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Showing posts with label Structures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Structures. Show all posts

Saturday 20 July 2024

Ted Lasso In Amsterdam

Painted Dutch Elephant Amsterdam.
 
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Address: Raamgracht, 1011 KK
Date: May 2024
Website: iamsterdam.com

    Ted Lasso is a television show starring Jason Sedeikis as the title character. It is about an American college football coach who ends up coaching a British football team called AFC Richmond. In England, football is the same as American soccer. In season 3 episode 6, Ted Lasso's team take a trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We also found ourselves in Amsterdam and while we were there we visited a few of the filming locations from this episode.
 
Higgins & Will

Prins Hendrik Hotel Amsterdam.

    The first storyline we will look at follows Leslie Higgins, the Director of Football Operations, and Will the new equipment manager. Leslie brings Will to the Prins Hendrik Hotel to explain his love of jazz music.

Chet Baker Monument Prins Henrik Hotel Amsterdam.

    Leslie explains to Will that it was Chet Baker who got him interested in jazz. Chet Baker is a well known jazz trumpet player and singer who died at this hotel. Jeremy Swift who plays Leslie Higgins is also a skilled jazz player and he proves that later in the episode on the double bass. The monument that Higgins shows Will explains that Chet died here on May 13, 1988.

Chet Baker In The Prins Hendrik Hotel Amsterdam.

    Chet fell from a second floor window of the hotel. His photo has been placed in the window. He had a history of drug addiction and his death was ruled as an accident. Higgins says, "We only know this. Drugs are bad."

Jamie & Roy & Bond

Magere Brug or Skinny Bridge Amsterdam.

   Roy Kent wants Jamie Tartt to get some training while in Amsterdam. Jamie Tartt is a new star on the team while Roy is a veteran player and now coach of AFC Richmond. Jamie makes Roy chase him around the city. One place they visit is a bridge known as Skinny Bridge or Magere Brug. This bridge only allows pedestrian and of course, bicycle traffic to cross.
 
Canal Boats Pass Under The Skinny Bridge In The Amstel River.

    Jamie points out to Roy that this bridge was seen in the major motion picture, James Bond's Diamonds Are Forever. In that movie, a canal boat passes under the bridge while Mr Wint and Mr Kidd stand on top of it taking pictures. The boat tour gets a little more than they bargained for as they see the police fishing a body out of the river. That reminds us of a boat ride we took down the Thames in London, England. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd's comments lead us to believe that they are responsible for the body in the canal.

Rondvaart Koou.  Boat Cruises On The Rokin Canal Amsterdam.

   When Roy politely asks Jamie to stop for a second they are at the boat cruise stations beside the Rokin Canal.  Rondvaart in Dutch means cruise. There is another Bond connection here as the Rederij P. Kooij tour company provided the canal boat for Diamonds Are Forever.

Prins Willem-Alexander Canal Boat

    Even better, the exact boat is still operating. It changed its name from Prins Willem-Alexander to Koning Willem-Alexander when the real Prince Willem-Alexander became King of the Netherlands in 2013. The boat can be found in the Rokin canal next to the little Dutch elephant with long, yellow braids.

Diamond Factory Windmill Amsterdam.

  Roy Kent catches his breath while sitting down on one of the concrete posts in front of the Diamond Factory. He sits on the last post which can just barely be seen (in the photo above) on the far right, between the planter and the street light. It is here that he points at the Diamond Factory windmill and declares that all windmills are fake.

Rokin Canal Ted Lasso Location Amsterdam.

    Jamie decides to round up some bicycles and go and find a windmill. It turns out that Roy has never learned to ride a bike so Jamie teaches him in front of the Allard Pierson Museum. After a little frustation, a few falls and a thrown bike, Roy finally gets the hang of it. The pair goes off in search of a real windmill.

