While I was in Seoul, I checked out some of the more interesting spots that I saw online.
All the library books are accessible on the lower shelves. The books up high are decorative, like this book about one of my favorite things
There’s the big Christmas Tree. You can see the starfield on the ceiling.
This is a library which is in the center of a very large mall in Gangnam. It’s called the COEX Starfield Library and it’s a place where you can take a breather from your shopping, relax and read a magazine or a book or have a cafe style snack. Lots of people here during my visit and people were respectful of each other. And as the linked article says, people hang out there for a brief time and then leave. Great people watching spot. In San Francisco, homeless and druggies would camp out here permanently and soil everything. Glad this isn’t there.
South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam District, Yeongdong-daero, 513 스타필드 코엑스몰 B1 Google Map
Henri Cartier-Bresson was an influential photographer from the post WWII period. You have probably seen some of his work without knowing who took the photos or how he did it. He was a pioneer of street photography and also a war photographer in France and in China (before and after 1949).
This is one of his most famous photographs, Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare
He was interviewed many times about how he composed his photos. He didn’t edit his photos; he would compose them in the viewfinder and wait until everything was right and then he would release the shutter. This was, of course, before the time of digital where film and film developing was expensive and most importantly, time consuming. Nowadays, you can frame a photo and fire off 20 versions of the same scene and choose which ones pass muster and delete the rest. And even with that, you can always take the images and post process them so they look even better than when you took them using your Mark I eyeball to compose the shot.
From what I’ve read about Bresson, it was all about waiting for everything to come together. The light, the color of the sky, the subject matter co-operating with you and the camera. The Decisive Moment. I’ve always found it harder to photograph people than still life. Still life doesn’t complain when the picture doesn’t get their “good side”. Still life cooperates and can be more predictable than people.
So I took this from my room at the Grand Hyatt Incheon.
On approach to ICN
90 seconds before this shot formed, I saw how the sun was setting and how it looked with the clouds. It’s a play on emptiness, with the foreground of roads, parkland (that’s supposed to be landscaping) and the sky. It’s not a completely devoid scene, you can see people walking in the foreground and the sprinklers going off. And an airplane on approach to ICN. I cheated and took two shots. The shot before has the airplane blocking the sun. At this distance, any effect that would have with the photo would be minimal. What it would do would be to mute the scene of vibrant color even more. I like this one because the plane breaks up the emptiness; a metal tube full of people who will soon be reunited with loved ones or beginning (or ending) an adventure or a journey.
Summertime is bookended by Memorial Day and Labor Day. Everyone tries to go on vacation, airfares and hotels have ridiculous prices and gas prices traditionally spike. This year, even worse. But it’s nice on Labor Day because all the idiots leave The City for Burning Man. Lots of Labor Day parties, despite inflation. And opportunities for rooftop views of a peaceful and empty Civic Center.
Empty City Hall and Civic Center from the roof of 150 Van Ness. Taken with a GR Digital
I’ve recently realized that the Napa Valley, for all of its greatness (great wine, great food), CAN be overdone.
Two weekends ago, I did my annual pilgrimage to Silver Oak and surrounding wineries. This past Friday and Saturday (CNY eve, yes I know…) I did Napa all over again with my visiting from overseas friend. I can truthfully say that’s I’m knackered. Too much good wine, too much good food, too much CHOCKY (yes, S-A, it IS possible) that I’m actually craving something more ghetto, something more common.
Maybe like a chef salad? Or a Chicken McNugget? No, not THAT tired of good food yet…
Friday was a great day of wine and food. It started with Domaine Chandon. Champagne, whoops I mean “sparkling wine” and salmon. Not bad for the first snack of the day…
Salmon. Looks good and it’s so easy to assemble!
Lunch was at the Rutherford Grill along with a visit to BV. These two always go together. For over three hours!!
Rutherford Grill’s famous Spinach and Artichoke dip
Someone’s at the dip…
They make a great rotisserie chicken! Moist and everything!
By the time we finished lunch, there was only time to hit one more winery before closing time. And that was V. Sattui again. Remember the adult ho-ho? Well, we bought one and mostly split it.
IMG 3574
A mostly devoured Adult Ho-Ho. And it wasn’t all me! My half is still on the plate..
It was SOOO rich and filling that there was no dinner! That was a lot of chocolate…
Saturday we went to Copia for their annual “Death by Chocolate” event.
This….is Copia’s parking lot
And yes, the title of the event was an accurate description. Besides the very long demonstration events where dessert cooks were making desserts (takes a very long time to do that), there was a tasting event from 1300-1500 on both floors. Every form of gourmet chocky and wine to complement it. So much that I’m actually swearing off sweets.
For a week.
Copia also has a fancy restaurant named after Julia Child. We had a small lunch.
Cream of Cauliflower soup.
The happy diner.
A very good burger
Things in Napa usually shut down by 17:00 so it was back to SFO to wind up this visit. And if you live in The City, you know that traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge is crap going inbound. So we wound up watching the traffic roll in from the Headlands instead.
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