I’ve only been to one other golf tournament in my life, and that was a bunch of years ago when the huge crowd and I followed someone named Tiger Woods from hole to hole. This weekend we had freebie tickets to the Humana Challenge…
in La Quinta, California
and I was hoping to follow some upstart named Bill Clinton, but this time from the Champions’ Lounge at the 18th hole:
And BTW, yes, that’s the reissue camera bag that I recently bought back after selling it for some crazy reason:
But wait, let me rewind a bit. La Quinta is the golf destination in the desert area because of its predictably beautiful sunny weather in the dead of winter. Except for today. I woke up to a rainy Pasadena, and the weather forecast was so dire for the Palm Springs area that I chose to leave my (cute but white) planned outfit at home. But as we got closer and closer to Palm Springs, the drizzle stopped and the clouds parted till all we could see were wind generators:
And by the time we pulled into the parking lot for the PGA West, it felt like 80 degrees, especially in my black pants and sweatshirt..
so it was quite pleasant to get to the lounge for some shade and a cold drink. We get settled in for about an hour and grabbed lunch…
when I looked up and saw this rainbow halo effect around the sun:
And then it got weird thirty minutes later. The winds started coming in, blowing huge ripples across the water. The tent’s roof suddenly looked/felt really flimsy and flower pots fell over. Then ladies with headsets came in and asked us to evacuate the tent. We all filed outside and while it looked so deceptively beautiful…
signs and scoreboards bent over then fell into the water:
Kiosks also collapsed…
and that’s when the sheriffs showed up to clear out the entire event. By the time we got to our cars and filed out of the city, a dust storm blew in so quickly that in an instant visibility was down to almost zero:
But a few miles later, it was as if nothing had happened. There was not a single cloud in the sky:
So much for finding Number 42 at number 18. I’ll just have to settle for this:
Tags: Bill Clinton, Humana Challenge, La Quinta, PGA West, Tiger Woods
As much as it pains me to pack Chanel RTW for the road (bad experiences with lost luggage), it’s often when I’m somewhere other than LA that I get to enjoy the heavy tweeds. In today’s ODJ I’m wearing an 11P color blocked, padded jacket–that I think makes a fun substitute for a parka–
on my maiden trip with the Missoni for Target luggage:
The rolling case fits easily in the overhead cabin, and the matching travel tote is perfect for all my snacks, magazines, essentials and purse. Love that the tote is vinyl and can take a little water should a careless fellow passenger spill a drink on it. In all my years of travel, I’ve never gotten so many comments on my luggage till now. Women love that my bags match and men comment that someone is finally carrying something not black!
More RTW photo ops in the next entry…as for now, another day, another airport…
Tags: Chanel, Missoni for Target, ODJ
I’ve taken you here before, to Luxembourg, the tiny capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, but this time I am on a mission to best my own record of visiting museums in one day, and this place is the place to do just that. Along the historic city center, there is a museum mile of sorts, and when you look at it on the map it is curved like a smile, hence its reference to “Museumsmile.”
I’m dropped off in the middle of the town with only an address and no map. Luckily, I’m pointed in the right direction and easily find the tourist office around this square where I get my museum pass (9 euros for 7 museums)–it’s not too far from the palace and other interesting official buildings:
The museums do not open till 10, so I make my way to the upper part of the city for these views that I’d fallen for the first time I came here:
In order to get those shots, you have to endure the steep inclines followed by sharp declines:
Anyway, I arrive at my first stop: the History Museum of the City of Luxembourg…
They are having a special exhibit on the discourse of poverty in Luxembourg; can poverty be creeping into the consciousness of a country seemingly as rich as this once again?
It’s a beautiful building with wonderful almost-aerial views,
and my favorite stop is at this neon swing…
One down. Next is the National Museum of History and Art, an incredible ten-story structure that I absolutely want to convert into my own house (one story for shoes, one for bags…hey, might as well dream big, right?):
No photography is allowed, and my legs feel like cooked spaghetti after I finish walking through the tenth floor. Two down. Just outside of this museum, they are putting up a huge pine tree in front of this building:
And while I could choose to rest my feet at this cozy restaurant,
I opt to turn left uphill for these views instead–let me give you the almost-360 view:
Then it’s back down the hill…
to the third museum: the National Museum of Natural History,
It’s literally a 30-minute stop in this museum. Three down. The weather is getting colder and colder each time I leave a building, but I can’t help wander around this Christmas market:
And not too far from here I spy a Ladurée, and as much as I would love to pop in and pig out on the macaroons, it’s starting to rain and I’ve got a few more museums to see still. So next up is the Casino Luxembourg-Forum for Contemporary Art:
This space is just cool. Huge lofts for artists in residence, art lovers, art researchers, or just visitors looking to dry out in one of their libraries. No wifi for me to check email, but after sifting through all their art books in the library, I loiter around their interesting displays and even get to meet an artist in the midst of installing his exhibit. I sort of don’t want to leave this place because not only is it raining and getting dark outside, the wind is now shrieking. I don’t think my umbrella will survive. Four down.
The last museum, Museum of Modern Art Grand-Duke Jean (MUDAM), is actually on the other side of the city and I have to take the bus. Oy! I can manage trains and subways but I’m usually not too good with buses. Yet by some miracle, I manage to find the right one and hop off at the Philharmonic stop:
Wowza, this is worth all the hassles!
And just behind the Philharmonic center is the MUDAM:
Very cool place. Lucky for me, this night all the museums happen to be open late, so I get to visit my last and fifth place without too much rushing. I’ve got two hours left before my pickup, and after a leisurely visit, I get to chill out with some hot tea and a delicious apple crumble tart:
Five down. Some people run marathons to best their personal records. Others climb taller and taller mountains. As for me, I’m already looking to see where I can go next to hit 6 museums in one day. Gotta find more comfortable shoes!
Tags: Casino Luxembourg, History Museum of the City of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, MUDAM, Museumsmile, National Museum of History and Art, National Museum of Natural History
Just outside of The Hague is a small town in the Netherlands called Wassenaar. Getting there I’m transported into a very lush, very scenic area full of green fields, forests and magnificent homes. Once in the tiny city center, though, it’s a ghost town since it’s a drizzly Sunday morning.
The spirit of Sinterklaas is everywhere here as well…
and all of the sudden I’m feeling very anxious to be home for Christmas. Where has this year gone? I can already see 2012 just inches from my heels. But I’m not quite done yet. Take one last look at another windmill (this one happens to be an art gallery), and in the next post we’re going to break one of my personal records…
Tags: Sinterklaas, the Netherlands, Wassenaar
M. C. Escher was not a rap star but rather a Dutch graphical artist who worked in mezzotints, woodcuts, and lithographs. He was known as a “natural mathematician” because of his impossibly creative works that redefined a viewer’s perception of infinity and construction. The first time I happened upon an Escher tessellation was the time I found someone who could finally articulate my own obsession with patterns and symmetry, particularly when they morph into dizzying, multi-dimensional spatial abstracts…that are not actually abstracts at all.
Anyway! not too far from the Binnenhof is a wonderful, park-like area where you’ll find one of the most luxurious hotels in The Hague…
rows of lovely townhouses that make up embassies…
and of course Escher in het Paleis (Escher in the Palace or Escher Museum):
This museum was once the Lange Voorhout Palace, the winter palace of Queen Mother Emma of the Netherlands. So being here is like going to two museums for the price of one. First, you get to enjoy the building,
and then you get to explore the wonderful world of Escher:
I love this photo of the artist at work:
I couldn’t manage to take a photo of his famous 7-meters long Metamorphosis III woodcut but you can see a picture of it at this link.
Here are some final photos from the streets of The Hague before we move on to the next town.
I know…everything always leads to food.
Tags: Escher in het Paleis, Escher Museum, Lange Voorhout Palace, M.C. Escher, tessellation, The Hague
