Baguettes & Bistros

Refocusing Life

Around December I experienced blurred vision. My doctors quickly diagnosed me with type 2 diabetes. For me this crossed a red line and I decided to make serious life changes. 

Friends got me into a daily gym routine in January and I now look forward to it.

But as they say, you can't outrun a bad diet, so I began by completely refocusing the way I approach food. No more number counting "diets". I started purging processed foods, grocery shopping and meal planning changed forever. I now zero in on fresh local fruits and vegetables. I buy smaller quantities and shop more often. I never go hungry and have reduced meat intake. I cut back all that sugar.

Well, the pay off came in September when, after slowly losing 23 lbs, my doc informed me that all my tests came back great with a glucose reading that no longer classifies me in type 2 diabetes.

So what does this have to do with Paris?

Kinda everything. 

When I think of attitudes to lifestyle, I immediately think of Paris. Here is a major world City where people are historically thin, yet eat good food, drink wine and have no fear of butter.

So a goal for this visit was, in some small way, to discover a little bit more about how Parisians approach food.

To accomplish this I booked a small group "Baguettes and Bistros" walking tour. The tour description described an introduction to the way Parisians think about food.

Our morning tour was led by a multi-lingual docent named David. He was a young Parisian who works 10 hour days between tours and his primary profession as a sommelier in a fine restaurant. 

We immediately knew we were in good hands.

David began the walk by having us look into the window shop at Chocolat Debauve et Gallais.  The origins of this shop date back to 1779 when Sulpice Debauve created a chocolate medallion for Marie Antoinette to mask the awful taste of her headache medicine. Sadly, for us, the shop was closed during our early morning tour.

Chocolat Debauve & Gallais

The next stop was the tiny Maison Goyard where we were introduced to various cured meats, pate's, terrine's and confit. This third generation shop is operated by a brother and sister team who enthusastically describe their foods.

 Learning About Terrines at Maison Guyard

 Terrines in Front and En Croute in Back

Then we were off to see (and smell) the dazzling array of cheeses at Androuet. This famous cheese shop was founded by Henri Androuet in 1909. He opened it with the idea of assembling, in one location, the vast variety of fresh cheeses from all over France. The shop then went on to cure its own cheeses, open a restaurant and offer tastings. Its customer list has included: Orson Welles, Collette, Hemingway, Toshiro Mifune and Maria Callas (who'd go into the restaurant's kitchen and cook up her own breakfasts with Androuet's cheeses).

A Loyal Pup Awaits at Androuet 

Cheeses are Organized by Goat, Sheep and Cow 

The Smell at Androulet was Amazing

With all of the products in hand we walked to the boulangerie of Eric Kayser. Here we gathered around a table as David presented us with fig bread and (of course) some fresh baguettes. He illustrated the differences in baguettes. We learned how to examine a baguette's shape, color and areation. 

Our Docent David

We then sampled the breads, cheeses and meats picnic fashion. David's descriptions were clear and precise.

After our tasting we set off to learn about modern French chocolates, caramels and fruit pate candies in Jacques Genin's chocolate shop. Here again, the emphasis was on quality not quantity. 

Fruit Pates at Jacques Genin

The fruit pates (jellys) were flavored with seasonal fruits and vegetables. And a bite into one of the tiny fruit delicacies produced bright expressive flavors. We also sampled a chocolate (mine was flavored with thyme) and lastly tasted a Genin caramel. Mine was flavored with mango and passion fruit. The shop packs selections in square silver tins that evokes how precious are its contents.

Flavors Here Include Mint, Fruits, Ginger, Teas and Thyme  

 Small and Wonderful

Last stop was to taste some fine armagnac. In this shop I also found some effervescent apple juice from Normandy - Yum!.

So my Paris take aways?

• Buy fresh, eat fresh. 

• Know what your eating.

• Avoid processed food.

• Focus on quality not quantity. 

• Take your time when eating (don't stand up or eat at your desk)

• Walk (a lot) more.

All pretty practical stuff. 

And, it all fits within my decisions regarding lifestyle changes.

Roadboy's Travels © 2018

Roadboy Visits the Musee des Arts and Metiers and Returns to the Gardens of Versailles

Highlights Days 1-3

Well this has been a wonderful visit to Paris.  The weather has been sunny and temps are perfect.

