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firelord-frowny · 2 years

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i promise im not trying to sound Special when i lament about how alien i feel from the rest of the world - or at least the rest of the community I'm surrounded by* - buuuuuuuuuuut

consider the question "where do you want to be in life?"

People usually answer that by expressing a desire to move up in their career and pursue their dream job. Maybe they wanna get married. Maybe they want financial freedom. They want to lose unhealthy habits and learn healthier ones. They want to go get their masters degree. their phd. they wanna buy their dream car.

But when I answer that question - when someone asks me where I want to be in life - I really tell them WHERE.

I describe a location. Not a job, or a lifestyle, or a relationship.

I want to be in Alaska (or any similarly wild and wide region a la Gaines, PA). I want to live far enough away from major roadways that I can go hours at a time - maybe even days - without hearing a car pass by. I want there to be a direction I can look in where I won't see anything manmade - only the bare naked landscape of earth, the way the earth meant for itself to be. I want it to get so dark at night that the milky way casts a shadow in the summertime. I want to see auroras. I want it to snow in winter. A lot. I want to look outside and see rare birds.

I could land my dream job and meet the love of my life and become a multi millionaire and I could win an oscar for best original screenplay and I could be part of an award wining string quartet and I could publish books and i STILL would not be happy, because the only thing that I truly value besides the health and safety of my loved ones is the ability to feel connected to the planet that humankind evolved in.

I wanna breathe the air we breathed 50,000 years ago. I wanna water the plants I pick my fruit from. I wanna see the stars that our most ancient ancestors learned to rely on. And I don't care what kind of ~wellness~ and ~self care~ and ~mental health~ bullshit anyone ever tries to do. You cannot compensate for or substitute the mental/spiritual fulfillment that comes from experiencing life on earth in a way that's in harmony with the natural processes of the universe.

It makes me fucking sick to my stomach when some smiling news anchor babbles the report from on their teleprompter that lectures about how "studies show that spending at least 15 minutes a day outdoors in a natural area can improve your mood!"

15 minutes? is this a fucking joke to you? I live my life in a concrete hellscape of putrid air, lights that never get turned off as they flicker and buzz, high-pitched electronic noise frequencies that set my nerves on fire, and you wanna fucking condescend to me about how Fifteen Minutes Or More Could Save You 15% On Existential Emptiness??? i fucking HATE you.

When I tell people how utterly hollow I feel in this urban wasteland of bricks and asphalt and right angles, they're eager to tell me all about the Lots Of Really Nice Parks In The Area. They really think they're giving me useful information. They feel genuinely happy to have bestowed me with knowledge that will make it all better. They really think strolling a few times around the fitness trail a Allen Pond is gonna fill me with peace. They really think I'll find calm and clarity at the national arboretum. They don't understand the the thing I need from the world does not exist here within a 200 mile radius. Do you get it??? It's like living on a diet of nothing but potato chips. It'll keep me alive for a good while, but I'm still going to die prematurely from a heart attack or whatever.

I hate it here and therapy and deep breathing cannot ever fix that.

I just need to GET OUT.

#*noticed this as i was rereading the post before posting it but #''community i'm surrounded by'' is so fucking Telling.#the typical way one references their community is to just say ''my community'' or ''the community i live in''#but my subconscious is so aware that i DON'T ~live in~ a community #it's NOT ~my~ community #the community i'm surrounded by feels like a wall that cuts me off from the rest of the world #bars me from opportunities to even FIND the right community for me #let alone actually go there and live in it #i feel so fucking much like a captive animal #and not like one in a top-notch zoo with spacious enclosures and stimulating enrichment activities #i'm the anaconda at the national zoo that can't even submerge itself in that raggedy-ass lil water dish #an emaciated elephant behind iron bars #help :(

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cami-chats · 3 years

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College Boyfriend

Fandom: The Umbrella Academy (TV)

Pairing: Five Hargreeves/Diego Hargreeves

Summary: Five was a condescending know-it-all, made all the worse to his project partners by the fact that he did know all of the material already. The university wifi crashing ends with them at Five's apartment, and they leave with more questions about his personal life than before.

Read below or on AO3

Five liked his life. It was strange to think after so many years of not being content let alone happy, but he was. All of his siblings were a phone call away. Allison was on the other side of the country, but she was still reachable. The Academy had gotten a makeover, so Vanya and Klaus had moved back in with Luther.

And then of course there was Diego, but Five saw Diego every single day in the apartment they shared. Convincing Diego to move out of his back room at the gym hadn't been as easy as Five had imagined, but in the end, he'd been triumphant. Diego still worked at the gym in the evenings, but now he stayed at their apartment in the day or visited the Academy instead of wasting away in that dank hole-- Five's words, not Diego's.

Five spent his days at college, attending classes and doing his homework, and he spent his nights kissing Diego. It was a nice little arrangement, if he did say so. He could've stood to look a little older, though. Diego looked the thirty-five years old that he was, but Five looked to be, at most, twenty-five. He'd like to be forty, maybe forty-five. Forty-five was a nice age. Comfortable in your own skin, but not so old that you were falling apart. He couldn't deny that there was still a bit of an itch under his skin from being so young, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as being a teenager had been.

Looking like he was twenty let him do what he wanted, without any of the aches and pains that age brought. Still. He could've done without his professors talking down, like they knew more than him. Like Doctor Davis, who taught his Shakespeare class. She said that she'd been studying Shakespeare for ten years, and Five wanted to tell her that that wasn't shit because he'd spent a full fifteen years arguing with Delores about Lady Macbeth's motivation-- and they'd disagreed to the very end. But he couldn't say that, which meant he and Doctor Davis spent a lot of time glaring at each other when they talked. He was pretty sure he was the sole reason she'd decided to give them a fucking group project, but she wouldn't admit as much. Diego thought it was funny the way he thought everything was funny when it didn't concern him. What an ass.

Five was a pretty weird guy. He was condescending-- which wasn't that weird-- but he actually already knew all the material. There was no reason for him to be in the class other than the degree requirement. It was really easy to be condescending when you were right, they guessed. 'They' being Five's unfortunate partners for the group project that they had in Shakespeare. Five had protested loudly at a group project, but Doctor Davis had only shrugged and said it was part of the curriculum.

They met up at the campus library two times before, and this was the third time so they could finish. Things were going pretty well-- or at least, they started going well once they figured out that Five's insults weren't personal and he didn't really care. It was more like he had no brain to mouth filter, so that every little thought came out where most people would've stopped before saying it-- even with that being said, he was still annoying. They didn't like him, and he didn't like them. For the most part, they ignored that to get the work done.

They were so close to finishing. Another two hours, and they'd be set.

That was when the internet went out. For all of them. They were in the middle of restarting their laptops and reconnecting to the wifi when an announcement went over the PA. "Attention to all occupants. The campus internet is out, and we've been told that it won't be fixed until tomorrow morning at the earliest. We apologize for the inconvenience."

"Shit," Allen breathed. "Does anyone live off campus? I'm in the dorms."

"Me too," Aisha said with a worried frown.

"I live in the sorority house, but it's the same wifi as the campus," Judy said.

None of them really wanted to ask Five, but after clenching his jaw for a moment, he answered on his own. "I guess we can go to my apartment."

"Okay, cool," Allen said, trying not to sound as thrown as he was, and they all started packing up now that they knew what the plan was. "Thanks."

"How long does it take to get to your place on the bus?" Judy asked.

Then, looking even more uncomfortable than before, Five said, "I'll just drive us."

"You have a car?" Judy said, surprised. Five didn't bother to answer, but after seeing the car, it became clear that Five was loaded. What other college kid had a Rolls Royce? She half expected for him to pull up to a swanky condo, but he went to an ordinary looking apartment building and parked.

Every inch of his posture screamed that he didn't want to be inviting them to where he lived, but they were sort of out of options for other places to go. There were coffee shops and shit, but with the campus wifi out, every student that lived in the dorms would be filling those places and there wouldn’t be room for all of them.

Five unlocked the door, and they all filed in, not knowing what to expect from his place. Walls of books would've fit right in with his know-it-all aura, but an empty living room with no decoration also wouldn't have been out of place. The way his living room actually looked was almost too normal. There was a tv set up on a stand that probably hadn't been made for it. There was a small bookshelf stuffed more books than it could easily hold. One couch and a banged up coffee table in front of it with various items on it. There was a poster for an Allison Hargreeves movie on the wall, and what looked like an oil painting.

The thing that really got to them was that Five didn't live alone. It was obvious in the way the living room was built to accommodate two people-- the two hooks for coats and the indent of where two pairs of shoes usually sat at the door, not to mention the set of dishes by the sink that couldn't only be accounted for with only one person. His roommate was either as weird as him, or a normal person trying to ignore his eccentricities, and his project partners hoped that they'd never have the chance to figure it out.

Five grabbed an index card from the tv stand and put it on the coffee table while he worked on clearing the rest of it off. Aisha glanced at the card and realized it was the wifi network information. She pulled out her laptop and tapped impatiently as she waited for it to boot up. She got her internet set up, then passed the index card to Allen since he was next to her. She took a glance around but didn't see an outlet. Her laptop's battery was shit; she wouldn't be able to make it through the evening without plugging it in.

"Hey Five?" Aisha said, the end of her charger in one hand.

He glanced over at her, then nodded to the right of her. "It's at the edge of the couch."

"Thanks."

None of them made themselves comfortable, knowing that this wasn't a social visit. It was an awkward hour as they hurriedly worked, but they didn't get a chance to finish before they were interrupted. And when the interruption came, it came in a big way. Like a fucking superstar walking into the room, because that's exactly what happened. It was Allison Hargreeves! Allison fucking Hargreeves walked into the place holding a massive picture frame.

There was no way Allison Hargreeves was the one who lived here. Simply no way. She had a kid and shit, didn't she? And she wouldn't settle for living in a place like this-- it wasn't a dump or anything, but it wasn't where a famous movie star would live. What the hell was she doing here? Come to think of it, Five's last name was Hargreeves, wasn't it? Maybe they were related somehow. It would certainly explain the expensive car and the better-than-you attitude. Hell, if Aisha had Allison Hargreeves for a sister, she'd think that she was better than everyone else, too.

Another woman walked up behind her, looking like a housewife straight out of a fifties advertisement, from the smile on her face to her perfectly coiffed hair to the short heels on her feet that matched her skirt.

"Oh hey Five," Allison fucking Hargreeves said, like she saw him everyday.

He glanced over at her. "Did you seriously fly over from LA to go shopping with Grace?" Then his eyes flickered over to the other woman. "Hi Grace."

"Hello Five, darling," she said. It was kind of unimaginable that Five let anyone call him darling, but he didn't seem bothered by it.

"Actually," Allison Hargreeves said, "I came over to hang out with Diego, and he wanted to go shopping with Mom. I didn't have anything better to do, so I tagged along. He said you were busy tonight." She glanced over at them and smiled, then gave a little wave with her free hand.

They all waved back numbly. "We're working on a group project together," Judy managed to say.

"Are you going to introduce us?" Grace-- Mom??-- asked.

"No," Five said bluntly. "We're not friends."

"You really should make some friends," Grace said, her smile still in place. "They're important for your social development." All he had to do was look at her, and she said, "Sorry dear. It's instinct."

"I can be out of your hair soon, if you want," Allison Hargreeves said.

"Whose hair are we getting out of?" a man asked, kicking the door closed. You ever look at a guy and think 'I don't want to fuck with him'? Yeah, that was this guy. The paper bags he was holding from shopping weren't intimidating, but his clothes barely hid a strong physique, and the scar on his head only added to the badass factor he had going on. Allen was pretty sure the only people that owned boots like that were familiar with breaking people's bones, and he shrank in on himself slightly without thinking about it. Then he saw Five and said, "Hey babe." He said it to Five. Was... was he Five's boyfriend?! Was Five living here with his boyfriend?? "Something wrong with the library?"

"The internet decided to die," he said wryly. "We're almost done."

"Cool." Five's boyfriend (probably boyfriend??) walked towards the bedroom, and Allison Hargreeves and that Grace woman followed him. The door stayed open, but it was far enough away that when they spoke, the group could only hear the murmurs of their voices and not the words that were being said.

They were distracted for a little while by the fact that they'd just met Allison Hargreeves, the most famous and talented actress in Hollywood, but they managed to get the rest of the work done without wasting too much time.

If it were anyone other than Five, they probably would've been able to get an official introduction to her-- maybe a picture or two-- but they finished the project, gave it a quick read-through to make sure there was nothing obvious missing, and then they were being ushered out. Aisha got out her phone and ordered an Uber as they packed up.

Five turned his head and called, "We're done!" down the hallway.

As they left, Judy saw Five kiss the man that had walked in with Allison Hargreeves and Grace. Definitely his boyfriend, then, though personally, she thought that he was too old for Five. She knew better than to say that aloud, so she just said goodbye and that she'd see him in class.

They were all glad that they only had the one class with Five.

#fiego #five hargreeves #diego hargreeves #fanfic #tua #my writing

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magsallen · 4 years

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♪ Giving second chances I don't need all the answers Feeling good in my skin I just keep on dancin'

And if we're here long enough We'll see it's all for us And we'll belong

Maybe we can Find a place to feel good And we can treat people with kindness Find a place to feel good ♫

BASICS.

full name: margaret elizabeth allen

age + birthday: twenty-eight | 03/13/1992

gender + pronouns: cis female | she/her

sexual & romantic orientations: demisexual/panromantic

hometown: new orleans, la

occupation: art therapist

personality traits: empathetic, enthusiastic, optimistic, altruistic, sensitive, gullible, cautious, stubborn.

looks like: melissa benoist

FAMILY.

mother: kate allen

father.: chuck allen

siblings: lowell channing ( step brother, 32 )

other important relationships: majorie allen ( maternal grandmother )

pets: she has 2-3 foster pets at any given time and it takes everything in her not to adopt them all.

