TRAVELS & INSIGHTS: The View (Far) From Tyre

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing public items from julieharbin tagged with tyrebest2. Make your own badge here.

www.flickr.com

Summer Up the 95

July 25, 2008 on 7:47 pm | In Introduction | No Comments

I went on a road trip to visit family in Connecticut last week and we took a drive around our old haunts. The economy there felt depressed. The gas prices were nearly as high as in Southern California, and the food prices seemed higher. I heard stories of unemployment, lack of healthcare benefits, and struggling to make it on two paychecks.

When I was a little girl I used to go shopping at the Manchester Parkade in Connecticut with my mom. I spent many a sometimes dull, but memorable afternoon at the Manchester Parkade, even after the Buckland Mall (that displaced some strip malls) had opened. We used to go to the shopping plaza where Sears was and to the shopping plaza around the back that was home to Bradlees (a now-out-of-business discount department store), the Card Gallery, and Jo Ann Fabrics.

Sears was still there but the other shopping plaza was empty and overgrown with only broken signs and shadows of signs visible. Pigeons were living in holes in the letters and on the roof. Gang grafitti was spray-painted on the old storefronts. And after doing some quick research on the internet, it appears the place had been vacant for some time.

http://www.smartgrowthforvernon.org/vnews/2007/02-02-parkade.html

Here are some pictures I took:

On the way up to Connecticut we had stopped overnight outside of Baltimore near the BWI airport and had some crab cakes at a local joint – Gunning’s Seafood.

It was a Wednesday and the place was full of customers. We thought “Recession, what recession?” as we watched groups young and old getting their fingers greasy with piles of crabs. Overhead from one man looking forward to digging in — “We’ve got us some crabs, boys!”

But the waiter said the restaurant was indeed feeling the effects of a worsening economy—“Usually there’s a line out the door in the summer,” he said. While the place was full, there was no line out the door.

Despite the cost of gas, on our drive up 95 we saw plenty of folks on vacation and met some friendly people staying at the motels – one family on vacation at Six Flags, another driving their daughter up to graduate school in NY. They’d started in Texas and were over- nighting in Baltimore. However the highways were far from mobbed with people.

We also visited my old Cleveland Park and Van Ness neighborhoods in Washington, DC on this trip. It didn’t appear to have changed too much. At my old co-op complex a 2- bedroom was on the market for $529,000, but the doorman told us, in case we were interested – “I’m sure you can deal, with the way the market is now.” The front desk worker said there were a lot of units available for rent. Back in the San Diego area there seems to be too much on the market and those who do have homes and condos up for sale keep dropping their prices. This isn’t a great time to sell. That’s no secret.

Walking around Cleveland Park it didn’t feel that different, except I was no longer a part of it. The folks were having their coffee at the Firehook just like I remember. The woman at the desk at my old Quebec House vaguely remembered me from 10 years ago. The Uptown was still playing movies. The Pizzeria Uno had moved. The Four Provinces Irish bar became the Four Fields. Nanny O’Brien’s pub had new owners. The always dirty Brookville Grocery store was still there and looked cleaner. Atomic Billiards pool hall looked like it had a new marquis. Reassuring that the old ‘hood wasn’t totally decimated like the old Manchester Parkade, thankfully. But then again that past life of mine dated back 20 years ago…

Here’s Cleveland Park 2008:

We also passed quickly through downtown DC and saw the new-to-me World War 2 memorial, where there were plenty of tourists milling around despite the heat.

Getting in Touch Outside with the Natural Woman Inside

July 14, 2008 on 12:38 am | In Worldly Woman, Travel, California | No Comments

My views of nature are often crowded with people, development and pollution, so it can be difficult to appreciate the natural world’s beauty and simplicity sometimes.

I’ve been lucky over the past month to see some beautiful natural things that have enabled me to get in touch with my inner “natural” woman.

Throughout my childhood I went on family canoeing trips, day hikes, and rustic Girl Scout summer camps. During and for a period after college I soaked in the natural world by visiting the Grand Canyon, the mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona, and Big Bend National Park in Texas. I did some river rafting, cross country skiing, and serious and strenuous hiking. I even swam across a swift current to reach Mexico from Texas, had a beer, and swam back.

