While showing my Mom around the Netherlands we were hungry. I’d taken her to a few of my favorite local spots but today we were en route to a museum, and didn’t want to languish in a corner table from noon til three.

We saw a McDonald’s, made the usual jokes, and walked in for a burger and salad. I was schocked. This McDonalds was really, really nice! I can’t believe I’m writing this but I enjoyed being there! It seems I’m way behind the times, and over the past rew years McDonald’s has rebranded some stores in a Starbucks-eque cafe style chique. And what they’ve done is pretty aesthetically appealing.

I figured it was a Europe thing. I’ve read McDonald’s maintains nicer, larger restaurants overseas, and some locals actually do make the arches a destination for a Big Mac, or “Royale” as it’s called in France.

The location on Kalverstraat, a pedestrial shopping mall in the heart of Amsterdam was clean, well maintained, replete with comfortable chairs cozy spaces. A week later, departing Schiphol airport, I had coffee, milk and a croissant while killing a few hours awaiting my flight. Location? A beautiful, quiet and modern mezzanine overlooking the departures/transit area. You guessed it – it was a McDonald’s.

Upon my return home this week, my newfound McDonald’s curiousity brought me to the Belleview and I-25 location near my work. Sure enough this one was just as nice as the two Amsterdam locations, with soft leather chairs, WiFi and soft orange and yellow lighting. The staff was wearing jet black shirts and looked well kept and professional. I had a sausage biscuit and coffee before biking over to work.

Unfortunately the food is still the McDonald’s from my youth, and smells just as bad when carried onto an airplane. But without getting into fat and calorie counts I’m certain a Quarter Pounder and a Diet coke won’t induce any more heart attacks than a Starbucks triple mocha latte with whip cream, downed with an oily muffin.

There it is – three McDonald’s restaurants in two weeks. Good job McDonald’s on the rebranding. I may not return often but it’s a nice look. Sorry it took me three years to notice it.

Since 2007 Guido Van Den Elshout, a Dutch hotel owner and blogger, has featured sleek and modern concepts and manufacturers, including even some chairs that are simply ridiculous, and some not so relaxing, if you’re having this sort of day.

Plenty of other fun, abstract and functional chairs to cruise through for fun, or for furniture ideas. And a lot larger selection than Ikea.

chairblog.eu

I do not own an iPad, and have no desire to obtain one. My beatup MacBook serves me fine on the go – and I prefer a full computer to work remotely and move my and edit my photos.

My friend, a college student, received an iPad for his birthday. Of course every iPad owner should have a good stand to facilitate easy viewing, and of course show off Apple’s best toy next to the PC, on the end table, or in the kitchen if you’re using your iPad as a futuristic recipe card and cooking guide. (Epcot never predicted that.)

After some hunting I found the site of Heckler Designers, maker of the @Rest. This stand is a heavy duty solid steel one piece design, for use in portrait or landscape. It’s primarily designed for static use at home or office, and is offered in four colors including crisp bright red.

It sells for a very reasonable price of $59 which includes shipping. (Even the sale is simple.) Adding to the good design is great communication: After ordering I sent them an email asking if it could be sent next day, since I wanted it to arrive on the same day as my friend’s birthday. They happily did so, and I paid the additional shipping via Paypal after it was sent out.

Heckler Designs is run by Dean Heckler our of Phoenix, and also makes the “One Less” line of minimal office furniture.

http://hecklerdesign.com/atrest/

Not all U.S. airlines use Terminal 4. Terminals 1-3 are quite functional and remain heavily used, just lack the beauty and elegance of the new structure. Except for American Airlines and Iberia, which are part of OneWorld and use T4, other airlines to and from the U.S. use the A Gates at the far end of Terminal 1, necessitating a very long walk to immigration and customs, then another very long walk to the Metro Station.

I was very early for a flight to Morocco, so I took the subway an extra stop to T4 to take some photos at dawn of the airport starting to come to life. Check out the ultra shiny floor in front of the arrivals door – you could practically eat off it. The Madrid Metro’s line 8 has a separate and very modern station for Terminal 4, and I was surprised to find transit time between the airport and most points in the city center only took about 25-30 minutes even with a couple transfers.

A photo note: I started using Simpleviewer for my blog instead if Nexgen gallery. I find it’s easier to navigate through photos, and it has a cool little feature which pulls selected photos directly from my Flickr site, saving precious storage space. The “fullscreen” button at the upper right expands the photos for a nice slideshow and uncluttered viewing.

