Final voyage of the battleship USS Iowa from Berth 51 to its new home at Berth 87 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA where it opened as a museum ship in July 2012.
When the historic battleship USS Iowa was tugged away from Berth 51 in San Pedro to its new permanent home at Berth 87 on Saturday, it carried not only the memory of the thousands of Navy seamen who served aboard the ship, but some of the men themselves. Ninety-two-year-old Bob Dedic was part of the original crew when the ship was commissioned in 1940, and was back again for this final voyage. So were other veterans and active Navy sailors who served on the ship during its 50-year tenure until it was decommissioned in 1990. There were also active Navy and Navy Sea Cadets as young as 14 all spruced up in their dress whites.
Volunteers with the Pacific Battleship Center reel in the chains for the final voyage of the battleship USS Iowa from Berth 51 to its new home at Berth 87 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA
Dignitaries on board included Congresswoman Janice Hahn and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, both beaming with pride in bringing the future museum ship to Los Angeles. I can tell you they were beaming, because I was on board too, along with a passel of TV crews, journalists and photographers invited to document and share this last hurrah.
Rescued from mothballs where she had been languishing in the Bay Area, the ship made the full 400 mile voyage to San Pedro under the push-pull of a team of tug boats, arriving in Los Angeles on May 30, 2012. She got a bottom scrubbing to remove any potentially invasive species or contaminants before being cleared for the final tow to her new home.
Tugboats provide power and LA City Fire Boats provide fanfare fountains for the final voyage of the battleship USS Iowa from Berth 51 to its new home at Berth 87 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA
The volunteer crew from the Pacific Battleship Center cast off the chains and we set underway for the short journey accompanied by the twin brigantines Exy and Irving Johnson, as well as the tall ship the Spirit, sailing only under one sail to keep her speed down to ours. Two LA City Fire Boats at the bow and stern spouted water streams to martial arrangements of Anchors Away and Oh Shenandoah (an off choice, I thought) creative a festive spirit as we pulled away from land. A few dozen other sail boats, yachts and motorboats joined in the parade.
Final voyage of the battleship USS Iowa from Berth 51 to its new home at Berth 87 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA where it opened as a museum ship in July 2012.
Along our path, close to 1000 people had gathered along the waterfront to welcome the USS Iowa to her new home. Our destination was only a mile away, but to add a little grandeur to the event, as well as better photo opportunities for us and the news ‘copters above, we paraded up the channel under the Vincent Thomas Bridge, where we paused briefly before resuming our tow in the reverse direction.
Teenage Navy Sea Cadets in the Color Guard for the final voyage of the battleship USS Iowa from Berth 51 to its new home at Berth 87 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA where it openwd as a museum ship in July 2012.
Technical difficulties docking meant that we got to enjoy the marching band and cheering crowd that welcomed us from captive positions on the deck while Randy Newman’s I love LA blared from the ship’s speakers. Due to the delay, the young Sea Cadets never got to present the Color Guard during the truncated award ceremonies as proclamations and awards changed hands. They didn’t seem to mind. Having stood their posts proudly as the ship found its new home, they became part of history, documented by TV and news cameras and yours truly for posterity.
Final voyage of the battleship USS Iowa from Berth 51 to its new home at Berth 87 in San Pedro, Los Angeles, CA where it opened as a museum ship in July 2012.
The USS Iowa is open to the public as a museum ship. For information and tickets, visit pacificbattleship.com.
I’m a picky eater. I’ll admit it. I eat a wide diversity of cuisines, but there are a lot of particular flavors I don’t like. Nevertheless, I still enjoy trying all kinds of different things, just in case I discover something new and wonderful to eat. It’s also hard to discuss the merits of a particular food if I haven’t tried it. This is what motivated me to join the Tastebud Tours “Flavors” Tour of Chicago this week with my friend and fellow travel writer, Lanora Mueller.
Owner Lynn Jaynes doesn’t go out on every tour (several are simultaneous, so that would be impossible), but he came out to give us a little extra background and history of Tastbud Tours, which he started with his wife Karon after finding himself out of a job. The Chicago offerings have expanded to 4 different tasting tours, and the company now also offers tours in New Orleans.
Owner Lynn Jaynes talks to guests on a Tastebuds Tour of Chicago in the back room at Pizano’s Pizza
Our meeting spot was Pizano’s on State Street, not to be confused with the other Pizano’s on East Madison where another tour was departing. Although both restaurants are owned by the Malnati family, this Pizano’s, Rudi’s place, is where Mama comes in every morning and makes the crust and where Oprah has a favorite table in the back room where she can see who’s coming in the front door.
