Oh, Atlanta

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Cindy

view of downtown Atlanta skyline from Piedmont Park

And so the 2018 Fall Family and Friends Road Trip draws to an end. We said goodbye to Chattanooga, and my nephew and his wife, and headed for home. Atlanta, Georgia, just happened to be directly in our path, so we thought we’d stop for a few days to see what the city has to offer. It’s been almost 40 years since we last visited.

I was immediately struck by how beautiful the city is—pleasantly hilly and beautifully wooded. I read somewhere that Atlanta is the most wooded metropolitan area in the US. The trees really make you feel more like you’re in the suburbs, rather than a sprawling city. Every section we drove through felt like a cozy neighborhood I could live in. I love the architecture of the homes. Most have a traditional, but modern, feel—lots of stately brick and stone. The more contemporary homes look stunning with all that wood and glass surrounded by trees. There’s new home construction everywhere.

potting shed in Piedmont Park–not your typical Atlanta architecture!

To see the city, we rented a tandem bike and rode the marvelous Eastside Beltline, a rails-to-trails convert. First stop was Jimmy Carter’s presidential library and museum. After visiting FDR’s library last spring in Hyde Park, I’m making a point of visiting every presidential library I come across. It’s fascinating to look back on the particular challenges each president faced while in office, especially given the perspective of time. To follow the issues while they are developing is completely different, I find, than seeing how they stand up in the context of American history.

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum

We continued north up the Beltline to the fabulous Ponce City Market where we stopped to have lunch at an amiable little Cuban restaurant. Then on to Piedmont Park, the crown jewel of Atlanta. Lots of greenery to take in and great views of the downtown skyline.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site

On our return to the bike rental shop, we stopped at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. A touching tribute to a man who devoted his life to bringing about change on such an emotionally charged issue through non-violent means. That his life was ended prematurely by the violence he worked so hard to avoid is a genuine tragedy.

tomb of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King

Oh, Atlanta, we have enjoyed our time with you, but home beckons and we must go.

Chattanooga

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Cindy

the riverfront, with Lookout Mountain in the clouds

Absolutely love this city! It’s the perfect size–large enough to offer great museums, shops, and restaurants, but small enough that you can conquer it in a day. And then the rest of your stay is getting to know your favorite areas in more detail.

the Hunter Museum of American Art on a bluff overlooking the river

Our favorite area is the Bluff View Arts District. It’s not large, but it is jam-packed full of beautiful art and architecture perched high on a bluff over the Tennessee River. Our favorite part of the District was the Sculpture Garden.

These guys welcome you into the garden.

my favorite sculpture

cool–an angular Death Star?

And did I mention the food? Fortunately we have family living here who helped us hone in on the some of the best places.

amazing bakery across from the Sculpture Garden–love the architecture!

Southernese

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Cindy

courtesy of Spreadshirt

As antiquated as I once considered it, I now have to admit that it’s refreshing to hear people address us by “Sir” and “Ma’am.” In this day and age, when there is far too little respect and far too few kind words shared between people, it’s heartwarming to hear someone say those two little words.

I find respect contagious. I “Sir” and “Ma’am” them right back–and mean it. We could use more civility in our lives.

Hot bar!

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Cindy

The Fire Bar at Hawkeye’s

Recommended by our hosts at the B&B: The Fire Bar at the Hawkeye Bar & Grill at Cooperstown’s Otesaga Resort Hotel. Perfect spot to chill with a glass of wine, a bite to eat, and maybe even a game of bocce on the lawn, if you’re not too mesmerized by the view.

The Otesaga Resort Hotel is located at the south end of Otsego Lake in the Village of Cooperstown, New York, and hearkens back to the day when people from the City spent their summers at grand hotels such as this.

James Fenimore Cooper referred to Otsego Lake as Glimmerglass in his Leatherstocking Tales, a series of five novels featuring the character Natty Bumppo, also known as Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans, one of the Leatherstocking Tales. The lake also happens to be the source of the Susquehanna River, the 16th largest river in the United States, according to Wikipedia.

It’s no coincidence that Cooper’s stories took place in the area around Cooperstown. His father founded the village, and James grew up in what was then a 19th-century frontier town.

the sun setting on Glimmerglass (Otsego) Lake

The weather was perfect on this particular evening, a cloudless, late-spring promise of blissful summer days ahead. As the sun set we drew our chairs closer to the fire and watched for dugout canoes gliding silently across the Glimmerglass.

We were just wandering…

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Cindy

After leaving Yonge-Dundas Square, we continued our meander toward the waterfront. We stopped in at the Craft Beer Market for a snack and came across this unusual appetizer: fast-food sushi. Cheeseburger and fries wrapped in bacon, topped with a pickle. Barbecue sauce for seasoning. We couldn’t resist the novelty of it.

Toronto has a love/hate relationship going on with raccoons. Apparently, they’re running rampant, getting into residents’ trash and generally wreaking havoc, as these crafty little bandits are wont to do. They have become a counterculture icon for Toronto: you’re either for them or against them. Personally, I love raccoons. What’s not to love about a bandit that brings its own mask to the party?

I’m also a sucker for funny signs. We had to try out the Bier Markt just because the sign above their door made us laugh. Nothing funny about their charcuterie, however. It was delicious! It’s amazing what you find just by wandering.

