tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74771081466104513762024-03-16T05:38:10.764+10:30The Compleat Traveller"Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going." ~ Paul TherouxJim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comBlogger678125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-69293471798680945782023-12-06T15:42:00.000+10:302023-12-06T15:42:12.556+10:30<p> <b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">MY PERSONAL RULES FOR SMART TRAVEL</span></b></p><ol class="ol1"><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>You are <i>not</i> a tourist</b> — you are a <i>visitor</i>, and as such you should view yourself as a <i>guest </i>in whichever country, city, or home you happen to be in. If you invited a stranger into your home, you would expect them to abide by the rules of the house, to behave respectfully, and to not trash or destroy your property. So too should you respect the rules and morés of the country you are visiting, and the people you meet along the way. Therefore…</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Do <i>not</i> get into arguments</b> with complete strangers over politics, religion, abortion, guns, gay rights or other divisive topics.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Smile. Be polite. Be interested.</b> Ask questions. Listen, and Learn. Share your stories.</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Adopt the locals, and the locals will adopt you.</b> If you are visiting a city for an extended period, try and eat regularly at the same restaurant, diner, or café during your stay. This gives you an opportunity to meet and greet the same people (owners, wait staff, regular diners) each time you visit. <i>Don’t forget the first three Rules</i></span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Know your neighbourhood.</b> If you are staying in accommodations in an unfamiliar city, take a stroll through the streets surrounding your hotel/apartment to orient yourself. Get a feel for the neighbourhood. Do this during daylight hours, <i>not</i> late at night! And especially not late at night on your own! (Did I really need to point that out?)</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Know where you are. </b>On your orientation walk look for prominent features (church spires, high towers, skyscrapers, unique examples of architecture), that are easy to see from a distance, and which you can use to guide you back to your accommodations.</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Don’t miss the last bus/subway. </b>If budget constraints force you to rely on public transport or your own two feet to get around the city you are visiting, know how to get back to your accommodations on foot, or by public transport — and don’t miss your last ride ‘home’.</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Watch out for professional con artists and scammers.</b> They are generally welcoming and friendly, and because you are following <i>Rules 2 and 3</i>, and want to be the perfect guest (<i>Rule 1</i>), you try not to ignore ‘friendly’ locals or treat them with disrespect. When you realise you are being conned, remember <i>Rule 3</i> (up to a point). Smile, be polite, and say, “No thank you,” and walk away. Professional scammers can be very persistent. Keep smiling, keep repeating “No thanks,” and keep walking.</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Watch out for professional pickpockets.</b> These generally work together in threes. One will distract you, while the second will try and steal your wallet, purse or other valuables. If successful, this person will quickly hand the stolen item to the third person on the team who immediately disappears among other pedestrians or nearby passengers. And all this is happening while you are still being distracted by the first team member!</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Travel light.</b> In 2008 I embarked on my first international trip in more than 30 years. I packed all my ‘essentials’ in the largest suitcase I could find. When I stepped off the plane at Heathrow and began dragging that case through the airport towards the London Underground, I quickly realised I had packed far too much. That suitcase was like a millstone around my neck. On subsequent international trips my bags have become progressively smaller and lighter, and my body thanks me for that fact every time I collect my luggage from airport carousels.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Learn where the public toilets/restrooms are!</b> Obvious, I know, but just the same… Which brings me to …</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Always carry toilet paper with you.</b> Whether this be the last few metres of a toilet roll, tissue paper, or a collection of restaurant serviettes is not important. What is important is that you have something on hand in case of emergency — and it <i>will</i> be an emergency if you don’t have paper when you need it most!</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Don’t forget a change of clothing</b>. If you are planning to stay overnight in a hotel while in transit, do not send your main luggage through to your final destination leaving you with nothing clean to change into when you are ready to continue your journey. Pack a change of clothing in your carryon bag.</span></li><li class="li2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Keep an eye on departure gates</b>. Don’t assume that the initial departure gate you have been given is the final departure point for your flight. Departure gates can be changed for any number of reasons so track your flight number via airport electronic departure boards to ensure you don’t miss your flight.</span></li></ol><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b></b><br /></span></p><p class="p2" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Feel free to add your own travel rules in the comments below…</span></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-59630131319872471862017-10-26T16:37:00.000+10:302018-06-24T11:51:02.711+09:302017 New York City Accounts<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington Square (Click to view full sized)</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">For the past couple of days I have been working on my New York City accounts and I can now report that my total trip expenses amount to <b>$11,003.26</b>.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> I was in the city for 87 days.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">There is one important caveat to this figure, however. Due to the constant fluctuation in the exchange rates, this is not a completely true and accurate record of my expenses. The issue is that I went to New York City with around USD$3630 in cash, which I got on June 12, at whatever the exchange rate was on that day. Whenever I spent some of that cash during the following three months, I converted the figure into Australian dollars based on the exchange rate for that day before logging the expense.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Depending on whether the rate was heading up or down at the precise moment in time that I made the query, I might have been paying more than my original exchange rate or less. The only way to get completely accurate figures would have been to make my calculations using the same exchange rate I got in early June. Of course, I was not about to lose any sleep over this during my trip, and I am certainly not going to do so now. I’m happy to accept that my final expense numbers are very close to the mark, and even happier to put this baby to rest.</span></span><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">As readers will note, my expenses for this trip began in February, three months before my departure date. This was for a gig at City Winery with Dweezil Zappa, the son of the late, great Frank Zappa. I made this booking before I had even booked my flights! Speaking of which, I touched down at JFK international airport on June 16, and departed again from there on September 10 for a total of 87 days in the city.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">For the record $11,000+ averages down to a daily spend at a fraction under $126.50 per day ($126.47 to be precise). This includes airfares, transport (taxis, ferries and trains), accommodation, food, entertainment, museum memberships, and other sundry expenses. Below you can see a breakdown by month of all the major categories I was accounting for.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbYY10Cumvjaao5kcm5zyxHHPOJHIFB5PFTCt_B-4beqQ37G-K_NpQpf-2IwBJQ7G3N3fiTaNmmrFIqxPBCM6TjJeioDKPizQq8ExOlGH4JuhnY7ZHURBuG1mWZHMJKXCfk49abG98EOe/s1600/2017+New+York+City+Accounts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhbYY10Cumvjaao5kcm5zyxHHPOJHIFB5PFTCt_B-4beqQ37G-K_NpQpf-2IwBJQ7G3N3fiTaNmmrFIqxPBCM6TjJeioDKPizQq8ExOlGH4JuhnY7ZHURBuG1mWZHMJKXCfk49abG98EOe/s400/2017+New+York+City+Accounts.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">A few extra comments about these expenses may be in order. For instance, my food costs were spread over three categories, the main two being <i>Eats</i> and <i>Groceries</i>, with <i>Rec</i> (<i>Recreation</i>), also accounting for some additional expenditure. <i>Eats</i>, were light meals and snacks I bought when out and about in the city. These were mostly of the<i> </i>‘coffee to go’ variety, which often included a sandwich of some type. <i>Groceries</i> were mostly supermarket purchases used when I ate at the apartment. All my breakfast meals and numerous lunch and evening meals are accounted for under this heading.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Finally, any meal or drink purchased at a major event (such as gigs at City Winery, Highline Ballroom and such like), were included in my <i>Recreation </i>column. The main purpose of this column was to record expenses associated with fun! These included my MoMA and Metropolitan Museum memberships and visits to other museums, cinema outings, pre-booked gigs, and numerous other activities. Now that I think of it, book purchases ended up in this column as well.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoX4xX7OWB4_D4qJmj5gh03xvSK3wCfwEvuF5-3UKN4mtNIDzHRP2j_Jp0y_F6UOUrNe_9OWjaY2-w7VuV3Uez7pxUlGORoyRNvVRpJ-vd5_MyORKHjmifnzORCRTzEATto1UOHFlUaH9/s1600/20170831_175326.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoX4xX7OWB4_D4qJmj5gh03xvSK3wCfwEvuF5-3UKN4mtNIDzHRP2j_Jp0y_F6UOUrNe_9OWjaY2-w7VuV3Uez7pxUlGORoyRNvVRpJ-vd5_MyORKHjmifnzORCRTzEATto1UOHFlUaH9/s400/20170831_175326.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">Eleven thousand dollars may seem like (and is) a lot of money, but spread across three months it constitutes a real bargain when one takes into account the high cost of living in New York City.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-size: small;">I consider myself extremely fortunate to have a contact living and working in New York who is very accommodating and was able to offer me the use of his Washington Heights apartment for just AUD$2400.00. This breaks down to $27.48 per day for each of the eighty-seven days I spent in the city. Heck, you can't even find a flop house in the city at that price anymore. So if you are reading this Chris, <i>Thank You</i> for giving me a chance to really immerse myself into the life and rhythm of this truly great city. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nc0V9Qy81PjAPkhUANsQAjVOLmaiznr0HmWgOfXCwHMMqbkMTq1t7XoaI2sxrwGSFJ3xo_LXaFe82rQnMBSV6yZ3PwJmEZmQrVFcUUKpok1GFHmDR5Z0JF6rHxaUHVZYzuuVoTjNI72L/s1600/20170723_134646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2nc0V9Qy81PjAPkhUANsQAjVOLmaiznr0HmWgOfXCwHMMqbkMTq1t7XoaI2sxrwGSFJ3xo_LXaFe82rQnMBSV6yZ3PwJmEZmQrVFcUUKpok1GFHmDR5Z0JF6rHxaUHVZYzuuVoTjNI72L/s400/20170723_134646.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My local neighborhood supermarket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click images to view full sized.</span></div>
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Well, wouldn't you know it, a light rain is falling over the city as I write, and the temperature has once again dropped down into the very cool 70s. Not for the first time have I noticed that the temperature is always cooler in Washington Heights compared to that at Midtown, especially at night. Last night for example, when I left the AMC25 cinema, Midtown was its usual hot, steaming self, as were the subways of course. But when I left the 181st street station the temperature was at least 10-15 degrees cooler. I'm tempted to buy a thermometer just so I can check the temp above and below ground in various locations. A little bit of empirical data can go a long way.<br />
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By the time the rain had eased off and then stopped completely, it was well into the afternoon, and there didn't seem much point heading downtown, so another day inside seemed to be the order of the day. In the end, I did pop out to do some more grocery shopping, which accounts for my total expense for the day.<br />
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When I went out, I immediately saw numerous brightly colored notices taped to trees and other convenient places along West 187th Street, my neighborhood shopping strip. Hollywood is coming to Washington Heights, and tomorrow is the filming day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lhx1nMTgG8MhEWjrRhs_3IX-LjvCs-GkOjG8Y-oRpWnfSESjQX9IB-Cm9bun0OANLq3RTx3LjQlBnpKkZ2IKL5m9b9XNbwU5Mi-nm305KV21bWmAjwDavV01J3cEt-mhbZFO_YkIVXeH/s1600/20170725_113134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1600" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lhx1nMTgG8MhEWjrRhs_3IX-LjvCs-GkOjG8Y-oRpWnfSESjQX9IB-Cm9bun0OANLq3RTx3LjQlBnpKkZ2IKL5m9b9XNbwU5Mi-nm305KV21bWmAjwDavV01J3cEt-mhbZFO_YkIVXeH/s320/20170725_113134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Hollywood comes to Washington Heights.</span></div>
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The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/" target="_blank">Internet Movie Database</a> has a listing for a thriller called Asher with a synopsis that reads: "When an ambitious college student infiltrates a militant religious cult for his thesis paper, he befriends a young devout member - who he comes to suspect is plotting a terrorist operation."<br />
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IMDb gives a release date of 2017, and only provides the names of four male actors, one of whom is Danny Glover, an actor that seems to have been missing from the silver screen since his peak years in the Lethal Weapon series of movies. No other information is provided but I'm wondering if this may be a series being made for Amazon. Time will tell.<br />
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<b>Tuesday, July 25, 2017: </b><b>Hollywood Comes to Washington Heights</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEile5_uMIyst3xv1XTlZlOZoNo00p4vDSFSAw8ttF85WwahiEh4tNy9IpgvfbUhJAHWUzpar9NzfJfrjMssLMMUIbP3TqrpwtTUiermOoFn3dd5jzCT0uvrz2AWBbjuw_noUk9nWszkTf2p/s1600/20170725_112948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1145" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEile5_uMIyst3xv1XTlZlOZoNo00p4vDSFSAw8ttF85WwahiEh4tNy9IpgvfbUhJAHWUzpar9NzfJfrjMssLMMUIbP3TqrpwtTUiermOoFn3dd5jzCT0uvrz2AWBbjuw_noUk9nWszkTf2p/s400/20170725_112948.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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The lifting apparatus in the image above, is providing lighting for an indoor shot. Why this particular apartment in Washington Heights? How do decisions like this get made? Below are just some of the production trucks and units lining both sides of W 187th Street where filming was taking place. I would have liked to have hung around to catch more of the action, but I had places to go and things to do.<br />
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I caught up with my cousin Steve for lunch, after which I headed down to the Apple Store at the Oculus to take another look at the new 10.5" iPad Pro.<br />
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I figured that buying the device using credit (which I would need to do), might seem okay, but if I can't pay the card off pretty much immediately -- and I can't -- then the interest for say, two months, along with the currency conversion fees I would be charged will pretty much eliminate any 'savings' I might have made. On the other hand, I will have had a new iPad to work with, and surely that is worth the extra expense. Isn't it? If the Aussie dollar continues to go higher, I will be very tempted to buy. I will keep an eye on the exchange rate over the next week before taking the final plunge.<br />
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A 256Gb model will cost me the equivalent of AUD$1,025.00 here, whereas in Adelaide it would cost me $1,129.00. The young man I was speaking to seemed uninterested in encouraging my purchase, so I said I'd go have a coffee and think about it, and think about it I did. And decided not to buy at this point. I went to Brookfield Place for coffee, and then decided it was time to pay a visit to New Jersey.<br />
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Above and below: The views of the Manhattan skyline are quite spectacular from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Also below, pier supports for one of several long gone shipping jetties still visible on this side of the river. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jQiCByCRuZGVKHevWs4a2D9AmAWioMnrhDmFmI6JJDGAyNr8a0b35laLm57YHPUa_TEkvZ-fF1Um5bLvGqggaVf7ZWW9AilaF8ogEf2TKyoKlQ6w4Dphak1TffFR8Su6sZZNbjAXo7kw/s1600/20170725_175021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jQiCByCRuZGVKHevWs4a2D9AmAWioMnrhDmFmI6JJDGAyNr8a0b35laLm57YHPUa_TEkvZ-fF1Um5bLvGqggaVf7ZWW9AilaF8ogEf2TKyoKlQ6w4Dphak1TffFR8Su6sZZNbjAXo7kw/s400/20170725_175021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I went looking for the longest ferry trip I could find but due to my ignorance, didn't quite make the right choice from the numerous ferry routes available. So instead of going to Edgewater, NJ, which is opposite 138th Street on the Manhattan side of the Hudson. I ended up going to the Port Imperial ferry stop (roughly opposite West 54th St.). Having disembarked there I decided to explore further. Sadly, the main road was bereft of interest, so I walked along the river front for just over a mile to the Guttenberg/North Bergen Waterfront Park at North Bergen.<br />
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The walk along the river passes block after block of very fine looking apartment complexes, and I have to say I was very impressed with what I saw. The apartments facing the Hudson River (seen above), have great views of the Manhattan skyline, and the new developments are surrounded by lush flowerbeds, beautiful trees and shrubs, large areas of lawn, water features, and at least one development had its own swimming pool. I had to admit the location was perfect, except for one major problem - the awful stench of sewage that wafted over the neighborhood.<br />
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The foul odor could be noticed all along the section of walk I undertook, and I thought if this smell is here all year round, that would be a real bummer (no pun intended). There had to be an answer to the stink somewhere, and of course. Dr. Google provided it. A search for 'sewage works near Port Imperial' turned up not one but <i>two</i> sewage plants both within about half a mile of each other, and Google Maps provided the evidence.<br />
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In the image below at bottom left on Port Imperial Blvd (look for three circles that look like pearls), is one facility which seems to be nameless. At top right of the image you will find another three smaller pearl colored circles where the Woodcliff Treatment Plant is located at 7117, River Road, North Bergen, New Jersey. No wonder the air reeks with foul odors. And it was just my luck to have chosen the smelliest part of this lovely section of the New Jersey shoreline to take my walk! Some luck. I can only hope that these two facilities, and others like them are not pumping effluent (even treated effluent) into the Hudson River.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above, a Google Maps screen shot of the offending facilities polluting the air along this section of the Hudson River. As for looking for places to eat - no thanks! </span></div>
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After a short rest at North Bergen, I walked back to the Port Imperial stop and caught what I thought would be the ferry back to the World Trade Center stop near Brookfield Place. Instead the ferry bypassed that stop and continued around to the ferry terminal at the South Street Seaport, which was a nice bonus.<br />
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This area seems to have become a very popular over the past couple of years, with new fashion outlets, restaurants, and cafes springing up close to the waterfront. There is much new development still taking place in the proximity of the old Fulton Fish Market and I expect within another year or two this area will have been transformed into a very hip part of Lower Manhattan.<br />
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I found somewhere to eat in the area, then headed back to the apartment. And that dear reader is how I spent my 40th day in New York City.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The South Street Seaport is going off! </span></div>
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=================================</div>
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Monday 24, July | Expenses $79.46 ($100.25)</div>
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Tuesday 25, July | Expenses $61.35 ($77.55)</div>
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=================================</div>
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-79173259526128870722017-09-22T13:57:00.001+09:302017-09-22T15:11:47.922+09:30The Story So Far... So Far...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ORFuLwkFpYXZCIPmvG0YSozAmkOfanuNeNctGtalBY1DrWsJ0UNaywQAVAFldUhwcqj0bwhp_1dpMKBLs_QhDxIAqo8Th5l5JR8ldA8gST1QR_qsGqgt9xRFILSSkkNPl5OWkuliZncF/s1600/Adam+Kuylenstierna+-+EyeEm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="700" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ORFuLwkFpYXZCIPmvG0YSozAmkOfanuNeNctGtalBY1DrWsJ0UNaywQAVAFldUhwcqj0bwhp_1dpMKBLs_QhDxIAqo8Th5l5JR8ldA8gST1QR_qsGqgt9xRFILSSkkNPl5OWkuliZncF/s400/Adam+Kuylenstierna+-+EyeEm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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No, that's not me in the image above, but it might as well be.<br />
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Just one week after returning from three great months in New York City, I walked head first into the tail-end of the annual cold/flu/viral infection season which has left me bedridden for several days while hawking up seemingly endless amounts of multicoloured mucus into the bin beside my bed.<br />
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Before the virus struck, I thought I was tired due to my constant exertions in New York while trying to make the most of my visit. However, I didn't know what <i>tired</i> was until I woke up on Tuesday morning aching all over and lethargic to the point of complete collapse. Since then I have run through the list of major symptoms and have ticked off pretty much all of them –– including diarrhea!<br />
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As if this post, I think I have bottomed out (no pun intended), and I am once again on the mend, but I am sure that I won't be completely virus free for several days yet. Maybe then, I will be able to get back to finishing off my daily New York City reports.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNg7Iz7FVDUCmCncBulVginRRv6F4DQ5k4w2-SGHpKXbRoW_UNaykuYskYLcT_pq7O4rPK8-MQ3XE2ZyurmrYjbhnxpJf9-mVDT01iko-lOPBpCU6YrptE-5etydPXHJCl-9NXncwxfu4y/s1600/a8d23a83e73c6f5ca810e41da6d2a6f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="650" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNg7Iz7FVDUCmCncBulVginRRv6F4DQ5k4w2-SGHpKXbRoW_UNaykuYskYLcT_pq7O4rPK8-MQ3XE2ZyurmrYjbhnxpJf9-mVDT01iko-lOPBpCU6YrptE-5etydPXHJCl-9NXncwxfu4y/s400/a8d23a83e73c6f5ca810e41da6d2a6f1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>More Information</b><br />
<a href="http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/health+topics/health+conditions+prevention+and+treatment/infectious+diseases/norovirus+infection">Norovirus infection - including symptoms, treatment and prevention...</a><div>
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/australia-hit-by-worst-flu-outbreak-on-record-in-2017/news-story/56d9f7266bcc8a0a7ceacd5298e06d88">Australia hit by worst flu outbreak on record in 2017...</a><br /><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-07-07/real-cause-of-cold-and-flu-symptoms/8656768">Meet the real culprits responsible for your nasty cold or flu symptoms...</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Stay Well.</span></div>
</div>
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-9908292967069830602017-09-07T12:11:00.003+09:302017-09-22T13:14:19.829+09:30New York City: The Story So Far...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyVrgFGpk5vcjQ8belDNV-UZxo0hQIPo1PaQp0vGXlHN7jmBiBOdK2Dx9Lc0LDMLUpzgcMJcmn8MraXalhFifXehJjrKVeTI3tjWsb2tUljKbZiRWdiaZXGJXlS-3D16sIP6S3FFk8OmB/s1600/blogger-image--221500559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="400" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjyVrgFGpk5vcjQ8belDNV-UZxo0hQIPo1PaQp0vGXlHN7jmBiBOdK2Dx9Lc0LDMLUpzgcMJcmn8MraXalhFifXehJjrKVeTI3tjWsb2tUljKbZiRWdiaZXGJXlS-3D16sIP6S3FFk8OmB/s320/blogger-image--221500559.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The story so far...</b> is that I have been so preoccupied making the most of my final weeks and days in New York that I have not made the time to update this blog. However, for the record, here are my main events and activities up until Spetember 6th. This will be my last update until I return to Australia next week. Once I settle in back home, I will return to make a full accounting of the days noted below, and for the remaining four days in this amazing city.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 74</b><br />
Monday 28, August | Expenses $14.00 ($17.70)<br />
<br />
KATH AND JOE ARRIVE IN NEW YORK<br />
