Art Fair Philippines is the premier platform for exhibiting modern and contemporary Philippine visual art. Only on its second year, this year’s fair already features twenty-eight of the country’s foremost contemporary art galleries and seven solo exhibitions. Held at The Link in Makati City from February 19 to 23, 2014.
Not necessarily in one sitting, in one day, nor in that order! Brunch with a view: Caroline’s Seaside Cafe is located in the UC San Diego Scripps Institute of Oceanography campus in La Jolla. Set in a relaxed contemporary interior design, the cafe and patio offers a view of the ocean (and the surfers). Owned by chef Giuseppe Ciuffa, the cafe serves brunch on weekends and is also open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays. Two food spots featured in restauranteur Guy Fieri’s TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives are Haggo’s Organic Taco and Spirito’s Italian Diner. Haggo’s in Leucadia…
Luckily, there is no sign of the polar vortex in Southern California! The small affluent coastal city of Del Mar (“Of the Sea”) is located twenty minutes north of downtown San Diego. With a population of less than 4,500 people in a 2.1 square mile area, Del Mar has two miles of pristine beaches. Home to the Del Mar Racetrack and the San Diego County Fair in the summer, its historic downtown village dates back to the 1880s and has over twenty-five restaurants. Because of an active resident group, billboards and high rises are not permitted within the city limits. The city is immortalized in…
The giant USS Midway aircraft carrier was one of the U.S. Navy’s flagship vessels with close to 50 years of history from 1945 to 1991. It was commissioned towards the end of World War II and has been through the evacuation of Saigon, Operation Desert Storm in the first Gulf War, and into evacuating 1,800 Americans from Subic Bay in the Philippines during the volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Before being moored in San Diego and turned into a museum in 2004, this “floating city” with a 1,000-foot-long flight deck accommodated a crew of 4,500.
The world-famous San Diego Zoo is one of Southern California’s major attractions. The zoo showcases more than 4,000 animals, representing over 800 species, on 100 acres of beautifully landscaped lush setting that is an accredited botanical garden. Located in the northern section of Balboa Park, the zoo originated with the Panama-California Exposition of 1915-1916. San Diego Zoo is privately operated by the non-profit Zoological Society of San Diego and is one of four zoos in the U.S. which have giant pandas on display and the most successful in terms of panda reproduction.
The country’s largest urban park with 1,200 acres, Balboa Park in San Diego, is home to 15 museums, performing arts venues, gardens and the world famous San Diego Zoo. Balboa Park was the location of the First World’s Fair of the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition (in commemoration of the opening of the Panama Canal) which created many of the stunning Spanish-Rennaissance architecture. Named for the Spanish maritime explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the park was also the location of the 1935-1936 California Pacific International Exposition.
With advance apologies to my friends back in the northern part of North America, I escaped the -20C windchill and snowstorm on the weekend and headed to Southern California, where it is a gorgeous +22C sunny day in La Jolla. My system seems to be in a state of confusion, but I am not complaining! La Jolla, or “The Jewel”, is a hilly seaside community in northern San Diego occupying 7 miles of coastline along the Pacific Ocean. For real estate watchers, this neighbourhood is one of the most expensive in the. U.S. Voted one of the best restaurants in San…
See you later, Colombia! The land of gold and emeralds, the mythical yet inspiring quest for El Dorado, the delicious empanadas, ajiacos and lulo fruit, and more importantly, the easy-going and always cheerful people! I stayed at the Hotel Morrison 114 located at Avenida 19 No. 114 in the northern area of Bogotá. This boutique hotel opened 16 months ago and is managed by Eduardo Sanchez, a very affable gentleman who used to be based in Calgary, Canada. There is a great Spanish restaurant, Chef Julian, next door that serves excellent paella. And last but not the least, muchas gracias, Señor…
Friends back home and many of the locals I met strongly suggested I go to Andrés Carne des Res for a meal. Regarded as a Bogotá institution located 23 kms north in Chia (an outpost in town at Zona Rosa has opened), the food they serve is quite delectable and they are known for their steaks, as well as, their 62-page menu magazine! The place is indescribable — a massive complex of room after room with decor that appears to have been inspired by Tim Burton meets junk house kitsch and mixed in with flea market finds! The restaurant / bar can…
One highlight of my trip is the visit to the Museo Botero. Colombia’s world famous artist, Fernando Botero, is well known for his figurative artworks of sculptures and paintings that depict people and figures in large and exaggerated volumes that are viewed as satire, caricature or political commentary. The widely recognized collection of gordas and gordos (or “chubby women and men”) are brilliant and at times, humorous. His monumental public sculptures adorn squares and parks in cities around the globe, including Paris, Madrid, Florence and New York. The Museo Botero in Bogotá exhibits several of his sculptures, paintings and drawings which…
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