Room with A View-Las Vegas Part II

Tram

Mamma always told me "Never judge a book by its cover." So here's a glimpse of Las Vegas that shows a bit of beauty, sophistication and an idea of where the little town in the desert is headed in the future.

Room with a View-Las Vegas Part I

Another adventure---three nights in Vegas for a leadership training event. Arrived at midnight at Caesar's Palace. The place was hopping and the slots were ching-chinging. Morning brought desert sunshine and a reason for me to walk about until the seminar began. Vegas is like no other place on the planet except for maybe Disney World and the wookie bar in Star Wars, entirely and sadly what is seen as quintessentially American by foreign visitors. Volcanos erupting, Roman Gods,the Eiffel Tower in the middle of the desert and just so many things out of kilter and wild. Yes, this is Las Vegas. Looking for Elvis and George Clooney, I went to my meeting and came out after dinner to this..

Elvis and George Clooney were nowhere to be found, just me walking in the masses of people moving from casino to casino----by the way, are we still in a recession? Given the amount of folks walking the streets, I think it is a good indication that we are albeit slowly moving forward...

Cloudy with a chance of happiness

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?"
— Mary Oliver   I've been traveling to Chicago every year for eight years for business and this was the first year, really, that I experienced why it is known as the "Windy City". Rain and just disagreeable weather made walking about miserable. What is it about rain and wind that makes one think? Perhaps it is the survival instinct or maybe it is just that there is nothing to pull the focus from where one is. So I began to think, walking and talking to myself in between meetings and dinners with business associates. The last few years have been rough business wise but on the other side of the coin I have been blessed in ways that are not tangible. I haven't been able to be here as much as I would like because of personal and professional responsibilities. During this time, I have come to realize that I cannot make everyone happy nor fix what is broken or please everyone. It was a long winter and a walk in in the windy city confirmed that I must stay the course with new responsibilities that will make it difficult to be here on a daily basis. That being said, I think the circumstances will force me to value this place as a sanctuary. This place is not about work, but about creativity and moving towards the life I have always dreamed of. So I ask your patience and understanding if I do not always participate in this amazing conversation, knowing all the while that I am stealing moments to read your work and aspire to your greatness.

A Room with a View-Los Angeles Part II

Museum and libraries have always provided me with a sense of peace and hope---Peace because they are so quiet, it lets my overactive mind slow down, just look and absorb. Hope because once my mind slows down and absorbs, I am in awe of the possibilities that exist in this world.


So in November 2010, I found myself in Los Angeles on a business trip and truly a stranger in a new land. Thankfully, a dear friend was there to guide me though the wilderness and bring me to a place that I could feel at home. The Getty is perhaps the best way to comprehend all that is Los Angeles, impossible, improbable, large but approachable and just perfect in its imperfection.

A Room with a View- Los Angeles-Part I

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, November 2010

This was my first trip to Los Angeles. What struck me immediately as I was driven from LAX was the city's sheer size and number of different neighborhoods.

 Major office complexes mixed in with three story buildings as far as the eye could see--old mixed with new with palm trees lining the streets.

The reason for my visit was a business conference so I spent most of my time here---

Evidently quite the happening place, built by Conrad Hilton and later sold to Merv Griffin, the Beverly Hilton is located on almost 9 acres at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards and is the home of the Golden Globes. Lots of red carpet events are held here. I spent three days and while I was hoping that Antonio Banderas might show up as I was ordering my Starbucks non-fat latte at the lobby bar or a glass of merlot at the Trader Vic's bar poolside, the closest I got to Hollywood was seeing Florence Henderson aka Mrs. Brady at a charity event the night before I left. Walking about in Beverly Hills is unheard of--we drove each night to a restaurant that seemed just blocks away. From what I gather star sightings are most prevalent along Rodeo Drive.

I preferred to gaze at my surroundings and take in the vistas that are foreign to northeastern folk...

There is a light here not unlike the morning light one sees at sunrise in the east except it occurs in the evening and goes on forever, filling the sky with a gold color like nothing I have ever seen.

I know how long it lasts because on my last night, the lights went out in the hotel for about 2 hours and I was stranded on my balcony hoping the battery in my cellphone would hold up in the event I needed to call for assistance. The day before there had been a slight earthquake in Long Beach and just a couple weeks after I left, Ronni Chasen was shot as she was driving home from a premiere just blocks from my hotel.

So much for paradise. Los Angeles is complicated. Seductive yet treacherous, where the famous and the faceless co-exist in a vast area that is in places extremely beautiful and in others, devoid of humanity. It is the 2nd most populated city in the US, New York being number 1.  

As I watched the sun set and the traffic weave its way past me below my balcony, I tried to feel and hear the pulse of the city, much different from Manhattan, and find a connection to this city, Los Angeles.

A Room with a View...

in Chicago of the John Hancock Tower from the Sofitel Water Tower. This was my fifth or was it seventh visit to Chicago?  Hard to remember because Chicago is an annual business trip which means that I don't get to do much other than work....

With the exception of a trip eight years ago with my niece and best friend to visit American Girl and the tremendous museums the city has to offer, it is always been "fly in and fly out" within two days.

Due to the increased airfare for short term business travel this year (e.g $900.00 for two nights vs. $250.00 for a three night stay), I decided to stay and walk about for an afternoon and evening before I made my way back to O'Hare and home.

My first wish was to re-visit the Art Institute of Chicago and say "hello again" to the O"Keefe's there. However, as I got closer, I realized quite a bit had changed. Millenium Park, built over railyards and abandoned land, had been completed while I was flying in and out of Chicago over the last six years. Frank Gehry not only designed the concert pavillion but also a winding bridge that connects the park to another pavillion and the waterfront.

Chicago's motto "Urbs in Horto" (City in a Garden), evident in the numbers of trees and plantings throughout the city, continues with the thoughtful design of green space and public spaces throughout Millenium Park.

I can say I've been to the Bean! .... a curious and enormous stainless steel sculpture named "Cloud Gate" that looks like, yup, a bean.

Great place to people watch as they gaze at their reflections and the city skyline reflected back at them.

Continuing on, I found Lurie Gardens and Gehry's walkway which I could probably spend days gazing at and photographing... 

The Art Institute of Chicago, guarded by this fellow,

has added a new Modern Art wing since my last visit. So not only did I get to see Georgia's Sky above Clouds IV again, gaze at Van Goghs and some Hoppers but I also walked through the new wing and viewed a great selection of photography, paintings and sculpture. This museum is one of the great ones that should be on everyone's 'must see' list. 

Chicago is an amazing and beautiful city. On my last night the streets and public places were abuzz with the upcoming marathon. I haven't even mentioned the architecture, the food, the neighborhoods, the river tour and the people that make it delightful and unique. Next visit.