I met my friends Joe and Katherine (who had driven all day from Niagara Falls to New York), at the Tavern On The Green in Central Park at 6:30pm and we settled in for a long night of seafood and catching up. We ordered a massive seafood spread that was mostly King-sized shrimps (prawns), crab claws and lobster parts, and oysters of various types, plus several dips and condiments to perk them up with. We shared a bottle of champagne, and finished off with coffee and cake. My friends insisted on paying for the evening, hence my very modest expenses for the day.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 75</b><br />
Tuesday 29, August | Expenses $182.62 ($234.32)<br />
<br />
HANGING OUT WITH KATH AND JOE<br />
I met with Kath and Joe for brunch at one of the Bluestone Café outlets on Fifth Avenue. It was my turn to play host for the day, which explains the more than usual high expenditure today. From the Café we went to the Met Museum where I used two complimentary passes to get them in for free. They were happy to let me lead them to some rooms that I thought they would be interested in, especially the period rooms, the American Wing (where we saw Sara Berman's Closet, the monumental painting, <i>Washington Crossing the Delaware</i>, and the even more monumental Master Piece by Cristóbal de Villapando, <i>The Brazen Serpent and the Transfiguration of Christ</i>.<br />
<br />
We spent several hours at the museum before leaving at around three. We agreed to meet again at The Comic Strip (at 1568, 2nd Avenue), at 7:30pm, for an evening of drinks and laughs. The best of the comedians was Steve Marshall [stevemarshallcomedy.com/], a Jewish guy who spurned the stage and performed his routine while walking among the audience. His was by far the most dynamic, humorous and seat-of-your-pants routine. There were five main acts –– three male and two female. The MC added plenty of laughs, and the night ended with three young comedians who got to try out their five-minute routines on a well-lubricated and receptive audience. The main players each got around 15 minutes each for their acts.<br />
<br />
The comedy formula seems to be a mix of self-deprecating personal stories, exposés of family members and their weird habits, and poking light-hearted fun at audience members.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 76</b><br />
Wednesday 30, August | Expenses $61.24 ($77.55)<br />
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KATH AND JOE DEPART NEW YORK<br />
<br />
I go back to the Museum of Modern Art yet again.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 77</b><br />
Thursday 31, August | Expenses $23.12 ($29.19)<br />
<br />
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center<br />
7.30PM. JAZZRAUSCH BIGBAND **FREE**<br />
Founded in 2014 as the house band of a Munich club, the 40-piece ensemble, Jazzrausch Bigband (rausch is the German word for intoxication) has been quietly revolutionizing the German club scene with endlessly inventive performances of everything from hip-hop and house to dubstep and classical. Over the last two years they have become a regular presence at several renowned Munich music venues, including the famed jazz club Unterfahrt, indie spot Cord, and techno club Harry Klein, probably making them the only resident big band of a techno club in the world. With German fans already won over, the band has begun to attract a fervent international following soon to include Lincoln Center audiences. http://www.lincolncenter.org/show/jazzrausch-bigband<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">September</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 78</b><br />
Friday 1, September | Expenses $64.70 ($81.58)<br />
<br />
<b>WALKING TO NEW JERSEY</b><br />
I was a fine cool day as I set out to walk across the George Washington Bridge to Fort Lee, New Jersey. I first did this walk in 2010, and as I remember it, I encountered maybe half-a-dozen other people on the walkway on that occasion. Today, to my surprise, during the time it took me to complete the walk, I estimate that at least 40-50 people were walking or riding bikes across the bridge.<br />
<br />
Once at Fort Lee, I spent some time looking through the small but interesting displays on show in the museum there. I also explored the park more this time, and was surprised to see a number of reconstructed buildings and battlements in the park. These are used for historic reenactments which take place from time to time on the site.<br />
<br />
On my last visit, I had seen a deer wandering nonchalantly through the grounds, and I wondered if it, or its kin were still there. Sure enough, during my walk through the grounds I spotted another deer (surely it could not have been the same one). I couldn't help wondering if other visitors had seen it. It occurs to me that most people walk <i>through</i> nature, not <i>in nature</i>, and therefore miss much of the beauty of the natural environment. This fact is made even worse today, when people close themselves off from nature and the physical world with smartphones and ear buds that drown out natural sounds with a constant stream of social media posts and updates, music, games, and video streaming.<br />
<br />
From Fort Lee, I decided to walk to the Edgewater ferry stop and take a ride back to Manhattan. I made the journey in time to catch the first ferry of the afternoon which deposited me at 79th street. I was by this time very tired, and my feet were killing me. My right ankle was especially sore, and I was grateful for the relief the 12 minute ferry ride gave me, despite its briefness.<br />
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I mapped the walk and it totaled 10.2km, which is the longest walk I have made during this visit to New York. Ask me tomorrow morning if it was a good idea. I did a little grocery shopping before settling in for the evening, and thus ended Day 78 in New York City.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 79</b><br />
Saturday 2, September | Expenses $19.00 ($23.85)<br />
<br />
I arranged to meet a friend from Adelaide at the Brooklyn Museum at 2:00pm. The museum offers pay-what-you-wish admission on the first Saturday of the month, and after a ridiculously convoluted fight with the dysfunctional subway system (the 2 and 3 trains which run closest to the museum a not running at all this weekend!), I finally reached the museum some ten or fifteen minutes after three.<br />
<br />
I had a quick look at a new exhibition, The Legacy of Lynching, and that was about it, before leaving with Clayton and heading back to Manhattan and Greenwich Village, where we dropped into the Bitter End for the last hour of the Saturday open mic. He had to return to his future in-laws place at Cobble Hill, where his son is also staying. After we parted, I was going to treat myself to a decent meal, but then decided to return to Washington Heights and eat in––a decision which made for a very cheap day out.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 80</b><br />
Sunday 3, September | Expenses $78.00 ($98.00)<br />
<br />
WASHINGTON SQUARE<br />
Dropped by the square on my way to the Bitter End. The place was buzzing with visitors and locals including a Japanese jazz combo, and the usual group of guitarists bashing out old pop hits.<br />
<br />
THE BITTER END<br />
I met my Australian friend Clayton at The Malt House (www.themalthousevillage.com/ at 206 Thompson Street, Greenwich Village), where we both had a burrito and a beer. We made it to the Bitter End in time to see an exciting young singer-songwriter called Alex Creamer who played and sang with lots of confidence and wrote songs with a strong political focus. I bought her four-song EP ($5.00), and will follow her development and career with interest. She is online in all the usual places: facebook.com/alexcreamermusic, alexcreamer.com and elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Alex was followed by a male and then a female singer who were both okay, but I didn't get the sense that they were going to set the world on fire anytime soon. The last act was a guy from England by way of Tokyo where he lives and works and has his own group. He was very entertaining, both with his songs and his introductions. He also played a very affective 'Mouth trumpet' using only his pursed lips, and a powerful set of lungs. I wish I had made a note of his name, but I was enjoying his performance too much to do that.<br />
<br />
We stayed to catch the first hour of Luba Dvorak’s Acoustic Ramble, which I thought was really rocking more than usual. A local New Yorker who shared our table said that Luba had moved to Houston, Texas, and that he was now pursuing his musical career there. His guitar playing and his stage persona have improved greatly since I saw him last year, and his is another career that is worth following.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 81</b><br />
Monday 4, September | Expenses $33.80 ($42.55)<br />
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MET MUSEUM MONDAY<br />
Once again I made my way to the Met Museum for possible the penultimate time. I made a point of visiting galleries I had not previously been to, including the Middle Eastern ones, as well as several others. While I was passing through the Oceania rooms, it occurred to me that neither the Met or MoMA have any contemporary Australian works on show. This was borne out when I asked a staff member about the lack of Australian representation in the museum. She immediately used her iPad to search through the online site and pretty much all she could find were aboriginal artifacts.<br />
<br />
I later did my own search and sure enough, there appears to be no major Australian artists like William Dobell, Russell Drysdale, Arthur Boyd, Arthur Streeton, Albert Namajira, or others. However, there do seem to be plenty of cartoons by Mark Oliphant, but the big names are conspicuously missing. I will undertake a more detailed search of both sites to see who they have in their collections, and try to establish whether any are on show.<br />
<br />
BOOK BUYING AT HOUSING WORKS<br />
From the Met, I bussed it down to Crosby Street where the Housing Works Bookstore Café was having a 30%-off sale on all stock this past weekend and holiday Monday. I went in hoping to find one or two Rebecca Solnit books to add to my collection, but I could not find one, which is not to say they didn't have one or two of her books. I just was unable to find them, if they had them.<br />
<br />
You know what I'm going to say now, of course––since I couldn't find Solnit I bought other books instead; namely <i>If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem</i>, by William Faulkner (($4.00; $5.03, 290pp); <i>The Unvanquished,</i> also by William Faulkner (($4.00; $5.03, 254 pp), and <i>One of Ours</i>, by Willa Cather ($4.00; $5.03, 370pp). Tomorrow night I will add Jesmyn Ward's new book, <i>Sing, Unburied, Sing</i>, and that will definitely be my last book purchase for this trip.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 82</b><br />
Tuesday 5, September | Expenses $73.85 ($92.30)<br />
<br />
MET MUSEUM and JESMYN WARD: SING, UNBURIED, SING<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In Jesmyn Ward’s first novel since her National Book Award-winning <i>Salvage The Bones,</i> this singular American writer brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. Drawing on Morrison and Faulkner, The Odyssey and the Old Testament, Ward gives us an epochal story, a journey through Mississippi’s past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jojo and his toddler sister, Kayla, live with their grandparents, Mam and Pop, and the occasional presence of their drug-addicted mother, Leonie, on a farm on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Leonie is simultaneously tormented and comforted by visions of her dead brother, which only come to her when she’s high; Mam is dying of cancer; and quiet, steady Pop tries to run the household and teach Jojo how to be a man. When the white father of Leonie’s children is released from prison, she packs her kids and a friend into her car and sets out across the state for Parchman farm, the Mississippi State Penitentiary, on a journey rife with danger and promise. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Sing, Unburied, Sing </i>grapples with the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power, and limitations of the bonds of family. Rich with Ward’s distinctive, musical language, Sing, Unburied, Sing is a majestic new work and an essential contribution to American literature.</blockquote>
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======================================<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 83</b><br />
Wednesday 6, September | Expenses $21.00 ($26.25)<br />
<br />
WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART<br />
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-35775120511296500242017-09-04T03:22:00.004+09:302017-10-03T13:09:33.183+10:30NYC Days 72 & 73: All That Jazz and Charlie Parker Too<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhCdWKgUk6wSNAjirrlRYnlND5TCwqtu2BNx8_vDjJKabhtp8vgSo43tbrLzraHk2sjnq7V3mFzrJvlUY_Vw2yYNdx6obV2g9BnpiBcf7oBezY5RdfEQoux7DPHRZxm_vQ3grcIq1XlPg/s1600/20170827_182726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1600" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHhCdWKgUk6wSNAjirrlRYnlND5TCwqtu2BNx8_vDjJKabhtp8vgSo43tbrLzraHk2sjnq7V3mFzrJvlUY_Vw2yYNdx6obV2g9BnpiBcf7oBezY5RdfEQoux7DPHRZxm_vQ3grcIq1XlPg/s400/20170827_182726.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Panoramic view of Tompkins Square Park audience.</div>
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 72</b><br />
Saturday 26, August | Expenses $8.00 ($10.05)<br />
Eats $6.00 ($7.55)<br />
Other $2.00 ($2.50)<br />
<br />
<b>25 YEARS OF THE CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FESTIVAL</b><br />
Each year the City Parks Foundation assembles some of the finest musicians in the world who reflect Charlie Parker’s musical individuality and genius, to promote appreciation for this highly influential and world-renowned artist. This year the organization celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, a vibrant – and free – celebration of jazz in New York, bringing together stories, veteran players and the next generation of jazz artists.<br />
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I caught the final two concerts over the weekend of August 26 and 27, and these account for Days 72 & 73 of my New York City stay. The first four hour feast of Jazz took place from 3:00pm to 7:00pm at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. On the bill, in order of appearance were Charenee Wade, Louis Hayes, Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science, and finally, the Lee Konitz Quartet. The second four hour event took place at Tompkins Square Park where I believe the festival had its beginnings 25 years ago. On the bill that day were Alicia Olatuja, Tia Fuller, Lou Donaldson, and Joshua Redman.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlTEEGm91zidSg25umUEb-lelZLz9x1LzWyGNdL43dXzAJQ-oNSHNaFMzYxJYCiqN4PNs5PLoo87kQdAsBv8H2hXMisufP7aaPQ6tQijywvJcpIToR9ut_F9S_iJf13ljD4b08jYwesdn/s1600/20170826_153317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHlTEEGm91zidSg25umUEb-lelZLz9x1LzWyGNdL43dXzAJQ-oNSHNaFMzYxJYCiqN4PNs5PLoo87kQdAsBv8H2hXMisufP7aaPQ6tQijywvJcpIToR9ut_F9S_iJf13ljD4b08jYwesdn/s400/20170826_153317.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Above: Charenee Wade</div>
<b>CHARENEE WADE</b><br />
Charenee Wade is described in the program notes as "a brave new voice on the modern jazz frontier, intent on using her gift to address social change." I didn't get the name of all her fellow musicians, but I did note the name of her brilliant saxophonist Letitia Benjamin.<br />
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<b>LOUIS HAYES</b><br />
Louis Hayes has a jazz resume that goes back to the heyday of jazz when he was a drummer for John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Cannonball Adderley, to name just a few of the greats he has played with. Given the people he performed with, you won't be surprised to learn that Louis Hayes is now 80 years of age, and still drumming with a sure hand and a steady beat.<br />
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<b>TERRI LYNE CARRINGTON</b><br />
Terri Lyne Carrington is a rare phenomenon, not just in jazz but in pretty much any other music genre you care to name since she is drummer, and a great drummer and percussionist at that. Terri and her fellow musicians perform as Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science. Terri's original jazz compositions also offer something rare within the genre with one of her band members adding beats and hip hop style vocals to some songs––several of which are quite political, something else which I assume is fairly rare in modern jazz. I managed to jot down some random lines from one song which will give you are sense of her concerns: "Complacency has its price"; "The battle has just begun," and "How long can freedom wait?"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpuy2NA17tYfEZ-CmXySGufVE1EXZmyue-izSfC1gUGi0ryg2bUw0sUm_D8SykgJYouekYw2bmHzWtf_Zf-Ebx1l7v1FdhO9CQoC585PxxsH-Whr93KXzA6E7KPdYzVlDX3vS1f0hT1_L/s1600/20170826_182635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1600" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfpuy2NA17tYfEZ-CmXySGufVE1EXZmyue-izSfC1gUGi0ryg2bUw0sUm_D8SykgJYouekYw2bmHzWtf_Zf-Ebx1l7v1FdhO9CQoC585PxxsH-Whr93KXzA6E7KPdYzVlDX3vS1f0hT1_L/s400/20170826_182635.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above: Lee Konitz, 89 years young<br />
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<b>LEE KONITZ QUARTET</b><br />
The final group of the day was the Lee Konitz Quartet. If I thought Louis Hayes was old at 80, I was in for a bigger surprise when the 89 year old Lee Konitz walked on stage with his relatively young trio of supporting musicians behind him. From time to time Lee's onstage antics bordered on farce when he kept refusing to stand or sit in one place––specifically, directly in front of the microphones––and kept wandering around the stage while he played his alto-saxophone un-miked, much to the consternation of the sound crew and his fellow musicians.<br />
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<b>Dateline: New York, New York : Day 73</b><br />
Sunday 27, August | Expenses $29.55 ($37.20)<br />
Eats $23 55 ($29.65)<br />
Shopping $6.00 ($7.55)<br />
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FREE: SUMMERSTAGE: Joshua Redman Quartet / Lou Donaldson / Tia Fuller<br />
CHARLIE PARKER JAZZ FESTIVAL MUSIC : JOSHUA REDMAN QUARTET / LOU DONALDSON / TIA FULLER / ALICIA OLATUJA<br />
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Tompkins Square Park, E. 7th St. and Avenue A, Manhattan<br />
Jazz veterans and rising stars pay tribute to innovator and Bebop master, Charlie “Bird” Parker.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOaxC1s9AL7QgzRFznVM_LYfK_OO7Sz3aecrbwVH6B4KANCP-T1QaDEJso4osyeIZRUZwvDH9-ylmOEj8MwGJc6BEJ2BasB1HKoVC0yrDcLgvVyIKPFaniyp0Ji2jTpCXj1AM4hqZwAzK/s1600/20170827_151614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOaxC1s9AL7QgzRFznVM_LYfK_OO7Sz3aecrbwVH6B4KANCP-T1QaDEJso4osyeIZRUZwvDH9-ylmOEj8MwGJc6BEJ2BasB1HKoVC0yrDcLgvVyIKPFaniyp0Ji2jTpCXj1AM4hqZwAzK/s400/20170827_151614.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Above Alicia Olatuja<br />
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<b>ALICIA OLATUJA</b><br />
Ever since Alicia Olatuja took center stage at President Obama’s 2nd inauguration, as the featured soloist with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, this luminous songstress has been in exceedingly high demand. It wasn’t long before she put together her very own backing jazz ensemble and released 2014’s aptly named Timeless, a testimony to her ageless voice. Reared in St. Louis, with the echoes of venerated blues and jazz artists past coursing through her veins, Olatuja emigrated to New York to complete her Master’s degree in Classical Voice & Opera at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Migrating from strictly opera and musical theater performance, she began feeling her gospel and soul roots, as she shared the stage with legends Chaka Khan, BeBe Winans and Christian McBride. Shortly thereafter, famed composer Billy Childs tapped Olatuja (praised by the New York Times for her “luscious tone”) for a nationwide tour of original works honoring Laura Nyro. Performing with her own band at virtually every jazz festival under the sun, this velvet voiced woman, with soul to spare, has only just begun to shine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInwlk_juV94VUB-bIOMG85tnF_hEVkYeFE6eIRfOOWKy9DJKw3SInbPtbcJwHL8A7ti3bzpuBTH_HV7jK2an5E4Yh3qGbciQAKZ_JfnyKJh6hduCUSLPR1rsOcKWcvHNvVihnMhpl_7Nq/s1600/20170827_164443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInwlk_juV94VUB-bIOMG85tnF_hEVkYeFE6eIRfOOWKy9DJKw3SInbPtbcJwHL8A7ti3bzpuBTH_HV7jK2an5E4Yh3qGbciQAKZ_JfnyKJh6hduCUSLPR1rsOcKWcvHNvVihnMhpl_7Nq/s400/20170827_164443.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above: Tia Fuller</div>
<b>TIA FULLER</b><br />
Tia Fuller is a saxophone virtuosa, a touring artist and full-time professor (at the Berklee School of Music). Having been featured on the cover Saxophone Today, Jazz Education Journal, and JazzTimes Magazine, she is a one of the world’s best jazz multi-instrumentalists. Tia was selected to be a member of the all-female band touring with Beyoncé, as part of the I AM..Sasha Fierce and Beyoncé Experience World Tour promoting the superstar’s CD’s, where Tia has played in various venues throughout the US, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. She is a featured soloist on the Beyoncé Experience DVD (Me, Myself and I), I AM Yours I DVD (Wynn Theatre) and also appeared on number of major television shows, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Today Show, Good Morning America, BET Awards, American Music Awards and Total Request Live, and the 2010 Grammy Awards. She has also performed as the featured soloist with Beyoncé for President Obama at the White House. Tia has recorded four albums with her quartet. The first was 2005’s Pillar of Strength, followed by 2007’s Healing Space, an offering of “melodic medicine.” Her third album, 2010’s Decisive Steps, took the #1 JazzWeek rating for two weeks straight, and nominated for their Best Jazz album. In 2012, she released her 4th album, Angelic Warrior, which received praise from Wall Street Journal, New York Times and numerous jazz publications. Tia’s quartet has performed all over the world at many prestigious venues and she’s received numerous awards, winning Downbeat Critic’s Poll-‘Rising Star’ two years in a row for Soprano Sax (2014), Alto Sax and Flute (2013). Between balancing her teaching and tour life, Tia feels that she is fulfilling her purpose here on this earth, that is to “serve as a light for others.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqS2fxgANBHWQGUe5z5kL8Vtmud_eh-FC0F1ZfuH0MaOBeUA16WvYyJD5OacE728BhqCJBlsMqAdy328rzPuSgh2Dya-Rur5Ekqu_sGvY1NUgWNxwdXk99n9TMI_tJ6q2ADyqgm0jaKE2/s1600/20170827_172033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsqS2fxgANBHWQGUe5z5kL8Vtmud_eh-FC0F1ZfuH0MaOBeUA16WvYyJD5OacE728BhqCJBlsMqAdy328rzPuSgh2Dya-Rur5Ekqu_sGvY1NUgWNxwdXk99n9TMI_tJ6q2ADyqgm0jaKE2/s400/20170827_172033.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
The irrepressible Lou Donaldson on stage.<br />
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<b>LOU DONALDSON</b><br />
When someone mentions the greatest alto saxophonists of all time, only one name truly stands out: that of “Sweet Poppa Lou” Donaldson. With origins as the bandleader of Blue Note Records in the 1950s, Donaldson had already established himself as a new voice in jazz at only 25 years of age. As he directed many albums at this time, Sweet Poppa Lou was proud to collaborate with the biggest jazz instrumentalists of the day. With numerous recordings in the bag, Donaldson broke out with 1967’s Alligator Bogaloo, a revolution in the form, as he boisterously showcased his virtuoso status. His long and storied career has garnered him too many achievements to list; but his induction into the International Jazz Hall of Fame and the his naming as a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master (the absolute zenith of awards in the jazz realm) can not be left unmentioned. His bluesy, unmatched style is still on full display, as he dazzles and amazes crowds with his nimble fingers and crystal clear sound.<br />
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<b>JOSHUA REDMAN</b><br />
“Unparalleled among horn players today,” is the way JazzTimes (and a host of other noteworthy publications and critics, in so many words) describe longtime jazz legend Joshua Redman. Often referred to as one of the top sax men of his generation, Redman has worked with some of the most treasured jazz artists of all time, counting McCoy Tyner, Brad Mehldau, The Bad Plus, and Brooklyn Rider. While he has the ability to seamlessly blend into an ensemble and flawlessly synergize with the group, he can just as easily break out into a solo that drops the jaws of jazz fans of all ages. While his globally-successful recorded albums are a delight, many posit that his live shows are simply the stuff of legend. Aside from his stellar saxophone majesty, Redman is a stupendous composer and bandleader. With longstanding friends and collaborators at his side (Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers, and Gregory Hutchinson), Redman leads The Joshua Redman Quartet to unprecedented heights of musical innovation. With stylistic motifs that date back to the ‘50s, the Joshua Redman Quartet is still a cutting-edge, thoroughly modern enterprise in jazz celebration.<br />
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NOTE: All artist information gratefully supplied by <a href="http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/" target="_blank"><b>City Parks Foundation</b></a> website.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4YahkQPKpxEuNxNdRhxg2yrlT1tgAr5KmU2oC2Qmz4AtyihNfUKxBf-6f7gGrgkau3t-Bwui853OddoJCBuZnwrZn3E8finyYjtlR6S76w08HFMYCknzUwSyTlUxq7UxLmt7tIjC5cq5/s1600/20170825_185238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid4YahkQPKpxEuNxNdRhxg2yrlT1tgAr5KmU2oC2Qmz4AtyihNfUKxBf-6f7gGrgkau3t-Bwui853OddoJCBuZnwrZn3E8finyYjtlR6S76w08HFMYCknzUwSyTlUxq7UxLmt7tIjC5cq5/s320/20170825_185238.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Livingston Taylor, next up at the Rubin Museum's Naked Soul series on September 8.</div>
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Friday 25, August | Expenses $68.69 ($88.47)<br />