Goodbye, Toronto! We will miss you, but it’s time to move on to the impetus for this trip: Niagara!

#turbanup

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Cindy

Yonge-Dundas Square

On our last day in Toronto, we wanted to get out and walk this city we’ve grown to love. Normally when we stay in one location for a week, we take at least one day off from exploring to catch up on laundry, pay bills, and generally take a break from sightseeing. But something about Toronto draws us outdoors. Perhaps it’s the compact size. Toronto is a very walkable city, especially from the location of our apartment in Church-Wellesley—almost downtown, yet with the feel of a quiet suburb. We love discovering the personalities of each of Toronto’s neighborhoods from our hub. And after living in our quiet little hamlet of Stuart for most of the year, the city offers such variety. We feel like kids in a candy store! Or perhaps it’s the amazing weather we’ve had this week. Who could sit indoors when the sunshine beckons from our floor-to-ceiling windows?

We didn’t really have a destination, so we headed toward the Harbourfront, where we seem to end up in our wanderings every day anyway. It was an overcast Sunday—not much going on as we headed downtown, except for a queue snaking through Allan Gardens, people waiting to buy cacti and succulents at the greenhouse. Must have been some sale!

We chose Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto’s unofficial hub, as a waypoint. We were struck by the energy in the square when we visited a few days before and wondered what might be going on there this sleepy Sunday. Nothing sleepy about the square this morning! We arrived just in time for #turbanup.

Sikh for a day

The Sikh community was out en masse to educate the public about who they are, what they believe, and why they wear those colorful turbans, or Dastaar as they call it. Sikhi, the fifth largest religion in the world, originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of India. Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught that all people are from the same creator, regardless of social status, gender, or religion. Because there is no difference between royalty and anyone else, everyone should wear a crown, or Dastaar, as a constant reminder of a person’s value and importance, and also as a reminder of their personal, daily obligation to take care of other people.

Today everyone was invited to turban up. There were tables and tables of fabric in every color and shade imaginable, and experts to help you wrap it in whichever style you chose, be it farmer, warrior, or raj. They also provided lively music and a Sikh-style community banquet. Free food for all is an everyday practice at all Gurdwaras, Sikh temples.

community banquet

We had an enlightening discussion with a young, Sikh woman, and enjoyed watching everyone—Sikh and otherwise—participating in the festivities. Did I mention? I love this city!

Lakefront bike ride

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Cindy

Toronto Inukshuk Park

Activity for the day: a 30-kilometre (19-mile) bike ride along Lake Ontario. We rented bikes at the Harbourfront and started our tour on the west end of the lake trail at Toronto Inukshuk Park. I love these crazy man-shaped piles of rock created by the Inuits in northern Canada, Alaska, and Greenland to look like hunters lined up on the hillsides of the tundra. Two converging lines of inukshuks were used to funnel caribou into herds for easier hunting. They’ve become a symbol of native Canadian culture. Pretty ingenious, I’d say. But then, as my living room will attest, I’ve always had a fondness for stacking stones.

seven ducklings!

Next stop: Amsterdam Brewhouse for lunch. No better day than a biking day to order poutine. We eat this traditional Montréal dish every time we come to Canada: French fries topped with cheese curd and brown gravy. Comfort food at its tastiest!

poutine!

After carbo-loading, we rode the remaining nine kilometres to our easternmost destination, Tommy Thompson Park in Leslieville. You would never guess that this bird sanctuary, on a lacy peninsula extending into Lake Ontario, is so close to the city unless you happened to glance up to catch the Toronto skyline on the horizon.

Canada geese have returned for the summer

Toronto skyline from Tommy Thompson Park

the Distillery District

Our post-bike reward was visiting the Distillery District just east of Downtown. A refurbished old brick distillery originally built in 1832, it is now home to several boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and the Mill Street Brewery—forty buildings in all. According to Wikipedia, it is the largest collection of Victorian-era industrial architecture in North America. (You know how I love my superlatives!)

No spirits for us today, but we did enjoy a cold brew to help us cool off on this exceptionally warm and humid spring day. Great ride, great day!

Distillery District

crazy Jenga towers

Toronto: Mid-town

Posted on June 10, 2018 by Cindy

Yonge-Dundas Square: There’s always something going on here.

Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall

cool nail mural in city hall

Check out the relief created by nails of different sizes.

Live and late-braking!

Had to stop in just because of the name.

Royal Ontario Museum

ROM: the Crystal Gallery

Toronto: the Harbourfront

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Cindy

Toronto’s iconic CN Tower

humorous depiction of fans at the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays

on the other side of the Rogers Centre

A cement mixer in support of breast cancer awareness. Now, that’s a statement!

A henge at Harbourfront Park. Those are the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario, just off shore.

in Yo Yo Ma’s Music Garden

Toronto: Old Town

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Cindy

view to the north from our apartment

We’ve arrived in Toronto and are loving city life! We’re in a fantastic Airbnb rental on the 27th floor of a tower in the Church-Wellesley area of downtown. This is one of our best rentals ever!

Our first day: walking tour of Old Town, the Entertainment District, the Financial District, and the Harbourfront.