Pictures of Hoi An, Vietnam

I just posted pictures I took in Hoi An, Vietnam when Diane and I visited there in 2006.

Below are a couple images I took. You can see the full set by clicking - here.

Hoi An is a smaller city than others we visited on our trip. Located right near the South China Sea, the town was not destroyed by the many wars that have raged in Vietnam over the past century. As a result, it is a very well preserved example of old Vietnamese and Chinese architecture. China invaded and controlled Vietnam for quite some time back in history, so many of the buildings there reflect their influence.

Today, the city is increasingly a tourist destination with the proximity to the beach and the charm of the old town. We loved it, but I can see a day when it may become too touristy. I'm glad we went there when we did.

Anyway, check out the pictures to get a flavor of Hoi An.

Visiting the South - The Series

As many readers of this blog know by now, my wife Diane and I took a trip to the southeast of the U.S. this past spring. Over the past couple months, I've re-capped our adventures in a series of posts - each with the "Visiting the South" title. I've tried to capture not only where we visited, but also added in some observations and perspectives. Hopefully you have found the info interesting, maybe learned something and picked up tips for what to do, see and eat if you ever find yourself in the places we went.

Since my reporting is now wrapped up, I wanted to provide a single post with handy links to the entire "Visiting the South" series. So, just click on the chapter headlines below...

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***VISITING THE SOUTH***

Sights and Tastes of Savanna, GA

Sight Seeing in Charleston, SC

Social Observations from Dixie

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Photo Feature - Pictures of Our Trip

Food Feature - Charleston Eat-A-Palooza

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Wilmington & Nags Head, NC

Williamsburg & Yorktown

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Thanks again for checking in on the blog.

If interested, you can read the last travel series I wrote about our trip to China in 2008 - a series called The China Reports. Click here to see that.

Is the Economy Recovering?

According to much of what you see in the stock market obsessed media, the economy is slowly making it's way back.

Or is it?

Check out the interesting opinion of the former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, about what's really happening and not happening...here.

Sounders Game

Today Diane and I went to our first Seattle Sounders FC soccer match to get an up-close view of the newest sports sensation in the Emerald City. Sitting in some choice seats thanks to our friends Rosa and Drew, we enjoyed the entire afternoon. Under sunny skies and hot weather we soaked up plenty vitamin D, and with ample supply of brew nearby we also soaked up some "vitamin beer" too.

We were impressed. It's an all-action sport and a sold out stadium full of a fun crowd - very passionate and into it. While cheering the home team was the main activity, there proved no shortage of venom for the opposing squad. For example, every time the Chicago goalie would touch or kick the ball, the crowd around us would yell "you suck, Bush" (Bush as the goalies last name). The masses also booed one of the Chicago players who repeatedly flopped to the ground faking injury hoping to draw a foul.

Anyway, with about seven shots directly on goal, the Sounders played better than the visiting team from Chicago. All the Sounders stars had their moments whether it was defending, passing, shooting or saving. Anyone who says soccer isn't on par with other American sports in terms of athletics is crazy.

In thinking about it, I believe we experienced the very best of soccer. I'm sold and will follow the Sounders as they make push for the playoffs. But, we also experienced one of the things that will probably inhibit soccer from ever becoming as big time here as basketball or other mainstream sports. Namely, neither team scored and the match ended a 0-0 tie.

Sure, both teams get a point in the standings for that, but at 0-0 tie does leave you exiting the stadium feeling a bit disappointed. Even a 1-1 tie would be better as at least you would have seen some scoring and, presumably, had a chance to win. Ending games in a tie is just so unsatisfying and, well, unappealing to most American sports fans. What's the old saying? A tie game is like kissing your sister. Something like that. Why not go short overtime period? Why not settle it with goal kicks?

When it was all said and done, we had a wonderful time and would recommend anyone go to a game if you get a chance. The Sounders are for real, they are entertaining, they are successful and they are at the top of their league. What more could you ask for Seattle sports? Other than maybe no ties?

Two Pictures from the Social D Show

Here are two pictures I took at the recent Social Distortion show in Seattle.

Unlike previous times when I've seen this band, my buddy Sean and I stayed back from the mosh pit (getting a bit old for that you know), so these pictures are perhaps not all that great. But, they give you an idea of what it was like to be there.

Lead singer, lead guitar player, song writer and band leader Mike Ness is on stage in the middle of each of these.

My Photos - Top 10 Most Viewed

It's time for my quarterly look at the ten most viewed pictures on my Flickr Photostream. You can see my Top 10 Viewed set here.

All the data and info is kinda cool to see for personal reasons, but with 824 pictures to choose from, I also think that what people are looking at provide fodder for some interesting observations.

So, here goes...

The most viewed picture on my Photostream is still the shot I took of the "Birds Nest" Olympic stadium in Beijing when Diane and I visited China in May 2008. See the picture I took at left. That just shows you the interest in China that arose around the time of the Games.