My itinerary has included a lot of walking and sightseeing with friends. Some whom have never been here before and others who are well versed on the the City of Lights.

With a large group I have been going with the flow. Some of our group had taken time to plan some great events for the group. Yet, there was lots of time to set out for the places that only I wanted to visit. The mood in the city is festive as the seasons are changing and the trees are bursting with color. And the residents have been incredibly friendly everywhere we've gone.  Americans take great pride in grousing about Parisians, but somehow I always seem to find amazing residents who are open and very willing to share their city with the world. All it usually takes is a friendly smile and a "Bonjour".

This trip coincided with the Ryder Cup golf tournament as well as Paris Fashion Week. So that made for lots of celebrities in Paris.

I began the week with a quick return trip to Versailles to spend some time walking its amazing gardens. My last trip to Versailles was in February and i underestimated how long a visit would take. So there was not sufficient time to experience its spectacular gardens. Also being mid-winter they were dormant. This trip I spent a short time in the Palace and emphasized time in the gardens.       

Looking Up - Interior Palace Stair Tower

Versailles Orangery 
(Lake of the Swiss Guards Beyond)

The Marlborough Tower

Marie Antoinette's Hamlet 1786

After chatting with our architect host Chloe about Parisian museum's and hearing that the Musee des Arts et Metiers would make her "favorites" list. I decided to visit it between our lunch in the Eiffel Tower and our dinner cruise on the Seine. 

The Musee des Arts et Metiers (Museum of Art and Trade) is a truly fun place to get lost and geek out in for a couple of hours. It is not crowded and is important enough to merit it's very own Metro stop (decorated in a Jules Verne theme).

The Musee is woven together using and old church and a more traditional exhibition space. It is a perfect stop for any visiting architects, engineer or scientist. Inside you will find everything from old planes, trains and automobiles to kitchen appliances, turbines and a Cray supercomputer. 

At the bottom of the grand stairs I loved the giant steel diving suit. It is an artifact that evokes steampunk; perfect for a fantasy novel. It will be on display here while the Musee National de la Marine is being renovated

Carmagnolle Diving Suit Circa 1880

Hanging above the grand stairs is Clement Ader's fabric covered, bat inspired flying machine.

Clement Ader's Flying Machine 1897

Aside from the usual turbines and architectural models is a gallery dedicated to static and mechanical figurines. I really loved the way they freeze the eras in which they were created.

 

 Figurine Tightrope Walker (The Serpent) 1934

Piano Playing Monkey 1890

The model depicting the construction of the Statue of Liberty was intriguing to me. While I knew the Sculptor was Bartholdi I was not aware it was engineered by Gustave Eiffel. 

Lady Liberty Model

There were some wonderful clocks, radios and cameras on display as well and scientific instruments.

Flute Playing Pendulum Skeleton Clock 1790

The last stop for me was a visit to the exhibit hall crafted by re-purposing a church. Here, the volume of space has allowed everything from a Foucault Pendulum to some pretty cool cars and airplanes. 

The Church

This museum typically falls below most tourists radar making an especially nice place to spend a couple of hours in Paris. 

Roadboy's Travels © 2018

 

OMW

Easier Than Ever

Well I'm on my way.  

After a quick flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles, I checked in for my flight from LAX to London Heathrow. 

I had cashed in a bunch of points for business class so it afforded a visit to AA's new Flagship Lounge at LAX.  The Flagship Lounge is placed side by side from the Admirals Club and it is quite a step up. It sort of reminded me of US Airways Envoy Lounge at Philadelphia in its heyday.  There was a wide variety of food and beverage food choices (even a chef cutting filet mignon to taste).

Soon it was time to board and climb into my business class pod (or "condo" as one of my friends calls them). It was a bit compact, but really nicely configured. Enough shelf space for my gear, nice bins, over the ear Bose® noise cancelling headphones, big pillow, ammenity pack from Cole Haan and a big monitor that could be rotated nicely out of view.

My Condo for 11 hours

I had pre-ordered my meal (panko breaded shrimp) and finished it all off with a sundae. The food was served hot and delicious.  The hickory smoked carrots were really nice.

After dinner and binging on about 6 episodes of "Atypical" downloaded from Netflix, it was time to sleep. 