In 2006 I visited the city while on a road trip through the south.   After realizing how close the neighborhood was to the popular French Quarter and Farbough Marigney where I was staying I explored the area one rainy afternoon and saw the painful results of Katrina -the Lower Ninth now a complete ghost town save for a few folks salvaging scrapwood and garbage from various lots.

At some point between then and now actor Brad Pitt and crew commenced on an ambitious project called “Make it Right”  with the goal of rebuilding the Lower Ninth with low cost energy efficient homes built to repopulate the community and to withstand future distasters.  

I revisited the Lower 9th and spent a more time ambling around by car.  The scene is quite striking.  Some blocks still appear straight out the “Life After People” series with seven foot tall weeds and grass, partially collapsed homes and empty blocks being slowly reclaimed by nature.   But amid the empty blocks are brand new modern homes with tidy yards, well trimmed green grass and residents enjoying the weekend among more “Saints” banners than I could count.  The homes are simply and neat in design, but the area is not completely infilled.  A well manicured lawn may be next to vacant lot with a foundation of long since bulldozed house, the nearest neighbor a block away.   Still, there was life, people, faces, and that Monday we even saw residents dedicating with a home and a block party with some police officers attending.

Over Labor Day weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to a beautiful French Quarter home for the “Southern Decadence” parade and festivities.  Around the kitchen sharing marble cake, jalapeno dip, daiquiris and other food (which rivaled the Court of Two Sisters) I heard differing opinions about the project from local residents.  Some appreciate the influx of people and life, and commend a well known individual for directing his time, fame and assets towards New Orleans and this community in particular.  This opinion was also expressed on a “Brad Pitt for Mayor” shirt donned by a local I briefly chatted with at a bar. 

Another friend, a lifetime Metairie resident and lawyer, finds it absurd to rebuild homes in this low lying area which is certain to see flooding in the future, perhaps catastrophic.  He quickly discredits accusations that city leaders and higher ups want to cut off the African American community that resided in the Lower 9th, and says that statement and the leaders who propogate is nothing more than charged up racial politics. Given that the population of New Orleans has drastically shrunk, he finds it logical to shrink the footprint of the city and encourage people to take upabandoned homes that remain scattered about the main core.  This is not ignoring the Lower 9th Ward population, but incorporating them into areas closer to the city, and also built on higher ground.  

The continuity of New Orlean’s architectural history has been called into question. My friend says the houses look like “little spaceships.”

One opinion favors the people and the preservation of a neighborhood, while the other is a pragmatic view of the population, city services and its future.

 This video and article by CNN highlights more.

Here are some photos I took of the new homes, the old ones and the neighborood:

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In addition to visiting the home we’ll spend a day doing something fun – like seeing the Kennedy Space Center or exploring Tampa and Clearwater. While the area isn’t a cultural hotbed I enjoy seeing new places and have found some unique spots one may not find on the tourist maps.

Sadly though our final visit was in January. Driving to the airport I said to my Mom, “Well I guess this is the last time we’ll be in Orlando.”

Surprise on me, I was invited to Florida again, this time by my other side of the family who was using their RCI time share for a week at Disney World and surrounding parks. I questioned the sanity of wanting to visit theme parks in July (for seven days no less) and informed them that here in Denver I had access to many searing hot asphalt parking lots that I could stand on for hours if I chose to. But since I love going places and know the city of course I joined in and arranged everybody’s flights as well.

I stayed for four days and they made all the plans – a nice change from my standard travel templates. They chose Epcot as a place we’d go together for two days, relaxing the other two and taking in some shows at night.

I don’t know what to say about Epcot that hasn’t been summed up by The Simpsons: “Epcot is what the people in 1965 thought the world would be like in 1987.”

Epcot was designed by Disney to be a community and residence for employees of Disney World. Life would be self contained and simple thanks to a well designed organized space and the benefit of public transportation. That never happened, and instead it became a theme park based on the idea of a “City of the future.” That future, and style of living that Epcot predicted however is more seen in science fiction movies than real life.

