Bay Area Hiking: Eugene O'Neill

It has taken some getting used to, residing in California. Not only do LOTS of people live here (more than 10% of U.S. population) but lots of famous people, too. In particular, Joe Montana, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Sully (the famed pilot that landed his plane in the Hudson River) live or have lived mere miles from my house. But perhaps most famous, at least from the literary perspective, is Eugene O'Neill.

You may be wondering what hiking has to do with one of the most reknowned American playwrights of the 20th century. Well, Las Trampas Regional Wilderness is the site of his former ranch home. Now a museum which commemorates his life and works, the ranch is as easily accessible by trail as it is by road. A moderate, 30-minute hike from Camille Road brings the curious up-close-and-personal with northern California's beloved Nobel laureate.

The ranch house, know as Tao House, is where O'Neill wrote his Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece: A Long Day's Journey into Night. Simple yet elegant in true taoist fashion, O'Neill's former home was inspired by his interest in Eastern thought. With arguably the best view in all of Las Trampas, it is easy to see how O'Neill found inspiration here where some of his best plays were written. 

Open to the public every summer Saturday and offering play readings on-site, Eugene O'Neill's former home is worth a visit for fans of work, those curious about his life, or hikers simply looking for the picture-perfect view.

City of Fantasy: Part II

It's not just the architecture that exudes fantasy in Prague. The cultural and artistic heartbeat of the city historically leans toward the surreal.

Though his name may not seem familiar to some, his work and style are. A native of the Czech Republic, Alphonse Mucha is the father of Art Nouveau. In the same vein as Gaudi's fantastical architecture, Art Nouveau is noted for taking the hard and fast lines of neoclasicism and softening reality with curves and flow. So much was Mucha's style celebrated in Prague even the national cathedral, St. Vitus, displays a Mucha-made stained glass window.

Like Mucha, Franz Kafka pays tribute to his home city of surrealist fantasy through his writing style. Most famous for his book The Metamorphosis, Kafka utilizes stylistic devises akin to magic realism. He blends a realistic atmosphere with magical elements and explains them as normal occurrences (like waking up as a bug). Even Prague's Kafka monument reflects this seemingly normal yet magical style:


Today, Prague still nurtures a bit of surrealness for its lovers of the arts by offering performances in the historic Estates Theater. The white neoclassic facade and roman columns pose a dominating air as one looks up. Inside, the creaky stairs that are far apart and a shallow grade give away the buildings true age. And the theatre salon itself appears much as it did when Mozart's Don Giovanni premiered in 1787.

Truth be told, Mozart felt more at home with audiences in Prague than his homestead. And who wouldn't with a theatre like the Estates. Its powered blue velvet chairs, overly ornate gold accents, and a chandelier that drips crystal over the center audience gives an air of aristocracy and wonder. Leaning over the velvet sided balcony rail and peering down onto the stage where Mozart himself conducted, the anachronistic surrealness of the experience overwhelms.

Through time and space, Prague has managed to maintain this artistic surrealness – a surrealness only fit for a City of Fantasy.