Gotham Gal

Mexico City, Day Four

We started the day walking over to the National Museum of Anthropology which is located right on Chapultepec Park.  The museum is huge.  This picture is taken inside the museum where there is a very large courtyard.  The wooden carving holding up the ceiling defines the museum.  Large tombs, statues and pyramids dating back to B.C.  Each area of the museum is on the ground floor and you enter through a door so you can really pick and choose which area you want to see or if you want to see each one.  We made a quick loop and although I am well aware how amazing everything is in there it just isn't my thing.  

Chapultepec is their Central Park.  We sat outside and grabbed a few rays.  These guys were dressed up in Mexican costume and did a dance around a pole.  Then they proceeded to climb to the top, tie their feet with ropes and twirl around in the circle slowly descending to the ground as they moved.  Bold.

We were starving and headed over to Cafe La Blanca for lunch.  Serious history in this place.  Located downtown and they have pretty much not touched the place since 1915 when they opened.  Even the outfits that the staff wears are the same.  We sat ourselves down at the counter and ordered. 

You must have the cafe con leche.  A large glass of steamed warm milk and a big cup of espresso that they pour in.  Best coffee we have had here so far.

We both got eggs which seemed the thing to do at this hour.  I had scrambled eggs with chorizo.

Their bread basket is overwhelming.  Pretty good.  I particularly loved the croissant hidden underneath.  Total meal $12 for both of us.

We opted against the desserts but this woman and the plate - lemon meringue pie there on the right - defines the place.  A step back in time.

This building is across the street.  Old and quite beautiful.

The oldest church in Mexico City is on this street.  As we walked in there was this food stand.  A variety of chips. 

They put the chips in a large white cup and then pour a bunch of sauces over it including lemon soda.  I have never seen anything like it.  We asked a woman about it later and she said it is one of the best street foods available.  Hmmm.

Here is a picture standing inside the church looking outside.  Ruins basically.

This is inside the church.

I like this picture because it defines Mexico City.  Old, new and crumbling.

Down this street is the Palacio de Belles Artes.  An amazing building outside.  Inside it is a little bit institutional but the key is to go all the way to the top to see the murals.

Wow .Murals outline the entire circumference of this floor.  Diego Riveras are jaw dropping. A must to see.

The rest of the day we devoted to art galleries.  This has been a serious art trip.  First stop this afternoon was Yautepec Gallery.  Contemporary young artists.  This installation was from the artist Txema Novela devoted to music.  This is an ode to David Bowie's "let's dance".

Next was Galeria Hilario Galguera.  We loved this gallery.  A family owned business.  Uncle and nephew.  The nephew runs the gallery and he was an absolute delight.  The space is large, open and airy upstairs with a variety of rooms downstairs for an office.  Downstairs they have a lot of different art hanging of all the different artists they represent.  The show that was up was from the artist Guillermo Lorca.  Gorgeous paintings that almost felt like one of the Masters had painted them.  Young guy too, 27. 

We spent some time looking through the back rooms.  On one of the walls was a piece from Benjamin Torres who happened to be in the gallery.  He had taken pieces of confetti and separated them by color, then made these small little pieces and glued them into a grid by color way counting how many of each.  There is something very methodical and beautiful about this piece.  I bought it!

Next stop was Arroniz-Arte.  The mother had started this gallery years ago helping young artists move up in their careers, then her son realized how much he loved the business and joined her garnering his own group of artists. So they have really two sets of artists, more seasoned and slowly emerging.  They were lovely people.  They were in a middle of an installation but we called in advance and they took out a bucnh of work for us to see.  This was a piece they rarely show of the artist Jan Hendrix.  I bought a piece of his earlier in the week.  Every time I turned around I loved this piece more and more.  Now we are figuring out how to shp it back.  The piece is made of enamel baked on like car paint.  The picture does not do it justice.

I liked this work too.  The artist is Moris.  He takes old flea market paintings and cuts out everything but the sky. We did stop by one more gallery but they were in the midst of an installation, literally.  It was the TalCual gallery.  The artist was there and so we did get to hear about his major piece which is always the best.  We can return next time.

It was time to finally try Mezcal.  Stopped in a store to pick up something near our hotel and then went into the bar next door.  Mezcal tastes a bit like Scotch.  Layered and smoky.  They serve it with sliced oranges covered with a chili salty pepper.  Quite good.

This bar is awesome looking.  The mixture of suitcases under the bar reminded me of an installation we saw at the Maxxi Museum in Rome which I still have in my head.  

Next stop, rest and relaxation before dinner. 

 

Mexico City, Day Three

We had a serious day.  We ordered up coffee and a fruit plate for the room before starting off on the day. It is truly fantastic when you call for the coffee and they say "uno momento" and it literally is. 

We are going decadent and had a drive take us over to Merced Market.  The first thing the driver says to us when we get in the car and I tell him where we are going he says "oh no, that is very dangerous for you."  My friend was not thrilled with that one. I told the driver, that is where we are going and it is fine....and it was.  Just driving there was amazing.  This huge street filled with tons of vendors selling goods galore.  We finally got to the market place and found out way through the Market Flore.  Flowers everywhere.  These ones are fake but bright.

We went in deep finally finding the vegetables and fruits.  Wow.  Just wall to wall vegetable and fruit stands.  Not sure what this fruit is but it is certainly beautiful.

Check out these chilis.  I bought some dried chilis and a dried mixture of verde mole.  Smells amazing.

Luscious herbs.

They were so nice at this stand.  One of the guys spoke English and was happy to help.  He had me taste the black mole paste.  It was sweet, spicy and just amazing.  I wish I could figure how to get that home.  Unbelievable.

Potatoes?

I loved pinatas when I was a kid and definitely had them at our kids bday parties when they were young.  Loved how HUGE these were.

Then we stumbled upon the cooked food area.  This big soup was everywhere. 

Every stall had an oversized grill.  They were making us a squash blossom quesadilla with salsa verde for us.  Delicious.

All the tables are set with a table cloth and fixings.  Communal dining going on everywhere.  It almost feels like a long tailgate party.

I saw a lot of these round stuffed savory pastries.  I had this one.  They split it in half and then fill it with fillings.  I went for mushrooms.  Really good.

Then we stumbled into the candy area.  It makes Economy Candy in NYC look like a lightweight.  All the fillings for the pinatas!

There were plastics bags filled with cheetos, chips and even fruit loops that were almost 5 feet tall.  Blows Cosco away.

This isn't a great pic but to give you an idea of the stalls.  This random food stall where they were making food had the table stuck in the middle and people were just hanging out eating.  You can get lost in this place.

Next stop was Frido Kahlo museum.  Such a gorgeous spot.  The blue walls.  Inside there are a bunch of pieces by Kahlo and family pics and of course her history.  A must go.

These little statues were hanging out in a corner.

We went around the neighborhood over to the Leon Trotsky house which is still in its original state.  Trotsky came to Mexico City after being pursued by Stalins crew.  He hung out with Kahlo and Rivera.  This was his kitchen.  He grew catcus and raised chickens on the premises too. 

In the Trotsky museum there was a small gallery.  I really liked these statues. 

This is the main area of the Coyoacan neighborhood where the Kahlo and Trotsky museums are located.  We poked our head in the church where a sermon was going on.

The squares in this area are just beautiful.  We strolled around.

This corner restaurant just looked good.  Lots of locals eating here.  We took a look and took a seat.  It appeared to be a family restaurant.  Also felt like something back in time.  Some people brought tupperware to fill up on the days wares to bring home for the family. 

We had cheese stuffed tamale baked in a light crust and then served in red black bean sauce.  Beautifully prepared.  Really good.

This dish was meatballs with a red sauce and a chopped kale salad.  Like home cooking.  Total cost $5 for both.  We loved this place.

Made our way over to the OMR gallery.  They took us in the back to look at all of the Mexican artists that they represented.  Nothing really grabbed us but this is a gallery worth seeing.  Most of their artists are well along in their careers.

We checked out the Garash Galeria.  The show was the artist Xavier Rodriguez.  He is young and funny.  I thought this was hilarious just didn't know where I'd put it.

This was another piece.  I did think about bringing this home too.  Lots of golf references in this show.

Downstairs from the gallery is a store called Chic by Accident.  Gotta love the name.  A mixture of everything for the home from fabrics to vases to chairs to lighting.  A real eclectic store.  These were from 1960.  Not sure how I would get them home.

Came back to our neighborhood and stopped in Tane out of sheer curiosity.  They make silver objects and jewelry. Wandered a little bit around and stopped in a leather store and a tart store.  Beautiful tarte tartin.  Stopped in the grocery store to see if we could find the tequila that I drank last night.  Instead we picked up a huge papaya split in half for a snack.  $1.