CHARACTER.

wester zodiac: pisces

chinese zodiac: monkey

primal sign: cheetah

hogwarts: hufflepuff, through and through.

one song: used to be mine - sara bareilles

one book: wicked - gregory mcguire

one movie: meet the robinsons

BIOGRAPHY.

tw: parental abandonment, anxiety

For as long as Maggie could remember, it had been her dad and her against the world. The gruesome twosome. Bonnie and Clyde. Collectors of take-out menus and mavens of Saturday morning Cartoons. Maggie knew she had a mother -- one who loved her very much despite never being around to tell her as much -- but apart from having her eyes and blinding smile, she knew very little else about her. Just that she left before Maggie learned to speak her first words and they’d lost track of her after that. And the look of sadness in her father’s eyes when she spoke of her, leaving crumbs and tidbits -- hints at stories, each of which Maggie collected like treasures -- left her feeling like she shouldn’t press. They were fine, just as they were.

It wasn’t until Chuck started dating that Maggie found herself asking questions she’d previously kept close to her heart -- what had happened to her mom, and if she loved her so much, why had she never been around? At just eight years old, her dad finally sat her down and laid it all down. How her mom had packed up her things and left Maggie with a sitter. How she’d moved her life across the country to get a fresh start. How he’d wanted to follow, but put Maggie first. How she loved them very much but wasn’t fit to be a mother. But she knew they were in New Orleans, and he would always welcome them back into their lives if she was ready, but that he needed to move on. After that, Maggie’s whole world shifted. The smile she’d once admired saw differently on her lips. Those big blue eyes haunting her in the mirror because they were hers. She couldn’t help but wonder what other parts of herself belonged to her mother, and who she might one day hurt because of them. The thoughts consumed her, but her dad had enough on his plate and Maggie worried she’d only stack it too full so she learned to bottle them up. Putting all her fears and anxieties in neatly packed boxes to be dealt with later.

It was six months of helping her dad get dressed for first dates that went nowhere and awkward meetings with women who had little interest in being stepmothers, but when Chuck met Birdie, Maggie’s world would shift again. At first, Maggie was wary but quickly noticed the differences quickly. Her dad was walking taller. When he talked about Birdie, his voice softened and his smile lit up the room and by the time they went on their first date as a family, Maggie knew it was for keeps. Birdie and Lowell felt safe, like home. Maggie didn’t have to worry about her dad’s heart anymore, because it fit perfectly in Birdie’s hands. Their fridge was full of fresh produce instead of plastic containers and she watched Saturday morning cartoons with her new brother, her life felt settled.

Until it was uprooted and moved to a coastal town in Maine for a job. The first few months in Somerton were miserable for Maggie. While she’d always had such an easy time making friends at her old school, she had trouble connecting with her new peers making adjusting to her new life even more difficult. Lunch was eaten in the bathroom alone, books read on the playground, and in the classroom, she kept to herself. But it didn’t take her cool older brother long to notice, and just as quickly as she’d lost her footing, she found it again and by the time she was ready to graduate middle school she had curated a small group of true friends.

High school would be the start of a whole new era, for Maggie. Walking the halls with a solid support group gave the previously shy girl the confidence to put herself out there. Dive in headfirst and explore interests she’d been too timid to pursue in the past. Maggie took drama, auditioned for show choir, learned to play the ukulele (and later guitar), even joined the debate for a minute or two. But it was building sets for the school production of Fiddler on the Roof, that she found her true passion in art. There was a sense of calm in hours spent building props and painting backdrops. Zen. Something clicked. For the second time in her life, Maggie knew what it felt like to be at home. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Maggie became a collector of notebooks, filling pages with watercolored scenes and charcoaled faces and poetry. She didn’t know it yet, but all that art journalling was helping her work through some things she’d long since pushed away deep in her subconscious. Relationships strengthened, grades were at an all-time high and by the time she was ready to leave the halls of Bursted Park High, she felt ready to take on the world.

Family-oriented and frugal, Maggie lived at home all through her degree at Somerton University (go seahorses!), where she studied visual arts with a minor in creative writing. But when it came time for graduation, she had no idea what to do next. So much of the last four years of her life had been spent finding herself in friendships and romantic endeavours, bolstering the people around her with a seemingly unending supply of optimism and enthusiasm. But apart from a good relationship with some local galleries, she had no real path into the real world.

She spent the first three months after graduation wallowing on her parents' couch, watching far too much television to distract from the very real anxieties she felt. Had she just wasted the last four years of her life? What if she never amounted to anything. But Maggie knew a person could only sit still for so long feeling sorry for themselves before they had to pick themselves up and do something about it, and so she did just that. She started looking for work around town, jobs to keep her busy during the interim. As always, it would be her family who guided her where she needed to be. After all, she came from a family of helpers, it seemed only fitting she join the family profession. Within a year she doing her master’s in art therapy out of state, but the pull of family would always lead her back to Somerton. As much as a desire to enrich the community that helped raise her.

These days Maggie primarily works with children in foster care as well as those stuck in the hospital, helping them work through the trauma of their unique situations and giving them tools to work through whatever cards life has dealt them. In her spare time, Maggie can be found hogging the mic on karaoke nights, attempting to beat every escape room in Maine, and fostering senior cats and dogs from the local ASPCA.

#somertonintro

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topfygad · 5 years

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30 most beautiful mountains in the world

The most beautiful mountains in the world have captivated climbers for centuries. Here, we examine their lethal appeal.

“You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you,” said John Muir, the renowned naturalist, author and environmental philosopher.

If our resident seven-summit hopeful is an apt barometer, Muir makes a valid point. Those who spend time in the mountains seem to be driven by a deeper force. These brave men and women will face vertiginous vertical falls, sub-zero temperatures and 8,000m death zones in pursuit of their summit dreams. It’s in ode to them that we present this list.

Most beautiful mountains in the world

1. Cuernos del Paine

Height: 2,600m (8,530ft) Location: Andes, Chile

Emperorcosar/Shutterstock The stunning Cuernos del Paine

Los Cuernos del Paine or ‘Paine horns’ refer to a set of sharp granite peaks in Torres del Paine National Park, all of which rise above 2,000m.

The spiky peaks have delightfully fitting names – among them Aleta de Tiburón (Shark’s Fin), La Espada (The Sword) and La Hoja (The Blade) – and are located halfway along the W trek, one of the best hiking trails in Torres del Paine.

2. Mount Thor

Height: 1,675m (5,495ft) Location: Baffin Mountains, Canada

Ed Dods/Shutterstock Thor is home to the world’s greatest vertical drop

The hulking Mount Thor is simply extraordinarily. Located on Canada’s remote Baffin Island, Thor is home to the world’s greatest vertical drop. It would take a terrifying 36 seconds for a 170lb (77kg) person to fall the 1,250m from the cliff face below the summit all the way to the floor.

3. Alpamayo

Height: 5,947m (19,511ft) Location: Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Andre Gie/Shutterstock Alpamayo has often been named one of the most beautiful mountains in the world

Often referred to as the most beautiful mountain in the world, Alpamayo lies in the heart of Peru’s Cordillera Blanca. With a steep pyramidal shape and Viennetta flutes that look practically edible, Alpamayo remains a highly coveted summit.

4. Matterhorn

Height: 4,478m (14,694ft) Location: Pennine Alps, Italy and Switzerland

Bob Pool/Shutterstock The iconic Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is clearly one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Often credited with the birth of Alpinism in the mid-19th century, the iconic pyramidal peak is successfully summited by thousands of climbers every year with up to 150 attempting an ascent every day during peak season.

5. Ama Dablam

Height: 6,812m (22,349ft) Location: Himalayas, Nepal

Daniel Prudek/Shutterstock Ama Dablam has appeared in products by Apple and Google

Ama Dablam is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Situated in the heart of Everest’s Khumbu Region, it looms directly above Thyangboche Monastery on the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Ama Dablam is so picturesque, Google used it as the background of an early version of Gmail while Apple used it as a wallpaper in iOS 7 – high praise in modern times.

6. Half Dome

Height: 2,694m (8,838ft) Location: Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Dreamstime The imposing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Half Dome in Yosemite National Park is one of the world’s best big wall climbs. The first technical ascent was in 1957 via a route known today as the Regular Northwest Face. The ascent – which took five days – was the first Grade VI climb in the US.

Today, the route has been free-soloed in a mere few hours. The fastest ascent was completed in 1hr 22m by Alex Honnold in May 2012.

7. Ulvetanna Peak

Height: 2,930m (9,612ft) Location: Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

Gordon Wiltsie/With Permission Ulvetanna is one of the most remote mountains in the world

Ulvetanna is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Tolkienesque in appearance, it rises crown-like above a landscape of white.

Ulvetanna, which means ‘the wolf’s tooth’ in Norwegian, was first climbed in 1994. Its north-east ridge was conquered almost two decades later by British climber Leo Houlding and his team.

8. Mount Asgard

Height: 2,015m (6,610ft) Location: Baffin Mountains, Canada

Dreamstime The fantastical Mt Asgard is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world

The twin peaks of Mt Asgard seem to have emerged from a fictional realm. Fittingly, they have been used for several fantastical feats. In 1976, stuntman Rick Sylvester skied off the mountain with a Union Jack parachute for the opening sequence of the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

In 2009, Leo Houlding and his team made a bid for the first free ascent of the north face, a story told in award-winning film The Asgard Project. Houlding later BASE jumped off the summit – an illegal feat for which he was fined.

9. Laila Peak

Height: 6,096m (20,000ft) Location: Karakoram, Pakistan

Pornchai_Ar/Shutterstock The needlepoint summit of Laila Peak

Laila Peak with its needlepoint summit vies with Ama Dablam for the title of the most beautiful mountain in the Himalayas. The first ascent (made without permits and therefore unofficial) was by a four-man British team including Simon Yates who climbed the peak in 1987. It was Yates’ first big climb since the dramatic events on Siula Grande depicted in Joe Simpson’s Touching the Void.

10. Ketil

Height: 2,010m (6,594ft) Location: Kujalleq, Greenland

Fair Use Ketil is home to one of the world’s biggest near-vertical walls

The vast west face of Ketil is another of the world’s biggest near-vertical walls. Located near the southern tip of Greenland, the peak is becoming increasingly popular among the world’s big wall climbers.

Ketil rises above the valley of Klosterdalen which, on the face of it, seems idyllic but is actually a mixture of boot-sucking marshland and thick birch woodland – though climbers are likely to have other worries while bivvying on the wall.

11. Huayna Picchu

Height: 2,693m (8,835ft) Location: Andes, Peru

Emperorcosar/Shutterstock Huayna Picchu looms above Machu Picchu

The iconic Inca citadel of Machu Picchu wouldn’t be half as beautiful without Huayna Picchu looming above it. For many trekkers, climbing this picturesque peak is the highlight of their visit. The views of the citadel – one of the seven Wonders of the World – are extraordinary from the summit and well worth the extra effort.

12. Denali

Height: 6,190m (20,308ft) Location: Alaska Range, Alaska, USA

Steve Allen/Shutterstock The hulking Denali

Denali in Alaska is arguably the most difficult mountain of the seven summits after Everest. It is particularly tough as climbers need to carry heavy loads or pull them on sledges. The notoriously stormy and unpredictable weather on the mountain only makes matters worse.

Denali’s stunning aspect makes it just a little bit easier to understand why it unfailingly attracts climbers to its slopes.

13. Cerro Torre

Height: 3,128m (10,262ft) Location: Andes, Chile/Argentina (disputed)

Sebastien Burel/Shutterstock Cerro Torre has given rise to famous controversies

Cerro Torre is a sheer and sharp pinnacle jutting vertically from the Patagonian Ice Field, fortified with a perilous layer of rime ice and buffeting winds. It is both undeniably beautiful and deeply lethal.

In 1959, Italian climber Cesare Maestri claimed he had successfully climbed the mountain. However, his partner Toni Egger had fallen to his death along with the camera that proved their ascent successful. When every subsequent expedition to Cerro Torre in the following years failed – bringing further death – doubts about Maestri’s summit emerged. He, however, has doggedly maintained his version of events.

14. Machapuchare

Height: 6,993m (22,942ft) Location: Himalayas, Nepal

GlebSStock/Shutterstock One of the last untrodden places on Earth?

Majestic Machapuchare is a sacred peak in the Hindu religion, associated with the god Shiva. In 1957, British climber Wilfrid Noyce set out to climb the mountain, but the king of Nepal asked him to respect Hindu religious customs and not set foot on the summit. Noyce and his climbing companion, A.D.M. Cox, turned back 45m (148ft) short of the summit.

It’s said that no human has ever set foot on it, but it seems to be an open secret that New Zealand climber Bill Denz did so illegally in the early 1980s. Denz was killed in an avalanche on Manaslu in 1983 and the truth died with him.

15. Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Height: 2,999m (9,839ft) Location: Dolomites, Italy

Kan_khampanya/Shutterstock The iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The distinctive peaks known as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) depict Italy’s Dolomites at their iconic best.

The peaks made the news in 2018 when the BBC erroneously used them in a documentary about yak herders in the Himalayas. A viewer spotted the error and informed the broadcaster who apologised and later edited out the footage.

16. Polar Sun Spire

Height: 1,438m (4,717ft) Location: Baffin Island, Canada

Summitpost/Fair Use The so-called ‘mother of all headwalls’

The Polar Sun Spire is notable for its stunning 1,300m north face. The team behind the first ascent spent a full month on the mountain and summited after 36 consecutive nights in a portaledge.

The peak has been called ‘the mother of all headwalls’ and reputedly features an even larger uninterrupted cliff face than Mt Thor though this has not been officially confirmed.

17. Fitz Roy

Height: 3,405m (11,171ft) Location: Andes, Argentina and Chile

4kwonderland/Shutterstock The imposing Fitz Roy

The Fitz Roy range with its imposing peaks and shark-tooth summits has beguiled some of the best climbers in the world.

In 2014, Tommy Caldwell (of The Dawn Wall fame) and Alex Honnold (of Free Solo fame) completed the first ascent of the ‘Fitz Traverse’, climbing across the ridge-line of Cerro Fitz Roy and its satellite peaks. The route is 5km long and includes around 4,000m of vertical elevation.

18. Huangshan

Height: 1,864m (6,115ft) Location: Huangshan, China

4045/Shutterstock Huangshan inspired James Cameron’s Avatar

The Huangshan mountain range in southern Anhui province is one of the most iconic images of China. The towering granite peaks shrouded in wisps of mist are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of China’s most popular tourist destinations.

The range has inspired scores of poets, painters and filmmakers, among them James Cameron who took inspiration from Huangshan in designing the fictional shangri-la of Pandora in his blockbuster film Avatar.

19. Mount Roraima

Height: 2,810m (9,219ft) Location: Guiana Highlands, Venezuela

Fair Use Roraima serves as a tripoint for Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela

Another mountain immortalised in film, Roraima is said to have inspired scenes in Pixar’s Up. This hulking slab has a summit of 31km2 and serves as a tripoint for Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela.

Unexplored until 1884, Roraima has occupied botanists ever since with its diverse range of flora. Needless to say, it is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

20. Mount Fuji

Height: 3,776m (12,388ft) Location: Honshu Island, Japan

FocusStocker/Shutterstock Pretty at a distance

According to the Japanese proverb, ‘he who climbs Mount Fuji once is a wise man, he who climbs it twice is a fool’. This is not without merit for the climb itself offers little of Fuji’s beauty as seen from afar. On the mountain itself, one will find a barren landscape trod by 300,000 people a year.

From a distance, however, Fuji maintains an arresting equanimity that secures its place on this list of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

21. Mount Assiniboine

Height: 3,618m (11,870ft) Location: Canadian Rockies, Canada

Pavel Tvrdy/Shutterstock Mount Assiniboine is known as Canada’s Matterhorn

Mount Assiniboine is a pyramidal peak, often referred to as Canada’s Matterhorn. Located on the Great Divide on the British Columbia-Alberta border, the mountain was named in 1885 by Canadian Surveyor George M. Dawson. On spotting the mountain, Dawson saw a trail of clouds rising from the top, which reminded him of the plumes of smoke emanating from the teepees of Assiniboine Indians.

22. Mount Kilimanjaro

Height: 5,895m (19,340ft) Location: Eastern Rift mountains, Tanzania

Andrzej Kubik/Shutterstock The world’s highest freestanding mountain

Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest freestanding mountain, meaning it is not attached to a mountain range. The ‘Roof of Africa’ boasts myriad landscapes and climatic zones, each with its own distinct flora and fauna.

Ascents begin in dense rainforest, followed by a more scrubland setting with low brush. At around 4,000m, this gives way to a rocky, almost lunar-like landscape before finally, on summit day, a fine glacial scree.

23. Mount Whitney

Height: 4,421m (14,504ft) Location: Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock The highest summit in the contiguous United States

Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States (i.e. excluding Hawaii and Alaska). It looks intimidating on first view but the popular Mount Whitney Trail starts at an elevation of 2,550m, meaning the summit can be reached in a day or two.

24. Stetind

Height: 1,392m (4,566ft) Location: Nordland, Norway

Frode Jenssen/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 “An anvil whereupon the Gods can hammer”

In 2002, Stetind was unofficially selected as Norway’s national mountain. Author and mountaineer Peter Wessel Zappfe described its smooth, steep shape as “an anvil whereupon the Gods can hammer”.

Meanwhile, British mountaineer William C. Slingsby called it the ugliest mountain he ever saw – but we beg to differ. Slingsby failed to achieve the summit which may explain his gloomy view.

25. Aiguille du Dru

Height: 3,754m (12,316ft) Location: The Alps, France

Yao Moxi/Shutterstock Fittingly, ‘aiguille’ translates as ‘needle’

Aiguilles du Dru in the Mont Blanc mountain range is striking for its jutting peak, aptly name ‘aiguille’ which translates as ‘needle’. The peak of granite rock stands at 3,754m and is coupled with a lower peak at 3,733m: Petit Dru which offers one of the world’s most stunning big wall climbs.

26. Trango Towers

Height: 6,286m (20,623ft) Location: Karakoram, Pakistan

Dreamstime The colossal Trango Towers

The Trango Towers in northern Pakistan offer some of the world’s most difficult big wall climbing due to a combination of altitude, height and steepness. Here you’ll find some of the most colossal cliffs on Earth. In fact, the east face of Great Trango Tower is the world’s greatest ‘nearly vertical’ drop at 1,340m.

27. Tsaranoro Be

Height: 1,910m (6,266ft) Location: Tsaranoro, Madagascar

Dreamstime The Tsaranoro Massif is known as ‘Africa’s Yosemite’

Madagascar may be famous for its wildlife, but it has more to offer than lemurs. Dubbed Africa’s Yosemite, the Tsaranoro Massif features orange-streaked granite walls that have drawn climbers since the late 90s. The majority of the walls can be tackled in a day, but the Tough Enough route is considered one of the hardest multi-pitch routes in the world.

28. Uluru

Height: 863m (2,831ft) Location: Northern Territory, Australia

Atlas & Boots Uluru in the red centre of Australia is worth the epic trip

The huge rock formation in central Australia is actually an inselberg, which literally means ‘island mountain’ and refers to isolated rock hills, ridges or small mountains that rise abruptly from more level surroundings.

From 1873, this particular inselberg was widely known as Ayers Rock, a name coined by European explorer William Gosse. However, the local Aboriginal people had called it Uluru for centuries. In 1993, a dual naming policy was adopted and it was renamed Ayers Rock/Uluru, before being changed in 2002 to Uluru/Ayers Rock.

29. Eiger

Height: 3,970m (13,024ft) Location: Bernese Alps, Switzerland

Dreamstime The Eiger is home to Mordwand (the ‘Murder Wall’)

The arresting Eiger is deceptive in its beauty. As well as one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, it is also one of the most dangerous. It’s north face is possibly the most notorious in history. The combination of extreme weather, risk of avalanche, rock fall, technical climbing and freezing temperatures inspired the nickname Mordwand (‘Murder Wall’ in German). In recent years, the Eiger’s menacing reputation has somewhat dissipated, but the legend of the Mordwand endures.

30. Table Mountain

Height: 1,085m (3,559ft) Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Alexcpt_photography/Shutterstock Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain

Table Mountain is said to be one of the oldest in the world. Its formation began circa 280 million years ago and some of its rocks date back 600 million years (long before the Himalayas).

Standing at 1,085m, it’s not the mountain’s height but its breadth that’s most impressive. The stark, scarred northern face hulks across the skyline, topped by a vast plateau that stretches for three kilometres.

Lead image: Daniel Prudek/Shutterstock

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usashirtstoday · 4 years

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Chaotic Good Boy Dog Glass Colorful T Shirt

Chaotic Good Boy Dog Glass Colorful T Shirt, T-shirts, Hoodie, And Sweater

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byshesmiles-blog · 7 years

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MY TRAVEL EXPERIENCE: MEXICO

Seven months later, here I am, sharing my travel experience in Mexico with you!

This post is full of good tips that you would never think, good places where to eat delish food, the best places where to stay on the beach at reasonable price and must dos. Are you ready? :)

As many of you might know already I spent three weeks in Mexico in October and it has been the most amazing time ever! We were in Quintana Roo and we spent our time between Xpu-Ha, between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and Tulum. We divided our holiday in super relaxing time, just chilling on the beach, eating a lot of food, reading under the sun and drinking Coronas and adventure time, when we visited everything we wanted to, from the ruins of Tulum to Chichen Itza, from doing zip lines in the jungle to swim in the cenotes.

If you go for 10 days or a month, this list includes everything you need to know to enjoy your holiday smoothly and experience most of the wonder this area has to offer.

Just one thing before to go on: we went to Mexico on off-season, so my experience could be really different from yours depending on which time you go!

The order of the list is random and not by importance, as every each one of this thing, places, adventures made this holiday unforgettable!

WHERE TO STAY

- El Secreto Xpu-Ha (Carretera Federal Chetumal Puerto Juarez Km 382Xpu Ha, Quintana Roo) – it’s the first place where we stayed and we loved it so much we made our stay longer and ended up here for 13 days! It’s a lovely cabana on the beach, I mean, literally 10 seconds from the water. It has two floors and we had the chance to stay in both. I warmly suggest the top floor as it’s more private and even though they’re quite similar, I liked it more.

It’s a small room but it has all the essential: a lovely bathroom with a perfectly working shower, a little kitchen where to make morning smoothies or cook your own dinner, a comfy enough bed and a really big, lovely terrace, where you can admire the incredible view on the ocean, do some yoga or playing some card at the table. The beach is this rare, clean, almost empty gem, with water so warm and clear you never want to get out! Seriously!

There are a few beach clubs and restaurants along this stretch, where you can take drinks, a good lunch or if you walk a bit further, a fancy dinner. I will talk about these places later in this post.

In short this place is the most wonderful cabana on the beach ever!!

We booked it through Airbnb but you can find it on their main website or on Booking.

- Ahau Tulum (Tulum, Quintana Roo) – wonderful, environmentally conscious resort on the beach. They have different cabanas, with different views, but the place is on the beach and trust me, it doesn’t matter too much which one you’ll choose because you’re in paradise and they treat you like a king, or a queen :)

The staff is truly incredible, the rooms are super clean and really cosy, they all have an hammock either inside the room or outside on the terrace. Their restaurant does delicious food, healthy, fresh and original and their list of juices is mouth-watering! On top of the restaurant they have a open studio with sea view were they’re doing daily yoga. Definitely worth it!

As a super plus, Ahau Tulum has a couple of dogs and a couple of cats wondering around. They’re friendly and safe and only downside is…you fall in love with them and then it’s hard to say goodbye! Especially to sweet-eyes Bandit!

We booked it through their website, but you can find them on Expedia and Booking as well.

WHERE TO EAT

- Hotel Esencia, is located 15 minutes walk on the beach from our first place in Xpu-Ha. It’s actually a beautiful hotel (it’s a Mr and Mrs Smith, which for me it’s always a guarantee!) but you can go there just to take some drinks and dinner. They’re menu is mostly seafood with some vegetarian options. The staff is lovely and they take good care of you. On plus you also have a band of mariachi to sing while you dine! We went twice here and I give it 5 stars!! Only one thing to bare in mind, it’s a bit expensive.

- Restaurare (vegan) – even if you’re not vegan you MUST try this restaurant. It serves the most original, incredibly tasty food that you can’t miss it. It’s located on the hotel road in Tulum, but as soon as you walk few steps and pass the stone bridge you’ll find yourself immerse in a jungly corner where you can taste some mushroom ceviche and lettuce tacos, away from the busy road.

- Posada Margherita – Italian restaurant so YES to this! J jokes a part this was one delicious dinner! Lots of seafood and pasta so good to make you melt! They also have a lovely entrance where you walk in the middle of a candle path and green plants.

- Ahau Tulum – if you’re not staying here, you have to come to eat though! As I was saying before they do really tasty and healthy dishes (that I often shared with Bandit ;))

- Ukami – it’s a sushi restaurant like you might have guessed from the name J a lot of choice of fresh and yummy rolls! And, you know, I’m always in the mood for good sushi!

- Mezzanine – this one and the place below are part of the same chain, Colibrí Hotel. They’re quite fancy and they each one of them has different cuisine. Mezzanine focuses on Thai cuisine and believe me, they’re doing the best dumplings and chicken sate I’ve ever eaten!

- La Zebra – We spent two days on the beach here and ate lunch. They’re doing authentic Mexican cooking that is so lush you wanna keep eating J my favourite was the tuna burger!

Just to remind you once again that it was off-season while I was there, so I didn’t have any trouble finding a table. But if you were going in high season I would recommend booking the restaurants with notice!

MUST DO’S

- Xplor Park – this is an adventure park in Playa del Carmen. It offers zip lines, driving through the jungle with amphibious vehicles, underground rafts, stalactite rivers and hammock splash. It’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever did! It takes one full day so I would suggest go there relatively early.

- Swim with the turtles in Akumal Beach - I absolutely LOVE turtles! They're such wonderful creatures and have had the chance to swim with them, filled my heart with joy! An experience I warmly suggest to do, but also be aware: this beach is quite touristy and crowded. You can't go swim by yourself but you need a guide - we found one there and even though we thought it was a scam at the beginning, we really appreciated having one. PLEASE, don't try to touch the turtles or to get too close to them. Observe them and let them enjoy their habitat without invading it too much!

- Chichen Itza - well I don't need to say too much here as it's one of the Wonders of the World and it truly is something wonderful to see and visit. Again I would suggest to take a guide, someone who can even come and pick you up at the hotel and bring you back, considering it's two hours drive from Tulum. The place is soaked with so much history and so many tales, it's gonna leave you with goosebumps!

- Tulum Ruins - another historical place worth to see for the stories it has to tell. The Mayan culture was something beyond incredible!

- Sian Ka’an Biosphere - on this day we got to see dolphins, turtles, alligators and many different species of birds. I don't want to sound repetitive but it was AMAZING! We booked our tour with Osprey and we booked the Punta Allen one. They do offer many different tours so just have a look at their website and choose the one that fits you more! You can find different companies but I highly recommend them as they are really prepared and incredible guides.

- Cenotes - these are natural sinkholes and it's incredibly refreshing and nice to swim in them. There are a lot all around so it's your choice because they're all worth it a visit! Remember to bring your snorkeling gear!

