La Terrazza

"La Terrazza" (The terrace)

I follow a blog by a fellow "slowtraveller" Sandra. Her blog is called, A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With ... Too Much Luggage . In one of her recent posts she talked about a familiar place that Aria introduced me to. It's a rooftop cafe called "La Terrazza". This is a small terrace cafe, only about ten small tables or so and it's on the 3rd or 4th floor, can't remember exactly which, in the department store La Rinascente in the heart of Florence. (1 Piazza della Repubblica; 39-055/219-113). It stays open all day. You can get a light lunch up there, soft drinks, wine even. But more important than what you can eat or drink, there is the "view." It is amazing. You get an incredibly close up view of the Duomo on one side of the terrace and from the other side, Piazza della Repubblica looms below. For a much better description of the surrounding area go to Sandra's blog. On the day that Aria and I were there it was a very cold,crisp February morning. The sun was out but our hands felt frozen. I said I wished for a hot chocolate, the kind they serve with red pepper on top. We were lucky because when we got there, there were some open tables. We were a bit unlucky though. They did not serve the peppery kind of hot chocolate I was thinking about. Oh, no matter. It was freezing cold so anything hot would be fine and I needed a cup of anything hot to wrap my hands around. And then of course there was that view. By the way, tuck this in the back of your mind: If you are in Florence in the midst of a hot summer day, Rinascente is a nice air conditioned oasis to pop into while shopping. They also have a convenient free restroom. Always something good to know in any foreign city.

Another MEME

I found this fun meme at Girasoli’s blog http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/girasoli/. She found it at
bleeding espresso. She found it at Yankee in a New World. And so it goes …

1. What are 5 things you were doing ten years ago?
*I was teaching a Special Education Pre-K class full time
*I was taking night classes at the University
* I was driving both girls to school.
*I was a Girl Scout leader
* I was juggling far too many things in my life.

2. What are 5 things on your to do list for today?
*Drive Matthew to an interview at LAUSC

*Visit the my dad in the morning

* Have lunch with Matt and Athena

* Tour Huntington Gardens in San Marino in the afternoon
*Call my brother
3. What are your 5 favorite snacks?
*guacamole
*Cheese.
*Chex mix spicy
*Gelato.
*chips

4. What would you do if you were a millionaire?
* Set aside money for the kids
* Set aside money for my dad’s care and financial well-being
* Figure out the best way to set aside money for our future well-being
* Travel ALOT
* Home improvements

5. Where are 5 places you have lived?
*East Los Angeles
*West Los Angeles near UCLA campus
*San Antonio Texas
*Long Beach California
* I don’t move around much so there are only 4 that I count as anything relatively long term.

On The Subject of HOPE

The theme this week on many blogs is HOPE. People have shared photos of various sorts depicting what Hope means to them. I came across these translations of the scripture Romans 15:13 regarding Hope while reading a fellow slowtravellers blog. I thought it was a very positive focus on this word. Also included in this blog was a quote by Madeleine L'Engle. These days everyone can use a little more hope in their lives.

From the blog Let us go then, you and I...

http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/andasamo/

Romans 15:13
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV):
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

King James Version (KJ):
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

New International Version (NIV):
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Message:
Oh! May the God of green hope fill you up with joy, fill you up with peace, so that your believing lives, filled with the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit, will brim over with hope!

Here it is in Italian!

La Parola è Vita:
Possa il Dio della speranza, riempirvi della gioia e della pace che vengono dalla vostra fede, affinché la vostra speranza abbondi, per mezzo della potenza dello Spirito Santo!

And then there is this quote by Madeleine L'Engle:

"I will have nothing to do with a God who cares only occasionally. I need a God who is with us always, everywhere, in the deepest depths as well as the highest heights. It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly."

Art Exhibit in Eureka California

Just received this announcement from my cousins daughter Suzanne.

Anyone in the Eureka, California area

check this exhibition out.