Our guide, Annalynn in front of Pizano’s Pizza on the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
Our first tastes of the day are samples of deep dish and thin crust pizza, one with sausage and one with cheese. It’s my first taste of authentic Chicago deep dish pizza. Guess what. I didn’t like pizza when I came through the door. I still don’t like pizza. But I’m glad I had a chance to try it without risking a meal on it. It’s a great room, with cool wall murals and traditional red checked table cloths, and there’s a good chance I would like some other things on the menu. By the way, the pizza-loving tour guests seemed to enjoy the pizza just fine.
Pizano’s Pizza on the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
Our guide for the day, Annalynn, led us off down the street following her pizza-paddle Tastebud Tours sign. A zig-zag path down Delaware, Rush and Oak street landed us at Sarah’s Bakery, where we sampled her gooey chocolate fudge brownies, and birthday-girl Debbie received a customized cupcake to go.
Fudge brownie at Sarah’s Pastries on the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
Our third culinary experience was one I was looking forward to with both anticipation and trepidation. Downtown Dogs was our destination for the famed Chicago hot dog. We settled in next door at the owner’s other establishment, the Pippin’s pub, and Annalynn distributed our dogs. Since the idea is to taste it the traditional Chicago way, you don’t get a choice of condiments. This hound comes with mustard, onions, colored green relish, hot peppers, a long slice of dill pickle and celery salt on a poppy seed bun.
A Chicago Hot Dog on the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, ILA Chicago Hot Dog on the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
I dislike mustard intensely, and a dill pickle can ruin just about anything. For that matter, I consider hot dogs a food of last resort. So you might wonder why I even bothered to bring this monstrosity to my lips. But you never know. Sometimes combining a bunch of things I don’t like actually creates something edible. In this case, the hot peppers numbed my taste buds enough that I could actually eat several bites (OK, I ditched the pickle after the first bite), and sort of enjoy the combination of flavors, if only as a novelty. The celery salt is an ingenious touch.
With the primary Chicago food icons behind us, we headed to Heaven on Seven, a bit of New Orleans with Chicago roots. I’ll choose gumbo or jambalaya over a hot dog or pizza every time, so this one was a pretty safe bet for me, and I was not disappointed. There are three outlets for this establishment, created by Chef Jimmy Bannos, a Windy City native who went to culinary school in NOLA and brought his love of Cajun cooking home.
Guests check out some of the hundreds of hot sauce varieties at Heaven on Seven on the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
We made our way to the lower level of Michigan Avenue, where there were no trolls under the bridge guarding the landmark Billy Goat Tavern. It was a goat that fell off a truck and wandered in, not a Grimm fairytale that led to the name.
A tour guide talks to guests in front of the Billy Goat Tavern on a Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
The 1964 reincarnation of the original diner with it’s fluorescent-lit bar still serves coffee for 50 cents in addition to its famous “cheezborgers.” There’s nothing too special about the burger, (although the bun is better than average) but the place is a classic step back in time, and the 50 cent coffee is pretty good.
The final stop on the “Flavors” tour is the historic Allerton Hotel, where the pastry chef creates an original desert for every tour, so you never know what to expect. Our sweet treat was a chocolate/white chocolate mousse, enjoyed in the comfy lounge, where we lingered to rest our feet after an upstairs visit to the Tip Top Tap room which hosted many a famed singer and comedian in an early radio show.
Chocolate/White Chocolate Mousse at the Allerton Hotel during the Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
Between the varied tastes, Annalynn regaled us with tales of the landmarks we passed, sharing stories of the Chicago Fire and its few surviving buildings. We also took a peek at the Tea Room and the Gold Coast ballroom at the Drake Hotel.
Tour guide leads guests on a Tastebud Tours food tour of Chicago, IL
Fortunately, my pleasure in trying new things trumps my picky taste buds, and I enjoyed all the new experiences and learning the history of Chicago and some of its traditional flavors along the way. It was a great way to get to try a lot of foods I wouldn’t normally order and step outside my taste comfort zone. The rain even held off until we wrapped up the tour, although it came down so suddenly, that Lanora and I ducked back in to Pippins on the way back to the car to escape the deluge.
Tastebuds Tours offers several daytime and evening food tours of Chicago with different themes. For more information and to book a tour, go to tastebudtours.com.
Even though I write for Rainy Day Traveler, I prefer that it doesn’t rain when I’m on the road. It just makes the trip all around easier. But since I do travel for Rainy Day Traveler, I at least pack appropriate rain gear to go out and get the story. So waking up at the Majestic Palace Hotel in Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil and looking out my 14th floor window at the lashing rain, I think to myself, what a perfect day for covering things to do in Florianopolis in the rain.
