Off the Beaten Path

Oaxaca

Oaxaca (pronounced wa-HAH-kah) wasn’t even on our travel radar, in fact we really wanted to go hiking in Canada but decided we’ve been putting off visiting friends in Oaxaca long enough. How did we learn of Oaxaca, Mexico? My friends are retired and have been wintering there for the last few years. Not knowing how we’d like the place, we came back home LOVING Oaxaca. This was our first venture into Mexico. It is located in the southwest, bordered by Veracruz to the north, Chiapas to the east, Guerrero to the west, and Puebla to the northwest. It is one of the most indigenous areas of Mexico. We actually visited twice in 2019. The first time was in February to visit friends and the 2nd was because after watching Coco, I wanted to see Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) at the end of October. It’s a place to go if you want to experience the authentic artsy and indigenous side of Mexico. Oaxaca is known for it’s textiles, pottery, indigenous culture, mole sauce, and it’s history. Continue reading →

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Big Horn Sheep

Bahhhh!!!! Male Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep can weight up to 300 pounds (140kg) and female up to 200 (90kg), they are native to North America. A very long time ago, sheep crossed over into North America over the Bering Straight land bridge from Siberia into Alaska. Continue reading →

Snowshoeing Painted Pots in Kootenay National Park

This was our fourth trip to Canada in two years. We visited British Columbia twice, Montreal, and now Banff. Little did we realize, our tour we booked with Discover Banff would take us back to BC to snowshoe. So technically, we’ve been to BC three times in two years. The day before we had fresh snow to our delight. Kootenay National Park is located in southeastern British Columbia. It is one of seven parks that form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. Continue reading →

Castle Mountain and Bow River

Eons ago…the universe was born.

Sometimes by starlight when the quiet sets in you feel as if you’ve descended into a little bit of heaven. Continue reading →

Seattle Underground with Beneath the Streets

Beneath the streets of Pioneer Square lies the remnants of ‘Old Seattle’, where you can get a glimpse of the city’s early days. The Underground is a network of basements, tunnels, and passageways underneath Pioneer Square in downtown.  On June 6, 1889, a cabinet maker accidentally lit up and overturned a glue pot. What ensued was the Great Fire of Seattle. Continue reading →

The New Yorker Hotel Behind The Scenes

This Art Deco beauty opened on June 2, 1930, a popular style in the 1920s and 1930s. The hotel was built in the Garment District by developer Mack Kanner. It was designed by Sugarman and Berger and the original plan was 38 stories. When it was finished the hotel stood 43 stories, had 2500 rooms, and cost $22.5 million (original estimated construction cost was $8 million). Continue reading →

Loew’s Wonder Theatres – Kings Theatre

Kings Theatre is one of the five Loew’s wonder theaters in the NYC area. We had the pleasure of visiting two of them. This one is  in the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn. The building was deisgned by Rapp and Rapp architectural firm. Kings Theatre opened in 1929, seated 3,676 people, and presented movies and vaudeville shows.  Continue reading →