Pier 39's Musical Stairs

Location: San Francisco, California,USA
Address: Pier 39
Date: Feb 2014
Website: www.pier39.com

  Pier 39 in San Francisco has seals and stores and carnival rides and more.  Part of the more is a set of stairs designed by Remo Saraceni.  Remo also created the floor piano used in the Tom Hank’s movie Big. (You can read more about the Big piano here.)  The stairs follow a similar concept where the keys are activated by your feet.  The stairs are painted like the keys of a piano and as you walk up the notes get higher.  As you head back down the notes get lower.  If you practice a little bit you might even be able to work out something that resembles a tune.  Just be aware that a floor piano is much safer than jumping up and down stairs trying to hit the correct notes.  One wrong move and you may end up sliding all the way down to a low A flat.  You may want to get a few friends together and each pick one or two notes to play.  Also be aware that other people are just trying to use the stairs to get where they are going and may walk noisily through your masterpiece.  These musical stairs are far more interesting than your average set of steps.  We enjoyed doing a little people watching to see people's expressions when they take that very first step.  It was also fun to see the people who pretended they were not enjoying themselves as they musically scaled the stairs.

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Map of Our World
Pier 39's Musical Stairs

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Post # 95

Toronto Zoo (Woodchucks)

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Address: 2000 Meadowvale Road
Date: July 2013
Website:  www.torontozoo.com

  The Toronto Zoo has two types of woodchucks.  There are those that can be found in an enclosure in the Kids Zoo and those that live wild on the grounds or in the surrounding Rouge Valley.  We have encountered both types during our visits to the zoo.  Woodchucks are large rodents which are part of the marmot family and can be found throughout Canada and the eastern USA.

  Another name for woodchucks is groundhog.  Most people may be familiar with Groundhog Day which takes place on February 2nd.  It is said that on this day if a groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow then there will be 6 more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog does not see his shadow then it will be an early spring.  Two of the most famous groundhog prognosticators are Punxsutawney Phil in the United States and Wiarton Willie in Canada.

  The two woodchucks pictured at the top of this post are permanent residents of the zoo.  The woodchuck pictured above is one that we encountered as we walked along the pathways of the zoo.  We could tell that we startled him because he stood up on his hind legs and looked around to ensure he was not in any danger.  Once he was confident that we meant him no harm, he went back to rummaging through the grass.  Another woodchuck we encountered seemed to enjoy a little danger.  We spotted him inside the Indian Rhino enclosure.  The Toronto Zoo displays its animals by geographic region, so we knew that an animal from India would not be on display with one from North America.  While the rhino was over by the fence, this little woodchuck decided to eat from the rhino's hay.  He had better be careful.  While the woodchuck may not have the strength to chuck any of the wood he was hiding behind, the rhino could chuck the whole pile with just one swing of its head.

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Click here to take a virtual tour and see our collection of Toronto Zoo animal photos.

Map of Our World
Toronto Zoo (Kids Zoo) , Toronto Zoo (Indian Rhino)

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Post # 94

Carnaval de Quebec

Location: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Address:  Plaines D'Abraham
Date: Feb 2010
Website: www.carnaval.qc.ca

  For many years Quebec City has hosted a carnival in the very heart of winter.  It starts at the end of January and runs throughout most of February.  The carnival includes parades, fireworks, games, music and more.  In the mid 1950s the carnival was revitalized and a snowman wearing a red hat and sash became its official mascot.  His name is Bonhomme Carnaval.  We encountered Bonhommes all over Quebec City.  We were even greeted by one when we arrived at the airport.

  The main site of Carnaval de Quebec is located on the Plains of Abraham.  Before we reached the plains, we passed Place Loto-Quebec and Bonhomme's Ice Palace.  Each year a special palace is constructed out of blocks of ice.  Due to the temperature at this time of year being constantly below zero there is no fear of this palace melting during the carnival.

   In order to gain access to all of the Carnaval events you need to wear a small pin or effigy on your jacket.  The theme in 2010 was "The Carnival Makes You Dance!" so the effigys featured Bonhomme dancing in front of a disco ball. 

  As we entered the main Carnaval site we walked past the International Snow Sculpture Event.  All of the competitors deserve an award just for enduring the extreme cold weather for hours while working on their snowy creations.

  A few of our favourites were a gymnastics sculpture, a man escaping from a bear and a screaming ice face.

 

  The sculpture above represents how most people look when that first blast of cold Quebec City winter air hits their face.  It was almost cold enough that your face might just stay that way.  We did seek out a temporary reprieve from the cold by going into a few tents, like the Mr. Christie / Kraft tent that was giving out samples.

 

  Then it was back outside where we took part in some zip lining and tobogganing until the sun started to go down.  We enjoyed our time at Carnaval de Quebec but now we were ready to head back towards our hotel. We needed to find a fireplace to thaw us out and a nice hot meal to fill us up.   

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Map of Our World
Carnaval de Quebec

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Post # 93