Final China Images Before Moving On

Not too long ago Michael Ma, a sweet young man who works for the Service Center for International Exchanges in the Xicheng District of Beijing, would have been imprisoned for wearing this shirt. He accompanied our delegation almost everywhere and we got to know him pretty well during our China sister city trip. He's a big fan of B.B. King and other American blues artists, and his dream is to come to the U.S. someday for a taste of authentic blues. I showed him some of my blog photos from Memphis related to B.B. King, and he was practically overcome with joy.

The 161 Middle School is on the grounds of a set of ancient buildings that once were part of the Forbidden City. And we think Pasadena schools are historic! Students from 161 and Blair High School have been communicating with each other via the Internet for more than 10 years, and delegations of students have visited each other's communities.




Here's Phil Montez, a member of the Pasadena Sister Cities Committee, in our Beijing hotel lounge with Judy Kent and yours truly. When we were in Shanghai, he heard a group of people speaking Korean. After he approached them and told them he had fought for the good guys in the Korean War, they very emotionally said to him, "Thank you for saving our families." It was quite touching. (This photo was shot by Fred Alcantar.)


There were several welcome banners indoors and outdoors throughout the Xicheng District.




Ceiling shot at Beijing Airport:


Mayor Bogaard carried this great tote bag from Art Center College of Design on our travels.


People with umbrellas out our bus window in Shanghai. This is one of my favorite shots because the camera focused on the raindrops and not the people.


It's agonizing to say I have dozens of other photos, but it's time to move on to the here and now.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the seat of supreme power for 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties from 1416 to 1911. The palace was "forbidden" in the sense that, aside from members of the imperial household, no one could enter without an emperor's permission.

This historic wall has nine dragons standing guard. In ancient China, nine was a prestigious number.


I never anticipated the vastness of the place -- 980 buildings covering nearly 8 million square feet. It's listed by UNESCO as the largest collection in the world of preserved, ancient wooden structures.

There are countless hand-carved marble terraces and balustrades:


The edge of each roof is topped with an emperor leading mythical creatures that guard against evil. The more figures, the more important the building:



Here's a closeup shot to show you some detail of a typical building:


Judy Kent, field representative to Mayor Bogaard, and I posed with a Pasadena Star-News at one of the ornate doorways. Red symbolizes good fortune. You may see this shot in the paper one of these days!



Judy took a ceiling shot for me:

Jeannine Bogaard

What a pleasure to have Jeannine Bogaard along on our China trip!

She traveled from her home near Madrid, Spain, and met us at the Beijing Airport shortly after we arrived in China.

In the photo above, taken during the Shanghai leg of our trip, she's standing with her dad, Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard, at the Zhouzhuang Water Village, an official UNESCO World Heritage Site where the majority of residences were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Locals live their lives on and along the waterways, and there are many quaint shops and tea houses.


When I went to Memphis last year, I started the tradition of ceiling shots. Here's one from the waterside table where I sat at the Zhouzhuang Water Village:

Memphis -- Day Six

Yesterday was somewhat bittersweet because it was our last day in Memphis, Tennessee.

After spending a leisurely morning, we headed to Beale Street, one of the most historic areas of Memphis.

There's a walk of fame on Beale Street dedicated to all the musicians who helped define the Memphis Blues sound.


In more modern times, they could have easily tried to turn Beale Street into something like Universal CityWalk, but thankfully they left it alone in all its glory.



A. Schwab dry goods store has been on Beale Street since 1876. Its motto is "If you can't find it at A. Schwab's, you're probably better off without it!"


We had lunch here:


And here's the daily Memphis ceiling shot, taken in King's Palace. Several of these distinctive pillars separate the well-trod wooden floors from the stamped tin ceiling.

After we left Beale Street, we drove around town for one last look at our new favorite city, then headed to the airport.

I took one last ceiling shot while we were in flight, and this will be the end of the ceiling shot series for now because I'll return to my role as Pasadena's PIO on Monday.


The series began our first day in Memphis when we went to dinner at a restaurant with an atrium ceiling and I couldn't resist trying to capture what I saw. The next day, at the Peabody Hotel, I happened to look up and was enamored by the chandelier and the lovely ceiling from which it was hanging. The ceiling series was born, and it will be reborn someday, perhaps during another sojourn.

It's good to be back!

Memphis -- Day Five

For weeks as we were planning this trip, we always said, "We're going to Graceland!" Yesterday we finally did it.

Here's the obligatory tourista photo that was taken of us when we arrived at the shuttle area for the short drive onto the property.

Then we explored the mansion and the grounds.

I'm especially glad that the family didn't turn Graceland into an amusement park, which they certainly could have done. PresleyLand would have ruined everything.

We walked through the house on an audio-guided tour, wearing headsets and listening to recorded narration as well as commentary by Elvis from old interviews and from Lisa Marie.

The house is exactly as it was when Elvis was alive.

The living room:

The kitchen. Dig that avocado-colored coffee urn.

The TV room. When Elvis heard that Walter Cronkite kept three TVs at home turned on to the three different networks, he decided to do the same.

The pool room:

Here's my daily ceiling shot, in the pool room:

Here's a closeup of the fabric on the ceiling:

The jungle room:

A closeup of the hand-carved arm of a chair in the jungle room. That's an ashtray on a wooden stand next to the chair. Today we call this kitchy; back then it was standard!

Here's the back of the house. Not quite as stately as the front.

Elvis had several out-buildings constructed on the grounds behind the house. One is filled with press clippings, costumes, gold records, etc.




We also got the official recipe for Elvis's favorite fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches:

2 large bananas
6 slices white bread
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup peanut butter

Peel and mash bananas. Mix peanut butter with bananas thoroughly. Toast bread lightly and spread mix on bread. Melt butter in skillet and brown sandwiches on each side slowly until golden brown.

(Eat all three sandwiches in one sitting, and wash it all down with qualuudes, vicodin and Jack Daniels for the perfect Elvis experience.)

I realize this is an unfortunate segue, but here it is:

The gravesite is in a pretty meditation garden.

That's Tom in the center, reading one of the inscriptions on the grave markers.

After we rested up at the hotel, Tom said he was in the mood for spaghetti and meatballs, so he looked in our Memphis tourist magazine and found what looked to him like the perfect Italian restaurant.

He was right again!

Cafe Toscana in East Memphis is a warm and comfortable restaurant with an unassuming exterior.

Tom couldn't find spaghetti and meatballs on the menu, so I told him to ask if the chef could just make it for him.

Our friendly server, Leslie Hilliard, pointed to Baked Polpette on the menu: "Pork and beef meatballs topped with tomatoes and a blend of Italian cheeses, baked and served with angel hair pasta and marinara sauce."

In other words, spaghetti and meatballs!

Lasagna Classica caught my eye.

The chef, Giacomo Ciabattini, has the magic touch.

We each had a cocktail before dinner and a glass of red with our meals.

For dessert we chose from an assortment of light and luscious mousses.

I have to give a shout-out to a very special person who helped us get around Memphis every day.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce our friend whom we named Millie. She has a very soothing voice that lulls us into a sense of complete security that we're heading in the right direction.


Back at the hotel, last night's movie on the all-Elvis-all-the-time channel was "Jailhouse Rock."



And now we're off for our final day in Memphis. Our plane leaves at 5 p.m. Check out the blog tomorrow for a recap.