Jesse Owens and the Fuhrer: Olympic Stadion, Berlin

(Please read our Covid 19 Statement first - Ed) Our last, full day in Berlin. We've pretty much seen everything on our list. Now, it's a free day and we're looking for a way to pass the time.

"I see an Olympic stadium here on the map," my wife says while perusing another amazing Turkish breakfast.

Watch the Video!

The Olympic stadium!  I'd forgot...it's another big moment of Berlin history and I almost let it slip through my fingers.

It's a bit of a ride on the U-Bahn to the Olympicstadt station. From there, it's another long walk under a tunnel, up a little hill, through the woods, until you finally emerge at the stadium's parking lot.

An admission is paid at the visitor's center and then we're on our own (tours are available but we'd rather just explore at our leisure).

We find a ramp and a tunnel into the stadium. It's huge and imposing. It's also made out of marble, the height of Nazi chic at the time.

While the walls and façade are original, everything inside has been modernized. There's a well-maintained blue rubber track (that's being scrubbed by a beast that looks like the lovechild of a street sweeper and a Zamboni) and a flawlessly green soccer football pitch.

The Fuhrer's box has been replaced by some VIP seats and suites but it's not hard to imagine Adolph fuming from up above as a black man put lie to his 'master race' shenanigans.

The seats are serviceable metal folding chairs, bolted to the concrete. No armrests or cupholders.

The ever-present beer bar is open so we quaff one as we admire the view.

To the side, we find the old swimming and diving stadium, now being used by local kids to cool off in the crystal blue waters on this hot August day.

Eventually, we make our way to the other end of the stadium where we pose at the Olympic torch.

On the other side, we spot a bell from the old bell tower (it was destroyed in World War II and the current one is a rebuilt tower).

Although the swastika is illegal in Germany today, you can still see something suspicious on this old bell that the welders couldn't quite hide completely.

Closer to the stadium than the U-Bahn station is an S-Bahn station. From here, we catch a train back to central Berlin where we can walk through the Tiergarten.

We've been toying around the edges of this giant park for days but on this last day, we decide to walk through until we find a little lake with...of course...a biergarten at it's edge. It's here we'll have one more before signing off from Berlin.

Tomorrow, we'll go to the Hertz office and pick up a car to continue on.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved


Photos by Letty Musick
Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved

We're Down with Downtown: Atlanta, Georgia

Stadium 28 now in the books, it's time to see what else this town has to offer.  We picked this  hotel, the Hyatt Place Perimeter in Dunwoody, in part because it is close to a Metro station.

We walk over and catch the train into the city at the Sandy Springs station.

Watch the Video!

We're hungry so our first stop is an Atlanta institution for lunch. A couple of blocks due west from the North Avenue Station is The Varsity. Entering their doors and hearing the calls of their signature cry..."what'll you have"...we hang back just a bit to get our bearings and check out the menu before ordering.

A massively long counter beckons us where we head up to order a few of their famous hot dogs and a BLT for my wife.

We take our lunch to a table adjacent to one that President Clinton sat at (picture on the wall proves it!) and dig in.

While the hot dogs are indeed tasty, they're also pretty tiny. Tim and I could have easily had another two to go with the two we ate. Being in Atlanta, though, the cold Coca Cola went deliciously with those little dogs.

Back on the Metro, we continue on to the Peachtree Center Station in the heart of downtown. A short walk to west brings us to Centennial Olympic Park, which served as a daily gathering place for Olympic visitors and participants during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games when they were held in this city.

There is a computer-controlled fountain in the shape of the five Olympic rings that has frequent shows set to music to watch. At other times, you can splash in them to cool off.

It was a short distance away from here that a bomb went off during the games that killed a mother bringing her daughter to a free concert and a cameraman from Turkey who later died of a heart attack after being wounded.

A ferris wheel is across the street, offering views of the city. CNN offers tours of its studios at the south end of the park and Coca Cola has a kind of expensive attraction at the north end, explaining how the drink is made and the cultural impact it has had around the world.

It's time for us, though, to call it a day and we head back to the hotel. Tomorrow, there'll be some Civil Rights history touring for us.

Darryl Musick
Copyright 2018
All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick
Copyright 2018
All Rights Reserved

IT'S AN OLYMPIC YEAR : When Los Angeles Hosted the Games - 1984 & 1932

My hometown of Los Angeles hosted two summer games, 52 years apart.  The 1984 games were known for their budget frugality.  Some venues were recycled from the earlier games...like the coliseum...and the games actually earned a profit, which is used to fund local sports charities.  It was also known for the "Olympic Miracle" where, due to much scaremongering, people stayed off the streets and traffic was a dream for two weeks - kind of like what happened during "Carmageddon" last year.  It is also the games where much of the Communist world stayed away in retaliation for the U.S boycotting the Moscow games four years earlier due to the Soviet Union's involvement in Afghanistan.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Bobak Ha'Eri under CC-BY-SA license

The coliseum is now used for USC home games and few other events.  Many in the area have dreams for another NFL team to move in here, but reality states that will never happen.  USC seems happy with it and every now and then wrestles for total control of the facility, which is run by a commission made up of state and local interests.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Pelladon under CC-BY license

Next door is the Sports Arena, which was the venue for boxing at the 1984 games.  It is also the original home of the Lakers (when they moved to L.A.) and the Clippers, both of whom have moved on to Staples Center up the street.  It's in pretty shabby condition these days, hosting lingerie football, car shows, and other minor events.


It is scheduled to be demolished soon.



Adjacent is the swim stadium from the 1932 games, which is still in use as a public pool. 

The Expo Line light rail, which just opened a few months ago, goes right by these three venues. It's also the new home of the space shuttle, Endeavour.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

kla4067 under CC-BY license

Sitting on top of a hill overlooking downtown Los Angeles is Dodger Stadium...now the third oldest Major League Baseball stadium still in use...which was the site of the baseball competition.  It is also the only major baseball stadium that I know of that is almost completely lacking in public transportation access.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Ellen Levy Finch under CC-BY-SA license

One of my favorite places in the area is Santa Anita Park racetrack in Arcadia where many of the equestrian events took place in 1984.  Still open and still racing, crowds have really thinned out over the last few years as satellite wagering has expanded.  Magna, the company that owns it, has been in and out of bankruptcy.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Dan(golfpro1) under CC-BY license

In 1932, it was the Riviera Country Club which hosted the ponies.  Today, it's host to the L.A. Open PGA Golf Tournament...now known as the tournament that Tiger Woods dropped out of when his scandal hit the news.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia

Bobak Ha'Eri under CC-BY-SA license

Other venues farther out hosted some more events in 1984.  The Rose Bowl in Pasadena hosted soccer.  Of course, it is still used every New Year's Day (except for Sundays) for the Rose Bowl game and UCLA uses this as their home facility for football.  It's also home to a very large flea market each month.  It's in a beautiful setting in the middle of Brookside Park, just north of Suicide Bridge.

Lake Casitas, in the mountains above Ventura and near Ojai, provided the water needed for rowing and canoeing.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia and Arnold C (Buchanana-Hermit)

Our tour ends down in Anaheim, across the street from Disneyland, at the Anaheim Convention Center which was used as the wrestling venue for the 1984 games.  For those of you who have attended the Abilities Expo while it was in Anaheim, this place is in that same complex.  Dating from 1967, it is also the venue for the first concerts I ever attended...Merle Haggard for country and western; Loggins and Messina for rock 'n roll with Argent as the lead-off group.



Hope you enjoyed this Olympic Tour and will join us again tomorrow as we get ready to wrap up Olympic Week here at The World on Wheels.



-Darryl

CLASSIC TRIP - Sacramento, California 2004

NOTE: I apologize for the blurriness of the Capitol photos, flash photography is prohibited within the building.

After a trip to San Francisco, we decided to take a different tack and head over to Arnoldland…Sacramento.

Our hotel for this trip would be the Hallmark Suites (now the Hotel Sierra - Ed) in Rancho Cordova, a suburb seven miles east of Sacramento.

Day One - Wednesday (July 7th)

We arrive at our hotel around 4 o'clock. It's a decent if generic looking place but my wife immediately takes a dislike to the room offered and has the front desk change us to a second floor room. I don't really see a difference in the room except maybe the parking lot noises would bother her…but I'm not going to argue, we're here to have a good time.

We've spent the day in Napa Valley so, after grabbing dinner at a nearby In 'n Out, we just relax in the room.

Thursday

Wow! What a fabulous breakfast they serve here at the Hallmark.

We walk over to the nearby light rail station to catch a trolley into downtown Sacramento. Great system they've got here. Quick, efficient and manned by friendly, professional drivers. $3.00 ($1.50 for disabled or seniors) (now $6 and $3 respectively - Ed) buys you an all day pass good for the bus system too. Traffic on the nearby freeway is at a near standstill but the train gets us downtown quickly. Our only (very minor) complaint would be that the bench seats on the trolley aren't very comfortable for a long haul.