Despite being the state capitol, Florianopolis, or Floripa to locals, doesn’t have any large museums, usually a safe bet in inclement weather.
The Beiramar Shopping Mall is just across from the hotel, but there is no challenge in that. So I circle on my tourist map all the tiny museums and landmarks that look like they might provide at least a few moments respite from the deluge. With my heavy duty rain poncho covering both me and my backpack, and my camera in its own rain jacket, I go forth.
A Rainy Night View from the Majestic Palace Hotel in Florianopolis
Under clear skies I would walk the distance to my first stop, but I am happy to have a taxi drop me off at the Sant’Anna Fort and Arms Museum, also known as the Museu da Policia Militar. The one-room fortress, with a strategic row of canons overlooking the North Bay at the foot of the Hercilio Luz Bridge manages to keep me dry for all of about 15 minutes. With a couple dozen antique weapons and a couple military uniforms on display, I am more interested in capturing the dreary view across the bay to the other side of this divided city.
Museo de Armas Major Antonio de Lara Ribas, Florianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Santa Catarina Island is a stretch of Atlantic rainforest about 6 by 18 miles with 42 beaches and a freshwater lake. Florianopolis is situated mostly on the island, with another chunk of the city over the bridge on the mainland. Stretches of beach backed by high rise buildings face each other across the bay. Beyond the city limits, more laid back beaches, fishing villages, high end resorts, and some remaining stretches of forest line the many miles of coast.
Although one of the most popular tourist destinations for South Americans, this bit of paradise is relatively undiscovered by US travelers aside from a few surfers who make their way here for some of the continent’s best waves. Other tourists on such a miserable day head to the malls and bars. Not I.
Florianopolis is a modern city built up around a colonial core. Even if there were a taxi available outside the old fort, which there isn’t, it makes more sense to walk the few blocks to the heart of Old Floripa. Once I reach the pedestrian zone, I take advantage of each overhang and shop entrance to pause and frame a photo of the passing parade of umbrellas. I stroll through the Public Market, where the restaurants and bars between fish vendors, butchers and produce stalls are bustling with weather escapees.
People at a bar inside the Public Market in “Old Floripa”, Santa Catarina, Brazil
After a quick look into Sao Francisco Church, where half a dozen devout souls line the pews on this weekday morning, I reach my intended goal, the Museu Historico de Santa Catarina in the Palacio Cruz e Souza.
The former Palace of the Governor, now named after a famous local poet, is small as palaces go, but it’s the largest museum in town. The colonial building in candy pink and white was built in the mid-18th century and expanded over the years. You can see remnants of the earliest part of the stone and wood-beam structure downstairs in contrast to the ornate parquet floors and elaborately painted bas-relief ceilings upstairs. My Spanish comes in handy to read the descriptions of the furnishings and help me interpret what the creative English translation is supposed to say.
Museu Historico de Santa Catarina in the Palacio Cruz e Souza
The tour of the Palace takes less than an hour and I am back outside on the Praca 15 do Novembro, also known as Fig Square. When I was here a couple days ago, the benches around the giant fig tree in the square were filled with people. Known as the “wishing tree,” local lore says that if you make a wish and walk around the tree seven times, your wish will come true – or you’ll win the lottery, or meet the man of your dreams…depending on which local you ask. In any case, I did my seven laps on my first visit.
Now the the plaza around the hundred-year-old tree is abandoned except for a few hurried souls rushing past under umbrellas. The lack of crowds and the sheen of pooled water show off the designs of ships, fish and abstract characters on the black and white mosaic paths. A plaque on a wall tells me in Portuguese that the figures, representing local traditions, were created in 1965 by an artist named Hassis.
Speaking of artists, a bright splash of yellow that catches my eye turns out to be a painting that has been abandoned on a bench. A big yellow sun is rising or setting over a vibrant green sea with several small islands peaking up through the water, one supporting a single tree. A line from Macarthur Park pops into my head “someone left a cake out in the rain”…but the oil or acrylic on wood painting isn’t melting. Despite the drops of rain bouncing off its surface, its sun continues to shine brilliantly, brightening my day.
After a quick peak inside the Cathedral, I have one more stop on my list of things to do when it rains in Floripa, so I head for the Victor Meirelles Birthplace and Museum.