I got a real kick out of the swooping concrete structures, monorails and heavy looking white round and boxy buildings. In a world where all modern design is now glass and aluminum it’s, well, it’s a gas to see such retro stuff. Make no mistake I do like glass and the ability to see through it, but many of these fortress style structures (like Denver’s Convention Center or Detroit’s Renaissance Center) have been demolished or remodeled in the past 15 years, so it’s a trip to see such architecture celebrated and loved – even if it’s the faux architecture housed inside of an amusement park.

Coincidentally we met a lady from Brasilia, Brazil at dinner a few nights later. Anyone who’s researched urban design and planning knows Brasilia wasn’t much different than Epcot’s original ideas and design. Brasilia is a fascinating city to read about.

The first day we toured Future World, which encompasses the front half of the park. Now I initially thought I’d be burning up on the hot pavement, but a pleasant feature is that Epcot has existed for over 20 years now and the trees have matured nicely since my last visit during a school trip in 1992. Another plus, most of the exhibits are indoors and air conditioned. Of course I was hot and sticky, but it’s no different than biking in the rain: Once you’re wet you’re wet. And once you’re drenched in a syrupy mess of sweat and sunscreen it doesn’t become wetter or sticker. Everybody else is in the same sauna with you, so best to forget it and have fun.

During our first stop at the “Journey into Imagination” with Figment I was taught to use my imagination, so in my mind I conjured up a new exhibit at Future World based on the human and machine hybrid technology I witnessed at Epcot. It’s called the “Future of Human Mobility.” Now I don’t mean the monorail or those little pods that will whiz around cities in an alternative 1997 universe, rather the idea stems from the hundreds upon hundreds of scooters that people (with both legs) were using to escape the arduous obligation of walking. Much like the showcase automobiles in the GM sponsored “Test Track” these scooters were extreme! Some had umbrellas attached, others battery powered fans and cell phone holders. Even the rentals were top notch with head and tail lights as I discovered the night we stayed for fireworks. Late in the first day I commented “I definitely don’t remember this many scooters when I was here in high school” and the always wise Caleb informed me that the lasting battery power had not been invented in the early 90s. In this case Epcot was the future and The Future IS Now.

Some of the exhibits have movie tie ins. For example “The Living Seas,” threw in a bunch of Finding Nemo photos and merchandise to piggyback itself on the popular movie. By the way you can actually scuba dive with dolphins here, which I would have done had I researched it in advance.

The one movie I didn’t see, but would fit in perfectly with the mobility assisted world of Epcot was Wall-E. This is one of my favorite Disney/Pixar movie and nowhere in the park is it represented. Like the guests, many of the employees weren’t required to walk either. Segways were used to transport their physical bodies, allowing them to someday graduate to the ubiquitous scooters. I’ll bet those poor schmucks who have to stand and direct traffic at Copper Mountain are jealous of these guys.

In addition to the land where nobody walks (all of Epcot) we visited “Mission Space,” where CSI’s Gary Sinise trains you on a Deep Space Mission. They offer a “green” and a more intense “orange” ride. I love roller coasters however the g-forces of the orange ride didn’t leave my stomach too settled after.

To cool off mid day we visited the “Universe of Energy” where Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Nye and Alex Trebek teach you energy history at a kindergarten science level. Favorite quote:

Ellen: “But what about global warming?”
Bill: “That’s a hot topic and there are MANY opinions on it!”

Yup that was it. I suppose if I catered to thousands of people a day from all walks of life I wouldn’t risk mad statements or the spouting of any fancy sciency opinions either. Cue then our mobile auditorium entering the “underseas oil” section, where videos and scenes of rugged men on oil platforms and helicopters were shown. The BP leak having yet to have been plugged I could tell everyone was thinking the exact same thing.

We got a fast pass for the GM Test Track, a ride that sounds like a roller coaster from the outside but is simulation of an automobile test right down to the whiplash, cone swerves and speed braking. Expecting thrills, I handed my manpurse to the operator and asked if he should watch it. When he replied “No you’re fine with it” I adjusted my expectations and was not the least bit disappointed.

The second day we slept in and headed back to Epcot to see the World Showcase. I made sure to print out all the State Department warnings for the countries we’d be visiting.

Aware of the recent drug related violence we cautiously started in Mexico, wandering into an enchanted Mayan village and market with lots of trinkets and jewelry for sale. There is a restaurant indoors under “Chichen Itza” but there must have been a high level Mexican dignitary dining there because it was pitch black. This didn’t help in finding the pharmacy either to stock up on generic Mexican Propecia.

