Mundus Casus Pars Duo

  Thursday 29 May to Friday 30 May 2005 The last thing in Chicago on Flashy’s list was Navy Pier, done last night. Dead as a doornail last time he was here in September 2007 and not much different last night either. It is a very long and beautifully constructed building in brick, with neat garden approaches and very clean. This description could be applied to many of the attractions we have visited this trip. It’s really a big food hall with outside amusement park for kids, including a carousel and Ferris wheel. Or, according tour architectural boat guide, a Chicago wheel, as this engineering masterpiece was invented by Mr George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. for the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition. Thursday was a late start and off to the airport for another short but unimpressive United Airlines flight to Buffalo. So far, we have been in the states of Texas, Florida, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Illinois and now in New York. From Buffalo airport we grab a VW Jetta and...

  Wednesday 28 May 2025 Last night we went off in search of more of Flashy’s 2007 visit spots. His blog says he went to the Intercontinental Hotel. He remembers the night well. A long bar. Flights of wines and chocolates. A marriage proposal from a nervous bloke next to him to the cute server behind the bar. She said yes. The bar is now Casa Chi, a Peruvian bar/restaurant. The long bar is now short and curved. Luckily, the door chick assured him that 20 years ago it was a wine bar. So, we have revisited the right place. The Venezuelan server mixed a gin and tonic and a dry martini. Average. The Chinese lass sitting beside us ordered a Pisco Sour, which came with bubbles from a neat little bubble maker. We assumed it wasn’t dishwashing liquid! Next stop was a revisit to Volare Italian Restaurant. Last time it was pretty special Chicago Italian. Flashy had Spaghetti Marinara then. The real stuff. No seafood, just tomato. This time, on arrival he spots the very table he had in the...

  Monday 26 May Up very early for a 7.00 am departure on indifferent United Airlines to Chicago. Our hotel is the St Clare, 162E Ontario St and uncannily close to Flashy’s stay in Chicago in 2007. Trying to recreate that trip has stretched his memory a bit. Vague images of bars and restaurants float in and out. Then, in a flash of genius, he finds his old diary and can confirm dinner at Volare, lunch at Joe’s Seafood and good drinks at the Intercontinental; visit to Navy Pier and a cruise on the river. So, a bit of a plan is emerging. After Flashy puts his foot down, we take an Uber from the airport to the hotel. Amazing really. Two steps out of the terminal into a comfortable car; two steps out at the hotel into a warm reception; no one coughing on you and a nice man - Esteban, to lift and tote the many bags. Our driver is from Colombia, South America. Using his extensive English and Flashy’s Spanish, we revert instantly to Google translate. Apparently, he is an illegal alie...

  Sunday 25 May Still great weather, so a trip around the lakes by boat is planned. However, first off is a trip to the Seattle Space Needle. This is a large spire like building, looking like something out of My Favourite Martian TV show, which of course, was aired about a year after the Needle was finished (1962). Smart move to beat the long weekend crowds that were gathering as we were leaving.  Then, into the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition, an exhibit in the Seattle Center directly next to the Space Needle, showcasing the studio glass of Dale Chihuly. This was a spectacular display of coloured glass sculptures. Then the 2 hour long boat trip took us on a leisurely cruise to see Seattle from the water. By now the sun was out in force and Flashy retreated indoors with a beer. Seattle Space Needle Chihuly Glass Garden

  Tuesday and Wednesday 20 & 21 May 2025 It was overcast with a little drizzle on our drive to the west coast on Tuesday. Heading to Florence first, we stopped at a cute seaside old town of Suislaw, where we purchased some trinkets and had a good IPA at a little bar on the street. At Yachats, further north, the fried scallops, fish, prawns and chips from the Luna Sea Fish House, were shared and delicious. Then, north along the Pacific coast to Newport. Here, one of the party went for a walk on the beach while the other did some research at Nanas Irish Pub. Home east to Eugene along very well made American roads, through pine, spruce and fir forests. Wednesday was a trip to downtown to see what Eugene had to offer. Not much of a downtown as it turns out. We did find Fifth Street Market and managed to have a beer and share some burnt ends brisket with fries, sitting on the terrace in the sunshine. A long walk around town saw us find a barber for Flashy as well. Then up the hi...

