Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny

 

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Wednesday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Follow The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements, and subscribe to our newsletter – we’ll highlight great posts. Add Media photos from each month’s most popular challenge.

• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (daily post)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (balance)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (city sonnet)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (piper-s adventures)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (cambodian beginnings)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (landslide photography)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (typically untypical teen)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (beijing daily photo)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (nomad)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (ambitious drifter)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (from hiding to blogging)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Shiny (no fixed plans)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (deetravelsite)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (stenoodie)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (ouch my back hurts)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (cambodian beginnings)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (journeys in len)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (growing self)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (rhymes with stanza)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (simply photos)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Elemental (half a photo graph)

Cocktail Hour in Kunming

Here’s most, but not all of what the Sofitel Kunming club floor offered for cocktail hour during my stay in June.

Amazing, right? And just as delicious as it looks.

Of course, there were sweets.

Sofitel, Kunming, China

I used some points to stay at the Sofitel in Kunming. Although they were extremely busy with a meeting between Yunnan and Taiwan, the staff went out of their way when I checked in and whenever I was in the lobby to see to it that I received good service and my questions were answered.

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My room was sleek, modern and comfortable. I even had a TV in the bathroom, which seems to be a Sofitel standard on the club floors. (N.B. If you belong to the Accor loyalty program and travel regularly, you’ll soon earn Gold status which offers upgrades.)

I was on the club floor and had access to the lounge, where guests can indulge in afternoon tea and then in cocktail hour. The sweet and savory options were delectable and while there was a lot of seafood, which I don’t eat, there was no excuse for going hungry.

Since there was a big meeting between Taiwanese government officials and Yunnan provincial big wigs the club was off-limits for regular guests. The Chinese required that the Taiwanese delegation be sequestered and watched at all times. So breakfast was only offered in the main restaurant which is large and offers the biggest variety of quality cuisine that I’ve ever seen for a breakfast. In fact the breakfast deserves its own post.

As spectacular as the food was, I think the personal attention that Sofitel offers is what I liked most about my stay. At every meal or any time I asked for directions, the staff were warm and informative. They know how to show that they care.

Economics of Airline Classes

Every wonder what drives the pricing of first class vs. business vs. economy airfares?

This video explains the economics and history of the various classes of airplane tickets. I now understand a little more about the mysterious pricing of airline fares.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Wednesday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Follow The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements, and subscribe to our newsletter – we’ll highlight great posts. Add Media photos from each month’s most popular challenge.

• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (daily post)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (what does neikumi think?)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (mirth and motivation)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (stenoodie)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (shi bali photography)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (the 15th day)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (simply.cindy)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (city sonnet)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (jinan daily photo)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (ruined for life)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (think art)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (battling the bone breaker)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (what’s cooking at . . . )
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (ohm sweet ohm)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (mostly monochrome)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (thin spiral notebook)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (the inkwell)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (links doodles)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (light words)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (by nenseki)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (mittened hands)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (this and that)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (ohm sweet ohm)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (stenoodie)

Must-See Chicago: Saints & Sinners Tour

If you’re in Chicago this summer on a Friday and if you like history, take the Driehaus Museum’s Saints and Sinners walking tour. I took it on Friday and learned so much about the reformers behind the Temperance Movement and the people it affected and the hoodlums who came to power with Prohibition.

We started at the Driehaus Museum and learned the foundations of the Temperance Movement, the people behind it and the era of saloons and the power saloons owners in the city.

We then went to the Tree Studios. In the late 19th Century Lambert Tree built tree buildings for artists to work and live rent-free. The first floor was for shops to take in rent to off-set the costs of the building. How smart. Artists lived there from 1894 till 2000. Now the Tree Studios have been restored and are office space and reception rooms which can be rented out.

At the Tree Studios we got our first drink. We could choose from beer, wine or water. Then we repaired to a courtyard where we learned about saloons and how they were organized. At first a saloon had to purchase beer from one brewery. However, saloon owners would switch breweries to get a better deal and bigger profits.

Brewers then borrowed the ideas of the “Tied-House” from England. The Brewers bought saloons and only let their brand be sold there. Saloon owners now became managers. While they lost power at work, they continued to have political power because many barkeeps were precinct captains and ward bosses.

After the Tree Studios we went to St. James’ Cathedral, Fourth Presbyterian Church, the Drake Hotel, and Holy Name Cathedral. I learned a lot about female reformers, preachers, the social services that saloons provided. and prohibition and the unintended consequences, i.e. organized crime, that came from that. Along the way we had a couple more drinks. You could choose from a cocktail, beer, wine or soft drinks. The tour finished at the Kerryman Pub and lasted 3 hours.

The tour had 2 knowledgeable guides and we had 12 participants. You had to be 21 years old to take this tour. Price: $45 includes three drinks.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage

Sydney, Australia

1. Each week, we’ll provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog (a new post!) anytime before the following Wednesday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use the “postaday″ tag.

3. Follow The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements, and subscribe to our newsletter – we’ll highlight great posts. Add Media photos from each month’s most popular challenge.

• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (daily post)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (what does neikumi think?)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (mirth and motivation)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (stenoodie)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (shi bali photography)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (the 15th day)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (simply.cindy)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (city sonnet)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (jinan daily photo)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (ruined for life)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (think art)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (battling the bone breaker)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (what’s cooking at . . . )
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Collage (ohm sweet ohm)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (mostly monochrome)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (thin spiral notebook)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (the inkwell)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (links doodles)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (light words)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (by nenseki)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (mittened hands)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (this and that)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (ohm sweet ohm)
• Weekly Photo Challenge: Bridge (stenoodie)

Budget Accommodations: Korea

A great option probably on par with a hostel, but you’d have more space.

More from Huashan 1914

This gallery contains 3 photos.

Huashan 1914

If you visit Taipei, you really should take a stroll around Huashan 1914, a one time industrial complex that’s now an artsy, creative center. Huashan 1914 has several cafés, galleries, shops and restaurants. The art ranges from the cute to the provocative.

It’s a fun place to stroll and in humid Taiwan, it’s nice to go from outside to in when you need some respite.

When I went, I met several gallery workers and shop clerks who spoke English well. I particularly enjoyed the man at the leather exhibition who told me several stories about the history of his leather company.

It’s free to wander around, but some exhibits charge entrance fees.