Back to the hotel for a little rest before dins.  This was in our room when we got there.  Nice touch.

 

 

Michelle Vaughan, 100 Tweets at Dumbo Arts Center

My favorite part about Dumbo is this view.  Majestic, grand, beautiful and it makes me smile. 

We went to see Michelle Vaughans exhibit called 100 Tweets at the Dumbo Arts Center.  Super clever.  Michelle follows 450 people on twitter and over the course of the year found a hundred tweets that were just gems.  She letter-pressed them for the exhibit.  Some of them are just funny while others document history.  It is pretty damn amazing what you can say in 140 characters.

We bought four of them.  This one just made me laugh so we got this.

This one says something about twitter.  It is a hard angle to read.  It says Twitter is for confident motherfuckers.  No liking on this web site bitches. #hard  artbystandard, Mon 14 Feb 20:09 via web

I was too short to take a good picture of the other two we bought but here is what they said.  I did it! I'm the mayor of Home Depot!  Bow to me my orange-aproned subjects!  This tweet was by Elly Trickett on Thursday, March 31, 12:50 via Twitter for BlackBerry

The last one we bought is by Jen Bekman.  Being in a nighttime taxi ride down Fifth Ave is one of those things that kicks the "I really really really love NY" into gear.  Monday, March 7th 19:20 via Twitter for iPhone.

What is not so surprising is that many of the pieces Michelle ran with are from some of the people I follow too.  Nice job Michelle...congratulations on a really great artistic idea.  There are still some for sale.  Click here.

stayinghomeandvacationing

I am basically letting my desk and email box just pile up for the next few days.  Fred and I have taken in three movies in two days, two delicious meals and one museum.  Today is another day.

We saw Hugo and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close on day one.  Hugo is amazing.  I read the book Extremely Loud and absolutely loved it.  They did a great job with the movie.  Both movies revolve around a key and hope for a message from each young boys lost parent although completely different films.  The young boys, Thomas Horn (ELIC) and Asa Butterfield (Hugo) were amazing.

We stopped into Gotham Bar and Grill for dinner and sat at the bar.  I love that the bartender has been there for fifteen years.  The decor could use a bit of a makeover but the food is always good.  I think of Gotham as one of those restaurants, like Union Square Cafe, that changed the way we eat food at restaurants.  The seafood salad is a classic and it is still piled high.

I also had the miso marinated cod which was delicious.  BTW, after all these years the restaurant was packed.

Day two began looking for a car.  We tried that on day one too with little success.  Day two was successful and by the time all our kids are driving we will need a serious parking lot.  After car shopping we had lunch at Via Quadronno.  I love this place for lunch.  Located on E 73rd between Madison and Fifth.  It is like going to Italy for a quick bite.  Always packed with locals.

We had made the "journey" uptown to see the Maurizio Cattelan exhibit.  A must.  The installation is brilliant and the Guggenheim was the perfect spot to show his work.  Amazing.

It was really nice out so we walked down to the Paris movie theater.  Have not been to the Paris in years but another classic institution on the UES.  We saw the Artist.  Very clever, another theme among the movies we have seen.  Washed up artist (Hugo and the Artist).  The entire movie is shot in black and white with no sound.  It is like watching an old film of the past.  Not so sure how much I loved it but certainly appreciated how clever it was. 

Last stop was Marea.  Yes, quite a journey being uptown and even eating up there too!  Marea is a gem.  Incredible customer service, beautiful decor, a feeling of elegance and everyone is dressed up.  We weren't but Marea is definitely a place to go and treat yourself. This is my second time back and certainly will not be my last. We began with a flight of crudo.

But the best thing, and the signature dish is the fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow.  It is insanely decadent and divine.  Still dreaming about this pasta this morning. We also split a whole branzino roasted in sea salt.  Perfect.  A worthy journey uptown.

Next couple days should we filled with more movies and an eventual clean up my desk before the new year begins. 

Leaving on a Jet Plane

How come right before every vacation I think to myself, I really need to go on this vacation now.  After this summer, I really did a great job of getting my head into the right place for September and onward.  Now it is December and in many ways I am right back to pre-summer yet in many ways I am not. 

Last summer really did set me in motion to take time to smell the roses and I have much much more.  The flood in our apartment totally put me over the edge.  Alas.  We are leaving today to go skiing for two weeks.  I am totally looking forward to it. 


