Places – Page 42 – GEORGE ROTHERT

Vancouver Welcomes Trump

Vancouver British Columbia was a welcoming place during the 2010 Winter Olympics. I was fortunate enough to own a residence there at the time and to be there for some of the festivities. The streets were alive day and night with people from all over the world; Walking through the crowds downtown one heard many languages spoken. Vancouver welcomed the world and the world savored Vancouver’s beauty. I no longer am a part-time Vancouverite. I may have got out just in time.

Recently the shiny new sixty-nine-story Trump International Hotel and Tower officially opened, a few blocks away from the no-longer-mine condominium. The Holborn Group, led by Joo Kim Tiah, from one of Malaysia’s richest families, owns the hotel. The Trump organization licenses the name to the hotel operator and handles reservations. A petition demanding the Trump now not be allowed has more than 50,000 signatures.

About a hundred anti-Trump demonstrators greeted Eric and Donald Jr, who came for the ribbon cutting. Vancouver mayor, Gregor Robertson, did not attend, stating, the Trump name and brand “have no more place on Vancouver’s skyline than his ignorant ideas have in the modern world.” City Councilman Kerry Jang called the hotel a “beacon of racism … intolerance, sexism and bullying.”

Today’s Travel Tip

If you’re heading out for some relaxation near the L.A. beaches, or to start your Route 66 trip – backwards – you may want to book yourself one of those sought-after middle seats on your flight out there. The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica has a special deal through May 26. If you have reserved a room and upon arrival show them your boarding pass confirming you rode into LAX wedged between two other passengers, they’ll upgrade your room, maybe to an ocean view.

Check it out here.

(Eating tip: it’s only a mile to the Huckleberry Café.)

Good News For Corn Syrup

Changing climate is affecting maple syrup producers in the Northeast. Cold winters with frigid nights are essential for trees to generate the precious syrup. Warmer weather causes sap to rise up in the trees instead of descending to the taps. One producer reports that 75 gallons produced in 2000 is now down to 15 gallons. Some growers report lower sugar content.

New England produces most of this country’s maple syrup. Tiny Vermont by itself accounts for 47% of it. (A famous Illinois maple “sirup” producer is a must-stop for Route 66 travelers.)

Log Cabin brand long ago contained maple syrup. Now it advertises “authentic maple-tasting syrup.”

Climate change is also good news for Oregon wine growers – short term – but maybe not so good for California. Major producers in the Golden State are hedging bets by purchasing vineyards in Oregon and Washington.

Our new president has taken up the challenge by proposing a 25% cut in the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget.

Orange You Glad….

Having lately emigrated from northern California, I still keep up on the news from my previous home. Other parts of the country, or even other parts of northern California, deal with raucous town hall meetings or rioting in the streets over speakers invited onto campus. Sonoma County, by contrast, is mired in controversy over Superior Court Judge Elliot Daum’s artistic – or political – expression. After the recent peaceful transfer of power with the inauguration of a new president, Judge Daum removed the portrait of Barack Obama from his courtroom. The space previously reserved for the president’s image now displays a single piece of fruit, an orange. A real orange. Local Republicans and some lawyers have criticized the judge’s allegedly expressing political opinions in court and showing disrespect for the president.

A Sonoma State University criminal justice professor said Daum’s orange “pushes the limits of what we hope for from our judges in terms of their involvement in the politics of the day.” He went on to say, “I also think it is pretty funny.”

Judge Daum so far has made no public comment on the matter.

Welcome to PDX

Portland has become so hip that the rapidly gentrifying New York borough of Brooklyn is known to many as the “Portland of the East.” The TV series “Portlandia” told the world that the City of Roses is the place “where young people go to retire.” Portland brags that it has more breweries – and strip cubs – than any other city in the country. It is also overrun with dogs (water bowls outside entrances to businesses are mandatory) and bicyclists (most of whom flout traffic laws.)

If you’re coming to Portland to participate in the World Naked Bike Ride this summer, you’ll be glad to know the PDX airport has set aside a place for you after you’ve claimed your bicycle.

If you’re traveling with your pet, not to worry, there’s a special place for you, too.

Infrastructure Report

One afternoon in downtown Spokane, I came across a spectacle I had not seen before. A truck was stopped in the middle of the street underneath a railroad viaduct. The box-van lorry was wedged tightly between the pavement and the underside of the train overpass. The driver was deflating tires in a frantic attempt to create enough clearance to get his vehicle out. I learned this was regular free entertainment for Spokanites.

Spokane has several low-clearance rail viaducts in the middle of town. There are enough truck drivers who don’t read or don’t believe the yellow signs displaying the height, or don’t know how high their vehicles are, to keep the locals amused. Amused that is, except for other drivers caught up in the resultant traffic back ups.

Click here to read about more fun infrastructure examples.

A note on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge aka “Galloping Gertie”:

Pre-licensing classes for insurance licenses invariably use this to illustrate the importance of doing business in an ethical manner. Providing insurance coverage for sizable projects typically involves multiple insurance companies. For example, General Insurance Company, was at risk for $1 million of the total risk. Afterwards, they ran advertisements with a picture of the check they wrote for the claim.

Not so pleased was Merchants Fire Assurance Company, whose agent collected $70,000 premium and kept it, not telling the company he had issued a policy. After all, what could happen to a brand-new bridge. Merchants was surprised to learn they were on the hook for $800,000, their share of the loss.