Pedroza's Place

The corner stone for the White House was laid in 1792, but it wouldn’t be until 1901 when it would get it’s official name. It was then that someone asked Theodore Roosevelt about the place and he said “oh, it’s just a big white house…” The name stuck and here we are, or were I guess.
Getting to the White House is relatively easy. Luckily, you can ask any local and they know where it is and can tell you how to get there (and if they can’t they they have some major direction problems).
While getting to the White House is easy, getting inside the White House is not. Most of my pictures as you can see are from far away. One of my favorite pictures I took was from up top of the Washington Monument looking down onto the White House (I wondered if the guards could see me up there):

Had I not gotten into the White House it wouldn’t have ruined the trip for me, but I do think that the White House is an iconic image of Washington DC. Despite all the tour guides calling it “your White House,” you just can’t go up and ring the door bell and ask to be let in. There are a lot of bells connected to the White House, but trust me you don’t want to hear them. To get into the White House you are going to need an invitation.

Invitations are free but unfortunately, I don’t know any members of the Presidential family and so getting a Presidential Invitation was out of the question. The next best thing was to get a Congressional Invitation to the White House. To get a Congressional Invitation you need to be recommended by one of your US Congressional leaders. Like every US citizen (if you are not a US Citizen you have to be recommended by your US Ambassador) I have three of these people (2 Senators and 1 Representative) and so about 6 months before we left I wrote to all three. I sent them my request along with the full names of everyone in my party, addresses, DOBs, Social Security numbers, and a description of what valid form of picture ID we were going to use (in our case California issued driver licenses, children under 5 do not need a picture ID). I followed up regularly with my Congressional leaders’ offices to see how the progress was going, but was ultimately told I wouldn’t know anything until at least 2 weeks before we left. As it turned out the first Senator I wrote to lost my paperwork, the second Senator tried, but was not able to get a spot, and ultimately 10 days before we were about to leave our Representative Jerry Lewis got us an invitation. This to me was funny because our two Senators are Democrats (the same party of the President), but our Representative is Republican. Anyhow, soon enough we got our invitation in the mail.
Normally to get into the White House you have to be a group of 10 or more people. We were only a group of 4, so our Representative put us together with another family named Flynn (don’t know them at all). The paper we were given had this name on it and a confirmation code. We were told to bring the paper with us at our appointed time and we could go on our tour. All good except for the fact that at 5:30 EST the day before our tour we lost the paper we were supposed to give to the SS (Secret Service). Lucky for us, we don’t live in EST, we live in PST. So even though Representative Lewis’ Washington DC office was closed, the Redlands, CA office was still open. Jerry Lewis’ staff was very helpful to us. The Redlands office blackberried the Washington DC office, which then emailed the White House, which then put us on a list for the Secret Service and so we were still allowed in. Talk about cross-country teamwork!
To start the tour you have to find the General Sherman monument.

This is actually across the street from the White House. The somber mood of General Sherman on his horse I think denotes the seriousness of the entire security process. As if getting back-grounded wasn’t enough you must also get booked. Oops, I meant screened, but having seen people get booked I wouldn’t say it was much different. You are not allowed to bring anything that doesn’t fit in your pockets and your pockets better not contain anything illegal or you will be escorted out by several people with Colt 45s. When it comes to the White House you also have to know that you are not allowed to bring in any recording device. This was kind of funny to me because they allowed me to bring in my cell phone which clearly had recording capability, not that I had any motivation (first tour I ever had where the docents were fully loaded) to use it inside.
Since I wasn’t able to take pictures inside the White House I have some pictures I got from an archived President Bush website(during his administration there were no tours) and a scan of our tour map:

You enter the White House by descending into the East Wing. I took this photo from outside the White House looking at the East Wing:

The East Wing is where the First Lady’s offices are. I am not sure what business goes on in those offices, but her staff was very busy going in and out of locked doors. This was interesting to me because Michelle Obama was in Spain when we were visiting. I wonder if her staff doesn’t get to travel with her or if it is like a Broadway production where there is more than one cast. If so, I have to say the local cast was very engaged in their work.
After walking through a long hallway we found ourselves under another underground hallway (a lot of Washington DC is underground) that lead to the China Room, Library, and Vermeil room. It also lead to the West Wing (the executive offices of the President), but we were only allowed to go half way down the hall. Even though I didn’t get to see the West Wing I learned that the current Press Room used to be an indoor pool. I also learned a little trivia about the Vermeil room. The Vermeil room houses portraits of 20th century first ladies. The most striking of which I think has to be of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Onassis Kennedy (she really liked accumulating those names didn’t she?):

As interesting as the portrait was, it was the name that was more interesting to me. Apparently, vermeil is when you take silver and dip it in gold. It makes the gold even shinier (I didn’t even know that was possible). This Vermeil room is filled with a lot of objects decorated in this manner, hence the name. Heading back into the hallway a Secret Service guy told me a story of President Obama setting up a ping pong table in the hallway and playing an epic ping pong tournament (he wouldn’t tell me who won).
Going up a well worn marble staircase, we entered into the East Ballroom.