Before leaving I spent a day in Chelsea looking at some art.  The piece above is by Walton Ford.  A gigantic watercolor that kind of sums up how I feel.  I absolutely love the piece.  If you get a chance drop by the Paul Kasmin Gallery.  Seeing it in person is a completely different experience. 

I didn't buy the original but bought a limited lithograph that he did to prepare for the making of that piece which is at the top of this page.  I saw Fords first exhibit back in 2000 and I fell in love with his work.  Fred not so much so we did not buy this particular elephant.  It was and is magnificent.  A watercolor broken down into heavy metal frames.  The piece is probably 15 feet across and 10 feet high.  Huge.  The price was minimal compared to what it is worth today.  I believe they wanted $150K for this piece and it is now worth somewhere in the $8 million dollar category.  This goes under the category of trust your gut.  I still dream about this piece. 

Anyway, off to Utah to ski.  Should be much more relaxed by tomorrow. 

Week/Weekend Wrap-up

What a week.  We are in flood mode but I have gotten over it.  Thank god for the Moon Group.  In all transparency I am a partner in this business but regardless they are my savior.  If you don't believe you can finish a project on  time and on budget then you have never worked with this group.  Not only are they beyond competent, they are a pleasure to work with.  Two of the women I am working with (daily at this point) brought over this incredible basket this week.  Made with loving hands and divine. 

We went to see the Black Keys on Monday night at Webster Hall.  A supposed "secret" concert.  Love that they played in a such a small venue.  Great music.  I love that only two musicians, a drummer and a guitarist, can put out such great music.

Tuesday morning I had the pleasure of having a breakfast of champions with Courtney Boyd Myers.  She wrote up our conversation on The Next Web.  You can read it right here.

Thursday we went out to Brooklyn to have dinner with Kirk Love and his lovely wife at Betto.  Dinner at Betto and then Alabama Shakes at Brooklyn Bowl.  You can listen to the Alabama Shakes on Soundcloud  Their first LP comes out in April.  Brittany Howard, the lead singer, has a set of pipes on her that reminds me of a young Aretha Franklin.  She seriously rocks. 

An epic meal with an amazing group of people at Fedora on Friday night.  Saturday we finally got uptown to the MOMA to see the DeKoonig exhibit.  My favorite span of his work was in the last 40's.  An incredible retrospective that ends on January 9th. 

Glad it is Sunday so I can regroup for the week ahead before taking off for the holidays.

 

 

 

A few galleries in Chelsea

Jessica has been taking in art like an addict since she returned from South Africa.  I tagged along on one of her outings this week.  We walked through Chelsea in the pouring rain starting at Matthew Marks to see the Nan Goldin exhibit. 

The exhibit is a culmination of photos over her career combined with photos she took in the Louvre.  Pretty amazing that she was given special permission to photograph inside the Louvre during closed hours and given the freedom to roam.  I did not love this exhibit.  Most of the pieces were collage like of old photos mixed with photos taken in the Louvre.  My favorite piece of the entire exhibit is above.  Although I have seen this piece in person there is something really beautiful about the shot.

It really started to rain as we walked over to another street and happened to catch this statue in a gallery that was closed.  Many people are down at Art Basel this week.  Both Jessica and I got a huge howl at this statue.  Kind of interested in going back and seeing who the artist is and the cost.

We jumped into 303 Gallery to get dry and walked around the Eva Rothschild exhibit.  Interesting sculptures that look like open clouds made out of wax. 

Strolled by Paula Cooper gallery and had to walk in.  This structure is just awesome.  A huge iron sculpture with a swing hanging off of it.  I'd love that in my front yard!  The artist is Mark Di Suvero.  There was also a painting that he had done.  Always amazes me when seriously talented people can work in so many mediums and do it so well.

Then we got to what we came for.  Andreas Gursky at Gagosian on 21st Street.  The photographs combined with painting are so incredible.  Large scale high definition photography that expose the oceans and edges of different continents.  He touched up these photos with paint.  They are just specular.  A must see.

Our last stop was the Jack Shanman Gallery to see the infrared photographs by Richard Mosse.  I honestly can not get these photographs out of my head. He took pictures of people in the Congo using infrared film that tells a story that looks so beautiful (the landscapes) yet haunting (the rebels).  Incredible work of art.

I hope to get back to Chelsea in the next few weeks to see the shows before they close.  Might have to return to Jack Shanman and pick up one of those photos for myself. 

