Fredericksburg / Chancellorsville

 Fredericksburg is an amazing city. It has a wealth of culture and an astounding restaurant collection that I feel gives the bay area a run for its money. Its also the site of some of the most extensive fighting of the civil war. Draw a circle around the city with a 20 mile radius and in this circle a hundred thousand americans died.

 We visited Chancellorsville on the 151st anniversary (May 2nd) of the famous flank attack that glorified (and wounded Jackson) and immortalized Lee's audaciousness. People were dressed the part. Our tour guide was as enthusiastic as once got. He explained the steps of the battle that many still feel is Lee's masterpiece.

 I would have to say while it was Lee's master piece he also got very very lucky and the misfortunes of Hooker - which there were a lot added to his victory.

 This of course brought us to Fredericksburg, which I was surprised at how interesting the city was. Granted from a civil war perspective  it was a large union defeat. But the city itself was insanely fun.

 We walked along the sunken road and the stone wall at which 13 union assaults failed. However, we went to the less visited area along prospect hill where Gordon Meade's assault was able to break though confer ate lines but was unsupported and thus failed.

 Suggestions for these two areas:

1) stay at Courtyard Marriot Downtown. - Its comfortable, elegant, and close of all items of interests.

2) Check out Kybecca restaurant - amazing selection and wine lists

3) Hyperion Coffee bar rocks!

4) Check out any local civil war re-enactments and luminaries

5) Run along the river run heritage area along the banks of the Rappahanock.

6) Check out Lee's Hill and see Prospect Hill - I would have to say it was more the key to this battle than Mayre's Heights

7) Go to Foode for any food - the place is really good

Manassas Battle Field

Left New York and Jersey City behind. Took the highways west through the lush valleys of Pennsylvania. Anything to avoid that awful NJ turnpike. Storms continued to deliver a torrent that left the roads difficult to see. Every once in a while they would abate and reveal low hanging clouds and creeping fog making its way between gaps in the rolling hills. 

 Picked up Chase at Dulles and made it to Manassas the next day after spending the night with my Aunt Gheeta who went all out to make the transition to Virginia amazing.

 This was the sight of two major battles. We took the hiking tour past the Henry House and up to Matthews Hill. Winding across Sudley road we went to the unfinished rail road cut. A place where Stonewall Jackson once again held the union at bay.

 The ground was soaked and small streams were raging including Bull Run itself. I could understand why Civil War armies didn't want to cross this.

 Eventually we made it down past Groveton Graveyard and down around Chinn Ridge to our starting point. We were exhausted. Even now on the first day of May, the sun was intense.  couldn't imagine this in July when armies clashed (or August if you are considering 2nd Bull Run)

New York - April 2014

Is it possible to hit NYC and not see the standard tourist attractions? Perhaps unlikely, but one can always try. Wiggling past people in Times Square and fighting  your way up to see the skaters in Rockefeller Plaza has kind of lost its charm. But there is by far so much more to see and photograph. 

 We started our epic hike from Jersey City - which seems like another up and coming place. If you don't mind the stigma of being a "bridge and tunnel" person (which seriously doesn't seem that bad) this is actually a really cute area with a neighborhood feel.

My sister has a cozy little basement apartment near the old historical center of Jersey City. Its a stone's throw to the high-rises that line the banks of the Hudson.

 In any case, we took the subway (go tunnel!) and got off near the end of the west village near 11th street and began walking along the high line. I don't have a pic posted here, but it is a genius stroke of urban development to create an elevated public walkway from an abandoned rail line.

There are some outstanding pieces of art along this path. We got off the high line on 33rd and made our way up to Grand Central Station. Ok, so this is a bit touristy, but it is also beautiful and I have never been here before. Michi, showed me the the station's grocery section as well - quite a selection for being in a train station.

It was raining heavily over the course of the week. As a result, NYC was throwing off the yoke of winter and flowers were in bloom. 