Whether I was living in Washington, DC, Sarajevo, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kabul, or Tyre, I always appreciated the chance for a good getaway from the urban areas.

In Russia I got out to country dachas occasionally, but probably should have spent more breaks away from the city to rejuvenate myself.

In Afghanistan, I stood in the caves to the side of the blown-up Buddhas and soaked in the colors and breezes of the valley below, and rode in a rental van moving through the hills of Bamiyan to end up at the clear blue Band i Amir lake. Such a contrast to the dust and hustle-bustle of Kabul and so peaceful.

In Lebanon, so densely populated in parts, I loved the beautiful sea and mountains, but people and urban development sometimes obscured the view.

Here are some places I’ve visited recently that brought out the “natural woman” in me.

MOSS BEACH

It was colder-than-I-expected on the SF bay-area-beach, having just driven in from a late morning breakfast at Carrows in Concord, CA where temps were in the 80s.

We had driven to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzgerald_Marine_Reserve) in Moss Beach and were hoping to explore the tide pools.

It was June and folks were huddled up on the sand under grey skies in their sweatshirts and sneakers. I shouldn’t have been too surprised by the weather. I’d looked at the forecast that morning and expected it to be a bit nippy, but a kind of damp bone chilling cold surprised me when I got out of the car.

The Wikipedia entry for Moss Beach describes this coastal community in San Mateo County as a “naturally a foggy, drippy microclimate that gives one a sense of isolation from nearby cosmopolitan regions, and assures that summer temperatures are generally mild.”

It definitely felt “away” from the big city of San Francisco, which I love by the way. I have basically been living my life lately as an urban girl and I find it refreshing and spiritual to immerse myself in nature once in awhile. (as long as it doesn’t involve too mosquitoes, snakes, spiders, and/or mountain lions!)

The tide pool habitat at the reserve has special biological significance in the state for it many intertidal species such as sea urchins, anemone, and hermit crabs.

Unfortunately we had gotten there too late to see the sea life in the tide pools because it was high tide, but our arrival on the beach after a 3 minute walk from the marine reserve parking lot didn’t disappoint.

A ranger pointed out dozens of harbor seals sharing the beach with their pups that were learning to swim. There were cones set up so we wouldn’t get too close and disturb them.

More scenic views waited. There’s another couple paths behind the lavatories by the parking lot. An easy 7 minute walk, over a short creek bridge and up a pathway to the right led us to the top of the bluff overlooking the seals. The path is fine for kids (provided you supervise them) since there are fences on the pathway that allow for keeping distance from what would be a dangerous fall. We were able to take great pictures of the seals from above with the 10x zoom on our digital camera. A white harbor seal looked directly up at us.

And some kind of hawk (?) (I’m not a naturalist) perched very close to us.

The site of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve was apparently originally settled by Native Americans nearly 6,000 years ago. And remains of an early 1900s home site can be seen up on the bluff apparently, but we didn’t explore enough to find it.

Also, a short drive away on the southern edge of the reserve, you can find the “haunted”, scenic, and romantic Moss Beach Distillery – a 1920s era restaurant perched on top of a cliff. We had warmed ourselves up there when we visited the area last November, by having our seafood dinner on the terrace out by the fire pits. There’s an expansive view of the sea and ample parking, but watch your step on the uneven gravel at night. My mother got a noseful on one dark night. http://www.mossbeachdistillery.com/our_story.html
http://www.mossbeachdistillery.com/ghost.html

If you are looking for something lower budget, as we happened to be on our trip to Moss Beach in June, you can find a few quirky cafes on Highway 1 close to the Reserve turn-off. One right across the street (can’t remember the name) has drinkable coffees, greasy pizza, a kind of odd proprietor and no WC, but it’s good shelter from the cold. And it just might hit the spot, depending on your mood.

LAKE HODGES, ESCONDIDO, CALIFORNIA

This reservoir in Escondido, CA is open for boaters on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. It’s $8 to rent a rowboat for a half-day including everyone in your party and lifejackets. If you are not used to rowing boats—I wasn’t— you can spend about an hour rowing around the marshy area and just watching the ducks. By then you just might feel it’s time to struggle back to the dock.

