On The Road

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A view of the old North Bridge from Nathanial Hawthorne's house

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On April 19, 1775, British and Colonial forces clashed on this bridge - the first skirmish that led to the Revolutionary War. It is often called the "shot heard round the world" and is one of the most important moments in American History. It was then that the long suffering colonists wouldn't take the opression of the King any more - and they didn't want to pay taxes...It is even cooler that, years later, Nathanial Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau lived just yards from this site. Even cooler still is the fact that Louisa May Alcott, authoress of the smash hit "Little Women" grew up right down the street. On top of that, this place is as cute as can be - well worth a visit....

Hilary and I decided to take a summer driving vacation during Independence Day week, and on our way up to Quebec to spend our economic stimulus checks, we stopped in Holden, Massachusetts to visit her Mom and Dad, Malcolm and Ellen.

We had a very nice visit, and on a warm, overcast saturday, Malcolm and Ellen drove us up to Concord to take in some history...

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The Minuteman Statue, by Daniel Chester French - who also sculpted the statue of Lincoln in Washington, DC

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700 British Regulars marched out to Lexington and Concord to secure a munitions depo and were met by a smaller, but ever growing force of local militia.

Years later, Ralph Waldo Emerson, another Concord native, penned the poem "Shot Heard Round the World"

The relevant bit, etched into the Minuteman statue's base

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A small memorial to the British troops who fell that day

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The monument erected to mark the site where the battle began

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Hilary and Ellen stand in Hawthorn's yard

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American Transcendentalists like Hawthorne, Emerson and Thoreau developed a philosophical movement - religous, cultural and artistic in nature - that focused on individual intuition as a source of spirituality instead of the divinations and doctrines of the church. Many of you might be familiar with Thoreau's work - "Walden" - about his life in a shack out by Walden Pond, near Concord.

Louisa May Alcott's home as a girl and as a young woman - she wrote "Little Women" in the 2nd floor bedroom on the right

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The Transcendentalists were not the only game in town back then - Amos Bronson Alcott, famous educator, part-time socialist, and all around smart guy - also lived just steps from Hawthorne and the Old North Bridge.

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The "School of Philosophy and Literature" run by Mr. Alcott

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Amos Alcott is far more famous as the father of Louisa May Alcott than for his own thinking and writing, as his daughter's books have been enjoyed by millions for over 100 years. I myself have never read "Little Women", and doubt I ever shall, but I hear it is a page turner...

After a day in Massachusetts, we jumped in the car and headed north into New Hampshire, next stop: Quebec City!

A view down the beach at Buck Island National Park near St. Croix - Sailboats bring snorkelers out here each day

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Sunset at "Off The Wall" - a little joint on the beach at Cane Bay

Hilary and I headed south for a little mid-winter getaway last month, spending a week on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. We had a great time - the weather was great and there was plenty of time to relax on the beach and explore some of the island's history.

(photos courtesy of Hilary E. Parkinson and Bryan V. Gibb)

The main battery at Fort Christiansvaern on St. Croix, USVI

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I know, I know, when you think about Denmark you think about Vikings, Legos, tasty breakfast treats - maybe my great Grandfather Jens Nicholi Kreuger Johannsen - but did you know that the Danes were slave holding Caribbean sugar barons as well? Yep. The sugar trade in the 17th and 18th centuries was just too lucrative to leave it to the English, Spanish, French, Maltese and Dutch, so the Danes got themselves a few islands too....

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See the itinerary of this trip, and details about each destination.

Located just southeast of Puerto Rico, St. Croix is one of three U.S. Virgin Islands - one time zone later than the east coast and 1,729 miles due south of Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Christopher Columbus himself came ashore at Salt River, on the north side of St. Croix on November 14th, 1493 and was quickly chased off by the arrows of the native Arawak people. The Italian was undaunted though, and returned later to kill most of them in the name of God and the Queen of Spain.

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Bryan strikes a pose in front of a restored windmill at the Wim Sugar Plantation Museum near Fredericksted

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For years the island was held by various powers, but in 1733 St. Croix was purchased from the French West India Company by the Danes and soon became the heart of the Danish sugar trade in the Caribbean. Based on the labor of enslaved Africans, the sugar trade enriched generations of Danish traders and plantation owners. The slave trade was abolished on the island in 1848, but slave ownership persisted until as late as 1867. The island is dotted with the ruins of windmills that suppled the power to process sugar cane into sugar, molassas and yes, the prized Cruzan Rum.

A map of St. Croix during the Danish period - 1754

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The main house at the Wim Plantation - first established in the 18th century

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An old sugar-cane processing still on the Wim Plantation

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The United States bought St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John from the Danish in 1917 for $25 million in gold in order to keep the Germans out of the Caribbean. Just a few hundred yards out into the ocean from our hotel, the water goes from 20' to over 13,200' - from light green to deep, dark blue - perfect for German U-Boats...

A view from the road as we approch our home for a week - the Carambola Beach Resort

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Our resort was lovely and a real bargain. Based on the price, we were prepared for something a little ratty, but the resort was beautiful, the beach was deserted and the room was spacious and clean. It had a big bedroom, living room, huge bathroom and a screened in porch.

Hilary gets her first look at the beach near our room

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The view from our screened in porch

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We ate breakfast each morning on the porch - here Hilary studies her birding book, hoping to catch a glimpse of the elusive Caribbean Bananaquit

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A local dove visits us as we wait for our lunch

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The beach was only about 75 yards from our room and most of the time we were the only ones down there

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The resort is tucked into a valley at the base of steep mountains and is full of local flora

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The Carambola was separated from the more settled part of the island by rocky surf-swept coastline

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The island was crawling with critters - birds, mongoose, geckoes, sea turtles, conch and lots of bright green Iguanas!

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Another view - parts of the beach were rocky and home to lots of spiney sea urchins, but there was a smooth part perfect for swiming

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Cocoanuts overhead

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There were hammocks placed here and there around the resort - you were never far from one if the powerful need to lounge overcame you

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Hilary (in red) wanders up the beach one evening

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Hilary really starting to dig this beach vacation idea...

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The sun finally drops below the mountains to the west - look out, night time temperatures plummeted from a day time high of 83 to as low as 75!

