Que Te Vaya Bonito COLOMBIA 2

We took a short flight north from Bogota to Cartagena. Originally called Cartagena de India (to distinguish it as Cartagena in the West Indies rather than Cartagena in Spain), the city has a lot of personality and when we were there in December it was brutally hot. Cartagena is distinguished by the old city, surrounded by 11km of walls with squares dotted throughout the interior, and growing high rises outside the walls.

Where We Stayed

Sofitel Legend Santa Clara– Formerly a convent, the hotel is centrally located and full of historical details. The rooms are big, the pool area was great to relax by and they had gluten free bread at breakfast.  

Where to Eat

Don Juan– Delicious and a great vibe. La Vitrola- Cuban inspired cuisine and live music made this a must go to spot. Carmen– Asian inspired dishes. Alma– traditional Colombian cuisine. Monte Sacro– lunch spot that had fresh fish.

What We Did

Rosario Islands– The 60-minute motorboat ride to the islands was a breeze and it brought us to the Rosario Island archipelago. The 27 islands are protected by the Natural National Parks of Colombia and you have a plethora of activities to choose from. We opted to snorkel and enjoy the spectacular coral reefs. There’s a restaurant where we ate locally caught fish and then lounged by the beach. The boat ride back was not as smooth sailing as the trip over but I would suggest staying towards the back of the boat to handle the swells.

Castillo de San Felipe– It’s a bit of a hike up to the top of the fort but it’s worth it for the views. Due to Cartagena’s strategic location on the Caribbean Sea, the city built a fort in order to protect it from attacks. Did you know that Cartagena was attacked 11 times by pirates including Sir Francis Drake? You’ll see the Colombian flag in my photographs from the fort. We learned that the blue represents the water of the oceans that surround the country, yellow represents gold and the red represents the blood spilled for Colombian independence.

Convento de la Popa– You cannot walk up to the convent and instead must drive but you wouldn’t want to walk anyways since you really would be climbing up a mountain. You’ll get another spectacular view and learn about this beautiful convent. I particularly loved the interior courtyard with hanging gardens.

Church San Pedro Claver– After walking around the old city in the blazing heat, we walked into the Church and felt both a respite from the sun and tranquility from the city. The church is named after Saint Peter Claver who died in Cartagena and spent his life working with the slaves that were traded from Africa to the New World.

Palace of the Inquisition– The terrors of the Inquisition were not limited to Spain and Portugal in the 15th Century. In fact, the Court of the Holy Office carried out the work of the Inquisition until 1821 in Cartagena. Many innocent men and women were tortured and killed in the halls of what is a now a museum dedicated to their injustice.

We spent a morning walking through a local marketplace and this was the real deal. It was an eye-opening experience for me because there was every imaginable fruit, vegetable, and protein just out there in the open. Truthfully it was a little much for me but everyone else in my family really enjoyed walking through the stalls and picking out ingredients. We then had an unforgettable meal that we cooked with a local chef!

I highly recommend getting on a plane and heading to Colombia as soon as possible! It’s a wonderful country and I can’t wait to go back!

Que Te Vaya Bonito COLOMBIA

My absolute favorite travel article was published this week- The New York Times’ 52 Places to Go. I thought it would be fun to share some past blog posts and create new ones based on the list’s recommendations. Check out my Instagram account @theprimarysource1 where I’ll repost previous destinations from the list that I’ve already blogged about. For now, here’s a rundown of my trip to Colombia in December 2015 which was ranked #2 on the list!

 

On the top of Monserrate with Bogota below

 

History

Start by watching Netflix’s hit show Narcos. It will give you a comprehensive understanding of how Pablo Escobar rose to power as a drug lord and how his influence dominated all aspects of life in Colombia- from the violence that arose on the streets to the turmoil he caused in government. Prior to Escobar’s rise, the country’s history begins with a culturally diverse indigenous population that was razed by Spain’s colonization of the land. In 1819 Simon Bolivar defeated the Spanish leading to the independence of the Republic of Gran Colombia which included Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela in addition to Colombia. By 1903 the country’s borders became defined as we know it today. Pretty much all of the 20th century was riddled with violence throughout the nation as it dealt with a civil war and nationalist groups formed. However, in the past few years Colombia has experienced relative peace specifically in the cities we chose to visit and we felt safe as American tourists.

A Few Tips

• English is not readily spoken throughout the country. Learn some Spanish or be prepared with important phrases before you go.
• Keep toilet paper with you in your purse. Bathrooms are not always updated and sometimes you have to pay for toilet paper so just bring plenty along with you.
• Your trip can be affordable as airfare and restaurants tend to be much more reasonably priced than other tropical getaways (ie Miami and the islands in the Caribbean).
• We really did feel very safe, especially in Cartagena where I felt comfortable walking the streets on my own during the day. We took cabs in the evening.

Bogota

We took a JetBlue flight from NYC and connected through Miami to land in Bogota, the nation’s capital. The city is located in the Andes Mountains towards the interior of the country and we felt cooler temperatures in December. The graffiti in the city is a treasure unto itself and you can take a tour of the wall murals (see below for some of my favorites that my mom snapped during her tour of the city the day before we arrived).

Where We Stayed

Four Seasons Casa Medina– The hotel had just opened when we were there. The rooms were large and the hotel had a lot of character with Spanish colonial accents.

Where We Ate

El Son de Los Grillos– Local spot on a side street not far from Plaza Bolivar. A must try is

Ajiaco Soup

the famous Bogota ajiaco soup. It’s hearty and full of flavor.

Andre Carne de Res– A once in a lifetime experience. It’s at least a 60 minute drive out of town, but it will absolutely blow your mind. It’s been described as Alice In Wonderland meets Moulin Rouge but multiply that image in your mind by 1,000 and consider that the menu is 68 pages long and the restaurant itself is 2.76 square miles. Come hungry and thirsty and ready to dance. The pictures below really don’t do the space justice. Check out the link to have your mind blown.

What We Did

Museo Del Oro– Better known as The Gold Museum. I absolutely loved the history and artifacts in this museum because it highlighted the importance of the element not for wealth but for its spiritual importance. Salt, in fact, was considered much more valuable to the indigenous peoples of Colombia. You’ll see gold in many forms but my favorite was the Pachamama which is the spiritual embodiment of mother earth revered as the most important female deity.  

Museo De Botero– A must visit. Botero’s full-figured portraits are easily recognizable and the museum pays tribute to the Colombian born artist. For those living in New York, you’re likely familiar with his sculptures at the main entrance of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The museum also includes artwork from other notable artists and the space itself is quite beautiful.

Cerro Monserrate– We took the cable car up and the funicular down from the top of the mountain that overlooks the capital, at an elevation of 10,341 ft. We visited the Sanctuary that requires you to walk up a wide set of stairs with the many others making a pilgrimage to the holy sight. There is also a restaurant and bathrooms on the top. The best part was the views!

Mom a little scared of the funicular!

With my husband, dad and mom with the beautiful church on top of Monserrate in background

Next time I’ll continue this post with our second stop in Colombia- Cartagena!

Los Angeles Vibes

A few years ago, Brian and I took an epic road trip from San Francisco, down the Pacific Coast Highway and which terminated in Los Angeles. (Click links to see blog posts from each part of our journey). Both our siblings live in L.A. so we have the opportunity to get to the City of Angels about once a year. Here are two great, although very different, activities we participated in with my brother and a list of a few others we’d like to do on future trips.

Getty Center

I originally visited the Getty Museum with my mom in 2004 so it was exciting to return with my husband and brother in 2016. It was as beautiful as I remembered it. The history of the center can be just as interesting to the visitor as the site itself. The space is a tribute to a billionaire’s love of art and architecture. As a perk, your visit is free as the Getty Trust always wanted the public to have access to the grounds (note, parking is not free).

 

The experience of getting to the museum is thrilling as you take a tram up to the property and your wonderment only builds as you get closer to the top. Truthfully, you could easily walk around aimlessly and completely enjoy yourself. We decided to take an architecture tour that lasted nearly an hour. We learned about the shapes and color that architect Richard Meier expertly chose and executed throughout the property. The guide also discussed the landscape architecture and how the buildings were placed purposefully to optimize views of the mountains and ocean. After the tour, we rambled through the interior museums and the exterior gardens. Put the Getty Center on your list, even if you have to drive to Brentwood to get there, and plan to spend a good 2-3 hours. Don’t worry they had a fairly decent cafeteria on premise.