It’s a simple pleasure, despite the muscle strain. Kids love it. You can also rent out kayaks or bring your own boat or fish if you like. You can hear lots of birds and watch them perch on the buoys.

One of the women running the boat rentals warns you about the effects of sun and skin cancer as you push away from the dock. Good to follow her advice and cover up and wear sunblock.

The heat sure beats down hard on a July day while you are busy staring at the lake and listening to bird sounds there and in the surrounding hills—and rowing that impossibly heavy boat. http://www.sandiego.gov/water/recreation/hodges.shtml

WHICHARD’S BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA

We came here for a swim in the Pamlico River and private barbecue. The rain and lightening storm had just cleared and the river was still a little choppy, but it was warm and brackish, and easy to swim in. We walked to the end of the dock when we first arrived and saw a fish just jump right out of the water. And we didn’t have poles. We don’t fish anyway. Just like to observe the wildlife.

A family of ducks came up onto shore to eat some crackers. They’ve eaten here before. Later there were cheeseburgers and hotdogs on the grill, baked beans, pasta salad, wine, and popsicles. The grass was cushy.

The trees were amazing to watch with the Spanish moss dripping off the branches. The sunlight sparkled on the water.

The air temperature was perfect. There was a slow pace about the river. You could have sat there and watched it, or swam in it or boated– or just looked way down the river to try to see where it met up with the ocean.

Sunset came at nearly 9 o’clock, and time to say goodbye to good company. You gotta love summer!

http://www.ci.washington.nc.us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_North_Carolina
http://www.hikercentral.com/campgrounds/108814.html

Let There Be Library Coffee and Link TV

July 12, 2008 on 6:06 am | In Worldly Woman | 1 Comment

I haven’t written in awhile, and I’m getting **rusty.

This is because, here in America, I’ve been busy… re-organizing my life, re-connecting with busy family members, getting lost driving, swimming with long-lost flippers,finding activities for children, and reaching the age at which I can no longer apply to be an FBI special agent.

**Disclaimer: This attempt at a blog post was written in the middle of the night as a result of jet-lag and silence in the house. My apologies for the disarray…

Since my last blog post, I’ve made a few more “new-for-me-discoveries” about American living that may or may not be worth mentioning, but I’m writing them down anyway.

Such as… You can now drink coffee in the library. When did this happen? I was pleasantly surprised to discover a food cart and tables outside one So Cal library where you can have iced fruit things, burritos, chicken sandwiches, nachos, fresh fruit, and various coffee drinks. And—you can take your coffee in with you, and drink it in this library. I’m wondering if it’s a nationwide trend.

And I recently learned that in at least one American department store you have to walk all the way through the kids’ clothing department to get to the lingerie/sleepwear section. For some this could be a pretty strong deterrent to buying any kind of lingerie. Why not put the lingerie near the jewelry or perfume or even luggage departments?
And now for something more serious…Lebanon.

Ah Lebanon… beloved main subject of this blog for more than a year, is still on my mind and in the news.

The government was finally formed! http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=94050

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2008/07/200871113315982408.html

However, lately with all the Middle East news focused on the Iran dilemma (Will the US go to war with Iran over the nukes issue and in defense of Israel?) I find that I really have to seek out news from Lebanon — more often than not from non-traditional-for-America news sources like Link TV and Al Jazeera English (offered by internet subscription and snippets featured on Link TV) and my usual go-to Lebanon news sites (www.naharnet.com, www.dailystar.com.lb)

Link TV (www.linktv.org) is one of the more positive discoveries I made upon returning to the US for the summer. Yeah! According to its web site it’s “is the first nationwide television channel dedicated to providing Americans with global perspectives on news, events and culture.”

One program that I especially like on Link TV is “Mosaic: World News from the Middle East”. This program is an airing of a daily compilation of television news reports from the Middle East including, Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, the Palestinian Authority, Iraq and Iran. It didn’t air during the past week, but, to give an idea of the range of programming, this is what ran on July 3.

