Okay, That Was Really Cool. REALLY cool! June 16, 2007
Posted by Ken in Music, Travel.2 comments
So I’m on the road again, photographing casinos… AGAIN. Nothing too exciting especially considering all my properties have been in the middle of nowhere and I don’t have a car. Well, today, something really neat happened.
As most of you know, I am a big country music fan. Today, at the Caesars property I’m photographing, there was an outdoor concert for the band Big & Rich. Some of you may know them by their first hit, “Save a horse, ride a cowboy.” I was considering buying a ticket but the concert was held in the parking lot and, well, it’s HOT out here. I didn’t relish the thought of hanging out for hours on blacktop and I need to save money.
My hotel contact and I were going to grab some dinner but he was escorting a newspaper photographer at the concert and couldn’t get away. He invited me down to the concert to hang out so got me a media badge to enter the concert area. While watching the band, I noticed that the newspaper “photographer” really didn’t seem to know what she was doing. As it turns out, she was more the newspaper’s editor and was there to take photos for an article… not really a professional photographer.
At one point, my hotel contact introduces me to the woman as another professional photographer on property working with the hotel. She holds out her camera and says, “you want to take some picture?” Hell yeah! I took the camera before she had a chance to change her mind and with my media badge, proceeded to the front of the stage, in front of the audience! I was so close to the band members, I could hear their voices without the speakers. As I photographed them on stage, they segued into their first hit song, “Save a horse…” It was so incredible to be photographing them up close while they sang their signature song! I loved every second of it and had so much fun.
Upon returning to where my hotel contact was standing with the people from the newspaper, I thanked them for letting me borrow their camera. She then told me if they used one of the photos I took, they would give me a photo credit! She took my name and email and promised to send me copies of all the photos! Once I get copies, I will add them to this blog posting.
Wow, that totally made my day!
Penthouses – Not Just For High-Rollers Anymore April 23, 2007
Posted by Ken in Me, Travel.3 comments
Okay, this is pretty cool. It’s Monday night and game 7 of the Canucks/Dallas series, round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I was worried I was going to miss it but as luck has it, I’m currently sitting in front of a 52 inch plasma TV (with surround sound), one of 3, in my 2500 square foot penthouse suite here at the Venetian Hotel in Vegas. I’m not sure how this happened. Maybe it was the only room left. Maybe they just decided to treat me, but wow, it was definitely a nice surprise! Man, this place is big. Two full bedrooms, each with a huge washroom with jacuzzi tubs, a giant living room and dining room, baby grand piano, and even an exercise room. My washroom is connected to the exercise room by a huge walk-through double shower but the coolest thing is that it doubles as a steam room too. My own, private steam room! The hardest decision was which bedroom to use. The corner room or the one with the fireplace. Ha, all this for me? Thanks! Sure makes up for the trashy Best Western I had to stay at last night.
To my friends who said they couldn’t come down to hang out with me: SUCKS FOR YOU! Still, I wish you were here.
Well, this is what it looks like. Living/dining room:
my bedroom:
my washroom:
exercise room:
bedroom number 2:
washroom number 2:
living room with piano:
Ode To Canada (And Children Stories) March 23, 2007
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Sometimes you just gotta love Americans. Take today for example. My hotel is on “Huff & Puff Road” and “Canada Road”. Crazy Yankees.
As I was driving down this street that is dedicated to my homeland, I noticed a little neighborhood that was a further tribute to the Great White North. Not quite the real thing but still made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:
Nashville March 14, 2007
Posted by Ken in Entertainment, Friends, Me, Music, Restaurants & Bars, Travel.3 comments
Okay, so most of you know that I’m a big fan of country music. Well, yesterday, I had a day off and spent it in Nashville with some photographer friends.
Actually, the day started the night before. After finishing my shoot in Martin, TN, I headed to Murfreesboro to meet with my friend Leeann. When I got there, Filipe, another photographer friend told us that he was gonna have the next day off too so we told him to drive down and spend the evening with us. Once he arrived, the three of us drove down to Huntsville, AL to meet up with our friend Adele for dinner at 801 Frankin, a classy restaurant in this middle of nowhere town. After a great dinner and some fun trying to find coffee (“Oh, is coffee supposed to be hot?” – McDonald’s), we headed back to Leeann’s hotel.
The next day, Filipe and I booked a room in downtown Nashville and headed out. The Renaissance we stayed at was in the perfect location, right around the corner from the historic Ryman Auditorium and a block from Broadway where one can find a lot of cool pubs and bars. We spent a number of hours just wandering downtown, souvenir shopping and taking photos.
After a nap, the rest of the gang started to arrive. Once everyone was there, we headed back to Broadway and got a couple of beers at a couple of different bars. It was still early and because of the Nashville Predators hockey game and the Harry Connick Jr. concert, the bars were relatively quiet. The two bars we visited both had live country bands and the music was actually very good. In no time, it was time to head to the Capital Grille for our 8:30 reservation. The restaurant is located in the gorgeous and historic Hermitage Hotel and is one of the top restaurants in Nashville. Our waitress was funny and very down to Earth (ghetto as she put it). Dinner was fantastic. I had a perfectly cooked beef tenderloin that was so incredibly tender, it could have been cut with a butter knife. Absolutely delicious!
After dinner and a brief tour of the hotel (thanks to our waitress), we headed back to one of the bars we visited earlier. Tootsies Orchid Lounge is a famous bar where many of Nashville’s rising stars played. Famous customers include Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Kris Kristopherson and Loretta Lynn. When we arrived, the place was rockin’ and packed with people. We pushed our way through the crowd and eventually settled in a spot right in front of the stage. The band was awesome, the crowd was terrific and I almost lost my voice from screaming and singing the entire night. We also got to hang out a bit with a group of Canadian boys from Toronto who were there on a road trip, so that was cool. We also drenched the floor around our area with some beer bottle tapping (sorry Ronan). The highlight of the evening was when the singer got up onto the bar to sing and invited some ladies, including Leeann and Adele, to get up and dance on the bar! Freaking AWESOME. What a great night. After closing the place down, we headed back to the room and the 5 of us crashed. Definitely a night to remember!
Mosaic Tapas Bar – Ocean Springs January 30, 2007
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This was one of those nights when I found myself in a really cool place in a somewhat unlikely location.
The location was Ocean Springs, MS and the place was Mosaic Tapas Bar. Now, I have to say, I love tapas bars. They are typically pretty hip and you get the opportunity to try out a variety of dishes in smaller portions. So last week, when I was searching for a good place to eat in the Biloxi area, I drove into this cool, Steveston-esk village in Ocean Springs in search of this sushi bar I found online. I had sushi on my mind that night so when I walked by Mosaic, I took note and tonight, I got to go back.
The bar was set up with couches with big fluffy pillows, soft lighting, and hip music – a fine atmosphere. In addition to tapas, they had a small wine list, a martini and cocktails list, as well as a hookah pipe menu. Tonight, I chose the pear saketini (a vodka martini with pear flavoured sake) and my favourite, a chocolate martini. For food, I chose a house salad, fish tacos, chicken quesadillas, and beef empanadas. Delish! Then arrived Patrick, a live musician who played acoustic guitar and sang to familar tunes. Apparently, this was his first time playing there. Lucky me. He was quite good! However, once again, the only thing missing was a good group of friends to share this with. I did get a chance to chat with Robbie, this cute guy that sat at the next table who grew up in Ocean Springs but seemed quite open minded and mature for someone who was around 25.
All in all, a fun night. If you ever find yourself on the Gulf Coast in the Biloxi area, go check this place out… and bring your friends. You won’t be disappointed.
Mississippi Earning January 27, 2007
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Well, I’ve been in Mississippi for the past couple of weeks, trying to make a living and catch up from a month of worklessness. I was hoping to have escaped the unusually horrible Vancouver winter but it seems Mississippi hasn’t been much better. There were a few days when it was just as cold as it was in Vancouver and today, it was absolutely pouring. I guess I could say that it reminds me of home but that would just be wishful thinking.
I started this trip with my friend Adele. We were fortunate enough to have a few 
great evenings to spend together. We were also “close” enough to Leeann so the three of us went out for a fantastic dinner in Tuscaloosa, AL… and last night, I drove to New Orleans, LA and had dinner with Jesse, another photographer in the area. So cool to be able to spend time with friends while on the road and now be able to say I’ve visited another three states that I had never been to before. Good times can be had on Wyndham trips!