Martha Wainwright Tix $36.00 ($47.30)<br />
Groceries $32.68 ($41.17)<br />
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<b>4:00PM. Museum of Modern Art: Children of Men</b><br />
2006. USA/Great Britain/Japan. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Screenplay by Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby. With Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Julianne Moore.<br />
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<b>MARTHA WAINWRIGHT @ THE RUBIN MUSEUM</b><br />
7:00PM. With an undeniable voice and an arsenal of powerful songs, Martha Wainwright is a beguiling performer and a refreshingly different force in music. Martha was born in New York City to folk legends Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III. She is Rufus Wainwright’s sister, and they often collaborate in shows and on records.<br />
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This performance is part of the Naked Soul series which presents performances without microphones or amplifiers, as if the music were, acoustically speaking, naked. The musicians in the series draw upon the universal themes inherent in Himalayan art—spirituality, peace, tolerance, wisdom, compassion—on select Friday evenings.<br />
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<b>NAKED SOUL</b><br />
The Rubin Museum's Naked Soul series of summer performances for 2017, has (and continues) to feature a stellar lineup of great singer-songwriters in one of the most intimate performance venues in the city. The concept behind Naked Soul is that performers sing without microphones or amplifiers, as if the music were, acoustically speaking, naked. The musicians in the series draw upon the universal themes inherent in Himalayan art––spirituality, peace, tolerance, wisdom, and compassion.<br />
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Among the thirteen acts appearing this year along with Martha Wainwright are Susan Werner, Martha Redbone, David Wilcox, John Doe, New Cicada Trio, Livingston Taylor, Tim O'Brien, Toshi Reagon, and Brooklyn Raga Massive: Raga Cubana.<br />
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Naked Soul is one three major music series that take place at the Rubin Museum. Others are the weekly Wednesday evening Spiral Music performances that take place at the foot of the museum's spectacular spiral staircase––hence the series name. To quote the museum's summer guide: "Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music, and the art in the galleries."<br />
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The other program is the Rhythms Of India series: "From timeless ragas to contemporary fusion, Rhythms of India performers explore the varied traditions of Indian music..." in the Rubin's "intimate, cherrywood-lined theater."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnC9VmcyQfhbmwdLH8IUpIJL7SIIM8Hq8byys5SGXi6D7pb7eEgkHuLclQ37qqvN_72eqRXylf1NnJ1m8aQRPiF3kLI9GzjrUo6zAL3VLQwSdaDfZgWuvFcg7ogplZHhIuiQ5sop-1mGzj/s1600/20170825_185302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnC9VmcyQfhbmwdLH8IUpIJL7SIIM8Hq8byys5SGXi6D7pb7eEgkHuLclQ37qqvN_72eqRXylf1NnJ1m8aQRPiF3kLI9GzjrUo6zAL3VLQwSdaDfZgWuvFcg7ogplZHhIuiQ5sop-1mGzj/s320/20170825_185302.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tim O'Brien appears on November 17, 2017</div>
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<b>More Information</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.rubinmuseum.org/" target="_blank"><span id="goog_741912350"></span>Rubin Museum of Art...</a><span id="goog_741912351"></span></b><br />
150 West 17th Street, New York<br />
TIX: Adults $15; Seniors & Students $10; Kids 12 and under <i>Free</i><br />
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Thursday 24, August | Expenses $25.48 ($43.65)<br />
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<b>Guggenheim No Go Zone</b><br />
I made a decision to visit the Guggenheim Museum today. As far as I can recall, the last time I went would have been in 2010. Anyway, whatever the last year of my last visit, today I was going to make my return. I actually left the house around 11:00AM which is very early for me, and caught an M4 bus for the ride down Fifth Avenue. I got out near the museum and headed for the main entrance only to find that this much vaunted institution is closed on Thursdays. Of course I remembered this as soon as I was confronted by the closed doors and the many other visitors who were milling around the entrance wondering how their plans for the day had already started going awry.<br />
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Seriously, Guggenheim, what the heck? During the height of the tourist season, why close the doors and shut out hundreds, if not several thousand visitors? It just doesn't make economic sense. It's not as if you need to close down to do a stock take, or polish the floors, or install a new exhibition, or clean the toilets, or have a staff training session, or... [add your own spurious reason here}.<br />
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When other major museums find ways to stay open later than usual during the peak summer tourist season, the Guggenheim finds ways to justify closing its doors. I'm sure I'm not the only one who left in a confused huff, and ruled out returning when the museum was supposed to be open.<br />
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<b>Robert Lehman Collection</b><br />
Since I was in the vicinity, there was nothing for it but to head farther down Fifth Avenue and pay another visit to the Met Museum. The first thing I did once there, was join the 2:00pm tour of the Robert Lehman Wing. The wing was built to display the Robert Lehman Collection, "one of the most extraordinary private art collections ever assembled in North America. The collection of nearly 3,000 works of art––dating from the Middle Ages to modernity––was assembled by Mr. Lehman...and by his father Philip."<br />
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And further: "...the display of this encyclopedic collection of European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture, frames, textiles, majolica, glass, and other decorative arts recalls the ambiance of a private house and radiates the fine connoisseurship of a remarkable American family."<br />
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The docent who led the tour was well versed in the collection (or at least she was extremely knowledgeable about those works she chose to highlight), spoke loudly and clearly, and deserved the appreciative round of applause and many expressions of thanks from those of us on the 80-minute tour. Indeed, an excellent indication of her skill as a tour guide is the fact that none of the group members left the tour before it was over, as often happens on these occasions.<br />
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<b>Sara Berman's Closet</b><br />
After a much needed break for refreshments, I went up to the American Wing in search of Sara Berman's Closet. Sara Berman was born in the village of Lenin in Belarus on March 15, 1920.<br />
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Marie Kondo, the Japanese woman who promotes the concept of decluttering your home would have been proud of Sara, had she known her and seen her minimalist closet in daily use.<br />
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<span id="goog_1707135692"></span><span id="goog_1707135693"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2ACjgrVwDqT8NVeWV5TMa5Py84J_i6ZR7HP789HOUeauU2Yx34hrK5IpfujN5Yt145irgADFvT48uBt1gdcEw_XSXk_rvxCknGxFCSxfz8WWmhTC6PqaBCM3FunW8JItFtQjaY4DOsZH/s1600/F59B34C6-5552-44FD-A16A-C135F4D01A16-3554-000007D25C3CC36D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="460" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2ACjgrVwDqT8NVeWV5TMa5Py84J_i6ZR7HP789HOUeauU2Yx34hrK5IpfujN5Yt145irgADFvT48uBt1gdcEw_XSXk_rvxCknGxFCSxfz8WWmhTC6PqaBCM3FunW8JItFtQjaY4DOsZH/s400/F59B34C6-5552-44FD-A16A-C135F4D01A16-3554-000007D25C3CC36D.jpeg" width="400" /></a><br />
<div>
The modern main entrance of the Morgan Museum</div>
...</div>
Wednesday 23, August | Expenses $28.00 ($35.40)<br />
Eats $15.00 ($18.95)<br />
Recreation $13.00 ($16.45)<br />
<br />
MORGAN MUSEUM & LIBRARY<br />
I am way behind in recording my daily New York adventures––or at least recording the main event of the day. as I count down to the final day of my stay in the Big Apple, I feel like I have more important things to do than spend a couple of hours updating the blog each morning. Therefore, I––and you, dear reader––are going to have to settle for basic placeholders until I find time to make a better accounting of each day. More than likely, this will not happen until I return to Australia in the second week of September.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MpWSfBLsN_LmNQGv5Kb4vuIdTGEUx7npG7G-9FzxBbTCwIfPBQB4vczejHR3909DqWuhmYUcbvPT6t-X82f893JBZyKNrZo3k8GQFNNFGTbmpyM0gTa0ra0R8oEU9EjOFwh1o_eqaZLE/s1600/D3DAC49A-6C07-4DAA-88B0-9FB38257EDE3-3554-000007D2B1A2770C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1499" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1MpWSfBLsN_LmNQGv5Kb4vuIdTGEUx7npG7G-9FzxBbTCwIfPBQB4vczejHR3909DqWuhmYUcbvPT6t-X82f893JBZyKNrZo3k8GQFNNFGTbmpyM0gTa0ra0R8oEU9EjOFwh1o_eqaZLE/s400/D3DAC49A-6C07-4DAA-88B0-9FB38257EDE3-3554-000007D2B1A2770C.jpeg" width="400" /></a><br />
A view of the Morgan Library<br />
...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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======================================</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wednesday 23, August | Expenses $28.00 ($35.40)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
======================================</div>
<br />
Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK0ba4-M9-CNCluj9N_qhenw4pvPEwwkD_TFHoiAHF-4eQD2yPuojAdLwDwJQFwiR9snWPKppdDJwFDfoVSX8WJ63uxw0iuPW7GAiKOuDYrjzUKgssRSHhB8Vz6eb9hKopPqmaVGv3i9K/s1600/IMG_4876.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1024" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfK0ba4-M9-CNCluj9N_qhenw4pvPEwwkD_TFHoiAHF-4eQD2yPuojAdLwDwJQFwiR9snWPKppdDJwFDfoVSX8WJ63uxw0iuPW7GAiKOuDYrjzUKgssRSHhB8Vz6eb9hKopPqmaVGv3i9K/s400/IMG_4876.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My route across Brooklyn as mapped by my Map My Walk app.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...</div>
<b>ON THE BUSES ACROSS EAST NEW YORK</b><br />
Today I had every intention of going for a long walk along Brooklyn Bridge Park, which follows the East River for some considerable distance. However, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and it didn't take long before the heat and high humidity dissuaded me from that idea. So what was I to do? After I surfaced from the A-train at the High Street/Brooklyn Bridge station in Brooklyn, I made a spur of the moment decision to board the nearest bus, and see where it would take me.<br />
<br />
Yes folks, I was about to play the End Of The Line Game one more time.<br />
<br />
The nearest bus turned out to be for the B25 route. I picked it up in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge on Front Street, and before too long I found myself wending my way along the miles long Fulton Street, towards Broadway Junction where I the bus was due to end its run. At Broadway Junction I boarded a B83 bus which was heading to what I assumed was a mall of some type called, Gateway Center, somewhere on the edge of Jamaica Bay (No, not that Jamaica!).<br />
<br />
I have written before about my reasons for catching buses rather than taking the subway, which is invariably faster and more direct. However, the subway lines don't take you to every corner of greater New York City, and besides, you don't get to see much of the city while speeding through deep, dark tubes underground.<br />
<br />
Let me just say that I am not all that familiar with the far reaches of the outer boroughs. While many parts of this vast city are well maintained, and even quite beautiful, I know that there are others parts that are in desperate need of maintenance and beautification. These areas include parts of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn.<br />
<br />
In Brooklyn, despite the gentrification that is slowly transforming those neighborhoods bordering the East River, the farther away you get from the river and Manhattan the worse the borough begins to look. And so it was, that as I sat on my B25 and B83 buses, I found myself, and not for the first time, as the only non-person of color, or non-Spanish speaker, gazing out the windows as we passed through the neighborhoods of Fort Greene to Crown Heights to Brownsville, and finally to East New York.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0r9mW6DLBLSvYi45wSwmg8I9rE_K50ltm-P1WqUfs1i6AWZp2GjjIDyd40c6yxq2tn2Rg8-jcHqX4i4CGgGIXFhA_3hW-56y-u2KHnQti-UtFsIMJpWVexEBS1E7TdGACVWSMGxXf6IEp/s1600/20170822_134830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0r9mW6DLBLSvYi45wSwmg8I9rE_K50ltm-P1WqUfs1i6AWZp2GjjIDyd40c6yxq2tn2Rg8-jcHqX4i4CGgGIXFhA_3hW-56y-u2KHnQti-UtFsIMJpWVexEBS1E7TdGACVWSMGxXf6IEp/s400/20170822_134830.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above and Below: A couple of images from my bus seat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMJyy3CyVg38EH144UUnsaf9IzB6OznVfH-e8ROqa92kf1mh539lKM1t8VLWBPhYMw-GPO9LQWQunsil0eezNDnflGX570q4xkbCjGWTQQWL8i6KnH-VZ96s6roigDTHJ8FmBRygVLnua/s1600/20170822_124057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSMJyy3CyVg38EH144UUnsaf9IzB6OznVfH-e8ROqa92kf1mh539lKM1t8VLWBPhYMw-GPO9LQWQunsil0eezNDnflGX570q4xkbCjGWTQQWL8i6KnH-VZ96s6roigDTHJ8FmBRygVLnua/s400/20170822_124057.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmPhiiV10JKQVOtm7tj-P7ZJqmDB5Ei9UNquVQ6Z8l9oSUaC5Pxu8nah31vwwm2v4xF6qgNdTnvUqEVBgciIXS0mRCqS5DhWNL_rON3mUh2ws1OZhuYW5gx4TstBc8wxzHXSWLAsp7nr9/s1600/20170822_120913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmPhiiV10JKQVOtm7tj-P7ZJqmDB5Ei9UNquVQ6Z8l9oSUaC5Pxu8nah31vwwm2v4xF6qgNdTnvUqEVBgciIXS0mRCqS5DhWNL_rON3mUh2ws1OZhuYW5gx4TstBc8wxzHXSWLAsp7nr9/s400/20170822_120913.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Above the Brooklyn War Memorial</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...</div>
It soon became apparent that these outer neighborhoods are among the poorest and least serviced areas of the city. I was amazed at the number of shopfront churches that line the main roads through these neighborhoods. On one short Fulton Street block, there were seven such storefront churches vying for the hearts and souls of the local residents.<br />
<br />
Seven!<br />
<br />
Starting at 2077 Fulton Street and working your way up you will find The Melchizedk House of Prayer; the Spanish American Christian Church; the New Hope Pentecostal Church; the Blessed Assurance Church of God; Emanuel Christian Church; Gethsemane Baptist Church, and finally Saved To Serve Ministries Inc.<br />
<br />
Other nearby churches sported names like Full Gospel Church of God #2 Inc, St. Paul's Pentecostal Church of God, and the St. Matthew Fire Baptist. The Full Gospel Tabernacle-Faith was right next to The Spiritual Israel Church and its Army, both of which were close to the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, and on and on and on. In fact all of the above churches were within a few blocks of each other as were numerous others.<br />
<br />
If the neighborhood streets are not taken up by these 'churches', they are are filled with Crown Fried Chicken, and Kennedy Fried Chicken (and other fast food) outlets. Then there are the many Unisex Beauty Parlors, local deli's, small supermarkets and dozens of other small businesses eking out a living from some of the poorest citizens of this great city..<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvN0JT3H0M_Lnr-lVAPKjf_oakRnFzqnEW8JcxMKWSWmt04B5sHKzKC1jd6vI4TXWVNpPT3iupCaV65IDjm21hHWNnH7y1kF8p_YnkvlalRLI8kMMQ1LSgAu_1NqO5aLGLtKz9fLgRjDz/s1600/20170822_160013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1087" data-original-width="1600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvN0JT3H0M_Lnr-lVAPKjf_oakRnFzqnEW8JcxMKWSWmt04B5sHKzKC1jd6vI4TXWVNpPT3iupCaV65IDjm21hHWNnH7y1kF8p_YnkvlalRLI8kMMQ1LSgAu_1NqO5aLGLtKz9fLgRjDz/s400/20170822_160013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above and Below: The Gateway Center.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpQgENSD68gbAVPDHPkscIvULYRcmyHhiQu-1fI71QtDfvwUSoC08yOX69hMTAwY1Det8SNa4AhUVEpNGL5bWTO9dVeQrhiSaNa3MlTq1FdXuVCqKwDNZZxzEr1DydQOdC2utM2NQfAPW/s1600/20170822_155440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpQgENSD68gbAVPDHPkscIvULYRcmyHhiQu-1fI71QtDfvwUSoC08yOX69hMTAwY1Det8SNa4AhUVEpNGL5bWTO9dVeQrhiSaNa3MlTq1FdXuVCqKwDNZZxzEr1DydQOdC2utM2NQfAPW/s400/20170822_155440.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F2bT4uY9qey3pe6qX3u-SbvSiiFTVFkh3GDeF2nObWbrnOcKIvsD6mci9zDvC3jj0T-yqD6ZnLnXNEG7ceEedMp07oamuzOvKR6DJ3qLARUtxAt5Ml-JtCPRiH7APLAsAK8L2HaMZDLN/s1600/20170822_150155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F2bT4uY9qey3pe6qX3u-SbvSiiFTVFkh3GDeF2nObWbrnOcKIvsD6mci9zDvC3jj0T-yqD6ZnLnXNEG7ceEedMp07oamuzOvKR6DJ3qLARUtxAt5Ml-JtCPRiH7APLAsAK8L2HaMZDLN/s400/20170822_150155.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...</div>
After nearly two hours of slow, torturous bus travel through these outer Brooklyn neighborhoods, I finally reached the Gateway Center, only to find that it was not your typical enclosed shopping mall, but a series of well-known department stores and cafes laid out in a relatively new shopping complex (surrounded by acres of parking lots), just a mile or so from JFK airport.<br />
<br />
I found a seat inside a Panera Bread outlet and sat down to a hearty Thai Salad and a long, cold lemonade. Since I had no need for shopping, once I had finished eating I found a B83 bus, and returned once again to Broadway Junction from where I caught an A-train back to Washington Heights.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
====================================</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Tuesday 22, August | Expenses $12.72 ($16.10)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
====================================</div>
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-39814940033986137892017-08-26T02:07:00.000+09:302017-10-03T13:15:53.117+10:30NYC Day 67: In Which I am Eclipsed by The Eclipse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcgw7oV6H2QAkh-9H_enYvsx0ewzHMrFM_8foQycCDk2EFrIBz4CfohyphenhyphenDXbJXVK1R-4ULI6gIgJPywlAQ60sgR6RQl1dHpvWoX6e43Vr1uj2rHoOulOMu5CZy-6qf3t2UZRYWZP-bg3_U/s1600/Screenshot_20170821-155133.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVcgw7oV6H2QAkh-9H_enYvsx0ewzHMrFM_8foQycCDk2EFrIBz4CfohyphenhyphenDXbJXVK1R-4ULI6gIgJPywlAQ60sgR6RQl1dHpvWoX6e43Vr1uj2rHoOulOMu5CZy-6qf3t2UZRYWZP-bg3_U/s400/Screenshot_20170821-155133.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Eclipse screen grab from The New York Times</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...</div>
Today was the day that millions, yes, <i>millions</i> of Americans have been waiting for. A total eclipse of the sun began soon after 9:00am on the east coast in Oregon, and made its way slowly across the mid-west before passing out to sea somewhere off the coast of South Carolina late in the afternoon. New York City would only experience about a 70 percent eclipse of the sun, but that did not stop a large part of the population from donning eclipse glasses to view this all too rare phenomenon.<br />
<br />
Feeling like I was the only person who had not managed to get my hands on a pair of eclipse glasses I headed off to the American Museum of Natural History (at Central Park West and 79th Street), to see if they still had the special glasses for sale. Of course, they had sold out long before (possibly days before) I got there, and the glasses were not to be had for love nor money. Since I was at the museum, I thought I might as well make the most of the afternoon and visit this mighty institution.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk4rbRZjxe6pV_yZk-5W1vYTuSDO_KHsA3b2OeNIttPk5fd_3Fw5H4J64TJL7pNbO_hq46ZlUoZtI29mJbOJvOYitYIMeM7pThkwwyb55rQj6PRLL30Cl9NDzguaSNp0S4kI8xTnKxANl/s1600/20170821_144035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1600" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfk4rbRZjxe6pV_yZk-5W1vYTuSDO_KHsA3b2OeNIttPk5fd_3Fw5H4J64TJL7pNbO_hq46ZlUoZtI29mJbOJvOYitYIMeM7pThkwwyb55rQj6PRLL30Cl9NDzguaSNp0S4kI8xTnKxANl/s400/20170821_144035.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above: Dall Sheep diorama</div>
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(Click images to view full-sized)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkGz0LDUMTb8NNiWKswVzUgMS9YKOgGoIvPpo1COqht-tqApr8X_KnWRYA8PH6xB2jc768ln9XSA9Xpd_HvFNK3eAYoySJpWN3W0DtkaWvNNHIA9PHQbXGdG54VrO-nl3TatidcqkZ5q9/s1600/20170821_160745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkGz0LDUMTb8NNiWKswVzUgMS9YKOgGoIvPpo1COqht-tqApr8X_KnWRYA8PH6xB2jc768ln9XSA9Xpd_HvFNK3eAYoySJpWN3W0DtkaWvNNHIA9PHQbXGdG54VrO-nl3TatidcqkZ5q9/s400/20170821_160745.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above: Gemsbok diorama </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYJbhcBTP_L-jXUeUe-k0Yb1L5598GBbGL1SlUU31l538RKcDqI0yHXzbunl1ZhA4_AyOaWNejUnYRcNB8_NWapU_99uY0ijJcO3O2LtMz7uPdlADXGpWHZNvcshYGvz3sQq7MF84YvVm/s1600/20170821_144403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYJbhcBTP_L-jXUeUe-k0Yb1L5598GBbGL1SlUU31l538RKcDqI0yHXzbunl1ZhA4_AyOaWNejUnYRcNB8_NWapU_99uY0ijJcO3O2LtMz7uPdlADXGpWHZNvcshYGvz3sQq7MF84YvVm/s400/20170821_144403.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Above: Big Horn Sheep diorama</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...</div>
I have been to the museum on two previous visits to New York, but I was keen to take another look at the magnificent diorama's the museum is justifiably known for. There are dozens of these diorama's near the main museum entrance, and all are beautifully maintained and presented. The diorama's went through a major refurbishment in 2011, and today they are even better to look at and enjoy.<br />
<br />
Now if you are anything like me, you will look at the dozens of animals represented here and say to yourself, These beautiful creatures should be out running free in their natural environments, and not standing or sitting stuffed and mute behind glass.<br />
<br />
And you would be right to say that. And the day may yet come that when the last of these magnificent animals has been wiped from the face of the earth, we will bow our collective heads and weep for our stupidity, short-sightedness, and inhumanity, which has already resulted in the extinction of so many animal species. However... Maybe, just maybe, the thousands of visitors who view these diorama's each year will leave the museum with a greater appreciation for these creatures and their place they occupy in our lives. Maybe.<br />
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Above: White Rhino, and Below, Black Rhino displays.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo7XUVmx6Heor9305Vim-CEyAVqxJJXE5AOa1cFGn0Aji1R3o4IJWodif1lxb5J2qt3JGcAGkYPHGnZpvdHjujniCcqbj3RHtONKEGkBWESB_3OSTQO_X8AggIA-EI_AXnOSPwQAZ53jV/s1600/20170821_162545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWo7XUVmx6Heor9305Vim-CEyAVqxJJXE5AOa1cFGn0Aji1R3o4IJWodif1lxb5J2qt3JGcAGkYPHGnZpvdHjujniCcqbj3RHtONKEGkBWESB_3OSTQO_X8AggIA-EI_AXnOSPwQAZ53jV/s400/20170821_162545.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB70TkOtPd1a-Hy22L_xIYBA3ZBNcnrvE-9nn1HCigONjc6g5yPbdhNabrm3ja3y0oSviVMkTGliuffwPG6U80neUPuJLR0d9y0s7qXTTshXqZYA1Rkl-PFRzx6dqXDiYSydK0c0g4Uupa/s1600/20170821_145443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB70TkOtPd1a-Hy22L_xIYBA3ZBNcnrvE-9nn1HCigONjc6g5yPbdhNabrm3ja3y0oSviVMkTGliuffwPG6U80neUPuJLR0d9y0s7qXTTshXqZYA1Rkl-PFRzx6dqXDiYSydK0c0g4Uupa/s400/20170821_145443.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Above: The Alaska Brown Bear display.</div>
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...</div>
I like to think that some of these thousands of visitors have gone on to join the fight to protect and preserve the natural habitats that the animals and creatures represented here so desperately need to thrive and survive. If these past and future environmentalists and conservationists can do this then the loss of the animals enclosed in these diorama's won't have been in vain.<br />
<br />
By the time I emerged from the depths of the American Museum of Natural History, the partial eclipse of the sun, as it passed over the city of New York, had been and gone and I had missed it completely. <i>C'est la vie!</i><br />
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Above: A partial view of some of the diorama's as well as the elephant herd.<br />
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Panoramic images of the Bison display (above), and the Alaskan Moose (below)</div>
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...</div>
<b>MICHELLE SHOCKED @ CITY WINERY</b><br />
In the evening I returned to City Winery at 155, Varick Street, Manhattan, for the third and last of the Michelle Shocked album performances, which tonight saw her and her fellow musicians perform in full her 1992 album, <i>Arkansas Traveler</i>.<br />
<br />
Michelle was joined on stage with a quartet of young musicians who did an admirable job of bringing the music and songs to life. I got the distinct impression that everyone was 'winging it', and I would be surprised if they had had more than a day or two to run through all the songs together. Nevertheless, they pulled it off, thanks to their professionalism and obvious musical ability.<br />
<br />
I should add that initially, the Pete Anderson Trio were due to back Michelle at this show, but for reasons that were never explained they were unable to do so, hence the scratch band that Michelle assembled in their place.<br />
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I shared a table with Gladys and Joe, two very amiable New Yorkers. Joe and I were talking about other shows we had seen at City Winery, and he mentioned Loudon Wainwright III, who was a particular favorite. Loudon Wainwright, is the father of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, two performers of outstanding ability in their own right.<br />
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As it happens, Martha Wainwright is performing later this week at the Rubin Museum of Art, and when I mentioned this to Joe he immediately went online and booked two tickets for that show. Apparently he and Gladys live just a couple of blocks from the Rubin, and they were delighted and excited to learn about her performance there.<br />