Colin & Trent

Westerkerk Amsterdam

  The next storyline follows another AFC Richmond player named Colin. He leaves the rest of the team at the hotel deciding what to do and heads out into Amsterdam by himself. He ends up at a gay bar named Prik and runs out when Trent Crimm, a reporter who is writing a book about the team, sees him there. Trent tells Colin that he knows his secret and they end up sitting at the edge of the canal near Westerkerk (the Western Church). When the bells of the church toll, Trent mentions that Anne Frank heard those same bells every night.

Homomonument Amsterdam.

     Colin says she lived very close to this big pink triangle. They are sitting in front of Homomonument which was placed here in 1987. It commemorates gays and lesbians who are persecuted because of their sexual orientation.
 
Rebecca & The Man With A Houseboat

Rebecca Falls From This Bridge In Amsterdam On Ted Lasso.

    The final storyline has Rebecca, the owner of AFC Richmond, going for a stroll through Amsterdam. She stops on this bridge where Groenburgwal canal meets Raamgracht canal because she answers a phone call.

Light Purple House In Amsterdam.

    You can see the houses behind her. The light purple one on the left really stands out.

Ted Lasso Mystery Man Amsterdam Houseboat.

    As bicycles whiz past Rebecca, a man on the houseboat on the left whistles at her and says, "I have to say something to this beautiful woman."
 
Houseboat Where Rebecca Meets A Mystery Man On Ted Lasso.

     A bike rider comes close to hitting her and Rebecca loses her balance. She flips over the railing and into the canal.What is it that the mystery man wanted to tell her?  "You're walking in the bike lane."

Raamgracht Canal As Seen In Ted Lasso.

    Rebecca gets out of the canal and the mystery man welcomes her into his houseboat. She takes a shower while her clothes dry and ends up enjoying a nice dinner and a few drinks. Her and the mystery man end up spending the night talking and having a great time. The next day she joins the rest of the team on their bus. Everyone from Ted Lasso had a great time in Amsterdam and so did we.

Sunday 20 August 2023

Lahaina Hawaii

Lahaina's Famous Banyan Tree.

Location: Lahaina, Hawaii, USA
Date: Feb 2017
Website:  lahainatown.com

  On August 8th 2023 there was a wildfire on the Hawaiian island of Maui.  The fire burned through the historic town of Lahaina. Lahaina was the capital city of Hawaii back in 1820 when King Kamehameha II ruled. We always visited the town during our trips to Maui. This blog looks at some of the structures that have been lost or damaged in the fires. If you click the link to the website above, you can donate and help the people who call Lahaina home.

Lahaina Cannery Mall

  Built in 1987, the Lahaina Cannery Mall offered free shows on its stage.  There were hula shows offered weekly.  Our favourite was the weekend keiki dance. Keiki means child in Hawaiian.

Kobe Japanese Steakhouse Lahaina

  The Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in Lahaina had already shut down before the fire.  At the hibachi table your chef would prepare food with great skill.  The photo above shows an onion volcano erupting.

Wo Hing Museum Lahaina

  The Wo Hing Society Building on Front Street was built around 1912 as a social hall.  An increasing number of Chinese immigrants were arriving in Maui to work in the sugarcane industry and could meet here.  Wo Hing means "Peace, Harmony & Prosperity".

Pioneer Mill Co. Smokestack

    The Pioneer Mill Company was the first plantation to grow sugar comercially in Lahaina in 1860.  This 225 foot tall smokestack is built of brick and concrete.  After operations ceased in 1999, the smokestack was restored so it would remain standing as a symbol of Lahaina's past.

Sugarcane Train Myrtle Kaanapali to Lahaina

    The Sugarcane Train ran from Kaanapali's plantations to the mill in Lahaina. The steam engine trains continued to operate as tourist trains once they were no longer in commercial use. The train above is train No. 3 and is called Myrtle.  It had just turned around in Kaanapali and released some steam.

Sugarcane Train Lahaina Turntable.

    At the station in Lahaina the engine would be turned around on a giant wooden turntable.

