Carole Terwilliger Meyers's Blog, page 92

Sights to See: World Owl Centre, Ravenglass, England

The World Owl Centre at Muncaster Castle has one of the world's finest collections of these creatures. More than 40 species are on view.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Mick's Cafe, Pacific Palisades, California

Mick's Cafe 859 Swarthmore Ave., (310) 454-0090. B-L-D + afternoon tea daily; $-$$. This cute, narrow, cottagey space is a series of small outdoor patio areas. Breakfast includes pastries, panini, and omelettes. Lunch is sandwiches (both the fried egg and the BLT are very good), soups, and salads--including a delicious house salad made with nuts and Feta. In the evening, candles light the tables, small lights twinkle, and blankets and heat lamps are available, and the menu includes "around the world pizzas" and a variety of entrees.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Mick's Cafe, Pacific Palisades

Mick's Cafe 859 Swarthmore Ave., (310) 454-0090. B-L-D + afternoon tea daily; $-$$. This cute, narrow, cottagey space is a series of small outdoor patio areas. Breakfast includes pastries, panini, and omelettes. Lunch is sandwiches (both the fried egg and the BLT are very good), soups, and salads--including a delicious house salad made with nuts and Feta. In the evening, candles light the tables, small lights twinkle, and blankets and heat lamps are available, and the menu includes "around the world pizzas" and a variety of entrees.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Pongsri Thai Restaurant , NYC

Pongsri Thai Restaurant 106 Bayard St./Baxter St., 212-349-3132. Opened 25 years ago in 1972, this is the oldest family-run and -operated Thai restaurant in NYC. Easy intro dishes include Pad See Ew (a noodle-vegetable dish) and Pra Ram (chicken and broccoli mixed with a curry-coconut-peanut sauce), but plenty more exotic options are available.



Columbus Park is across the street on former swamp land (you can see it out the window).  It is in the Five Points neighborhood depicted in the movie "Gangs of New York."  Once ridden with disease, this 5-year-old square of green is the venue now for tai chi, Chinese opera, chess, fortune-telling, and quick repairs of watches and shoes.  On nice days, men bring out their caged birds and hang them in trees—just like they do in China.  



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Good Eats: Pongrsi Thai Restaurant , NYC

Pongrsi Thai Restaurant 106 Bayard St./Baxter St., 212-349-3132. Opened 25 years ago in 1972, this is the oldest family-run and -operated Thai restaurant in NYC. Easy intro dishes include Pad See Ew (a noodle-vegetable dish) and Pra Ram (chicken and broccoli mixed with a curry-coconut-peanut sauce), but plenty more exotic options are available.



Columbus Park is across the street on former swamp land (you can see it out the window).  It is in the Five Points neighborhood depicted in the movie "Gangs of New York."  Once ridden with disease, this 5-year-old square of green is the venue now for tai chi, Chinese opera, chess, fortune-telling, and quick repairs of watches and shoes.  On nice days, men bring out their caged birds and hang them in trees—just like they do in China.  



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Things to Do: Vuna Village, Taveuni Island, Fiji

Reached via a scenic route that passes vast forests of palm trees with "sunburned" red trunks, Vuna Village is known for its tapa bark cloth and woven mats. The women work hard to prepare the pandanus leaves by boiling them, stripping them with shells to remove thorny edges, then drying the leaves on racks for days until they are dry enough to weave into beautifully handcrafted mats. (Bark from the paper nulberry tree is used to make tapa. The tree is uncommon throughout Fiji except for a few select regions.) Two natural swimming pools are found here—one for men, one for women.



This video shows the kava root presentation to the Chief:

Things to Do: Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany

Checkpoint Charlie This is the most famous crossing point, where people moved from East to West when the Wall was up. Now, two "soldiers" stand guard but mostly get their pictures taken with elated tourists for an informal two-Euros tip. What is that all about?



Stop for a drink and some lentil soup across the street at the historic Cafe Adler (206 Friedrichstraße, 030/2518965), once frequented by Westerners trying to catch a peek of East Berlin.



image c Arline Inge

Good Eats: Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, NYC

Chinatown Ice Cream Factory 65 Bayard St., 212-608-4170. Who knew?--America's most popular dessert was invented in 1300 by the Chinese! In this tiny little shop, it is married mostly to exotic Chinese flavors—almond cookie, avocado, black sesame, durian, lychee, red bean. More common flavors are also options.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Sights to See: Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Hailey, Idaho

Trailing of the Sheep Festival   October 7–9, 2011, (208) 720-0585. This unique annual event celebrates the history and cultures of Idaho sheep ranchers. The event includes an authentic Folklife Fair; culinary events featuring lamb, cheese, and local foods; storytelling at the Sheep Tales gathering; a Fiber Festival; historical exhibits; Scottish, Basque, Polish, and Peruvian dancers and musicians; demonstrations; fiber and photography workshops; cowboy poetry; championship sheepdog trials; and the Trailing of the Sheep Parade with 1,500 sheep stepping lively down Main Street in Ketchum.



image cMichael Edminster

Sights to See: Topography of Terror, Berlin, Germany

Topography of Terror  Along Niederkirchner Strasse (formerly Prinz-Albrecht-Strasse). Built on the site of former buildings that during the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945 were the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, this outdoor exhibition documents those times. It is complemented by a newly opened documentation and learning center.



image c2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers