Canyon Spirit Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado

We spent the evening in the Hotel Indigo in Denver.  The Indigo is a contemporary upscale hotel in the heart of downtown Denver.  Union Station was directly across the street from the hotel building which was convenient.  We did not have breakfast at the hotel since the Canyon Spirit serves breakfast as the first order of the day.  We packed up our suitcases with their appropriate Canyon Spirit luggage tags and left them in the room. The next time we will see them will be in our room in Glenwood Springs, assuming everything goes according to plan. Spoiler alert: it did go according to plan!

Union station in Denver is a surprisingly busy rail station. We stood on the pedestrian bridge overlooking the tracks and watched the Canyon Spirit back into the platform where we would soon board to begin our journey.

We proceeded down the stairs to the boarding platform to the red carpet at the entrance to our car. Mike, our car attendant for the journey, took our tickets.  The train is spotless and gleaming. The windows were freshly washed and the flags on the entrance was a nice touch signifying we were about to embark upon a first-class journey.

Once we were on board, Mike gave us a welcome speech and introduced the rest of the attendants for our car. We have two cars at our disposal. The coach where we were seated and then the lounge car with snacks, a bar and comfortable sofas and chairs. Both cars featured sky view windows that were sparkling clean. First order of business as we pulled out of the station was our breakfast order as they served mimosas and a scone prequel to our meal.

A delicious mixed berry scone along with a champagne mimosa started our journey.

As the train makes its way through the rail yard outside Union Station, one of the first sights to catch our attention is One River Apartments. These striking luxury apartments are also somewhat controversial, thanks to their unusual glass exterior. Dramatic breaks in the façade are designed to evoke a Colorado slot canyon and a woodland ravine, giving the building a distinctly Colorado-inspired character.

Inside, the connection with nature continues. A landscaped trail winds across the sixth through eighth floors, with open-air walkways surrounded by lush plants and even a few waterfalls. And high above it all, the rooftop features an Alpine lake-style swimming pool, complete with sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains—a fitting touch for a building that brings a bit of the Colorado landscape right into the city.

As we continued outside of Denver we approach the Big Ten Curve.  This curve is a 270 degree circle in which the train begins the climb up the Rocky's.  The 10 refers to the 10 degree bend in the rail as it traverses the circle. 

This series of 10-degree curves allows the train to gain 4,000 feet of altitude over just 3 miles of track. The result is a remarkable vertical gain while covering a minimum distance on the ground.

Eventually, we reached an apex of 9,239 feet as we traveled through the 6.2-mile-long Moffat Tunnel.

The tunnel passes through the Continental Divide and was built in the early 1900s. A parallel tunnel is a water tunnel, bored by pioneers to transfer water from the Pacific watershed on the western slopes of the Rockies to the City of Denver on the east.

A linen table cloth was placed on our airline style tray and breakfast was served on the Pacific side of the Continental divide. The meals are themed to the Southwest which we are traveling through. I chose a Frittata which has roasted peppers, onions and cheese in the egg omelet and comes with a side of  tomatillo salsa.  Also on the plate were tri-color potatoes. I was more interested in the protein and really enjoyed the savory flavor.

Outside our window, we saw that we were passing through the Winter Park Ski resort. We are now at 9,000 feet of elevation.  

The landscape changed to Lodgepole pine and mountaneous terrain before the rock formations became ignacious in character as we met up with the Colorado River traveling along side the rail route as we twisted and turned through the steep walls of Beyers Canyon.

While we the tracks followed the Colorado River giving us great views of white water rapids and then other times seemingly peaceful stretches of gentle flowing river, we would ocassionlly see glimpses of I-70.

  

At this point I-70 crossed the river while we traveled under the Interstate Highway bridge.

The Shoshone Hydroelectric Dam was one of the last landmarks we passed on today’s journey before arriving in the charming town of Glenwood Springs.

As the train made its way into town, the Canyon Spirit attendants came down the aisle and handed each of us the keys to our assigned hotel room. What a wonderful convenience! There was no need to check in or wait for our luggage. We simply stepped off the train, crossed the street to the Anderson Hotel, and walked straight to our room. And, almost magically, our suitcases were already there waiting for us!

The Glenwood Springs Train Station which opened in 1904

Disembarking onto the red carpet on the Glenwood Springs train platform

Across the street from the Train Station was our hotel, the Hotel Anderson which is also called thr Hotel Denver

When we walked into our room, our suitcases were already there. How nice is this?