Baldwin Home Museum Lahaina

    The Baldwin Home was the oldest house on Maui.  It was built on Front Street in 1834. In 1836 Reverend Baldwin and his famiy started living in the home.  The Baldwin home was always open to help those in the community or visiting travellers. Reverend Baldwin helped vaccinate local residents during the smallpox epidemic of the 1950s.

Lahaina Jodo Mission.

  On the north end of Lahaina sits the Jodo Mission.  This historic Buddhist temple has been here since 1932. 

Jodo Mission Buddha.

  Sitting near the temple is this 12 foot tall Buddha.

Bubba Gump Lahaina Monkeypod Tree.

  This building on Front Street was built around a monkeypod tree.  It used to be a Bubba Gump's restaurant.  A monkeypod tree is also called a rain tree.

Fleetwood's On Front Street Lahaina.

  A little further along Front Street you will find Fleetwood's restaurant and bar.  It is owned by Maui resident Mick Fleetwood.  He is known for being a member of the popular rock group, Fleetwood Mac.

Lahaina Front Street Businesses.

  Another Maui resident is Clint Eastwood. This stretch of Front Street has faced a natural disaster before, but only in the movies.  Clint's movie Hereafter brought a computer generated tsunami wave through this part of town.

Lahaina's Historic Front Street.

  Front Street in Lahaina has many historic building dating back to the very early 1900's or earlier.

Old Fort Lahaina.

  One of the oldest structures in town is Old Fort Lahaina.  It was built in 1831 and demolished in 1854.  A small portion of the fort can be seen in what is now Courthouse Square.

Lahaina Heritage Museum Old Courthouse.

  Once the fort was demolished, a courthouse was built on the square.  It later became the Lahaina Heritage Museum and home to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation.  The Lahaina Restoration Foundation worked hard to preserve the historic buildings around town.

Lahaina Pioneer Inn

    The Pioneer Inn was built in 1901 and was the oldest continuously operating hotel in Hawaii.  It sits on the edge of Courthouse Square.

One-Legged Sailor Pioneer Inn Lahaina.

  A one-legged sailor carved out of wood stood outside the hotel.  Lahaina was filled with talented artists and their work can be seen throughout the town.

Oldest Pacific Lighthouse Lahaina.

  Also standing outside of the Pioneer Inn is the oldest lighthouse on the Pacific.  The Lahaina Lighthouse is a beacon for boats entering the Lahaina harbour.

Pioneer Inn Harbour Side Entrance.

  In the movie The Devil At 4 O'Clock, Frank Sinatra is a prisoner.  He is escorted from the docks and then passes the Lahaina lighthouse and the entrance to the Pioneer Inn.

Lahaina Harbour

  We also walked from the docks past the lighthouse and the Pioneer Inn when we did whale watching tours with the Pacific Whale Foundation.  We enjoyed Sunset, Dinner and Whale Watching cruises. 

Humpback Whale Tail Maui Hawaii.

 The waters off of Maui are full of humpback whales between November and March when the whales come to mate and give birth.

Zebra Dove Lahaina Hawaii.

  The wildfires have taken a great toll on the people of Lahaina, but will also have a huge affect on the smaller creatures that called the town home.  This zebra dove (above) is just one of many species that will have to adapt.  Here is an older blog post about the birds of Maui.

Ghost Crab Lahaina.

  This little ghost crab was running along the beach during one of our visits.  His fate is uncertain as the land and the sea work together.

 Dan's Greenhouse Parrot.

   Here is another blog post about Dan's Greenhouse.  It also shows more of Lahaina's Front street.

    We always enjoyed our visits to Maui and Lahaina, not because of the structures we mention in this post, but because of the people.  They have always been welcoming and courteous.  Our thoughts are with the residents of Lahaina who have lost so much  We know that just like their mighty Banyan Tree they will support each other and they will endure.