- Snorkeling and Relax on the beach - a must as I've never been on a better beach. The pink sand and the clear and warm water, the colours of the sky, really make you feel you're in heaven! :)

Just one tip, that I hope you'll not need ever: while I was snorkeling not far from the shore I put my foot down in what I thought it was a rock - nah ah - it was a scorpion fish! Now, not to be a drama queen but I consider myself lucky to be here to tell you this as this kind of fish is deadly poisonous!! Fortunately I barely touch it and moved away as quick as I could. Fortunately again, Simon saw it, realised what it was and knew what to do. It hurt like a mother-fu***r, sorry for the language. I wanted someone to cut my foot off. Just saying. What you need to do is to put your foot in water as hot as you can bare and take a pain-killer. A strong one! That's it! You can't do much. Obviously if your conditions are getting worst then hurry to the hospital! For me it lasted for about two hours and I avoided the hospital. It hurt for a couple of days after then it was like it was never happened. I think about it now and I like to remember myself like a strong warrior but the truth is that...well, THANK GOD TO SIMON, because without him I would have been lost.

TIPS & WARNINGS

- go off-season - once again, we went in October and I'm so happy for that. It was still super warm, no rain, less humidity and, most importantly, less people! If you can, do go in low season!

- take probiotic - especially if you're a bit weak of stomach or not used to different cuisines I would recommend taking probiotic from a few weeks before the trip and while you're on holiday. It's a great help and you don't risk to spend a couple of days in bed.

- buy eco mosquito repellent THERE - Simon and me noticed that even if it's the same brand, the mosquito repellents that work best are the one bought on the place as it seems to be more specific for their type.

- pay in pesos - they can accept also dollars and we had some left as we were coming from Albuquerque but after a little while we noticed it was actually a rip off :-/ so try always to pay in pesos!

- don’t drink tap water - they're gonna tell you everywhere you go but do not drink tap water. Not even the probiotic could save you then.

- rent a car - we're used to always rent a car during our holiday and to be honest it's a real commodity to have your own vehicle. I wouldn't say it's absolutely necessary but from my point of view it's always best to have one!

- sun cream protection - let me play the part of the mum and tell you: the sun there is HOT! Protect your skin, preferably with a natural cream.

It’s rare that I feel to go back to the same place because I always think that there so much to see and explore that would be a waste. But I’m actually looking forward to go back to Mexico, stay again at the Ahau Tulum and also visit some more of the Yucatan as well.

#scorpionfish #Mexico #aroundtheworld #shesmilesblog #elsecretodexpuha #sevenwondersoftheworld #xpuhabeach #shesmilesaroundtheworld #shesmiles #travelaround #chichenitza #snorkeling #ahautulum #shesmilesyogi #travelexperience #Tulum #xpuha

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its-just-like-the-movies · 7 years

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May Viewing List

Given that I now have two jobs that occupy a good amount of my week I’m so genuinely amazed I was able to get this close to last month’s number.

Casting JonBenet (17, B+/A-): As intimate with the actors as they are with their parts. Life experience as credibility in interpretation. - May 1, 2017 (review)

The Fighter (10, A-): O’Russell realizes the best possible version of this script to create a stunning, spiky showcase for everyone involved. - May 2, 2017

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (07, A-): An incredibly tense, textured portrait of two women in a time and place that’s slowly creeping back. - May 4, 2017

The Butler (13, C-): Gumpy, conventional plotting, odd casting & makeup undermines everything neat about Daniels. Amazingly broad. - May 4, 2017

Props to David Oyelowo for being the stillest thing in that movie, enhancing everyone else while giving a great, quiet performance.

Pitch perfect supporting acting. Great work, improves the lot, and you wonder why this isn’t a movie about him and the Black Panthers.

Don’t Think Twice (16, B): Spry cast, easy chemistry, remixed script beats elevate this tale of relocated dreams and success. Jacobs! - May 5, 2017

Nebraska (13, C-): Dern gets his Crazy Heart but instead fights flat, mean direction & plotting, false emotions & atmosphere, shitty musak - May 6, 2017

Face/Off (97, B+/A-): So deliciously, entertainingly Extra, finding the perfect tone to pull off this astounding nonsense. Cage! Allen! Woo! - May 7, 2017

Aladdin (92, B-): Feels like a different Disney musical than the 10′s movies. Lovely songs. Williams more magical than the Genie. - May 7, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (17, B): Such a wide color palette! Shaky til “Come a Little Bit Closer”, then becomes the space opera it dreamed of. - May 7, 2017 (review)

Who else thinks Guardians of the Galaxy 2 should’ve been a musical, and that the next one should just go for it?

Florence Foster Jenkins (16, B-): Great fun, especially the leads. Generous, but overly so? Seems to resist a deeper dive into her rise. - May 8, 2017

And with that, I’ve seen all the 2014, 2015, and 2016 acting nominees!

Nightcrawler (14, B-): Provocative, in distinct and generic ways, but strained. Wonderfully lit, creepy, and blunter than Snowpiercer. - May 8, 2017

The Innocents (15, B): Textured like a Gothic horror story. Milieu I’ve rarely seen in this genre. Intertwined, parallel narratives hit hard. - May 9, 2017

Autumn Sonata (78, B+): Bergman, Bergman, Ullmann, and Nyqvist just beat the shit out of me for ninety minutes and it was an incredible experience. - May 9, 2017

Dheepan (16, A-): I noticed so much more in practically every aspect the second time around. Camera, Srinivasan my favorite elements. - May 9, 2017 (rewatch)

Blue Jay (16, B+): Another one that spiked up for me. Dynamics even richer the second time around. Paulson and Duplass are so lovely! - May 10, 2017 (rewatch)

Blue Caprice (13, B+): Hard, risky, genuinely nightmarish. Symbiosis, paranoia as real bonding. Finds so many questions in its own answers. - May 11, 2017 (rewatch)

The Immigrant (14, A-): An operatic marvel, moving freely through every period of cinema. And so gorgeous! God rewatching things is great. - May 11, 2017 (rewatch)

The House of Mirth (00, B+): A warmer, more conventional, but just as impassioned cousin to Portrait of a Lady. Great look. Gillian shines. - May 11, 2017

The Lady Eve (41, A+): Lord why don’t they make them like this anymore? Quick, witty, lovely, silly, paced like a dream. Superb. Stanwyck!!! - May 13, 2017

I get how problematic the setup could be if made today, but it’s hard to image a modern comedy with this much genuine craft at all levels.

The Stanford Prison Experiment (15, B): Every element builds & improves as it goes. Not sure how much to credit any one part over source material. - May 16, 2017

Maybe because the real thing is so pervasive in the culture already but I’m not sure what I got out of this. Already thinking about B-.

Cool Hand Luke (67, B+): Lots to say about people, about one among many, and how we treat them. Newman makes it about a man. - May 16, 2017

We Own the Night (07, A-): Technical prowess and directorial strength ably fight off genre cliche. Tense, captivating, and very much Gray’s - May 16, 2017

Network (76, B+): THIS was the film so many adults have said I’d be inundated to because of the world now? Friend, that makes it stronger. - May 18, 2017

Malcolm X (92, B-): Artistically and politically valuable even in the sequences Lee is less interested in. Not always both at the same time. - May 19, 2017

That being said, Denzel is incredible, giving a massive performance in an epic that’s sporadically as alive as he is.

The cinematography, especially the lighting, is also really spectacular. It’s artistically strong across the board, just conventionally told.

Secret Sunshine (10, B+/A-): Grabs you by the gut with bracing handlings of trauma and religion, albeit with small hiccups. Jeon’s a marvel - May 19, 2017

The Wolf of Wall Street (13, D+): Is there anything to even say about it? No new ideas from scene one. Boring depravity. So visually dull. - May 20, 2017

Melina, after making a joke about snorting coke out of a stripper’s ass: ”Can women really have it all?”

Alien: Covenant (17, B-): The case against humanity, by David. Human stupidity as real plot logic. Sets, VFX even better than Fassbender. - May 21, 2017

After the movie I realized I almost have the same haircut that Katherine Waterston has. So that’s neat.

August: Osage County (13, C): Not all the pieces fit, especially with so many sharp edges shorn. But Streep’s incredible, Roberts gets it. - May 21, 2017

Passion (13, C): Weirdly uninspired style for such a pulpy tale. Awful sets balanced by great clothes. Score works. McAdams on point. - May 21, 2017

Love & Mercy (15, B): Limited in scope but what textures it finds. Separates art and madness even as they feed each other. Great leads. - May 22, 2017

All three really blew me away, and between this and the Manson You Must Remember This episode, hot damn are The Beach Boys interesting.

And on a totally unrelated note, Paul Dano can fucking get it. Oh yes. Yes he can. Young Brian did have a sweet bed. I’ll stop now.

The Final Girls (15, B+): There’s an even more inventive script in here, but so much more going on visually than I realized. Åkerman! - May 22, 2017 (rewatch) (review)

The Iron Lady (11, C): Damp rag baby of La Vie en Rose and The Whisperers. Messy camera and direction. How much really happened here? - May 24, 2017 (review)

Sweet Bird of Youth (62, B): Scrumptious. Not quite the play but expands nicely. Page a delectably seasoned ham, Newman a sweet hunk of meat. - May 25, 2017

Stage Door (37, A-): Is it a bird? A plane? No! It’s the inner lives of over a dozen artistic, intelligent women, right there on the screen! - May 25, 2017

Is there any point in film history where this project isn’t a miracle? Why hasn’t this been remade every ten years? God, was I in heaven?

Caterpilar (11, B): So confrontationally severe in content and style, even as it dilutes itself in the final third. Iffy taste, but it hits. - May 26, 2017

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (05, C+): No tweet (rewatch) - May 26, 2017

Me, watching Goblet of Fire: “Why couldn’t Ron have dated Hermione AND Krum?”

My mom, every time we watch a Harry Potter movie: “It shoulda been Harry and Hermione.”

Not to read too deeply into things but Ron being Harry’s person he has to save is Really Gay

Easy A (10, C+): Kinda spotty outside Stone, but boy does it care about her. And lord does she make it something special. - May 27, 2017

It’s abominable that with a filmography seemingly built on delightfully supporting women Stanley Tucci’s sole Oscar nomination is for Lovely Bones

The Banishment (07, B): Pace and length made me sleepy but Zvyaginstev’s formal control more than kept me awake. Oddly compelling. - May 29, 2017

The Miracle Worker (62, B+): Beats Arrival for conveying the power of language and understanding. Bancroft’s great, and Duke’s even better. - May 29, 2017

The Man With The Golden Arm (55, B): Sinatra does great work to elevate this semi-cliched tragedy, but Parker and the score hit a home run. - May 30, 2017

Paranoid Park (08, C+/B-): Never not overworked, especially sonically, but unbearable first half hour turns into a compelling yarn. - May 30, 2017

National Velvet (44, B): So kind to its characters, mature about their wants and ideas. Gorgeous, infectious, and well-acted to boot. - May 31, 2017

#my posts #month logs #my reviews #performance reviews

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jaygilbert-blog · 7 years

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COFFEE TALK [with Michael Kauffman]

“I’ve worked in music and technology during my career, largely in sales, marketing, and PR roles. I love to connect artists and companies with fans and customers -- and have been doing that in tech (YouTube on the marketing team and at Google via corporate communications), at start-ups like RightsFlow (a rights management and licensing company acquired by Google), and earlier in my career at labels and distribution companies like UMG, Verve, BMG, and Windham Hill.”

Q: What are a few of your favorite “industry moments?”

I loved spending time on the road with artists earlier in my career. While at Windham Hill in the mid-90’s, I joined Keola Beamer, Ledward Kaapana, and a few other Hawaiian slack key guitar icons on a series of dates up the eastern seaboard. It was one of the first times I spent a lot of time with a band who I had limited prior knowledge about. Pre-internet days. Not only did I fall in love with that music, but I got to introduce the band and crew to PA-breakfast-fave scrapple while eating at the Melrose Diner in Philadelphia. While at Verve, we arranged for the amazingly gifted vocalist Al Jarreau (RIP Al) to host the Music Biz Annual Conference Awards Dinner one year concurrent with his new release. Al arrived in San Antonio with a serious bout of the flu, and we didn’t know whether he’d be able to speak, let alone take the stage. But after a few hours of sweating it out, focused rest, home-brewed tea, and a mind-over-matter attitude, Al took the microphone and blew everyone away with his grace, wit, and charm.

I was fortunate during those years at Verve to work with a top-notch sales team (Tony Pellegrino, Jon Vanhala, Lisa Hopkins, Mark Callaghan, Jeff Lusis, Kim Smith, Missy Iredell), self-branded “The Jazz Pack”. We adopted a song-and-dance approach to many of our sales presentations and had a blast singing-while-selling our releases (I like to say that we were the last of the singin’ sales guys). Flashback to Los Angeles in 2001. The Universal Music and Video Distribution Conference was being held at the Century Plaza Hotel, and we were scheduled, along with all the other UMG labels, to present our upcoming releases to our friends at distribution. Instead of a generic video presentation, we opted to host an awards show called “The Tommy’s” (named for our beloved label Chairman Tommy LiPuma, industry icon, producer, and true music maker) packed with curated categories, spoof videos, and actual live performances highlighting our artists and releases.

The opening song-and-dance number involved us wearing Adidas tear-away track suits worn over tuxedos, doing a bit of choreographed dancing along with a backup crew consisting of the XFL’s LA Xtreme cheerleading squad. It culminated with Tommy himself being led through the curtains of the stage and down to his front-row seat amidst a rousing standing ovation (Tommy’s entrance is ~4:29 in this YouTube videohttps://youtu.be/Y09IwrNHO8Q). Furthermore, there was also an ice sculpture of Tommy, a raucous afterparty, the USC Fighting Trojan Marching Band performing "Tequila", balloons falling from the ceiling, and hundreds of customized Tommy bobbleheads that were presented to all in attendance. I vividly remember Tommy saying to me right before we stepped onto the stage: “Mikey! What's going on here babe?!” Most fun I ever had in a sales presentation. What a cool experience to work with that team and Tommy.