Out the window we had a view of the Train Station where we had disembarked from the Canyon Spirit.  The rail line is a busy line used by both Amtrak and freight so our train had to leave and spend the night in a rail yard

We took a walk through the attractive downtown of Glenwood Springs. A Farmers Market was in progress as we strolled along. Eventually we returned to the Hotel Anderson where we discovered that one of the restaurants was a brewery. We chose a table outside overlooking the train station and ordered a plate of buffalo wings to share and a couple of amber brews. This was the end of an enjoyable and relaxing day.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

At the base of the Space Needle in Seattle is the Chihuly Garden and Glass.  The exhibit was built in 2012 and consists of a Garden, Glass House, Cafe and Exhibit building featuring the best glass works of Dale Chihuly.

Entrance to Chihuly Garden and Glass at the base of the Space Needle

When we first walked into the exhibition building we were greeted by a neon glass display titled "Forest". The room was dimly lit which allowed the neon to give an eerie glow and perfect introduction of what we were to see in the following rooms.

Forest (neon glow)

Next stop after the Forest is the Northwest Room which is a tribute to the Native culture of the Pacific Northwest.  Colorful native weavings hang on the whole wall at the end of the room.

A  thick long slab of polished sawmill lumber extends from the room entrance to the wall of weavings on the other side.  This piece of wood is the perfect object to represent the Northwest and is used to showcase several Chihuly forms.

A single Slab of beautiful Polished Wood runs through the center of the room used as a table for the glass work

Some of the artists early experiments with baskets and colors are in this room.

Glass Basket designs

detail of experiments with glass baskets

In the center of the next room we encounter a 15 foot tower representing the sea life in nearby Puget Sound.  The room is titled "Sealife" room and besides the centerpiece of the glass tower contains various glass representations of sea life.

Fifteen foot high tower of Puget Sound Sea Life

detail "Sea Life"

detail "Sea Life"

Pacific Bonsai Museum

On a typical Seattle morning we set out in the overcast skies and light rain to walk along the Seattle waterfront and admire the Sculpture Garden which is overseen by the Seattle Museum of Art.

From the conveniently placed walking bridge over the train tracks on a rainy Sunday morning

View from the waterfront Seattle Sculpture Garden

The walk through the garden was short but our goal was achieved.  We needed to avoid the baseball and football games which were taking place in stadiums downtown.   The price of Uber was 300% higher during the time before the games so we needed to wait a little for all the Sports Fans to get to where they were going.  Personally I thought looking at Bonsai in the rain at the Pacific Bonsai Museum was a better choice for a Sunday afternoon.  

Pacific Bonsai Museum

In 1989 Weyerhaeuser Corporation opened the Bonsai collection as a symbol of the company connecting people and it's forest resources.  In 2013 they donated the entire property and collection to a newly formed non-profit, The Pacific Bonsai Museum  The Museum has the mission of connecting people to nature through the living art of bonsai.

Located about 25 miles South of downtown Seattle, the collection is nicely nestled in a conifer woods.  As we arrived in a seemingly remote location we were unsure if we would be able to get an Uber ride back to the city.

The museum grounds were designed by the architectural firm Hoshide Wanzer and consist of an open maze of neutral walls that form effective backdrops for the plants.  Contained within the maze are a collection of 150 bonsai specimens from all over the world.

For our visit the museum was featuring a recurring theme of "Principles of Design".  Attractive posters featured design elements such as Movement, Shape, Rhythm, Form and Proportion.

Principles of Design Poster featuring "Shape"

Favorites

With 150 bonsai specimens to choose from it can be hard to find a favorite.  I found a few that appealed to me.  Of course each person has a different perspective and idea of which plant is a favorite.  In the greenhouse just before the outdoor collection is this Banyan.  The artist found this plant growing under a wall where it was beginning to damage it.  The plant was cut away from the wall but interestingly new roots began to form.  Artist Rong Yiao Xie placed a section of the tree on it's side and trained sprouts from the live roots into individual trees.

Chinese Banyan bonsai since 1985 

The following Coast Redwood by Toichi Domito has been under bonsai since 1967.  I like it because it looks like a real Redwood that should be growing in a forest of Redwoods.

Coast Redwood bonsai since 1967

Another favorite in a section of trees that suggest Movement is this Tucker Oak.  The leaves are Holly like but the species is Oak.

Tucker Oak bonsai since 1940

The landscaping surrounding the maze walls of the Bonsai garden are landscaped to reflect the bonsai specimens they contain.  An example of the beautiful complementary landscaping is here:

As we leave the garden there was this very large bonsai, over 6 feet tall, a Trident Maple.