Seen enough? Ready to book your own trip? You won't be disappointed! Here is the web site: http://www.carambolabeach.com/

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Yes the resort is secluded, peaceful and beautiful, and yes, the weather is perfect and the sea inviting, BUT, there is also lots to see and do on the island. One of the first things we did was explore more of the Capital city, Christiansted. About 65,000 people live on the 28 by 7 mile island, and the biggest employer is not tourism, but a refinery on the south side of the island. Consequently, there really were not that many tourists around - we kept seeing the same people all over the island and never felt crowded at all. Whenever we did see large groups of people, they were invariably Danish. Apparently there is some nostalgia for the colonies back in the old country...

First things first - in St. Croix, you drive on the left - all the more confusing since all the cars have the steering wheels on the left just like on the mainland

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The historic part of Christiansted is protected and preserved by the U.S. Park Service - your tax money at work!

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Painted bright yellow, Fort Christiansvern used to protect the Danish harbor from the English, Spanish, and yes, even Pirates!

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A view of the old town to the south from the Fort

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Hilary ponders the defensive position of the battery

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Another view

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A stockade from which even Jack Sparrow could not escape!

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Later in the week we visited Fredericksted, a smaller town on the other end of the island, to see another fort and the then vacant cruise ship pier

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The interior of the fort in Fredericksted

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We explored the "rain forest" on the west side of the island, but all we found was a creepy old collection of shacks with scriptural warnings, so we moved on!

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After settling into our hotel and exploring the island a bit, we booked passage on a catamaran sailboat through "Big Beard's" tour company to take us out the Buck Island for a day of snokeling. The day finished off with a BBQ on the beach back on St. Croix.

Hilary, myself, and another couple from Chicago were the only Americans on the tour, the other slots were filled with 25 good natured and leathery Danish retirees in speedoes... Good times.

After a 45 minute sail out to the island, we spent some time on the National Seashore's gentle, white sand beach

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Buck Island is administered and protected by the National Park service, and no food or fires are allowed on the island

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It was a bit windy and the current was strong, but the front of the boat was best place to ride

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Buck Island from the east, quite close to the underwater snorkeling "trail" we explored

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Hilary gears up

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After snorkling for a bit in a strong current we were hungry - good thing they took us to this beach for a BBQ

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Our boat at anchor

On old sail made for a useful shelter as we waited for the fresh Mahi Mahi to grill up

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Time to head back to Christiansted, and then the Carambola

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The trip to Buck Island was a highlight of week. The crew was cheerful, the weather was nice, and we even learned a few words in Danish... For more on this day trip and others, take a look here: http://www.bigbeards.com/index.htm

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As many of you know, wherever I travel I am always looking for good local food. I subscribe to Anthony Bourdain's philosophy that food is one of the best ways to get to know a place and its culture better. This trip was no different, and Hilary and I sought out the freshest fish we could find and explored indigenous West Indian cuisine.

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Bryan in front of Harvey's Restaurant - Good to see the locals are politically sophisticated!

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Our research suggested that the best place to try West Indian food in Christiansted was at Harvey's Restaurant. The small restaurant is in an old building on Company Street in the historic downtown. Interesting historical detail - In 1765, Alexander Hamilton lived on Company Street with his mother Rachel after his father abandoned them...

The first time we showed up (on Presidents Day) it was closed, but we tried again and were not disappointed. Harvey Junior was at the bar, and his Mother was in the kitchen. The special on that particular day was conch in butter sauce - tender and flavorful - and spicy goat curry. Both dishes also came with a side of "fungi", or corn meal mixed with okra - a savory polenta like side dish. Harvey Jr. welcomed us warmly and explained each dish to us in detail. Be sure to visit next time you are in Christiansted!

http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/caribbean-and-bermuda/virgin-islands/st-croix/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154654634294

Most of the people on St. Croix are ethnically Afro-Caribbean, but the island is a real mixture of Puerto Ricans, Rastafarians, Cruzans, and white mainlanders. Everyone speaks English, but many on the island also speak Spanish, and/or a strongly accented local dialect similar to Jamaican English.

As a part of the United States, there is a U.S. Post office, a few Air Force cargo planes at the airport, a McDonald's or two, and they had their Democratic primary the week before we arrived (Obama 76%, Clinton 24%)

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One of two Baobob trees on St. Croix - this one is in a parking lot, the other is near the west end of the island's "rain forest"

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For good local seafood, we found our way to a harbor-side bar called Rum Runners. It doesn't look like much, but our guidebook promised good food at reasonable prices.
http://www.rumrunnersstcroix.com/
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Perched right on the water, Rum Runners keeps its local lobsters in a tank below the dining room floor

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The view from out table at Rum Runners

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Bryan digs into a plate of conch fritters - a local delicacy!

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Hilary enjoys a plate of fish tacos filled with fresh Mahi Mahi pulled from the sea that morning

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We asked one of the crew-members on our sailing trip to Buck Island where to get some good local Caribbean lobster and he sent us to Duggan's Reef on the east end of the island.

Funny enough, when we got there one of the other crew members, Mike, was our waiter, so we got the best table in the place...

Hilary enjoys the Queen's Throne at Duggan's

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The view from the dining room at Duggan's

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Duggan's is an interesting place - a little bit of Boston in the Virgin Islands. Yep, we flew four hours south to eat at a seafood restaurant with Red Sox, Holy Cross and BU pennants on the wall. The owner is from Massachusetts and proudly notes on the back of the menu that Senator Kennedy eats there every time he is on the Island and former Red Sox and Yankee pitcher Roger Clemmons has been there twice - no doubt between injections.

http://www.caribbeanedge.com/st_croix/restaurants/duggans_reef.html

For those of you who have never had Caribbean lobster, they don't have claws, but do have large, fat tails and flesh that is sweet as candy....

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Bryan in the King's throne

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Finally, our favorite place to eat on the island was "Off The Wall" at Cane Bay. This little spot right on the beach had a perfect view, lousy pizza, but great burgers. No indoor seating here - its all al fresco. Right next to the world famous Cane Bay "Wall" scuba diving location (where the ocean depth goes from 20' to 13,200' in a few hundred yards) "Off the Wall" is worth a visit!

Hilary enjoys a large, fruity and STRONG drink at the bar on Cane Bay

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Bryan awaits his bad pizza, but at least the view is superb!

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This was the first time I had ever been to the Caribbean and I cannot wait to go back. We loved St. Croix - it had everything you could want in a beach getaway, but was also quiet, affordable, easy to get to, and offered up lots of interesting historical field trips for your nerdier side...