Here are some photos of Adele and I being complete dorks on the road (as usual). I think we were scaring the locals but who cares – they talk funny down here. “Yer not from ’round here ‘re ya?” How lovable? I admit it does grate on me sometimes!
Well, as I mentioned, yesterday I met up with Jesse in New Orleans. I’d never been to New Orleans but what a cool town. The French Quarter (what I saw of it) was really facinating and Bourbon Street was party central. Really great. I wish I had more time to spend there. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of New Orleans to share but take my word for it. If you’ve never been to New Orleans, you should go check it out. Nice to see that the French Quarter wasn’t too damaged by Katrina.
Biloxi Blues – A Year and a Half After Katrina January 27, 2007
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Hey, what’s with the movie titles in my headings today?
Anyway, speaking of Katrina, I think it deserves a separate post. I’ve been in the Biloxi, MS area for the past few days and have had the opportunity to drive down Beach Boulevard, which is right on the Gulf of Mexico. I’m sure it was beautiful a couple of years ago but because of Katrina, it now looks like… well, a hurricane hit it. You hear on the news about the devastation in New Orleans. Well, Biloxi is only about an hour from New Orleans and Katrina pretty much passed right over it as well.
A year and a half later, some of the bridges are still out, power hasn’t been fully restored in some areas, the beach is still closed, and many of the buildings along the coast still lie in ruins. What a mess! I can’t even fathom what it would have looked like the day after the hurricane. Here is a glimpse. These photos were taken on two separate days (some sunny, some rainy):
Happy New Year! January 3, 2007
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For New Years, 12 friends (some new) and I rented a couple of cabins Cushean Lake Resort on Salt Spring Island and “took it easy”. We arrived to surprisingly nice and well equipped cabins with pretty much everything we needed to just have fun. The previous day’s Costco and liquor store run meant we were ready for a feast, and thanks to Filip’s and Cindy’s cooking, we ate very well! Mother Nature was even kind enough to treat us with decent weather for most of the weekend. It was filled with great conversation, games, food, drinks and the associated silliness. Oh, and can’t forget to mention the iPods galore. Ahhhh, what more could we ask for. Check out my New Years 2006/07 page for some cool photos.
For a rather disturbing but entirely amusing photo series from New Years, visit my buddy Art’s blog. He’s even added a soundtrack!
Arizona November 27, 2006
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Well, a month in Arizona has allowed me to see some very beautiful scenery. I didn’t have a chance to visit the really famous regions of Sedona and the Grand Canyon. However, Arizona definitely has other areas that are extremely easy on the eyes. I was fortunate enough to have had some wonderful drives. Here’s a small glimpse of what I saw:
Kartchner Caverns November 24, 2006
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Today, I finally had the opportunity to visit Kartchner Caverns, a local state park I’d heard a lot about in the past couple of weeks. Kartchner Caverns is a series of living, subterranean caves, meaning the formations are still actively growing and is the home to many bats. While touring the caves, you are not allowed to touch any of the formations. Even accidental touches result in staff marking the area for later sanitation. Only 100 tickets are sold for each of the two cave tours and you must book ahead. Well, it was definitely worth it. My friend Davey and I made plans to go after I finished shooting for the day so at about 2:00 pm, we headed out in his newly purchased Subary WRX for our scheduled tour time.
The above photo is one of the only photos I was allowed to take of the area. The hills are actually the “roofs” of the underground caverns. No photography was allowed within the caverns during the tour, although every 3-4 years, for $150 USD, the park allows photographers to go and photograph the entire day. This is something I would LOVE to do sometime, as the formations were absolutely amazing.
The following photos are of the postcards I purchased to remember my visit by:
The left image is a close up of Kubla Khan, an amazingly intricate, 5 storey rock formation in the Throne Room. To the right are soda straws, delicate, paper-thin, hollow formations that grow only 1 mm every 100 years. Kartchner Caverns is home to the second longest soda straw in the world, a stunning 21 feet 2 inches long! The longest sodas straw we were able to see in the tour is 9 feet long.
More wonderful formations found in Kartchner Caverns.
To the left is an overview of Kubla Khan, the centerpiece of the Rotunda/Throne Room tour. To the right is an amazing formation I didn’t get to see, one of the centerpieces of the Big Room.
