We headed out in the morning on the JR Hida from Toyama to Takayama. We spent the morning at Hida no Sato, the Hida Folk Village. Afterwards, we headed to the historic area of Takayama to have a late lunch and to take a quick walk around before heading back to Toyama.
Continue reading “Takayama”Kanazawa
We headed out early in the morning to catch the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa. Once we arrived, we visited Kenroku-en, a garden, and the Kanazawa Castle Park. Afterwards, we briefly visited a small shrine and a samurai district before heading back to the station.
Continue reading “Kanazawa”The End of the Cherry Blossom Season
Its been a little more than two weeks since the Washington DC cherry blossoms hit peak bloom. Locally, it was about the same. Most trees locally have lost the majority of their flowers, though a few are still hanging on.
Continue reading “The End of the Cherry Blossom Season”Cherry Blossoms at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
We visited the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in the afternoon to check out their cherry blossoms. There was heavy rain earlier in the day and high winds were forecast for the afternoon and evening, not ideal conditions for delicate flowers. Some trees were well past peak but others looked pretty good.
Continue reading “Cherry Blossoms at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens”Old Post Office Tower
We visited the Old Post Office Tower this morning. It is operated by the National Park Service and provides access to a observation room above the tower’s four clock faces. There is also some historical information about the Old Post Office building on the path from the entrance to the elevators.
As it is in a newly redeveloped structure, one would expect that this historic section of the building would have been updated as well to provide a great visitor experience. However, it is a sad little place. Some of the window openings are protected by clear plastic, possibly plexiglass, sheets that are in terrible condition. Other windows are covered by strands of thick metal wire that run top to bottom. And there is a NPS staff member whose only job seems to be to yell at visitors when they touch the metal wire as touching it is prohibited. Definitely one of the worst NPS visitor experiences anywhere.
A little bit of investment is needed to at least replace the terrible windows with some quality glass. That would solve multiple problems at once. This place has so much potential!
Continue reading “Old Post Office Tower”