Next on the agenda? Quebec City and Montreal in July.

Finally . . .

A late evening view of Buck Island from Point Udall (the eastern most point in the United States BTW...)

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It has been awhile since I have created any entries on here - been working away at my new job - but I HAVE to get out of town on occasion...

Last month my girlfriend Hilary and I went on a day trip to Luray, Virginia to go Spelunking!

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This is a very shallow pond in the caves - the reflection of the formations above give it a sense of depth.

Those of you who live in the Washington, DC area have probably seen the TV spots for Luray Caverns. Although from afar it seems like like a tourist trap, but once you pay your $15 and get underground it is really quite dramatic...

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Another view

So, what is the difference between a stalagtite and a stalagmite? Here is an easy way to remember: Stalag-tites are "tight" to the ceiling, stalag-mites "might" reach from the floor to the ceiling......

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This particular formation looks like dripping cake batter!

Created by the slow draining of an inland sea 200-600 million years ago, Luray Caverns was "discovered" by a local tinsmith and photographer in 1878.

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Ms. Hilary Parkinson in the hole...

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A vertical tower formation

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In one portion of the cavern with particularly good acoustics they set up an organ years ago.

A dedicated music lover scoured the cave to test the tone given off when certain stalagtites were struck with a rubber hammer. He designed an organ where the keys are connected to a series of hammers throughout the cave. When it plays the tones echo throughout the cavern...

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Another view of the organ

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One of the more impressive columns

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Stalagtites come in many shapes and sizes - these are "pencil-like"

There were no animals or insects in the cave as it is a sealed system, but there are some creepy characters found in the shadows...

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For more on the Caverns, visit their website here: http://www.luraycaverns.com/index.html

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As an added bonus, your ticket to the caves also grants you admission to the transportation museum next door... To be honest, it was kinda creepy...

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The first wheeled vehicle. I suspect this is a recreation, and not the original....

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The carriages and cars where cool, but the place was full of creepy manequins to add to the "realism" of the transport museum experience...

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All the President's initials found on old Ohio license plates - THIS is the kind of thing you didn't know you needed to see until you actually stumbled upon it...

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Creepy manequin in a fur coat...

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The creepiest of all creepy manequins...

After a chilly picnic nearby it was back home for another working week... Man, we need a VACATION! (Next stop, the Caribbean!)

A burned out car parked below the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn, New York.
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Since I moved to Washington, DC from California eight years ago I have been able to get up to New York City at least once a year to visit friends, wander the streets, look at art and eat good food. I am embarassed to say, that until the third weekend in June I had never set foot in Brooklyn.

When I was planning my travels last winter I was thinking of finishing in New York (I was due), so I took my friend Jamie up on a long standing invitation to visit her on the other side of the East River. Jamie lives in a great apartment in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on a commercial street between a high school and a meat distributor. Her neighborhood borders the very hip (and expensive) area around Metropolitain Avenue where the hipsters, artists and young professionals live and play. We hung out in Brooklyn and Manhattan, sought out interesting music and art, and yes, ate very well...

Graffitti in Williamsburg
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I arrived friday evening after driving up the New Jersey Turnpike all afternoon. After settling in at her apartment, Jamie and I met up with her boyfriend Allen, had some dinner, then headed to a local nightclub called Southpaw for a special Classic Soul Review that Allen was looking forward to seeing.

Allen is not only a fan, but a bit of an expert on such things. When he isn't working his day job for an NGO dedicated to fair-trade products, he writes liner notes for re-issue recordings of classic and Brazilian Soul Music.

The show poster - I loved the 1960s era photos of the performers so I bought a copy - now hanging in my hallway...
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The show was amazing. Roscoe Robinson must have been in his late 70s or early 80s, but still had a terrific voice - the young hipster crowd loved him!

The Legendary Roscoe Robinson - courtesy JiveMagazine.com
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Clarence Reid was the headliner and went back and forth between his hits from the 60s and his raunchy 1970s alter ego, "Blowfly". Reid was a kick, but a little creepy. He had long fingernails and between songs was telling the young ladies in the front row what he would like to do with them later...

More on the performers here: http://www.jivemagazine.com/article.php?pid=11272
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The next day I met up with my old college pal Dignan in SOHO to catch up and walk around lower Manhattan together. We started at a favorite - Ino in the West Village.

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This tiny cafe doesn't have a kitchen, but they serve excellent coffee and make very good cafe breakfasts. Dignan is a bit of a foodie (he is a former Chef and currently a waiter at the world famous modern Japanese restaurant, Nobu) and has yet to steer me wrong. He suggested an Ino specialty - Truffled Egg Toast.

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It doesn't sound like much, but it was very good. Take a thick slice of fresh bread, cut a slot, drop in an egg, baste liberally with white truffle oil, pop it under the broiler, then sprinkle with sliced asparagus. Simple, but darn good...

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For more on Ino, look here: http://www.cafeino.com/
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After our morning repast, we just walked around the Village, SOHO, Little Italy and Tribeca. The weather was nice, the humidity moderate, and people were out enjoying the day.

A little-league practice session in the West Village - a Father gives his son some pointers...
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Little Italy on a Saturday afternoon. This neighborhood is shrinking as its neighbor, Chinatown, grows - one immigrant enclave encroaching upon another...
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Tribeca - traditional row houses are being remodeled and turned into condos

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That night, Jamie, Dignan, his wife Jinn-Hee and I all went to dinner. I wanted to eat at a French place in lower Manhattan called Bouley. This two star Michelin rated restraurant is supposed to be one of the best in town (and the country) so I made a reservation a few weeks in advance.

Jamie Brown poses on the threshhold
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As you enter the restaurant, the waiting area is filled with racks of ripening apples that give off a wonderful aroma.

Dignan and Jinn-Hee at Bouley
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Bryan and Jamie at Bouley
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The meal was truly memorable - fresh ingredients expertly prepared with excellent service. Seven courses and three and a half hours later we stumbled outside fat and happy...
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For more on Chef David Bouley's projects in New York and beyond, look here: http://www.davidbouley.com/

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The next morning, Jamie, Allen and I went to one of their favorite brunch places - Pies n' Thighs - under the Williamsburg Bridge. As the name suggests, they specialize in home-made pies and BBQ chicken. Their donuts are REALLY good too...