MORRIS GRAVES MUSEUM OF ART
Dr. Richard and Elizabeth Anderson Gallery

SUZANNE ONODERA
From the Landscape of Memory

A solo exhibition of new work
January 14 - March 8, 2009

Reception
Saturday, February 7, 2009
6 - 9 pm
During the first Saturday Night Arts Alive

Humboldt Art Council
Morris Graves Museum of Art
636 “F” Street, Eureka , CA 95501

museum hours wed. - sun. noon - 5pm
info: 707.442.0278 humboldtarts.org
museum admission is by donation
$3. adults, $1. seniors 55+
hac members and children under 12: gratis

http://www.sonodera.com/

This is called a MEME

This is something that I've read on a few of my Slowtrav friends blogs. I'm joining them in answering these questions. I would love to hear your answers too.


WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? An actress but not sure of her last name

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Even though I'm known as a "big crybaby" I haven't cried lately.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I used to but it is getting worse each year.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?Yes, two.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Absolutely
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not usually, it's just not me.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?Yes

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Me? Absolutely not. I'm a big chicken.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Kelloggs corn flakes with strawberries

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? yes

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I guess it depends on the situation.

FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Tough decision but if I had to pick only one "Jamoca Almond fudge"

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Whether they seem open and warm as opposed to distant and closed.

RED OR PINK?Red

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? That I have too much stuff.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom

WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Just wearing socks

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A delicious piece of chocolate covered toffee

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Silence, me typing

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Iridescent fushcia, how do you spell that?

FAVORITE SMELLS? I like the smell of rain, freshly cut grass, Topaz by Avon it reminds me of being a teenager, Aquanet hairspray/reminds me of high school dances, gardenias.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?Mary Beth/our good friend from college days at UCLA. She was in town visiting from Maryland. She called me from the Hyatt Long Beach. We met for lunch.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Soccer

HAIR COLOR? Black

EYE COLOR? Dark Brown

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?No

FAVORITE FOOD? Love so many but maybe middle eastern cuisine

SCARY MOVIES OR SAPPY ENDINGS? I really like Sappy endings. I don't like scary movies at all.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Valkerie sp?

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Flannel pjs aquamarine

SUMMER OR WINTER? Love Summer

HUGS OR KISSES?Hugs

FAVORITE DESSERT? Hot fudge sundae

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? A book Pati gave me for my birthday, "The Widow Clicquot-The story of a champagne empire and the woman who ruled it."

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD: Picture of the C-17 cargo plane-this is not my mouse pad, it's Mike's.

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?Didn't watch anything

FAVORITE SOUND? I like to listen to the rain when I'm tucked safely in a warm cozy bed with a big fluffly down comforter over me.

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Italy

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I have some artistic abilities

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Texas

"Home of the Brave"

Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937. He is an author/illustrator of many children's books. One of my favorite books of his is called, "Grandfather's Journey".

My friend Jane has just written that she is reading, "Journey to Topaz" to her 10 year old grandson's class. She said it was an eye opener to these young children to learn about the background of internment camps during the World War II era of our country. She asked if I knew any other books that might further the children's insight into this subject matter. In fact there is a beautifully illustrated and sensitively written book by a wonderful artist/author. His name is Allen Say and the book is titled: Home of the Brave.

Here is an excerpt from the Publishers page:
During World War II, more than 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese descent living in America were incarcerated in internment camps by the United States government. Now, sixty years later, Caldecott medalist Allen Say eloquently depicts this dark moment in history with Home of the Brave. This timely and provocative book is the story of one man's confrontation of his own family's imprisonment in these remote and inhospitable sites. Say's paintings capture the bewilderment of the young man on a surreal journey and the desolation and loneliness of the children residing in the camps. His prose is haunting and provokes the reader to reflect on what these camps mean in the scope of American history.