Another highlight happened at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City in early 2014: I spearheaded the music integration at our YouTube on Main Street pop-up experience. It was one of the more stressful planning periods I’ve endured — late nights, intense conversations, negotiations to book acts, and everything in between — but the effort was ultimately rewarded with goose-bump-inducing performances from Damon Albarn (“There’s no way we can fit a string quartet and a large keyboard on that small stage.”), Venus And The Moon (who asked me to rehearse with them in the parking garage), Carina Round, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Sleeping At Last, Matthew Perryman Jones and Kate Tucker (many artists via a Paste partnership — thanks Josh Jackson), and a few roof-raising late-nite DJ sets from Young Guru, Neon Indian, and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy -- who's agent phoned me on the day of his set to tell me he was stuck in Chicago due to snow. He arrived just in time to walk on the stage and start spinning records! It all came together and was magical. Plus so many other highlights: a post-dinner celebratory “toast” with Cheap Trick in Chicago, dinner in the Sinatra room at Patsy’s in NYC with Jamie Cullum, and of course live experiences like The Subdudes at Tipitina’s in New Orleans.

Q: If you were to make a playlist of the songs that are part of your DNA, the comfort food that you keep coming back to, that never fail to move and inspire you, what would those tracks be?

It would have to be a playlist of playlists… how many songs do I get?

Can I have 20 - 25? I love the Great American Songbook: Frank, Ella, Billie, Dean, Sammy, Tony, Dinah, along with Miles, Coltrane, Bird, Bill Evans, Ben Webster, Basie, and all the jazz masters. Here's a happy hour playlist assembled by Ken Druker, our head of catalog while I was at Verve. He curated this “Jazz Pack Supertunes” compilation for our crew back in the late 90’s: Frank Sinatra & Count Basie - Come Fly With Me Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head Buddy Greco - Around The World Bobby Darin - More Sammy Davis, Jr. - Hey There Jack Jones - You'd Better Love Me Count Basie - All Of Me Frank Sinatra - That's Life Eartha Kitt - C'est Si Bon Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual Perez Prado - Mambo No. 8 Wayne Newton - Danke Shoen Bobby Darin - Hello Dolly Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme - This Could Be The Start Of Something Big Buddy Greco - She Loves Me Vic Damone - The Song Is You Al Martino - Speak Softly Love Nino Rota - The Godfather Waltz Dean Martin - Return To Me Johnny Mathis - Chances Are Sammy Davis Jr. - I've Gotta Be Me Frank Sinatra - The Way You Look Tonight Marilyn Monroe - Happy Birthday Mr. President (on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/michaeljoel/playlist/1mNOucMihzZ38hMLv2ptNB)

Q: Are there any artists that never really made it, that came across your desk, that you wish people could hear and embrace?

Action Figure Party comes immediately to mind (a group spearheaded by Greg Kirsten, founder of Geggy Tah, who over the past decade has become a Grammy-award winning producer of Sia, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Ellie Goulding, Pink, the Shins, Tegan and Sara, Lily Allen), signed to Verve at the time by Bud Harner, our ultra-cool A&R rep. “Everybody Ready” now playing: https://youtu.be/Xud_KlHlqr0

Q: Who was your mentor? Why? Early in my career in advertising: Jim Coudal, the creative director at Weber, Cohn & Riley gave me a shot as a copywriter and helped me craft a voice for headlines and copy. Chris Balla and Bob Garbarini at BMG (now Sony) who provided the freedom and the guidelines to teach me how to think about music marketing. Pat Berry, my boss at Windham Hill (now running the Six Degrees label), who taught me pretty much everything I know about sales, much of it based on always framing decisions with what’s best for the artist. Also from the Windham Hill timeframe, Dave Morrell, who spearheaded AAA/non-comm promotion at our High Street imprint, is a dear friend and mentor who taught me how to love stories and to leave people with a smile. Dave has been releasing his memoirs — and they are a hoot! Horse-Doggin’: Volume 1 is available here: https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Doggin-Dave-Morrell-Archives-Vol-ebook/dp/B00IZLEFQ6/ref=la_B00LG1S4P0_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491231314&sr=1-1 and 1974 - The Promotion Man - Volume 2 is here: https://www.amazon.com/1974-Promotion-York-Morrell-Archives-ebook/dp/B015YV11M0/ref=la_B00IZQHCE8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491231441&sr=1-3. Read up. Plus Bob Schneiders at UMVD taught me the ropes as for retail sales when I started at GRP, and also showed me the importance of connection via common passions solidified with personalized outreach. And the host of other sales and marketing execs who guided me through the years: Ben Kline, Pat Monaco, Bob Anderson, Tony Camardo, Linda Finke, Saul Shapiro, Mike Davis, Cliff O'Sullivan, Mark Flaherty, Marc Zimet, Anthony Ellis, Rob Santos, Nell Mulderry, (can't forget you) Jay Gilbert, the Jazz Pack (Jon, Tony, Lisa, Jeff, Mark)... it takes a village obviously.

Patrick Sullivan (CEO / Co-Founder at RightsFlow) mentored me through his leadership to win against the odds through smart-thinking and a tireless work effort, while Scott Sellwood (our Head of Biz Affairs at RightsFlow, and Publisher Relationships at YouTube) inspired me with his brain, musical abilities, and tenacious commitment to finding common sense solutions. And finally Tommy LiPuma, of course, our Chairman at GRP and Verve, who taught me how to pursue quality in music, art, wine and life. A legendary music leader, visionary and Hall of Fame human being with a legacy of music and joy rooted in the artists, colleagues, employees and millions of ears and hearts that he inspired. A few of use traveled to Cleveland last year to celebrate his 80th. So glad we did. It was a night of stellar performances: Diana Krall, Dr. John, Al Jarreau, Leon Russell (RIP)… followed by the afterparty back at the Ritz-Carlton, drinking amazing wine while listening and laughing into the wee small hours to the many, many stories filling the room. Music biz stories for the ages. Tommy stories. So fortunate and thankful. Smart, passionate, creative mentors who rocked my world.

Q: What’s the best part of your job? Helping and listening (to people and to music). Anytime I can generate a creative conversation with an artist, a company or a colleague, and help them think about their audience and how best to share + super-serve + connect, it’s a good day.

That, and getting together with friends and colleagues for lots of happy hours and live music. Ketel martini, up. Ice cold. Olives.

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tamboradventure · 4 years

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California Road Trip: A 21-Day Suggested Itinerary

Posted: 7/2/2020 | July 2nd, 2020

California. It’s the third-largest state in the country and home to over 40 million people and a range of environments and landscapes: dense forests in the north, rugged mountains in the east, majestic deserts in the south, world-class beaches on the coast, and the fabulous wine regions on the coast and central valley.

And it’s perfect for road trips.

I’ve already outlined an awesome seven-day itinerary for Southern California, but today I wanted to share a longer, more comprehensive route for anyone who has a few weeks to explore more of the state’s cities and landscapes.

Even with three weeks, you’ll still miss a lot of great spots in this state (I mean you could spend months traveling California) but this suggested itinerary hits some of my favorite major — and not so major — places.

Days 1–3: San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the most recognizable cities in the US. Home to hippies, yuppies, techies, students, and a sizeable immigrant community, it’s a vibrant and diverse city. It is an eclectic destination to visit. Here’s a list of a few of my favorite things to see and do:

Walk the Golden Gate Bridge – When it opened, it was the world’s longest and tallest suspension bridge, stretching some 4,200 feet. It offers incredible views of the bay and the ships coming and going. You can walk across it too.

Tour Alcatraz – Alcatraz is one of the most infamous former prisons in the country. It housed some of the nation’s worst criminals, such as Al Capone. Today, it’s a national landmark where you can take tours of the prison, step foot in the cells, and learn about its history.

Visit the Beat Museum – Dedicated to the 1950s Beat Generation, this unique museum houses original manuscripts, rare books, letters, and more from authors like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. It also holds regular events, so check the website to see if anything is happening during your visit.

Take a food tour – San Francisco is known for its foodie culture. If you want to cast a wide culinary net and try a lot of different cuisines and dishes, consider taking a food tour. Some companies to check out are Wild SF Tours, Secret Food Tours, and TasteBud Tours.

Explore Chinatown – When immigrants from China first came to America, many set up shop in San Francisco. Today, in the biggest Chinatown in the U.S., you’ll find some of the best Chinese food in the country, as well as wonderful teahouses, bars, souvenir stalls, and fortune cookie makers.

Relax at Golden Gate Park – This gigantic park a great place to walk or relax. It features a Japanese garden, museums, an arboretum, a carousel, and many hiking and walking trails. It’s 20% bigger than New York’s Central Park so you easily could spend an entire day here!

For more suggestions, here’s a detailed list of things to see and do in San Francisco.

Where to Stay

HI San Francisco – Downtown – HI Downtown has some standard perks, like free breakfast and free towels, but the staff also organize a lot of events, including pub crawls, trips to Muir Woods and Yosemite, and bike tours across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Green Tortoise Hostel – This lively hostel is my favorite in the city. It offers free breakfast, free dinners multiple times per week, and even a free sauna! It’s a party hostel, so be sure to stay here only if you’re looking to meet people and get rowdy.

For more suggestions, here’s a full list of my favorite hostels in San Francisco!

Day 4: Big Sur

On the coast just over two hours south of San Francisco is a 90-mile expanse of stunning views and massive redwoods known as Big Sur. There are plenty of beautiful beaches, hiking trails, viewpoints, and campgrounds in case you want to stay overnight (which I recommend). It’s one of the most beautiful stretches of craggy, unspoiled coastline in the state, so take your time exploring as you head south.

Where to Stay I suggest staying at least one night around Big Sur (or just south of the region) to split up the drive to LA. If you don’t have camping gear, Airbnb has a lot of places around the area. You can also just pop into any of numerous cheap motels in the area too.

Days 5–7: Los Angeles

Though I hated it when I first visited, I’ve come to love Los Angeles. It’s not a “tourist” city: everything is spread out and there are not many attractions as you’d expect. But, if you come to LA and go with the flow like a local, you’ll see why people love it so much. This is a city where you eat, drink, hike the many trails in the area, and linger in a coffeeshop.

Here are some suggestions on how to fill your days:

Hit the beach – Venice Beach is an iconic LA hotspot where you’ll encounter all kinds of street performers, surfers, rollerskaters, and both locals and tourists alike soaking up the sun. Other beaches worth checking out are Carbon Beach, Santa Monica State Beach, Huntington City Beach, and El Matador.

See the Le Brea Tar Pits – Located in Hancock Park, these natural asphalt pits have existed for over 50,000 years. Tons of fossils preserved for centuries have been found in the pits, and there’s a museum nearby that has lots of interesting information about them and how they came to be.

See the Hollywood Sign – You can snap pictures of the sign from pretty much anywhere in Hollywood. However, it’s also possible to hike up to the sign itself to take in the view. The three trails that you can take (from easiest to hardest) are the Mt. Hollywood Trail, the Brush Canyon Trail, and the Cahuenga Peak Trail. Bring water, because the hike will take a few hours.

Visit LACMA – Home to some 150,000 works, the LA County Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the western USA. They have collections from pretty much every era throughout history and every region of the world. Admission is $25 USD.

Visit The Last Bookstore – This is one of my favorite bookstores in the world. It also sells records, has art displays, and features a cool upstairs area with cheap used books. Browse the shelves, grab a coffee, and buy a book for your journey.

Stroll down Hollywood Boulevard – Don’t miss the Walk of Fame (where celebrities have their names engraved in the sidewalk) and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (featuring celebrities’ handprints and footprints).

Visit the Getty Museum – This art museum opened in 1997 and boasts a diverse collection paintings, manuscripts, drawings, and other artwork. The collection runs from the eighth century to the present day, so there is something for everyone. Admission is free.

Go hiking – Get out and stretch your legs on the city’s hiking trails. Some worth checking out are the Charlie Turner Trail (90 minutes), Baldwin Hills (30 minutes), Runyon Canyon (45 minutes), Portuguese Bend Reserve (3 hours), and Echo Mountain (3-3.5 hours).

Visit The Broad – This contemporary art museum is one of the city’s newest. Opened in 2015, it has over 2,000 pieces of art. It also has a rotating series of temporary exhibitions too (check the website to see what’s on during your visit). Admission is free.

For a much longer list on what to see and do in LA, check out my Los Angeles travel guide.

Moreover, the city also has innumerable world-class food options. Some places I really like are Musso & Frank Grill, Dan Tana’s, Meals by Genet, The Butcher’s Daughter, Sugarfish, and Thai Pepper.

Where to Stay

Banana Bungalow Hollywood – A laid-back but social hostel that organizes lots of activities and makes it easy to meet people. If you want to party and have fun, this is the place for you!

Freehand Los Angeles – This hostel/hotel features designer rooms with comfortable beds, a rooftop pool and bar with amazing views of the city, a lobby bar, a restaurant, and even a fitness center.

For more suggestions, here’s a list of my favorite hostels in Los Angeles.

Days 8–9: San Diego

San Diego, just two hours down the coast, has just as much to offer. It’s easier to navigate (it’s smaller), the weather is always perfect, the beaches are better, and it’s cheaper too. After LA, it’s my favorite city in the state. Spend a day or two soaking up the city.

Here are some suggestions for things to see and do during your visit:

Visit the USS Midway Museum – This aircraft carrier, commissioned right after World War II, was the largest ship in the world until 1955 and saw action in numerous conflicts, including Vietnam. It was decommissioned in 1992 and became a museum. You can explore the flight deck as well as many of the rooms below.

Hike Point Loma – This is the peninsula where Europeans first arrived in California. Walk out to the tip and enjoy the serene views, visit the lighthouse (built in 1855), and watch locals climb the rocks and cliffs of Osprey Point.

