. The streets twist and wind up and down the hills. There are limited routes to get from one part of town to another, so there tends to be vehicle after vehicle on each street. Pedestrians have to walk to the side and sometimes to even step up into doorways for a vehicle to pass. Vehicles often have to back up to a wider area for an oncoming vehicle to be able to get through. Besides the difficulty getting around by walking, the noise of the vehicles is a constant problem in the city. There seems to be no way of solving the problem, since the city is big enough that there are no open areas for trying to re-route traffic while getting it everywhere it needs to be. Taxis as are Volkswagon Beetles, so that helps a bit in letting the flow to work better, but there are also too many taxis as evidenced by many of those flowing in the traffic being empty and moving in anticipation of maybe picking up a fare.
We had breakfast in the local market, a surprisingly large facility that cascades down the mountainside with many levels between two main roadways. It's a maze, and it took us some time to find our way back out to the level where we needed to be.
Today, we climbed and climbed and climbed. The inclines can be very steep, so it is very tiring. We had hoped to make it to the top of one of the mountains that has a Christ statue, but it was impossible to know the route. We finally came to a high dead end where vehicles could not continue. But there were multiple stair step pathways continuing, and we had no way to know which to take. We gave up and returned to town.
We spent part of the afternoon at the Zocolo watching people, especially students in their uniforms who were passing through at the end of the school day. We each got another cup of mamay-flavored ice cream while there. We left about the time the children who sell items started showing up. They are a real menace. Not only will they not leave when you tell them you are not interested, but they will tag along with you talking and further pestering you by tapping your arm if you leave them.
The city is full of silver shops, but we haven't visited any. Mines still operate here, and artisans have been making and selling silver jewelry, plates, and other items for centuries. Another difficulty for tourists relates to these shops. Almost every one has someone outside the door as a hawker trying to encourage tourists to come inside the shop.
After resting a while in the room, we went back out to explore local eating places along the highway through town. We found several places, but we decided on a small three-table restaurant in the garage of a family home. The man and the woman living there were operating it. They had a spit of meat cooking over a flame. We ordered gringas, because I have never had them and they are always recommended in the guidebook. It consists of two flour tortillas which are toasted as cheese melts between the two of them. Then they peal the tortillas apart and slice meat off the pit to form a layer inside with the cheese. They slice the gringa into 4 quarters and serve it with salsas. They were good, but it wasn't enough for a meal, so we each got 2 tacos al carbon to go finish off the meal. There were 3 salsas, but one, a creamy green one, was the best. Ummmm!
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
A Steep City
Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2016--Mexico City to Taxco
We were worried about leaving too early this morning. We needed to get to the bus station on the south side of Mexico City, and the metro is the easiest and fastest way to do so. However, it is packed like sardines during rush hour. Wes got up early though. We decided it was silly to wait in the room for 1 1/2 hours, so we left at 9:00. We lucked out. We caught trains one-after-the-other and had plenty of room by going to the end of the platform and taking the last car on each one. Then when we got to the bus station, there was a bus leaving for Taxco just 15 minutes later. Within one one of leaving our hotel, we were on a bus to Taxco.
An interesting thing happened on the bus. When it was ready to leave, one of the employees took out a digital camera and went down the aisle making a film of the faces of everyone. If anyone was wearing sunglasses, he required them to remove them. My guess is that it is a process they use to connect names to bodies if anything goes wrong on the trip. The trip to Taxco involves lots of dangerous curves in the mountains.
We arrived in Taxco about 13:15. Thank goodness we had my phone to show where we were. The bus stopped out on the edge of town, and we had no idea which way to go until the GPS on the phone located us. Then we could look at a printed map we had that showed the location of our hotel and walk the shortest route. Taxco has NO straight roads, so it was important to find the best way to the hotel. The main highway where we stopped would have made a huge, unnecessary loop for us to follow. Instead, a couple of short, steep allies got us to the other side of the loop. Because of that shortcut, it really wasn't that far to our hotel. Much of it was uphill (STEEPLY UPHILL) however, and we were huffing and puffing to get there.
We are at La Casa del Laural. It's a small hotel in a great location--not too far from the bus station where we will have to go on Friday to leave, and not too far from the main plaza in town. Unfortunately, however, Taxco is a rather noisy town, so I will have to sleep with earplugs tonight to cover the traffic noise.
