Sure Horizon

Archive for January, 2010

My personal history of surgery — a gall bladder gone here, an appendix removed there — is nothing compared to what you may learn about the history of surgery at the International Museum of Surgical Sciences in Chicago.  This amazing museum, open since 1954, contains something to make even the strongest lay person squeamish, as it lays out the instruments and artifacts of surgery, going back thousands of years.  Overlooking Lake Michigan, the museum has a collection of over 15,000 items, from 2,000 year old trepanned skulls from Peruvian tombs to Victorian-era underwear that’s X-ray proof.  There are a case of prosthetic legs, cases of surgical tools from Ancient Rome, and cases of kidney stones.  There’s even a section that caters to the quacks of the Victorian Age.

The museum was founded by Dr. Max Thorex, who also founded the International College of Surgeons in 1935; the museum remains a division of this college.  He had in mind the idea of sharing surgical knowledge and encouraging globally a better understanding and good will about surgery.  From the 1950s on, the museum has collected artwork and objects related to the history of surgery.  It includes, in part, a Hall of Immortals (twelve states of people considered to be great in the history of medicine), as well as a Hall of Murals (depicting in art how surgery developed over the centuries).  Individual galleries arose to examine how surgery developed in other countries, such as Spain, Mexico, France, or the Netherlands.

While the early exhibits were grouped around nations, later exhibits (since 1990) were organized by historical themes and the disciplines of various surgeries, in an attempt to make the history clearer.  The overall goal, though, is clear: to provide to the public a better understanding an appreciation for surgery’s history around the world.

After a visit to this unusual museum, you may wish to lie down a bit, and finding one of the luxury hotels Chicago provides to its guests is highly recommended.  With any luck, all my personal surgeries are over and done with, but it never hurts to see how far we’ve come and where we’re headed next in this fascinating field of science.

The final resting places of celebrities seems to have a fascination for people that never ends.  Whenever I’ve been in Europe, the main attractions have always included cemeteries.  People want to see the tombstones of Oscar Wilde or Jim Morrison in Paris, for instance; or take a look at the site where Marilyn Monroe, Truman Capote and Dean Martin all rest near University of California Los Angeles in Westwood.  If you’re traveling in Florida, you ma happen across a statue to Mitzi, the dolphin who played Flipper in the 1960s television series; if you’re in Miami, though, you’ll find the mausoleum of one of the most revered comedians of all time, Jackie Gleason.

Jackie Gleason was best known for his role on The Honeymooners, playing Ralph Kramden, a down and out New York City bus driver, who tried to get along with his wife, Alice, and his best friend, Ed Norton (played by Art Carney, and not to be confused with the later actor, Edward Norton).  In the 1960s, he retired, wanting to play golf each day.  His credits included movies and television: The Jackie Gleason Show, Don’t Drink the Water, The Hustler (a rare dramatic role), The Toy (a remake of a French comedy), Smokey and the Bandit and Smokey and the Bandit II, The Sting II, and Smokey and the Bandit III.

On the West Coast, another famous late comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, placed on his tombstone his catchphrase, “There Goes the Neighborhood.”  Jackie Gleason in his mausoleum also used one of his most famous phrases, words he used to start his television show each week, “And Away We Go.”  In fact, unless you’re right next to the sarcophagus, these are the only words that alert you to where you are and to whom you’re paying respect.  Closer, you’ll see his inscribed name.

If you’re in town for a few days, make the arrangements you need to in order to secure one of the hotels Miami Florida provides, then if you’re one of those who finds an interest in a stroll through cemeteries, take a look for this comedy great at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery at 11411 NW 25th St., Miami.

Every generation gets their moment in the sun, and in Manhattan, it’s sometimes hard to know when the sun is even out, because the view is blocked by so many buildings.  There are many seasons that come and go, and the people who live here don’t realize when a sunny moment has passed.  It takes generations down the line to recognize the moment, which could be bad news.  But, because it’s New York, everything is faster, and a generation sometimes lasts only a month, so there’s time to catch up.  For some of the most interesting bands here, this is always a good thing, because you can always come back and live the moment again, if you’re not too late on the trails of your own success.
It’s always been a great place to visit, and there’s always been interesting innovations in music.  One way to get hooked into the scene is to just come to New York.  There is a great site for some upscale hotels here where you can find some lovely accommodations, and from here, you can see anything that’s interesting.  If you want some clues, however, a big hint would be Animal Collective. 

This band from Baltimore started working at the end of the 90s, and have recorded consistently throughout the next decade.  It’s an interesting challenge for anyone, but for bands, even more so.  People like to place music by the decade, and no one’s decided on a name yet for the 2000-2009 years.  Should we call it the pre-10s?  If so, Animal Collective is a definitive pre-10 sound, marking a moment that is still passing.  It’s one we should try to catch, because from the sophistication of the beats and mixing, as well as their visual mastery, not to forget the loose connection with genius Gavin Russom, we can ride this rather comfortably, disenchanted with our own sense of magic and loss in the same breath.

The city of Phoenix is a sprawling city, connected by many of the surrounding cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale and Chandler.  There are many upscale restaurants, shopping centers, and hotels throughout these various areas, for a listing of fine accommodations in the area of your choice look here.   One of the great aspects of the city, is that it is very metropolitan, however there are many opportunities to find some time in the sun, and hike in the middle of the city.

No matter where you choose to stay, one of the six parks with hiking trails will not be very far away.  More than one hundred miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails are there for all of those who enjoy a bit of the outdoors.  Be aware of the seasons however, as hiking during the summer months can not only be little unpleasant, but the temperatures combined with physical exertion can be quite dangerous.

Papago Park is located close to Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale, and is quite popular with those who enjoy the sport of mountain biking.  The mountain is made of mainly red rocks, and offers a great view of the city skyline.  The trails are pretty easy, and this is a great place for hiking with entire family.  South Mountain Park is the largest park located within a city in the country.  There are more than fifty trails which range from easy, to more difficult so you will be sure to find one that is just right for you.

Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain are centrally located in Phoenix.  Piestewa Peak’s Summit Trail is a steep climb, not conducive for biking, and even the dogs are not allowed on this one, however there are many more less strenuous paths located within the park perfect for biking or running with your dog.  The paths on Camelback are all relatively short paths, but they too are very steep.  This is one of the more popular spots for the locals to hike, many of them on a regular basis.  North Mountain Park and Reach 11 are located more towards the Northern side of the valley, and offer many options to those spending time in North Phoenix, Sunnyslope or Scottsdale.  So when traveling to Phoenix, bring a hat, your hiking boots, and a lot of water, and hit the trails.

Once in London, I spent three months watching over thirty West End plays — productions of everything from big operatic musicals, such as Miss Saigon and Le Miserables, to revivals of older, rarely performed plays like George Bernard Shaw’s The Apple Cart, which starred Peter O’Toole and Susan Sarandon (an interesting comedy about how America approaches England’s king and asks to come back to the motherland; and the king realizes if he’s to do such a thing, it would be America that consumes England).  I’ve always wanted to do the same thing in New York, USA, residing in one of its great hotels, and attending show after show.

Of course, I saw those shows over twenty years ago, and the theater landscape is probably quite different now, but it doesn’t hurt to see what will be playing soon.  Also, over time, I’ve developed more of a feel for Off-Broadway productions (in London, these would be known as Fringe shows, because they take place in venues on the fringes of the West End).  Here’s a sampling of what we can look forward to over the next few months.

First, if we’re long-time theater patrons, there’s some shows and authors we all know:  On January 25th, we’ll have a new stage adaptation based on Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray at Theatre Row’s Kirk Theatre.  On the 27th, there’s Sam Shepard’s play, Ages of the Moon at Atlantic’s Linda Gross Theater; in February, on the 14th, Shakespeare gets another production of Measure for Measure at the Duke on 42nd Street.  Sam Shepard gets another production of A Lie of the Mind at Theatre Row’s Acorn Theatre on Feb. 18th.  In March, Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie will play again, and Shakespeare’s sonnets will have another hearing in Love Is My Sin.

As interesting as all this is, I’d like to take a look at the list of Off-Broadway theaters, and see what title alone seems to interest me most.  There’s a lot of one word titles, such as Fanny, Extinction, Conviction, Yank!, and Equivocation, and some really vying for my interest, such as The Accidental Pervert, but I think I’m going to take a closer look at The Man in Room 306.  This play is by and stars Craig Alan Edwards and is already in previews at 59E59′s Theater B.  Turns out, it’s a one man show about Martin Luther King, lasting approximately ninety minutes (you don’t want a one man show any longer, really), and is set the evening before his assassination at a Memphis hotel room.  I haven’t seen any reviews, but I’d definitely take a closer look at this one.

Phoenix is a city that has always lived up to its name.  Every summer sees blazing heat that lasts for months, and this is followed by one of the most spectacular winters in the country.  The temperatures often linger in the mid-60s in the day, for a very cool and comfortable population.  The heat from the summer does something to our memory banks, so that by the time winter comes around, we can’t remember why we’d ever want to live anywhere else.  Truly, those beautiful months go on for a long time, allowing for some long stretches of outdoor activity, and this is one of the things that makes it so inviting.  There is always a steady stream of visitors, who benefit not only from the outdoor adventures, but the thriving night life that continues to grow and evolve.

If you’re looking to spend some time in the desert, click on www.phoenixluxuryhotels.com for some gorgeous places to make your stay here enormously hospitable.  This is a vacation in style, and people who visit here usually want to come back many times.  There’s a lot to see, not only in the city, but in the many gorgeous places outside the metro area.  Arizona has a wide range of geographies, and this is one of the reasons why it’s becoming a prime location for filmmakers.  Hollywood studios often make their way here for scripts that require multiple locations, because you can find plenty of urban and rural settings in the state.  There are plenty of local companies, too, making a variety of films.  One of the most famous movies shot here was the Coen Brother’s classic, Raising Arizona.

This film helped to establish them as one of the most exceptional filmmaking teams in cinema history.  The strange and savagely funny story of a missing baby fleshed out their repertoire to demonstrate that they have a genuine talent for humor.  Fans of the film can see many of the locations used in the movie, which are almost all still here.  Between Deer Valley, Scottsdale, and Apache Junction, you can see the places where they shot many of the outdoor scenes, the chase scenes, and grocery stores.  Fans of ASU Theatre might recognize cameos from some of the old faculty members, namely James Yeater and William Dobkin, who left very powerful imprints in the desert’s collective memory.

Joni and I decided to take a road trip up Hwy 101 to Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu. The trip was about 150 miles of sheer beauty. We drove through Topanga Canyon and had to pull over a couple of times because we didn’t know how to drive the curves as well as the locals. The locals seem to throw caution to the wind, but my white-knuckled hands made me take my time around the curves.

We made it to Malibu beach, the mountain gave way to the bright blue water of the Pacific Ocean. We past many surfer’s who pulled over to the side of the road to enjoy the wet surf. We found a place to park our car and walked to the Malibu beach pier. We spent most of our time just watching all the people. They were surfing, fishing, playing volleyball in the sand, kids were building in the wet sand, sea gulls soared easily through the people in search of food tid-bits. As we walked a bit more, I noticed something that I thought I’d never see at a beach. I grabbed Joni and told her to step to her right, but don’t look, she stepped to her right and looked anyway, then she squealed as I was being offered a quick pet of a yellow Boa snake.

Normally, I’d squirm in my skin, but maybe it had something to do with the snakes owner being cute, the I petted to Boa. The snake felt pretty cool, almost like leather. As Joni and I walked away to try and find one of the Malibu Hotels, I touched Joni’s hand and told her I’m rubbing snake hands all over her. Joni squealed again and ran away from me saying the room we get better have twin beds!