Visit the San Diego Zoo – This is one of the best zoos in the country. Located in Balboa Park (see below), it has over 3,500 animals and 700,000 plant species. It’s a massive, 1,800-acre park where you could easily spend an entire day. If you’re traveling with kids, don’t miss it.

Explore Balboa Park – In addition to the zoo, Balboa Park also offers dozens of museums as well as walking paths, sports fields, gardens, greenhouses, stadiums, theatres, and much more. It’s one of the oldest recreational parks in the country.

Enjoy Pacific Beach – If you want to soak up the sun, swim, or surf, head to Pacific Beach. If you’re a night owl, the area also has lots of bars, clubs, and restaurants too.

Go whale watching – California gray whales, which can grow up to 49 feet and live for over 70 years, migrate from Alaska to Mexico each year between December and April. They are incredible to see up close, and tours are quite affordable (usually around $35 USD).

Relax in Belmont Park – This is a kitschy amusement park right next to the ocean. It has a few classic rides, as well as games and lots of greasy (and delicious) snacks. It’s cheesy but fun!

Go surfing – Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie, grab a board and hit the waves. There’s some awesome surfing here. You can usually rent a board for around $30 USD a day. Lessons cost around $70 USD and last 90-minutes.

Where to Stay

HI San Diego – HI San Diego organizes lots of events and tours that make it easy to meet other travelers. They include free breakfast and also have a big kitchen so you can cook your own food to save money.

ITH Adventure Hostel – This is an eco-friendly hostel with a vegetable garden (guests get free veggies), a recycling and compost program, and even backyard chickens. There is lots of outdoor common space to relax in too.

If you’re on a budget, here’s a list of the best hostels in San Diego for you.

Days 10–12: Joshua Tree National Park

Located just under three hours from San Diego and sandwiched between the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, this is where you’ll find the iconic Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia), twisted multibranched trees. Towering boulders dot the arid landscape and swaths of cacti poke up from the hard dirt. It’s an otherworldly place perfect for hiking, camping, and escaping the busy cities along California’s coast.

The park was declared a national monument in 1936 and designated a national park in 1994. There are a lot of trails here, so consult the trail map when you visit. Some of my favorites are:

Barker Dam Trail – A quick 1.1-mile loop on which you can see wildlife such as rabbits, bighorn sheep, and all kinds of birds.

Wall Street Mill – An easy 2.8-mile hike that leads to an old mill used to refine ore from nearby gold mines.

Ryan Mountain – A steep 3-mile hike offering some incredible views.

Split Rock Loop – A quiet 2-mile hike with lots of neat rock formations.

A seven-day vehicle pass for the park is $30 USD (it allows multiple entries in case you stay in one of the nearby towns).

Where to Stay Airbnb is the best option if you don’t have your own camping gear, although there are also glamping and more rustic options.

Days 13–15: Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon National Park

Sequoia National Park, established in 1890, is where you’ll find the largest single-stem tree in the entire world. Named “General Sherman,” this giant sequoia tree stands a whopping 275 feet tall and has a diameter of 25 feet (that’s a 103-foot circumference). It’s so big that one of its branches is bigger than almost every single tree east of the Mississippi.

Start your visit at the Giant Forest Museum to learn about the history, geography, and importance of the park and its flora and fauna. Afterward, walk the Big Trees Trail, a short loop that will get you in and amongst the trees so you can see them up close.

For a sweeping view of the forest and surrounding landscape, hike up Moro Rock, a massive 250-foot granite dome that juts out of the surrounding hills and forest. Stairs and a concrete viewpoint were built into the rock itself, so you can safely climb to the top and enjoy the magnificent vista.

And for more hiking options and beautiful scenery, visit nearby Kings Canyon National Park. Here you’ll find “General Grant” (the third largest tree in the world). For a scenic drive, cruise along the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway.

Both parks are around 4-6 hours from Joshua Tree.

Where to Stay There are tons of places to camp here (both inside and outside of the parks). However, there are also lots of lodges and hotels if camping is not for you. Booking.com has the best list of them all.

Days 16–18: Yosemite National Park

Located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range two hours from Sequoia National Park and encompassing nearly 750,000 acres, Yosemite is one of the most iconic national parks in the country. It’s where you’ll find El Capitán, the towering granite cliff you’ve likely seen on social media (it was also featured in the movie, Free Solo). It is one of the most popular parks in the US, seeing over four million visitors each year who enjoy hiking, biking, climbing, camping, rafting, canoeing, and kayaking here.

Here are a few hiking suggestions to help you get started:

Mirror Lake – An easy 2-mile hike to Mirror Lake. Takes 1-2 hours.

Nevada Fall Trail – A challenging 5.8-mile hike to the top of the Nevada Falls waterfall. Takes 5–6 hours.

Tuolumne Grove Nature Trail – An easy 2.5-mile hike around a grove filled with massive giant sequoia trees. Takes 1–2 hours.

Elizabeth Lake Trail – A moderate 4.8-mile hike that leads to Elizabeth Lake, a glacier-carved lake at the base of Unicorn Peak. Takes 4–5 hours.

Eagle Peak Trail – A difficult 6.9-mile hike to the top of Eagle Peak and back. Takes 8 hours.

Be sure to visit the visitor’s center on arrival to get information on activities, prices, and information on the latest weather.

Where to Stay If you aren’t planning to camp, there are actually many other options here. Lodges, resorts, and hotels can be found both inside the park and all around it. Use Airbnb or Booking.com to find a place to stay.

Days 19–20: Napa Valley

Finally, head northwest to Napa Valley, one of the world’s premier wine regions, and end your trip relaxing at a vineyard. Napa is just over three hours from Yosemite and offers a plethora of world-class wine and food to indulge in.

While it’s a particularly expensive region of the state, it is possible to visit Napa Valley on a budget if you plan ahead and share costs with other people.

If you’re on a budget, stick to the markets and sandwich shops. Gott’s Roadside has locations in both Napa and St. Helena and serves delicious burgers for under $10 USD, while Ad Hoc runs a delicious food truck offering fried chicken made by a Michelin-star chef for $15 USD with sides.

Whereto Stay While some vineyards offer accommodation, they are usually super expensive. Unless you’re looking to splurge, use Airbnb. I find the best value accommodation in the area on that site.

Day 21: Back to San Francisco

It’s time to head back to San Francisco. The drive is around 90 minutes, so you’ll have plenty of time to make stops along the way if you see anything that piques your interest.

***

This three-week itinerary will help you cover a lot of ground without being too rushed. Adjust the route as you go (or based on the amount of time you have). But, no matter the route you pick, the diversity and beauty of California will ensure you’ll have a wonderful road trip.

Book Your Trip to the USA: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Want More Information on traveling the United States? Be sure to visit our robust destination guide to the US for even more tips on how to plan your visit!

The post California Road Trip: A 21-Day Suggested Itinerary appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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conflictandscotchblog · 4 years

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Proving Ground by Alicia V.

Living in the Adirondack Mountains in New York state can be beautiful, but it is not without its perils. For the uniformed it can be downright dangerous. The year rounders are a hearty bunch that not only enjoy the merits of the beautiful surroundings and use of the many lakes in the summer but endure a long and brutal winter. Over the years many books have been written about those brave souls that live alone in the wood fending for themselves. Anne La Bastille, a prolific writer and environmentalist, wrote the book “Woodswoman” to tell of her life in the park during the 1960s and 1970s.

In August of 2001, after years of talking about buying a camp, (that’s what they call rustic homes in the Adk’s) we purchased one on a quiet lake in the south-central part of the park. I remember the date because September 11th happened shortly thereafter, and my husband said that if all hell broke loose the family would head for the hills. Thankfully that didn’t need to happen.

After a year of cleaning up the place I was keen to share our serenely tranquil summer home with my sisters. My sister, Gerri, was to visit us that summer from her home in Texas and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for all the girls to have an adventure at camp for the weekend. The trip coincided with me dropping our daughter off at a girls’ sleep away camp about an hour south where she would join girls from our church. After leaving the sleep away camp, we had a nice satisfying lunch and went to some shops (isn’t that what all women do when they get together?)

At this point I need to explain the logistics of getting to our camp. It’s not for the faint of heart or for anyone who has any difficulty climbing stairs-lots of stairs. Getting off the main highway you travel on a private road that is flat initially then keeps going down, down, down. Once you come upon our property you descend down a very steep driveway that if you lost your brakes, you’d be a goner. After parking the car, you start the process of unloading your gear. In the case of four women there is bound to be more than you’d need for a month away. Three of those women were oblivious as to how far we’d have to drag this crap which included an overabundance of snacks. Did I say that we girls are “sturdy” woman, some more than others, as Gram B (I’m her namesake) used to say. Perhaps there was fear there could be a famine while we were away. Upon leaving the car you travel down two sets of stairs to the camp. If you choose to go down to the dock, there are another three sets of stairs to negotiate. I thought they would pass out if I mentioned that before we unpacked in the house.

Anyway, we got all settled and I thought it would be nice to give them the full experience of life on the lake by taking a little canoe trip. Being the only one who knew which end of the canoe goes in the front is putting it mildly. Gerri opted to stay on the dock to catch up on her smoking as she was denied that right for the majority of the 5-hour car trip. I picked our largest canoe which has been in my husband’s family since he was a boy when they summered in the Adirondacks (coincidentally on the same lake as Anne La Bastille). We were able to get one sister in the front and the other sister in the middle safely and then I got in the back so I could steer and likely be the sole paddler. What was I thinking? I’d never been the sole paddler let alone with two sturdy women onboard. My sister, Lorraine, in the middle, decided that she needed to scoot over a little so she was dead center. With that the canoe flipped. I was faced with a horrible decision - do I save the family canoe or my sisters. Being that they were better swimmers that I was and I really didn’t want to explain to my husband how a childhood treasure was now lost, I opted to hold on to the dock ring with one hand and slip my other arm through the rail on the canoe so it wouldn’t float away. Again, what stratosphere was I operating in that I thought this plan was feasible. Blame it on the mountain air. We survived that adventure.

Not to be deterred, I was going to give them another taste of the Adirondacks with a dip into the cool waters off the dock. The former owner was a pool installer and had used pool type ladders so you could lower yourself in if you chose not to cannonball it in. It’s twenty feet down off the dock so diving is ok. The ladders curl like a candy cane with the curled ends fitting into couplers on each side screwed into the dock. Lorraine, the Esther Williams of our family, wanted to go in first. As she proceeded to lower herself down the ladder, the curly part came up out of the coupler and off she flew ladder and all into the water. Poor thing thought the whole dock was flipping up and was going to land on her. I grabbed the ladder and leaned on each side of the railing to hold it into the couplers while she tried to climb up. Did I say that some of us girls are sturdier than others? Off she flew with the ladder again and I almost went into the drink. Ok, let us put our thinking caps on now, girls. My sister Gerri and I leaned on either side of the railing and Lulu (an affectionate name we gave her in her later years) was able to make it out.

Call me an idealistic stubborn fool but I was determined that we WERE going to have a successful Adirondack experience. There is another way into the water from the other side of the camp. After descending a long set of steps there is a concrete platform that literally has steps going right into the water. How could we fail? We grabbed four large tubes that resembled the truck inner tubes we used as kids and off we went. Everything was going swimmingly when Kathy yelled out that she had fallen through the hole in her tube. How does that happen? I got myself to the shore, grabbed the lifesaving ring, threw it to her and pulled her in. Lulu managed to grab Kathy’s tube. You cannot make this stuff up. I was looking for Allen Funt and his camera crew.

Needless to say, we gave up after that and decided to just relax and have dinner. We dined on jellybeans and red licorice Twizzlers and had a lot of laughs, but the final blow was yet to come. On the morning we were to leave, Kathy, Gerri and I were having breakfast when Lorraine came wandering out of the bedroom in her nightgown saying “What were you guys dead last night? Didn’t you hear me calling you for help?” Admittedly we were probably in a sugar coma from what we had consumed for dinner. We all answered that we had not heard her plea during the night. She said “I got up to use the bathroom, fell down and couldn’t get up. It was just like that commercial “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” She said,” When I fell I hit my bum on the corner of the propane heater on the wall. I’m sure I have a bruise. Can you look?

Before we could all yell in unison “No thank you, please” she hiked up her nightgown and pulled down her drawers to reveal a cottage cheese bum with a big black and blue bruise. We nearly lost our breakfast.

By the end of the weekend, I realized that I was more of a woodswoman than I gave myself credit for and that I could survive the perils of the Adirondacks. Somewhere, hovering over the lake, is the spirit of Anne La Bastille smiling down on me because at least I tried.

#lakehouse #family #lake

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years

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How Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Trump family invests its billions

Donald Trump and his household.

Brendan McDermid/Reuters.

President Donald Trump’s niece Mary L. Trump is publishing a book in which she’ll expose she dripped family tax files to The New York Times, The Daily Beast reported

President Donald Trump‘s net worth is estimated to be $2.1 billion, according to Forbes

Combine that with the reported private net worths of the Trump kids, and the entire Trump family could be worth more than $3 billion.

The examination exposed that Trump isn’t a self-made guy, but had his father bolster his failing businesses in the 1990 s with hundreds of millions of dollars.

Trump’s net worth is currently estimated to be $2.1 billion— down an estimated $1 billion because the pandemic.

And that’s not to point out the private net worths of his adult children: a reported $150 to $300 million for Eric Trump; a reported $200 million for Donald Trump Jr.; and a reported $600,000 for Tiffany Trump, according to Cheat Sheet

Integrated, that means the whole Trump household‘s fortune could exceed an estimated $3 billion.

From expensive penthouses and costly education to high-end shopping and a full-on air travel fleet, here’s how they drop their millions and billions.

Donald Trump’s net worth is currently approximated to be $2.1 billion– down about $1 billion since the pandemic started.