We were very hungry after checking into the hotel, so we walked to the Zocolo, the main plaza, and found a restaurant recommended for their pozole--Tia Calla Pozoleria. Pozole is a soup with hominy, chicken, fried pork skins, avocado, onions, and red pepper. We got one bowl of that to share along with a plate of enchiladas verdes. Both were delicious, especially since we hadn't eaten a real meal in about 28 hours!
We sat on the Zocolo and watched people for a while after eating. We saw people having cups of ice cream that looked good. We got two cups to share--one lime-flavored and the other mamay-flavored. Both were delicious.
Eventually, we walked through the very elaborate cathedral and then explored a couple of main streets in the city. And then we stopped at the bus station to buy our tickets for our trip to Cuernavaca on Friday. Then we returned to the hotel to rest. The film Frida was on TV, so I watched it while Wes napped some.
In the early evening, we heard some drumming and went to investigate. It was just next to our hotel. A group of about 8 young people were dancing choreographed steps to the drumming. It was much like the dancing we saw by the Jump Lords in Guadalajara. The dance steps here, however, were more detailed, and they had at least 3 different routines we observed. It was fun to watch them.
We returned to the Zocolo to watch people. And as it got dark, we bought a cup of corn each from a lady selling it on the street. It was delicious--in a tasty broth and served with ground chili powder.
We were worried about leaving too early this morning. We needed to get to the bus station on the south side of Mexico City, and the metro is the easiest and fastest way to do so. However, it is packed like sardines during rush hour. Wes got up early though. We decided it was silly to wait in the room for 1 1/2 hours, so we left at 9:00. We lucked out. We caught trains one-after-the-other and had plenty of room by going to the end of the platform and taking the last car on each one. Then when we got to the bus station, there was a bus leaving for Taxco just 15 minutes later. Within one one of leaving our hotel, we were on a bus to Taxco.
An interesting thing happened on the bus. When it was ready to leave, one of the employees took out a digital camera and went down the aisle making a film of the faces of everyone. If anyone was wearing sunglasses, he required them to remove them. My guess is that it is a process they use to connect names to bodies if anything goes wrong on the trip. The trip to Taxco involves lots of dangerous curves in the mountains.
We arrived in Taxco about 13:15. Thank goodness we had my phone to show where we were. The bus stopped out on the edge of town, and we had no idea which way to go until the GPS on the phone located us. Then we could look at a printed map we had that showed the location of our hotel and walk the shortest route. Taxco has NO straight roads, so it was important to find the best way to the hotel. The main highway where we stopped would have made a huge, unnecessary loop for us to follow. Instead, a couple of short, steep allies got us to the other side of the loop. Because of that shortcut, it really wasn't that far to our hotel. Much of it was uphill (STEEPLY UPHILL) however, and we were huffing and puffing to get there.
We are at La Casa del Laural. It's a small hotel in a great location--not too far from the bus station where we will have to go on Friday to leave, and not too far from the main plaza in town. Unfortunately, however, Taxco is a rather noisy town, so I will have to sleep with earplugs tonight to cover the traffic noise.
We were very hungry after checking into the hotel, so we walked to the Zocolo, the main plaza, and found a restaurant recommended for their pozole--Tia Calla Pozoleria. Pozole is a soup with hominy, chicken, fried pork skins, avocado, onions, and red pepper. We got one bowl of that to share along with a plate of enchiladas verdes. Both were delicious, especially since we hadn't eaten a real meal in about 28 hours!
We sat on the Zocolo and watched people for a while after eating. We saw people having cups of ice cream that looked good. We got two cups to share--one lime-flavored and the other mamay-flavored. Both were delicious.
Eventually, we walked through the very elaborate cathedral and then explored a couple of main streets in the city. And then we stopped at the bus station to buy our tickets for our trip to Cuernavaca on Friday. Then we returned to the hotel to rest. The film Frida was on TV, so I watched it while Wes napped some.
In the early evening, we heard some drumming and went to investigate. It was just next to our hotel. A group of about 8 young people were dancing choreographed steps to the drumming. It was much like the dancing we saw by the Jump Lords in Guadalajara. The dance steps here, however, were more detailed, and they had at least 3 different routines we observed. It was fun to watch them.
