Month: February 2017

I’ve been engaged in focused direction lately. That is, focused on redirecting my anxiety and fears over the many dark turns our country has taken in recent weeks into positive, proactive actions. Whether it’s writing letters or attending events or speaking out or writing checks, I am trying to respond to the autocratic direction of our new President by creating an opportunity for more thoughtful and more impactful engagement and resistance.

But, sometimes, I hit the wall. The news crawl (I don’t actually watch or read much news anymore) sends me into a loop of dystopian hopelessness. As I was sharing this with my therapist last week, he responded with an assignment. Spend part of every day being grateful. His point was much of life is a distance race, so I need to pace myself on negativity or I run the risk of dropping out and checking out.

So, here goes. I’m grateful I decided not to bail on a Match.com date 3.5 years ago because I would have missed meeting my partner. He is a wonderful, handsome, kind and creatively brilliant man who has made me a better person. I am enormously grateful for him. I am grateful for my friends and family. Diverse and interesting and sprinkled across the globe, each of these wonderful humans inspires and supports and loves me without question.

I am grateful for a rewarding professional career. For nearly 9 years, I have been fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented and dedicated professionals in Washington as we play our roles in my agency’s mission to ensure public confidence in the nation’s financial system. My colleagues inspire me to learn more and do more and to always be open to seeing things through someone else’s perspective.

I am grateful for the animals in my life. Yes, I am a crazy cat person. But, my pets ground and calm me. Their uncomplicated love and affection allows me to recharge and reflect after a bad day so that I am able to face my fellow humans for another day.

I am grateful for the gift of travel. With every trip and each adventure, I am reminded of what a big beautiful world this is. Whether traveling across an ocean and just over the state line, each destination offers its own version of beauty and connection. Travel also reminds me that there are wonderful, kind and generous people everywhere, and that we are so much more alike than we are different.

Lastly, I am grateful for the gifts of knowledge and age. My own path of learning has given me knowledge that on my best days allows me to improve the world around me. Age has given me courage. I no longer fear offense as much as I fear failing in my obligation to speak up, to provide the counterpoint and to hopefully be part of the solution, not the problem.

I am grateful for this and more.

The website Conservapedia defines a “liberal” as a person who “craves” more government and supports “the censorship and denial of Christianity.” Wow. Those people sound awful. Yet, I always thought a liberal was more like the Merriam-Webster definition: a person who is broadminded and “not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms.”

Back in the summer of 2008, I drove across America and learned a lot about one famous liberal. On the morning of June 6, I left Sioux Falls, South Dakota and headed west on I-90 to Mount Rushmore, which is about 5 hours on the other side of the state. As ominous thunderstorm clouds loomed mid-morning, I made the serendipitous stop in Mitchell, a farming town of 12,000 and perhaps most famous as the home of the Corn Palace, a Moorish-style building with an exterior made entirely of corn. Mitchell also was – for many decades of his life – the home of South Dakota native, former U.S. Presidential candidate, longtime U.S. Senator, nutrition advocate and unapologetic liberal George S. McGovern.

Searching my non-satellite radio dial, I tuned in to South Dakota Public Radio just as it was interviewing the then-86-year-old, former Sen. McGovern on the anniversary of the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  40 years and one day earlier, McGovern was among the last people to see Kennedy alive. Kennedy had been campaigning with McGovern to win the South Dakota presidential primary, which he did. Later that day, Kennedy flew to Los Angeles where he would be murdered some 24 hours later after winning the California primary. As I drove out of Mitchell, I listened to McGovern tearfully recount getting a telephone call in the middle of the night and learning that Bobby, with whom McGovern had just celebrated the day before on a South Dakota airport tarmac, had been assassinated. He spoke of his shock and grief, and described turning to Eleanor, his wife of 64 years, and how they wept for the Kennedy family and for the nation.

Who was this icon of American liberalism? McGovern was born in 1922 in the tiny farming town of Avon, South Dakota, the son of a Wesleyan Methodist minister, but grew up in nearby Mitchell. He was a shy kid who ran track and became a debate team champion, although he and his debate partner did lose one fateful competition to his future wife and her twin sister. He was patriotic. Upon hearing of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, McGovern and some college friends drove to Omaha, Nebraska, and enlisted. He would serve as a decorated fighter pilot during WWII, flying several missions over Germany.

McGovern earned a degree from Dakota Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. from Northwestern. Although not a farmer himself, throughout his life he was interested in food and nutrition and their connections to poverty. McGovern was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1957. Between 1961 and 1962, he served as President Kennedy’s Director of Food for Peace. In 1962, McGovern was elected to the U.S. Senate from South Dakota and would serve until 1981. During the Vietnam War, McGovern traveled there and became a very outspoken critic of the U.S.’s involvement, which infuriated many. That probably led to the fact that McGovern and his troubled running mate, Sen. Thomas Eagleton, lost the 1972 presidential election to Richard M. Nixon by one of the largest margins ever. He later served as President Clinton’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture.

Throughout his life, McGovern served as a champion for the poor and the hungry. He was inspired by his faith, his connection to the land and his desire to help his community and others in need.  I don’t think he thought Christian and liberal were mutually exclusive at all.  He had many friends across the aisle of politics even as they disagreed with him vehemently on policy positions. In short, this liberal from South Dakota was a hardworking family man who loved his state and his country and wanted to help people.

I personally think liberal is an excellent term.

At the beginning of every travel year, The New York Times publishes a list of places you need to visit during the coming 52 weeks.  A few years ago, the Times included St. Petersburg on its list; no, not the one in Russia but its Florida namesake. Really, I thought? Well, a few weeks ago, we spent a glorious weekend here and I can report that St. Pete should definitely be on your list.

