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Soapstones, antlers, the backbones of whales, Narwhale tusks are the palette of so much art of the Northern first nations. We've long celebrated the art of the Haida and their Western cousins and from totem poles to paintings, it is stunning. But it's really only in the last 50 years that Canadians and their Southern brothers have been able to see and begin to understand the beauty of the art of the Innu in the Arctic.  The first real exhibit that any of us saw was in the Toronto Dominion Tower, off Bay Street in Toronto, and the brilliance of that collection carefully assembled over the course of 1965-1967 opened a window on the wonderful variety of carvings and drawings that reflected the soul of our North. Today, pieces of Inuit art from Cape Dorset and other northern stations are featured not only in Museum Collections but especially in First Nations displays in southwestern United States. The Toronto collection remains the most comprehensive and is beautifully displayed in a mezzanine gallery in the TD Centre. This Gallery is a co-operative project of the owners of the Cadillac Fairview Ltd. and TD Bank Group. Open for all to admire, without any fee. It is truly a hidden gem in Toronto.     
Location: Toronto-Dominion Centre
79 Wellington Street West Toronto Tel: 416 982 8473 Gallery Hours Monday to Friday: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm  Hockey Hall of Fame Building. Source: aesta1 The Shrine 30 Yonge Street For Canadians, there is only one game that counts. When our national team wins, our country is in triumph. When it loses, they're bereaved. Phil Esposito who captained our team in 1972 and led the defeat of the ignominious Russians is a hero celebrated more than any prime minister or military leader. The great names of hockey in the corner of Yonge and Front in downtown Toronto. On any given day, streams of people all dressed in the hockey shirts of their favourite teams wait in awed silence in anticipation of the epiphany of entrance. Inside, the pictures of heroes adorn the walls, sticks, pucks and uniforms of the great are niched as in a cathedral. On occasion, the holy tabernacle, the Stanley Cup, is displayed adorned with the names of the winning teams over the decades and all the players. Hockey is not just our national sport. It is the definition of our country and with missionary zeal, we take pride in its spread to Europe and our southern neighbour. We don't dye our beards green after a visit to the Hall of Fame but the memento purchased in the store next door is a lifelong treasure to be handed down to future generations.  Paul Henderson Goal 1972. Source: aesta1 Paul Henderson leaping in triumph after scoring the winning goal to beat Russia and reclaim hockey as the game of our nation.  Hockey Players. Source: aesta1 "The Next Shift is Ours." The faces of anticipation cast in bronze in front of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
 Coronado Hotel. Source: aesta1 The story of Coronado Island focuses on the monster hotel, its history and the endless traffic of celebrities, wannabes, and honeybees that traffic its wooden decks. But there's more to Coronado than just a Pacific Scott Fitzgerald fantasy and a hot dog wafted Down ton Abbey. The community is the retirement colony for the admirals and officer corp of the American Pacific fleet. Streets memorialize great battles. Roadside portraits celebrate yesterday's heroes. Fleeced admirals strut in coveys like demobilized quails while those of lesser rank gaze on. It is mandated that every house must be different from its neighbours so the impression is left that there's an endless search for the ideal design. With each pink Tudor or bright yellow Adobe, evidence of the continued failure of design sand imagination. But then, who cares? It's really all about the hotel.  Coronado Island. Source: aesta1  Bridge to Coronado Island. Source: aesta1 The bridge to Coronado Island creates a spectacular entrance. Going back to San Diego via the southern beach route is equally interesting as you get a peek at how the american navy lives when it's out of the ship.  Coronado Hotel in San Diego. Source: aesta1  Coronado Hotel Beach. Source: aesta1  Coronado Hotel Del Restaurant. Source: aesta1 You don't have to stay in the hotel to enjoy much of what it offers. You can come for the day, enjoy the beach and have a decent if not great lunch in the hotel's restaurant. There are beautifully curated stores to engage you for hours before lunch of you're not a beach person. As you pay your lunch bill, have your parking validated so it's free and you have a day to talk about with friends. How's that for value?
 Mission San Diego de Alcala. Source: aesta1 Founded on July 16, 1769 by the Franciscan fathers, Fr. Junipero Serra, Juan Viscaino and Fernando Parron, this mother of California missions was first located in the Presidio Hill but was moved here in 1774.  Facade of the Mission de San Diego de Alcala. Source: aesta1  The Museum in the Mission San Diego de Alacala. Source: aesta1  Entrance to the Mission San Diego de Alcala. Source: aesta1  Franciscan Father. Source: aesta1  Old Town San Diego. Source: aesta1 Established in 1968, the Old Town San Diego Historic Park commemorates what San Diego was from 1820-1870. Still standing are some historic buildings including the first courthouse, hotel, cantinas, houses, and general store. This was the heart of San Diego until the 1860s when development was started close to where shipping took place so this place became an interesting neighbourhood but no longer the centre of the city. There are no cars and the pace inside the Old Town is probably much more relaxed than it was in the 19th century when the gold miners and fishers made their living by converting energy into dollars. It's now a place to sit, have a beer, squint your eyes just a bit and let the shadows and smells of a gone by era flood over you. It is a delight.  First San Diego Courthouse. Source: aesta1   The Machado y Silvas House. Source: aesta1  The Mormon Battalion Centre. Source: aesta1 Address: 4002 Wallace St, San Diego, CA 92110
 USS Midway The longest serving Navy aircraft carrier of the 20th century, the USS Midway now sits in the harbour of San Diego as a floating museum. As with most modern museums, it is design for engagement and interaction with the hundreds of thousands of visitors it hosts each year. All of those is supported by an absolute army of retired naval types who can hardly wait to share their experiences and knowledge of both the historic and the modern navy. Almost a thousand feet long and 250 feet wide, the Midway has deck after deck of aircraft and displays that get you involved in every aspect of naval air warfare from the First World War through the spectacular battle of Midway that changed the direction of war in the Pacific in the 1940s through to the expansion of fast jet-warfare in Vietnam and TOP GUN. The Midway is an apologetic presentation of American air supremacy at sea over the last hundred years and it is so well done even some of those who were at the sharp end of the process seemed to be happy visitors.  USS Midway in San Diego This aircraft carrier rescued lives of many Vietnamese refugees from their distressed boats.  USS Midway in San Diego There are lots of parking for your visit. Don't miss the tours and hear the interesting stories of the many volunteers. Allow at least 4 hours of your time to enjoy the visit. If you're lucky, you might see one or two nuke carriers being refurbished just across the bay.