We returned to the Zocolo to watch people. And as it got dark, we bought a cup of corn each from a lady selling it on the street. It was delicious--in a tasty broth and served with ground chili powder.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Chapultepec Park
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015--Mexico City
Wes had never been to the city before, so going to see the Anthropology Museum was one of the things we knew we had to do. We postponed it until today, however, because we figured that Saturday and Sunday would be busy (Sunday is even free to Mexican residents) and because it is closed on Mondays.
We headed for Chapultepec Park where it is located with plans to visit the zoo first (because it has shorter hours than the museum) and then go to the nearby museum. We knew it would be a tiring day, and it was!!
We stopped on the way to the park to have a torta for breakfast. They were large ones, so we each ate half and saved half to have later in the day. However, when we got to the zoo, they wouldn't let us take food inside. We had to go to the side and finish eating the sandwiches before entering. (The only food service inside was McDonalds, so they probably have rule that no outside food can be brought inside.)
The zoo was nice. It has a good layout and very nice enclosures for the animals and birds. We wandered through it all. Only one of their pandas (for which they have a reputation as being one of the best zoos for panda births) was outside, and it was sleeping. And we had hoped to see a quetzal, the famous bird that was prized by the native tribes and is difficult to see in the wild, but they did not have one in the collection. We enjoyed the visit, however, which lasted about 1 1/2 hours.
We walked to the Anthropology Museum from there. It is so huge that everyone gets exhausted trying to see all the exhibits. We spent about 4 hours there and were very tired as we left. It is a great museum filled with treasures from all the archeological sites in Mexico. It was my third time to tour the museum, and I hope it will be my last since it is such an exhausting experience.
This is our last day in Mexico. We will leave for Taxco tomorrow. We have a hotel reservation, but we don't have a bus ticket. We couldn't find a way to get one in advance without going to the station. We will just go there tomorrow and hope that we won't have to wait long for a bus that has seats available.
Wes had never been to the city before, so going to see the Anthropology Museum was one of the things we knew we had to do. We postponed it until today, however, because we figured that Saturday and Sunday would be busy (Sunday is even free to Mexican residents) and because it is closed on Mondays.
We headed for Chapultepec Park where it is located with plans to visit the zoo first (because it has shorter hours than the museum) and then go to the nearby museum. We knew it would be a tiring day, and it was!!
We stopped on the way to the park to have a torta for breakfast. They were large ones, so we each ate half and saved half to have later in the day. However, when we got to the zoo, they wouldn't let us take food inside. We had to go to the side and finish eating the sandwiches before entering. (The only food service inside was McDonalds, so they probably have rule that no outside food can be brought inside.)
The zoo was nice. It has a good layout and very nice enclosures for the animals and birds. We wandered through it all. Only one of their pandas (for which they have a reputation as being one of the best zoos for panda births) was outside, and it was sleeping. And we had hoped to see a quetzal, the famous bird that was prized by the native tribes and is difficult to see in the wild, but they did not have one in the collection. We enjoyed the visit, however, which lasted about 1 1/2 hours.
We walked to the Anthropology Museum from there. It is so huge that everyone gets exhausted trying to see all the exhibits. We spent about 4 hours there and were very tired as we left. It is a great museum filled with treasures from all the archeological sites in Mexico. It was my third time to tour the museum, and I hope it will be my last since it is such an exhausting experience.
This is our last day in Mexico. We will leave for Taxco tomorrow. We have a hotel reservation, but we don't have a bus ticket. We couldn't find a way to get one in advance without going to the station. We will just go there tomorrow and hope that we won't have to wait long for a bus that has seats available.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Gigante Liquado
Monday, Jan. 12, 2015--Mexico City
Like Sundays, Mondays also have their limitations for tourists. The main one is that museums tend not to be open. We made the Historico Centro (the historical center of the city) our focus today. Although most museums were closed, we could enjoy the atmosphere, the architecture, etc.
We walked all day. Our first stop was a market which our guidebook said had good food stalls. We picked out one that was popular and was serving nice tortas and where they were slicing beautiful pork. We each ordered a pierna torta Oaxaca-style. It had roasted pork, stingy cheese that was melted, tomato, avocado, and cilantro and was about 10 inches long and 4 inches wide (25 cm by 10 cm). As we ate them, two other customers ordered liquados--blended milk drinks (one strawberry and one chocolate). As we ate at the counter, we watched the employee make them. Each was 1 quart in size (1 liter). We thought they were making them to poor into glasses for serving. But they handed them over the counter to the two customers--the whole pitcher for each one! We immediately opened the menu and found the right page for liquados. We ordered one gigante (the same size as the others) in chocolate. UMMMM!
The rest of the day, we explored all the historical sites--the Zocolo, the Cathedral, and all the other places that tourists visit in the downtown area that are open on Mondays. We saw the murals by Diego Rivera in the Ministry of Education building. We saw the art exhibit at the Banamex Cultural Center in the Palace of Iturbide which included wonderful art collected by the bank over decades. We walked up and down all the streets seeing the interesting old buildings throughout the center of town.
We stopped at Panadaria Ideal, a place I always go when in Mexico City, on 16 de Septiembre. It's a huge and very busy bakery--unbelievably huge and busy. We bought two pastries and took them to Parque Alameda to eat them.
From there, we wandered back to our hotel passing by the Monument of the Revolution and to the hotel. We had been walking for 8 hours!
Like Sundays, Mondays also have their limitations for tourists. The main one is that museums tend not to be open. We made the Historico Centro (the historical center of the city) our focus today. Although most museums were closed, we could enjoy the atmosphere, the architecture, etc.
We walked all day. Our first stop was a market which our guidebook said had good food stalls. We picked out one that was popular and was serving nice tortas and where they were slicing beautiful pork. We each ordered a pierna torta Oaxaca-style. It had roasted pork, stingy cheese that was melted, tomato, avocado, and cilantro and was about 10 inches long and 4 inches wide (25 cm by 10 cm). As we ate them, two other customers ordered liquados--blended milk drinks (one strawberry and one chocolate). As we ate at the counter, we watched the employee make them. Each was 1 quart in size (1 liter). We thought they were making them to poor into glasses for serving. But they handed them over the counter to the two customers--the whole pitcher for each one! We immediately opened the menu and found the right page for liquados. We ordered one gigante (the same size as the others) in chocolate. UMMMM!
The rest of the day, we explored all the historical sites--the Zocolo, the Cathedral, and all the other places that tourists visit in the downtown area that are open on Mondays. We saw the murals by Diego Rivera in the Ministry of Education building. We saw the art exhibit at the Banamex Cultural Center in the Palace of Iturbide which included wonderful art collected by the bank over decades. We walked up and down all the streets seeing the interesting old buildings throughout the center of town.
We stopped at Panadaria Ideal, a place I always go when in Mexico City, on 16 de Septiembre. It's a huge and very busy bakery--unbelievably huge and busy. We bought two pastries and took them to Parque Alameda to eat them.
From there, we wandered back to our hotel passing by the Monument of the Revolution and to the hotel. We had been walking for 8 hours!
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Library and Coyacan
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015--Mexico City
Sundays are lazy in Mexico City. Not much happens on Sunday mornings because people stay up so late at clubs and doing other things. Little is open in the mornings. We went out at 10:00, and it took us 45 minutes to find a place serving breakfast at that hour. It was a small place, and breakfast was okay, but not exciting.
We spent the afternoon doing two things. First, we explored the National University campus which is home to the library with the famous murals by Juan O'Gorman and is a World Heritage Site. Many people were on the campus biking, playing games, walking, etc.
From there, we explored Coyacan, an old colonial town near the university which is now completely surrounding by the Mexico City. We passed by the Frido Kahlo Museum which had a long (LONG!) line of people waiting to get inside at 16:30. We went to the old colonial center of the city which was crowded with people enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon. We sat on a bench watching people. Lots of families were out walking together. Clowns were entertaining crowds. People were eating snacks. The city, besides having a colonial core is filled with more modern homes of great value. We expected it to be a bit like Tlaquepaque in Guadalajara, but it was much different with the combination of colonial and modern. It was be a nice place to live in Mexico City.
Sundays are lazy in Mexico City. Not much happens on Sunday mornings because people stay up so late at clubs and doing other things. Little is open in the mornings. We went out at 10:00, and it took us 45 minutes to find a place serving breakfast at that hour. It was a small place, and breakfast was okay, but not exciting.
