Na Pali Coast, Kauai

As I mentioned last week, after my work in Lanai wrapped up, I visited Kauai for four days and three nights.  Kauai is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and thus the greenest.  In fact, it's called the garden island.  A stark change from the dry climate of Lanai and the Big Island,  Kauai typically receives rainfall and is inhabited by lush landscapes.  And by feral chickens.  Seriously, so many chickens. I have yet to see 'The Descendants' - appearing in theaters now - but I will be sorely disappointed if chickens don't have as much screen time as George Clooney.  (Obviously, George Clooney is a better screen presence - the chickens are just a great realistic detail to include.) 

Anyhoo. Speaking of movies, perhaps on a long shot, you saw 'A Perfect Getaway' with Timothy Olyphant, Mila Jovovich and Steve Zahn?  It's one of those action-y, suspense movies you could kinda watch for the third or fifth time on a lazy Saturday morning.  No chickens, but the Na Pali coast is featured pretty faithfully.  Which brings me to today's post.  (Finally.)

Na Pali Coast State Park is a 6000+ acre piece of land on the north shore of Kauai.  One of the most popular hikes is a 4 mile (round trip) hike to Hanakapi'ai beach. As you can see from the above pic, the hike is at times very, very muddy.  I felt badly for those without hiking boots, especially people who were absolutely destroying their bright white running shoes.  (But then again, a hike like this is well worth $100 or $150!).

The beach is only accessible by foot or boat and is devastatingly beautiful.

This hike was so much fun.  It was challenging, between the mud and some rocky areas, you do have to be somewhat mindful of where your foot lands.  Because of the level of difficulty, if you start up early enough in the morning (easy for those of us with jetlag), the trail isn't too crowded.

I think I'll be putting together a top five list about Hawaii before the year is out.  This hike is definitely on that list.

Wilson Hall, Monmouth University...And Annie

Last Friday, I went to a conference at Monmouth University.  The topic was Building a Sustainable Future For New Jersey’s Coastal and Ocean Economy and was sponsored by the Jersey Shore Partnership and Monmouth's Urban Coast Institute.  Various presenters spoke about their research, whether it was about offshore windmills, fisheries or the impacts of climate change on the coastal environment and a panel discussion followed.

It was a great conference, but I'm actually not blogging about those topics today.  You see, the conference was held in Monmouth's historic Wilson Hall.  Upon entering the building, I swear I was hit with a sense of deja vu.  Of course, that could have also been plain awe at the majesty of the building.  It's an unassuming enough structure from the outside, much like other buildings on a college campus.  But the atrium space was beautiful.

Commenting on the building to a companion, I was told this building was used for filming the movie version of Annie.  That explains why it was so familiar.  In 1981, shortly before my family moved to Kuala Lumpur, my dad took me to see the stage production in Philly.  It was probably - at that point - the most exciting night of my relatively short life.  For years afterwards, while we endured long car trips to distant vacation spots on the Malay peninsula, my family had to endure repeated playings of the original broadway soundtrack.

I was bitterly disappointed when the film came out.  I mean, I was pretty young, but I remember being indignant (!!) at the liberties they took with the original story and changes they made to the songlist.  Still, it could be watched on VHS, again repeatedly, so I made due with what I had and watched the movie often enough.

In any event, recently my family was discussing the musical and we played the soundtrack.  It was hilarious to see my brother, now a grown man, remember lyrics to songs he hadn't heard since 1981.  Some things just get imprinted on your brain, I suppose.

Tilework in the ladies' room - note the mosque design with minarets topped with crescent moons.

In any case, it was a delight to see Wilson Hall.  It's called such because Woodrow Wilson stayed there in 1916 during his campaign. It was designed by Horace Trumbauer of Philadelphia, who also employed Julian Abele on the project, who was the first professional African-American architect.  Abele also worked on another building that's fairly iconic in the movie world: the Philadelphia Museum of Art.   If that previous link isn't enough youtube on your Monday morning, here's the scene in Annie where she first visits Wilson Hall (or Daddy Warbucks' home).

Pothos

Here's another painfully common houseplant, Epipremnum aureum or pothos.  It is not a Philodendron (Philodendrons are never as common as you think as many indoor plants are accidentally called this). 

 

 This plant is native to southeast asia and is a rapidly growing vine.  It will send out adventitious roots, looking for opportunities to anchor into nearby forest trees.  It doesn't quite have that available in an apartment, so you'll have to support it with wire or nails. 

Honestly, I'm not quite sure what to do with it. I guess we'll route it around the kitchen next.  It always reminds me of the scene in Desk Set where Spencer Tracy first meets Katherine Hepburn. 

Lincoln Center Facelift

I have to say, it's so nice to have Lincoln Center back, after what seemed like ages of construction! Here's a few shots of the pubic outdoor spaces. 

 

The steps now have lighted welcome messages.  If you've ever been to the Metropolitan Opera, you'd recognize the font below matches the subtitles you can opt to read during a performance. 

The plaza and fountain have been upgraded.  If you've never seen this plaza in person, you probably would recognize it from The Producers (go to minute 3:30 or so), Ghostbusters (go to 1:07) or Moonstruck (go to 4:56). 

The fountain is significantly different in that now a black disk hovers above the ground plane, where previously the fountain was in a black tub.

Water skims over a weir that is located directly underneath the outer edge of the disk.

Okay, so let's talk about the planting.  Below, you have - in a space not much bigger than 25'x25', THREE Taxodium distichum and a Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis.  Too much!

I sympathize with the pressure to make a landscape look established and mature when there is a high- profile public opening, such as Lincoln Center's.  But, to see a strip like this so overplanted frustrated me. It happens more often than not and even with private clients, there is a demand for a garden to look instantly-established.  It's my hope that as landscape architects, we can continue to try to educate our clients, and the public at large, that a landscape takes years to come into its own and to exhibit a touch more patience!

Hawaiian Ironwood...And Monty Python

Those of you in the DC area can attest that yesterday was bitterly, terribly cold.  So no new pics today.  Instead, I'm taking you to a place where the balmy breezes blow all year long.  Hawaii, of course.

 

The photo above is of a tree species ubiquitous in Hawaii - it's Casaurina equisetifolia, or ironwood.  Unlike Carpinus caroliniana, which is also called ironwood because of the sinuous nature of the bark, Casaurina is called ironwood because the wood is so dense, it sinks in the water.  Obviously, the idea of wood sinking reminds me of this movie scene.  Go to about 2:00 to see what I'm referring to, if you don't have time for the whole (hilarious) clip.

By looking at the long thin leaves, one can understand the species name enough - it almost looks like a horse's tail.  Thus, equis (horse) folia (leaves).  

The specimen above (growing at the Pu'u O Umi valley on the Big Island) is a condition one can find many ironwoods - they grow near the sea and withstand the winds and salt spray well, but they can become a bit ragged with age.  The specimens below, at the North Shore of Oahu, are a bit younger and less torn-up.