December 14, 2010: Oahu, Hawaii - We Arrive in Waikiki

We've landed in Waikiki, where Mark's conference is taking place. Our hotel, the Hawaii Prince, is like a time capsule of glamour from The Golden Girls - in our bedroom, a stereo is built into the bedside table. Our shuttle driver told us this was one of the best hotels - it's where all the pilots stay while in town. Hard to believe, but I can only imagine that there hasn't been any room for new hotel development in the area in the past two decades - Waikiki is chock-a-block with hotels and high-end shopping, and no room left for much of anything else.

But we're on the water, and close to the conference center. After an over-the-top kalua pork sandwich in the afternoon, and the worst pizza of all time in the evening (I've had better in a highschool cafeteria) we go to bed. Actually, we go for a nice walk first along the beach - lots of flaming torches, tree-shaded seating areas and a lagoon by the hotel next to us. The beach at night is peaceful and the weather is great - comfortably warm with a nice breeze.

Photo: the view over the harbour from our hotel room

December 13, 2010: San Francisco - California Academy of Sciences

On our last full day in San Francisco we go to the California Academy of Sciences. This building had not yet been built the last time I visited the city, several years ago. And since meeting Paul Kephart, who helped create its massive green roof, I've been doubly excited to see it.

We weren't disappointed. The aquariums had a great variety of ocean life. The rain forest was huge, with a fun stage-set like painted backdrop in contrast to the growing plants and undulating roof. The museum lets you go up to the roof to see the plants up close (although you can't actually walk on them).

 

I span a great tree trunk, and am surprisingly pleased at doing so

 

Under the aquarium, with fish swimming overhead

 

Strange feathery underwater life

 

The green roof!

 

Under the green roof, in the rainforest

December 12, 2010: San Francisco - Urban Walks in Oakland

After brunch in Berkeley David took us on some of his favourite urban walks in Berkeley/Piedmont/Oakland. The steep hills make the residential neighbourhoods so interesting to explore, with narrow lanes and staircases connecting streets in unexpected ways. And, in contrast to Toronto, it seems tropical - trees fruiting in December, floral scents in the air, and bright sunlight tempered by hints of fog.

We also spend some time in the tremendously well-stocked sci fi/fantasy bookstore Dark Carnival. I bought obscure books by several favourite authors.

 

Berkeley - not as nuclear free as it thinks (apparently there's some university research work that negates this sign...)

 

You might expect to see this darkly-humoured decor at Hallowe'en, but I can only assume it's permanent 

 

David and Mark, as our urban hike takes us through a park

 

Beautiful tall trees

 

Unusual pyramid crypt in Mountain View Cemetery, whose grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (landscape designer of Central Park in NYC as well)

 

Lake Merritt in Oakland, as evening falls

December 11, 2010: San Francisco - We Arrive

We arrive in San Francisco. We're stopping here for a few days before heading on to Hawai'i. It's nice to break up the trip, and Mark's friend David lives nearby in Oakland.

San Francisco is so mild compared to Toronto at this time of year that it's like fast-forwarding to spring. David and his wife meet us downtown at our hotel and we walk down to the harbour for drinks and snacks. Then in the evening we go on the hunt for Mexican food in the Mission District. Although we're a little let down by what we get in the end it's still a great walk in an interesting neighbourhood. At the last minute we pop into a store that sells a strange mix of items: skeletons, taxidermied animals in humorous poses, science relics, terrariums. It was just before closing, so we hardly had any time to look around, but it seemed to be a store filled entirely with things I find interesting. I've googled since, and I'm pretty sure it was Paxton Gate - there can't be two stores selling this same eclectic mix.

October 09, 2010: Toronto - Hiking, One-Armed Naked Man

Since we had the use of a car we drove up to cottage country for a hike with Mark's colleague Ron and his wife Ronna. Beautiful day - incredibly sunny and mild. So beautiful that the famed one-armed naked hiker was out for a walk! Ron and Ronna were recounting how they'd seen him years ago, and sure enough, there he was. We lunched on a rock outcropping with a great view and a bench, and we suspect he was lurking, waiting for us to leave so that he could claim the bench. Ron looked it up later and found that he's been charged for hiking naked. If only I had worked up the nerve to take a photo. So surreal...

October 02, 2010: Toronto - Nuit Blanche

Mark, Jane and I went out for Nuit Blanche. We started downtown at what we figured would be the busiest venue - the ROM - at 7:00 pm sharp. We got in without a line and really enjoyed the El Anatsui exhibition. By the time we left the line stretched far around the corner, and we headed out into the less crowded stretch up Spadina.

The ROM - unfortunately no photos allowed inside of El Anatsui's artwork

 

Paper stars lit from within at the Bata Shoe Museum

 

The view down Spadina from the Casa Loma steps

 

Dry ice fog at the Casa Loma stable

September 24, 2010: Toronto - Art Gallery of Ontario

After picking up a free pass to the AGO from the Toronto Public Library, I enjoyed a short visit to see the new Julian Schnabel exhibition. It was reasonably good - he's a very energetic painter, if a bit unfocused. But it reminded me of how much more extraordinary was his movie "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". He doesn't paint like he makes movies.