We spent the afternoon doing two things. First, we explored the National University campus which is home to the library with the famous murals by Juan O'Gorman and is a World Heritage Site. Many people were on the campus biking, playing games, walking, etc.
From there, we explored Coyacan, an old colonial town near the university which is now completely surrounding by the Mexico City. We passed by the Frido Kahlo Museum which had a long (LONG!) line of people waiting to get inside at 16:30. We went to the old colonial center of the city which was crowded with people enjoying a nice Sunday afternoon. We sat on a bench watching people. Lots of families were out walking together. Clowns were entertaining crowds. People were eating snacks. The city, besides having a colonial core is filled with more modern homes of great value. We expected it to be a bit like Tlaquepaque in Guadalajara, but it was much different with the combination of colonial and modern. It was be a nice place to live in Mexico City.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Teotihuacan
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015--Mexico City
I've been to the pyramids outside Mexico City at Teotihuacan several times, but Wes is here for his first visit. Therefore, today was dedicated to going out there. We took public transportation--the metro to the bus station on the north side of town and a bus from there. We spent maybe 3 hours travelling and another 2 1/2 hours at the pyramids. I was surprised to see a couple of new attractions since the last time I was there about 30 years ago with Arne. Essentially, however, it is the same. I decided not to climb the Pyramid of the Sun, since I have climbed it at least 2 times in the past; I sat and watched as Wes climbed it and returned. Fortunately, I took my umbrella with me, remembering that there is no shade and that the sun is hot. (I already have a sore nose from being in the sun too much on this trip.)
For someone who has never seen other pyramids, this is am impressive sight. For someone planning a trip throughout Mexico (and maybe Guatemala) to see pyramids, this should be one of the FIRST stops so that they are not disappointed. The pyramids in the Yucatan (including Tikal in Guatemala) are much more interesting and exciting to visit.
After returning to town, we wandered through the Zona Rosa District. Although our hotel is in the area, we have not explored it much at all. I found that the restaurant that I used to enjoy 50 years ago, El Refugio Fonda, is still in business. I doubt that the food is as good as it used to be. Remember when Holiday Magazine recognized the better restaurants around the world? This was one of them--great food at reasonable prices. Actually, all of the Zona Rosa is rather worn looking these days. Whereas it was the main tourist entertainment area 50-60 years ago, today it is still popular, but it has been replaced by other neighborhoods as the "in" places for tourists to stay, eat, go out for entertainment, etc., in Mexico City.
I've been to the pyramids outside Mexico City at Teotihuacan several times, but Wes is here for his first visit. Therefore, today was dedicated to going out there. We took public transportation--the metro to the bus station on the north side of town and a bus from there. We spent maybe 3 hours travelling and another 2 1/2 hours at the pyramids. I was surprised to see a couple of new attractions since the last time I was there about 30 years ago with Arne. Essentially, however, it is the same. I decided not to climb the Pyramid of the Sun, since I have climbed it at least 2 times in the past; I sat and watched as Wes climbed it and returned. Fortunately, I took my umbrella with me, remembering that there is no shade and that the sun is hot. (I already have a sore nose from being in the sun too much on this trip.)
For someone who has never seen other pyramids, this is am impressive sight. For someone planning a trip throughout Mexico (and maybe Guatemala) to see pyramids, this should be one of the FIRST stops so that they are not disappointed. The pyramids in the Yucatan (including Tikal in Guatemala) are much more interesting and exciting to visit.
After returning to town, we wandered through the Zona Rosa District. Although our hotel is in the area, we have not explored it much at all. I found that the restaurant that I used to enjoy 50 years ago, El Refugio Fonda, is still in business. I doubt that the food is as good as it used to be. Remember when Holiday Magazine recognized the better restaurants around the world? This was one of them--great food at reasonable prices. Actually, all of the Zona Rosa is rather worn looking these days. Whereas it was the main tourist entertainment area 50-60 years ago, today it is still popular, but it has been replaced by other neighborhoods as the "in" places for tourists to stay, eat, go out for entertainment, etc., in Mexico City.