 

Elizabeth Taylor and 100 Women

I was honored to be asked to be asked by Janet Hanson, the brains behind 85 Broads, to be the guest speaker at an event that was definitely celebrating women.  After all 100 women signed up and I guarantee it wasn't to hear me speak but to get a private showing of Elizabeth Taylors collection that is currently on the auction block at Christies.  That is certainly a perfect platform to celebrate women. 

The collection is over the top.  If you get a chance it is so worth seeing.  Liz Taylor was an iconic movie star who lived life large and peeking into her closet is pretty amazing.  She certainly loved jewelry.  Starting with the 32.5 karat diamond ring that she referred to as the baby to couture clothing to Van Goghs to photo frames to Chanel bags.  It is all out there for the world to see.  Walking through the rooms and listening to the women ooh, ahh and comment was part of the fun.

After the exhibit we all went to a luncheon held at Christies.  It is always interesting to hear the conversations that take place in a room with 100 women. The majority of the women that attended this event come out of the financial world such as investment banking, assest management, professional services that run the gamut.  Impressive crew. 

I was interviewed by Kelly Easterling, a CPA out of Rothstein Kass. Rothstein Kass partnered with 85 Broads to put on this event and had collaborated on an interesting survey around Women in Alternative Investments.  Their findings weren't shocking as the information basically confirmed everything we know about women in the financial industry.  Not enough women in high level positions. That seems to be consistent across the board.

Kelly and I covered a few topics.  Women as entrepreneurs and why I support them, women-led ventures that I have been involved with and women in fundraising.  I spoke about why I am a supporter of women entrepreneurs which I have talked about many times before.  Women are amazing entrepreneurs, they get shit done.  Women led ventures and how I decide who to invest in.  It is all about the entrepreneur first and the idea second.  I obviously have to be a believer in the idea but I realize that those ideas evolve and pivot as companies grow and lastly how women raise money and from whom. 

Interesting questions from an audience that is not as familiar with the start-up community as I am or perhaps many readers of my blog.  One interesting question was do I look at the entrepreneurs and think are they going to be able to take that business to the finish line, be that an IPO or selling to another company.  I don't think about that.  When I looked at kindergarten for my kids I did not worry about what the HIgh School looked like.  That seemed to resonate. 

Then there were a few women who pointed out that having balance and getting off the track in the world they are in does not bode well.  Why can't they be the President of Goldman Sachs.  Many seem frustrated by the inability to be at the top top of their field although I guarantee most of the women in the room are sharp as a tack and have managed billions of dollars creating amazing returns on that capital that they manage.  

I said that I am not an expert by any means in the industry that any of these women are in but my reaction was why be frustrated in those companies for years on end.  Learn what you need to learn, grab four other women who are just as smart as anyone at the table and create your own companies.  Be your own President and change the marketplace.  If women want to truly change it is not going to come from being in environments that have been set in stone for years on end where men run the show, it is going to change from women walking out the door and starting up their own and proving that they can succeed at the same level.  Change needs to come from outside the box because it rarely works inside organizations that haven't changed in fifty years.  Take a look at companies who aren't nimble enough to even figure out their online presence. 

Janet Hanson followed up with the perfect story.  She was at Goldman and got off the track for a bit to have kids.  The person who reported to her ended up taking over her job and moving to a super senior level.  She couldn't back to that so she started her own business doing the exact same thing she did at Goldman.  She named herself President of her own company and the tables shifted.  People at Goldman saw her differently because she was President of her own company.  They were equals.  She eventually grew her business with over 3 billion dollars in management....and you know what, not only does she rule, she changed the ratio, she changed her life, she played in the mans league but she played by her own terms.

Janet is the exact reason why I am a big supporter of women entrepreneurs.  Don't whine about how difficult it is to be recognized, recoginize yourself and show the world that you deserve to be recognized.  In our house, in pure jest, we would say..."she's da man". 

 

 

Loving the High Line

On Wednesday night I went to an event for the High Line that was held at Jeff Koons studio.  I had been there a few years ago and was just as wowed this week as I was in 2009. 

The event was a memorable one.  First of all Fred was stuck in Canada due to weather and thankfully my dear friend Mo said yes at 530 to be my date for a 630 event.  That night Mayor Bloomberg announced that Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg were giving another $20 million to the High Line after kicking off the High Lines fundraising efforts at the very beginning with a donation of $15 million.  Pretty damn amazing. 

