Sandra Scott Travels

The 27th U.S. president, William Howard Taft, who weighed 355 pounds, supposedly got stuck in the White House bathtub. It is open to conjecture; but, he did have an extra-large tub installed in the White House that could hold four ordinary men. When John and I were in Cincinnati, we visited the house where Taft was born. It is now a National Park. I have to admit, we didn’t know very much about Taft. But, during our tour of his house and the adjacent museum my ambivalence turned to respect for him.

I didn’t realize there were so many groundhog weather prognosticators. I thought Punxsutawney Phil was the one and only. After all, they made a movie about him. Puxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter, as did Ohio’s Buckeye Chuck. However, Staten Island’s Chuck, formally known as Charles G. Hogg, predicts an early spring.

As a teenager, I was intrigued with the concept of travel to the moon and beyond. What was once science fiction is now a reality. Americans have walked on the moon and will, most likely, walk on Mars then travel beyond. John and I visited the Houston Space Center where were several informative video presentations. Carl Sagan said, “Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready to set sail for the stars.” Well, maybe not the stars quite yet.

San Felipe is a small fishing village on the east side of the Baja Peninsula. In the early ’90s, John and I, with our two sons, drove to San Felipe from Las Vegas. We stayed at the only motel/hotel – El Cortez. There was a notice on the wall of our room “Do not build a fire on the floor.” Good idea, but why did they find that necessary?

I have to admit I have never been a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. I guess it is too organic and modern. However, I do like how Taliesin West blends in with the environment. Personally, I prefer more traditional, classic architecture but our guide at Taliesin West, Lola, did a better job of explaining the concept of Wright’s architecture than any of the guides we had at other Wright’s houses we have toured. We have visited the Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, Graycliff south of Buffalo (with a beautiful location on the lake), and Falling Water in Pennsylvania.

When I realized that Scottsdale and Phoenix were about equal distance from the Phoenix airport John and I decided to stay in Scottsdale. It was a good choice. The Hotel Valley Ho is one of the Historic Hotels of America but vintage 1950s. It was a bit depressing learning that a hotel built in the 1950s met the qualifications as an historic hotel. The Hotel Valley Ho is considered by architects to be “one of the best examples of a mid-century hotel.”

The recent hurricane season has been extremely disastrous on the islands of the Caribbean. But there were some that did not suffer any damage. Undamaged Islands still suffer from association with potential travelers thinking the entire Caribbean was destroyed. Keep in mind that the best deals are in the off season or at the beginning and end of high season. Often the best deal is a package that includes airfare.

FX Matt Brewing Company in Utica is one of the oldest family owned breweries in the United States. On a recent trip to Utica, John and I enjoyed the tour of the brewery. We were lucky because we were the only people on the tour. However, tours are offered Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. A great winter daytrip. Beer knows no season!

The last days of 2016 John and I had a 24-hour stopover in Narita, Japan, so I booked a stay at the Crowne Plaza Narita, which offers free airport transfers. A flyer in our room stated that the hotel offered several New Year’s events, one of which was an “osechi” breakfast. When I asked what it was, Ayaka Ohara, the public relations director, explained that according to tradition nothing should be cooked on New Year’s Day. Osechi is a variety of colorful dishes in a bento box that is part of a traditional New Year’s morning meal that also includes ozoni.