Friday, January 09, 2015
Off to the Big City
Friday, Jan. 9, 2015--Morelia to Mexico City
The lady who makes breakfasts showed up late this morning at our hotel, so we wasted time getting up earlier than we needed for getting ready and packed. We waited another 15-20 minutes for her to have breakfast ready for us. But things went well from there. We had no problems walking the 6 blocks to where we could catch the combi to the bus station; only a few people were on the sidewalks. Then the combi we needed was right there waiting for the light to change when we arrived at the corner. We actually got to the bus station about 50 minutes before our bus was scheduled to depart.
It was a 4-hour bus trip that was uneventful. We entered Mexico City in the Santa Fe section of town--a new, high-rise, high-income section of the city. It's amazing how much growth in construction is taking place there and in other parts of this city. I bet they have added as many people to the city within the last 10 years as live in all of San Antonio!! From our hotel window, we can see 3 highrises under construction. And that is in the Zona Rosa, an older part of the city.
We are at the Eurostar Suites Zona Rosa. It's a nice hotel, although the upholstery on the sofa and chairs needs updating. It's in a convenient location for exploring the areas where we will go.
Our first outing today was to go to a tourist office in Condesa, a part of town with very nice older individual homes, and get a map so we could more easily find our way around the city. While there, we spent time at two parks (Espana and Mexico) which are especially nice, and we walked up and down Av. Michoacan, a trendy street with fancy restaurants serving high-income people.
We were tired, and it started to drizzle. We ate a quick torta from a street truck, and then we rushed back to the hotel to relax the rest of the evening.
The lady who makes breakfasts showed up late this morning at our hotel, so we wasted time getting up earlier than we needed for getting ready and packed. We waited another 15-20 minutes for her to have breakfast ready for us. But things went well from there. We had no problems walking the 6 blocks to where we could catch the combi to the bus station; only a few people were on the sidewalks. Then the combi we needed was right there waiting for the light to change when we arrived at the corner. We actually got to the bus station about 50 minutes before our bus was scheduled to depart.
It was a 4-hour bus trip that was uneventful. We entered Mexico City in the Santa Fe section of town--a new, high-rise, high-income section of the city. It's amazing how much growth in construction is taking place there and in other parts of this city. I bet they have added as many people to the city within the last 10 years as live in all of San Antonio!! From our hotel window, we can see 3 highrises under construction. And that is in the Zona Rosa, an older part of the city.
We are at the Eurostar Suites Zona Rosa. It's a nice hotel, although the upholstery on the sofa and chairs needs updating. It's in a convenient location for exploring the areas where we will go.
Our first outing today was to go to a tourist office in Condesa, a part of town with very nice older individual homes, and get a map so we could more easily find our way around the city. While there, we spent time at two parks (Espana and Mexico) which are especially nice, and we walked up and down Av. Michoacan, a trendy street with fancy restaurants serving high-income people.
We were tired, and it started to drizzle. We ate a quick torta from a street truck, and then we rushed back to the hotel to relax the rest of the evening.
From Colonial to Modern
Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015--Morelia
We had investigated most of the central part of Morelia, so we set our sights on a few places just barely inside the colonial part of town or just outside it. We first headed to see the aqueduct which runs for some distance on the far eastern edge of town. On the way, however, we stopped at a couple of huge buildings from the 1600s and saw the murals inside them.
The aqueduct is in a very pretty part of town with statues, fountains, parks, and a nice promenade. It has high, graceful arches that continue past block after block of the city, and several of the arches serve as entrances of streets into the colonial center of town.
From there, we walked to the zoo. It is very reasonably priced and is quite nice. It is also undergoing lots of new construction and remodelling. It must have one of the most successful breeding programs anywhere. It was amazing how many of each animal they had--whole herds, prides, etc., of exotic animals and birds. While there, we saw them moving a female brahma cow to an enclosure for her to breed with one of the several males inside it. They moved her by taking both her and her present calf down the walkway--her lassoed and the baby obediently following behind. She wasn't happy when they locked the gate behind her without the calve, though. Anyway, it was fun to see them all walking in the open down the pathway.
From the zoo, we headed to the new campus of the University of Michoacan which houses mostly science and engineering programs. It consists of many modern buildings and is more like an American college campus.