I was speaking about this with a few people earlier in the week who are just starting to do some great work as philanthropists.  They are in their early 30's.  They are a little overcome that this money wouldn't go to something like saving lives.  I get what they are saying but as you get older understanding the value of what the High Line has given to NYC as an cultural institution as well as a park that will be enjoyed and part of the NYC landscape for basically ever is an incredible gift not only to NYers but to people who visit it across the globe.  You can't put a price tag on that. 

Fred and I are delighted to be donors to the High Line and I joined the board last spring.  I feel amazing every time I walk it.  Are we still giving money to help save lives. Donors Choose is doing that and quite frankly so is MOUSE and Hot Bread Kitchen.  Perhaps not saving lives but making a difference in peoples lives.  The High Line is making a difference in peoples lives too if you really think about it. 

Bravo to both Barry Diller and Diane Von Furstenberg for leading the charge in making sure that the High Line will get completed from the beginning on Gansevoort Street right up to 34th Street.  They are making their mark on the city and leaving a legacy behind that hopefully next generations will continue to repeat and learn from. 

last full day in Cape Town

We started out at Greenmarket Square.  Lots of stalls with mostly African wares.  The merchants are pretty aggressive so engaging in conversation unless you plan on buying something is not wise.  Once you decide to buy something, use cash and negotiate.  There are a few vintage type booths walking down to the square.  This guy had sunglasses and a random skate.

I didn't do a great job of capturing this woman but I tried.  

This booth was where we ended up buying a bunch of random bracelets for gifts.  

We went over to the art school of UCT afterward.  There is a small gallery there called Michaelis.  The exhibit was called Threshold, about climate change and environment concern.  Really wonderful pieces from students and I believe alumni.  

This is called Oil Painting by Alexandra Karakashian.  She is using canvas that is dropped into used motor oil.  My guess is over time the canvas will get blacker and blacker as the oil seeps up into the canvas.  

This piece is called Landscape by Carolyn Parton, reconstituted reclaimed paint.  It is really cool how she was able to take thick pieces of used paint and manipulate it to sit inside a frame to create this piece.

Carbon Cloud by Lindi Sales was my favorite.  This entire structure is about climate change and global warning which is happening because of carbon emissions known as greenhouse gases.  The most common carbon emission is carbon dioxide which is increases because of our dependence on fossil fuels.  

This reminds me of old style paintings although it is actually pigment ink.  This is called Hottentots Holland: Flora Capensis 2 by Andrew Putter.  Many of the plants are becoming extinct, endangered or rarely seen because of carbon emissions.  Cape Town is one of the six floral kingdoms in the world.  There are more kinds of plans in the Cape Floral Kingdom than there are in the whole of the northern hempisphere.  Table Mountain alone supports 2200 specifics which is more than the sum total of specific in all of the United Kingdom.  Pretty amazing.  

We returned to the Biscuit Factory where I picked up the cheese platter made of the wine barrel top.  Had to have it.  After we went to the Goodman Gallery and saw a very cool installation.  The artist is Siemon Allen.  He started collecting South African music years ago and this project represents a fragment of that history.  Each label in this collection of 5400 images is a memorial to all the artists.  It is so beautiful how it is hung with the plastic curtain with the light shining through it.

Here is another one of his pieces in the exhibit that is called Reggie.  This was a cover of an album.  I love this piece.  

We went and had lunch at Loading Bay, one of Jessicas lunch spots.  I love the indoor/outdoor feel and part of the restaurant is a store that carries mostly Acne and a few Swedish labels.

They love their juices here.  Jess had apple/ginger and I went for the boring orange juice but so good.

For lunch Jess had the carrot/orange soup.  

I had the salad that they love here.  Butternut squash, beets, feta, pumpkin seeds and rocket.  

We drove over to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens that are just so old and beautiful.  The land was purchased by Cecil John Rhodes in 1895 for 9000 pounds to protect the eastern slopes of Table Mountain from urban development.  He left is to the nation in 1902.  This garden is dedicated to the cultivation and study of indigenous plants of South Africa.  This is the first view we got when we walked into the place. 

Aloe everywhere. 

Views and more views.

A great climbing tree although you are not supposed to do that.  

More aloe.

Flowers

Lilly pads.

A fun filled day.  A few hours left before I get on the 18 hour flight home.  Jessica has truly taken advantage of what Cape Town has to offer.  What an incredible experience.  

 

 

Just gorgeous.  We were really glad we did the walk.  Last time Jessica came it was in the dark.  Back to the hotel to get ready for my last evening in Cape Town.