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It is little connections like these, with perfect strangers, that make travel so much more interesting, especially for the solo traveler like myself.<br />
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Monday 21, August | Expenses $129.52 ($148.40)</div>
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9W1qoQGHhjx7RCl6YpoC0F3z_eMGkv5qRPTLTgV11znu4x_JOhGw6ENvZVCpJIuTF2bUmqmlTFf0Obyei-dU4A7Wid-KcESA6AE0W4bLjpV4it9cSf87n1Docdj9t6e2ZwhkImpZZrzu7/s1600/IMG_4867.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9W1qoQGHhjx7RCl6YpoC0F3z_eMGkv5qRPTLTgV11znu4x_JOhGw6ENvZVCpJIuTF2bUmqmlTFf0Obyei-dU4A7Wid-KcESA6AE0W4bLjpV4it9cSf87n1Docdj9t6e2ZwhkImpZZrzu7/s400/IMG_4867.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Oh, gawd. Not Sonny and Cher again! And again. And again...</span></div>
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...</div>
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<b>The Museum of Modern Art: <i>Groundhog Day</i></b><br />
1993. Directed by Harold Ramis. With Bill Murray, Andie McDowell, and Chris Elliott.<br />
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<b>The Museum of Modern Art: <i>Her</i></b><br />
2013. Written and directed by Spike Jonze. With Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, and Rooney Mara.<br />
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Okay, okay. I know what you are thinking, Who goes to the expense of flying to New York City all the way from Australia, and then makes his principle activity for the day watching movies? To make matters worse, you might add, One of which goes back almost 25 years!<br />
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Well, for one, I do, although I hasten to add that I have not come to New York just for the movies, as even a cursory look through my blog posts for the past two months will show. But as I have written before, there is only so much high culture (and for that matter, <i>couture</i>) that one can absorb before one's eyes begin to glaze over and even the most priceless works of art and music are at risk of causing a long, drawn out yawn.<br />
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So, off to the movies I went.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaOWNEZcWqbmPyJhRXZOcnflu8Y0iWMvSQ6MUtnDa9ueoG6_nj-b7PcqN0BBl4skqfAVKddS26mfoqT2taUH_WS2Z9RarvfdEhyphenhyphenNWEYRBOZ4TblbDms5RM2xvarLLM4wuQPgNeNrJMVEQ/s1600/IMG_4871.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaOWNEZcWqbmPyJhRXZOcnflu8Y0iWMvSQ6MUtnDa9ueoG6_nj-b7PcqN0BBl4skqfAVKddS26mfoqT2taUH_WS2Z9RarvfdEhyphenhyphenNWEYRBOZ4TblbDms5RM2xvarLLM4wuQPgNeNrJMVEQ/s400/IMG_4871.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above and Below: Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams in scenes from, <i>Her. </i></div>
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To recap; in preparation for this trip I became an associate Member of the Metropolitan Museum, and a Global Member of the Museum of Modern Art. These designations apply to members who live well outside the city limits of New York City, whether you live in America or internationally. Regarding MoMA membership, not only does this include unlimited visits to the museum, along with many other benefits, but membership also includes unlimited participation in the museum's film screenings.<br />
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The current film calendar for August includes 70 movies from 22 countries built around the theme, <i>Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction</i>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This exhibition of 70 science-fiction films from all over the world--22 countries including the US, the Soviet Union, China, India, Cameroon, and Mexico--explores our humanity in all its miraculous, uncanny, and perhaps ultimately unknowable aspects.</blockquote>
The series looks beyond space travel, aliens and all the other well-known tropes we come to expect from this genre, and focusses instead "on alternate visions of Earth in the present or very near future."<br />
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Among the many great English language films screened this month were/are <i>Ex Machina, Donnie Darko, Under The Skin, Shivers/They Came From within, Dark City, Minority Report, Videodrome, Gattaca, </i>and<i> Children of Men</i>. The international films include the timely <i>Days of Eclipse</i>, (from Russia), <i>The Year of The Plague</i> (Mexico), and <i>Pathetic Fallacy</i> (India). Oh, and of course the two films that I saw on this my 66th day in New York.<br />
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Above: Bill Murray and leading lady Andie MacDowell in a scene from <i>Groundhog Day.</i></div>
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Above: Punxsutawney Phil is about to come to an explosive end!</div>
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I had missed the Spike Jonze film, <i>Her</i> when it was first released, and being a fan of Jonze, and his principle actors Scarlett Johansson, and Joaquin Phoenix, as well as Amy Adams and Rooney Mara, this was a good opportunity to make up for my initial loss. As for <i>Groundhog Day</i>, I had seen this way back in the day, but had largely forgotten most of the details. Bill Murray is always good in whatever movie he chooses to participate in, and the delightful and delectable Andie MacDowell always brightens up any film she appears in, so I was keen to see the film again. Having done so, I was reminded of just how funny the film was and still is. This is a film that has aged well, and I suspect that film-goers will still be laughing throughout <i>Groundhog Day </i>in another 25 years.<br />
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Quite frankly, if you are reading this, and you live in New York City, and you are a keen film-goer and/or cineaste, then you would be crazy not to become a member of MoMA, if only to have access to the hundreds of film screenings that take place throughout the year. While non-members can also attend screenings, they have to pay $12.00 each visit. Individual membership on the other hand costs just $85.00 -- the equivalent of seeing seven movies at twelve bucks a throw. However, do the math, if you attended just one film screening per week for twelve months, you would have saved a massive $540.00 (52x12=$624 -$85 =$540.00). And this does not take into account all the other benefits that come with your membership.<br />
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Dual membership is even cheaper per person ($70.00 each). Personally, I think it's a 'No brainer'.<br />
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Sunday 20, August | Expenses $26.30 ($33.15)</div>
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
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Above: A collection of tin-glazed earthenware dating from around 1660 to 1800<br />
...</div>
With exactly three weeks left of my twelve week New York stay remaining, it was time to shake myself out of my stupor and get back out among it. After all, I can sleep all day every day for a week, once I get back home. I may never return to this amazing city again, and now is not the time to be sleeping the days away. With that refreshed attitude in mind I made my way back to the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth Avenue. I decided to focus my visit on the exhibition, <i><b><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/collecting-the-arts-of-mexico" target="_blank">Collecting the Arts of Mexico</a></b></i>, on view in the Joyce B. Cowin Gallery (Room 749) on the second floor of the American Wing.<br />
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There are two major parts to this small but important exhibition. The first, highlights a number of pieces of Mexican pottery donated by Emily Johnston De Forest and her husband Robert, and includes works by Nicolás Enríquez, and others.<br />
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Above: Tin-glazed Basin attributed to Damian Hernandez (active 1607-1670 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvdSGBq4FLRbphsn04SiaSUi4CoWGrdEfucJJbh4sfmSW3_b0CF03-WK09zklLcemF_woLP3YenO0Tp1vGSgFC5U5zTe_Gv5NXVmnLUSxVO3p3xTpE3Gz7T7ZRArnQHPpMjflBXPwuKOw/s1600/20170819_153601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1213" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvdSGBq4FLRbphsn04SiaSUi4CoWGrdEfucJJbh4sfmSW3_b0CF03-WK09zklLcemF_woLP3YenO0Tp1vGSgFC5U5zTe_Gv5NXVmnLUSxVO3p3xTpE3Gz7T7ZRArnQHPpMjflBXPwuKOw/s400/20170819_153601.jpg" width="302" /></a><br />
Above and detail below: Pair of Jars (17th Century Earthenware)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOCPTFVlR2fNo0OzZfWm_yUlR-xyoxhkdQCLv_0IOTgQFVyW1a2b2JOwakbgfyFHX83OmChFJisaf8TjWqNb4LN04IwvWwYhk1FvhKViv1rAMnn13jI-zmAvb5eWjDEG1xYXpQUWjyzU9/s1600/20170819_153618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCOCPTFVlR2fNo0OzZfWm_yUlR-xyoxhkdQCLv_0IOTgQFVyW1a2b2JOwakbgfyFHX83OmChFJisaf8TjWqNb4LN04IwvWwYhk1FvhKViv1rAMnn13jI-zmAvb5eWjDEG1xYXpQUWjyzU9/s400/20170819_153618.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
...</div>
<b>Collecting The Arts of Mexico: Exhibition Overview</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In 1911, Emily Johnston de Forest gave her collection of pottery from Mexico to The Met. Calling it "Mexican maiolica," she highlighted its importance as a North American artistic achievement. De Forest was the daughter of the Museum's first president and, with her husband, Robert, a founder of The American Wing. The De Forests envisioned building a collection of Mexican art, and, even though their ambitions were frustrated at the time, the foundational gift of more than one hundred pieces of pottery anchors The Met's holdings. Today, more than a century later, their vision resonates as the Museum commits to collecting and exhibiting not just the arts of Mexico, but all of Latin America..</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDtzWaNBW4l1ZRKCf_y4v8K6bb7LXwtRtJBB-ZqQUExr82PhHmc24U_CH37RVPKdF6RrJ0kLhjs-sKqz3cIve64e-6KIm_M5u73s-rCxjR-sNPwdup9gyd59hACqXjAn6m84tBVajpMDC/s1600/20170819_153459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDtzWaNBW4l1ZRKCf_y4v8K6bb7LXwtRtJBB-ZqQUExr82PhHmc24U_CH37RVPKdF6RrJ0kLhjs-sKqz3cIve64e-6KIm_M5u73s-rCxjR-sNPwdup9gyd59hACqXjAn6m84tBVajpMDC/s400/20170819_153459.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Above: One of an identical pair of iron Rowel Spurs, from Mexico or Spain, 1738.<br />
...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtSCTFysevCwiJ54H-2QP-Zp6KC05ff_nIfnZXtEofLw_Rj_rCNHrTQEPsR2cOMVVd50WcCaB_khlc_tWHq_ucvZSt1jrddTRYk1jLsqf4mx8wais7Sp47CQzJbRKNy-U1jUeQleJZ_Ap/s1600/20170819_153700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1337" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdtSCTFysevCwiJ54H-2QP-Zp6KC05ff_nIfnZXtEofLw_Rj_rCNHrTQEPsR2cOMVVd50WcCaB_khlc_tWHq_ucvZSt1jrddTRYk1jLsqf4mx8wais7Sp47CQzJbRKNy-U1jUeQleJZ_Ap/s400/20170819_153700.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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Above and detail below: <i>The Entombment of Christ,</i> </div>
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Ca. 1702, by Juan Rodriguez Juarez (Mexico, 1675-1728) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivAgeuv8CM_V2WDQbE_KLbKF31WpxBKxuLDhxvKBJ7JLxFZwQTKq1mjUgMoshJ9c9fS5L9ZbymJSSmp5MNpV17ZAokgx0fU-ne5lInNedV9TeOBJSRX-UyJ8p96wanLsRBc8C_vo06ft6/s1600/20170819_153708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1210" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivAgeuv8CM_V2WDQbE_KLbKF31WpxBKxuLDhxvKBJ7JLxFZwQTKq1mjUgMoshJ9c9fS5L9ZbymJSSmp5MNpV17ZAokgx0fU-ne5lInNedV9TeOBJSRX-UyJ8p96wanLsRBc8C_vo06ft6/s400/20170819_153708.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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...</div>
</div>
<b>The Paintings of Nicolás Enríquez</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In 1783, Juan Bautista Echeverría wrote his last will and testament in preparation for the perilous journey from Mexico City to his native Navarre in northern Spain. Echeverría, who had gone to Mexico as a youth in the mid-1750s, returned to Spain nearly thirty years later, having amassed a considerable fortune. Among the prized possessions he took with him was a suite of five paintings on copper by Nicolás Enríquez, who signed each of them "made in Mexico in the year 1773." The set, which was recently acquired by the Museum, is preserved intact, a rare occurrence that illuminates not only the artistic accomplishment of the painter who made them but the spiritual aspirations of the person who owned them.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The paintings were intended for Echeverría's private devotional use and the choice of subject matter is highly personal. Nicolás Enríquez lavished special attention on the painting of Echeverría's namesake, Saint John the Baptist, detailing the crystalline drops of water poured over Christ's head and the gentle current of the river that flows around his submerged feet. Another painting borrows a composition from Rubens to represent the Holy Family as an earthly Trinity.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgjxeLCvGusEpPxAKObAl1V04XC4s1uLKigdDl6c_jX830sCiWbW8gxZSLcQiDRvsN2oq2xNP5jgsGGoUGhW33Xjh4cWkRi__PUnnmxBuiQ3VKrM2ETgrs9STCXcrSAPQuIdvcGBe_8Lc/s1600/20170819_152852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1153" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgjxeLCvGusEpPxAKObAl1V04XC4s1uLKigdDl6c_jX830sCiWbW8gxZSLcQiDRvsN2oq2xNP5jgsGGoUGhW33Xjh4cWkRi__PUnnmxBuiQ3VKrM2ETgrs9STCXcrSAPQuIdvcGBe_8Lc/s400/20170819_152852.jpg" width="287" /></a></div>
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Above and Detail below: <i>The Virgin of El Camino with St. Fermin and St. Saturnino</i></div>
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By Nicolas Enriquez (Mexico, 1704-1790)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aMRakUGtJ79FFtR2wZe6bnR-DJNmTOmrstU_x94RBMgenBNjwAxI5bF5lyeiIRzN5EP2ziteG60YHQPBPa8HR8lE1xu4C5hrl-HdEUiZvtK5wgaPXPyeT3hQA1VB-dEUlg3GzIf3SCuU/s1600/20170819_152921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="934" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5aMRakUGtJ79FFtR2wZe6bnR-DJNmTOmrstU_x94RBMgenBNjwAxI5bF5lyeiIRzN5EP2ziteG60YHQPBPa8HR8lE1xu4C5hrl-HdEUiZvtK5wgaPXPyeT3hQA1VB-dEUlg3GzIf3SCuU/s400/20170819_152921.jpg" width="232" /></a><br />
...</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Three of the five paintings depict miraculous images that reflect Echeverría's Spanish roots as well as his extended residence in Mexico. The Virgin of El Camino is especially venerated in Pamplona, the principal city of Navarre. The painting copies a print that was used to solicit funds for the building of a new chapel for the image. Another painting represents the appearance of the Virgin to Saint James atop a stone pillar near the city of Zaragoza. The Virgin of El Pilar is venerated throughout the Spanish world, but in Mexico City the devotion is associated with the convent church known as the Enseñanza, whose founder was, like Echeverría, of Navarrese descent. The third painting depicts the Mexican Virgin of Guadalupe, which is encircled by four scenes that corroborate the divine origin of the image. They record the Virgin Mary's appearances to the Indian Juan Diego at Tepeyac, near Mexico City, and culminate in the revelation of her image, miraculously imprinted on his cloak. Echeverría apparently was not satisfied to own a mere representation of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and he soon shipped it back to Mexico to be touched by the original image, an act certified by an inscription added to the painting in 1789. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Ronda Kasl (Curator, The American Wing)</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMir-gJ7N7w5LRBVzLVuZDwtogMGaJJhXW_xuO1AH0M356FgarmqS13lSbdC1YUbB-Ttz0YU-oYR2bpT26jQrDa05GTqrXj8vmARffnslU4N9IZjFdK_mqToLdJG1qvG7N4IL8WHq6n9bL/s1600/20170819_152755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1135" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMir-gJ7N7w5LRBVzLVuZDwtogMGaJJhXW_xuO1AH0M356FgarmqS13lSbdC1YUbB-Ttz0YU-oYR2bpT26jQrDa05GTqrXj8vmARffnslU4N9IZjFdK_mqToLdJG1qvG7N4IL8WHq6n9bL/s400/20170819_152755.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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Above and detail below: <i>The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Four Apparitions </i></div>
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Nicolas Enriquez (Mexico, 1704-1790) </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYMLpeb9CWqcQwzyLIqeFL8wKLI2I6g0f811d7HrF7KT7ivvOj_j8tHTSxZ8leaznhd-GwspOtpmxeXi-HRO3kl3qj0O8qUZb5GKop77z2RWwaEbaN9TQp_4QcLCXKWStYShpgvFfq4xq/s1600/20170819_152828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYMLpeb9CWqcQwzyLIqeFL8wKLI2I6g0f811d7HrF7KT7ivvOj_j8tHTSxZ8leaznhd-GwspOtpmxeXi-HRO3kl3qj0O8qUZb5GKop77z2RWwaEbaN9TQp_4QcLCXKWStYShpgvFfq4xq/s400/20170819_152828.jpg" width="225" /></a><br />
...</div>
<b>More Information</b><br />
<b>At The Metropolitan Museum</b><br />
Now through September 4, 2017<br />
<b><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2015/collecting-the-arts-of-mexico" target="_blank">Learn More Here...</a></b><br />
<br />
I also made a visit to another small but important exhibition, <b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/Online...%20http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2017/frederic-remington" target="_blank">Frederick Remington at The Met</a></b>, but that's a story for another day.<br />
<br />
From the Metropolitan Museum I made way to the Museum of Modern Art to catch a screening of the Alex Proyas movie, <i>Dark City</i>. The film, made in 1998, is part of MoMA's current season of Sci-Fi movies called <i>Future Imperfect: The Uncanny in Science Fiction</i>. The season winds up at the end of the August and features some seventy movies. But that's a story for another day as well.<br />
<br />
<b>WEEK NINE EXPENSES*</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
<b>ONGOING WEEKLY EXPENSES</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
Museum Memberships <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$19.15 ($25.15)<br />
AT&T SIM card <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$17.69 ($23.33)<br />
MTA Pass <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$30.25 ($39.85)<br />
Accommodation <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$152.00 ($200.00)<br />
===================================<br />
Total Ongoing: US$219.09 (AU$288.33)<br />
===================================<br />
<br />
<b>ADDITIONAL DAILY EXPENSES</b><br />
===================================<br />
Sunday 13, August | Expenses $39.70 ($50.21)<br />
Monday 14, August | Expenses $77.25 ($107.85)<br />
Tuesday 15, August | Expenses $00.00 ($00.00)<br />
Wednesday 16, August | Expenses $49.00 ($61.75)<br />
Thursday 17, August | Expenses $31.72 ($40.10)<br />
Friday 18, August | Expenses $47.53 ($59.95)<br />
Saturday 19, August | Expenses $38.70 ($48.80)<br />
===================================<br />
TOTAL: US$283.90 | AU$368.65<br />
==================================<br />
<br />
<b>Total Expenses Week Nine: US$503.00 (AU$657.00)</b><br />
*Figures in brackets are Australian dollar amounts<br />
<br />
Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZxFwkTLbNLw6tW3eXOCDwx8YLz7kiwq9B7ioQfm1pd65aVyPxk0Sl-Z2vxJu9rGd2bOy3biF4W9mLbPjlPHi0nc_6GAcGRlUHDgSgK0nuTIcSsELj9J_0FgZzf92XraBY6TCUoElVQCZ/s1600/20170819_113304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1206" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZxFwkTLbNLw6tW3eXOCDwx8YLz7kiwq9B7ioQfm1pd65aVyPxk0Sl-Z2vxJu9rGd2bOy3biF4W9mLbPjlPHi0nc_6GAcGRlUHDgSgK0nuTIcSsELj9J_0FgZzf92XraBY6TCUoElVQCZ/s320/20170819_113304.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
...</div>
A second day in this week, although I did head out to my local supermarket to stock up on grocery items to see me through the next week or so of breakfasts and the occasional evening meal in. Today's expenses are entirely grocery shopping related. Since I need to write about something, I have included my shopping list below. I will almost certainly supplement this shopping expedition with a few other items during the week when my current supply of olives, eggs, and avocados run out.<br />
<br />
The most unusual and unexpected item on this list for me is the SPAM. I have a vague recollection of having bought Spam only once before in my life, and I don't think I liked it much at all. So why buy it now? I don't rightly know. It was one of those spur of the moment purchases, and I thought it might be interesting to see whether fried up slices of the stuff with eggs might actually be okay. Oh, c'mon. Where's your sense of adventure? Besides, it's 'Hickory Smoke Flavored' so it can't be all bad, can it? Can it? [No pun intended]<br />
<br />
From Wikipedia we learn:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Spam (stylized SPAM) is a brand of canned cooked meat made by Hormel Foods Corporation. It was first introduced in 1937 and gained popularity worldwide after its use during World War II. By 2003, Spam was sold in 41 countries on six continents and trademarked in over 100 countries (except in the Middle East and North Africa). In 2007, the seven billionth can of Spam was sold.</blockquote>
And further:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hormel claims that the meaning of the name "is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives", but popular beliefs are that the name is an abbreviation of "spiced ham", "spare meat", or "shoulders of pork and ham". Another popular explanation is that Spam is an acronym standing for "Specially Processed American Meat" or "Specially Processed Army Meat".</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The difficulty of delivering fresh meat to the front during World War II saw Spam become a ubiquitous part of the U.S. soldier's diet. It became variously referred to as "ham that didn't pass its physical", "meatloaf without basic training", and "Special Army Meat". Over 150 million pounds of Spam were purchased by the military before the war's end.</blockquote>
Okay. That's more than enough information about SPAM.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrlQSkh9v7wivl6c3xQX-anKQa55GeLs6vFWN1arwl87GRi_NQQi05OgpnLDRCt5amUVRVlwFPlMjKh9k4pyV4YuNYS7UrbJbI_lgBGDbEAoxDojiUUL1YCl3X-z1eru5RxOH93JvijWi/s1600/20170819_113136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="710" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghrlQSkh9v7wivl6c3xQX-anKQa55GeLs6vFWN1arwl87GRi_NQQi05OgpnLDRCt5amUVRVlwFPlMjKh9k4pyV4YuNYS7UrbJbI_lgBGDbEAoxDojiUUL1YCl3X-z1eru5RxOH93JvijWi/s400/20170819_113136.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
Today's shopping list </div>
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===================================</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Friday 18, August | Expenses $47.53 ($59.95)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
===================================</div>
<br />
Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwa4qPjvyNcZZjCxHnq56jD8TXRBc6EBicbEHwNM_-4ypU2uIl4QDUNwCl9m_6ZKADf2d61R_gbSmxmp4wFEo26FqFtvBQDEy4IdTM_sUNaqoRh-rKf8JY9SdsL-Eo3ptWouWJR4_51Lxg/s1600/IMG_4852.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="768" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwa4qPjvyNcZZjCxHnq56jD8TXRBc6EBicbEHwNM_-4ypU2uIl4QDUNwCl9m_6ZKADf2d61R_gbSmxmp4wFEo26FqFtvBQDEy4IdTM_sUNaqoRh-rKf8JY9SdsL-Eo3ptWouWJR4_51Lxg/s400/IMG_4852.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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...</div>
<b>New York: Day 61</b><br />
<b>Tuesday 15, August | Expenses $00.00</b><br />
After my late night out at the Bitter End (see previous post), and not getting to bed until well after 2:00AM, I spent today indoors, taking it easy. That's it. 'Nuff said.<br />
<br />
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Above: Images from the Ettore Sottsass exhibition.</div>
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<b>New York: Day 62</b><br />
<b>Wednesday 16, August | Expenses $49.00 ($61.75)</b><br />
I seem to be sleeping in more and more these days. Today was no exception, but I went out during the afternoon to the Met Breuer for the first time in several weeks. There is a new exhibition currently underway there, <i>Ettore Sottsass: Design Radical</i>.<br />
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A seminal figure in 20th-century design, the Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass (1917–2007) created a vast body of work, the result of an exceptionally productive career that spanned more than six decades. This exhibition reevaluates Sottsass's career in a presentation of key works in a range of media—including architectural drawings, interiors, furniture, machines, ceramics, glass, jewelry, textiles and pattern, painting, and photography. The exhibition presents Sottsass's work in dialogue with ancient and contemporaneous objects that inspired him, as well as his influence on designers working today. These juxtapositions offer new insight into his designs, situating him within a broader design discourse that reveals him as a true design radical.</blockquote>
<b>Ettore Sottsass: Design Radical</b><br />
<b>Now through October 8, 2017</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIakBmk97aQAjQZj0ZWOXTlPAFi04mLrqICmqqkk4EETQkzGdNmoVqJSuZLYenYHxYSO0QG9ot4e1qAdtgwzhyQ743W-Aci_tuncF8kIr192dfNo6foJX3SzPqwCc4-FLnqdVZqI-m3LMk/s1600/IMG_4851.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="768" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIakBmk97aQAjQZj0ZWOXTlPAFi04mLrqICmqqkk4EETQkzGdNmoVqJSuZLYenYHxYSO0QG9ot4e1qAdtgwzhyQ743W-Aci_tuncF8kIr192dfNo6foJX3SzPqwCc4-FLnqdVZqI-m3LMk/s400/IMG_4851.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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THE BODY POLITIC: VIDEO FROM THE MET COLLECTION<br />
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The Body Politic: Video from The Met Collection presents four works created between 1995 and 2016: David Hammons's Phat Free (1995), Arthur Jafa's Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death (2016), Steve McQueen's Five Easy Pieces (1995), and Mika Rottenberg's NoNoseKnows (2015). Alternately provocative, poignant, and absurdist, all of them explore the relationships among power, performance, and moving images. Here, the role of the camera is paramount. Besides a mediating agent and a framing device, the camera also serves as a witness, representing acts of injustice as well as moments of rebellion.</blockquote>