The driver drops us off at a stop about two short blocks to the Capitol Building. We walk over and follow the signs to the accessible entrance…actually, they have two. One on either end of the building.

You must go through the ever present airport style security that is a mandatory feature of today's government buildings but once inside, you're pretty much free to roam wherever you want. There is a tour desk in the basement that provides a group tour of the building…which we would not end up taking as you'll soon see.

Instead, we encounter the hallway that leads to the governor's office with gold relief lettering over the top reading "Arnold Schwarzenegger" just above the slightly duller lettering reading "Governor". We ask the highway patrolman standing guard outside if it is alright to go in and he says it is.

In the lobby there are no seats for visitors so a number of serious looking people in suits are milling around the desk of the receptionist. She informs us that, yes, the governor does entertain visitors when he's not too busy…a group of students got to go in and meet him not too long before we showed up…but that he's very busy right now (this was the time of intense budget negotiations as the state budget was eight days late and counting).

Hanging on the wall was a Detroit Pistons jersey and several jars of food products made in Michigan. The governor lost the traditional bet when the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the NBA finals and he had to wear that jersey to work one day.

In Front of The Governor's Office

Upon exiting the governor's office lobby, I spy a building office directory. I look up our state senator and our state assemblyman's offices…which are both on the third floor…and tell my son and wife we should go up and see them.

We do. First up is our state senator, Bob Margett. I tell the receptionist that I just wanted to show my son where our state senator worked. No problem, she welcomes us and has us sign the visitor register. Sen. Margett is not there, but she shows us his office and asks, "have you toured the building yet?"

Upon learning that we haven't, she quickly gets on the phone and asks if we can return at 2:00. We tell her we can and just like that, she sets up a private tour of the building for us. She then takes us over to the Senate Chamber and shows us Sen. Margett's desk on the floor of the chamber and then takes us back to the office. We chat for a few minutes and then take our leave to head over to our assemblyman's office.

At that office, of Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, we again tell them we're constituents and wanted to see where our representatives worked. A couple of legislative aides are working there today and they have us sign their register and show us Mr. Mountjoy's office (he too is out today). There are many enormous models of airplanes hanging from his office ceiling and the aide tells us that the assemblyman likes to build radio controlled model aircraft…but that he doesn't actually fly them because he's afraid they'll crash expensively on landing (Mr. Mountjoy is also a pilot). The aide chats us up quite awhile telling us about different
politicians she's worked for, what Tim's college plans are, etc., and seems genuinely pleased to have a conversation with some constituents.

After our visits, we have a couple of hours to kill, so we head over to nearby Old Sacramento to have lunch and ice cream.

On Our Tour Through the Capitol Building

At 2:00, we return to Senator Margett's office and meet our tour guide. She takes us again to the Senate floor and explains about the renovations that took place about twenty years ago, the history of the place, and how the color scheme (red) was copied from the House of Lords in England. Then it's over to the Assembly chambers for much of the same kind of information (they're green, after the House of Commons), down to the Library where rare books and works of art are on display, the rotunda, and then some recreations of old capitol offices such as the treasurer and governor that are on the first floor. It's a fun and interesting tour and the building, at least the original old part, is quite beautiful.

Afterward, we return to Old Sacramento to hang out for awhile. This is, like the name implies, a very old part of the town that has been preserved in a state park. It consists of about four blocks of old Gold Rush era buildings along the riverfront with a few mysterious looking back alleys in between. Most of the buildings are used by shops, restaurants, and bars so it's kind of like a mall in old buildings. On a hot day (as almost every summer day in Sacramento is), the walk along the big river is very pleasant and pretty. The state railroad museum is also here and looks very interesting but our tour of the capitol leaves us with only about fifteen minutes to spare before the museum's closing time, so we'll leave that for another trip.

We pick up some fresh fruit at a produce store here, try several samples of taffy at a candy store, pick up some souvenirs at a few of the shops, and then catch the bus back to the pedestrian mall where we can catch the trolley back to the hotel.

Back at the hotel, we swim in the crowded pool and then enjoy the hotel's free happy hour. Afterward, I walk over to a nearby Wendy's and procure dinner for the three of us which we enjoy in the room.

Friday

Today, the breakfast room is full of hard bodies! Seriously, there are men and women here who have muscles upon muscles and not an ounce of fat. Many are wearing Olympic ring jewelry, Olympic t-shirts, and Olympic hats. I ask someone what's going on?