The painting of George Washington is of course the famous one Dolly Madison saved in the battle of 1812, and consequently is the oldest thing original to the White House. The piano is a Steinway and was donated 1938.
After going through the East Ball Room, you get to walk through the Green room, the Red Room, the State Dining Room (where they get daily fresh flowers), and the blue room:

The Blue Room was my favorite room of the house. According to the Secret Service it is the Obamas’ favorite room too. President Martin Van Buren was responsible for it’s color when he first painted the walls in 1837.
To go through the main floor rooms, you get to go through the Cross Halls.

This particular view of the Cross Halls to me is cool because it is the one that they always show when the Secretary of State is going to meet a foreign leader.
After the tour and we were outside again I was allowed once again to touch my cell phone and so I took these photos at the North door.


Undoubtedly the closest picture I will ever get to take of the White House. Anyhow, the tour was awesome. Definitely, one of the highlights of our trip.

BTW, if for some crazy reason the President does read this I think I would make perfect fit for a White House Staffer:

See what I mean, now all I need is one of those red A pass cards and I will be all set!

Weeks to the Half: 11
Weight: 305
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
As you can see I am not doing so well on the whole weight thing. Not that it is a valid excuse, but Playas de Tijuana was really tempting. The taco you see here is a Marlin taco and it covered my whole plate. It cost me $1 dollar. Too much good food for too little of a price equals disaster on the waist line.
On the bright side however I did manage to do some walking while I was in Tijuana. Playas de Tijuana is a very off the beaten path in Tijuana. You don’t see many tourists there. The main reason for this is that Playas de Tijuana is the southernmost tip of Tijuana. You can take a taxi to get there, but it is going to cost you about $15 dollars. Which is not expensive in the US, but in Mexican terms it is a lot of money. The neighborhood is not really designed for tourists. I think there are only two hotels in this area. There are also not many “tourist attractions” in this area. The main one is the bull ring, but it is open only half the year. If you do visit Playas de Tijuana your main point of interest is going to be the beach (Playas means beach). When I was there I didn’t see many people in the beach, but it was kind of windy.
Here is a video I made while walking in Tijuana:
(video here)

We walked about 3 miles. Denise stopped in the middle of our walk and got a haircut while AJ, my dad, and I continued walking to the beach. The streets of Playas de Tijuana are not very well kept, but as you get closer to the beach the scenery does improve. I particularly enjoyed looking at all the daisies in bloom.

When I was a teenager I remember coming down to Tijuana and visiting Calle Revolucion with my mom. Back then Calle Revolucion was a party hub for American tourists. On the weekends the bars would be going 24 hours and the tourists would crowd the streets for cheap souvenirs, beers, and velvet Elvi. My mom and I would go to restaurants and fill up on cheap fish tacos until we were stuffed. After gorging ourselves we would walk up to the Jai Alai building and watch the competitors throw the tiny rubber ball. Then came the drug wars, 9/11, and strict border laws that would require every American to have a passport to come across the border. It would be many years before I would see this street again.
While we are here in Tijuana we are staying in the Centro (center) district. Our hotel is about a block and half away from Calle Revolucion. Since we were so close I couldn’t help but to visit this old haunt. The street is still there, the restaurants are still there, the bars are still playing the music, but it is not the same place I remember from my youth. First of all the American tourists are no longer there. I took a walk down Calle Revolucion and during the two days I took a walk I only saw two other Americans (both were there doing dental work too). The Jai Alai building is still there, but there are no more competitions. The Hotel Caesar is still a hotel, but the restaurant that created the famous Caesar salad is now a Carl’s Jr. The music still plays but no one is dancing. It is very surreal. It is almost like someone declared the party over, but forgot to tell the host to turn off the lights. As we walked down the street we were swarmed by very desperate vendors. The prices are posted, but you would be ignorant to pay the listed price, reasonable bargaining is between 20-30% lower than the listed price.
As far as safety goes we felt very safe the entire time we were there. The city has done a lot of work cleaning up this part of the town. There used to be a lot of beggars on Calle Revolucion, the police has run them out off the street. Also, the police has declared no open containers in public, I didn’t see any passed out drunk people on the street. I don’t drink or go to dance clubs, but I doubt even if I did, I would be leery of Calle Revolucion, the bars still look kind of shady to me. There still is a red light district, but it is much smaller and kind of hidden (HINT: don’t go past the aqueduct unless you are looking for trouble). Whenever you travel to an unfamiliar area you need to be aware of your surroundings, and Tijuana is no different. That being said however, a tourist taking proper precautions should not be too afraid.
Calle Revolucion is not the same place I remember as a youth, but that being said it is no longer in my opinion a place to avoid. The place has changed quite a bit and as long as you know what to expect you can still have a good time. As mentioned the prices are very low and there are plenty of bargains to be had. If you are looking for cheap food or cheap souvenirs this is the place to go. If you go on a weekend my suggestion would be to walk down to the aqueduct, there you will find a free amateur concert. Find a good restaurant (don’t worry they will come to you), order some fish tacos, and enjoy the new atmosphere.
For a preview here is a video we made:

When I told my friends that I was going to Tijuana my friends told me I was crazy. In the San Bernardino Mountains Tijuana is known as a dirty, drug invested town that is the birth place for wannabe illegal aliens and drunken Americans. Knowing this one would have very little reason it seems to go to Tijuana, but here we are. The question then becomes why are the Pedrozas in Tijuana, Mexico?
Ok, here is the deal. I work for a local city government. When it comes to my paycheck I make very little, but when it comes to insurance I have some of the best in the state of California. I went to my dentist in the USA for my regular checkup and I was told I have 5 cavities. Metal fillings are completely covered under my insurance. Problem is metal fillings to me look horrible. I could go with white resin fillings but they are only 50% covered with my insurance. With the 50% insurance coverage, white resin fillings were going to cost me $200 each. With an extra discount my US dentist was willing to give me, my total was going to be $800.
After mulling over my problem for awhile (talking to friends, searching the Internet, etc.) I started to find myself drawn to the multitude of dentists found in Tijuana, Mexico. In Tijuana the going rate for white resin filling is between $40 and $75 US dollars. After doing some more research and a little bit of email negotiation I settled on going to a place called Sam Dental in the historic center of Tijuana.
The quote I got over my email was $275 for the 5 fillings. Saturday morning came, and after buying some Mexican car insurance, we found ourselves at Sam Dental in Tijuana. I picked this place because it had a lot of good references, it had the latest equipment, and it looked very clean. The first thing the dentist did was look at my teeth and say, “I see some cavities there, but they are really small. We better take some x-rays.” She took the x-rays and she said that she saw the cavities, but they were so small that they were not worth worrying over. In the end she filled one tooth that need two surfaces done and took out an older metal filling and filled it with resin. Total cost was $100, which according to the representative I spoke to at the IRS is completely deductible as a medical expense since we have a receipt. The whole visit took an hour and half. As far as the procedure goes it went fine. The teeth look good and the only thing I felt was a slight prick when they injected the anesthetic.
Something is wrong in the US when I can get better dentist work in a foreign country for 1/8th of the price in the US. I think there are various things contributing to the discrepancy. The major one is malpractice insurance. While doctors and dentists in Mexico have to carry insurance, the laws are much different over here when it comes to malpractice liabilities. In doing my research I found out that if something goes wrong with a procedure it is very difficult to sue in Mexico. The other thing I found is that here in Mexico doctors and dentists education is majorly subsidized by the government. Basically, if you can pass the entrance exam, the government here will pay for your University degree. There are other contributing factors as well: less overhead costs, lower staff costs, and lower maintenance requirements.
Anyhow, we are now here in Tijuana and we will be staying here until Monday. We have decided to make a little vacation out of it. Over the next few days our hope is to show you what we found.

