“In Hollywood if you don’t have a shrink, people think you’re crazy.” Johnny Carson If you go to Los Angeles, you must go to Hollywood! Hollywood was a 30 minute metro ride from my hostel. The small LA metro is quite good but, like buses, suffers from under-investment. This is partly, someone told me, a … Continue reading / view photos This is Hollywood!
Author: Praful
The Getty Center
The first place I went to in LA was The Getty Center, which was quite far from my hostel. To save time, I got a taxi. The centrepiece of The Getty Center is the museum, which has an extensive art collection from around the world. The funding for the museum came from J Paul Getty, … Continue reading / view photos The Getty Center
LA LA Land
Goodbye San Francisco, hello Los Angeles! A direct flight took me to Los Angeles and a bus ride from the airport got me to the Freehand hostel. The Freehand hostel is more like a hotel than a hostel. Its lounge, bar and restaurant are open to the public. The dorms are like small booths – … Continue reading / view photos LA LA Land
Berkeley
The University of Berkeley has a campus that seems perfectly designed for studying and reflection. The university is surrounded by mature trees overlooking your every move. If the campus doesn’t inspire students nothing will! A couple of days ago before I visited Berkeley, when I was walking along the San Francisco coast, I met a … Continue reading / view photos Berkeley
Golden Gate Park
The lungs of San Francisco are in Golden Gate Park. I found myself often gravitating towards it. It’s a huge park at the city’s centre. In the park, there is the de Young art museum, a botanical gardens, a Japanese garden, the California Academy of Sciences, a conservatory, buffalo (!), and two windmills (a gift … Continue reading / view photos Golden Gate Park
Angel Island
One of the day trips you can do from San Francisco is to Angel Island, a thirty minute boat ride that passes Alcatraz (the inescapable prison, now closed). Once there, I walked up Mount Livermore – a pleasant two hour circular climb, ascending about 240m. From the top, you get good views of the San … Continue reading / view photos Angel Island
A little taste of San Francisco art
The de Young museum in Golden Gate Park is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. It had a Gauguin exhibition on and a permanent collection of modern and classical art. The Legion of Honor, another art museum, had a surprisingly large Rubens collection, including a large version of The Thinker sculpture. View photos A little taste of San Francisco art
“They hate our country”
The Republican husband of an adviser to President Trump describes in a few pointed words what others have taken pages to say: “No, I thought, President Trump was boorish, dim-witted, inarticulate, incoherent, narcissistic and insensitive. He’s a pathetic bully but an equal-opportunity bully – in his uniquely crass and crude manner, he’ll attack anyone he … Continue reading “They hate our country”
Dazzling San Francisco
Whether it’s Haight-Ashbury, The Painted Ladies, Pier 39 or another part of San Francisco, you’ll see plenty of colours in shop interiors, street art and architecture. View photos Dazzling San Francisco
The geeks shall inherit the earth
Great news: Alan Turing to be the face of new £50 note. Alan Turing was an extraordinary man whose life unjustly ended too soon. He helped lay the foundations of modern computing and artificial intelligence. To think what he might have achieved if, instead of being persecuted, he’d lived beyond his 41 years. https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/2019/july/50-pound-banknote-character-announcement