Trident Maple

Disney World Grand Floridian

Grounds of the Grand Floridian

In a last minute decision we decided to go to the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World in Florida.  Even though we were staying  on the Florida West Coast 2 hours away in Sarasota, FL we chose to find accommodations inside the park at Walt Disney World, something that we had never done before.  On the Walt Disney World website I found that at this late date there were no rooms available on Disney property.  By chance I checked Priceline.com and found that we could get a room for 2 nights at the Grand Floridian with Palm Club access for $750 per night.  The Grand Floridian is Disney's premiere resort hotel and is on the monorail line.  At the time I did not know what Palm Club access was but we booked the room anyway.
The Palm Club is the upper 3 floors of the Grand Floridian and includes amenities such as private lounge areas, a private concierge desk, free wine, beer and liqueur as well as specialty prepared hors d'oeuvres available all afternoon and into the evening.  It also includes a very nice continental breakfast in the morning.  The artistically presented hors d'oeuvres alone were a sight to behold.

Grand Floridian Lobby

We arrived at the Grand Floridian in the early morning since we wanted to spend the day in the park and take advantage of the free parking for hotel guests.  The valet took our suitcases and put them in storage until our room was ready which wouldn't be until the afternoon.  In the meantime we were invited to go upstairs to the Palm level to take advantage of the Palm Club offerings which we did.  We admired the beautiful lobby and all the arrangements of fresh flowers before finding the elevators that allowed us to use our "Magic Bands" to access the upper floors which were the members only Palm Club level. We went up and had some complementary coffee and pastries before walking to the Grand Floridian platform and getting on the monorail for our day in the park.

Monorail approaching Grand Floridian Station

One of the big advantages of staying at the Grand Floridian Resort is convenient monorail access from the hotel station to the Parks. A short monorail ride to the transportation center and then onto another monorail and we were at the gates of Epcot.

About mid-afternoon as we were admiring the topiaries we got a text that our room was ready.  This was a great time to have a glass of wine, sample some of the Grand Floridian's legendary Hors D'oeuvres and leave the topiaries behind.

One of the more than 100 topiaries at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

New Orleans

Feb 22, 2017 Morning

Mardi Gras is approaching and 2 New Orleans natives that we know through our Ballroom Dance Studio in Cary, NC arranged for a trip to Mardi Gras.  A big thanks to Sharon and Darryl for finding things for us that we never would have been able to discover on our own.

We were staying in Sarasota, Florida for the Winter thus we chose to fly from Tampa instead of driving home to Raleigh to fly with the rest of the group.  As luck would have it, Southwest Florida has been experiencing a drought.  The only rain in several weeks happened the morning of our flight.  It did not impact us much other than a bumpy flight and our decision to choose to park at the Tampa Terminal instead of dealing with suitcases and a shuttle bus in the rain.  Tampa is one of those airports where you can park in a parking garage directly above the ticketing and check-in.  A simple elevator ride down puts you into the Airlines check in area.  Since it was an early morning drive to the airport we did not have breakfast yet so we unfortunately chose to have breakfast in the Southwest Air gate area.  At Quiznos we had one of the worst breakfast sandwiches ever.  Reheated egg product on a soggy and chewy biscuit that was microwaved and served with instant coffee.  I have never had a worse breakfast experience.

After the short on-time (thank you Southwest Airlines) flight to Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans we tried Uber for the first time. This was a very positive experience.  After entering our destination, the Blake Hotel on St Charles, the Uber app calculated our fare at $33 and debited our credit card when I pressed the "request" button.  The on screen app gave us our driver's name, Jamie, a car description and license number.  From the Uber app a map showed where our driver was located as she made her way to our pickup point.

Blake Hotel, St Charles, New Orleans

We had a hotel in a great location on St Charles where all the parades travel and also convenient to the French Quarter for our entertainment and dining needs. Because we arrived mid morning I wasn't sure if we could check in yet but they accommodated us and gave us a room.  Our first order of business was a walk into the French Quarter on Royal St for Beignets and Coffee.  We couldn't wait to get covered with powdered sugar.  We went to a small cafe, the Cafe Beignet, with outdoor seating in an enclosed courtyard.  Outside on the sidewalk, which was on the  other side of the iron fence surrounding the courtyard a gentleman was singing and playing near our table.  Welcome to New Orleans!  There is music everywhere.

Beignets and Coffee!!!