We were in Italy a year ago, and I’ve been thinking about the trip and the stories I still want to tell.
The Lion
I recently posted a photo of the bronze winged lion that towers above Venice’s main square, Piazza San Marco.
Because the mythical creature is the symbol of St. Mark/San Marco, who is the patron saint of Venice, it has come to also represent the city itself. (And you can spot winged lions all over the place!)
I found 5 Arizona museums – 1 in Tucson and 4 in the Phoenix area – that I’ve visited and would recommend. They’re listed below in alphabetical order, followed by a few bonus suggestions from Indiana, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
There are cactus and succulent galleries, a wildflower trail, a contemplation garden, exhibits on historical peoples of the Sonoran Desert, cafes with patio seating, and art sprinkled throughout. Located in Papago Park near the Phoenix Zoo, it beautifully showcases the plants of the Arizona desert and is one of the top places I recommend to Phoenix visitors.
Another place at the top of my Phoenix must-see list is the Heard Museum!
It’s an extensive museum of American Indian art, culture, and history, focusing on the tribes of the Southwest. They display both traditional and contemporary art, including jewelry, ceramics, katsina dolls, and textiles. There is also an immersive exhibit on the Indian boarding school experience.
Tucson’s MOCA hosts rotating contemporary art exhibitions in an airy space converted from an old fire station. They also have a fabulous little gift shop with jewelry, prints, and gift items by local artists.
Conner Prairie in Central Indiana is a living history museum that I loved visiting as a kid! I remember candle-dipping demonstrations and sitting in on a lesson in an old-timey one-room schoolhouse. Even though I haven’t been there in years, it made me smile to see it on the Museum Day list.
The Experience Music Project (EMP) was recently re-named the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). It makes sense, because, while they do have an atrium devoted to constantly-playing music videos (“Sky Church”), a towering guitar sculpture, and galleries for Seattle legends like Jimi Hendrix and Nirvana, there are also exhibitions on sci-fi, video games, fantasy genre archetypes, and other subjects besides music.
Housed within a striking building designed by Frank O. Gehry, MoPOP is located at Seattle Center, near the Space Needle.
Washington, DC–
I think DC’s lesser-known museums can sometimes get lost in the shadows of the more imposing, free-admission Smithsonian Museums on the National Mall. If the cost of admission is what’s keeping you away, then Museum Day is a great opportunity to finally visit!
I very much wanted to visit the Newseum while we were in DC, but I just couldn’t fit it in. It’s a museum about the news, specifically how breaking stories are covered and the importance of a free press.
The Regata Storica (‘historical regatta”) is a centuries-old tradition that takes place on the Grand Canal of Venice every September. The main event is made up of four different rowing races, as well as a parade of decorated boats with costumed passengers.
I was looking forward to watching it during our trip last year and did some research ahead of time to find out what to expect.
Despite all the travel articles and books and forums I read to prepare, I ended up way off about some major things…
1. It’s more of a local event and not big with tourists. [FALSE]
Maybe it was what I had read about neighborhood groups decorating parade boats. Or the fact that the races are the height of Venice’s competitive rowing season. Or about locals packing picnics and watching the Regata from their own boats. Or the fact that it’s not a recently-concocted event – it spans back to the days of the Republic.
Maybe it was all those things put together. But somehow I got the impression that the Regata Storica was a matter of Venetian city pride that wasn’t really on the radar for outsiders.
The reality, though, is that the word is definitely out. It was not the quaint, mostly-local event I had envisioned. Instead, on the Sunday of the Regata Storica, the city’s streets swelled with swarms of sightseers.
Which I did not expect and which is directly related to another misconception I had…
2. It would be easy to find a spot to watch the Regata. [NOPE]
While you can pay to watch the Regata from a seat in kind of a floating grandstand, the general consensus seemed to be that the reserved seats weren’t really worth the price – especially when you have the option to watch it for free.
Most people watch the Regata just like your hometown parade. It’s free to stand or sit along the main “street” (in this case, the Grand Canal).
On top of this, I had heard that people don’t really show up early to stake out a spot. So I was pretty sure we’d be able to just show up, find an unpopulated stretch, and plop ourselves down.
In fact, it seemed so much like a non-issue that Phillip and I decided to squeeze in some extra time at the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, even if it meant showing up a little late.
We even grabbed a quick bite, since it was approaching 4pm, and we hadn’t stopped for lunch.
By the time we went to look for a spot, the Regata was already well underway and spectators several deep crowded the edge of the canal.
We finally found a spot near a little gondola dock, where the crowd seemed slightly more sparse. And the people in front of us eventually left, opening up space on the ground for us to sit.
3. We’d have a clue what was going on. [STILL NO.]
Things I read kept going into all this detail about the different types of boats that would be racing – this kind has two adult rowers, that kind has two younger rowers, another kind has women racing in masks in tribute to the masked prostitute rowers of the past.
I just thought “okay, I get it. When I see boats with 2 people rowing, I’ll know they’re the kind of boats with 2 rowers.”
But I also thought it would be clear cut and obvious, one event after another. Instead, we came in the middle of it all, and it seemed all be happening at once – historic boats parading, racers (I’m not sure which ones) racing, and some random boats floating by too.
Somewhere there was a loudspeaker with a commentator speaking very fast Italian. I listened for the names of those different kinds of boats I’d been reading about, but the words all ran together.
It just underscores the fact that you can read all about something and still be surprised when you experience it firsthand.
And that’s a good reason to travel.
This week I’ve been watching the video I took, and, honestly, I’m still unsure about what exactly is going on when. But I’m glad we got to witness it.
That said, this year, Phillip and I will be making mimosas and watching the Regata from our living room.
– More Regata Storica Info –
The Regata Storica will take place tomorrow (Sunday, 9/2) at 4pm local time (and 7am here in Arizona).
I think the fantastical plants I kept seeing around San Diego are called “dragon trees”.
On the way back from Coronado Beach, I noticed the playful-looking shadows they cast on the sidewalk. So, once again, I stopped in my tracks to take a photo of the ground.
While I’ve never spent more than a few days at a time in San Diego, it’s been part of some very memorable trips.
We camped at a State Park just outside of town on the final night of our trip down the coast in 2012.
Back when Phillip worked for an airline, we flew in just for an afternoon once, because we could go for free.
Another time, we took the San Diego Trolley south to the end of the line. Did you know it goes all the way to the U.S.-Mexico border? We crossed over to visit friends in Tijuana.
Fast forward to this year. When Phillip and I decided we’d join my brother, sister-in-law, their kids, and my parents on their San Diego trip in July, I started thinking about previous trips and what I’d want to see and do again. Continue reading “San Diego Sights Worth a Second Trip”