Then it was off to Norway, where we boarded the “Maelstrom,” a log ride cum Viking ship through the animatronic history of Norway – from Vikings to fjords and wind farms. Upon exciting the Maelstrom ride you watch the 15 minute “Spirit of Norway” movie, which celebrates the quality of life and the vision and drive of Norwegians. Towards the end of the video one lady in a lab doing techy stuff with a clipboard actually turned to the audience from a Commodore 64 – no joke. Then I realized everyones’ hairstyles looked like Dynasty and dated the video at about 1986. I wanted to inform my fellow moviegoers that the reason Norwegians are so content is because they tolerate high taxes and free health care, but we were late for Germany.

In Germany I leafed through a few German cookbooks at one of the many gift shops, and while taking a breather read via my iPhone this xenophobic Tripadvisor review about the German beer garden:

I was not told that I had to share my table with others. When I asked to leave I was forced to pay the bill despite eating a few bites. Management is very unbending and not customer friendly. Save your marks! I reported this in a two page letter to Disney.
LOUGATZ – Aug 10 2008

Wait! That’s really how they do it in Germany and it’s fun! I dined at the touristy Hofbräuhaus in Munich and we sat at a table as long as an oak tree, and our table mates were a fun group of friends on a weekend getaway from Hamburg. It was great – what’s so bad about sharing a table? Anyway Germany also had a big model train set I enjoyed watching.

We skipped China because I was expecting an email from my dogsitter and I didn’t want the internet blocked.

Next: Italy, where we watched a street mime before having lunch at the Tuttu Italia restaurant – located, well in Italy. While the endless marketing and merchandising at Epcot deserves to be ridiculed, the restaurants are known for being superb, and many Disney experts recommend reservations weeks before arriving to guarantee a table. Or a table to themselves. We had shells and Gnocchi in a rich cream sauce, and I the espresso was exactly to my strength and liking.

Great news! I am headed to Spain later this fall, however Epcot does not include Spain in their World Showcase. However I am considering a side trip to Morroco. So of course I visited Epcot’s “Morroco” to dive into my research. I wound up in the center of the “medina” (I learned by my Rick Steves books and Epcot that means market) and we found some real spices, just like they sell in Morocco.
And real Moroccans!

Granted Epcot’s Morocco is just another giant gift shop like the rest of Epcot there is one quality that’s worth mentioning if you’re there. Many of the employees staffing the world showcase are actual residents of the country represented. We had a great time chatting with a young guy from Wales, who was working for the summer and planning a road trip to California with his buddy. (Skip L.A. was our advice.) Past the keychains, bland rides, dumbed down political histories and promotional films, the people actual do make it a tiny bit authentic. I chatted up some real guys from Morocco and told them I was thinking of three to four days there but had no idea whether to fly to Tangiers, Casablanca or Marrakech. They all responded without doubt Marrakech.

Yes I’m actually planning a trip based on an experience at Epcot. Hey they were a local bunch that lived there. Is Frommer’s any better? Back to Tripadvisor: This reviewer from Toronto made me laugh a few nights later when reading posts about Epcot:

Canada doesn’t have Totem Poles all over the country, and I couldn’t tell you where the nearest Cattle Ranch is..for God sake it is the 21st century, I’m pretty sure we’ve had more recent cultural developments. Sadly , the only thing each pavilion had to offer were overpriced souvenirs and knickknacks and that you’ll never use, wear, or look at again once you get home. Moroccan hats for 20 bucks. Who in the US of A, or anywhere else besides Morocco, wears a Moroccan hat? -Balula Oct 2009

Our day wound down in England where we watched the fireworks show from the patio of the Rose and Crown Pub. During the two hours spent stalling at our table waiting for the fireworks to start I did some math in my head. A plane ticket to Florida is $350 (from Denver). An adult Epcot pass is $75. Parking is $14. Rental car (two days) about $80. That’s $519 dollars to visit a replica of an English tavern. In recent weeks on Kayak I’ve found London tickets for $700. So – $700 to London, and I’d guess 10 Euros from Heathrow to the door of any true pub in the city. To be in the actual country of England would only cost about $200 more than the fake country in Epcot. I’m not saying it’s a suitable alternative for all, but it’s a fun comparison.