  Monday 19 May 2025 Today we headed off to find six historic, covered bridges. These wooden structures are made from Oregon Pine and are a beautiful example of a time when lumber was cheap and plentiful. Oregon Pine itself is magnificent timber. Brownish pink, with a distinctive sweet smell, it came in the 1800’s, in 20-30 foot lengths, milled in 6”x6” and larger sections and bolted together on the bridges with ½” bolts. The mystery of why they were covered with hut like structures and named after people, actually turns out to be boring, really. You will note of course, that most bridges are named after a prominent person; sometimes even a place. So, if you’re going to have your name on a bridge, it better look pretty good. The covered bridges are not overly ornate but the carpentry is very good. Hand cut and nailed, too. Their primary reason was to keep the snow, rain and sunshine off the timber beams, joists and planks, thereby extending their life from 10 years to 80. A n...

  Friday, Saturday, Sunday 16, 17, 18 May 2025 Just hanging around the house. Catching up on administration and watching the naughty squirrel come down the fence, steal a ripe strawberry from the garden, race back up the fence, then eat it with a smirk on its face. Had a beer at a bar near home on Friday. Great IPA. I was going to have a Sergeant Pepper cocktail until is saw that it had 1-15 mg of hoochy coochy in it. Oregon has a very relaxed law on Mary Jane and there are ageing hippies in lots of places and that smell like the paddock is on fire wafting about at the markets. Saturday, we went to the main Eugene Farmers Market. Vert good too. Great international (read Mexican, mainly) food, pizza by the slice – very good and a 60’s, Eagles-like band playing live. Long hair, sideburns and bell bottoms. Must have dropped into a worm hole. Sunday is more planning and bookings for Seattle, Chicago, Niagara and then on to Boston, via somewhere in the north east. Typical bar. The T...

  Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15May 2025 The hire car (a Nissan SUV) from the CBD depot and the I-5 drive to Eugene all fell into place easily. A stop for lunch at Chipotle Mexican Restaurant just out of Portland, to meet Sue Needham’s brother was a nice interlude, then on to meet Barbara and Bruce and the cat Jackson for our stay for the next eight days. It is out of town a bit in a leafy suburb and a nicely renovated 60’s three bedroom place on a large block. On their recommendation, we went to a farmer’s stall on Thursday for some magnificent fruit and vegetables and to a nearby supermarket for additional supplies for the week. Jackson the cat. Image says it all.

  Monday 12 May 2025 Our hotel is the Mark Spencer, right in the middle of downtown and another brick building built around 1900. It is basic but clean and comfortable. The plan today, since we only have a couple of days in Portland, is to do a loop on the tram (streetcar), south then east across the river, north to the top and west again and south back to the hotel. A good plan. It starts off with breakfast at Cheryl's. Shazza, Flashy calls it. Well, Cheryl's is an American diner with a Mexican twist. Amazing menu and good filter coffee. Lady P says the cappuccino is also good. They have a monster coffee machine. The staff is large and mostly Hispanic. We look for ICE officers, but all is OK. A stress free breakfast of a shared Portuguese rice dish is excellent. I don’t get it either - Portuguese?. The best laid plans fail when the streetcar stops for road works and a bus is needed. We don’t quite get it and end up on a loop up north and back south and give up. Saw a lot o...

  Saturday 10 May 2025 Having the car has been handy and today we went into the Denver Farmers Market, set up in a park next to a high school. There must have been a hundred stalls selling all manner of meat, bread, fruit and vegetables, along with the various food stalls. Very crowded with young people and dogs but very well behaved and polite. The people were OK, too. Then a walk to the Denver Botanical Gardens, only to discover that it was their annual plant sale. Hundreds of people out and about in glorious sunshine. A retreat to Zorbas Greek Restaurant just down the hill was well worth it. Sidewalk tables under blue umbrellas and we needed a couple of Bud Lights. The decision to share a falafel – 'we’ll only have one with the beer and take the rest home -ha.' They were so good we had them all. We did observe the return of gigantic serves at the restaurant, so glad we only had the appetizer of four falafels, tzatziki, hummous, and salad. Home to eat out the fridge and l...

  Friday 9 May 2025 Another sunny day here. No wind. We’re in the leafy eastern suburbs as the Melbournians would say, except that the main streets are wide, tree lined boulevards. Lady P has devised a full itinerary today and we Uber into town to the Denver Art Museum, which is a collection of art spaces over seven and four floors, connected by a glass bridge, in the centre of the civic and government area. Downtown Denver's architecture is a mix of historical grandeur and modern innovation, showcasing a variety of styles from ornate Beaux-Arts to sleek contemporary designs. It's characterized by iconic buildings like Denver Union Station, the Colorado State Capitol Building, and the Brown Palace Hotel. A great many feature classic materials like ornate red brick. Then there's Yule marble, granite, and sandstone. Newer skyscrapers with glass and steel facades are prominent, reflecting Denver's growth and development.  Metro Denver has ...