Entrance to Pies n' Thighs - the seating area is in a vacant lot next door
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Jamie and Allen in front of Pies n' Thighs and the burned out car - vandalism or public art? You decide...
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Remind me to never valet park my car at Pies n' Thighs...
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Want to try for yourself? Visit their website here: http://piesandthighs.com/
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Jamie and I both wanted to see the Richard Serra sculpture exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art, so we bid dear Allen goodbye and jumped on the L subway line to Manhattan.

Big-Foot Jamie Brown
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If you have not been to MOMA's new building put it at the top of your list for your next visit to New York. Not only is the permanent collection unsurpassed, but the architecture is really cool - lots of clean modern lines, large windows, and peek-a-boo cut outs that give you a glimpse of the gallerys from the atrium.

View from the upper level of MOMA's atrium
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The Richard Serra exhibit was and in-door / out-door affair, but photography was prohibited inside the gallery, so I took a few in the museum garden.

Serra's iron sculptures are huge - I am not sure how they moved them here - I looked for seams or bolts but could find none.

Jamie Brown inspects the piece
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What is she looking at? The rust patterns on the sculpture is one of the most interesting things about it...

Detail 1
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Detail 2
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This little girl was more interested in the water than the piece behind her
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I have a few favorite pieces in the permanent collection, so whenever I go to the MOMA I try and visit them.

One of Monet's large water lily paintings
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Water Lily detail
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Newly restored, Pablo Picasso's painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), is one of the collection's highlights
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A woman takes a break in front of Richard Diebenkorn's Ocean Park 115 (1979). This painting is my favorite work in the collection
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For more about the museum and its collection, go here: http://www.moma.org/
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After an afternoon at the MOMA and a well deserved gelato break, we headed back to Williamsburg. I had a wonderful weekend in Brooklyn - thanks for sharing your city with me Jamie!

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Well my travels are done and this is the last post of the blog. I hope you have enjoyed travelling with me. I am back home in DC now with no current plans to hit the road again anytime soon (we will see how long that lasts). I am picking up some consulting work this summer and I start the second year of my Executive MBA program in late August. If you know anyone who needs some work done, give me a call - I can design and facilitate executive education seminars, manage non-profits, mow lawns, walk dogs, etc...

Until next time - Bon Voyage!

Bryan

A Novice takes a call at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai

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The Shanghai World Financial Center rises in Pudong:

To say that Shanghai is a blending of the old and new in China is a bit of a cliche, but it is true. This town is very modern in sections, and there is money here - you can get a Latte at Haagen Daaz on the riverfront and shop at Ferragamo if you like -

Joe sips his Cappucino - he could be in any large city in the world...

A Chinese guy works on his laptop on the river-front in Shanghai

...but there are also millions of people that are living a more modest, and I guess you could say, traditional, lifestyle in Shanghai. After a week of factory tours and corporate meeting rooms, most of my view of street life in Shanghai was out the window of our tour bus.

We had a free afternoon on our last day, so I grabbed Jim and Elvis (good travel companions both, and it never hurts to bring a little extra-muscle when exploring unfamiliar neighborhoods...) and we headed off to the alleys and markets of the Old City. We were not disappointed. Except for the occasional shoppers at Dong Tai Lu, we wandered for hours and didn't see any other tourists. Needless to say, we got some puzzled looks from the locals.

I don't think these guys are from here...too well fed.

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The Old City is tucked into a bend in the river is southeast Shanghai. The relatively organized and planned avenues and intersections give way to tiny streets and alleys that have grown organically for hundreds of years. Large parts of the Old City are being torn down for new construction, but plenty of off-the-beaten-path streets filled with people going about their quotidian lives still exist.

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But before heading into the Old City, a little about the Jade Buddha Temple pictured at the beginning of the post.

The Jade Buddha Temple was our first stop when we arrived in town. We were all a bit tired and not sure where our guide was taking us, but when we entered the courtyard and saw the warm ochre of the temple walls contrasted with the bright red lanterns, we understood.

The place was quite active as Monks and Nuns moved from their quarters to worship in the Temple

The actual "Jade Buddha" is inside and upstairs - worth a look - but not as interesting to me as watching the Monks practice... Another view of the courtyard:

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Ok, back to the Old City. After a week of watching my classmates return from shopping excursions with armloads of jewelry, watches, pens, leather goods, etc., I had yet to buy a thing.

A tea house in the shopping part of Shanghai:

Mark, Elvis, Steve and Sean at the shopping mall - taking a break from shopping and touring...

I was not that interested in knock-off goods - even if they were dirt cheap - but I must admit, some of the stuff looked pretty nice. What I was looking for were a few more historically themed souvenirs, so when I heard about the antique flea market at Dong Tai Lu, I wanted to take a look.

Although the guidebooks I consulted warned that the antiques found at Dong Tai Lu were most likely fakes, I was looking for some Maoist era stuff to take home. What I found may not have been genuine, but it sure was Maoist!

I wish I had a bigger suitcase - I might have taken this statue home...

The flea market runs down a few streets near the Old City and is made up of crowded stands in front and shops behind. The pace is much slower here than in other "tourist" markets in town - you can bargain, but it is a pretty low key experience.

In addition to posters, watches, little red books, and wooden jewelry boxes, a few of the vendors had diverse collections of porcelain figurines from (or inspired by) the Cultural Revolution.

Sure they are cute, but it dawned on me that they represented a period in Chinese history when anyone deemed an intellectual or otherwise influenced by the West was persecuted. Note the worker standing on the back of an intellectual, little red book raised. The victim of this humiliation is wearing a "dunce" cap and a sign repudiating his western ideas and celebrating the revolution of the common people.

They would make a nice addition to my extensive collection of Hummel figurines don't you think?

If you were looking for older objects, you could pick up antique looking furniture, statues, phonographs, etc.

I was hunting for a small statue of Zhou Enlai (a local party leader who rose to become Premier of China from 1949 - 1976) but they didn't have any. I settled for a large colorful propaganda poster of Mao surrounded by workers, soldiers, farmers - if you come over to my place you can see it framed in my kitchen...

Jim picked up a small authentic looking "Little Red Book" of Mao's quotations for his Dad - a history buff - and we headed deeper into the Old City.

The weather was fine, so people were out and about everywhere - walking home from school, working, shopping, socializing, playing cards...