Breaking into the top ten and sitting as the second-most viewed picture is a close-up shot of the detail of the Taj Mahal that I took when Diane and I visited India in 1999. See the picture below. Not sure why, but I've noticed that while there are a lot of pictures online of the Taj generally, there are not too many of the very close up details of the building. So, maybe people are see something with my picture that they're not getting enough of elsewhere.

Other new entries into the top 10 include two pictures of marchers I took recently when Diane and I met up with some friends to view the 2009 Seattle Gay Pride parade. You can see that complete set here.

In fact, my overall views to my Photostream hit an all time high of 2,000+ the day after I posted my set of pictures from the parade, so I think the simple explanation is that there were a lot of people (presumably from Seattle) who wanted to see pictures of their parade.

Also of interest, five of the top 10 most viewed pictures continue to be of Ho Chi Mihn City (Saigon) from our trip to Vietnam in 2006. To me this suggests that there are a lot of interest in the nation of Vietnam, but in particular of Saigon and perhaps the Vietnam war.

Finally, a black-and-white version of a picture I took at the Auschwitz II concentration camp when we visited Poland in 2002 rounds out the top 10 most viewed pictures I've taken. While this one is a top 10 most viewed, I can report that a number of the other pictures I took at the camp are squarely in the, say, top 30 most viewed. This suggest an enduring interest in the Holocaust I think.

Dropping out of the top 10 is a picture of the Shanghai skyline, an old Shanghai alleyway and another shot of Saigon.

Thoughts on Rock Concerts from 30,000 Feet

It’s Friday. I’m 30,000 feet above the Earth. I am inside a jet winging my way home after a few days of business in New York City.

I am looking forward to going to attending the Social Distortion show tonight in Seattle after I get back and rest up a bit.

But right now, I’m board.

As I sit here in seat 15A – luckily an exit row with extra leg room! - listening to a “best of” list of Social D songs in anticipation of the gig tonight, my mind wondered into thinking about the best rock concerts I ever saw.

While I am probably forgetting some shows, and I do not have any info here in the airplane to remind me of dates and venues, below are my recollections of the best shows I attended. While performance quality is the most important criteria to me, it’s not the only one. Other things like how important the band or performer is to me personally, who I was with, if I met members of the band after the show (and if they were cool) are other things I consider for example.

So, with that in mind, and in no particular order, below are 10 shows I rate as among the very best I ever attended. All shows were in Seattle or Washington state.

Joe Strummer. Joe is my all-time music hero – just as much for what he did musically with the Clash and in his later work as his unabashed political approach to rock and roll. I actually saw him twice before he suddenly and sadly died of a heart defect in late 2002. It’s difficult to choose between the two shows. One was the first time I saw my hero. Standing three feet from him as he cut into Clash classics and songs from his new band The Mescaleros at the Showbox in 1999 as Joe took the Mescaleros on their first tour of the U.S. was a truly great moment and might have been the choice here.

But I will instead go with the second time I saw Strummer. This time it was Oct. 2001 at the Sky Church venue at the Seattle Experience Music Museum. Again, this was a small place, and I was close up to Joe and the band. However, this time the band was even more polished, Joe was really hitting his stride with the Mescaleros, the performance was HOT and I was there with my very good friend and Joe fan, Paul. So, I’ll go with this one as my favorite Joe show. Within little more than a year of this gig, Joe died. A good last memory for me.

Manic Street Preachers – the Manics are one of my favorite bands and you can read more about them and their most recent CD by clicking over to another one of my recent post here. In the UK and Europe the Manics fill stadiums for their shows. However, when they (very rarely) come to the U.S. they book small clubs. And so it was in 1999 when they went on tour to support their most recent album, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours that they came to Seattle and played the Aero Space – the same space now called Neumo’s. The rarity of this is impressive. The fact that this band came all the way to Seattle (and haven’t been back since), that they played a small club and that I had the smarts to strike at the opportunity are the reasons why this gig is definitely a top 10 for me. Oh, and the show rocked! So, the “I can’t believe I’m at a Manics gig in Seattle” factor was matched by the performance.

Billy Idol – 1986 at the Seattle Coliseum (now called Key Arena). OK, some of you may be saying, “really, Billy Idol? Top 10?” And, you might be right in some ways. But, it’s all about the context here. As you can read in one of my other posts here, Billy Idol was a key “gateway” performer that ended up opening me up to a lot of great bands. So, in 1986, I was pretty stoked on Idol and would not be denied a seat to see his Whiplash Smile tour when it rolled into Seattle. My recollection is that Billy put on a pretty dang good show, playing his hits from his solo albums plus a few from his previous band, Generation X. As a bonus, the opening band at this show was The Cult. I later saw a Billy Idol show in 2005 (I think) at the Summer Nights at the Pier and enjoyed that one too, but nothing like that first show.

Radiohead. This is another band that I saw twice. The first one was at the Gorge Amphitheater in eastern Washington. The second one was at the White River Amphitheater near Auburn, WA. Both shows were really good, but I’ll go with the second one because my buddy Piper scored some front row seats (standing area actually) that put us within a few feet of the stage. Performing many songs from their catalog, Radiohead impressed with song quality, energy in their performance and all around cool vibe.