Channel Islands National Park

I was thrilled to visit the Channel Islands as my eighth national park this fall. You need to book far in advance, because although the island is free to visit there is only one way to get there- by boat and the boat is very much not free. You’ll need to book on Island Packers to pick an island to visit. If you want to visit multiple islands (there are 8 total and 4 that the public can visit) then I suggest you plan to camp overnight. We chose to visit Santa Cruz as it was the closest and we only had the day. The boat ride takes approximately 1 hour and all reviews I read said that it’s a fairly calm trip and there are lots of opportunities to see wildlife. Unfortunately, we decided to visit the Channel Islands on what the boat crew called “one of the worst crossings they’ve ever had” meaning it was a wild ride both to and from Santa Cruz with swells easily reaching 10 feet. That being said this was highly atypical and I don’t want to scare anyone off from visiting. Just plan to bring some sort of anti-nausea medication, just in case, and sit in the back of the boat to minimize the rocking.

Once on the island, I had booked a kayak trip through Santa Barbara Adventure Company. However, the guides warned us that the trip would be difficult to a beginner kayaker so we opted to cancel our time at sea and hike instead. (The company was amazing and refunded us on the spot.) We chose to hike the 7.5-mile round trip route from Scorpion Beach to Smuggler’s Cove. The hike itself was moderate in difficulty but mostly because the wind was unrelenting. It was amazing to get to Smuggler’s Cove as it put us on the opposite side of Santa Cruz and we could see the other islands from a unique perspective. After hiking we checked out the small museums which gave an interesting history of the islands.

A highlight of visiting Santa Cruz is seeing the Channel Island fox. They are smaller than our woodland foxes and much more comfortable getting close to humans, so much so that you have to be careful they don’t nick your food right from your hand! We would have loved to be on the water to observe the sea life up close but we were happy to see a pod of dolphins on our wild boat ride. The takeaway from the Channel Islands is that I highly recommend going and I would even suggest camping out if you have the time. Just come prepared with a change of clothes, good shoes, and food since there’s nothing to buy once on land.

L.A. To Do List…

• The Broad Museum
• Nixon Presidential Library
• Los Angeles Conservatory Neighborhood Walking Tours

What else should we add to our list??

Debbie and Brooke Do Dallas

 

In front of my 8th Presidential Library- George W. Bush!

 

In true mama daughter tradition, we hopped on a plane in January 2016 for a long weekend and headed south to the Big D…Dallas, Texas! Dallas is the whole (Heidecorn) girls trip package- good food, good history and good shopping! You do not need to rent a car while visiting Dallas. Just use Uber!

Accommodations

We decided to be super chic and stay at The Joule. The location is perfect as a jumping off point to get to most destinations in the city. We found the rooms to be spacious and stylish however fashion was sometimes put before function as light switches were hard to find and electronics in the room were not intuitive to use. The hotel boasts a fabulous art collection worthy of a viewing. Across the street from the hotel is Dallas’ strangest and most voyeuristic art sculpture, The Giant Eye, which stares at you longingly while you enjoy breakfast at their in-hotel restaurant, CBD Provision. After snapping a photo with the sculpture, head next door If you want some high end shopping at Forty Five Ten.

Food

Filament– The restaurant has since closed (which is a bummer because it was our favorite meal) but I wanted to include it on the blog because it’s located in a great neighborhood with other noteworthy restaurants. Check out this list to find out where to eat in Deep Ellum.

Veracruz Cafe– While walking around the Bishop Art District we stumbled upon Veracruz and we had a most delicious meal. Traditional Mexican and Meso-American cuisine hit the spot for lunch! After lunch, we wandered the district that we heard had great shopping and art but, truthfully, we were underwhelmed.

Smoke– It’s in a random location and for some reason, the place was empty when we ate there. It was pretty good but we weren’t blown away. I’d eat at Knife, Top Chef alum John Tesar’s steakhouse, instead.

