Tag Archives: photography

September 21, 2012 · 5:45 am

Fun Photo Friday

These shots were taken shortly after the dawn of the digital photography age with a 5mp camera. Looking at them today, you can see why I tell people it’s not the megapixels that count. It’s what you can do with them.

Unfortunately, the interior shots of Ely Cathedral (taken in the Cambridgeshire town of Ely, northeast of London) still show the poor ISO noise sensitivity inherent in cameras of the time, but the outdoor shots look good even by today’s standards.

One of the London buildings I photographed is the SIS Building made famous in a long-running movie series, and a series of novels that date back even further (1953). How long running? October 5 will mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the very first film in this series, and November 9 of this year is the U.S. release date of the 23rd film. And if you haven’t guessed yet what the SIS Building is, or the series that made it famous, it’s more commonly known as the MI6 (or the Secret Intelligence Service) Building. It’s most famous fictional residents are a certain English MI6 agent (whose service number bears a Double-O prefix) and his boss, a person who goes by the code name of “M.”

Also featured are London landmarks such as the London Eye, Big Ben (officially renamed this year Elizabeth Tower after Diamond Jubilee for the current monarch, Elizabeth II), the Palace of Westminster (i.e., the Parliament building), and Vauxhall Bridge.

: Vauxhall Bridge

: Westminster Palace and Big Ben

: Westminster Palace

: Big Ben

: London Eye

: SIS Building

: London

: Ely Home

: Ely Cathedral Organ Pipes

: Ely Cathedral Lantern

: Ely Cathedral Interior

: Ely Cathedral

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Big Ben, Ely, Ely Cathedral, London, London Eye, Parliament, photography, SIS Building, travel, Westminster Palace

September 17, 2012 · 5:45 am

Glacier Brewhouse

Brewed in Alaska • By Alaskans • For Alaskans

With that motto on the menu, you just know you’re entering a fine dining establishment. Well, tasty, at least.

Today we reach the end of our Alaskan adventure with a return to our favorite Anchorage dining establishment — Glacier Brewhouse.

Ursula and I first discovered this Anchorage treasure last year. This year we just knew we would be going back, even though we had severe reservations. No, not those kind of reservations. The I-want-to-show-up-and-not-wait-two-hours-to-eat kind of reservations. Thus, planning ahead, we had reservations for three visits — two dinners and one lunch. That’s what I refer to as “severe reservations.”

First off, this is not your father’s brew pub. If the hand-crafted hefeweizen and the India pale ale I had are any indication, then everything they brew here has to be simply outstanding. Hefeweizen is a Bavarian-style wheat beer that is known for it’s cloudy nature, but this particular example is positively opaque and as flavorful and robust as it looks. Don’t feel left out if you’re a teetotaler, however. The Glacier Brewhouse also make a very good root beer. House-brewed cream soda is also on the menu, but neither Ursula nor I gave it a try . . . at least not this visit.

Beyond the brews, however, is the incredible food. In particular, the Hearty Alaskan Seafood Chowder is an absolute must. This rich and tasty treat contains roasted corn, shaved fennel, red peppers (which accounts for the color), and bacon in a cream-and-crab broth flavored with a hint of dry sherry. Go for the bowl. It’s only two bucks more than the cup, and you’ll regret reaching the bottom too soon. Accompanying your bowl will be a basket of fresh bread slices, but the bread is nothing about which to write home. It lacks the crispy crust and flavorful interior of a traditional European-style rustic bread.

Hope you’re still hungry, because there are a lot more enticements awaiting you. Pictured below you will see the crispy cod sandwich, a pulled pork and slaw sandwich with homemade potato chips, and an example of one of Glacier Brewhouse’s wonderful rustic pizzas. Another pictured dish is, if I recall correctly, the crusted Alaskan cod Jasmine rice cake topped with a coconut curry sauce.

This place alone is almost worth the trek up to Anchorage.

: Crusted Cod with Coconut Curry Sauce

: Artisan Pizza as Good as It Looks

: Crisp Alaskan Cod Sandwich

: Pulled Pork and Slaw with House-made Chips

: Seafood Chowder

: House-brewed Root Beer as well

: House-brewed Hefeweizen

: Charming Atmosphere

: The Sign Above the Door

: Glacier Brewhouse — 737 W. 5th Avenue

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Filed under Photography, travel, Wine & Food

Tagged as Anchorage, food, Glacier Brewhouse, photography, restaurant review, travel

September 14, 2012 · 5:38 am

Anchorage

Anchorage is not one of Alaska’s most picturesque destinations. For the most part, the architecture is lacking and the skyline remains unimpressive. There are, however, a few gems out and about, and then there are those wonderful flowers which we saw on Wednesday.

One of the more interesting buildings is the 4th Avenue Theater. Built in the Streamline Moderne style, construction began in 1941 and was finished after the war in 1947. Unfortunately, Anchorage doesn’t seem to understand what they have here, as it has fallen into disuse. For ideas, Anchorage should look to the exquisite renovation of El Paso’s incredible Plaza Theatre, but such projects are not cheap. To see what can be done, take a look at the Plaza photo gallery here, and take a look inside the main theater in this photograph.

But, whereas the architecture may be lacking, there are other things to do and see, such as the highly entertaining and educational Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center.

Other sights along the streets include giant halibut, a mural painted by Robert Wyland, a local hangout called Humpy’s Alehouse, and another known as Rumrunner’s Old Towne Bar and Grill. I’m going to save our favorite Anchorage hangout for the last in this series. Watch for this very special review on Monday.

Meanwhile, here’s Anchorage as seen through my cameras: