James Balog: iLCP in LiveBetter Magazine

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Photograph © 2011 James Balog
For Display Use Only,
No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > James Balog, 'Serving As Witness to Environmental Change'

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Photograph © 2011 Miguel Ángel de la Cueva
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, 'Oasis of Stone:  Visions of Baja California'

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Photograph © 2011 Garth Lenz
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Garth Lenz, 'Alberta Tar Sands: The True Price of Petroleum'


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Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'In Defense of the Natural World' 

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Photograph © 2011 Amy Gulick
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Amy Gulick, 'Salmon in the Trees'

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Photograph © 2011 Patricio Robles Gil
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Patricio Robles Gil, 'The Passion and Essence of Nature'

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Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE>  Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'Nature’s Tireless Advocate: A Conviction of the Heart'

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My Fav Places - Jin Mao, Grand Hyatt, Shanghai, China

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY ENTIRE ALBUM (33 photos), ENTITLED "My Fav Places - Jin Mao, Grand Hyatt, Shanghai, China"

As those who follow my work already know, I have been traveling to China on a nearly annual basis since the early 1980’s to pursue the translation of my photographic imagery into hand-stitched embroideries that range from small table top pieces and wall hangings, to complex multi-panel screens that take many years to complete.

To better know and appreciate Chinese culture, I have done a lot of traveling within China to get a feel for its vast and varied population and its far-flung cities and landscapes. My journeys have taken me into tiny rural villages at the edge of steaming jungles, up spectacular mountains, and into the heart of its humanity in cities like Beijing, Guanzhou and Shanghai. I have walked on the Great Wall, floated on the Grand Canal and bicycled with 100,000 close friends around West Lake (Hangzhou) on holiday. I have not seen it all (nor will I ever) but some places I come back to time and again because my experiences there are so rewarding. If you are inclined to visit China, or are an armchair traveler, I thought you might enjoy learning about some of these locations, too.

On The Bund in Shanghai looking across the river at the Pudong financial district where the Jin Mao tower and the Grand Hyatt hotel are located. 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Shanghai is the definition of over-the-top. With a city population estimated at over 22 million, it is more first world than the first world, yet all of that trendiness is served by pedal rickshaws and homes full of families living on so little actual income the western mind can not even imagine the lifestyle. These contrasts are exactly what give Shanghai its edge - fashionista princesses decked out in Shanghai Tang clothes, carrying Louis Vuitton bags walk past old women with leaf brooms sweeping the streets, or red Maseratis navigate streets lined with homes that date back hundreds, or perhaps even thousands. Traffic chaos and driving maneuvers are unimaginable. Buildings defy reality. Food cannot be explained, nor does it need to be as it is generally quite delicious (as long as you eat Chinese and not some horrible international hotel buffet).

And, presentation is everything! That goes for hotels especially.

The Jin Mao Tower in the Pudong financial district of Shanghai. The Grand Hyatt hotel occupies the 54th-99th floors. 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Shanghai has more fine hotels than you could ever take in, and most of the new ones are astoundingly opulent, while the old ones are at least elegant, so I am sure there will be plenty of people who have visited this city that will want to argue with me and suggest other locations - but this is my blog! I do not doubt the excellence of other establishments and have stayed in plenty of them, but the Jin Mao Tower that houses the Grand Hyatt, is my choice for reasons more ephemeral than just the hotel itself. The Jin Mao Tower is a spectacle of architecture.

The Grand Hyatt has all of the pre-requisites for a world-class hotel in Shanghai even though it is older by some years than most of the surrounding sky-rise: multiple good restaurants, great and courteous service, dazzling presentation, a spa/exercise complex to be enjoyed, and hi-tech guest rooms that take some work to figure out what all the buttons do. The dramatic lobby greats you with “the view” on the 54th floor, and rooms range up into the 90’s. You can always have desert later in the evening in the Cloud 9 Bar on the 99th floor.

Looking up from the 77th floor towards the floors ranging into the 90's. 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Looking down into the Grand Hyatt lobby (54th floor) from the 77th floor. 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

Art is everywhere as are astounding floral displays, but this Chinese gothic chrome-glass building was built for the view, and there is never a time in your room, in the restaurants, in the bars and lounges, or even when you are buck-naked in the spa that you cannot see the world of Shanghai and the sinews of the river sprawling before you in every direction.

Orchid display in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt, Shanghai. 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

The Jin Mao building was built by THE CHINESE to be the tallest CHINESE building in the world. I say CHINESE because that was a mandate of its design. The design was spawned by a heated competition that was intended to emphasize new-China-style as Shanghai grew into its stunning 1st-world presence as we know it today. The final design selection involved an innovative exterior skeleton of steel rods and fins that adorn the glass house and steal beam internal frame. It is these rods and fins that give the building its gothic feeling, especially when lit at night. It is also these fins and beams that literally “howl” during the raging winds of typhoons and make the rooms somewhat less quiet.

The Jin Mao building/Grand Hyatt hotel (foreground) and the new, taller Park Hyatt (background), Shanghai.             
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

The tallest-building-in-the-world thing did not last long as within months of completion the Jin Mao was exceeded by the Twin Towers in Kuala Lampur (and now newer buildings in many other locations, including the new Park Hyatt, across the street from the Grand Hyatt) but the Grand Hyatt design remains unique, weirdly beautiful a Chinese fortress at the waterfront edge of the new Pudong financial district.

Chinese Gothic... and very tall! 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

I personally think the restaurants are overpriced and after many years recognize the interior hints at its age in places, nonetheless I am a visual devotee and I always spend at 1-2 nights in the Grand Hyatt just to drink in the architecture, scale and glory of the hazy view of the city. I NEVER close the drapes in my room, love the gadgets that lock doors and turn out lights once I get them figured out, AND can never get enough of walking up to the structure from a distance and slowly taking in its visual power. Do yourself a favor and check this hotel out if you visit. It is well worth spending some time there. The neighboring structures are equally stunning company, and the river esplanade is just several blocks away. On a warm, balmy night the denizens of Shanghai, stroll, kiss, marvel at their astounding city reflected in the waters of the river, boggle over the electronic sign displays, and eat Hagen Das along this spectacle waterfront. You won’t regret the time spent doing it either.

As the sun rises, the hazy view from the Grand Hyatt (Shanghai) reveals the neighboring skyscraper architecture and the river beyond. 
Photograph © 2011 Robert Glenn Ketchum
For Display Use Only, No Permission to Reproduce in Any Form

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY ENTIRE ALBUM (33 photos), ENTITLED "My Fav Places - Jin Mao, Grand Hyatt, Shanghai, China"

#lbp

Miguel Ángel de la Cueva: iLCP in livebetter Magazine

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, 'Oasis of Stone:  Visions of Baja California'

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Garth Lenz, 'Alberta Tar Sands: The True Price of Petroleum'

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'In Defense of the Natural World' 

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Amy Gulick, 'Salmon in the Trees'

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Patricio Robles Gil
The Passion and
Essence of Nature

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Patricio Robles Gil, 'The Passion and Essence of Nature'

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE>  Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'Nature’s Tireless Advocate: A Conviction of the Heart'

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Garth Lenz: iLCP in livebetter Magazine

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Garth Lenz, 'Alberta Tar Sands: The True Price of Petroleum'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'In Defense of the Natural World' 

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CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Amy Gulick, 'Salmon in the Trees'

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Patricio Robles Gil
The Passion and
Essence of Nature

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE > Patricio Robles Gil, 'The Passion and Essence of Nature'

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CLICK TO READ THE ARTICLE>  Robert Glenn Ketchum, 'Nature’s Tireless Advocate: A Conviction of the Heart'

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My Fav Places - Mountain Lodge Telluride

Winter glow at the Mountain Lodge Telluride.  Photograph 2011 © Neil Hastings.

Beginning in the early 1960's, my family spent late fall and most of winter in a log "cabin" on the Wood River in Ketchum, Idaho because it was duck season and my Dad loved to hunt and fish. On my school break at Christmas, I would join them and so I learned to ski at nearby Sun Valley. After college (1970), I moved to Sun Valley for several years and the mountain environment began to change the subject of my photography from rock-and-roll to rocks and trees - particularly rocks, trees and snow. One of my first published portfolios consisted of 24 small, elegant black & white prints entitled, 'Winters: 1970-1980'.

Ski photography was part of the many things I shot to pay the bills, and it was in the Pioneer Bar in Ketchum that I met David Moe, who was trying to found a new ski magazine he called Powder. David was looking for potential contributors with "different" ideas, and by the early '70's I had started "pin" skiing in the backcountry with my mountaineering friends in the Decker Flats Climbing and Frisbee Club and photographing them while we explored untracked faces, old mining ghost towns and attempted a few first winter ascents on nearby summits in the Sawtooth and Pioneer Mountains. I convinced David that "heel free" skiing in the backcountry was part of the future of skiing and he conceded a quarterly section in the magazine for me to report from the field.

For most of the '70's that job at Powder was my license to ski not only in obvious places like the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, Jackson Hole, Taos and Sun Valley, but less traditional locations like Craters of the Moon National Monument, the Grand Tetons and the Wind River Mountains. I still indulge the snow season every year, crossing over to snowboarding for my 50th birthday, and riding annually with my kids (when they can keep up).

My perspective on skiing and resorts is pretty interesting as I have seen and skied most of the ones in the West. So what do I like?

Storm Clearing on Wilson Peak.  Telluride, CO.  Photograph 2011 © Neil Hastings.

Good snow is always good - anywhere - but it is other aspects of the destination that I think cause me to choose Telluride as my favorite spot. Mammoth is closest to my home, but way too close to Los Angeles, so it is always crowded and overrun by surprisingly rude adults made short tempered by long lift lines. Similarly, the I-70 corridor in Colorado has incredible resorts all along it, Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mtn., Steamboat, Aspen, but they all feed into that same stretch of freeway, which on the wrong day (especially Sunday when everyone heads home) is a worse traffic jam then than any freeway in LA. Sun Valley, Jackson, Whistler and The Wasatch (Park City, Deer Valley, Sundance, Snowbird, Alta, etc.) all have great snow and mountains, but lots of people as well because they are either hip, close or both. Telluride is just far enough off the beaten path to have the right mix of skiing and pristine, uncrowded fun.  And then there is Telluride's remarkable setting.

Mountain Lodge Telluride, Winter.  Photograph 2011 © Neil Hastings.

Telluride is a great ski, the historic town may be one of the most beautiful environments of any resort, and the low profile and fun food/bar excursions are as good as any other resort destination in the West. I especially like to stay at Mountain Lodge Telluride. The Mountain Lodge is not located in the historic downtown section, but rather sits mid-mountain in the mountain village complex. It is lift -accessible to everything. You can ski in/ski out, AND it sits just outside of the main village complex, which I like because it is quieter at night without the revelers of mountain village shouting to each other beneath your window.

Mountain Lodge Telluride luxury cabin.  Photograph 2011 © Neil Hastings

Mountain Lodge Telluride has suites and cabins, which suits my family time, and they are pet friendly as well, which always rates highly with Lili the Black Lab and her friends. MLT has a its own, very nice restaurant/bar, The View, with an unparalleled view window, and most importantly to me, that view is shared by the large hot tubs and pool just outside the restaurant. There are few other locations I have ever enjoyed with such a surrounding panorama of peaks all viewable from the luxury of warm water and good bar service.

Telluride and The Mountain Lodge are MUCH more than just a winter resort; in fact they are equally enjoyable in other seasons. Telluride is famous for its festivals that run almost continuously throughout the summer and fall and include Mountainfilm, and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and many more. These are all fun events, set against a most amazing backdrop of mountains. The lifts service bike riding trails for all skill levels, horses can be found nearby, jeep adventures offer picnics in high basins, and when the fall arrives, it is OFF THE CHART, especially from the swimming pool complex of Mountain Lodge Telluride!

McClure Pass, CO.  Photograph 2011 © Neil Hastings.

If it is important for you to "go big" when you party and socialize, then Telluride may not be your ticket and the quietude of The Mountain Lodge is definitely not your style. But if you want great private and / or family time, excellent skiing, great instructors and a town-vibe equal to no other, this is the place. Coming from mountain village over the top and descending into historic Telluride on the lift may be the best lift ride / views in North America. It takes my breath away every time and keeps me coming back, as does the food.

Lizard Head Pass, Telluride, CO.  Photograph 2011 © Neil Hastings.

There is much to explore and try, and noticeably without "the crowd" I find at other resorts. Try  Telluride and in particular the Mountain Lodge Telluride if you would really like to "get away". Personally if I want to hang out to be hip and seen, I LIVE in LA. When I travel to play in the mountains, I am looking for something else and Telluride and The Mountain Lodge delivers in a unique way. Check it out!

#rgk
@LittleBearProd