As with most campuses, the neighborhood had lots of small shops and restaurants. We stopped at one of the latter and ate a late lunch/early dinner. It consisted of TWO soup servings--vegetables in a broth and fideo (noodle soup), a choice of meats with sauces (we both got chicken mole) which came on a plate with rice, a small dessert (mango flan), and fresh fruit water (pear). It was delicious and filling.
We had missed one last place we wanted to visit when we were near the aqueduct, so we headed back to there to visit probably the most ornate church in Morelia--Guadalupe Sanctuary. Every bit of every wall was covered with detailed work in gold.
After that, we returned to the hotel. We had been wandering for 9 hours. My nose was burned and we were tired.
We had investigated most of the central part of Morelia, so we set our sights on a few places just barely inside the colonial part of town or just outside it. We first headed to see the aqueduct which runs for some distance on the far eastern edge of town. On the way, however, we stopped at a couple of huge buildings from the 1600s and saw the murals inside them.
The aqueduct is in a very pretty part of town with statues, fountains, parks, and a nice promenade. It has high, graceful arches that continue past block after block of the city, and several of the arches serve as entrances of streets into the colonial center of town.
From there, we walked to the zoo. It is very reasonably priced and is quite nice. It is also undergoing lots of new construction and remodelling. It must have one of the most successful breeding programs anywhere. It was amazing how many of each animal they had--whole herds, prides, etc., of exotic animals and birds. While there, we saw them moving a female brahma cow to an enclosure for her to breed with one of the several males inside it. They moved her by taking both her and her present calf down the walkway--her lassoed and the baby obediently following behind. She wasn't happy when they locked the gate behind her without the calve, though. Anyway, it was fun to see them all walking in the open down the pathway.
From the zoo, we headed to the new campus of the University of Michoacan which houses mostly science and engineering programs. It consists of many modern buildings and is more like an American college campus.
As with most campuses, the neighborhood had lots of small shops and restaurants. We stopped at one of the latter and ate a late lunch/early dinner. It consisted of TWO soup servings--vegetables in a broth and fideo (noodle soup), a choice of meats with sauces (we both got chicken mole) which came on a plate with rice, a small dessert (mango flan), and fresh fruit water (pear). It was delicious and filling.
We had missed one last place we wanted to visit when we were near the aqueduct, so we headed back to there to visit probably the most ornate church in Morelia--Guadalupe Sanctuary. Every bit of every wall was covered with detailed work in gold.
After that, we returned to the hotel. We had been wandering for 9 hours. My nose was burned and we were tired.
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Another Colonial City
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015--Patzcuaro to Morelia
It was a short bus ride from Patzcuaro to Morelia--about an hour. Before leaving the terminal, we bought our ticket to get us to Mexico City on Friday. Then we started determining how to get downtown. Only taxis seem to be allowed within the terminal area, but we knew if we walked outside we should be able to find a bus of some kind going into town. Poor people have to have a way to get to the bus station, and taxi fares are not reasonable for them.
As soon as we got out to the street, we saw combis (mini-van buses) saying "Centro." We didn't get into one, because they were going the wrong direction. Their signs never change, so it could be that the combis were travelling AWAY from downtown rather than about to turn around and head that direction. Just behind the station, however, we found the combi station where they were all parked at the end of their line. We got onto the next one leaving for the Centro. It went back by the front of the bus station and then turned around and headed toward town. We saved enough by taking the conbi to buy our dinner and a dessert.
The Hotel Meson de los Remedios is smaller than where we have stayed so far on the trip, but it is a nice place in a colonial building about 5 blocks from the cathedral. That means it is convenient for exploring the colonial center of Morelia.
We headed out immediately to explore. We went to the Museo de las Artisanias en Exconvento de San Francisco. It's an old convent that now houses a combination of a museum of artisan products from different sections of Michoacan and a series of small shops selling products by today's artisans. The museum pieces were wonderful, and most of the work for sale by present-day artisans was of very high quality. It has a high rating on TripAdvisor, and I would advise anyone stopping in Morelia to visit it.
From there, we headed to toward the Cathedral. On our way, we saw a nice small church that reminded me of the missions in San Antonio, especially on the inside. It is Templo de la Cruz and, like the missions in San Antonio, was built before a city existed here in an effort to bring Christianity to the local native people.
From there, we continued to the Cathedral, a great building both inside and out. It rises above the city with beautiful tiled domes and tall bell towers. Inside, it is very elegant and pretty. It's a magnificent structure.
We sat in the park beside the cathedral for a while watching people. Everything seems to be back to normal now that 3 Kings Day has passed. Students are back in school, people are at work. The Christmas decorations are being dismantled, etc.
It was time for us to look for a place for an early dinner, since we had not eaten since having breakfast at the bus station. As we wandered the side streets looking for a restaurant, we came across the Mercado del Dulce. It's a market and that has artisan shops, too, but it has many stalls specializing in all kinds of sweets to eat!!
We eventually found a place to eat at the main market in the city. I was surprised that a restaurant stall would still be open at 17:30, but it was doing a booming business. We got two plates of food. One had milanesa (battered and fried beef) and the other had bistek (thin slices of beef cooked on the griddle). Each plate also had macaroni in sour cream, guacamole, salad, and refried beans topped with crumbled white cheese. Together, both big plates cost $5 US!
Although we were filled from eating--Wes even helped finish my plate, we stopped at an ice cream shop and had two milk-based palettas (ice cream bars). I had nuez (pecan) and Wes had chocolate.
We were tired by then and returned to the hotel for the evening. It's cold here at night, so we were diving under the covers by 20:00!
It was a short bus ride from Patzcuaro to Morelia--about an hour. Before leaving the terminal, we bought our ticket to get us to Mexico City on Friday. Then we started determining how to get downtown. Only taxis seem to be allowed within the terminal area, but we knew if we walked outside we should be able to find a bus of some kind going into town. Poor people have to have a way to get to the bus station, and taxi fares are not reasonable for them.
As soon as we got out to the street, we saw combis (mini-van buses) saying "Centro." We didn't get into one, because they were going the wrong direction. Their signs never change, so it could be that the combis were travelling AWAY from downtown rather than about to turn around and head that direction. Just behind the station, however, we found the combi station where they were all parked at the end of their line. We got onto the next one leaving for the Centro. It went back by the front of the bus station and then turned around and headed toward town. We saved enough by taking the conbi to buy our dinner and a dessert.
The Hotel Meson de los Remedios is smaller than where we have stayed so far on the trip, but it is a nice place in a colonial building about 5 blocks from the cathedral. That means it is convenient for exploring the colonial center of Morelia.
We headed out immediately to explore. We went to the Museo de las Artisanias en Exconvento de San Francisco. It's an old convent that now houses a combination of a museum of artisan products from different sections of Michoacan and a series of small shops selling products by today's artisans. The museum pieces were wonderful, and most of the work for sale by present-day artisans was of very high quality. It has a high rating on TripAdvisor, and I would advise anyone stopping in Morelia to visit it.
From there, we headed to toward the Cathedral. On our way, we saw a nice small church that reminded me of the missions in San Antonio, especially on the inside. It is Templo de la Cruz and, like the missions in San Antonio, was built before a city existed here in an effort to bring Christianity to the local native people.
From there, we continued to the Cathedral, a great building both inside and out. It rises above the city with beautiful tiled domes and tall bell towers. Inside, it is very elegant and pretty. It's a magnificent structure.
We sat in the park beside the cathedral for a while watching people. Everything seems to be back to normal now that 3 Kings Day has passed. Students are back in school, people are at work. The Christmas decorations are being dismantled, etc.
It was time for us to look for a place for an early dinner, since we had not eaten since having breakfast at the bus station. As we wandered the side streets looking for a restaurant, we came across the Mercado del Dulce. It's a market and that has artisan shops, too, but it has many stalls specializing in all kinds of sweets to eat!!
We eventually found a place to eat at the main market in the city. I was surprised that a restaurant stall would still be open at 17:30, but it was doing a booming business. We got two plates of food. One had milanesa (battered and fried beef) and the other had bistek (thin slices of beef cooked on the griddle). Each plate also had macaroni in sour cream, guacamole, salad, and refried beans topped with crumbled white cheese. Together, both big plates cost $5 US!
Although we were filled from eating--Wes even helped finish my plate, we stopped at an ice cream shop and had two milk-based palettas (ice cream bars). I had nuez (pecan) and Wes had chocolate.
We were tired by then and returned to the hotel for the evening. It's cold here at night, so we were diving under the covers by 20:00!
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