The Theodore– Our flight to New York got canceled so we got an extra night in Dallas. We decided to head to the infamous NorthPark Center to have dinner. The Theodore turned out to be delicious and I would highly recommend!

Things to Do

 

If it’s a beautiful day and you have some time to spare check out Klyde Warren Park. Think of it as Dallas’ version of NYC’s Highline.

 

Arts District Architecture Tour– This is the tour we had booked in advance and I’m happy we didn’t miss it! Our docent was fabulous and she pointed out the architecture that we surely would have missed if we had been rambling around the neighborhood. She also told us how the neighborhood was designated for the arts has transformed as the city blossomed.

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum– Honestly, it was very strange to visit

Father, Son. Mother, Daughter.

my EIGHTH presidential library on Trump’s Inauguration Day. The museum wasn’t afraid to showcase uncomfortable moments during his presidency, such as the attacks of September 11th, nor did it sugarcoat some of his missteps, like those during Hurricane Katrina, and in doing so, I found the museum to have a lot of integrity. In fact, I believe it paid tribute to Bush in a way that allowed for me to respect him more than I previously had. I also found the museum to give insight into Bush as a person and First Lady Laura Bush’s education initiatives which were often overshadowed during his presidency. We enjoyed a yummy, albeit it pricey lunch, at the restaurant Cafe 43 since the museum is located on the SMU campus without many food options.

 

 

Ready to be sworn in. A replica of the Oval Office when Bush was in office is in the museum and it makes for a great photo op!

 

Nasher Sculpture Center– A spectacular museum of Raymond and Patsy Nasher’s private collection. The building is very manageable but the highlight is the sculpture garden out back which is filled with Picassos, Calders, and Serras, to name a few. Do not miss this museum and plan to spend some quality time.

The Sixth Floor Museum– Book your tickets ahead of time for this sobering museum which is located inside the former Texas School Book Depository and chronicles the assassination of President Kennedy. I highly recommend getting the audio guide. The museum does an excellent job giving you the history leading up to the assassination and what occurred afterward as well. You can even get a first-person point of view where assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shot from. After leaving the museum, walk along Dealey Plaza to see the “X” where Kennedy was shot and stand on the Grassy Knoll. You can walk about 5 minutes from the museum to the JFK Memorial.

Dallas Holocaust Museum– Though small, this museum was impactful and impressive. It didn’t take us long to wind our way through the exhibits but we were glad to support an important museum devoted to the victims of the Holocaust and the survivors that made their way to the Dallas area.

Perot Museum of Science and Nature– With our extra day in Dallas we decided to head over to this spectacular museum. It’s large and new, and although it caters to children we still had a great time checking out the exhibits on the solar system and prehistoric animals.

NorthPark Center– Truthfully, it’s not just a mall. Developed by Raymond Nasher (see Sculpture Center above) the mall was ahead of its time when it was built in 1965. While the shopping is great, the art collection is even better!

All in all, I would highly recommend Dallas as a long weekend getaway. My mom and I had a great time exploring and eating in true Big D fashion!

Hopper Happenings

Frankie and I went to the Edward Hopper House back in May with an interest in the Jordan Matter “Dancers Among Us” exhibit, http://www.edwardhopperhouse.org/. Brian grew up about 10 minutes from the artist’s childhood home in Nyack, New York so we figured it was worth checking the museum out.

Hopper’s childhood bicycle

Hopper’s childhood bedroom. He was clearly inspired by the light that poured into the space.

The museum exceeded expectations. We had two wonderful docents who taught us so much about Edward Hopper. Here are the big take aways:

• Hopper lived in Nyack until he was 28 years old. His early work is inspired by what he saw around him: the Hudson River, the train tracks and his light filled bedroom that we got to visit.
• Hopper sold his first painting at the age of 42. He was a shy, introverted man. It was his wife Josephine who encouraged him to take up watercolors first. She was an artist he met in New England who championed his work in the galleries and as his model. They died less than a year apart from one another.
• House by the Railroad (1925) is modeled after a home in Haverstraw (a town about 15 minutes north of Nyack). It later became the inspiration for Hitchcock’s Bate’s home in the movie Psycho.
• You can visit Hopper’s Greenwich Village apartment, which is now owned by NYU. Contact Amanda Lorencz at 212-998-5900 to schedule an appointment of his studio and apartment overlooking Washington Square Park.