This woman was cleaning fish on the street - her dog was more interested in the stranger than the fish bits...

Elvis discovered a "1 Yuan" store - like a dollar store I guess - where you could get a package of sponges, plastic bowls, tools, etc. For those of you interested in doing a purchase power parity analysis, one Yuan is about 12 cents.

As with everywhere else in Shanghai, there was plenty to eat in the Old City.

Duck:

Crawfish:

This young woman was staffing the crawfish store in the crawfish section of the Old City - the Crawfish seller's daughter perhaps?

This guy was selling clothes and shoes on the street - a budding entrepreneur. Who says political dissent is not allowed in China?

One best not cross this threshhold un-invited. The Old City guard-dog is ready to spring into action...

There was a great deal of activity in the Old City, but not everyone was busy. The chair repair-man takes a break...

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On the edge of the Old City, Jim, Elvis and I stumbled upon a huge market area where you could buy just about everything from electronics, food, clothes, shoes, washing machines, bicycles, pets, you name it.

I was most interested in the food market - no suprise there - so I peeled off from the guys and went in.

Anything you need to make dinner could be purchased here at rock bottom prices...

Vegetables -

Tofu -

Frogs!

This guy gave me samples of his dried ham - good stuff - Dean and Deluca in SOHO has nothing on this cool ham dude...

Fresh noodles were being made upstairs...

... and sold downstairs...

There was an extensive section of dried mushrooms, beans and other ingredients I could not identify...

Some sort of dried berry?

For the real carnivors among you, there was a big meat section:

Pigs feet, freshly cleaved

A closer look - anyone see the movie "Babe"? They got all of him it seems...

If you didn't feel like cooking, you could get some take-out - wonderful looking steamed buns, usually filled with pork:

Some chicken feet were available in the salad bar section...chewey I bet...

Fruit too:

If you were looking for fashion, they could take care of you...Jim knows that the shoes make any outfit complete:

On the way back to the hotel we passed briefly through the pet section of the market. If you want a low maintenance pet, crickets or cicadas in little wicker cages might be a good choice...

Well enough of our day in the Old City....

The next day we boarded a plane for Chicago, and 13 hours later we were at O'Hare...right in the middle of a day of weather delays...The airport was full of people who had been there all day. Our flight from Chicago to Dulles was delayed a few hours, and by the time we got home that night (Joe and I minus our luggage) we had been on the road for 24 hours... The trip to China and back is not for the faint of heart...

China was amazing, especially Shanghai, and I can't wait to go back. In the meantime I will be working on my Mandarin...

A view of the Pudong Skyline from the river-front in Shanghai. A group of GW EMBAs gather on the upper deck of the floating restaurant.

After our week in Beijing we flew south to the economic capital of China, Shanghai. This city of 18 million people has been a key regional port for hundreds of years. Situated on the Pudong River near the Yellow Sea, Shanghai is the "New York City" of China. Shanghai looked and felt very modern in comparison to Beijing. As with many port cities around the world, Shanghai had a more "international" feel.

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After settling in at our hotel and taking a short tour of the city (details in another post), we started our first day in Shanghai with Mr. Your Chen who runs a Venture Capital firm in Shanghai. He walked us through the VC process in China and pointed out how it might differ from what they are doing down on Sand Hill Road in the Silicon Valley.

Our first two days in the city, the Shanghai Stock Market - China's main exchange - dropped almost 20%. The Chinese stock market had been on a tear over the past five months and it seems the regulators decided to cool things off by increasing the "tax" or "fee" on transactions.

After our meeting at Mr. Chen's, I ducked into a brokerage across the street to see how people were taking the volitility - it was pretty crowded

Inside a woman watches the board for news of her investments:

It seems everyone in Shanghai is trying to get on the investment bandwagon - our tour guide kept us up to date on his losses each day...

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After another great lunch - the food in Shanghai was really terrific - we headed out to the other side of the river to visit the GM Factory in Pudong. Elvis Oxley, a member of our class, helped arrange the visit through some of his GM contacts back in DC.

The factory is located on a large campus about 40 minutes east of the river in a newer part of the city. The modern facility builds Buick models and other GM cars for the domestic market. There is a six month waiting list to buy a Buick in China...

We started with an introduction from our guide as we gathered around a model of the campus factory complex:

Professor Yang and Elvis in the showroom:

Unfortunately, photography was prohibited inside the factory, but we had a comprehensive tour of the huge modern facility. All the things you would expect to see in a car factory were present - conveyor belts with whole cars on them moving slowly down the line, guys in jumpsuits and hard-hats checking body panels, large high-tech robots doing spot welds, etc. - very cool. Those of you who know me well understand how much I enjoyed this...

After the tour, an expatriate Executive at GM's facility answered our questions and outlined the nature of the car business in China.

After GM we headed back to the river for dinner (where the opening photo was taken) and then off to Shanghai Circus World! I have nothing to say about Shanghai Circus world except that the last time I saw people ride motorcycles so recklessly I was in Boston, Mass...

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I am very interested in architecture and design, and Shanghai has some amazing buildings. Some are finished like the famous TV tower below:

And some in process like the new 101 story Shanghai World Financial Center which is slated to open next year:

Some of the curvature in the photo above is due to the extreme perspective of where I was standing, but the building itself has a curve incorporated into its design:

(rendering courtesy of Kohn Pedersen Fox)

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On our third day in Shanghai we travelled out to the city of Changshu (pop. 1.3 million) to visit a leather goods factory, tour the planned economic zone, and meet the Mayor of the city. Changshu is about an hour and a half north of Shanghai and is situated around a hill and adjacent to a large lake. The officials in Changshu were very proud of their air quality and green space and used these as selling points in their promotional materials to attract international investment.

First we visited the Maydiang Company - a firm specializing in fine leather goods.

Mr. Mao, the firm's founder and our host, is an old friend of Professor Yang, so he rolled out the red carpet for us. Here Mr. Mao and Professor Yang talk about starting a manufacturing business in China. Begun a number of years ago as an official supplier of Coach and other brands, Maydiang now makes $100 million worth of product a year.

Mr. Mao took us on an extensive tour of his facilty where more than 4,000 employees work in the tanning, cutting, assembly and packaging departments.

These large machines are used to process the leather. Interesting fact - all the hides are imported from Texas and only processed in Changshu.