I know I’m close, but get a bit turned around when I find myself in front of a building that identifies itself on one side of the door as the Centro Cultural de Florianapolis, Archivo Historico Municipal, Galeria Municipal de Artes and Memorial Meyer Filho. I check my tourist map and find none of those listed. On the other side of the door under a colorful shield reads Prefeitura Municipal de Florianapolis, Secretaria da Administracao and Arquivo Historico. It’s not on the list of landmarks and attractions, but I find a yellow triangle on my map with the word Prefeitura. Now that I know where I am in relation to Victor Meirelles, I’m more curious about what’s inside the Florianopolis Cultural Center and Municipal Art Gallery AKA City Hall, so Victor can wait.
Inside, two local women are sitting at a folding table with a display of books. They turn out to be poets Janice de Bittencourt Pavan and Lorena Maria Tomasi Chiaradia who are putting in a volunteer shift selling books by local authors, including their own volumes of poetry.
Janice de Bittencourt Pavan and Lorena Maria Tomasi Chiaradia at the Florianopolis Cultural Center.
They direct me upstairs to the Pedro Paolo Vecchietti Municipal Art Gallery, where I find a temporary exhibit by Brazilian artist Antonio Vargas entitled Sushi with Mayonnaise. I raise my eyebrows at the age restrictions posted at the door.When I see the paintings incorporating graphic sex scenes among the kimono-clad characters in classical Japanese landscapes, I no longer wonder.
Back downstairs, I stop to chat with the ladies at the table, putting off leaving the shelter of the Cultural Center for a few more minutes. Lorena speaks Spanish, so I have no trouble communicating with her. Janice does not, so I try out the few words and phrases of Portuguese I’ve picked up over the last week in Brazil. With hand gestures and some creative guessing and translation assistance from Lorena, I answer their questions about what this American is doing in Florianopolis and why I am wandering around with a big camera in the rain.
When I ask for directions to the Museu Victor Mereilles, Janice decides it will be easier to show me. Since her shift is almost over, she leaves Lorena in charge and accompanies me the two blocks to the Meirelles Museum, but not before they each gift me with a volume of their precious poems.
Although located in a former home of the artist, there are no furnishings in the Victor Meirelles Museum, just a few rooms showing themed exhibits from the museum’s collection by the renowned local painter and one gallery with rotating paintings by other artists.
Victor Meirelles House Museum, Florianopolos, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Without Lorena to translate, it takes a little longer for Janice and I to communicate, but I eventually understand that Victor Mereilles’ most famous painting is currently on temporary exhibit across town at the Santa Catarina Art Museum. For me to be in town and not see this most wondrous exemplar of Meirelles ‘ work would be a shame, Janice insists. So she calls her husband, just getting off work, to come drive us across town to the art museum. Not seeming the least bit put out, he scoops us from in front of the Meirelles Museum and escorts us on our mission to see The First Mass of Brazil, The Rebirth of a Painting.
We walk through several empty galleries that seem to be between exhibits to reach The First Mass of Brazil, which is, in fact, the only painting on display at the Santa Catarina Museum of Art on our visit. The painting takes up most of one wall, with the rest of the gallery dedicated to documenting the process of restoring the work of art to its former and current glory. Meirelles has depicted a priest raising a chalice over a bedecked altar in front of a large wooden cross with forest and mountains in the background. A close circle of Portuguese monks, knights and explorers bowed in prayer is surrounded by curious painted Indians.
Having gorged our eyes on the miraculous Meirelles restoration, we walk across the lobby to the CIC, the Centro Integrado de Cultura, taking a quick glance at the photos on display on our way to our ultimate goal, the Cafe.
Over Brazilian coffee and pao de queijo (cheese bread balls), my limited Portuguese seems to work just fine to learn about Janice’s work as a professor of writing, her husband’s law practice and the aspirations of their children. At the end of our lovely interlude they return me to the Majestic Palace. We exchange emails in the manner of people who have no expectation of further communication, but find in the exchange a potential that maintains the cosmic connection.
After such an adventurous day, I don’t have the energy to make a big deal out of dinner, so after I drop off my backpack and camera, I give in to the proximity of the Beiramar Mall and head to the food court. The sound of acoustic jazz guitar greets me as I come up the escalator and I look over to see a young man playing to one side of the dining area. I grab a couple meat and veggie pastries from a bakery stand and settle into a table nearby.
There’s something about Portuguese that makes it an especially beautiful language to sing, and as the young man’s sultry voice joins the guitar, I’m hooked. I know I should get back and download photos, but I’m here. In Florianopolis. In Brazil. In a mall. Being serenaded by a handsome Brazilian with a velvet voice. And just for now, I’m not going anywhere.