The history of the United States is built upon the oceans. From the Vikings to today's cruise ships, the history of sailing has been fundamental to the nation's success. The floating museum in San Diego captures some of these.  The star of India. Source: aesta1 The star performer is the Star of India, a hardworking transporter of the 19th century but the rising star is the San Salvador, the 16th century vessel used by Cabrillo to first visit San Diego in a search for a faster way from Spain to the Orient. In the middle comes the submarines and swift boats, yachts and pilot boats that smell of the tar and the harbour that gave a window to the world. In the middle of it all is HMS Surprise, the frigate in the middle of one of the greatest sea adventures ever filmed, Master and Commander starring Russell Crowe. The Museum's Ships to Explore Star of India (November 14, 1863)
 HMS Surprise. Source: aesta1 Berkeley
 Replica of the San Salvador. Source: aesta1 Medea
Replica of the 1848 Revenue Cutter which patrolled the California coast during the Gold Rush
 The Berkeley and the B-39. Source: aesta1 Museum Cruises:
Pilot Boat Times (Subject to Change): 10:15 am 11:15 am 12:45 pm 1:45 pm 2:45 pm Swift Boat Tours (Saturday and Sunday only) 10:30 am 1:00 pm Two things every city needs: a convention centre and an adjacent honky tonk gaslight quarter to provide instant fun and escape for the convention goers.  Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. Source: aesta1 Conventions have 3 components: learning (10%), meeting your buddies (50T%) and going out to have fun with your buddies the last 40%. So without the fake Irish pubs and the fabricated 1870s facades on endless bars, craft shops, pizza pits and world's greatest sea food rip offs, you're just not gonna attract conventions. The sanctimonious puffery of folks making the case for the dependents of their industry on the next convention is as anyone who's fabricated the arguments, a complete and hideous lie. But, a Gaslamp quarter like San Diego's is a total truth and in the sleazy world of convention promotion, hits most of the really high spots.  Gaslamp Quarter San Diego. Source: aesta1 Gaslamp quarter combines the history of old San Diego from railway and tuna fishing greatness to the current hosting of the US Navy. The high ethical standards and divine morality of the silver miners, the tuna fishermen, the whalers and latterly, the American navy have ensured that gaslight quarter in San Diego maintains a church like sobriety that is the basis of all effective tourism. This is the Mayor of Wopo-Scamville in with Idaho or Arkansas (he wasn't clear) doing an informercial for either the navy, the convention bureau or the Republican pro-immigration show.  Bar in Gaslamp San Diego. Source: aesta1 Nestled in this typhoon of wackiness is a truly outstanding restaurant (no fooling), Cafe Sevilla. The best thing is you can eat al fresco and watch the district unfolds from a fairly protected venue. Secondly, the food makes it all worthwhile. We had a sampling of a range of hot and cold tapas that would have us back for a second meal, it was of such quality. The wait staff are knowledgeable and helpful without being intrusive. The range of craft beers, good wine and solid sea food make this gem a stand out in a general backyard of formula convention dominated drinking spots.  Sevilla. Gaslamp San Diego. Source: aesta1  Hollywood Sign. Source: aesta1 Has appeared in over 75 films Owned by the non-profit Hollywood Sign Trust and licensed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce La La Land's most enduring symbol and a universal metaphor for ambition, success and glamour Located on the southern side of Mt. Lee in Griffith Park Yes, inspire Dolly Parton to choose Dollywood as the name for her Pigeon Forge, Tenn. theme park Wired with high-tech monitoring devices and watched by City of Los Angeles security specialists 24 hours a day Originally designed by Thomas Fisk Goff (1890-1984) and studded with 4,000 light bulbs Officially dedicated on July 13, 1923 with these letters: HOLLYWOODLAND but was changed to just Hollywood in 1949 Declared a Historic Cultural Monument on February 7, 1973. Source: The Official Hollywood Walk of Fame Guide  Hollywood Sign. Source: aesta1  Walk of Fame. Source: aesta1 The Walk of Fame is a star studded sidewalk both literally and figuratively. Bright red star fill every paving stone and each star contains the name of a famous actor or director or producer or technical specialist that has made Hollywood what it is today. It's great to find the names you know and bring back the memories of the photo ops we all saw in the news in front of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.  The Chinese Theatre and Walk of Fame As you walk the Walk of Fame, visit these historic places in Hollywood. It's Memory Lane for entertainment buffs. 1. The Fonda Theatre 2. Capitol Records 3. Pantages Theatre 4. Egyptian Theatre 5. Guinness World Records Museum 6. Hollywood Wax Museum 7. Ripley's Believe It or Not 8. Starring You 9. Dolby Theatre 10. El Capitan Theatre 11. Jimmy Kimmel Live 12. TCL Chinese Theatre 13. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel 14. Hollywood La Brea Gateway Monument  The Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Source: aesta1 |