When I awoke there was a quiche for breakfast coupled with a spectacular view of London. 

Breakfast with Views of The London Eye

Customs was smooth using the "FastTrack" voucher issued in business class.  It left me with plenty of time on my hands to collect my bags and make my transfer to Termnal 5 for my British Airways flight to Paris.

Knowing I'd be getting in about 9:00 PM, I just opted to crash at the Hilton you can walk to from CDG Terminal 3.

Tomorrow I will take the RoissyBus Shuttle into Paris Opera and catch an Uber to the home we have rented with friends.

Blue Star is Our House 

Literally in the Shadow of the Eiffel Tower

The Living Room

 The Loft

 

Conservatory and Garden

Well it has been a long journey and it is now time to sleep!

Roadboys Travels © 2018

 

Roadboy Prepares for Paris and Croatia

Something Old, Something New

In just a couple of weeks Roadboy embarks on a very special trip. It will begin with a week with friends enjoying Paris.  We have an amazingly beautiful home rented right in the center of things. There will be dinner cruises, lots of walking and an afternoon at Paris' Garnier Opera for Tristan and Isolde.   

Week two will be spent on a bicycle. This time we'll be riding islands in Croatia's Dalmation coast.  The scenery and culture should be really spectacular.

I'll return to the US via Rome with a stop in Florida. In Florida I'll join with friends in celebration of a wedding and finish with three days at Disney / Universal. I'll be returning to my Sonora Desert home late in October (when the weather is pretty much guaranteed to be back to total perfect wonderfulness). 

Lots of firsts on this trip. It will be the first trip (since I was 18) traveling for nearly a month.  😊  

It will also be my first visit to Croatia.  😊 

And, it will be my first bicycle adventure riding an e-bike.  🏁

 Stand by, lots of stories ahead.

Roadboy's Travels © 2018

Roadboy Visits The Henry Ford

Like Steam On The Mirror

As I made my way to the Detroit Airport this afternoon I found myself with many hours of time on my hands due to a very long flight delay courtesy of American Airlines. 

It seemed like a perfect chance to veer off the Interstate and go visit Greenfield Village in Dearborn, home of The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

It was time very well spent in a museum of epic proportions (over 500,000 SF).

The Greenfield Village complex has 250 acres of attractions to choose from. It simply cannot be experienced in a single visit. The complex includes: Greenfield Village; the living history museum Ford meticulously assembled and crafted, The massive Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation,  The Giant Screen Experience and tours of Ford's Rouge automobile assembly plant.

I visited the museum and stunned at the impact just entering this enormous place. As you enter you find yourself looking straight ahead to a DC-3 suspended from the ceiling.  Then, gazing left, I the agricultural exhibit hall with its giant farm equipment. Gazing right brought an immediate chill as I gazed upon a string of Presidential Limousines led by the Lincoln Continental stretch limo President Kennedy's was assassinated in. 

The Kennedy Lincoln

Everywhere you look you find something that draws you in. The museum is filled with nostalgic images and artifacts chronicling American life. 

There is glittering neon and sparkling travel trailers. If it rolls (or flies), or if it is something we all rolled by,  it is probably here.

Iconic Images of Roadside America

 A Ford TriMotor

As you move through you also encounter other treasures; from the bus where Rosa Parks made history to Edgar Allen Poe's writing desk, to the seat Lincoln was sitting in at Ford's Theater when he was assassinated. 

There are giant steam engines presented with almost religious reverence.

Steam Engines Usher In The Industrial Revolution

There are huge railroad trains including the Ford family's personal parlor car.

There is even a complete 1960's era Holiday Inn Motel room just across the way from a fully operating diner. Step in and order a cheeseburger! 

Eat at Lamy's!

There is Mark Twain's drop leaf table and an Oscar Meyer WienerMobile circa 1952. There is even a complete Dymaxion House (sorry Millennials you'll just have to google it).  

R. Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion

This was fascinating to me since I spent many hours absorbing one of Bucky's famous (infamous?) 6 hour live lectures when I was an architecture student at the University of Idaho circa 1977.  We were advised to prepare in advance for the Fuller lecture by bringing food, water and snacks. 

The Dymaxion Living Room

Admiral Byrd's Arctic conquering Fokker is here.