After tanning, the hides are processed further with a flattening machine:

(photo courtesy of Joe Bechtold)

Mr. Mao shows us leather that is ready to move on to cutting and assembly.

We had no idea of the scale of Mr. Mao's business when we first arrived, but it became clear soon enough - this is only one of many parts of the facility

These women - and most of the employees in the assembly portion of the factory were women - make $0.50 - $0.75 an hour to put together Coach wallets, hand-bags and briefcases for export. This might not sound like very much, but for China, this is a very competitive wage. Remember, more than 800 million people in the countryside survive on only $1 a day. China has specific overtime and employee safety laws, and although some facilites do not comply with these laws, Mr. Mao made it clear that all his facilities were in full compliance with the law.

I found the facility clean, the conditions comfortable and the employees seemed happy. Granted, we were touring with the boss, and they were pretty focused while we moved through the facility, but at one point I snuck off and watched some of the employees in a break room and they were laughing, joking - taking it easy.

A woman tracing and cutting the leather:

Elvis and James on the factory floor:

As I watched these bags and briefcases take shape, I realized why they are so expensive. Granted, much of the price of a hand-bag is label and status, but the quality of the leather, design and the care in assembly was apparent at Maydiang. Mr. Mao noted that where it was possible, he automated the process, but in many cases there was no substitute for human hands, especially in detail work such as the stiching on women's hand-bags.

Briefcases - I was hoping to buy a sample, but Mr. Mao's agreement with Coach prohibits him from selling any product outside established channels.

Shane poses on the factory floor:

After a tour of the factory, Mr. Mao hosted a lunch for all of us. His personal chef put together the best meal we had in China, by far. In addition to countless familiar dishes, we were served "Rice Bird", or whole sparrow. It appears that the bird's feathers and feet are removed, then the whole thing was cooked in a sweet sauce until it turned all crispy and delicious. I wish I had not filled up on the freshwater clams and jellyfish as I only had room for a few Rice Birds...

One eats the whole thing - head, wings and all - the light hollow bones are easy to masticate, but you have to be a little careful of the wings...

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Just down the road from Mr. Mao's leather factory was the main office of the Changshu Economic Zone. The city is very interested in attracting foreign investment and a number of international companies have set up facilities in the area. They gave us a quick orientation as to why we should choose Changshu as a good place to do business. Another cool model - this one of expansion plans...

After the orientation, we travelled to Changshu's main park where electric carts carried us to the Tea House on the Lake for our meeting with the City's Mayor.

Bo is ready to go!

As is Elvis!

In the rear, Bob acts as security for the Alpha Cart...

The Mayor showed us a video touting the natural gifts of the region, its suitability for foreign investment, served us tea and took our questions.

On the way through town we passed a familiar sight - this super-store is expected to open soon.

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On our final day of business meetings in Shanghai, Mike Stolker set up a visit to Nortel for us. Some of the discussion of telecom equipment and enterprise solutions was over my head, but I was very interested in how a foreign company deals with doing business in a country where the government has a more "hands on" approach to exactly what its citizens do and say online...

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Next post, roaming the streets of Shanghai - back alleys and cultural attractions....

The Great Wall of China just outside Beijing - the "Dancing Dragon"...

The Great Wall

by Shen Houjun

Overlooking summits and hilltops from the lofty fortress,

Picturesque view of the landscape takes my breath away.

Praises of the Great Wall are heard far and wide,

A dancing dragon in the starry night.

Looking from here, the sky is lower,

Only steadfast gauge reveals the beauty of this emerald.

Both the nobles and humbles count when the wisest of men is in throne,

Glasses are raised from afar to toast his majestic reign.

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On our last two days in the Capital we left the meeting rooms of official and corportate Beijing behind and spent our time touring must-see sites in and around town. We had expert guides - Karen and Bo Jin - who took us from place to place, and helped us understand the significance of the cultural treasures of Beijing. We started on Saturday at the Forbidden City, then headed to the Great Wall of China for a hike on the amazing historic structure. On Sunday we visited the Temple of Heaven, the Lama Temple and the Summer Palace. The air quality was not very good the whole time we were in Beijing - it remined me of Los Angeles in the late 80s - but we were told that it was actually pretty good for Beijing... Good photographs require an interesting subject, careful composition and good light. I did my best to achieve the first two, but the light was pretty flat. I hope the dramatic places we visited make your visit to this posting worth while anyway!

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Constructed in 1420 by the Yongle Emperor, the Forbidden City is made up of 800 buildings with 8,886 rooms and covers 720,000 square metres. It was the home of the Emperor until 1924. Many of you may have seen the film "The Last Emperor" which was the first western production filmed in inside this historic complex.

The entrance to the Forbidden City just north of Tiananmen Square.

The week before we arrived, a vandal attacked the portrait of Chairman Mao pictured above and burned a large portion of it. He was quickly subdued, and apparently a new one was unrolled in its place. They must keep a spare handy for just such an occasion. There were rumors that the Forbidden City was closed to the public, but we could find no official confirmation of this, and when we arrived, it was open. There was no mention of the defacement in the Chinese media and when we shared the fact with our tour guides they said they had heard nothing about it...Note the fire extinguisher in the lower right hand corner of the photo - I bet that is new....

Our group enters the main gate while I bring up the rear:

The complex was the home of the Emperor, and access was strictly limited. As you move deeper inside, you get closer to the private quarters of the Emperor, the Empress and, of course, the concubines... its good to be the King...

The architecture is really breath-taking. Much of the Forbidden City was weathered, but sections were freshly painted. Like the Golden Gate Bridge, once they finish painting it, they start again at the beginning... A freshly painted part - notice the vibrant red:

An close up of the hand painted work on the structure:

A close up of a more weathered section:

I loved the figures on the roof line - presumably similar to the gargoyles found on many European buildings?

Joe and Professor Yang at the Forbidden City

Just to prove I was actually there...Go Sox!

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Our next stop, about an hour and a half outside Beijing, was a section of the Great Wall of China. This collection of structures was built between the 5th Century BC and the 16th Century AD to protect China from the Mongols to the north. All its sections together run at least 4,000 miles, but rather than a continuous wall, it is a number of seperate and distinct structures built and re-built throughout Chinese history. It was no match for the toughest of invaders though, as the Mongols penetrated it in the early Ming Dynasty and sacked Beijing. (but they conquered EVERYONE from Japan to Europe...)