<b>The Body Politic: Video from The Met Collection</b><br />
<b>Now through September 3, 2017</b><br />
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From the Breuer, I took first an M3 and then a M55 bus down to the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe (at 126 Crosby Stree, Manhattant), where I succumbed to purchasing two more books: Teju Cole's <i>Open City,</i> and a management book called <i>Everything I Know About Business I Learned From The Grateful Dead</i>, by Barry Barnes.<br />
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From there I headed off to the Angelika Film Center (at 18 West Houston Street, Manhattan) to see Sofia Coppola's latest film, <i>The Beguiled</i>.<br />
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<b>New York: Day 63</b><br />
<b>Thursday 17, August | Expenses $31.72 ($40.10)</b><br />
I slept through until 9:30 this morning, and got up thinking I could still do with a few hours sleep. This week has been a slow one for me, and I realize finally that I have 'hit the wall', as long distance runners might say. I am even finding it hard to work up the enthusiasm to write these blog posts. This 'hitting the wall' thing happened to me at around the same point last year, when for a brief time I thought, That's it. I'm over New York City. I could happily leave and never come back.<br />
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Of course, by the time I did leave New York, I was already looking forward to my next visit -- little thinking that it would be this year. Now here I am, not exactly over the city, but once again feeling worn out and ready to take a week off from all activities and events. Needless to say, I won't, but I will take it easy this week, and then try and ramp up my energy levels for the final three weeks of my stay.<br />
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Today, I returned once again to MoMA, and focused my attention of Pablo Picasso, and an artist I know nothing about Giorgio De Chirico (not that I know anything to speak of about Picasso).<br />
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Pablo Picasso: <i>Night Fishing at Antibes, </i>1939</div>
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Picasso, as most people are aware, made his name as a cubist painter, in which his subjects are pulled apart and put together again in fractured, angular pieces. Most art galleries crave these types of paintings and sculptures by Picasso, but few seem to care about his early artistic career when his paintings were executed in a far more traditional style.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpizTubCVHhfT-FCevinxcSK6H72BiUyLk79M1yHkKB8ezVxkgSIs-Mgfn1xAjeEfuWHFccENzro8OEdw-gmjqlao0vPlEHe7pc9owQDJQYzzFi16VXeyLwArsuoiuD11DCZfxPvjBElE/s1600/20170817_174236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1378" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpizTubCVHhfT-FCevinxcSK6H72BiUyLk79M1yHkKB8ezVxkgSIs-Mgfn1xAjeEfuWHFccENzro8OEdw-gmjqlao0vPlEHe7pc9owQDJQYzzFi16VXeyLwArsuoiuD11DCZfxPvjBElE/s400/20170817_174236.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
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Pablo Picasso's <i>Three Women at the Spring,</i> 1921.</div>
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The Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris has quite a number of these early works on show, and when I saw them I was surprised by how conventional they were. And how good. But why should I have been surprised? The only reason I can offer is that few people get the chance to see these early works, because the major museums and galleries prefer the cubist Picasso to the conventional one. MoMA is no different to other institutions, but at least the room showing a large number of his works does have a few early pieces that reveal this other side of the artist.<br />
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Above (and detail below), Giorgio de Chirico's <i>The Enigma Of A Day, </i>1914.</div>
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Giorgio De Chirico (1888-1978) is described as an Italian, born in Greece, and seems to have been one of the early surrealists. Judging by the works on show at MoMA, he also seems to have had a ''thing' for trains and placing small, isolated figures within huge, towering landscapes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMU-X5tDTuNIrWfDOHr5dzWPwxQVhxLCzj_R6XuYg6QaB4kZSTCFXYQp2Y5lQ3lVNcpEOnDLJ8_fOJVb1fWItXk-TxmU4ZS0NpTyV5AM-fGXzriVWX6z0dNEzKnZWWCKGWb81slWbmCZy/s1600/20170817_170817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMU-X5tDTuNIrWfDOHr5dzWPwxQVhxLCzj_R6XuYg6QaB4kZSTCFXYQp2Y5lQ3lVNcpEOnDLJ8_fOJVb1fWItXk-TxmU4ZS0NpTyV5AM-fGXzriVWX6z0dNEzKnZWWCKGWb81slWbmCZy/s400/20170817_170817.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Above Giorgio de Chirico's <i>Gare Montparnasse (The Melancholy of Departure), </i>1914.</div>
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I capped off my afternoon at MoMA by attending their screening of Steven Spielberg's 2002 adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story, <i>Minority Report</i>. The film starred Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, the great Max Von Sydow, and the wonderful Samantha Morton.<br />
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Late afternoon view of nearby buildings from MoMA </div>
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
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Can I go back to bed now?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-6715159563526993622017-08-18T02:33:00.001+09:302017-10-03T13:25:13.856+10:30NYC Day 60: In Which I Party to The Bitter End (Almost)<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnX-ycsDw2p4ksRQAmBwRMoQh7Bi3uPd5Lchl2hnN9zGbM06w7GFvuxzs7DvQBEoiCaYCHfGBQDKxr_zxlet_mjOm2S_I2McnCBQcPbeohGadD3fbhfOoyLBXnY3o41N2wSkAVvK7JJaM/s1600/20170814_233644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnX-ycsDw2p4ksRQAmBwRMoQh7Bi3uPd5Lchl2hnN9zGbM06w7GFvuxzs7DvQBEoiCaYCHfGBQDKxr_zxlet_mjOm2S_I2McnCBQcPbeohGadD3fbhfOoyLBXnY3o41N2wSkAVvK7JJaM/s320/20170814_233644.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Bitter End is a survivor. The venue has been the nurturing ground for hundreds of the most successful rock, folk, blues, jazz, and comedy acts of the past 50-plus years - ever since it was established in 1961. Many other famous New York clubs have come and gone during this period, but the Bitter End just keeps on keeping on - and long may it continue to do so.<br />
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When I was planning this current visit to New York, I thought I would be hanging out at the venue two or three nights a week, but as it happens, there has been so much else going on that I have hardly visited the place. With this, my sixtieth day in the city, it was time to set things right and test my resilience for my first real late night out.<br />
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The venue hosts an average of five or six acts each night, and on any visit you might see young soloists working on their music and stagecraft, or professional bands with years of experience in full flight. Also, with it being a Monday, I knew I would be in for a late night because every Monday night sees the saxophonist Richie Cannata pulling together some of the best musicians you are likely to see and hear anywhere for the Monday Night Jam. But before we get to that amazing session, there were a number of other acts to check out.<br />
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<b><a href="http://bessgreenbergofficial.com/" target="_blank">Bess Greenberg</a></b><br />
Kicking off performances for the night was Bess Greenberg, a singer-songwriter and visual artist from Binghamton, New York. Bess has a strong, mature, resonant voice, and a bunch of songs that while interesting and engaging enough, never quite lift out of the ordinary into the extraordinary. Bess plays guitar, which she pretty much strummed throughout all her songs. This eventually became monotonous, especially when on several songs, she strummed her way through 8-bars of what I assume will eventually turn into an instrumental break in which a good lead guitarist (should she find one), will add some variety to her plain rhythm guitar style. She said she was missing her bass player during this gig, but I suspect that even with the addition of bass guitar, the songs would not have taken off as I would have liked them to do.<br />
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<b><a href="http://facebook.com/juliagarganomusic" target="_blank">Julia Gargano</a></b><br />
These issues were not a problem for the second act of the night, Julia Gargano and her three-piece band. Her songs were melodic, varied in pace, had shades of dark and light, and ranged from slow ballads to all-out rockers. Julia played acoustic guitar and piano during her set, and she knows how to fingerpick her way through a song, as well as belt out tunes on piano.<br />
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Julia was joined on stage for some of her songs by a fine female backup singer. However, this young woman has not yet worked out what she should be doing with herself while she waits for her vocal parts to come around during Julia's songs. Once she has learned to do this, and to relax and enjoy being on stage more, she will fit well into the full line-up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1He6H4sMz_dzazX_jAjIPaWBapLj7fIfW02xhtxlhDX9wfYmk8LqcrSKD_suTIhj7xFar_B_KVpcY0vvQVfx4eBHyt71avAZBJbPtJum0E8tAocCUsA88SgvyfA8GhGorP-NpfvXX1ty/s1600/IMG_4859.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="727" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD1He6H4sMz_dzazX_jAjIPaWBapLj7fIfW02xhtxlhDX9wfYmk8LqcrSKD_suTIhj7xFar_B_KVpcY0vvQVfx4eBHyt71avAZBJbPtJum0E8tAocCUsA88SgvyfA8GhGorP-NpfvXX1ty/s320/IMG_4859.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.kaloband.com/" target="_blank">KALO</a></b><br />
I first saw Bator-Or Kalo bring her exciting brand of rock and blues to the All Star Jam that takes place each Sunday fortnight at the Bitter End, on one of my visits to the venue in 2012. I became a fan there and then, and I have been happy to follow her development as a singer, songwriter, and as a rock and blues guitarist since that first encounter. In 2012, Bat-Or, an Israeli who moved to America in 2004, didn't have her own band, but since making the move from New York City to Oklahoma City, Bat-Or has been joined by Mike Alexander on drums, and Mack McKinney on bass guitar, and the trio now perform under the name KALO.<br />
<br />
While Elfin-like and slight in stature, there is nothing slight about the music that Bat-Or writes and plays. In the five years since I first saw her perform, Bat-Or's guitar playing has become tighter and more exciting than ever to listen to. She has also become a more dynamic performer on stage. It is a place on which she clearly feels very comfortable.<br />
<br />
Having seen the great slide guitar player Bonnie Raitt closing out the 2017 season of the Lincoln Center Out Of Doors program the previous evening, I can emphatically state that there are not enough women in rock music! Or playing Blues music for that matter. And Bat-Or and her bandmates are definitely a welcome addition to the thin ranks of past and present female rockers in those genres.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPRxfnQKwCstYApwNxMJKgubswCMSDQudDsXs-963RBGJLvyJ7YoY8Oq55gYKLV-JnzTkIvX1I2zP46JD4TAbf7h1hrkunCsZbedF7jgXacqQE0TkLmWr8aK76C6_w-kB0CBPwfNW3ukQ/s1600/IMG_4856.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="198" data-original-width="605" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMPRxfnQKwCstYApwNxMJKgubswCMSDQudDsXs-963RBGJLvyJ7YoY8Oq55gYKLV-JnzTkIvX1I2zP46JD4TAbf7h1hrkunCsZbedF7jgXacqQE0TkLmWr8aK76C6_w-kB0CBPwfNW3ukQ/s400/IMG_4856.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><a href="http://facebook.com/rabbitsfootmusic" target="_blank">Rabbit's Foot</a></b><br />
With the first three acts of the night being led by female performers, it was a surprise to see what I thought might turn out to be a New Directions type group take to the stage. However, I was delighted to see that the all male ensemble, Rabbit's Foot, were anything but another 'boy band'.<br />
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This five-piece out of Fairfield, Connecticut, play original Funk, Blues, and Soul music with a passion and expertise that belies their youth (although having said that, with regard to their apparent youth, when you are fast approaching your 69th year as I am, anyone under thirty-five will always be seen as young! But I digress).<br />
<br />
The band is ably led by Spencer Bebon on vocals, and has a brilliant lead guitar player in Jad Qaddourah, with Will Corona on bass guitar, Seth Henriquez on keyboard and piano, and Les Gilman on drums. This group has the potential for big things. With the right support and management they may even achieve great things. The songs are upbeat, dynamic, and catchy. The interactions on stage between Spencer, Jad, Will and Seth showed they were all having a great time, and enjoying playing together.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the drummer Les Gilman. While I have no issue with his ability to play the drums and lay down a steady beat for the others to work by, the expression on Gilman's face ranged from bored to disinterested. Occasionally a half smile would pass over his mouth, but he never seemed to be a real part of the group. His interactions with the other four were minimal, and he never at any stage seemed to relax and get right into the spirit of the night.<br />
<br />
I mentioned this to Spencer later during the evening, and he said that it was just Les Gilman's personality. That may well be so, but his demeanor simply did not fit in with either the music or with the dynamic performances of his bandmates. They may be happy with his drumming, but they should not be happy with his onstage persona. The vibe is not right. It may seem like a small thing, but it only takes one small thing to stop a band from reaching its full potential, and I sincerely believe that Les Gilman is the weak link in the Rabbit's Foot chain.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXif_Ng1lzTtcI80XJvESXn0WWHKPf0ObUa-NjkMeDpbA2J5vLBu3axuMtGqyaRTPJxcp30VVJ-oRUBIcaqFBGRJzrEkINOC8fLYgwNcZ804V1-XMQlltOPIpEX9hTP_b0H-i5KlIJhFL/s1600/FB_IMG_1502846373563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="960" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzXif_Ng1lzTtcI80XJvESXn0WWHKPf0ObUa-NjkMeDpbA2J5vLBu3axuMtGqyaRTPJxcp30VVJ-oRUBIcaqFBGRJzrEkINOC8fLYgwNcZ804V1-XMQlltOPIpEX9hTP_b0H-i5KlIJhFL/s320/FB_IMG_1502846373563.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/66894385931/" target="_blank">Richie Cannata's Monday Night Jam</a> </b><br />
And so to the final act of the night. And what a final act it was. Richie Cannata has been leading these Jam sessions for almost 30 years! And no, that is not a typo. According to the events Facebook page, he began in the late-80s at a venue called the China Club, followed by moves to numerous other city venues before finding a home at the Bitter End.<br />
<br />
To say, as I did at the start of this post that he has put together "some of the best musicians you are likely to see and hear anywhere" is one of the great understatements. The jam night kicks off with an extend version of the song, <i>Driven To Tears</i>, co-written by Gordon Sumner and Sting. Each musician (and by my count there were nine of them, including the singer), is given time to shine on their chosen instrument, and by gawd do they ever glow! By the time everyone has had their moment in the spotlight, visitors have been treated to an amazing thirty-minutes or so of ear splitting improvisations that make the price of the modest $10 admission seem like the bargain of the year, which it probably is.<br />
<br />
Again, from the Facebook page we learn that the core group consists of Benny Harrison (keys/vocals), Frosty Lawson (Flugelhorn/vocals), Jim Moran (guitar/vocals), George Panos (bass), Kevin Bregande (drums), and of course, the host with the most, Richie Cannata on saxophone. The only other musician whose name I did note during the night was the percussionist Julio Fernandez, who celebrated his 70th birthday that night.<br />
<br />
Julio, we were told, played percussion on stage at Woodstock with Jimi Hendrix! At 70 he is tall and wiry, incredibly energetic, and he can pound out rhythms on a pair of conga's in an age defying display that left everyone in no doubt that they were in the presence of an extraordinary musician.<br />
<br />
<b>More Information</b><br />
<b><a href="http://bessgreenbergofficial.com/" target="_blank">Bess Greenberg...</a> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://facebook.com/juliagarganomusic" target="_blank">Julia Gargano...</a> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.kaloband.com/" target="_blank">KALO...</a> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://facebook.com/rabbitsfootmusic" target="_blank">Rabbit's Foot...</a> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/66894385931/" target="_blank">Richie Cannata's Monday Night Jam...</a> </b><br />
<br />
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Monday 14, August | Expenses $77.25 ($107.85)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
=====================================</div>
<br />
Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsBDwa2UKycg10toH9iJ7PsXFhAA8aAphDyHa1KfJrUobqtEaA4_pIDXcYjusMwOSyRuHdsmrPbDosTcTl0wzpIboJVAWLfGvXGXEhjWdygqTGrLx0T7NVzU1xmDowJMqs2JXUVt_pFIa/s1600/20170814_194629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1041" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsBDwa2UKycg10toH9iJ7PsXFhAA8aAphDyHa1KfJrUobqtEaA4_pIDXcYjusMwOSyRuHdsmrPbDosTcTl0wzpIboJVAWLfGvXGXEhjWdygqTGrLx0T7NVzU1xmDowJMqs2JXUVt_pFIa/s400/20170814_194629.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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An aging poster on the wall of the venue.</div>
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-88253786016722441282017-08-15T03:34:00.000+09:302017-10-03T13:26:42.738+10:30NYC Day 59: In Which We Farewell Lincoln Center Out Of Doors for 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1q3oDczL0JMEx3Pynjvahg77ckOC_URMZrVuD6DuLs8fQbVv4QyniAUt5iazlMVWe-KR4LROC1FGStQpKLw5ttifdxzptsqB2g095GFBHCdgGmv80fhxDwohbhblENH9XIzt1FYyFkKU/s1600/20170813_211511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1q3oDczL0JMEx3Pynjvahg77ckOC_URMZrVuD6DuLs8fQbVv4QyniAUt5iazlMVWe-KR4LROC1FGStQpKLw5ttifdxzptsqB2g095GFBHCdgGmv80fhxDwohbhblENH9XIzt1FYyFkKU/s400/20170813_211511.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Close, but not close enough.</span></div>
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...</div>
<b>Sunday 13, August | Expenses $39.70 ($50.21)</b><br />
I had pretty much made up my mind to have another day in today, but late in the afternoon I decided to make the effort and head out to catch the final Lincoln Center Out Of Doors performance for 2017. This featured the Memphis 'soul man' songwriter and performer, Don Bryant, and the multi-Grammy Award winner, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Alumni, Bonnie Raitt.<br />
<br />
It was a great last minute decision by yours truly, only spoilt by the fact that seemingly half of Manhattan had decided to do the same thing. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but on arriving in the vicinity of Damrosch Park, the major outdoor performance space at the Lincoln Center, I was immediately stopped by the huge line of fellow hopefuls waiting to enter the site. I was further stopped in my tracks by learning that the line was not for the area set aside with seating (this was already at capacity), but for people hoping to get into the standing room only area. Fat chance<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kWrkJC3icbWfLr1o2d_mrT9K-l3Jg_d2JCAK7ya-k-SHfJOebAJNdB8OkCerWtt6YnrJXEmkpbzJ5ACipEnWNegLu4SEXW3XN8S3UfHAjOwNVNUZHaA2iVIq5VPxGc-fnhbrmpyO8dOY/s1600/20170813_202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8kWrkJC3icbWfLr1o2d_mrT9K-l3Jg_d2JCAK7ya-k-SHfJOebAJNdB8OkCerWtt6YnrJXEmkpbzJ5ACipEnWNegLu4SEXW3XN8S3UfHAjOwNVNUZHaA2iVIq5VPxGc-fnhbrmpyO8dOY/s400/20170813_202022.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDiZpfmpDhXIBI_fz9WkMykeuhCh7EicU3dU4fAN1jyaFgo2qYqqXVvZT-1snuezmayQIAIaVZ9V3R4Y7ecFEFseo3Zh2IDSsTW3ZuBjnSUq_13Upsq9gUkh8y25H7K7GSolDFf8kEcO2/s1600/20170813_202048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLDiZpfmpDhXIBI_fz9WkMykeuhCh7EicU3dU4fAN1jyaFgo2qYqqXVvZT-1snuezmayQIAIaVZ9V3R4Y7ecFEFseo3Zh2IDSsTW3ZuBjnSUq_13Upsq9gUkh8y25H7K7GSolDFf8kEcO2/s400/20170813_202048.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMmnbNCUt_kYsJRrMryp-w4I2KH4SejJ33pF1Nw4_aeS6OXzk4yq5SzfYLQFL-fgLw3IDdv1uva-_WWCPjQnefuyUWAD6nbZ62mCSOljjIEI961n7WkjCDTghgbbkIyqivr9xbVhZ6s0w/s1600/20170813_202031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMmnbNCUt_kYsJRrMryp-w4I2KH4SejJ33pF1Nw4_aeS6OXzk4yq5SzfYLQFL-fgLw3IDdv1uva-_WWCPjQnefuyUWAD6nbZ62mCSOljjIEI961n7WkjCDTghgbbkIyqivr9xbVhZ6s0w/s400/20170813_202031.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: Street views of the Don Bryant, and Bonnie Raitt concert at Damrosch Park.</span></div>
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...</div>
In the end I gave up waiting in line and walked down the street alongside Damrosch Park, where I stood with hundreds of other frustrated music fans who were five deep along the sidewalk, listening to -- but not seeing -- Don Bryant and his band knock out a rocking set that had people on their feet roaring for more at the end of his performance.<br />
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Bryant was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1942, which makes him another 75 year old soul man who sang and performed like a man half that age. Don co-wrote the Top 40 hit, <i>I Can't Stand The Rain</i> with Ann Peebles in 1973 (they married the following year). He had previously written <i>99 Pounds, </i>and<i> Do I Need You,</i> for Peebles and wrote many other songs while a staff writer at Hi Records. Not content to rest on his laurels, Don Bryant recently released a new album, <i>Don't Give Up On Love</i>, to much acclaim.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqgct3Lzr44-RI9rNvUiAFk4zyIiWUjl3apWEJcc3WYiCM4e6t81ZqkpQp3xjInaDw_vdF5PpTBsF_UWe1OjtTu22cOQnZ_8zmfTughOrPqYoLVGyEr-orriTa-jn-N_pgPBvkCIqXCaI/s1600/20170813_213710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqgct3Lzr44-RI9rNvUiAFk4zyIiWUjl3apWEJcc3WYiCM4e6t81ZqkpQp3xjInaDw_vdF5PpTBsF_UWe1OjtTu22cOQnZ_8zmfTughOrPqYoLVGyEr-orriTa-jn-N_pgPBvkCIqXCaI/s400/20170813_213710.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't claim to be a massive Bonnie Raitt fan, and I won't even pretend that I am all that familiar with her musical output over more than 40 years, but I was more than impressed with her performance and her choice of songs, some of which went back to her earliest albums, along with a well chosen selection of songs by other groups and singers, including Talking Heads, INXS, John Hiatt, and others.<br />
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As the evening, and the performance progressed, some of the people out on the street began to head home, thinking that since they couldn't see Bonnie Raitt and her band, there was no point hanging around. As the crowd continued to thin out, and as a few people chose to leave Damrosch Park, someone made the decision to open the barriers and let those of us still out on the street enter the site.<br />
<br />
Truly it is said that <i>Patience is a virtue</i>, and my patience was finally rewarded with a good view of the final 30 minutes of the show.<br />
<br />
During her encore, she brought out her surprise guest, Marc Cohn, another Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter. Marc is probably best known for his now classic hit song, <i>Walking In Memphis</i> from his 1991 debut album. Raitt and Cohn only performed one song together, and it wasn't Cohn's song, but nobody seemed to care. The evening ended not with a bang, but with a slow Texas waltz, and a clearly delighted Bonnie Raitt left the stage at the end of a perfect night under the New York stars, by which I mean the light emanating from thousands of windows illuminating the towering apartments and office blocks surrounding the Lincoln Center.<br />
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
...</div>
<br />
<b>WEEK EIGHT EXPENSES*</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
<b>ONGOING WEEKLY EXPENSES</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
Museum Memberships <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$19.15 ($25.15)<br />
AT&T SIM card <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$16.25 ($25.38)<br />
MTA Pass <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$30.25 ($39.92)<br />
Accommodation <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$152.00 ($200.00)<br />
===================================<br />
Total Ongoing: US$217.65 (AU$290.45)<br />
===================================<br />
<br />
<b>ADDITIONAL DAILY EXPENSES</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
Sunday 6, August | Expenses $30.25 ($38.10)<br />
Monday 7, August | Expenses $00.00<br />
Tuesday 8, August | Expenses $106.80 ($135.65)<br />
Wednesday 9, August | Expenses $27.05 ($34.30)<br />
Thursday 10, August | Expenses $72.15 ($92.20)<br />
Friday 11, August | Expenses $95.50 ($125.20)<br />
Saturday 12, August | Expenses $53.35 ($67.55)<br />
===================================<br />
TOTAL: US$385.10 | AU$493.00<br />
===================================<br />
<br />
<b>Total Expenses Week 8: US$602.75 (AU$783.45)</b><br />
*Figures in brackets are Australian dollar amounts<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqqr7AVeNuNRRd7IL8FANMFZ2pBVq0WewwC-1uI_Zlq65Iw1qKYcXGHIU4evSpxLVHUX73UFopp9IyDJdDeg9nWYzyMpornq-kYC6MJMb7l5KOG-daAiuvFeyx6uW8yu-wEfSv9TsQQPb/s1600/20170812_121411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqqr7AVeNuNRRd7IL8FANMFZ2pBVq0WewwC-1uI_Zlq65Iw1qKYcXGHIU4evSpxLVHUX73UFopp9IyDJdDeg9nWYzyMpornq-kYC6MJMb7l5KOG-daAiuvFeyx6uW8yu-wEfSv9TsQQPb/s400/20170812_121411.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Day 47 of my Big Apple adventure, I wrote about my outing to the end of the Metro-North line to New Haven, Connecticut. In that post I wrote that my out of town jaunt was the result of a travel game I play far too infrequently called, The End Of The Line Game.<br />