Logistics aside, the absolute best Epcot people watching moment was in “England,” when a Beatles tribute band performed under a gazebo in the “town square.” All the older parents and grandparents parked their scooters and danced and danced, and got really into the music and moment, while all the while their kids just stared at them, or played games on their phone wondering why the adults were acting so loopy.

The fireworks show was spectacular. I’ve heard Disney is better, but since I rarely bother watching fireworks at home it was a treat. I also thought about the people who operate the fireworks show somewhere deep in the park’s phalanxes, and having a job where at the end of their day, even if they didn’t do it to perfection, that they made thousands upon thousands of people visitors happy. That’s a pretty cool job to have.

I was left asking “Why in the world (or future world) doesn’t Disney update this place?” But watching the hour long river of people streaming out after the fireworks I realized that as long as people were pouring in “doing” Epcot Center there was really no reason to to so.

The park left as a 1980s era time capsule is still a spectacle as it stands. Lord knows what lessons another civilization will learn from it long after we’re gone.

It was built in 1989 and housed the corporate development department until consolidated with another building in 2009. It was also know for integrating “green” elements when built – the heat generated from lower floors used internally during the cold Michigan winters.

Some suggested in 2009 it would be a suitable building for another West Michigan corporation: Amway. Pyramid and all…

I like this related editorial cartoon by John Auchter. Less than stellar photo taken by my non 4G iPhone.

Related:
Gary, Indiana
Grand Rapids

According to AmericanTowns.com it was constructed in 1932, the original building housing a Sunday School before additional construction which made it a full church.

Rarely does the Orange County landscape make me pull over for appreciation, but in this case it’s neat reminder of how this area looked in the first half of the 20th century, with cities separated 10 to 20 miles apart and fields of orange trees as far as the eye can see. And certainly looks more inviting than its megamall style counterparts…
It’s at 14804 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine.

The church was established in 1776 and is one of the oldest buildings in Manhattan. Today the church is a memorial site, and houses momentos and artifacts from the weeks after 9/11. For visitors it offers a quiet and respectful place of reflection.

I wasn’t able to immediately track it down in English, (I googled “Car Logos”) but later searched the author Giles Chapman and found that the English title is named “Car Emblems: The Ultimate Guide to Automotive Logos Worldwide”

Chapman details the history of logos, branding, design and evolution of automobile logos, including well known brands such as Chrysler and Oldsmobile and less heard of companies like Trabant. (At least less heard of to me.)

Check out how the logo samples on the English cover are different than the Spanish cover, which leaves out Lexus and Chrysler.

If there’s someone in your life who’s a car buff, this would make a great gift. You can find it (in English) on Amazon.

The area of Puerto Madero, the former docks along the waterfront, is a still rapidly developing part of the city with similar modern looking styles shooting up from the ground.

Check out the “skybridge” connection the top floors of the two skyscrapers on the left.

The highrises are amazing in design and quite futuristic, but the neighborhood is utterly boring. It’s not nearly as lively as the older neighborhoods and there’s little to do by night. Many of the large chain hotels are located in this area, with overpriced steakhouses you’d find in many downtown U.S. cities. There’s a Hooters in the neighborhood too.

This past weekend I was biking around the north side of downtown. This neighborhood is notably quiet on weekends, void of trucks and the din of daytime activity normally found around warehouses and small manufacturing shops.

I’ve seen some of these buildings before, but didn’t realize how unique each one was – from vintage 60s style fonts to modern stainless on brick.

Collectively they give some life and charm to this industrial area. In case you can’t see it up close, the logo for Modern Packaging is a rancher holding a branding iron in the fire, next to worried looking cow.

I like the few small pubs on the main streets. I see a couple when I take York Street south from I-70, and the lot in front of the white brick building always has a few cars in it.

Note that Cadet Sheet Metal has a large, loud, and quite visible security force. (photo below.) I wouldn’t advise breaking in.

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At least when the new “Invesco Field” was constructed here in Denver they were able to incorporate “Mile High” into the name, but unfortunately there’s no keeping the 30 year moniker for the midwest’s most recognizable building.

And for those who say, “just move on – things change” – consider this comment in the Chicagoist:

When’s the last time John Hancock Insurance had any connection to that other big Chicago building? How long has it been since Wrigley owned that little ballpark on the north side? Some names outlive their origins. Sears Tower is one of them.

It may be too late, but if you’re like minded visit the It’s The Sears Tower.com

CNN Article.