If you mention Mexico the first thing you will from most of my friends is a fantasy story of them sitting on beach, lounging in a beach chair, sipping some kind of exotic drink. Mexico certainly has a lot of beautiful beaches, but most Americans in my view have missed the boat when it comes to Mexico. From a traveler’s standpoint, right next to us is a country in which you can explore a 3000 year old archeological dig in the morning, have lunch in a French Colonial building, and go shopping in one of the most modern malls in the afternoon (which is exactly what I did the last time I was in Mexico City). It is because of this diversity that I love visiting Mexico City. It also doesn’t hurt that my dad owns a travel company based in Mexico City and I spent most of my teenage years in Mexico City. Having said that however I have to say that if you haven’t been to Mexico City you should really check it out.
This is a video I filmed in one day. I appologize in advance for the choppy quality, it was on my old camera:

Many Americans I think have been put off by the news of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Virus and the daily reports we get about the drug trafficking trade. All I can say is that I was personally in Mexico last May at the height of the H1N1 epidemic in Mexico and I didn’t see a single person so much as sneeze. The only crime that I saw was committed by then 1 and half year old son who stole some poor kid’s soccer ball in a park. Luckily, my son doesn’t run that fast so it was retrieved rather quickly. I am not going to say that Mexico City is a harmless city. It has its areas you want to stay away from and pick pocketing is something you will have to watch out for in Mexico City, but with most things it is just of matter of being aware of your surroundings. If you look around the neighborhood you are in and you don’t like what you see then it is time to get out of that neighborhood. All of the places most tourist go have high amount of police surveillance anyhow, so the chances of a major crime happening in a tourist area are very slim.
I have to say I am a big fan of Mexico City and I was very happy to hear that Mexico City was named one of the Top Ten destinations for 2010. Mexico City in my opinion definitely deserves this distinction and I hope that because of it, Mexico City will see some more tourists visit the city this year. Due to the economy Mexico City is a real bargain right now. Prices on almost everything are down and like everything else in Mexico, it’s highly negotiable. If you are interested in more advice I would advise you to talk to my dad. His name is Arnold Pedroza and he has been running his travel company for over 30 years now and knows Mexico like the back of his hand. His main business these days is doing tour groups for universities, but he does have tours for the general public. You can check out his main tours and contact him at www.panoramasmexico.com. It doesn’t cost anything to ask him for advice and he likes to give it, trust me I know! If you do talk to him tell him his son John sent you.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was rooting for Canada and it was just announced that due to some last minute wins and with only a few contests to be decided, Canada will take home the most gold medals in this Olympics. I have to say that for country that has gone for so long with no gold medals in their home country this is a big win on their part. They may not “own the podium” with the highest medal count (that will go to the USA), but this is truly something Canada can be proud of having. For me personally this is the best of both worlds.

Before you continue to read this you have to know that we are Americans. We love our country and we hope it does well. The only problem is I know the USA will do well. I want to watch the Olympics and I want to cheer for a team, and I want to cheer for a team that still has a chance. So for this Olympics I am cheering for team Canada. On Sunday, February 14th, 2010 came Canada’s first Gold home country gold. This was achieved in the Men’s Downhill Mogul Run AJ was really excited:

Anyhow, regardless of who does well we are having fun watching the Olympics. My personal favorite winter sport to watch is the ski jump. Do you have a favorite winter sport? Be sure to leave a comment.

I was watching a youtube video about Otaru, Japan:

and I was reminded of back in 1993 when I was a California Youth Ambassador and I had the opportunity to travel to Japan for a few months. Otaru was a very fun place to visit. I had very nice exchange hosts and they took me with them on their family vacation around the island of Hokkaido. I remember visiting the music box shop:

and the Glass Blowing Shop:

I often wonder if I will ever get the chance to go back.

Anyhow, what are you dreaming about? See what others are dreaming about at: http://www.motherofalltrips.com/

“Well, yesterday we started out in Guanajuato and ended up in Aguascalientes. We took mostly the free roads and passed by the city of Leon, a town called “”Incarnacion de Dias”", and too many small villages to count. The trip was fun we got stopped twice, once for flu inspection and once by the army. We passed the health inspection pretty easy, but the army got mad because I took a picture. Funny thing was is the picture didn’t come out and the only bag they inspected was Denise’s!
Anyhow we are now in Aguascalientes and we plan to stay here until Friday. It is really hot here and Denise got a little bit of heatstroke, but she is doing better now. AJ is having fun visiting all of his relatives and finding all the dirt he can. Luckily he enjoys getting wet because all his uncles and aunts keep washing his hands, he must of had his hands washed like 20 times yesterday afternoon.
Here are a few sights from yesterday…
The road trip:

This was Abuelo and AJ at Burger King (first place in Mexico I have seen where you have fountain drinks), the menu is essentially the same, but it is slightly more expensive and they give you Chile Verde sauce along with your ketchup:
.<%image(20090507-burgeraguasweb.jpg|448|336|Burger King is expensive in Mexico.)%>
AJ visits with is 2nd Cousin Monica and his Great Aunt Flor:
<%image(20090507-cousins3web.jpg|448|336|Monica, AJ, and Flor)%>

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