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The rules of the game are quite straight forward; pick a form of easily accessible public transport such as bus, train or ferry; choose any available route as randomly as possible, and then ride that bus, train or ferry to the end of the line -- which should be a place you have never been. Once you are at your destination, you must spend several hours at least, exploring the surrounding neighborhood, village or town you have arrived at, before returning to the place from which you departed.</blockquote>
With those 'rules' in mind, it was time to embark on a second mystery trip, and for that I chose the final stop on Metro-North Railroad's Harlem-Line -- Wassaic, New York. I should point out that when I chose Wassaic a couple of weeks ago, I knew nothing about the hamlet or what might be waiting for me when I got there. Having selected it, I did a little research and discovered that Wassaic is the location for <b><a href="http://www.wassaicproject.org/" target="_blank">The Wassaic Project</a></b>, a non-profit arts organization based in a repurposed grain mill. Further research into the Wassaic Project revealed that the organization's annual festival was taking place on Friday and Saturday, August 11 and 12, 2017. Well, clearly The Fates were lining up events in my favor, and there was nothing for it but to follow through and make the trip -- and I am more than happy with my decision.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Panel describing historic buildings of Wassaic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above and Below: Gridley Chapel, built in 1873.</span></div>
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<b>Some Brief Historical Facts</b><br />
Wassaic is a hamlet in the town of Amenia, Dutchess County, New York. The name of the hamlet is derived from the Native American word Washaic; "land of difficult access" or "narrow valley". One of the earliest recorded Europeans to settle in Wassaic was Richard Sackett. He petitioned the Colonial Government on March 11th 1703 for a license to purchase a tract of land in "Washiack". During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington marched through Wassaic on the way to Connecticut.<br />
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Among Wassaic's main employers in the 19th century were Gridley Iron Works and the Harlem division of the New York and Harlem Railroad. In 1861, Gail Borden opened a factory for producing a condensed milk that would not need refrigeration. This was a welcome ration for the Union troops during the Civil War. Long sold by Borden, it is today marketed as Eagle Brand Condensed Milk.<br />
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Wassaic is home to <b><a href="http://www.wassaicproject.org/" target="_blank">The Wassaic Project</a></b>, a non-profit arts and music organization and the Wassaic Artist Residency. They provide summer programming as well as run an artist in residence program.<br />
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The organization makes use of restored historic buildings in the hamlet including Maxon Mills and Luther Barn. Maxon Mills, a seven-story former wood crib grain elevator, has been converted into exhibition, office, and studio spaces, including Art NEST, a free drop-in creative space for kids. Luther Barn is home to artist-in-residence studios and the old cattle auction ring is used as a film exhibition space during the summer festival. The organization currently offers year round programming as well as an education program focused onsite and at the Webutuck consolidated school district serving the Towns of Amenia and Northeast.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: The magnificent former Maxon Mill, now home to The Wassaic project.</span></div>
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<b>Wassaic Project August Festival. Wassaic, New York</b><br />
I was up at 7:30am, and with the house cat and myself well fed and watered, I headed off to the Metro-North Harlem Line station on 125th Street, to catch the 10:00am train for the two hour trip to Wassaic.<br />
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The day's events were divided into four main streams: Dance, Music, Film and Education. The Dance component of the day featured nine dance companies, and one soloist, performing new and original modern dance works, while the Film events included the <i>Weird and Wonderful</i>, and the <i>Strange and Beautiful</i>, programs of short films. Other films included the <i>Star Wars Mixtape</i>, and something called <i>The Whole Shebang</i>, as well as a mystery classic film.<br />
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The Music component of the festival took place in the evening at which three local area bands took to the stage at the nearby Lantern Inn. These were to be followed by a late night dance party with music provided by a DJ.<br />
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The education events were the briefest, and consisted of a "family friendly Garden Party with art activities," and "Avant Garde performances by Camp Wassaic youth."<br />
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Finally, I should also point out that a major exhibition coincided with the festival. Called <b><a href="http://wassaicproject.org/programming/exhibitions/2017-summer-exhibition-festival-application/summer-2017-vagabond-time-killers/" target="_blank">Vagabond Time Killers</a></b>, the exhibition "features the work of 53 emerging artists, the majority of whom have come to us as artists-in-residence and have lived and worked here, in Wassaic. The works included depict each artists relationship, perception, and interpretation of our current location in space and time, and how art and its context can transform people, places, and ideas."<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: General views of the gallery spaces within Maxon Mill</span></div>
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The first thing I did on arriving at the event was to work my way up and through all seven floors of the former Maxon Mill. Built in 1954 by the Maxon Mills Company, the mill was an active feed elevator until the 1980s. Today it is one of the last remaining wood-crib grain elevators in the country. By the early 2000s Maxon Mills was abandoned and on the verge of demolition. Happily it was saved when it was placed on the New York State Register of Historic Places in 2005. However, it was only when Zutaloria & Associates, led by Richard Berry and Anthony Zunino purchased and renovated the building, that the former mill has now been transformed into one of the most unique art spaces that it has been my pleasure to see and walk through.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: Scenes from three dance performances, and Below, part of the audience. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4M8r78fOG0Dh3QJOf4gUKYPNJ663D18DwNB7U8rP6Kv5mS35iJCpoRtS7AjVc7H3wCc1E72nGYR6x1J41N1G8Eq8Zf6r3bYN_lSfT8tJ-qG1leYNFJsg_s9nK2NeHf_F8M2k5xDkggBe/s1600/20170812_181307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4M8r78fOG0Dh3QJOf4gUKYPNJ663D18DwNB7U8rP6Kv5mS35iJCpoRtS7AjVc7H3wCc1E72nGYR6x1J41N1G8Eq8Zf6r3bYN_lSfT8tJ-qG1leYNFJsg_s9nK2NeHf_F8M2k5xDkggBe/s400/20170812_181307.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I must confess that I am a poor correspondent when it comes to documenting all the events at this day-long festival. At one o'clock I sat down to watch the first of the ten dance performances scheduled for the afternoon in three hour-long sessions. Out on the large porch, Leonard Cruz, Amanda L. Edwards, Jasmine Hearn, and the Amirov Dance Theater/Alexandra Amirov, ran, crawled, rolled, spun, leapt, pirouetted, puffed, panted, and challenged the assembled watchers with choreography that baffled, moved, excited and ultimately delighted a very appreciative audience.<br />
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Once the first series of performances had concluded, rather than see what else I might take in at the festival, I decided on an exploratory walk through the hamlet. Wassaic is nestled in between rolling hills, with areas of forest or woodland, and lush green pastures appearing beyond the main thoroughfares that pass through the hamlet.<br />
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From what I could see, almost every building in the area was of timber frame construction, and while some were quite small and often rundown, others were well maintained and surrounded by huge swathes of lawn and well kept flower beds. The biggest brick constructed building in the village (see below) is one that appears to be shared between the Pawling Corporation, and the Presray company, which provides "Critical Containment Solutions", though for what and to whom I don't know.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftaG52QVG94O2LbnkuA9p_rAgM_MTWX9l-LOsyRHQVWXjQk1up2p0OolzoPqfAhXDgUSSfnXHE0K048grVsmWxFbwcpJv5dtYFqgeK6LOusLIHS2UghSgqe64HIw8G9dnwKuTfAb2RqzT/s1600/20170812_142341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjftaG52QVG94O2LbnkuA9p_rAgM_MTWX9l-LOsyRHQVWXjQk1up2p0OolzoPqfAhXDgUSSfnXHE0K048grVsmWxFbwcpJv5dtYFqgeK6LOusLIHS2UghSgqe64HIw8G9dnwKuTfAb2RqzT/s400/20170812_142341.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: The Pawling Corp and/or Presay Co., building in Wassaic</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Below: Homes in the village of Wassaic, New York. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4zpxvXve7t38-RUrMJg5ra3Cqu4O_Ut0YEQwy-FtTpyVMshFpb5KNrhSBx1BXSJ8Zdw1LC6eHT2wpTJxkNkusDtDVsC61wW51_CkDvvmXsszJvdoCEH20r3U8j1KqOcStMrHsnKTKdTV/s1600/20170812_143431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1027" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ4zpxvXve7t38-RUrMJg5ra3Cqu4O_Ut0YEQwy-FtTpyVMshFpb5KNrhSBx1BXSJ8Zdw1LC6eHT2wpTJxkNkusDtDVsC61wW51_CkDvvmXsszJvdoCEH20r3U8j1KqOcStMrHsnKTKdTV/s400/20170812_143431.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc-xqR5mEn5k4JMDUpQucprTbD3b3rU_La7q9z4zk90-_wESo2VdxDqA2qop4kzmgryGlsTxIBsNK9kvqhM75xfQ7bD5KyVpHRarmO_WTCgN4yg1DSMAF_H27ixrg0msJeMuHPlscsya5/s1600/20170812_165532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc-xqR5mEn5k4JMDUpQucprTbD3b3rU_La7q9z4zk90-_wESo2VdxDqA2qop4kzmgryGlsTxIBsNK9kvqhM75xfQ7bD5KyVpHRarmO_WTCgN4yg1DSMAF_H27ixrg0msJeMuHPlscsya5/s400/20170812_165532.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdyU48VnC6a0OH90nzH17aRC92xkhj9ZHilbzuvpJh2NnAKzFWhmKREMkfZvMDqobUB-TH2oEYLKVHdhyWlvvx9xMPCHUho7O2XkcFZY8106BPGl7BEHWDm_M6yBtphhOi1fctctGaTy8/s1600/20170812_161437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdyU48VnC6a0OH90nzH17aRC92xkhj9ZHilbzuvpJh2NnAKzFWhmKREMkfZvMDqobUB-TH2oEYLKVHdhyWlvvx9xMPCHUho7O2XkcFZY8106BPGl7BEHWDm_M6yBtphhOi1fctctGaTy8/s400/20170812_161437.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73JZ-lBoZOTjF04sfObCMXnIFRIglYRTJM9Q9libkbdGwaGu4koOgYtcQPCdrX3UTd7wJmmmR7oua_sKa5xs9JuMonpIDKhPySD-CYH4ZQefo1dmZFZJMeiwSOSC-wI6egBTRhV6k8N7A/s1600/20170812_162900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73JZ-lBoZOTjF04sfObCMXnIFRIglYRTJM9Q9libkbdGwaGu4koOgYtcQPCdrX3UTd7wJmmmR7oua_sKa5xs9JuMonpIDKhPySD-CYH4ZQefo1dmZFZJMeiwSOSC-wI6egBTRhV6k8N7A/s400/20170812_162900.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It was during this walk that I passed the home of Hugh, who was sitting in his yard drinking beer next to a large fire pit filled with burning logs. As I was walking past his timber-frame home munching my way carefully around the core of a Golden Delicious apple, he called out to me, complimenting me on my choice of cap -- which identified me as a Yankees fan. I made a suitable reply, and then, as he seemed to want to continue conversing, I entered his fence-less yard, and with words to the effect that 'there is no point traveling if you are not going to meet the locals', we shook hands and I introduced myself as 'Jim, from Australia.' I then sat down for fifteen minutes or so, making small - but pleasant - talk with him.<br />
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I must say that as humble as his circumstances appeared to be, Hugh seemed happy with his lot in life. My guess is that he was well into his 50s, currently unattached, and probably happy to be in that state, but then I didn't ask him, and he didn't ask me about my relationship status! Despite owning three cars, he said he had a well-paying job within walking distance of his home, and the stream (or branch of a larger river) that ran along the edge of his property apparently had abundant large, edible fish within easy reach of a fishing line (although they were not always easy to catch). And then there was his fire pit with which to cook them should he choose to.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6FivvxTmPbjUCw3SRy1omGxegA4PFUKX-kHYhW8w5DylpUyIYH_KfMx_mnamz2LAm9ydnOyBQVPJPbjXJ2yO29I4pdhfPLD7vZsicPaV8hYy0QR8BfUuf2VwzaPuicu0vzcGEdYwkRy5/s1600/20170812_170003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6FivvxTmPbjUCw3SRy1omGxegA4PFUKX-kHYhW8w5DylpUyIYH_KfMx_mnamz2LAm9ydnOyBQVPJPbjXJ2yO29I4pdhfPLD7vZsicPaV8hYy0QR8BfUuf2VwzaPuicu0vzcGEdYwkRy5/s400/20170812_170003.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Natalia Nakazawa's <i>Eye Flame, </i>2009</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggKi3-l1yonwwMmbHtUC0Q_cY6gzLdvS4b_3UNU4AOJgFn0SDC7Vb8UoaE1xntK2PhsUdANzWxrK7JY-4A-ASnuuktr50vdsBbnnpKQyoiQSfegFy_qgvsuectuZSyCeF7lnQ7ay96YdG/s1600/20170812_125752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggKi3-l1yonwwMmbHtUC0Q_cY6gzLdvS4b_3UNU4AOJgFn0SDC7Vb8UoaE1xntK2PhsUdANzWxrK7JY-4A-ASnuuktr50vdsBbnnpKQyoiQSfegFy_qgvsuectuZSyCeF7lnQ7ay96YdG/s400/20170812_125752.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: Detail from Enrique Figueredo's <i>If I Could Build Anything I Wanted 2, </i>2015</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Mhdi6sKoSX9lB5a5W5OdAfS_bL4dkv801slCmk5fJ-qTApmKEwJPvPd6QWB9hyphenhyphenRJEnLJfM56RsqB9V8f3GxbkISlbCOyYpdK53XinHtTMBbNgk_4RZc-Fyod4uvSq5FvdnlbrvZSkDcJ/s1600/20170812_125437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Mhdi6sKoSX9lB5a5W5OdAfS_bL4dkv801slCmk5fJ-qTApmKEwJPvPd6QWB9hyphenhyphenRJEnLJfM56RsqB9V8f3GxbkISlbCOyYpdK53XinHtTMBbNgk_4RZc-Fyod4uvSq5FvdnlbrvZSkDcJ/s400/20170812_125437.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Detail from Tatiana Arocha's <i>Impending Beauty,</i> 2017.</span></div>
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Taking my leave of Hugh and his fire pit, I walked back to the Mill for the three o'clock dance session, where I watched the Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, the Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre, and Esther Baker-Tarpaga present their modern dance works, and then, instead of heading over to Luther Barn to the <i>Weird and Wonderful</i> film shorts program, I went for another walk through a different part of Wassaic, just to see what I might see.<br />
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Two of the houses pictured below must surely be among the grandest homes in Wassaic, although while the first one is clearly well maintained and occupied, the house in the second image, of an equally grand house, appears to be abandoned and falling into disrepair. And then there is the third image of a 'fixer-upper' as these houses are euphemistically called. I don't know how 'cheap' the house is going for, but I suspect you would need lots of time, money, and energy to get it back to a livable condition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ye6nUieky5XOx4ThD9qUv0uhyphenhyphenBkyuXPSolSlt1iPO1-qwAcCGSJfG2aSU32ZdhEYt9rtWodsfSoH8xlfbbpxeoeGJxvFvhcz6TDFURAaIVvFZbbsuqNkZrD6cBu0zFL20Bzb1MMxPupt/s1600/20170812_163041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ye6nUieky5XOx4ThD9qUv0uhyphenhyphenBkyuXPSolSlt1iPO1-qwAcCGSJfG2aSU32ZdhEYt9rtWodsfSoH8xlfbbpxeoeGJxvFvhcz6TDFURAaIVvFZbbsuqNkZrD6cBu0zFL20Bzb1MMxPupt/s400/20170812_163041.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxJ6G7hNp6_PwgYHX4EcMumMbx8xcdbv0abEihU-rVUae4dqMM984tMej2RE_4B638SOjLkTKFPUaqIjnOn1hMia7Y_qyl3MnrXVPY1IL5bad8DD31hgm0Zyu0WPzYGJLm0DXMYDQm31f/s1600/20170812_142615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxJ6G7hNp6_PwgYHX4EcMumMbx8xcdbv0abEihU-rVUae4dqMM984tMej2RE_4B638SOjLkTKFPUaqIjnOn1hMia7Y_qyl3MnrXVPY1IL5bad8DD31hgm0Zyu0WPzYGJLm0DXMYDQm31f/s400/20170812_142615.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85X80XiaM8caQppSqstItyfxo9MpdzeBlV7__AftwtuodU3rUya1cAEGysEDl1paqz9xoI_5YkebmISMQBQoLfkFtjQFsX1fuimG7tA0Vk61IuXZ0PSUJ6gVMasskMFOESdwbPkfu4Tzu/s1600/20170812_143756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj85X80XiaM8caQppSqstItyfxo9MpdzeBlV7__AftwtuodU3rUya1cAEGysEDl1paqz9xoI_5YkebmISMQBQoLfkFtjQFsX1fuimG7tA0Vk61IuXZ0PSUJ6gVMasskMFOESdwbPkfu4Tzu/s400/20170812_143756.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I was back at the Maxon Mill site in time to see the final round of three dance performances beginning at 5:00pm. These were presented by Racoco, Bryn Cohn + Artists, and Rina Espiritu. It was during the last of these performances that the Metro-North train roared past the Mill - which stands alongside the track - and I had to make a snap decision: take the 6:30pm train back to Grand Central, or wait until 8:30, or even 10:30pm to make the two hour trip back to the city.<br />
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As a vacillated over my decision, I noticed a group of visitors boarding the shuttle bus for the run to Wassaic station, and in that moment I made my decision to leave. It is a decision I now regret. Now I wish I had stayed to at least see the first of the local bands, <i>Upstate Rubdown</i> play at The Lantern. If I had remained I may even have stayed on to see the other two bands, <i>Madaila, </i>and<i> Midnight Magic.</i> In the end, the only music I did see and hear snatches of was provided by two other local musicians going by the name, <i>The Goldenhour Piedmont Boys</i>. With a name like that you might guess they were either a Country or Bluegrass duo, and if you said Bluegrass, you would be right.<br />
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The Lantern appears to be the only entertainment establishment of any real note in the village, and seems to be a combination of pizza restaurant, bar, live music venue, apartments, and who knows what else.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwD3lNc90BA-860r1q4Q1YQIAnHYtBeVwZZftZicCp91KXXj16YdFHqWApO19LcZgRxrx-p8qwHE4sqH3DcrZFyY7AIAvTsSdPSRkxrJry1JXJnhqYHWtPaXAGlbNVwqCk5ZtTo0jrJMb/s1600/20170812_143127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1044" data-original-width="1600" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwD3lNc90BA-860r1q4Q1YQIAnHYtBeVwZZftZicCp91KXXj16YdFHqWApO19LcZgRxrx-p8qwHE4sqH3DcrZFyY7AIAvTsSdPSRkxrJry1JXJnhqYHWtPaXAGlbNVwqCk5ZtTo0jrJMb/s400/20170812_143127.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: The Lantern, and Below, Calsi's General Store </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQGlDLWknDw0KiqvcuhNBGvs86WKHewyK2aQS9c_qvcX9oPRbfU1f7NNfdOrPNRetw5mecGw_WEnqpwKCZirZ7uio3RoseQg8ZzLnS43oz4_Avye3KeaAsYY8S6tRwprUw56J61f0kqlT/s1600/20170812_143406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQGlDLWknDw0KiqvcuhNBGvs86WKHewyK2aQS9c_qvcX9oPRbfU1f7NNfdOrPNRetw5mecGw_WEnqpwKCZirZ7uio3RoseQg8ZzLnS43oz4_Avye3KeaAsYY8S6tRwprUw56J61f0kqlT/s400/20170812_143406.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fodZGjMntKj080K8N9dCnS-6_qTaHWSlL6tCLzkAmCJkkosrcCkh_QO8hkDqcATmSXkyRAHtsxz3J6iCMw80S64Ve3qEkb7oaeKcSKjKyDUoWJquakNYj0YACCYdqsFkfM9S-9DfvKyV/s1600/20170812_143420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fodZGjMntKj080K8N9dCnS-6_qTaHWSlL6tCLzkAmCJkkosrcCkh_QO8hkDqcATmSXkyRAHtsxz3J6iCMw80S64Ve3qEkb7oaeKcSKjKyDUoWJquakNYj0YACCYdqsFkfM9S-9DfvKyV/s400/20170812_143420.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You might assume that with my truncated visit to Wassaic, I was disappointed with my mystery trip to the end of the Harlem Line, but no, on the contrary this outing may very well turn out to be the highlight of my three month New York stay - though don't ask me to explain why just yet. I still need to process the experience.<br />
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And with that outing, dear reader, Day 57 drew to a long, train ride close.<br />
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<b>More Information</b><br />
<b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassaic,_New_York" target="_blank">Wikipedia...</a></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.wassaicproject.org/" target="_blank">The Wassaic Project...</a></b><br />
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Saturday 12, August | Expenses $53.35 ($67.55)</div>
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And Finally, the views from the top floor of Maxon's Mill are well worth the effort of climbing the seven storeys necessary to enjoy them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7bl7en-mlh8vdZ8ezuOTGshPm7EAS2IAs_rpNVCyRZtlnSb3y5aE3XRsEgqqtdEt101JOCbHvsKTAE2f5PK01qkzzTHV7G2pGtKI_2vCVWeRIeD0d4A6thccOilOprzDcul7nfwLNNuw/s1600/20170812_125310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7bl7en-mlh8vdZ8ezuOTGshPm7EAS2IAs_rpNVCyRZtlnSb3y5aE3XRsEgqqtdEt101JOCbHvsKTAE2f5PK01qkzzTHV7G2pGtKI_2vCVWeRIeD0d4A6thccOilOprzDcul7nfwLNNuw/s400/20170812_125310.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Mad Dogs And Englishmen<br />
My main event for Friday, August 11, was billed as "A celebration and re-creation of the entire groundbreaking 1970 live album and tour, MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN. Serving as a dedication to Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, the show will be recreated with the exact 20-piece personnel from the original tour including a full choir, two drum kits, horn section, piano and Hammond B3, two guitars, and more." And what a celebration it was.<br />
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"This event will include all songs from the entire tour beyond those on the original album release, with interpretations of songs by rock and soul greats including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Leonard Cohen, Traffic, Leon Russell, and more."<br />
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To be clear, the "exact 20-piece personnel from the original tour" refers to the number and types of performers and musicians, not the same performers and musicians. And by "full choir" I assume the puff piece writer was referring to the eight singers who formed the chorus line or backup singers. But let's not quibble.<br />
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Taking on lead vocals was "a notorious and bombastic vocalist and persona," going by the stage name, Remember Jones (don't ask me why. I haven't go a clue!) However, Remember Jones had energy to spare, and he led the assembled musicians and guest singers from the front, like a general leading his troops into withering fire.<br />
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It was a 'take no prisoners' kind of night, and I am grateful to the young waitress who noticed that I had wads of tissue paper stuck in my ears in an attempt to protect what little is left of my hearing. When she brought me a set of ear plugs I was quick to substitute tissue paper for foam, and unlike one lady I overheard as I was leaving the Highline Ballroom, my eardrums were not 'bleeding' from the volume that 21 musicians and singers make when they are pounding out <i>The Letter</i> at full throttle.<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/DwU19sUmaT8d" target="_blank"><b>Click here...</b></a> to watch Remember Jones and his ensemble performing <i>Delta Lady, </i>and<i> With A Little Help From My Friends</i> at the Count Basie Theatre, March 14, 2015.<br />
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Friday 11, August | Expenses $54.00 ($68.35)</div>
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Today was one of those days that started out as one thing, and ended up as something else completely. I had the vague idea of indulging in a long ferry ride to ... where exactly? As it happens, I had not worked that bit out. Nevertheless, I made my way to Fulton Street with a rough plan to catch a ferry from the World Trade Center ferry berth, and see what was on offer. In the end I decided on a short ride to Hoboken South.<br />
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The last time I visited Hoboken was in 2010, and it is pleasing to see that New Jersey has found some money to smarten up areas along the Hudson River. A heap of new developments have sprung up over the intervening seven years, including multi-storey apartment complexes, along with extensive beautification measures that make walks or bike rides along well maintained paved pathways a real pleasure.<br />
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I was surprised to read via Wikipedia that "Hoboken was originally an island, surrounded by the Hudson River on the east and tidal lands at the foot of the New Jersey Palisades on the west." Though after some thought, I remembered that Coney Island, that most famous of New York City neighborhoods, was also once an island until what little stretch of water separated it from the mainland was filled in, paved over, and built upon.<br />
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I was even more surprised to read that despite being in New Jersey, "Hoboken is part of the New York metropolitan area." The Wiki articles goes on to say, "The city is a bedroom community of New York City, where most of its employed residents work." Indeed, "about 53 percent of the employed residents of Hoboken...work in one of the five boroughs of New York City, as opposed to about 15 percent within Hoboken."<br />
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But, wait! There's more. "The first officially recorded game of baseball took place in Hoboken in 1846 between the Knickerbocker Club, and New York Nine at Elysian Fields." A historical marker stands at the intersection of 11th and Washington Streets, the former site of Elysian Fields.<br />
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Ole Blue Eyes himself.</div>
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Hoboken likes to lay claim to one of America's most famous and popular singers and actors, the one, the only... Mr. Francis Albert Sinatra. I know this because they have named Frank Sinatra Park in his honor. Heck the city has even named Frank Sinatra Drive after him.<br />
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Sinatra was born December 12, 1915, in an upstairs tenement at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken, New Jersey.<br />