U.S. Policies Cause High Oil Prices (Press TV Iran)

Israel Wants US to Strike Iran (Al-Alam TV Iran)

Japanese Investors Skeptical About Returning to Iraq (Saudi TV Saudi Arabia)

Israel Looks into Demolishing Attackers’ Home (Al Jazeera TV, Qatar)

Israel Looks into Expelling Attackers’ Family Into Gaza (IBA TV Israel)

British Government Lists Hezbollah as a Terrorist Organization (Al Arabiya TV UAE)

Iran’s Shura Council Moves Toward Diplomacy (Abu Dhabi TV UAE)

Homesick: ‘Twas a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood…

July 6, 2008 on 6:26 am | In Worldly Woman, Travel, Lebanon | No Comments

So I’m a bit homesick for what was my “home” for a year-and-a-half–Tyre, Lebanon. And knowing I’d be homesick during my summer away from Lebanon, I took some pictures of the friendly faces in my neighborhood before we left.

We Are a Nation of Excess and Other Random Thoughts of a Returning Expat

July 2, 2008 on 8:38 am | In A Child's World, Worldly Woman | 2 Comments

Today I drove about 35 minutes up the highway in moderate traffic to get to a store called Babies R Us (with a backwards R) to investigate buying car seat bags; a reasonably practical item for protectively wrapping up your car seats when you stow them on the airplane. The one I was looking at was made by Graco, which I selected after seemingly hours of research on the internet that led me to believe this was the best and most durable deal at $19.99. Supposed to fit all car seats.

I never had these kind of bags before for the car seats that have traveled throughout the world and landed at airports like Kabul, Islamabad, Beirut, and Sarajevo. In many places we’ve taken advantage of these nifty shrink wrapping devices for encasing your baggage in a plastic (Saran-like) wrap, which might initially seem like a money grab. I mean who needs their suitcase shrink wrapped?

Once in Baku actually we got railroaded into shrink-wrapping all our suitcases because we thought somehow it was mandatory. They have some good con artists operating in the middle of the night at the airport. But in the case of car seats, the shrink wrapping does makes sense what with all the straps, pillows and cup-holders that hang off them.

Anyway… I was thinking I needed some real bags for these seats since US airports don’t do shrink-wrapping as far as I know, and we are soon to make a cross-country journey. So I dutifully did my research, as I mentioned, and it was off to Babies R Us. The bags, as it turned out, didn’t fit my car seats.

And that was ok because the special car seat section sales guy there, in the end, admitted he doesn’t use these special bags. What’s his secret? Tall Hefty lawn and leaf bags, double bagged. He said he’s been on 4 cross country trips and car seats survived unscathed. So—it wasn’t a wasted gas trip after all.

After solving that problem the kids and I wandered around the store just to look at what else they carry. There are so many cute things and conveniences it almost makes you want to have another baby. Not (to use an old 90s expression, forgive me!). After lingering over toddler swim flippers then deciding not to buy them until the kids actually learn to swim without floaties, I passed by a random gadget shelf and saw a special cookie-cutter-like-device for cutting the crusts off sandwiches.

Yes. We are a nation of excess. Can’t be bothered to use a knife, let alone let our kids eat the crust of the bread on a sandwich.

Then we perused the portable crib(pack n’play) section. The price range is from about $50 to $180. The top of the line one has so many bells and whistles that it didn’t look as if it was ever going to be packed up toted around.

… Our kids, I have to say have been just as overwhelmed, if not more, than I am by the range of products out there in American shops. They haven’t really been in to many of these large stores in their life. Looking at the stuff in Babies R Us and wandering through the Target department store is hugely entertaining for them, even if we don’t buy anything.

And one of the perks of living overseas a lot is that the kids are never bored with US shopping trips when we come back for visits. And they don’t make demands that they must have this or that item because some one of their friends does. (Though they do like the popcorn at Target.)

As I drove back from Babies R Us today, I was feeling mixed about whether — after having taken the kids to see various wonders and undersides of the world already — I’m really ready for them to live permanently in this American culture.

I admit I am enjoying many of the conveniences of life here, but many of the “conveniences”, I have to say, are excessive.

On the car drive back we listened to some Nancy Ajram songs and they happily sang along in Arabic; remembering where they were just a few short weeks ago.