Depending on who you ask, the wall represents China's great strength and accomplishment or its isolation and xenophobia. One thing that was clear to me was that the tourists (me included) loved it! At first I was disappointed that there were so many people and I wished I was at some more remote or "authentic" portion of the wall, but after a few minutes of navigating the thousands of Chinese tourists climbing the wall and watching people having the time of their lives, I realized that this is like the Grand Canyon or Disneyland for the Chinese - an important historic place, sure, but also a place to have fun and enjoy the novelty of climbing such a famous landmark. My attitude changed immediately and I happily joined the throng.

A nice shot of professor Yang below - he and I climbed the most famous section together.

Parts of it were so steep that it was like climbing a ladder

Shane, Associate Director of the EMBA program, at the Wall

A few towers up from the parking lot - about 3/4 of a mile straight up - there is a monument.

Inscribed on this monument is a quote from Chairman Mao that, loosely translated, notes: "you are not a man unless you get to this point on the Great Wall" - It is from a poem written by Mao during the Great March (1935) written to rally the troops. Everyone from our group, ladies included I might add, made it to this point or beyond!

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The next morning we headed to the southern section of Beijing and visited the Tian Tan - the Temple of Heaven. Established in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty, this sacred site was where the Chinese Emperor - the "Son of Heaven" - would go on the winter solctice to pray for a good harvest. Today it is a must see tourist site and the park is used by the good people of Beijing as a place to relax, play badminton, cards, dominoes, and sing traditional Chinese songs - no kidding - it was like Central Park on a fine day, including the Yankee caps...

The Qinian Dian, or "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests"

Looking south from the Qinian Dian

Gateway detail

Gateway, looking north toward the Qinian Dian

Bo Jin, President of the George Washington University Alumni association in China, was one of our guides. Bo Jin works for a government agency, but is also an entrepreneur. He was also our group photographer and took literally hundreds of pictures of us. Whenever our group was questioned by a concerned official, Bo Jin made problems go away... Thanks Bo!

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The Lama Temple, just a stones throw from one of Beijing's massive ring roads, was established as a Tibetan Lamasry in 1744. Beyond the obvious beauty of the place, it struck me because it was the first time I saw people worshiping openly in China.

Making an offering to the Buddha

I was unable to capture it in a photo, but the most amazing thing to see at this temple is a massive three story statue of the Buddha inside the temple. I cannot adequately describe it - you must see it for yourself.

The guardian of the entrance to the temple

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The Summer Palace, where the Emperor and the Empress Dowager would go to escape the summer heat (kind of like Camp David, I guess), was our last stop for the day. We walked around the large lake on the Palace grounds, then took a Dragon Ferry back to our bus.

Hey shutterbugs, what's the big deal?

Oh, I see, the Palace itself, high on a hill next to the lake...

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We worked hard all week, fought jet-lag, and played hard all weekend, so by the end of our trip to Beijing, we were all exhaused....

Before:

After:

Next stop, Shanghai!

A little girl looks warily at the large stranger with a camera...

When I visit a new city, especially one as different to me as Beijing, one of my favorite things to do is just wander the streets and watch people. If someone is interesting to me and I want to photograph them, I either ask their permission or try to do so unobtrusively. The following photographs are from a few walks I took around Beijing in early June. As is common in Beijing it was overcast and smoggy that day, so no clear blue skies, but the people were all out and about...

A bus driver - I liked his serious look:

I tried to get the owner to pose with his dogs, but he insisted that they were more photogenic than he was...

This photo was taken inside the Temple of Heaven - these women appeared to be tourists just like me, but Chinese

This guy could be a migrant worker from the countryside or just a local man of little means.

China's economic boom has not reached all quarters. A statistic that I heard more than once from different sources is that 900 million rural Chinese live on about $1 a day...

A couple kanoodling on a bench next to the Forbidden City:

Same couple in 40 years? More likely the two above will be driving a Lexus...

A girl working on her calligraphy using a brush dipped in water - a common sight in public parks in the city.

I think I saw this car in Oxford didn't I? This one is parked next to the Forbidden City wall

Hard to see, but this guy is wearing a Yankee cap - you just cannot escape members of the Evil Empire...

An elderly man taking a load off next to the Forbidden City

The public park at the Temple of Heaven was crowded with groups of people playing music, dancing, singing, playing dominoes, etc.

The man below is playing an Er-hu, or two stringed Chinese violin.

Another guy who seemed to be down on his luck. He seemed very interested in the trash barrel in front of him. There were very few homeless people in the center areas of Beijing. I suspect the government keeps things "tidy" for foreign visitors

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A pedi-cab ride for the whole family!

Either she is tiny or that lantern is VERY large...

Nice ass, great mellons... (sorry, I couldn't resist...)

Fishing in the moat around the Forbidden City

Proud little guy in his coolest outfit posing for mom & dad at the Temple of Heaven

Still the most popular form of transportation in China

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On my walk I came across a street lined with food vendors. They were just setting up for the evening and didn't have their grills fired up yet, but most of their "raw" material was presented for inspection

Start with veggies...

Move on to cray-fish or shrimp...

Maybe some squid or octopus?

Some cicada pupae or heart?

And finish with starfish and sea urchin...

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Finally, I liked how intently this man was filling the cracks between the bricks in the Temple of Heaven. I watched him for a few minutes and his focus never wavered...

The Serenity Prayer in Mandarin Chinese - AA Clubhouse, Beijing:

Wherever you go in the world, you will find people - both locals and foreigners - who get together to support each other in a program of recovery. China is no different, and if you do your homework, you can find AA meetings in Beijing, Shanghai and beyond.

Every culture approaches the affliction of Alcoholism differently - some are more progressive than others. China has only officially recognized the issue recently - here is an article from the official English news site in 2002:

http://app1.chinadaily.com.cn/star/2002/0919/bz9-2.html

As you can see, it appears the "intemperance" is on the rise...

As a foreign traveller in recovery, you might be suprised to learn that although the recovery community exists, and there is an English & Chinese speaking meeting every day of the week in Beijing and Shanghai, the broader community is comparatively tiny. I spoke to a man at a Sunday night meeting while I was in Beijing, and he told me that the first AA meeting in Beijing took place as recently as 2000. There were three people present - the man I spoke to and two others (and no doubt, a pot of tea and a resentment or two...)

