Hold the Ketchup and Mustard, I want MAYO....

As I mentioned in a previous blogpost....I spent last week at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, caring for a friend going through radiation and chemotherapy.

What an amazing place!

If you EVER need to go somewhere for specialty physicians or care, I highly recommend the Mayo Clinic.

Although it is HUGE, the staff there coordinate with each other totally and you are assigned a TEAM of Doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers that are the CREAM of the crop.

Most of the physicians there are sought worldwide for their knowledge and expertise.

But, what amazed me (in addition to the wonderful care and staff) was the buildings themselves, full of marble, waterfalls, fountains.

And, the buildings (to my surprise!) were also FULL of art.

Fantastic, awesome art.

This was not your usual healthcare facility.

In the main lobby, every day at noon, they had live musicians playing.

At many of the other main lobbies, they had grand pianos with pianists there playing.

It was hard to believe it was a hospital and clinic.

Here is one shot looking out a window at a courtyard below:

A modern art sculpture:

And the buildings across from Mayo?

Fantastic, ornate architecture!:

This is looking out the window of one part of the Mayo Clinic, down a courtyard...the buildings to the left and right are also part of the Mayo Clinic system:

This is looking down from one of the high buildings into the courtyard where you could see the glass dome ceiling of another part of the clinic:

Also, there are underground tunnels/subways to take you from one part of the system to all the others in inclimate weather! I loved this as I pushed my friend in a wheelchair all over--not only to her clinic appointments, but to look at the wonderful art in every nook and cranny.




Another outdoor courtyard shot:





I LOVED the gargoyles on this building!!!! And the tiles!:

Do you think I should get one of the gargoyle heads for my log home?:

You would think you are in Europe somewhere, wouldn't you?:

And the art INSIDE the Mayo Clinic?

I was speechless!

Look at THIS art, do you know who the artist is?:

NO?

Well, here is his signature.

Now do you know who it is?:

That is right!

It is Andy Warhol.

ORIGINAL Andy Warhol's!!!

Two whole walls of a series he called: "The Endangered Species Collection":

I stopped many times to look at them.

And then, in a small hallway in one of the clinics were these ornate, gorgeous mother-of-pearl inlaid chests:

They had abolone, and mother-of-pearl and detailed carvings which made them beautiful enough....but THEN.....

I learned they were donated to the Mayo Clinic
by
King Hussein and his wife!:






Sorry for the glare in some of the pictures, they were (of course) protected under shatterproof glass cases for security so I had to work around the glare of the glass in taking photos of them:

Aren't they something???:

And the main lobby had this INCREDIBLE bronze statue!:

I fell in love with him.

Not because he is nude (except for the strategically placed figleaf)...





But, because of his wonderful arms, reaching to the heavens....

for hope....

To remind us and all the patients we love so much

that sometimes we just have to ask for help from Above....

for compassion....

for guidance...

and

again....

for HOPE:

Tomorrow, I will do a blogpost solely showing the incredible glass art that was there

by the artistry

of

Dale Chihuly....

it blew my SOCKS off.....................