Growing up in the Sunshine State in the 70s, no one ever said, “hey, let’s go to St. Pete for the weekend.” It was unflatteringly described as “God’s waiting room” for its near total lack of youth. Today, nothing could be further from reality. While St. Pete has always been possessed of many natural assets, it now offers an impressive menu of dining, entertainment, arts, culture and professional sports, all of which will leave you wanting to return.   Today, this city of about 250,000 is a vibrant and sophisticated anchor of the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to nearly 3 million people.

Water and the sun abound here. The city is magnificently situated at the entrance to Tampa Bay, offering both bayfront and Gulf of Mexico shorelines. It usually records more than 300 days of bright sunshine every year and there are miles of gorgeous, sugary white beaches. Plus, lots of small islands and interconnected waterways circling the city make for great boating, sailing and kayaking.

Several impressive museums have helped make St. Pete a real cultural destination. It’s home to the Dali Museum, which houses the largest collection of the Spanish artist’s works outside Europe. The Chihuly Collection features a good chunk of the famous glassblower’s works, while the Florida Holocaust Museum is celebrating 25 years of education and remembrance. Another cultural anchor, the Museum of Fine Arts, hosts frequent exhibitions from its downtown bayfront location, while the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement is slated to open later this year.

There are two basic lodging options when visiting St. Pete – downtown along the bayfront or Gulfside. Regardless of which choice you make, you’ll want to explore the other. We chose the beach option and one of the best hotels in Florida. The Loews Don CeSar Hotel is a giant pink palace built in the 1920s and perched on a spectacular stretch of beach. It features plush yet small rooms (ours came with a balcony), two pools, several bars and restaurants, a full-service spa and lots of gorgeous, art-filled public spaces great for just hanging out. When you consider that cocktails can be delivered to your poolside chair or beachside cabana, there really is no need to ever leave.

But, we did venture out and downtown for dinner. Beach Drive is the main drag facing the bayfront and the city marina. Its blocks are lined with restaurants, bars, art galleries, ice cream parlors and other local shops. Most restaurants have sidewalk seating and it’s a fun and boisterous scene at night with people of all ages out dining, drinking and strolling. For our first meal, Cassis American Brasserie delivered with tasty, classic French and American dishes. On our last night in town, we dined at Tryst, a loud, hip and self-described gastro pub. The drinks were strong and the Florida grouper sandwich was perfectly delicious.

The next morning, as we headed back across Tampa Bay to our flight home, I thought, “there’s more to see here.” Definitely the sign of a city that should be on your list.

 

Chicago is a fantastic city to enjoy at any time of the year. But, a January visit necessarily means turning to indoor pleasures.   They might call it the Windy City for its blustery politicians, but that doesn’t mean those icy winds off Lake Michigan can’t freeze you in your tracks. Luckily, there are plenty of tempting diversions to keep you off the streets. A full calendar of theater and performing arts, great shopping, outstanding restaurants and world-class museums – it’s all here. Plus, one of my favorite pastimes – checking out hotel bars. On that front, Chicago is definitely no second city. During a recent long weekend, my best friend from law school (who’s a local) and I decided to explore three of city’s hippest and most stylish hotel bars in three days.

Base camp for the weekend – and the home of our first bar – was the Park Hyatt Chicago. Beautifully situated on Michigan Avenue right in the heart of the Magnificent Mile, the Park Hyatt offers understated luxury with a muted, Zen quality. Our super plush room had front row views of the famous Water Tower and Lake Michigan beyond. NoMI is its chill, elegant lounge. Located on the seventh floor of the hotel, it’s a great place to while away a cold, blustery afternoon with good conversation and strong, handcrafted cocktails made by friendly yet polite mixologists. There’s also a full menu to help soak up the booze, including Korean short ribs and lobster rolls.

For a completely different vibe, our second stop was a nightcap in the Mad Men-invoking, hipster hangout that is the Langham Chicago‘s second-story lounge. This luxury chain, which got its start in London, has repurposed a 1970s skyscraper right on the Chicago River into a sleek modern space. That night, we rested on buttery, cognac-colored leather couches next to huge windows overlooking the river. Nearby was a group of well-dressed local ladies perched on Jetsons-like, white leather sofas who – thanks to the acoustics – we could tell were doing an excellent job of appearing to be interested in some blathering, self-appointed Fintech guru. My drink choice was a powerful Manhattan made with locally made, 90 proof Few Spirits Bourbon. This is a distillery with a sense of irony and history; its extremely potent series of gin, vodka and whiskey is produced just over the line in Evanston, Illinois, which was the home of the temperance movement in the early 20th Century (and remains the home of Northwestern University).

Shopping in Chicago is hard work; it’s not easy matching glowers with the ladies of Neiman-Marcus. So, in need of a pit stop, we headed to our third hotel bar of the weekend. Just a short elevator ride up from Nordstrom delivers you to the cool style of The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago. Its fifth-floor lobby is well curated with great art and updated yet faithful reproductions of mid-century modern furniture. The lounge is just off the main lobby and has an outdoor terrace for those non-January visits. Our bartender was funny and engaging. He convinced us that we had to try their version of Wisconsin cheese curds, which are basically breaded and deep-fried chunks of cheddar cheese. Ours were served with garlic honey mustard and mine was washed down with a very dry Hendricks Gin martini.

Each of our hotel bar stops delivered on another big three – a friendly Midwestern welcome, comfortable seating and good service. As our weekend drew to a close and we headed home to reality, I had three more reasons to love the city of big shoulders.