Here are the 12 steps in Mandarin on the wall of the Beijing AA Clubhouse:

For political and cultural reasons, AA was a tough sell in China (for example, on more than one occasion I was told that if you don't drink in China no one will trust you in business dealings...), and seven years after its founding, I was told that the program has only 10-15 Foreign members in Beijing and 25-30 Chinese members. The numbers in Shanghai are smaller, but comparable. That means that in a country of 1.3 billion, more than a few of which suffer from the disease, there are less than 100 AAs... Let that sink in for a minute...

If you are in Beijing - visit the local AA website. It has resources, a meeting schedule, and very specific directions on how to find the small clubhouse (a studio apartment in a large building on Dong Zhong Jie.)

http://www.aabeijing.com/

If you are in Shanghai, vist this site with similar information - FYI, there are a few English speaking meetings each week at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in a very posh conference room... Not necessary conditions, but nice...

http://members.cox.net/mppowers1/index.html

What are you waiting for? There is a direct flight from Washington's Dulles Airport to Beijing... 13 1/2 hours and you could be in Beijing!

I travelled to Beijing last week with my Executive MBA class from George Washington University to participate in a two week residency in China. Our International Economics professor - the pride of Shandong, Jaiwen Yang - is our leader, and he arranged visits for us to Chinese Government offices, International Business Associations, and both Chinese and American companies. In addition to our comprehensive visits during the day, we have been eating very well and enjoying traditional Chinese entertainment in the evenings (some shown, some not...). On the weekend we visited a number of historic sights and played tourst - complete with bus and guide.

In this post I will do my best to show what the class of 2008 has been up to in both areas - business & pleasure...

(Disclaimer)
I should note that this blogpost is based on my own observations and photographs and does not necessarily reflect the opinion or experience of my classmates.

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Our first stop was the Chinese Trade Development Bureau at the Ministry of Commerce. We met with a number of officials including their prominent economist - Professor Mei Xinyu. This organization is quite active in assisting Chinese companies - both in China and abroad.

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For our first lunch in Beijing, we went to a famous Peking Duck restaurant. It was a wonderful experience - every bit of the bird was available to sample, from the standard breast meat on a pancake with onion to the less common feet, lungs and brain...

Steve and Alan happy after their duck:

The remains of the critter - poor guy didn't have a chance... Note the head and tiny cranium - I guess that is why we are eating him and not the other way around...

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In the afternoon we visited the Commercial Section of the United States Embassy to learn about the role our government plays abroad in assisting U.S. companies, then we headed to the U.S - China Business Council to hear an association perspective.

It was a day full of thought provoking visits, and although we were all pretty tired at that point, we rallied and headed over to a private club for a reception for the George Washington / China Alumni organization organized by its President, Bo Jin. As a special suprise, it was Pam's birthday and a cake rolled out after the meal to the strains of happy birthday!

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The following day we were off early to the north west part of Beijing to visit the headquarters of the Lenovo Computer Company. This Chinese company purchased IBM's Thinkpad division a few years ago and is the largest seller of personal computers in China (and in the top four worldwide behind HP, Dell and Acer).

After a quick tour of the fabrication plant where we saw Chinese workers assembling standard and custom PCs, we visited their model showroom. Our guide, whose name in English is "Alma", gave us a tour:

Mr. Elvis Oxley inspects their line of new notebook computers:

At the end of our visit, we met with Mr. Cory Grenier. Cory is a Project Manager in Product Marketing and told us more about Lenovo's global Marketing Plans and shared a little bit about what it is like as an American working in China.

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Lunch was atop a the tallest structure in Beijing - the CCTV Tower. Alas, it was so cloudy that day that we couldn't see more than a few feet up top.

Here is a shot of Bo, Sean and Joe:

The Dragon Guarding the tower:

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After lunch we headed to the Beijing offices of the Microsoft Corporation to learn a bit more about doing business in China. Our meeting was with Eric Ashdown - Microsoft's Chief Security Officer for China - and Mr. Joeseph Lee, their national Technology Officer.

As we waited for our speaker to arrive from the airport, Professor Yang told jokes to keep us entertained:

Ashdown was a very interesting speaker who was very candid about the challenges and opportunities for an American company in China.

Here is a nice shot of the class and Mr. Ashdown in Microsoft's lobby:

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Our next day of visits began at the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park in Beijing. This quasi-government organization provides support for new companies throughout the region. We visited their headquarters and one of their "incubators" for fledging businesses in the tech sector.

Our hosts point out their various facilities in the region. One of the reasons this concept (based on what exists in Silicon Valley) is so successful is the presence of so many established universities and research facilities in the Capital City.

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In the afternoon we visited the Ministry of Finance and learned about Chinese Tax Policy from Mr. Zhu Guangyao, Assistant Minister of Finance.

Later in the day, we were warmly welcomed at the Beijing Municipal Engineering Consulting Corporation, a Beijing Municipal Development Agency. This firm is responsible for many of the large scale projects for the 2008 Bejing Olympics. They rolled out the red carpet for us...

A shot of the Olympic Stadium in progress - many call it the "bird's nest"

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For an evening's entertainment, our tour guide arranged a visit for us to the Beijing Opera. Some of the group pictured below after dinner and before the show - pictured: Kathleen, Blair, Scott, Constance, Professor Yang and Mark:

This particular cultural tradition goes back to the 17th century and was like nothing I had every seen (or heard). I enjoyed the costumes and the music, but I must admit that I was a bit lost at times as to the plot of each Act. Some images:

The overture:

Act One:

Act Two:

Act Two:

Act Three:

Act Four:

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On our final morning of visits, we met with Dr. Gene Ma, Chief Economist at Citic Securites in Beijing. Citic is the larges such firm in China and is part of a conglomerate that is China's larges company. Dr. Ma helped us understand the complexities of the Chinese Stock Market and how it is different from other international exhanges and how they interact.

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After our last working session in Bejing, we drove out of town a bit to a traditional Beijing restaurant for a banquet luncheon. The place was beautiful:

Although the identity of much that was put in front of us was a mystery, the food was delicious. Bo certainly thinks so....

Kathleen seemed pleased as well:

The group raises a glass of traditional Chinese Alcohol in celebration of a successful week - Gambai!

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Upcoming posts - "Walking the streets of Beijing", "Beijing: History and Architecture" and "The Great Wall - You Gotta Do It!"