I find out that today is the first day of the Olympic Track and Field Finals, taking place just down the road at Cal State Sacramento, and that many of our fellow hotel guests are Olympic hopefuls. So, for the rest of our stay, we'll now be surrounded by some of the best athletes in the world. I don't know how many actually made the team, but at least one that was there - Hazel Clark - made the women's 800 meter team. We'll be cheering on our fellow guests this summer as they go to Athens. Go Hallmark Suite athletes!

Well, as interesting as this is, we're not here for that…we're just on vacation.

After breakfast, we head to the northwest to go to the Gold Rush town of Nevada City. We have two reasons for being here. First, my wife wants to go to the V*Tae company store (they make many lotions, oils, and other beauty products that she really likes) and, second, to go hiking.

Six miles north of Nevada City, on Highway 49, is the Independence Trail. This is a wheelchair accessible trail…two of them actually…that wind around 5 miles through the mountains and along side the Yuba River.

You see, back in the Gold Rush days, miners thought it would be nifty if they could just blast away at the gold-bearing hillsides with high-pressure hoses. The dirt that washed away could then be sifted for gold. This was a much faster way to get at large amounts of ore than by using pans, sifting boxes, or digging. Only bad thing was that this was causing a huge environmental problem. Not only were permanent scars being placed on the mountains, the dirt was polluting and silting up the fish filled rivers and whole towns downstream were being flooded.

In one of the earliest environmental rulings, the Supreme Court ruled the practice a private and public nuisance and outlawed it (Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Gravel Mining Company, 1884).
Left over was the network of water flumes used to redirect the water. For many years, farmers took the water they provided but eventually they fell into disuse. Someone figured out that the size and shape of these flumes were perfectly suited to a wheelchair and so the people at the Sequoya Challenge refurbished these flumes into trails that wheelchairs can navigate.
Today, you can even take your chair right up to the river's edge and, if you're able, take a dip in the swimming hole there.

Along the Independence Trail

We go up a mile or so and have a small picnic at an overlook where we can see the river. There is a good bit of poison oak here, so we have to be careful, and walking in the flume ditch is a bit like being in a tunnel. There are spectacular views, springs (with the accompanying bug filled swamp), rock tunnels, and lots of trees and shrubs. It's not the very best accessible trail we've been on (that would be either the West Fork trail in Azusa Canyon in the Angeles National Forest or the Trail of 100 Giants in Sequoia National Monument) but it's still a very good trail.

Afterward, we head back down to the valley and spend the afternoon cooling off in the hotel pool, enjoying the happy hour, and having dinner at a local Fuddrucker's.

That evening, we watch the Olympic Trials on TV trying to spot our hotel neighbors.

Saturday

At breakfast today (have I told you enough how good breakfast is at this hotel? Mmmmm…) I chat with the couple at the neighboring table who are parents watching their kid compete. I tell them we watched on TV the night before and they tell me a litany of complaints they have with TV coverage of their sport.

I have to agree. I am sick and tired of the "up close and personal" features of the Olympics and the dearth of actual competition coverage. Last night it was all Marion Jones. All her struggles, trials, and accusations of steroid abuse. When the actual race came, it was along the lines of "MARION JONES came in SECOND PLACE…and someone else won…but again JONES CAME IN SECOND!"

There are hundreds of athletes in town this week, but unless you're one of the top few superstars of this sport, good luck in trying to get someone to notice you.

We drive into Sacramento today (being the weekend there's little traffic so driving seven minutes beats a half hour on the train) and head over to Sutter's Fort.

Over thirty years ago, I came here on a 7th grade field trip. Back then it seemed on the edge of town. Today, the fort sits on a square block park surrounded by houses, apartment buildings, churches, and a hospital.

It's kind of like visiting one of our state's missions with the rooms built into the adobe walls surrounding a central yard. A docent demonstrates the art of fur trapping (no animals were harmed for his demo), another demonstrates arms with a musket firing, and a blacksmith is hammering away in a room in a corner.

It's interesting and two to three hours is about all you'll need to explore here. Afterward, we have lunch at a crepe restaurant just up the street near a bead store that my wife wants to shop in.

We spend another afternoon in the pool before heading up the road a ways to have dinner at the Cattlemen's restaurant in Folsom. Whenever I'm up this way, I like to have dinner at one of this chain's restaurants (most of their locations are in the Central Valley) where I can have a delicious steak with all the trimmings.

If I'm not mistaken, they used to have their own herd but now use beef from Harris Ranch, the giant feed lot next to Interstate 5 in Coalinga. It's still very good meat but prices have gone up. Since we all want to eat steak, we order the giant 42 ounce porterhouse dinner and split it three ways. It's plenty of food for us and more affordable than buying three separate dinners.