"What Say does so successfully here is to show how displaced children feel; how, through some unnamed strength, they manage to survive and find their way home . . . The story's real focus is not so much the reexamination of America's historical past as the recollection of its emotional past — a past we become a part of through Allen Say's intense dreamscape." — New York Times Book Review

"Say here enters the realm of dream — or rather, nightmare. Say's use of light and dark has a haunting effect . . . the images create an internal logic of their own, as emotionally convincing as any waking experience." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Say's use of darkness in the portrayal of childhood innocence is a poignant interpretation of what children, whatever their culture, must feel when so tiny and scared and far from where they long to be." — Los Angeles Times Book Review

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California

Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist temple

L.A. Union Presbyterian church established early 1900's

Museum of Contemporary Art

Far East Cafe:

Following WWII, the restaurant— called Far East Cafe—served hot meals to Japanese Americans just released from some of the nearly dozen internment camps throughout the West Coast. For those who couldn't pay, the owners gladly accepted IOU's.Decades following, Japanese Americans flocked en masse to the restaurant for everything from birthday parties and anniversaries to funerals and farewells (Why are Japanese Americans such sticklers for Chinese food after funerals?). Everyone had their favorites but the most memorable dishes included pressed almond duck, oh-so crunchy panfried chow mein and homyu—a hefty pork-fat patty speckled with tiny morsels of meat. (My dad loved this).

David Henry Hwang Theater-formerly my childhood church L.A. Union Presbysterian

Interior of DH Hwang theater-our former church sanctuary where we were in many a Christmas and Easter play ourselves.

There is a section of Los Angeles, known as Little Tokyo. (near the intersections of 1st and Judge John Aiso streets/formerly San Pedro st. for several blocks in every direction). Little Tokyo, also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, is an ethnic Japanese American district in downtown Los Angeles and one of only three official Japantowns in the United States. Founded around the beginning of the 20th century, the area, sometimes called Lil' Tokyo, or J-Town is the cultural center for Japanese Americans in Southern California. It was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1995.

I grew up not far from here in East Los Angeles. Throughout my childhood years through high school I attended L. A. Union Presbyterian church near the corner of 1st and San Pedro streets. We fondly referred to this area as "J-Town". Our church still stands today but has been converted into a theater/playhouse known as The David Henry Hwang Theater, current home of the East/West Players theater group. You can read more about the history of this talented group of artists here:
http://www.eastwestplayers.org/about_us/about_us.htm

As you walk from this site and turn onto 1st street you will find several blocks which make up Little Tokyo. Drop by Fu-get-su-do bakery to view pretty Japanese pastries. In 1903, Seiichi Kito, credited with inventing the fortune cookie, opened the Japanese confectionary Fugetsudo on this site. The shop moved to 315 East First Street in 1958. Today, Fugetsudo is the oldest family-owned business in Little Tokyo in its third generation operated by Brian Kito. I attended Roosevelt High school with Sharon Kito.

Walk further to "Far East" Chinese restaurant. If you ask any Japanese family that has lived in the Los Angeles area in the past 50 years they will probably have fond memories of this place. It's where everyone went for chinese food in the 1950's. People will fondly remember family get-togethers to celebrate weddings and other special events over "China-meshi" as the Cantonese cuisine was called by Niseis.(Nisei, 2nd generation Japanese American). The restaurant has reopened after several years of closure. Sadly, it is just not the same menu but worth a visit all the same. Far East is another historic landmark in this area. This restaurant was owned by the Mar family. Do and May Mar also attended Roosevelt high school in East Los Angeles.

Walk further still and you will find the Japanese American National Museum which houses current exhibits as well as a moving permanent exhibit called, "Common Ground-The Heart of a Community". My mom, Ruth was one of the many, many community members who worked very hard raising funds to have this Museum built.

See this link for more information: http://www.janm.org/events/

Right next door you will find the Geffen Museum of Contemporary Art

here is the link: http://www.moca.org/

This area will slowly fade away without your support. It's worth your time to explore this wonderful area. Lots to see and do. Hope you will see J-Town for yourself.