UNDER THE SUN - BOCA RATON

FLORIDA - MARCH 1977

By 1925, Addison Mizner (1872-1933), who had never had formal training in architecture but had studied design his entire life, had a dream! He joined Florida’s great land boom, and wanted to create «the world’s most architecturally beautiful playground»! The start was promising; however, by the autumn of 1925, Florida’s great land boom began to unravel and a hurricane in September 1926 destroyed most of the chances of Mizner’s dream come true. Anyhow, some parts of the dream survived in the Boca Raton Resort and Club! The Boca Raton Resort & Club consists of the Cloister, the Tower, the Boca Beach Club, the Boca Bungalows, the Boca Country Club, the Yacht Club, two 18–hole golf courses, 30 tennis courts, the Spa Palazzo, a golf clubhouse, six pools, an indoor basketball court, a 32–slip marina, and a half–mile of private beach... Enough? I deliberately omitted the conference facilities, where I spent too much time...


"SUNRISE - It must have been the time difference that made me wake up and take sunrise pictures"


"THREATENING SKIES - The same spot, another day..."



"BOCA BEACH - Late afternoon, after meetings..."




"THE BEACH CLUB - It seems to be closed for renovation until 2009! Anyhow, in 1997, it was a great place to stay!"


"SHUTTLE BOAT - Waiting to get to the Cloister"


"TRAVEL COMPANION"




"THE CLOISTER, THE TOWER and the famous BOCA PINK"



"PALM BEACH on the way, and the Breakers, set in 1896 amidst 140 acres (57 hectares) of oceanfront property"


"THE BEACON HOTEL - South Beach, Ocean Drive"


"KEY BISCANE - This one is dedicated to Isabella, who must be enjoying beach delights while most of us are inside..."

ONCE NEW YORK, ALWAYS NEW YORK

BLUE SKY - MARCH 1997

After Paris and Bangkok (through London), I flew again via Heathrow to New York to spend some time before heading to Florida. The sky was blue and the weather, though cold, was perfect for a walk. So this is the result of one of such walks...


"THE WOOLWORTH BUILDING was the world’s tallest building between 1913 and 1930. According to Wikipedia, it is still one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States as well as one of the twenty tallest buildings in New York City. But it must be coming down the ranking..."


"NEW YORK CITY HALL, built between 1803 through 1812, is the seat of the government of the City, housing the office of the Mayor and the chambers of the City Council. Apparently, it's the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions"





"THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE started to be constructed in 1869 and took 14 years to complete. The bridge, 1.5km long, spans the East river from Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan and has an elevated pedestrian path which gives you the chance to have a great view of either downtown Manhattan's magnificent skyline or of Brooklyn's residences and offices"





"BROOKLYN HEIGHTS - Brooklyn, founded by the Dutch in the 17th century after their native town of Breukelen, remained an independent city until 1898, when its residents voted by a slight majority to join with Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens and Richmond (later Staten Island) to form the modern City of New York. Brooklyn Heights, considered to be the first suburb in America, has some beautiful mansions. In one such mansion George Washington made his decision to retreat from Brooklyn and on August 29th, 1776, Washington's army crossed the East River, leaving Brooklyn to the British. The British Empire ended its occupation of New York on November 25, 1783, celebrated as the Evacuation Day for more than a century"




"THE PROMENADE at Brooklyn Heights, built atop the double deck Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, may take your breath away, as it displays spectacular views of the East River bridges and the skyscrapers of Manhattan. For some residents, including Wall Street workers, it's a Manhattan neighbourhood, located on the better side of the river..."


"THE US POST OFFICE is a beautiful building at Cadman Plaza East, Downtown Brooklyn"


"PIER 17 at South Street Seaport is a place I always liked; in particular, the view from the top terrace"


"PEKING, a 1911 four-mast barque, is one of the largest privately owned fleet of historic ships in the US, owned by the South Street Seaport Museum"

STROLLING AROUND BANGKOK

RIVER, PALACES, TEMPLES AND HOTELS - FEBRUARY 1997

This post is the last from the February 1997 trip to Bangkok, and shows pictures taken during a long stroll in town.



"CHAO PHRAYA, the River of the Kings, runs for 372 km from north to south through the central plains to Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand. The first picture shows an embarkation point for the ferry that runs up and down the river"


"HOTEL - From the Sheraton, a nice view of the strange form of what I thought was going to be a hotel. Couldn't confirm..."


"PORTUGAL - The entrance to the Noble House, the Portuguese Embassy in Thailand"


"THE ORIENTAL - Still the best hotel in Bangkok"







"THE VINMANMEK ROYAL MANSION, located on Ratchawithi Road, is the world's largest building made entirely of golden teak. It was removed from Ko Sichang in the Chonburi province, rebuilt in the Dusit Palace in 1900 by order of King Rama V. Most of the building is now used as museums, showing Queen Sirikit's collection of handicrafts created by rural people and art objects including King Bhumibol's photography, portraits, ancient cloth, clocks, and royal carriages. It's a wonderful building and a nice place to visit"


"PARLIAMENT BUILDING"




"WAT BENCHAMABOPHIT - Back to the temple, fourteen years later"




"WAT SAKET (THE GOLDEN MOUNT) - The towering gold chedi of Wat Saket, an artificial hill constructed under King Rama III (1824-51), was once the highest point in Bangkok. The temple complex at the bottom of the hill dates back to the Ayutthaya era"


"VIEW - There is a nice view from the top of the Golden Mount"




"HYATT AND WTC - At one of the busiest corners of Bangkok, where one can find the Hyatt Hotel and the World Trade Centre Bangkok, you may also find a small and busy shrine..."


"MERIDIEN HOTEL - I started this series of Bangkok posts with pictures from a nice Hotel that was demolished and saw it's gardens occupied by a shopping mall. Now, to end, I show a photo of the Meridien Hotel after a fire burnt some of the floors... Strange things happened to hotels in Bangkok!"