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If I had thought ahead far enough, I could have walked to this address from the Hoboken South ferry berth to look for the house myself, but since I was not that organized, I have resorted to a Google Maps Street View of the address, and from what I can see, it seems to me that the tenement building that once stood here has long been pulled down and the site is now a car park for what appears to be a bar at number 417 called...wait for it... <i>From Here To Eternity</i>. Of course all Frank Sinatra aficionados will know this is the name of the 1953 film he starred in along with Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster.<br />
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A parking lot! It must be time to play Joni Mitchell's song, <i>Big Yellow Taxi</i>, with its very appropriate opening verse:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
They paved paradise<br />
And put up a parking lot<br />
With a pink hotel, a boutique<br />
And a swinging hot spot<br />
Don't it always seem to go<br />
That you don't know what you've got<br />
'Till it's gone<br />
They paved paradise<br />
And put up a parking lot.</blockquote>
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A Google Maps Street View screen shot of the lot at 415 Monroe Street, Hoboken, NJ.</div>
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Oh well, at least someone had the bright idea of placing a star on the sidewalk to memorialize the location.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7gYW0BYI9yNg6jnwuKjKJrFazQhl9uTMYZQAEw22_niuQe6L0mKi7kow90FBou5UIWQG9HnJ2rI7fMc-n4cnffnbAS3epso-A_AWMeciVMaH6-1cgUiYCDKmGibwMXpumFd8MCfuIoDh/s1600/IMG_4836.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="712" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp7gYW0BYI9yNg6jnwuKjKJrFazQhl9uTMYZQAEw22_niuQe6L0mKi7kow90FBou5UIWQG9HnJ2rI7fMc-n4cnffnbAS3epso-A_AWMeciVMaH6-1cgUiYCDKmGibwMXpumFd8MCfuIoDh/s320/IMG_4836.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Frank Sinatra's blue star on the pavement at 415, Monroe Street [Image: ]</span><br />
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To be frank (sorry, that was an appallingly bad pun, I know), but apart from the Frank Sinatra Park and Drive, there really was not a lot to see in Hoboken for anyone wanting to walk in the man's footsteps. There was nothing for it therefore but to take a slow stroll along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, as far as 14th Street where another ferry berth was located. Along the way I stopped to enjoy the river views, and check out some of the local history.<br />
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<b>Frank Sinatra Park</b><br />
This park, near Pier A, is a great location to take in late afternoon or early evening views of the Manhattan skyline, especially when the rays of the sun begin to bathe buildings in a soft golden light. The park was built in 1998 and is shaped in a Roman amphitheater style with an area that faces the former site of the World Trade Center. The Hoboken Division of Cultural Affairs regularly produces events at the park which includes Thursday concerts, and 'Shakespeare Mondays' which are presented by the Hudson Shakespeare Company.<br />
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Above: the beautiful Pier A park, and below, the children's playground at Pier C.</div>
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Food trucks line Pier 13 at 13th Street, Hoboken. </div>
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<b>Sybil's Cave</b><br />
Sybil's Cave, named for the ancient Greco-Roman prophetess, once "a cave with a natural spring, was opened in 1832 and visitors came to pay a penny for a glass of water from the cave which was said to have medicinal powers. In 1841, the cave became a legend, when Edgar Allan Poe wrote <i>The Mystery of Marie Roget</i>, about an event that took place there. The cave was closed in the late 1880s after the water was found to be contaminated, and it was shut in the 1930s and filled with concrete, before it was reopened in 2008." [Wikipedia...] However, the entrance to the cave is once again permanently barred by a heavy iron grill that completely encloses the opening, making it inaccessible to the public.<br />
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Above: The entrance to Sybil's Cave, and below, the cave marker. </div>
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Like the Manhattan's waterfront, the Hoboken waterfront was once lined with numerous piers that serviced local and international shipping of all descriptions. During World War One, Hoboken became the major point of embarkation for more than three million soldiers, known as doughboys, who passed through the city.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KpgxjrTsSnhzBQ_-qVknXYOEidUrFLijUWuJS7XypUKuwAlUYvCb68AFiZk94QuC5cItNIiRePnL-tzZVhM0GyilZtc38rfyfulQf22Gst0oeO4y8HSWtwvQI1AkVwaCd0a7JLciPPZj/s1600/20170810_151606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KpgxjrTsSnhzBQ_-qVknXYOEidUrFLijUWuJS7XypUKuwAlUYvCb68AFiZk94QuC5cItNIiRePnL-tzZVhM0GyilZtc38rfyfulQf22Gst0oeO4y8HSWtwvQI1AkVwaCd0a7JLciPPZj/s320/20170810_151606.jpg" width="180" /></a><br />
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Above and Below: The World War II Memorial.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXYLqkrzwvB1UIwpWaIxK0lrFw0L5eKO_s-2gcPKLgIe3NU3bijhPq-pxHZwvXh11qL4lhhQUCJyoP2G4rWr-g0giqROTFf9vxjPwQ7dnWfaQhWm_SZpINcSYV3LSJrrzsUgJIou-scxG/s1600/20170810_150246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXYLqkrzwvB1UIwpWaIxK0lrFw0L5eKO_s-2gcPKLgIe3NU3bijhPq-pxHZwvXh11qL4lhhQUCJyoP2G4rWr-g0giqROTFf9vxjPwQ7dnWfaQhWm_SZpINcSYV3LSJrrzsUgJIou-scxG/s320/20170810_150246.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<i>Not Forgotten,</i> the 2002 Memorial to Hoboken's Vietnam War Veterans.<br />
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Hoboken also once supported a vibrant shipbuilding industry, a fact which made this former shipwright very nostalgic for his first major career decision. The image below is on the grounds of what little remains of that industry along this part of the Hudson River Walkway. </div>
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Today, more than 45 years after I left the shipbuilding game, I still stop to watch boats and ships of all types pass on their way to and from foreign parts and ports. </div>
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<b>More Information</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.sinatra.com/" target="_blank">Frank Sinatra Official site...</a> </b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra" target="_blank">Frank Sinatra on Wikipedia...</a></b><br />
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Thursday 10, August | Expenses $72.15 ($92.20)</div>
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-35674345345797211642017-08-11T00:04:00.003+09:302017-08-11T00:04:35.355+09:30NYC Day 55: In Which I Am Once Again Spoilt For Choice in The Big Apple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Dive Bomber and Tank</i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (1940), by Jose Clemente Orozco</span></div>
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I had eight events listed as potential activities for this day, and one of them was not a return to the Museum of Modern Art, but there I was, being drawn back to that venerable institution on 54th Street once again. This post features works from the Mexican Modernists room.<br />
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<b>MEXICAN MODERNISM</b><br />
After the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), the new government of Mexico instituted a program to celebrate the nation's indigenous heritage and recent history. Artists were central to this initiative, designing and creating large-scale murals that often monumentalize their subjects, portraying both recognizable historical figures and common peasants and workers as symbols of strength in the face of adversity.<br />
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Through the support of the Museum of Modern Art's cofounder Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco were invited to New York in 1931 and 1940, respectively, to make frescoes in work spaces provided by the Museum. Also in New York, in 1936, David Alfaro Siqueiros, interested in innovative materials and techniques, founded the Siqueiros Experimental Workshop, whose membership included Jackson Pollock. Driving these artists, as Siqueiros explained, was the imperative to create "a fighting educative art for all."<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: full painting, and below, a detail from <i>Ethnography</i> (1939), by David Alfaro Siqueiros</span> </div>
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<b>DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS (1883-1949)</b><br />
Of <i>Los tres grandes</i> (The Big Three) Mexican muralists, Siqueiros was the youngest and the most politically radical. His artistic career was repeatedly interrupted by his fervent political activity and frequent imprisonment. Siqueiros believed that revolutionary art called for revolutionary techniques and materials. <i>Collective Suicide</i> features several innovative techniques the artist explored as part of the Siqueiros Experimental Workshop he founded in New York in 1936. He airbrushed paint across the top third of the panel and used stencils to depict the army of invading seventeenth-century Spanish conquistadors on horseback (lower right) and Chichimec Indians leaping to their deaths to avoid subjugation (left). The swirling vortexes are pools of fast-drying commercial lacquer typically used on cars. A member of the workshop later recalled that they applied this paint "in thin glazes or built it up into thick gobs. We poured it, dripped it, splattered it, and hurled it at the picture surface." Siqueiros's radical experiments proved influential for Abstract Expressionist artist Jackson Pollock, in particular, who was a member of the workshop.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: Full painting, and below, details of David Alfaro Siqueiros's, <i>Collective Suicide</i> (1936).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: Jose Clemente Orozco's, <i>Zapatistas</i> (1931) </span></div>
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<b>DIEGO RIVERA (1886-1957)</b><br />
Dedicated to the slain revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) and the campesinos, or peasant farm workers, who followed him, this fresco is a copy of a detail from a larger mural cycle Rivera made in Cuernavaca, Mexico, a few years earlier. It is one of eight "portable" frescoes Rivera produced expressly for his solo exhibition at MoMA in 1931. In a studio the Museum provided him above its galleries, he worked around the clock for a month to produce frescoes that, unlike traditional frescoes, were intended to be transportable. The works demonstrate Rivera's mastery of the medium and were a critical and popular success. During its five-week run, the exhibition broke Museum attendance records and led to important public commissions from the Ford and Rockefeller families.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: The full painting, <i>Agrarian Leader Zapata</i> (1931), and below, a detail from the work.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNrqfXw3l-V0xijTaQKBS4HtJoC9ghYN2Lq7iPWXkeC4-LGTIaCSGSI-mvtz4xsiVklwFfz-EBMN4SFBNGTcOIV3upNwEi2mAqE9xUdH5jXf5D7nd3eibmpGMEjclutJhp7p8TUshpwx9/s1600/20170809_170426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPNrqfXw3l-V0xijTaQKBS4HtJoC9ghYN2Lq7iPWXkeC4-LGTIaCSGSI-mvtz4xsiVklwFfz-EBMN4SFBNGTcOIV3upNwEi2mAqE9xUdH5jXf5D7nd3eibmpGMEjclutJhp7p8TUshpwx9/s320/20170809_170426.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>FRIDA KAHLO (1907-1954)</b><br />
Kahlo collected eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Mexican <i>retablos</i> -- small paintings on metal made as Catholic devotional objects -- and adopted the medium as her own. In this fantastical family tree, Kahlo depicted herself as a fetus in utero and as a child inside her childhood home. While Kahlo celebrated Mexican culture by evoking its traditions in her art and wearing elaborate traditional attire, this painting is as much a tribute to her European and Jewish heritage. On the right is her German-born Jewish father and his parents, symbolized by the sea, and on the left her Mexican mother and her parents, symbolized by the land and a faintly rendered map of Mexico that appears above her grandparents' heads. Kahlo made this painting shortly after Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws, forbidding interracial marriage. While the painting adopts the format of genealogical charts used by the Nazis to advocate racial purity, Kahlo uses it subversively to affirm her mixed origins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mfbzefBJShrqd-0hbKhYVl5cuVlhTi3GD2KE5ktZ5xYdBq0NDkBdcm-EAMLO61oDtjjwhsDPe8zrcmhiNu7kM747cbdLwXsAK2CC0fzQl2kEVqJkuro_pT-ZSySUBUDlYqZV4PalkhDC/s1600/20170809_213544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mfbzefBJShrqd-0hbKhYVl5cuVlhTi3GD2KE5ktZ5xYdBq0NDkBdcm-EAMLO61oDtjjwhsDPe8zrcmhiNu7kM747cbdLwXsAK2CC0fzQl2kEVqJkuro_pT-ZSySUBUDlYqZV4PalkhDC/s320/20170809_213544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (Family Tree)</i>, 1936, by Frida Kahlo</span></div>
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<i>Fulang-Chang and I</i> depicts Kahlo with one of her pet monkeys, interpreted by many as surrogates for the children she and Diego Rivera were unable to conceive. The painting was included in the first major exhibition of her work, held at Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1938. In the essay that accompanied the show, the Surrealist leader André Breton described Kahlo's work as "a ribbon around a bomb" and hailed her as a self-created Surrealist painter. Although she appreciated his enthusiasm for her work, Kahlo did not agree with his assessment: "They thought I was a Surrealist but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality." Kahlo later gave this painting to her close friend Mary Sklar, attaching a mirror to it so that, if Sklar chose, the two friends could be together.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR0HeiT8sPfdr1suPWuEZWVnDxn5WMIfTDGKBEwSgIW6WxnLsSmEVWvzZLYl7S5Jes3rXijbb2colCpEbM7-2uxeh2FJGpWLf-qZbobuQV9TM9Bj3dtS3uciapoakynD6ldW1QePLhDEZ/s1600/20170809_175422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqR0HeiT8sPfdr1suPWuEZWVnDxn5WMIfTDGKBEwSgIW6WxnLsSmEVWvzZLYl7S5Jes3rXijbb2colCpEbM7-2uxeh2FJGpWLf-qZbobuQV9TM9Bj3dtS3uciapoakynD6ldW1QePLhDEZ/s320/20170809_175422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Fulang-Chang and I</i> (1937, assembled after 1939)</span></div>
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Wednesday 9, August | Expenses $27.05 ($34.30)</div>
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Note: All biographical and interpretive information in this post is sourced from the Mexican Modernism room at the Museum of Modern Art.<br />
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
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</script></div>Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7477108146610451376.post-33481083560286620442017-08-10T01:53:00.000+09:302017-08-10T22:59:30.151+09:30NYC Day 54: In Which I Go in Search of Pre-Revolutionary America<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio99ZD-kemTHQooGlA_aIQMNGjg7nEdZpoV6vT5fq8nSSCikYOetxNEpnT7uZdn8B5dD52K6ikwwEeW1159XJlZyf4QV9TzSOPb_lk7flNc3LW5qX-pR3KQD8XM7UcT2MWiUeN5_-Snw2J/s1600/20170808_130528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio99ZD-kemTHQooGlA_aIQMNGjg7nEdZpoV6vT5fq8nSSCikYOetxNEpnT7uZdn8B5dD52K6ikwwEeW1159XJlZyf4QV9TzSOPb_lk7flNc3LW5qX-pR3KQD8XM7UcT2MWiUeN5_-Snw2J/s320/20170808_130528.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMiyoWwxOiBV-hPmYOY-inszoYMGSqyJA6mHWCB2JXSsX9e7KcO1y9eiqMWkPO2b1WHRqTPVOGzjZidI-V5kPFm8KJhkVM_XayNsGdmk0EyTnsl_yQ5y8Pk0se7avpA7j-xUufyF2ft-O/s1600/20170808_130649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMiyoWwxOiBV-hPmYOY-inszoYMGSqyJA6mHWCB2JXSsX9e7KcO1y9eiqMWkPO2b1WHRqTPVOGzjZidI-V5kPFm8KJhkVM_XayNsGdmk0EyTnsl_yQ5y8Pk0se7avpA7j-xUufyF2ft-O/s320/20170808_130649.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Three views of the Morris-Jumel Mansion<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click images to view full sized</span></div>
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It may surprise you, dear reader, that in amongst the soaring skyscrapers that dot the New York City skyline, there are to be found numerous buildings and homes that reach back to before the American Revolution. I know that may seem preposterous; that a city as dynamic and as ever changing as New York City, somehow retains vestiges of it's revolutionary past.<br />
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One of those buildings is the Morris-Jumel Mansion, located on an acre or two of land in upper Manhattan, overlooking the East River (at 65 Jumel Terrace). I mention the acreage specifically because the former estate on which the mansion now stands once stretched across Manhattan from the Hudson River to the East River, and from approximately 168th Street down to 158th.<br />
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The Mansion today is part of the Jumel Terrace Historic District, a small historic district in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.<br />
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It consists of 50 residential rowhouses built between 1890 and 1902, and one apartment building constructed in 1909, as the heirs of Eliza Jumel sold off the land of the former Roger Morris estate. The buildings are primarily wood or brick rowhouses in the Queen Anne, Romanesque and Neo-Renaissance styles. {Wikipedia...] </blockquote>
An information sheet at the Mansion provides additional information:<br />
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The Morris-Jumel Mansion, Manhattan's only remaining Colonial residence, is unique in its combination of architectural and historical significance. Built as a summer "villa" in 1765 by the British Colonel Roger Morris and his American wife Mary Philipse, it originally commanded extensive views in all directions: of New York harbor and Staten Island to the south; of the Hudson and Harlem rivers to the west and east; and of Westchester county to the north.</blockquote>
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Colonel Morris was the son of the famous architect Roger Morris, a fact which may explain the extremely innovative features of the Mansion such as the gigantic portico, unprecedented in American architecture, and the rear wing which was the first octagon built in the Colonies.</blockquote>
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Above: Interior of the octagonal Drawing Room, and below items within the room,</div>
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A painting of Aaron Burr, by George Hans Eric Maunsbach<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BrJEnW0-dKmq87Ir2xHNu1eo4dsfCz8wHXJZEBPLCtqi-seBxqJkbXGtw57ySGIVANhGduTeYwp7cbzrnYpuiSXvHaju9oo8nPa-Us46Ck51m6CZOT9P54Pf-wrvejKZb7y_UZ_ZDPxY/s1600/20170808_131140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BrJEnW0-dKmq87Ir2xHNu1eo4dsfCz8wHXJZEBPLCtqi-seBxqJkbXGtw57ySGIVANhGduTeYwp7cbzrnYpuiSXvHaju9oo8nPa-Us46Ck51m6CZOT9P54Pf-wrvejKZb7y_UZ_ZDPxY/s320/20170808_131140.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Empire Sofa, c.1825<br />
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Painting of Eliza Jumel by an unknown artist.</div>
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The house's situation and large size made it ideal as military headquarters during the Revolution, and it was occupied successively by Washington, General Sir Henry Clinton, and the Hessian General Baron Von Knyphausen. As the Morrises were loyal to Britain during the Revolution, their property was seized and sold after its conclusion. In 1790 Washington returned for a cabinet dinner at which he entertained Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Hamilton, and Colonel Knox, among others.</blockquote>
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The later history of the house centers on the Jumels, Stephen Jumel was a wealthy French emigre who married, in 1804, his beautiful and brilliant mistress, Eliza Bowen. They bought the Mansion in 1810. In 1815 they sailed to France, and offered Napoleon safe passage to New York after Waterloo. although he eventually declined the offer, they did acquire from his family many important Napoleonic relics - some of which can be seen in the blue bedroom on the second floor. Stephen died in 1832 and Eliza married the ex-Vice-President, Aaron Burr in the front parlor a year later. On her death in 1865 she was considers one of the wealthiest women in America.</blockquote>
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Above and Below: The kitchen situated in the basement.</div>
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It should be said that today the Mansion is in dire need of an extensive (and no doubt expensive) upgrade of its exterior facade. The staff member I was taking to described a complicated arrangement with a government heritage department which divides responsibility for the buildings maintenance thus: the non-profit group managing the site is only able to renovate and fix the <i>interior</i> of the building, while the government agency is responsible for the <i>exterior</i>. This has led to a situation in which the interior is progressively being upgraded, while the exterior of the building appears run down, and in desperate need of maintenance, including and a fresh paint job.<br />
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I don't know how many of the fittings and items of furniture currently on display in the Morris-Jumel Mansion are original to the building, but as a 'work in progress', it was sobering to walk in the footsteps of George Washington, and some of the other leaders of the American Revolution for an hour or so, and to try and imagine the scenes playing out inside the Mansion more than 200 years ago..<br />
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Above and Below: A series of photos representing Washington's War Room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv7vgJkAvX8jrvb7P11ShigzEyQcMR1PtXCRzrQr86eo-1RHF8eD6CXXMkNC_7w3kaJ7VhgijYc9Yl3grFm_QhBoLEvD3nVhenOptK7CQyMu1m4_eWCBOzRUBpqeFvuczh9eIG119D3nv/s1600/20170808_132751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv7vgJkAvX8jrvb7P11ShigzEyQcMR1PtXCRzrQr86eo-1RHF8eD6CXXMkNC_7w3kaJ7VhgijYc9Yl3grFm_QhBoLEvD3nVhenOptK7CQyMu1m4_eWCBOzRUBpqeFvuczh9eIG119D3nv/s320/20170808_132751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A special bonus for visitors who make the trip uptown to see the Morris-Jumel Mansion is the chance to walk along one of the most unique streets in the whole of New York City; and that is the incredible time warp that is Sylvan Terrace.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGoOLp_nxRTTtXbnGbcV_0733E_D8n2EPiCNo6sf-H_E0rKgVg9b1-BTb5ie8FVnls9OJL_l34pEdy8iXx5N9RxwNHqvZM7D2umrD_suSayTkt2VISgGdQTW3TfRkVNJ1CZf1-33Qb-Gj/s1600/20170808_134205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGoOLp_nxRTTtXbnGbcV_0733E_D8n2EPiCNo6sf-H_E0rKgVg9b1-BTb5ie8FVnls9OJL_l34pEdy8iXx5N9RxwNHqvZM7D2umrD_suSayTkt2VISgGdQTW3TfRkVNJ1CZf1-33Qb-Gj/s320/20170808_134205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NECLNqAhMiV5fN9I3y9Tp1EpZX-DcIbSb70X6Z7GGUnJ8ggYW3a9mDnLQXdO88zNBDXsr1tBLFXquBgl1wT0W74V-bBnuHzNlA1t5O2ifNhFJRjt1dSb13kQmqq-Sb9A1MROZGyFkOm-/s1600/20170808_134225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NECLNqAhMiV5fN9I3y9Tp1EpZX-DcIbSb70X6Z7GGUnJ8ggYW3a9mDnLQXdO88zNBDXsr1tBLFXquBgl1wT0W74V-bBnuHzNlA1t5O2ifNhFJRjt1dSb13kQmqq-Sb9A1MROZGyFkOm-/s320/20170808_134225.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sylvan Terrace, located where West 161st Street would normally be, was originally the carriage drive of the Morris estate. In 1882-83 twenty wooden houses, designed by Gilbert R. Robinson Jr., were constructed on the drive. Initially rented out to laborers and working class civil servants, the houses were restored in 1979-81. They are now some of the few remaining framed house in in Manhattan. {Wikipedia...]</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD53Hl8F2mkAt_EshzJFo1UB5TCckFlNuJXR2tCIsxPDyDND4u-HT72qz_BlIDzwZ9kLTlnf0maNPivijrZcD51cB0Q8mg2l2gCmFqJ5OfJyyvaXUMFa1c72rFVuhYXAedchhCSGiNlQ7/s1600/20170808_134135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiD53Hl8F2mkAt_EshzJFo1UB5TCckFlNuJXR2tCIsxPDyDND4u-HT72qz_BlIDzwZ9kLTlnf0maNPivijrZcD51cB0Q8mg2l2gCmFqJ5OfJyyvaXUMFa1c72rFVuhYXAedchhCSGiNlQ7/s320/20170808_134135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Tuesday 8, August | Expenses $86.80 ($110.25)</div>
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgveyrLmzWljK5cn3QpBSzC6nyUmsmjyeIdrTsAh_lk1CZW8npfdBLERLIIuPvf2-UpmQ1zo1mVOdx3cbWjcx_ZSLZinPHJUyYZyFc_b0i3z1lxYru8r36ot5G-V4rEOCjchHw4Y5d26hbP/s1600/Screenshot_20170809-111836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgveyrLmzWljK5cn3QpBSzC6nyUmsmjyeIdrTsAh_lk1CZW8npfdBLERLIIuPvf2-UpmQ1zo1mVOdx3cbWjcx_ZSLZinPHJUyYZyFc_b0i3z1lxYru8r36ot5G-V4rEOCjchHw4Y5d26hbP/s320/Screenshot_20170809-111836.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The cover of my edition of <i>The Bell Jar</i></span></div>
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Unusually for New York City, it rained all day today. Unusual, because generally the storm clouds and the rain that accompanies them generally move on after a few hours, leaving the streets of the city washed relatively clean for a day or two, before they are once again covered with a layer - or layers - of the daily grime that never seems to get completely washed away, no matter how severe the downpour.<br />
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To be honest, I was grateful for the excuse the rain gave me to stay in. In fact, I did not step foot outside the apartment all day. I did consider going out for dinner, but in the end I couldn't be bothered making the effort to do even that. So I cooked my own (spaghetti, garnished with spiced Moroccan olives, and spaghetti sauce straight out of a jar).<br />
