Category Archives: Photographs

The Norton Simon Museum

Photographs

Superb.

The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena has a wide ranging collection of art, not least the modern sculpture garden in the back. But you come here mainly for one thing and it’s the world class collection of late 19th Century French art, with emphasis on Van Gogh (French in all but birth) and, of course, Degas.



My son Winston checks out the Degas collection.

The bronze statue, grass skirt and all, is by Degas.

iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Musso & Frank’s grill

Dining, Photographs

A Hollywood institution.



The bar scene.

The bar scene here may not be quite up to Manet’s A bar at the Folies Bergère, but the atmosphere was positively electric when we dropped by this fabled eating spot for dinner. After stumbling along Hollywood Boulevard, that is, trying not to breathe what passes for air in that neighborhood.

Despite its 103 year old provenance and great fame, the food and service were excellent and we lucked out with a small banquette seat isolated from the non-mask wearing set. This being a Thursday I naturally chose the famous homemade chicken pot pie while Winston enjoyed a lovely trout.

If you want to see the glitterati and enjoy a good meal in Hollywood, Musso’s is it.

iPhone 12 Pro Max snap, some taming of the highlights in Photoshop.

The Langham

Photographs

A beautiful place.

For our visit to Caltech we decided to live it up a little, staying at The Langham in Huntington, Pasadena.

When I last stayed there some two decades ago it was a Ritz Carlton. It may have changed hands but it remains a beautiful place to stay.


No beating this.


One of the many foyers.


High tea.


Tea choices.


The railroad bell. Read about Henry Huntington here.

From Wikipedia:

The Huntington Hotel was originally named Hotel Wentworth when it opened on February 1, 1907. Financial problems and a disappointing first season forced it to close indefinitely. Henry Huntington purchased the Wentworth in 1911, renaming it the Huntington Hotel. It reopened in 1914, transformed into a winter resort. The 1920s were prosperous for the hotel, as Midwestern and Eastern entrepreneurs discovered California’s warm winter climate.

The hotel’s reputation for fine service began with long-time general manager and later owner Stephen W. Royce. By 1926, the hotel’s success prompted Royce to open the property year-round. The “golden years” ended with the stock market crash and the Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s. By the end of the 1930s the hotel was vibrant again. When World War II began, all reservations were cancelled and the hotel was rented to the Army for $3,000 a month. Following the war, the Huntington’s fortunes improved again. In 1954 Stephen Royce sold the hotel to the Sheraton Corporation, serving as general manager until his retirement in 1969. The hotel operated until 1985, when it closed because of its inability to meet seismic standards. The structure was built of reinforced concrete in 1906.

After a 2 1/2-year major renovation, the hotel reopened in March 1991 as the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa. The hotel completed a $19 million renovation in January 2006; it changed hands in early 2007 and became Langham Brand International, Huntington Hotel & Spa.


Room service. The grounds are peaceful and to die for beautiful..


We left with heavy hearts. Multiple bell boys see
to it that your Rolls Royce is quickly available.

All snaps on the iPhone 12 Pro Max which does a splendid job of controlling dynamic range.