Pool/Getty Images.

Source: Forbes

According to his executive branch personnel public monetary disclosure report, he made anywhere from $597,396,914 to $667,811,903 between January 2016 and spring 2017.

Ian MacNicol/Getty Images.

Source: Business Insider, Center for Accountable Politics

About $42 million of Trump’s wealth originates from his brand services– Trump Hotel Management & Licensing Service and Trump Product Licensing, and $38 million originates from his hospitality holdings.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he boards Air Force One for travel to Pennsylvania from Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on August 13,2019

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters.

Source: Forbes

And $455 million of his net worth consists of cash, trophies, individual assets– $160 million is money and liquid possessions specifically, according to Forbes.

AP Images.

Source: Forbes

Prior to he was elected, Trump spent $66 million of his own cash on his governmental project, according to campaign financing disclosures taken a look at by Reuters.

Republican governmental candidate Donald Trump speaks throughout a campaign rally, Friday, Nov. 4, 2016, in Hershey, Pa.

Associated Press/Evan Vucci.

Source: Fortune

Trump typically took a trip throughout his campaign using his huge aircraft fleet. He apparently purchased a Boeing 727 for $8 million back then, which he then replaced in 2010 with a Boeing 757 that he reportedly purchased from Microsoft’s Paul Allen for $100 million.

AP.

According to the New York Times, it burns fuel at a rate of countless dollars an hour.

Source: The New York City Times

He also owns a Cessna jet, which reportedly deserved $153 million new and had a resale worth of $3.2 million in 2016.

John Locher/AP Images.

Source: The New York Times

And that’s not to discuss his 3 Sikorsky helicopters. Secondhand Sikorsky S-76 s usually cost $5 million to $7 million– not counting the approximated $750,000 Trump spent redoing the interior of his latest purchase, which involved 24- karat gold-plated hardware.

Scott Halleran/Getty Images.

Source: The New York City Times, CNBC

Collectively, Trump’s two-airplane, three-helicopter fleet is valued at $32 million.

Matthew Busch/Getty Images.

Source: Forbes

Trump also has a collection for the road.

Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Source: The Washington Post

Trump has an affinity for Brioni matches, which vary from $5,250 to $6,900 While the brand name supplied him with matches during “The Apprentice,” he began spending for them during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Scott Olson/Getty Images.

Source: Organisation of Fashion

Melania also has a taste for expensive style.

Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, Cheat Sheet

She’s also put on more casual and affordable clothes on numerous events, such as Converse, which retail for less than $50

Andrew Harnik/Shutterstock.

Source: Service Insider

To finish her look, Melania has her own makeup artist, Nicole Bryl, who when informed United States Weekly of Melania’s strategies to have a “glam room” in the White House. She also has a hairdresser who makes home calls and journeys with her.

U.S. very first woman Melania Trump shows up in the Rose Garden to speak at the White Home May 7, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images/Win McNamee.

Source: Cheat Sheet

Melania has said that she’s a full-time mommy which she refuses to invest cash on a nanny. In 2013, she informed ABC News that she gowns her child, Barron, in fits and hydrates him with her brand name’s Caviar Complex C6 moisturizer. He was 7 years old at the time.

First girl Melania Trump and Barron Trump walk to board Marine One on the South Yard of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, in Washington.

Associated Press/Evan Vucci.

Source: Organisation Expert, ABC News

In New York, Barron was participating in Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, which cost $40,000 a year. He now goes to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Maryland, which likewise costs $40,000 a year.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, The Washington Post, CNN

The 3 of them lived in the $54 million penthouse in Trump Tower in New york city prior to moving into the White House. Trump reportedly has said the penthouse is 33,000 square feet, however city records suggest that it’s in fact 10,996 square feet.

Mark Lennihan/AP Photos.

Source: Forbes

The Trumps also have real estate in sunnier climates– like their private island home, Le Chateau Des Palmiers, in St. Martin, worth $13 million.

Le Chateau Des Palmiers.

Google Maps.

Source: Business Expert

Then there are the two houses in Sterling, Virginia, worth a collective $1.5 million– and 3 Palm Beach homes, worth a cumulative $25 million.

Palm Beach.

pisaphotography/Shutterstock.

Source: Business Insider

However more of Trump’s wealth lies outside his personal real-estate portfolio. About $1.2 billion of Trump’s net worth includes his industrial property, and $148 million includes residential realty.

The Trump International Hotel is seen on March 22, 2019 in Washington, DC.

Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images.

Source: Forbes

And After That there’s the $217 million he owns in golf courses and clubs, from the US to Scotland and Ireland.

Trump at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester in2006

Goshorn/Media Punch by means of AP.

Source: Forbes

That includes the $170 million Mar-A-Lago, a 17- acre estate in Palm Beach that Trump apparently bought for $10 million. It has 58 bed rooms, 33 restrooms, 12 fireplaces, and 3 air-raid shelter.

Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Source: Service Insider, Forbes

An affinity genuine estate runs in the Trump family. Kid Eric Trump and his better half Lara reportedly have two homes– a $2 million apartment or condo in Trump Parc East and a home in Westchester, Town and Country reported in 2016.

Frank Franklin II/AP Photos.

Source: Town & Nation

Like his brother, Donald Trump Jr. also has property in Manhattan. He bought two apartment or condos at the Sovereign for $1.5 million and $1.125 million, reported Town & Country. The publication speculated that he combined the 2 homes.

Donald Trump Jr.

Sue Ogrocki/AP.

Source: Town & Nation

Both bros are big video game hunters, which can be really costly. A 14- day white rhino hunt can cost $66,790

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, U.S.A. Today

On The Other Hand, Ivanka Trump is busy constructing her own empire. More than $5 million came from the Ivanka Trump Brand, more than $2.5 million from the Trump Company, and almost $800,000 for book and TV work.

Andrew Harnik/Shutterstock.

Source: CNN

The combined assets of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are worth a minimum of $207 million, but they might surpass $762 million, according to the documents.

Manuel Balce Ceneta/Shutterstock.

Source: CNN

That includes a $25 million art collection.

Ivanka and Jared’s art collection not imagined.

r.nagy/ Shutterstock.

Source: CNN

As soon as Trump settled in the White House, Ivanka and Jared transferred to Washington DC, where they’re supposedly renting a $5.5 million home in the upscale Kalorama area. They also have a four-bedroom penthouse at Trump Park Avenue.

Pool/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet, Town & Nation, New York City Times

Like her stepmother, Ivanka likewise steps out in a mix of high-end and fast fashion, from a $6,280 Oscar de la Renta dress and coat to an $870 Roksanda dress and a $35 Victoria Beckham for Target gown.

Pool/Getty Images.

Source: Cheat Sheet

Tiffany Trump’s schooling was always spent for by Donald Trump, according to a source who spoke to People Publication. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad and graduated in 2020 from Georgetown Law School, which costs upwards of $60,000 a year.

Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Source: People, Cheat Sheet, The Washington Post, Georgetown Law School

When she’s not in school, Tiffany spends money vacationing, from an Italian luxury yacht trip and Budapest expedition to summer seasons in Southampton and check outs to The Bahamas.

ZGPhotography/Shutterstock.

Source: Cheat Sheet

She’s been spotted wearing $725 Aquazarra shoes and has actually used couture designer Daniel Basso– whose dress can cost thousands of dollars– to formal events a number of times.

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images.

Source: Teenager Vogue, Cheat Sheet

There’s debate on the degree of Trump’s humanitarian efforts, but in 2009, he and Melania contributed $5,000 to $9,999 to the Authorities Athletic League of New York City City. He also contributed $1 countless his own cash to Typhoon Harvey relief in 2017.

President Donald Trump (R) and very first lady Melania Trump walk across the South Lawn before leaving the White House July 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump is taking a trip to Ohio to take part in a ‘salute to American heroes’ and a ‘Make America Great Again Rally.’.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Source: The New Yorker, GOBanking Rates, The Washington Post

Functions Donald Trump Trump Trump household

Chevron icon It shows an expandable section or menu, or in some cases previous/ next navigation alternatives.

%%.

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/how-donald-trump-melania-trump-trump-family-invests-its-billions/

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gsgaragedoors · 5 years

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Expected Qualities of a Rolling Gate Repair Company

Rolling gates are in use for a wide-range of applications, with common uses often consisting of storefronts, concession stands, storage units, to the large-scale warehouse. Rolling gates are a perfect choice to heighten the security of your premises. Besides making the entrance point to the business more secure, these gates are also highly effective at stopping vandals smashing or etching on the expensive storefront glass. They also come in several different configurations, sizes, and materials (metal, vinyl and wood) to ensure there is a perfect fit for almost any requirement and budget.

Providing the rolling gates are installed to a professional standard, maintained, and operated property, they often require very little maintenance. However should a problem present itself, such as the gate not rolling up as smoothly as require or an electric motor starts to malfunction, than it is often necessary to call on the services of a reliable repair company.

Here are some of the key features to expect of a gate repair service -

Experienced Staff - If searching online or in the yellow pages for a repair technician, make certain the company you are contacting use fully certified and trained staff to work on your particular gate installation. You can often search a company's website to see what sort of level the repair technicians are trained up to.

Quick Call Out - If these roll-up gates are a significant feature to your premises security, then any noted problem will need to be repaired as soon as possible. In a lot of cases, it is often quite easy to find a repair service offering a 24-hour emergency call out service, which means a defective gate can be repair at very short notice.

Replacement Parts - If a gate malfunctions and requires replacement parts, then you want to be sure that the company you just called out is about to use high-quality parts, such as those manufactured in high-wearing steel or aluminum, which will stand-up to the toughest elements. Replacement parts need to be comparable to what is being replaced, which should ensure the gate is able to operate for the long-term without future problems.

Guarantee - a trusted and reliable company that is able to stand behind their workmanship will always provide a guarantee on the work or service just provided. At the time of calling for a free quote, it also a sensible precaution to ask about the guarantee on the work and replacement parts, so you know where you stand should a problem occur at a later date.

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topfygad · 5 years

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30 most beautiful mountains in the world

The most beautiful mountains in the world have captivated climbers for centuries. Here, we examine their lethal appeal.

“You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you,” said John Muir, the renowned naturalist, author and environmental philosopher.

Most beautiful mountains in the world

1. Cuernos del Paine

Height: 2,600m (8,530ft) Location: Andes, Chile

Emperorcosar/Shutterstock The stunning Cuernos del Paine

Los Cuernos del Paine or ‘Paine horns’ refer to a set of sharp granite peaks in Torres del Paine National Park, all of which rise above 2,000m.

2. Mount Thor

Height: 1,675m (5,495ft) Location: Baffin Mountains, Canada

Ed Dods/Shutterstock Thor is home to the world’s greatest vertical drop

3. Alpamayo

Height: 5,947m (19,511ft) Location: Cordillera Blanca, Peru

Andre Gie/Shutterstock Alpamayo has often been named one of the most beautiful mountains in the world

4. Matterhorn

Height: 4,478m (14,694ft) Location: Pennine Alps, Italy and Switzerland

Bob Pool/Shutterstock The iconic Matterhorn

5. Ama Dablam

Height: 6,812m (22,349ft) Location: Himalayas, Nepal

Daniel Prudek/Shutterstock Ama Dablam has appeared in products by Apple and Google

Ama Dablam is so picturesque, Google used it as the background of an early version of Gmail while Apple used it as a wallpaper in iOS 7 – high praise in modern times.

6. Half Dome

Height: 2,694m (8,838ft) Location: Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Dreamstime The imposing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Today, the route has been free-soloed in a mere few hours. The fastest ascent was completed in 1hr 22m by Alex Honnold in May 2012.

7. Ulvetanna Peak

Height: 2,930m (9,612ft) Location: Queen Maud Land, Antarctica

Gordon Wiltsie/With Permission Ulvetanna is one of the most remote mountains in the world

Ulvetanna is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Tolkienesque in appearance, it rises crown-like above a landscape of white.

Ulvetanna, which means ‘the wolf’s tooth’ in Norwegian, was first climbed in 1994. Its north-east ridge was conquered almost two decades later by British climber Leo Houlding and his team.

8. Mount Asgard

Height: 2,015m (6,610ft) Location: Baffin Mountains, Canada

Dreamstime The fantastical Mt Asgard is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world

9. Laila Peak

Height: 6,096m (20,000ft) Location: Karakoram, Pakistan

Pornchai_Ar/Shutterstock The needlepoint summit of Laila Peak

10. Ketil

Height: 2,010m (6,594ft) Location: Kujalleq, Greenland

Fair Use Ketil is home to one of the world’s biggest near-vertical walls

11. Huayna Picchu

Height: 2,693m (8,835ft) Location: Andes, Peru

Emperorcosar/Shutterstock Huayna Picchu looms above Machu Picchu

12. Denali

Height: 6,190m (20,308ft) Location: Alaska Range, Alaska, USA

Steve Allen/Shutterstock The hulking Denali

Denali’s stunning aspect makes it just a little bit easier to understand why it unfailingly attracts climbers to its slopes.

13. Cerro Torre

Height: 3,128m (10,262ft) Location: Andes, Chile/Argentina (disputed)

Sebastien Burel/Shutterstock Cerro Torre has given rise to famous controversies

14. Machapuchare

Height: 6,993m (22,942ft) Location: Himalayas, Nepal

GlebSStock/Shutterstock One of the last untrodden places on Earth?

15. Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Height: 2,999m (9,839ft) Location: Dolomites, Italy

Kan_khampanya/Shutterstock The iconic Tre Cime di Lavaredo

The distinctive peaks known as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) depict Italy’s Dolomites at their iconic best.

16. Polar Sun Spire

Height: 1,438m (4,717ft) Location: Baffin Island, Canada

Summitpost/Fair Use The so-called ‘mother of all headwalls’

The Polar Sun Spire is notable for its stunning 1,300m north face. The team behind the first ascent spent a full month on the mountain and summited after 36 consecutive nights in a portaledge.

The peak has been called ‘the mother of all headwalls’ and reputedly features an even larger uninterrupted cliff face than Mt Thor though this has not been officially confirmed.

17. Fitz Roy

Height: 3,405m (11,171ft) Location: Andes, Argentina and Chile

4kwonderland/Shutterstock The imposing Fitz Roy

The Fitz Roy range with its imposing peaks and shark-tooth summits has beguiled some of the best climbers in the world.

18. Huangshan

Height: 1,864m (6,115ft) Location: Huangshan, China

4045/Shutterstock Huangshan inspired James Cameron’s Avatar

19. Mount Roraima

Height: 2,810m (9,219ft) Location: Guiana Highlands, Venezuela

Fair Use Roraima serves as a tripoint for Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela

Another mountain immortalised in film, Roraima is said to have inspired scenes in Pixar’s Up. This hulking slab has a summit of 31km2 and serves as a tripoint for Brazil, Guyana and Venezuela.

Unexplored until 1884, Roraima has occupied botanists ever since with its diverse range of flora. Needless to say, it is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

20. Mount Fuji

Height: 3,776m (12,388ft) Location: Honshu Island, Japan

FocusStocker/Shutterstock Pretty at a distance

From a distance, however, Fuji maintains an arresting equanimity that secures its place on this list of the most beautiful mountains in the world.

21. Mount Assiniboine

Height: 3,618m (11,870ft) Location: Canadian Rockies, Canada

Pavel Tvrdy/Shutterstock Mount Assiniboine is known as Canada’s Matterhorn

22. Mount Kilimanjaro

Height: 5,895m (19,340ft) Location: Eastern Rift mountains, Tanzania

Andrzej Kubik/Shutterstock The world’s highest freestanding mountain

23. Mount Whitney

Height: 4,421m (14,504ft) Location: Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Mariusz S. Jurgielewicz/Shutterstock The highest summit in the contiguous United States

24. Stetind

Height: 1,392m (4,566ft) Location: Nordland, Norway

Frode Jenssen/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 “An anvil whereupon the Gods can hammer”

Meanwhile, British mountaineer William C. Slingsby called it the ugliest mountain he ever saw – but we beg to differ. Slingsby failed to achieve the summit which may explain his gloomy view.

25. Aiguille du Dru

Height: 3,754m (12,316ft) Location: The Alps, France

Yao Moxi/Shutterstock Fittingly, ‘aiguille’ translates as ‘needle’

26. Trango Towers

Height: 6,286m (20,623ft) Location: Karakoram, Pakistan

Dreamstime The colossal Trango Towers

27. Tsaranoro Be

Height: 1,910m (6,266ft) Location: Tsaranoro, Madagascar

Dreamstime The Tsaranoro Massif is known as ‘Africa’s Yosemite’

28. Uluru

Height: 863m (2,831ft) Location: Northern Territory, Australia

Atlas & Boots Uluru in the red centre of Australia is worth the epic trip

29. Eiger

Height: 3,970m (13,024ft) Location: Bernese Alps, Switzerland

Dreamstime The Eiger is home to Mordwand (the ‘Murder Wall’)

30. Table Mountain

Height: 1,085m (3,559ft) Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Alexcpt_photography/Shutterstock Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain

Table Mountain is said to be one of the oldest in the world. Its formation began circa 280 million years ago and some of its rocks date back 600 million years (long before the Himalayas).

Lead image: Daniel Prudek/Shutterstock

source http://cheaprtravels.com/30-most-beautiful-mountains-in-the-world/

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stylesenders · 8 years

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So, I decided to make this blog post a bit more pictorial than literary since I have so many fabulous photos I want to share with you all from this remarkable day. I like to think of it as my photo diary through Paris… anyway….

WHAT I WORE:

Shoes–Nine West , Coat–Forever 21, Purse–Jules Kae, Dress – Eloquii, Tights–HUE

After window shopping around town we headed to the Louvre. We entered through the Jardin des Tuileries which even on the cloudiest of days was one of the most beautiful parks I’ve ever seen. The Jardin des Tuileries is a garden/park that surrounds the Louvre which was once the Palais Royal. Walking along the path that lead to the Louvre I loved seeing the street artists selling their work and this one man who I called “The Pigeon Man” herding his flock of pigeons as if he were choreographing a dance; The Pigeon Dance instead of the Chicken Dance! Haha. It was pretty cool to witness. Walking towards the arc that lead into the grounds of the Louvre my heart beat began getting faster and faster. I have wanted to come here my entire life, and seeing it in all of its glory felt unbelievably surreal. I simultaneously felts as if I was there before and if I had never been. (strange feeling) I kept having to ground myself to actually realize I was there. When we got to the campus we did what bloggers (cough cough, tourists) do naturally…took pictures and lots of them!

I AM THE BIGGEST KID AT HEART IN THE WORLD SO, I HAD TO BE THE ULTIMATE TOURIST…and talk photographs like these…

I’ve never been one to partake in ultra touristy activities when traveling. I prefer to do things as the locals do. But sometimes you just been to go all out and be the tourist your heart desires. I chose to act in the fashion at the Louvre. I’ve wanted to come here for as long as I could remember, mostly to see the art and witnessing Michelangelo’s portrait of a subtly smiling Mona Lisa. However, I couldn’t leave without taking photos by the pyramids and pond. Another Louvre photo moment that I needed to fulfill like a kid at Disney World taking a photo with Mickey Mouse, was standing on one of the platforms and pretending to touch the pyramid. (giggles) And, guess what? I DID IT LIKE A PRO! (more giggles) I will be honest, being in a dress and trying to step up on the 4 foot pillar was not an easy task, getting down was even worse. But, it was probably really funny to watch. My favorite moment was when I pretended to act like a Degas ballerina because degas is my favorite artist. When at the Louvre….right? I will say however, to our surprise the Louvre was closed the day we went and I did not get to see the Mona Lisa or any other of the artwork I have been so excited to see. Oh Well, I’ll just have to go next time…

Seine, Musée d’Orsay, and Le pont des Arts (You know, the Lock Bridge!)

As we kept touring I really wanted to take a walk along the Seine! I kept picturing myself as Leslie Caron in my all time favorite movie “An American in Paris” or as one of the characters in the Woody Allen movie, “Midnight in Paris“. It was really pretty to see the contrast of the fall clouds and bright colors of the trees reflecting off the river. To my left was the Musée d’Orsay, another museum I really wanted to go to but did not have the time to on this trip. As we kept walking I asked my beau where the lock bride was and if we were near by. It just so happened that we were only a 7-10 minute walk from it so on we went in search of Le Pont des Arts (also known us Americans as the lock bridge) I knew they had taken most, if not all the locks off of the bridge a few months before my visit because of the weight of the locks destroying the infrastructure of the bridge (which is kind of scary) but I was happy to see that people still keep the tradition a live by locking their love to the bridge. It’s a pretty romantic gesture, if I do say so myself or maybe it is for a non-parisiene. I must add that Le Pont de Arts did have a very beautiful view of Paris. I needed a moment to rest so I just needed on the wall basking in the beauty of the Seine and thinking to myself, “Dara, you are actually here!”, as I did many, many, many times on this trip and thinking how much fun I was purely having so far with the company I was with. After, we walked back to the Jardin des Tuileries to head towards Champs Elysee and tumbled upon a part of the park that I kept asking about, but did not know how to explain at all, since I’ve only seen it in photographs! It was the nicest surprise and I was in pure awe! We stopped and sat on a bench for a little while to enjoy the parks surroundings and plan the rest of the evening. While sitting on the bench we were across from a group of teenage boys were all complaining about girls. Girls they were dating, girls they had crushes on, or girls that were giving them hard times about everything under the sun. It was really funny to see that the same teenage shenanigans happen all over the world. It put a smile on my face and I thought it precious. I wanted to interject with a joke but then realized they would have had zero idea what I was saying. I can understand a lot of french but I can’t speak very well….I’m learning, I’m learning!

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Place De La Concorde (You know, where Ann Hathaway tossed her phone into the fountain at the end of The Devil Wears Prada! Yes, I went there, No I didn’t toss my phone!)

Okay my lovely readers, If you have gotten this far I am super impressed with you and you deserve a crescent! (giggles) So, there’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. The only person that really knew about this is my mom. I was a soon to be freshman at FIT when the movie The Devil Wears Prada came out and it was the best “Welcome to New York” movie that could have been made. Timing on this could not have been more perfect. So, you know at the end of the movie Andie and Miranda go to Paris for Paris Fashion Week and then Andie quits her job by throwing her ever so annoyingly ringing cell phone into the fountain? Well, I have always wanted to reenact this scene. I have no idea why, but I always found it super dramatic and funny at the same time! hmm? Anyway, as we walking through Les Jardin des Tuileries up to Les Place De La Concorde I started smiling so hard my face almost cracked. YOU GUYS!!! I CAN NO THROW MY CELL PHONE INTO THE FOUNTAIN!!!!! Okay, well not really! I thought about faking it for a picture but then realized with my luck, I would have accidentally dropped it and then in that moment I would kissed goodbye my entire day…trip…year…life? (giggles) But taking photos by the fountain was just as good for me. There are many of them in the Place De La Concorde that are larger than life and utterly beautiful. I couldn’t get enough and did not want to leave this area! It was so beautiful and I can’t wait to go back again! Maybe this time I’ll take an old cell phone and reenact the scene…I just don’t want to get arrested in doing so! (hahahaha)

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Avenue Montaigne – CHANEL, CELINE, GUCCI…OH MY!

As we walked and walked and walked some more we landed at Avenue Montaigne – the most glorious street any fashion enthusiast would have couture cardiac arrest at. It was like being on Madison Ave and Rodeo Drive but with more polish and panache! There is nothing more I can really say about this street other that it is absolutely beautiful. I had fun exploring the different designer shops and being treated to personal tours by a sales person of what the hottest selling items were and what the hottest items from the last collections were. It was rather special and I enjoyed every minute of it. Even thought I have been to these stores in the states, something about going into a Chanel in Paris amplified its ambiance to me! It felt more authentic. If only I could have gone on a shopping spree, but hey…a girls gotta eat right? Or maybe I should have cashed in all my money for that Chanel I had been eyeing….oh well! (hahaha)

TOUR EIFEL – SEE IT SPARKLE AND SHINE LIKE CHAMPAGNE

Avenue Montaigne was beautiful but it was almost 6pm and the shops were closing. So on we went towards more fun. We walked around a lot and as it got darker I started to see a very bright beam circling the sky. I knew at that moment it was the Eiffel Tower. My beau told me that’s where we were walking to and I was so surprised. He wanted me to see it for my very first time at night. At this point we were about a 15-20 minute walk from there and my feet and legs were on fire from walking around for almost six hours non stop. So, we decided to hop in a taxi because there was no way I’d be able to enjoy myself the rest of the night if I kept walking. While in the taxi we passed the Moulin Rouge and the Arc de Triumph. While at a traffic light I was asking the cab driver not to move since I needed to take a picture of it. BY beau was laughing at me because I completely forgot that the taxi driver probably didn’t speak English and I was just chatting away saying “PLEASE DO NOT MOVE THE CAR!!! I NEED TO GET THIS PHOTO!! OKAY…..ONE MORE….OKAY…We’re good you can go now!!” But I think he got the point since I was so loud! But hey, I need to get my shot, which I did. Thank you taxi driver for stopping and probably thinking I am a crazy American! For the rest of the car ride, I was not allowed to look out the window and had to sit facing inward so I would not see the Eiffel Tower by car. It was a very sweet gesture and I am so glad my beau did this. So for the rest of the car ride I was basically sitting side-saddle, but it didn’t stop there. As we got out of the taxi I had to walk the entire way with my eyes closed. That was pretty terrifying since the streets were packed and knowing me, I’d trip, fall and break my ankle. (laughs) But my beau held my hand, lead the way allowing me to arrive at the Eiffel Tower in one piece. As we got to the pavilion after walking up a few steps blindly, he told me to close my eyes and stand here. He had me stand there for what felt like 10 minutes but I know it was only about 30 seconds. He then said, “OPEN YOUR EYES!!” and so I did. The Eiffel tower was sparkling in full effect and it was the most magical moment thus far in Paris! We stopped to take some pictures and walked closer and closer to the Eiffel Tower till we were standing underneath it. On the way I found a carousel that I just had to stop and look at. I love carousels. At this time it was around 8PM and the line to go to the top was too long so we decided to go on a river cruise instead. Although freezing, was so much fun and a nice way to enjoy the city of lights by water. Towards the middle of the tour we got glasses of champagne. Yes, it was really nice however I am really glad my beau was the first to state how horrible it tasted. I didn’t want to be rude. But we both laughed then tossed it into the Seine! Yuck! I never knew Champagne could taste so terrible. You live and learn, I guess. (haha) On the boat there was a concession stand that sold food that had a sign for Manhattan Hot Dogs this made me giggle. Taking in all of the sights and being educated about the monuments being shown was a real treat and I am so happy we did this.

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DINNER FOR TWO –

Afterwards we headed to dinner, that was super comforting and delicious! I don’t remember the name of the restaurant but it felt just like home. It had a very young professional, after work scene that was really refreshing and the food was really good, too! We sat there for a long time talking about the day and so much more. After one of the groups of friends decided to close the place down with a dance party that was very fun to watch. We could have joined if our feet weren’t hurting us so much! It was now about 1am and our tired feet needed to get to sleep because we were heading to DISNEY LAND in the morning…..

xoxo Dara Senders – The Style Senders

An American In Paris: Oh La La Louvre, Place De La Concorde & Avenue Montaigne, Tour Eiffel So, I decided to make this blog post a bit more pictorial than literary since I have so many fabulous photos I want to share with you all from this remarkable day.

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