First In The Arctic

This museum is a journey through innovation. It is a celebration of our popular culture. Anyone over the age of 15 will find themselves saying "I remember those!" Or "my father (or grandfather) used to have one of those!". 

This place is a reflection in the mirror for all of us. If you get bored here, you might want to turn off your smartphone and check your pulse.

So how did this amazing place come to be?  Spoiler alert, the backstory isn't all happy. 

Henry Ford was a driven man; a genius. He didn't invent the automobile or the assembly line, but he was the chief innovator of both.  Ford, the industrialist, changed more than industry, his influence changed this nation and the industrial development of the world. 

Ford began his company on a high note, demonstrating respect for his employees in his quest to insure their loyalty. But his love of automation blinded him to the increasingly de-humanizing workspaces he was creating.

And, like many geniuses, Ford personally was deeply flawed. He was openly anti-semitic and a Nazi sympathizer. He sometimes trusted the wrong people as long as they stroked his self-destructive ego. And it was his ego that sometimes drove him to publicly humiliate and degrade those that cared the most for him including his own son Edsel. 

Perhaps Ford's biggest lapse in judgement was the hiring of the former boxer Henry Bennett as his thug-in-chief to keep things in line at the factory. At Bennett's employment interview it was reported that Ford asked him something to the effect of "can you shoot a gun?". 

And, when production pressures increased, Ford looked the other way, allowing Bennett to escalate a reign of terror on the staff Ford had initially nurtured. It all culminated when Bennett combined his security staff with the Detroit Police in an organized attack on Ford workers trying to organize a union. Instead of preventing unionization, Bennett's killings and the well-publicized injuries of Ford workers, provided confirmation of their need for union protection.

As he grew older, whenever human driven challenges developed, Ford simply looked the other way devoting ever more time to his ultimate distraction; Greenfield Village.

Today, Greenfield Village is a national treasure.

It holds up a mirror to America's stunning achievements without ignoring its imperfections.

Don't miss it.

Roadboy's Travels © 2018

Roadboy's Return to The National Portrait Gallery

More Favorites

I recently had to schedule a quick visit to Washington DC.  The trip gave me an opportunity to arrive early, visit a good friend and make a return visit the Smithsonian's Portrait Gallery. My goal was to see the new Obama portraits, but of course, there was something wonderful at every turn.  My original 2013 blog post (with additional data about the building and its renovations) may be viewed here.

Roadboy's advice to anyone who loves visiting our nation's capital, and has not yet discovered this wonderful gallery, get your butt in gear and see it!

Located away from the more famous Smithsonians, this gallery is rarely crowded. But, it is walking distance to Fords Theater, DC's Chinatown and the Old Ebbitt Grill (I know it is touristy, but it remains my "go to" stop for crabcakes in DC).

When built, this structure contained the largest single room in the United States. So large, it hosted Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration.

 

Officially it is the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture, but locals just refer to it as The National Portrait Gallery. 

The gallery is curated to convey our history and I am amazed at how so many of the images in it generate profound emotion. With changing exhibits and art moving on an off exhibit, I find something wonderful every time I visit.  

This trip there was a fascinating exhibit called "Black Out" showcasing the art of Silhouette. Now the silhouettes I think of are the kind that used to reside on the walls of my grandma's hallway. Yet, once I walked into this exhibit I found myself completely mesmerized.

Of course the striking new portraits of President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are the gallery's current showstoppers.

Walking through the Presidents gallery I always find it interesting to see the different styles selected by each president. The minimalism of Woodrow Wilson, the Abstraction of JFK, the straight-up power of LBJ and the small restrained portrait of Ronald Reagan. The Obama portrait is busy, colorful and awash in flowers. To me it is successful in evoking excitement, optimism and great dignity. Considering they've had to put ropes up to control crowds wishing to get a selfie in front of it, I'd say it is a real hit.

Barack Obama

Kahinde Wiley

Michelle Obama's portrait is undeniably lovely. In it she is draped in a spectacular geometric dress. But, although colorful and dignified, to me, it felt single dimensional, somehow failing to convey the full depth and inner beauty I feel she successfully exemplified(s) to the world.

 

 Michelle Obama

Amy Sherald

As always I found one image after another that evoked introspection and emotion.  Here is a small sampling of some of my other favorites from this visit.

The integrity and strength of American labor is perfectly composed in this Lewis Hine's 1921 photo.

 

Powerhouse Mechanic

Lewis Hine

The lines of the back of the cotton picker with the trailing sack reflect a perfect composition against the sky in this Dorothea Lange masterwork.

Stoop Labor

San Joaquin Valley, California

Dorothea Lange 1938 

This is the second time a photograph by Danny Lyon stopped me in my tracks. You just instantly make eye contact with the young man in the photo. Last spring I viewed Danny Lyon's work for the first time at a retrospective at San Francisco's MH de Young museum.

Two Years, Burglary

From the Series "Conversations With the Dead"

Prison Farm Labor, Texas

Danny Lyon 1967

As I walked further another Lewis Hine photograph grabbed my attention. In this photo the viewer also locks eyes with the image in the photo. This time it is an immigrant arriving at Ellis Island in 1905. The immigrant's hopes and fears are expressed with stark intensity. In a country where everyone's family arrived as an immigrant, this photo is extraordinarily powerful.    

Young Russian Jewess

Ellis Island 1905

Lewis Hine 

From past postings many will know I am a devoted fan of American painter Winslow Homer. In this painting "Girl with Pitchfork" he captures an exceptional degree of facial stoicism coupled with the girl's ramrod straight posture reinforced by the verticality of her pitchfork.

Girl With Ptchfork

Winslow Homer 1867

  

I also loved this photo realistic painting of Toni Morrison. Her inner strength just radiates. This portrait would command attention in any gallery where it resides.

 Toni Morrison

Oil on Canvas

Robert McCurdy 2006

Avant garde advocate of American Expat Gertrude Stein has always been an enigma to me. She seemed to be one of those celebrities that was famous mainly for being famous. She was frequently and famously quoted.

Once while visiting San Francisco she met someone from my hometown (Oakland) who pointed across the bay saying they lived "over there". Stein then reportedly to quipped "but there is no there, there" 

This Oaklander finds it very difficult to forgive her for that.

 

 Gertrude Stein

Terra Cotta 1911

Jo Davidson

As I walked on I came to the Black-Out exhibition of silhouette art. And some of the pieces are just marvels.

 Stunning Silhouettes

Kumi Yamashita

Sihouette Detail 

Almost as a photographic bookend to the idea of silhouettes this iconic photograph of Martha Graham seemed almost magical.

Martha Graham

From the Ballet Lamentation

Edward Steichen 1931 

When growing up may family rarely ate dinner out at sit down restaurants until I hit my teens. My parents were both products of the depression and until the middle 70's visiting a restaurant was a luxury.  The exception was a Chinese restaurant on MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland where we ate about once a month. It offered reasonably priced food we loved. 

On the restaurant's walls were various prints by American painters. One was of a stark, lonely storefront entitled "Seven AM 1948" by Edward Hopper. The painting perfectly captures the quality of light found only in the morning and whenever we sat at the booth near that print its enigmatic and lonely imagery left me wondering what it was about the composition that drew me to it so intensely. 

In the years since I have sought out examples of Hopper's work and they all seem to pose riddles while evoking his trademark, almost epic, loneliness.

This painting "People of the Sun" almost comically portrays a group of seriously overdressed sun worshippers all sitting together, yet painfully seemingly alone on holiday.

People in the Sun

Edward Hopper 1960

Another of my favorite American painters is Thomas Hart Benton. Benton's larger than life murals were frequently commissioned for public works projects and major public buildings. His work always stands in testament to the power of color and composition. This mural is 22' long.

 Achelous and Hercules
Thomas Hart Benton 1947

His people are conveyed with almost hyper extended and almost rubbery looking arms and legs. Here workers share space with mythical creatures.

Detail Achelous and Hercules

The last image is a funerary sculpture that carefully shrouds the face was commissioned for the grave of "Clover" Adams; the wife of American writer Henry Adams. Irish sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens created something that is both beautiful and creepy. Clover committed suicide by drinking photographic chemicals in 1885. Adams wanted a sculpture that in post civil-war America could express the Buddhist idea of Nirvana.

     Adams Memorial 

        Augustus Saint-Gaudens 1886     

 

A day in this building is always a day well spent.

Roadboy's Travels © 2018