Carbon Silicon. March 2008 at Chop Suey. This is the band put together in the early 2000s by former Clash guitarist Mick Jones (he’s the one in the Clash who sings Should I Stay or Should I Go). After a creating dance rock albums in the 1980s and 1990s with Big Audio Dynamite and then taking a break all-together, Mick ramped back up in a more rock tradition with Carbon Silicon – bringing long-time friend and former Generation X member Tony James on guitar. Anyway, after putting out their first CD, The Last Patrol, Carbon Silicon came to Seattle. This show makes my top 10 for several reasons: 1) it’s Mick Jones from the Clash!, 2) very small venue, 3) good performance, 4) I met Mick after the show. Enough said!

The Who – Gorge Amphitheater in 200o. I love The Who. Pete Townsend is a genius in my mind and The Who were innovators and rocked hard in the 60s and 70s and when I saw they were coming to the Gorge we had to go. Seating ourselves up on the grassy upper section of the Gorge Amphitheater, Diane and I were impressed by how good the sound was given how far away we were. The band impressed by playing all their classics and indulging in some improvisation on a few numbers. This is a top 10 for the status of the band, the outdoor summer experience and how really, really great the band sounded all these years after they became famous. Sadly within a couple year, bassist John Entwistle died.

Social Distortion – 2005 at the Showbox. We’ll see how the show tonight compares, but the first time I saw Social D was a great experience. Mike Ness and crew put out a great brand of rock ‘n roll that’s part punk, part Stones, part Johnny Cash and I’d wanted to see them for some time. With two buddies coming along for the ride we stationed ourselves in front of the stage knowing that it would be full combat once the gig started…and we were right. While rocking out to classic Social D tunes, we were also fully engaged in making sure we didn’t get knocked over or abused in the mosh pit. I place this gig in my top 10 because of finally getting to see a band I’d long wanted to, the most pit experience and – of course – a white hot performance by Ness and band. Very rock and roll!

Glasvegas – November 2008 at Chop Suey. This is a relatively new band – one that I started getting into during 2008 and by the time they put out their excellent debut CD and then came ‘round for their tour in the fall of that year I was not going to be denied. And I was not disappointed. I put this gig in my top 10 for several reasons: 1) hot new band, 2) small venue, 3) solid performance, 4) a posse of buddies rallied to make an evening out of it (not easily done when your crew is late 30s/early 40s, some with kids), 5) we met the band afterwards at a nearby bar. It was really a perfect concert evening.

I later saw Glasvegas again in April 2009 at Nuemos where they put on what I think was an even better show. You can read more about Glasvegas on my blog here, here and here. You can view pictures I took of them at that April gig here.

Earth, Wind & Fire. Summer Nights at the Pier in 2004. You may think this band sticks out as pretty different than the other ones on my list, and you’re right. But, one thing they have in common is that Earth, Wind & Fire can really throw down a good show. There is no doubt that they were on fire this hot summer night when Diane and I took in this show. And that’s another reason that it’s on my top 10 list. Both Diane and I were there and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Brian Setzer Orchestra. Pioneer Square in 1990-something (1996?). Brian Setzer was the lead singer and guitarist for one my favorite bands when I was a kid, the Stray Cats. After some on and off projects in the late 80s and early 1990s, Setzer started a big-band orchestra that he fronted with his unique rockabilly guitar playing. His efforts really were key to the resurgence of “swing” music becoming popular in the 1990s. This show was among the first for his new band and the venue was really small - especially for a big band. I rate this one highly because of this, the fact that it was the first time I saw Setzer live and because the music was so different than what I had been listening to at that time. Very cool.

Special mention:

• Oingo Boingo – 1984 at the Paramount in Seattle. This was the first live rock show I ever went to.
• Rush – 1986 at the Seattle Coliseum (now called Key Arena). While I’m not a fan now, this as the first “big time” show I went to
• Nirvana – 1993 at the Seattle Coliseum. Simply put…it was Nirvana.
• Sex Pistols – Bumbershoot 1996. Simply put….it was the Sex Pistols man!
• Ray Davies (of the Kinks) – Showbox SoDo summer of 2008.
• Stray Cats – summer 2007 at the Puyallup fairgrounds. At long last I finally get to see this band that I loved since junior high live.
• Placebo - The Crocodile in 1999. Great band, great show, small venue, packed, enthusiastic crowd.
• The English Beat - Showbox 2008. Same reasons as Placebo

All-time worst shows:

• The Jesus & Mary Chain – great band, really bad performance.
• Steely Dan - Gorge Amphitheater. Exceedingly boring. The most boring show I've ever seen. Not rock and roll. Rainy. Did I mention how boring it was?
• Dave Matthews Band – Gorge Amphitheater. The second most boring show I have ever been to. No effort by the performers, no improvisation, no energy. Lets put it this way, the best part of this show (other than when it ended) was a fly-over by a B-2 bomber.