Mission District - San Fran - Urban Hike

 So the Mission of San Francisco is one of my favorite areas. I think I might of mentioned this before. Its one of the last places which has survived without massive gentrification. Unfortunately, it is under a lot of pressure these days. Low income housing is disappearing. People are being moved out and the prices are going up.

 I love the fact that artists still have some lean here. It was a beautiful Sunday and we headed down to check out the art work. There are several areas that are adorned with these murals. Some are hispanic in nature. This one was more contemporary / modern and just having the chance to check it out at our own pace was a blessing.

 Maria was styling and we managed to get in a few stops at the boutique shops along the way.

 There are two places that I would consider moving to. Marina is beautiful - but full of uptight wankers. Russian hill would be perfect. But, of all the places that give San Fran a sense of character, the Mission is best.

Carmel by the Sea

Taking a break between work shifts, we headed down to Carmel. The road along highway 1 is always beautiful. Maria managed to get a voucher from Living Social so we got the hotel, breakfast, and a couples massage for one reasonable price. 

 I would really recommend purchasing things from them, they have some outstanding deals. Otherwise, Carmel can be a really expensive tourist trap; A pretty one, with miles of soft white sand beaches. We stayed at one of the many very cute B&B's called the Vagabond House Inn. The setting was close to downtown and the breakfast was fantastic.

 Per a friend's recommendation, we head over to the Cyprus Inn. This was the hang out of Doris Day - way back when. It was done up in a Moroccan style and seemed to be the place where all the locals came. Maria paid a local a compliment on the coat she was wearing. At which point she turned around took off her coat and gave it to Maria as a gift! Despite Maria's attempt to dissuade the gift, she insisted. Locals are quite friendly and we were treated to food and drinks from random people we met along the way.

 I think, Carmel has a art gallery every 10 feet. The art ranges from downright ugly to interesting - but all quite expensive. The houses for sale in the windows of the real-estate offices seem to start at 2mil around here. What I really liked, was the laid back attitude everyone seemed to have. Btw, the wineries here have some really great pinot.

Its 2014! Not sure why, but 2013 just seemed a little odd. 2014 has promise and just feels right. Ok that said I managed to get a little time off and we had an offer to go to Mexico City for the New Years. Maria has a friend who apparent has an amazing job that puts him up in the St. Regis for free. He even had an extra room. . . . we turned it down. In retrospect I think we made the right decision. Stay-cations can be awesome. 

We hung around SF and got in a few urban hikes. The Asian Art Museum was in rare form and anyone that has never been there, needs to go. 

Maria got me a new camera for Xmas! We road tripped down to Santa Cruz and on the way back, the fog was rolling in so we drove to the top of Hawk Hill and snapped up some pics of the bridge from the Marin Headlands.

Highway 1 was as beautiful as ever. We stopped to get in some photos from all the tiny cute beach spots along the way. They have these little beachside towns along the way that have an interesting assortment of cafes and B&Bs

Weekend In Vegas

I think I'm getting a little burned out on traveling. . . dear god did I just say that?! Honestly in the past 6 weeks, we have been in Portland, road-tripping Oregon, hitting NYC, doing the UCSF conference, Dia De Los Muertos, and now Vegas. Figure I'll feel this way for about a week and then want to plan something for New Years.

In the mean time, just got back from staying at the Mandarin Oriental in Vegas. Can't say enough about how absolutely fabulous this place was. I think its because they pump some sort of addictive element into the air system that makes you crave it. My dad had never been to Vegas, thus had to go and help show him a good time. We even made it out to Burgers and Bullets and got in some sniper action. I think the best part of Vegas was being able to spend some time with my dad.

Otherwise, not that big a fan of Vegas, however I think staying at a hotel that was smoke free made a huge difference.

Of note we did pass by a scene where a guy took a dump in the middle of the busy sidewalk - then we watched some poor bastard slip and go down on it . . . ahh culture.