Map of Our World
Lahaina

Post # 326

Monday 20 March 2023

Kelly & Ryan

Live With Kelly & Ryan Niagara Falls Canada

Location:
New York, New York, USA
Address:  77 W 66th St
Date: June 2017
Website:  kellyandryan.com

  LIVE with Kelly & Ryan is a morning talk show filmed at ABC studios in New York City.  The show has left the studio and travelled to Canada on three occassions.  Back in 1996 the show filmed from Niagara Falls, Ontario and the hosts were Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford.  In 2006, the show returned once more and this time Kelly Ripa joined Regis as a host. In 2017, the current hosts Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest filmed a pair of episodes and this time we were there.  Ryan Seacrest has announced that he will be leaving the show so we found ourselves looking back.

Sheraton Fallsview Hotel

  We didn't actually have tickets to the show but we obtained ourselves a bird's eye view.  We had a room at the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel which overlooks the Oakes Garden Theatre where the taping of the show was to take place.

Sheraton Fallsview View Of Niagara Falls

  The hotel also offers a great view to look across and admire the American and Horseshoe Falls.

Kelly & Ryan Stage Preparations Niagara Falls

     As we looked down from our balcony, we had a perfect view of the stage below.  The day before the taping we could watch the crews getting everything ready for the big day. The proximity to the Falls means that even if there is no rain in the forecast, you always have a chance of mist. The main desk on stage remained under a tarp for protection.

Kelly & Ryan Stage Oakes Garden Niagara Falls

   Since we had arrived the day before, we were able to go down into the gardens and get a close up view of the stage. This is what it would be like to be one of the lucky audience members in attendance when the show went live.

Crowd Wait To Enter Kelly & Ryan Taping Niagara Falls

  The audience members started to fill up the street at the bottom of Clifton Hill, waiting for their chance to enter the gardens.

Kelly & Ryan Live From Niagara Falls

  While the crowd squeezed into the gardens, we admired the beauty of Niagara Falls and were quite happy having our own private viewing area. It may have been way in the back, but we had an unobstructed view. 
 
Kelly & Ryan Lobby Of Sheraton Fallsview Niagara.

   As show time approached we headed down to the hotel lobby.  Rumour had it that the stars themselves were in the hotel and getting ready to walk across to the Oakes Garden Theatre. Next thing we knew we had a front row seat as Kelly & Ryan were greeted to cheers from their fans.

Live With Kelly & Ryan 2017 Niagara Falls.

  We headed back up to our private viewing suite.  We were just in time to catch the start of the show.

Kelly & Ryan And Their Fans Niagara Falls.

  Kelly & Ryan addressed the crowd of mostly Canadian fans.  It is only a short walk or drive across the Rainbow Bridge to get to New York state for any American fans in attendance.

Kelly & Ryan Live From Niagara Falls.

  Kelly & Ryan sat at their big white desk. The desk was nice and dry after being protected under tarps waiting for the hosts to arrive. 

Kelly & Ryan & Justin Trudeau.

  To make the show even more Canadian, one of the guests was Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The highlight of his appearance seemed to be that he wore R2-D2 and C-3PO Star Wars socks.

ABC Studios New York City.

  Since Kelly & Ryan had been nice enough to visit us in Canada, we decided to see more of them when we were in New York City. The show is filmed at ABC studios at West 67th Street and Columbus Ave. in Manhattan.

Kelly Ripa Bench In Central Park.

  If you follow West 67th Street into Central Park you will see a row of benches as you enter the park.  One of those is dedicated to Kelly Ripa.

Kelly Ripa 30 Years With Disney Bench In Central Park

      The bench congratulates Kelly Ripa for over 30 years with the Walt Disney Company which owns ABC. Kelly has been with LIVE for over 20 years and shows no signs of stopping. Her next co-host will be her husband Mark Consuelos.  If they choose to do another taping from Niagara Falls, we know where we will be watching from.


Post # 321