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I spent the day updating this blog, and reading. I finished my 29th* book for the year, Sylvia Plath's only full length novel, <i>The Bell Jar</i>. My delight in the book was tempered by the knowledge that Plath took her own life at the age of 31, and that with this final act, the literary world will never know just how many other great novels she may have written if she had chosen to live.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Born in Boston, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College at the University of Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a poet and writer. She was married to fellow poet Ted Hughes from 1956 until they separated in September 1962. They lived together in the United States and then in England and had two children, Frieda and Nicholas. Plath was clinically depressed for most of her adult life, and was treated multiple times with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). She committed suicide in 1963. Plath is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, <i>The Colossus and Other Poems</i> and <i>Ariel</i>, and <i>The Bell Jar</i>, a semi-autobiographical novel published shortly before her death. In 1982, she won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for <i>The Collected Poems</i>. [Source: Wikipedia...]</blockquote>
What a brilliant tour de force of a debut novel <i>The Bell Jar</i> is. The book is essentially a memoir of the first 20 years of her life. So personal is her writing, that it was not meant to be published in America until Plath's mother had herself passed away, which given her mothers relatively young age, would have potentially been many years after Sylvia had died. In the end, the book had become so popular in Britain (where Plath was living at the time), that when illegally imported copies of the book began turning up in the US, following Plath's death, the publishers had no choice but to release the book there, or face the prospect that some other publisher would do so.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbtUQw6EJuJokCPI1HZkFO_nWxjzfjtGi-bdU3rxbkqEHVinChgkk0N1d5YIBX1NZaHVXVL8SJQht3THMwUBIuU36CsRrwe6olHThmX07ckKDw9v_RE7F-mTmtUCVQjLnkrOV6hDYljtX/s1600/Screenshot_20170809-111310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1594" data-original-width="1072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbtUQw6EJuJokCPI1HZkFO_nWxjzfjtGi-bdU3rxbkqEHVinChgkk0N1d5YIBX1NZaHVXVL8SJQht3THMwUBIuU36CsRrwe6olHThmX07ckKDw9v_RE7F-mTmtUCVQjLnkrOV6hDYljtX/s320/Screenshot_20170809-111310.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">One of the few available photos of Sylva Plath</span></div>
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<i>The Bell Jar</i> is one of those books that seems to be name-checked by many other writers and artists, and it was way past time I got around to reading it. The book is beautifully written, with her prose reflecting her other great skill as a poet.<br />
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Plath spent a month in New York City when she was 19 as part of a placement with a women's magazine. She writes extensively about this period in <i>The Bell Jar</i>, and the following quotes, which capture aspects of New York perfectly, come from this time.<br />
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I have written in previous posts about the drenching downpours of rain that hit New York City from time to time, but none of my descriptions come close to this passage from Sylvia Plath:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"When we came out of the sunnily lit interior of the <i>Ladies' Day </i>offices, the streets were gray and fuming with rain. It wasn't the nice kind of rain that rinses you clean, but the sort of rain I imagine they must have in Brazil. It flew straight down from the sky in drops the size of coffee saucers and hit the hot sidewalks with a hiss that sent clouds of steam writhing up from the gleaming, dark concrete."</blockquote>
Or this spot on observation about another of my persistent complaints regarding the city's summer heat:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I didn't realize Lenny's place had been air-conditioned until I wavered out onto the pavement. The tropical, stale heat the sidewalks had been sucking up all day hit me in the face like a last insult."</blockquote>
Noting that she had been the same weight for ten or more years, Plath writes that she had no problem eating as much as she liked compared to her associates:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I made a point of eating so fast I never kept the other people waiting who generally ordered only chef's salad and grapefruit juice because they were trying to reduce. Almost everybody I met in New York was trying to reduce."</blockquote>
After a wild night out with fellow interns, Plath and one of the other females throw up in a taxi on the way back to the hotel, causing Plath to observe:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends."</blockquote>
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Like Jean Rhys's book, <i>Wide Sargasso Sea</i>, this book too is a real 'keeper'. Not only will I make a point of reading it again, but I will also seek out copies of her collected poems when I next visit Strand Books or the Housing Works Book Store.</div>
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Monday 7, August | Expenses $00.00</div>
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*29th book. With regard to counting the number of books I am reading: I began the year with a self-imposed 52-Book-Year Challenge, the goal of which is to read an average of one book per week during 2017. Hence, Sylvia Plath's <i>The Bell Jar</i>, is book 29.<br />
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZskNQwXzVnmFUIJ376-YpkwuoMPkXEWzx7P2nn4eQJrpxYLorVmbBRqushN7rLZnYBTGey6KGzT6BYokIpXXJidKvGyAPVLLUo8gpMd0W8g3mAI6g-JLLmgNUSo8dkUeSPvzPqZwGTSXc/s1600/20170806_194300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="617" data-original-width="1600" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZskNQwXzVnmFUIJ376-YpkwuoMPkXEWzx7P2nn4eQJrpxYLorVmbBRqushN7rLZnYBTGey6KGzT6BYokIpXXJidKvGyAPVLLUo8gpMd0W8g3mAI6g-JLLmgNUSo8dkUeSPvzPqZwGTSXc/s320/20170806_194300.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Broadway's Next Generation take a well deserved curtain call</span></div>
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<b>...</b></div>
<b><a href="http://www.broadwayartistsalliance.org/" target="_blank">Broadway Artists Alliance</a>: Broadway's Next Generation Students</b><br />
In spite of a general feeling of tiredness and subsequent lack of energy, I went out this afternoon to catch, <i>Broadway Artists Alliance Presents: Broadway's Next Generation</i>, at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space (at 2537 Broadway, New York).<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Overview: Broadway Artists Alliance: Broadway's Next Generation Students from all across the country have been hand selected to study with top Broadway Mentors throughout the summer here in the heart of New York City. In this fast paced showcase of Broadway's Best, enjoy your favorite Musical Theatre repertoire from traditional to current and upcoming works performed by Broadway's Next Generation of talented young performers ages 10-21.</blockquote>
As if to test my resolve and commitment to the event, I had to walk over the 191st Street 1-train subway station to make the run to the 96th Street station. On reaching the 191st station, I found that subway trains were not running that far this weekend due to the never-ending track work that plague's the city's subway system. There was nothing for but to either give up, or find another way of getting to the theatre. Not to be thwarted, since I had gone to the trouble of getting dressed for an outing, I caught an M100 bus to the 168th Street subway station from which I boarded a C-train to 96th Street. From there I walked the three blocks to Broadway, arriving at the theatre about ten minutes into the showcase.<br />
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I quickly settled in to watch the show, and was immediately delighted with my decision to persist in my attempt to reach the venue. In a fast paced series of performances, some lasting less than a minute, a string of young talent sang, danced, tapped, and performed short monologues that left me in awe of their fearlessness. That children as young as ten could walk out onto a huge stage in a darkened theatre, announce their names in clear strong voices, and then sing or recite their chosen monologues with the power and confidence of seasoned professionals, was quite simply, awe inspiring.<br />
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My only disappointment with the night was with the double-sided single sheet of program notes. While it include small photographs and the names of each of the approximately 140 performers, it did not include a complete list of the songs and the shows from which they were taken. Nevertheless, by looking carefully at the small images of each participant, and before my memory begins to fail me, here are some names that are definitely worth remembering: among the youngest performers were Michael Ross, Sammy Ramirez, Amanda Wylie, and Gentry Claire Lumpkin.<br />
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Among the teenagers and young adults, names to watch out for are Nicholas Biddle, Sofia Baturina, and Adrian Villegas. But why try and choose favorites when any one of these amazing young people will surely be staring on Broadway, or any one of a hundred other stages over the next few years.<br />
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This incredible two hour showcase of new talent was completely free, and as if to test the resilience of the young performers, two concerts were scheduled for the evening; one at 5:00pm, with a repeat performance at 8:00pm. Because I missed the opening ten minutes, I stayed for the 8:00pm show, but left at the intermission. While the major dance routines were repeated for the second show, some new songs and monologues were introduced to provide variety for the audience -- which consisted mostly of family and friends of the young performers, and no doubt industry professionals who had come along to check out the latest talent. And there was more than enough of that on show.<br />
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Sadly, my knowledge of the vast repertoire of Broadway musicals is, to be blunt, quite limited. However, of the musicals I did recognize, songs and dance routines came from <i>A Chorus Line, Beautiful, School of Rock, Matilda, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, </i>and<i> Les Miserables</i>.<br />
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Soloists were accompanied by a pianist placed not quite off-stage, while large ensemble dance numbers were performed to pre-recorded music, or music from Broadway soundtrack albums. In the more than three hours of live performance that I enjoyed, the only slip up occured when one of the tap dancers lost her footing and slipped on stage. However, she was up instantly and resumed her place in the line liked the true professional she is destined to become.<br />
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These Broadway Artist Alliance showcases are held each year following the intensive summer school the alliance organizes, and I have no hesitation in urging New Yorkers, or visitors to the city to attend one of the showcases when the opportunity presents itself.<br />
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Watch a video montage from a previous BAA Showcase <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVxT75jdjls" target="_blank">via this link</a>...<br />
<br />
<b>More Information</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.broadwayartistsalliance.org/" target="_blank">Broadway Artists Alliance...</a> </b><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA20clacBq4ct12wMmmK4ChTLumqDy-ZnvjB4nQ_Iygfv41FAP0CY3L9XJeYrfraubWdzKDmSRr2EiEJMm5D2oX_JEqNnDZaEALS6LBZ_uh1FIGrEoYZwRU4JQy9R1hMFnqs5hbk1CmPd/s1600/20170803_194822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsA20clacBq4ct12wMmmK4ChTLumqDy-ZnvjB4nQ_Iygfv41FAP0CY3L9XJeYrfraubWdzKDmSRr2EiEJMm5D2oX_JEqNnDZaEALS6LBZ_uh1FIGrEoYZwRU4JQy9R1hMFnqs5hbk1CmPd/s320/20170803_194822.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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All work and no play makes Jim a dull boy - or words to that effect. Not that I have worked for the past six or seven years, but I'm sure you get my drift. There are only so many masterpieces that one can fake interest in before your eyes glaze over and Masterpiece Fatigue sets in, and it's time for coffee and cake.<br />
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Thus it was that on days 50 and 51 in the Big Apple I indulged in my love of movies and grabbed the opportunity to catch up on some recent (and not so recent), films which were being screened as part of the Museum of Modern Arts year round film schedule. For reasons I can't fully explain, I did not attend any of these film screenings during June or July, but now that I have immersed myself in endless rounds of art, I have gone through MoMA's film schedule for August, and I intend to see a bunch of movies that I have either missed or which I want to see again.<br />
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I should point out the screenings come with standard MoMA membership, so there is no additional $12.00 cost to me (yes, I am a member).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmazg8vy3j2_EkluQMbmd848Lx58ahn1lDbyK7OFp2LZS_sj2PLB02079lYjPA88bES7dvu3ICAK5kqks7X0b6aOXIRdA02toE19RfcZ7g-hAvyNAX98MMg61iLda7B3C97wXpHkA9IZd/s1600/IMG_4821.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="768" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmazg8vy3j2_EkluQMbmd848Lx58ahn1lDbyK7OFp2LZS_sj2PLB02079lYjPA88bES7dvu3ICAK5kqks7X0b6aOXIRdA02toE19RfcZ7g-hAvyNAX98MMg61iLda7B3C97wXpHkA9IZd/s320/IMG_4821.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: A production still from Werner Herzog's <i>Fata Morgana. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Below: A production image from Herzog's <i>Lessons Of Darkness</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYwitB-T2gC8zW-zU2DHIYQqKn_lI0Dw3066N0snoIxWReML4veIAjhZ0jScxnYTsDoT1XaBEqVa1_3f5wMpeNdccTn_4JOCXGC8w7IV3GMcBGNZyNdh8szhGSB3UYs4-dkH8C4QPYcyn/s1600/IMG_4820.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="768" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrYwitB-T2gC8zW-zU2DHIYQqKn_lI0Dw3066N0snoIxWReML4veIAjhZ0jScxnYTsDoT1XaBEqVa1_3f5wMpeNdccTn_4JOCXGC8w7IV3GMcBGNZyNdh8szhGSB3UYs4-dkH8C4QPYcyn/s320/IMG_4820.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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To date I have seen two Werner Herzog films, <i>Fata Morgana</i>, (1971) and <i>Lektionen in Finsternis (Lessons of Darkness</i>), from 1992. In <i>Fata Morgana</i>, Herzog makes desert mirages palpably real through sound and image in this hallucinatory walkabout across the shimmering Sahara. The filmmaker would later observe, “[E]ven though obviously shot on Earth, the film does not necessarily show the beauty and harmony and horror of our world, rather some kind of a utopia—or dystopia—of beauty and harmony and horror. When you watch <i>Fata Morgana </i>you see the embarrassed landscapes of our world, an idea that appears repeatedly throughout my work, from <i>The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser </i>to<i> Pilgrimage [</i>to<i> Lessons of Darkness]</i>.”<br />
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In <i>Lessons of Darkness</i>, Herzog examines the devastating after effects of the first Gulf War (August 2, 1990 to February 28, 1991), which came about due to the stupidity and megalomania of Saddam Hussein after Iraq - under his leadership - launched an invasion against Kuwait. In this short 54 minute film, Herzog focuses his lens on the campaign to extinguish some 700 oil well fires which had been lit by retreating Iraqi forces. If ever there was a vision of hell on earth, this film captures it in all its raging, scorched earth and sky blackened horror.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSZ8GQty9bhuT653sRa4SYyMqpB2T4roz6OnwidEpv07_a_QAAI3xPCRlP_3u41PS4ykYxZBQrhxk1i3f2rQcHRYiWmG1BX0nSN4wDnUKWsi1CblYQYmGhVIr6at6ScsK7HQgGXg6z7Fq/s1600/IMG_4824.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="768" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSZ8GQty9bhuT653sRa4SYyMqpB2T4roz6OnwidEpv07_a_QAAI3xPCRlP_3u41PS4ykYxZBQrhxk1i3f2rQcHRYiWmG1BX0nSN4wDnUKWsi1CblYQYmGhVIr6at6ScsK7HQgGXg6z7Fq/s320/IMG_4824.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alicia Vikander in a still from <i>Ex</i> <i>Machina</i> </div>
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Two more recent films which escaped my attendance when they were first released are Jonathan Glazer's <i>Under The Skin</i>, starring a very un-alien-like Scarlett Johansson, and <i>Ex Machina</i>, written and directed by Alex Garland in 2014.<br />
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In <i>Ex Machina</i>, a very alien-looking Alicia Vikander is joined by a small but stellar cast which includes Oscar Isaac, and Domhnall Gleeson. In the film, Garland reimagines the Frankenstein myth where Oscar Isaac seems to have built the perfect humanoid, which he calls Ava - brilliantly portrayed by Vikander. He engages a young coder (Gleeson) to test Ava over the course of a week, and these sessions with her form the basis of the film and the drama that follows. I agree fully with the program notes that state: <i>Ex Machina </i>quickens the mind and body. It is one of those rare films that is as intellectually and morally upsetting as it is erotic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQWk4JhPPfLUEgkMvRD0dglgDwCH9KqyqHZLf2W8_yLtawccpSioOl1Cbzj-NXpDj_dm16u48E8vJn8vprw4PRKIdyiPNIritDa2xzne77Th6_zG1n15xkroOA-8Rl4yNtxYy011VbOqT/s1600/IMG_4825.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="768" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQWk4JhPPfLUEgkMvRD0dglgDwCH9KqyqHZLf2W8_yLtawccpSioOl1Cbzj-NXpDj_dm16u48E8vJn8vprw4PRKIdyiPNIritDa2xzne77Th6_zG1n15xkroOA-8Rl4yNtxYy011VbOqT/s320/IMG_4825.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Scarlett Johansson in a still from <i>Under The Skin</i></div>
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<i>Under the Skin</i>, Jonathan Glazer's 2013 film, has the always wonderful Scarlett Johansson driving a large white van around the wilds of the Scottish highlands and the even wilder nocturnal streets of an unnamed Scottish city, collecting male specimens for some unknown alien race. The men she selects are invariably single, and loners or outsiders living on the edges of society. Her work is overseen by first one, then apparently four aliens who clean up after her collecting expeditions are completed.<br />
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We learn nothing about her origins, or why she and her helpers are collecting males in particular, and not females. Neither do we know what happens to the males, once they have been processed. Things proceed smoothly enough with the collecting expeditions until a moment of compassion on Johansson's part starts to unravel her mission, and the film moves on to its final confrontation.<br />
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I remember reading about the film when it was released early in 2014, and was fascinated to learn that many of the males that appear briefly in the film were complete novices. In fact, a number of them were picked up at random by Johansson as she drove around in the van, and their interactions were filmed secretly with hidden cameras. One clue as to which of these men are the random pickups, is their almost unintelligible Scottish accents. The few professional actors in the film, whether Scottish or otherwise are easily understood.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKts2FekibEaNyztUW9JUdIygy5ESgKC3O1LGdseh5NyDORJJrHudiHinft4br4cF5BgX5C1s9chE-uEB5aPJOD-9dzdQaYGVEq7Gx2MTta8VjdJHab3g20TLywtkkiyvuSCDbz0f8tnEC/s1600/20170803_200218%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKts2FekibEaNyztUW9JUdIygy5ESgKC3O1LGdseh5NyDORJJrHudiHinft4br4cF5BgX5C1s9chE-uEB5aPJOD-9dzdQaYGVEq7Gx2MTta8VjdJHab3g20TLywtkkiyvuSCDbz0f8tnEC/s320/20170803_200218%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Bollywood Boulevard performers dancing up a storm</span></div>
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As for the 'Music' component of this post and my activities over these two days, I continue to enjoy the wonderful variety of acts that are part of this year's Lincoln Center Out Of Doors program. These include the colorful and dynamic dancing during the Bollywood Boulevard evening on Thursday, August 3. This evening was subtitled A Journey Through Hindi Cinema, and while I am not an aficionado of the Bollywood movie scene, there is no doubt that these films are incredibly popular. The evening traced the evolution of Bollywood, from black-and-white classics to colorful blockbusters, and brought "the spirit and romance of India’s grand palaces, mountain vistas, and sweeping mustard fields to Damrosch Park."<br />
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I also attended, though it has to be said, briefly, the New York premiere of Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: Suite for Ma Dukes.<br />
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New Yorkers can finally experience this towering orchestral tribute to the music of composer, producer, and rapper J Dilla, who produced groundbreaking records for De La Soul, Erykah Badu, and Common, among others, and whose impact is still felt today over ten years since his death at age 33. Heard through the prism of classically trained composer and violinist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s expansive orchestral arrangements and producer Carlos Niño’s musical direction, Dilla’s works explode in scope, untethered from any era or genre and bursting with rhythmic and melodic invention.</blockquote>
Sometimes I worry that I am not as sophisticated musically and artistically as I like to think I am, and it is for this reason that I did not stay the distance and take in the full program of music that was presented during this event. I have written elsewhere that hip hop and rap are musical forms that I least enjoy, and I'm sure this is partly because I have never made a serious attempt to understand them. Until I Googled for 'J Dilla', I had never heard of the name, nor was I familiar with any of his production or recording credits, so I had no emotional connection with the music emanating from the stage, despite the excellence of the orchestrations and the skills of the many musicians performing the new arrangements.<br />
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Which brings to my latest night out on Day 51, and another Lincoln Center Out Of Doors concert, this time featuring the songs of the silver-haired British music legend, Nick Lowe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDEIVu5AHrkvUGagiiGRBmFiUK_sg-kjsaQVDkPfwAiilepGIzCa4yMcHDwQZ5DOp1mP0bTWhpBvqy5bG4tmUz_hKI0Um3FQxmNUnemNdJxuxznc3dRpA_e4Pa6N7aN1KZqnkT99QGZtr/s1600/20170805_210952%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDEIVu5AHrkvUGagiiGRBmFiUK_sg-kjsaQVDkPfwAiilepGIzCa4yMcHDwQZ5DOp1mP0bTWhpBvqy5bG4tmUz_hKI0Um3FQxmNUnemNdJxuxznc3dRpA_e4Pa6N7aN1KZqnkT99QGZtr/s320/20170805_210952%25280%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Nick Lowe and the leather-clad Los Straightjackets going through their paces</span></div>
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Billed as Nick Lowe's Quality Rock 'n' Roll Revue, Lowe was backed by a four piece group out of Nashville going by the name Los Straightjackets, who, despite their well dressed attire, wore leather headgear of the type one finds in stores that specialize in fetish wear (the program notes describe them as "luchador-masked") Why four excellent and clearly talented musicians should feel the need to mask their faces with this type of gear is beyond me, but I guess it sets them well apart from the competition, and it certainly gets them the attention they are looking for. But back to Nick Lowe.<br />
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Lowe rose to fame in the late ’70s with his Top 40 single <i>Cruel to Be Kind</i>, and since then he has become a venerated songwriter, and producer of classic albums by Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, and The Pretenders. Nick Lowe first came to my notice with his debut album, <i>Jesus Of Cool,</i> released in 1978. For me, this album has now reached Classic Album status, and I find it just as enjoyable to listen to today, as I did when I first heard it all those years ago. I was delighted therefore when he included the song, <i>So It Goes </i>from that album, along with a host of later hits - and near misses - from his 40 year career in popular music.<br />
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And that dear reader, brings to a close my seventh week in New York City<br />
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<b>WEEK SEVEN EXPENSES*</b><br />
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<b>ONGOING WEEKLY EXPENSES</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
Museum Memberships <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$19.15 ($25.15)<br />
AT&T SIM card <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$16.25 ($25.38)<br />
MTA Pass <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$30.25 ($39.92)<br />
Accommodation <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>$152.00 ($200.00)<br />
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Total Ongoing: US$217.65 (AU$290.45)<br />
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<b>ADDITIONAL DAILY EXPENSES</b><br />
<b>===================================</b><br />
Sunday 30, July | Expenses $13.25 ($16.60)<br />
Monday 31, July | Expenses $101.40 ($127.10)<br />
Tuesday 1, August | Expenses $50.50 ($63.50)<br />
Wednesday 2, August | Expenses $29.70 ($37.35)<br />
Thursday 3, August | Expenses $19.50 ($24.50)<br />
Friday 4, August | Expenses $24.10 ($30.40)<br />
Saturday 5, August | Expenses $33.90 ($42.75)<br />
===================================<br />
TOTAL: US$272.35 | AU$342.20<br />
===================================<br />
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<b>Total Expenses Week 7: US$490.00 (AU$632.65)</b><br />
*Figures in brackets are Australian dollar amounts<br />
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Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.<br />
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