The exhibit we came to see was wonderful as well. The photographs were jaw dropping and there was a terrific video that showed the artist’s process. Essentially Jordan Matter is able to capture dancers in graceful, superhuman poses against the backdrop of city and landscapes. Check out more on his website: http://www.dancersamongus.com/

A site specific photograph of dancers on the front porch of the Hopper House.

My favorite from the exhibit!

Photographs from the exhibition

If you are in the Hudson Valley, stop at the little house in Nyack and enjoy a piece of treasured art history. I meant to post this months ago when the exhibit was still open. It has since closed but keep your eyes peeled for his Jordan Matter’s name in local museums and galleries and make your way to see his work if possible.

A fun day with my future Mother in Law last spring!

The Blog Colossus

This week marks one year since my grandfather, Sidney Stern, passed away. It seems only fitting that I not only reboot my blog but also start it again with a post about one of his great passions- genealogy! Last weekend, my brother and I took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for the first time in our lives. 26 years I’ve lived in the New York area and I’ve never visited these landmarks.

As many of you know, Lady Liberty was a gift from the French to America. It was meant to celebrate our centennial on July 4, 1874 however only the arm and torch were complete by that date and could be displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It would take another 10 years before the completed statue would rise above New York harbor. In those years funds needed to be raised to give the statue a proper home. Fundraising efforts were primarily led by Joseph Pulitzer, owner of the New York World newspaper, for the pedestal and by Emma Lazarus through her iconic poem “The New Colossus”. The statue was completely built in France, where every part was meticulously labeled, and then disassembled to make its journey across the Atlantic to be reassembled in its current place.

Pano from the Pedestal of Ellis Island and NYC in the background

Ellis Island officially opened as an immigration station in 1892. During the 32 years it remained open over 12 million immigrants were processed through its doors. In the height of its use, as many as 10,000 people could be processed in a day. I was under the misconception that a large percentage of immigrants were sent back to their homelands if they could not pass medical inspection such as passing tests that involved pulling back your eyelid to search for disease. While those tests existed, only 2% were denied entry based purely on medical examination. Twenty percent of immigrants were required to stay on Ellis Island for medical attention before entering the city. It took immigrants about 3-5 hours to be processed through the registry room and names were not changed on the island. That likely occurred when they were leaving their original port.

Keith inside the registry room

At the entrance

Things to Know Before You Go: The highlight of our trip was walking up to the crown. You need to reserve your tickets a good 4 months in advance (if not more, to be on the safe side) and you will receive a confirmation email. On the day of your ticket, you must head to Battery Park to retrieve your pre-paid ticket. Your ticket will have a time on it. You can take an earlier ferry; you just can’t go up the crown prior to the time on your ticket. The security for the ferry is similar to airport security and will take time. Stay on the top of the ferry on the way over to get the great views and then on the ferry to Ellis Island and back to the city stay near the entrance for easy access on and off

On the ferry ride over.

The climb to the crown is awesome and not too strenuous, but definitely a bit claustrophobic on the way up and down. You’ll need to leave your belongings in a locker and you are only allowed to take your phone and some water to the top. It is 100% worth the extra cost and exercise.

View from the top. Her tablet says “July 4, 1776”

The stairs up…and down

You can see the wave of her robe as you climb up to the top!

Food options are pricey and limited but tasty enough on Liberty Island. You’ll need to take another ferry to Ellis Island. There are ranger led tours by the hour and I would recommend one of those over the video that we watched. Ellis Island is huge and by the time we got there we were pretty tired. I wish we had had more energy to explore.

There was something special about walking around those halls and imagining my ancestors being processed through them. It was a pretty spectacular day with my brother and I’d like to think that my grandfather was smiling down on us as we shared his love of family and charting our family tree by visiting genealogy’s hallowed ground. Although we did not have the time to search for any family records, I was humbled visiting both islands and inspired to get this blog going again!! I know my poppy would be proud.

We made it to the top and all that sunshine is our poppy shining down on us!

Love spending time with my brother. Note the waves behind us are the waves in Lady Liberty’s hair.