We make it back in time to partake in one more happy hour. Tomorrow we'll be checking out after one more sumptuous breakfast with the Olympians before heading down Highway 99 to go home.

One more note…on the way home in Livingston (home of Foster Farms chicken), we have lunch in the Foster Farms restaurant here. Highly recommended. Of course, you'll want to order the chicken.

-Darryl
Copyright 2004 - Darryl Musick

Travel Tunes - Week 14

It's Olypics Week here on The World on Wheels so let's pick an appropriate travel tune.  It's a tough chore, considering there are so few songs about Olympics, snow (that's not holiday related), or ice sports that would also be considered a travel song.  But...found one!
From Canada's Innerlife Project comes this haunting tune, Vancouver City , released just in time for the Olympics.  The lyrics talk about taking the Skytrain down to the Quay and finding yourself.  It's a good song but what I really like is the high definition video that goes with it.  You've never seen Vancouver like this.

-Darryl

OLYMPICS WEEK - Munich, 1972

It was to be Germany's coming out party after rebuilding from a devastating war.  It turned out to be a record breaking games...with Mark Spitz capturing a then record 7 golds in the Schwimhalle...and a heartbreaking one with the terrorists of Red September capturing, then killing, their Israeli athelete hostages.

Back in September, we visited the site of the games which is now a large and very beautiful park across the street from the BMW factory.  Here is a slideshow of that visit...

For more on Germany, check out our complete trip reports...including video.. at the links below:

French Riviera
Bavaria, Germany
Bavaria, Germany - Final Chapter
-Darryl

TRANSIT REPORT - Vancouver, Canada 2010

With the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver is planning a massive boost in transit service. The entire transit system is wheelchair accessible. Options in the city are varied and a new streetcar demonstration project will be part of the mix during the Olympic period.

SKYTRAIN – This is Vancouver’s version of a subway which, here, is actually a light-rail El although there are small sections buried underground. The trains are automated and do not have drivers. At 43 miles, it’s the longest automated rail transit system in the world. It has three lines. The Expo line was the original, built in 1986 for the World’s Fair. It runs from the Southeast section of the city at Langley. The Millennium Line opened in 2002 and runs a loop through the city core. The latest line is the Canada Line, built to accommodate travelers to the Olympics, runs from the airport and also a spur from Richmond. All three lines converge at the Waterfront station in the heart of the city.

For the Olympics, service on the Skytrain will be increased to a train every 108 seconds at peak times.

WEST COAST EXPRESS – This is a Monday – Friday rush hour only commuter rail service that runs from Mission City in the east and terminates at the Waterfront station downtown. On weekend, a bus only service is run on a mid-day schedule. During the games, six additional weekday trips will be scheduled…three each way; nine extra trips on Saturdays; and eight additional runs on Sundays.

SEABUS – This is a ferry that runs from the Waterfront station across the bay to Lonsdale Quay. Crossing time is 12 minutes. During the games, service will be increased 50% to every 10 minutes.

BUS – An extensive bus network covers the rest of the city. Service will be increased on a line-by-line basis as needed during the games.

HANDY-DART – the region’s paratransit service is accepting applications from Olympic visitors (PDF) to use the service while they are in the area.

OLYMPIC BUS SERVICE – The local organizing committee is running a temporary bus service from Vancouver to the Whistler area for the games. The buses are accessible, reservations are required, and are mandatory for Olympic spectators…there is no parking at any of the venues. Accessible shuttle buses will transport you through the Whistler area. Bus transportation is included in the price of your ticket.

OLYMPIC STREETCAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT – During the Olympics, the City of Vancouver and the Bombardier Corporation will run a free, 1.8KM streetcar line from the Olympic Village to Granville Island with two stops in between. The ridership will be evaluated to help determine if the streetcar system should be expanded throughout the city.

BC FERRIES - operates service throughout the coastal region, notably to the beautiful city of Victoria on Vancouver Island. Bus service is available to/from both Vancouver and Victoria/Nanaimo.

Olympics or not, Vancouver is a great place to visit. Have fun!

-Darryl
Pictures courtesy of Wikimedia
Alisdair McLellan under CC-SA license
Seglea under CC-SA license
scondarywalts under CC-BY license
Phillippe Giabbanelli under CC-BY license

THE THINGS WE SEE...

on our travels.

Olympic Stadium and BMW Factory.  Munich, Germany