Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

NYC Day 58: In Which I Play 'The End Of The Line Game' and Visit Wassaic, NY

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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.
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.
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 The Wassaic Project, 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.

Panel describing historic buildings of Wassaic

Above and Below: Gridley Chapel, built in 1873.
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Some Brief Historical Facts
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.

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.



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Wassaic is home to The Wassaic Project, 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.

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.




Above: The magnificent former Maxon Mill, now home to The Wassaic project.
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Wassaic Project August Festival. Wassaic, New York
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.

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 Weird and Wonderful, and the Strange and Beautiful, programs of short films. Other films included the Star Wars Mixtape, and something called The Whole Shebang, as well as a mystery classic film.

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.

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."

Finally, I should also point out that a major exhibition coincided with the festival. Called Vagabond Time Killers, 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."



Above: General views of the gallery spaces within Maxon Mill
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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.



Above: Scenes from three dance performances, and Below, part of the audience. 

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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.

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.

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.

Above: The Pawling Corp and/or Presay Co., building in Wassaic

Below: Homes in the village of Wassaic, New York. 



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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.

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.

Natalia Nakazawa's Eye Flame, 2009

Above: Detail from Enrique Figueredo's If I Could Build Anything I Wanted 2, 2015

Detail from Tatiana Arocha's Impending Beauty, 2017.
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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 Weird and Wonderful film shorts program, I went for another walk through a different part of Wassaic, just to see what I might see.

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.



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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.

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, Upstate Rubdown play at The Lantern. If I had remained I may even have stayed on to see the other two bands, Madaila, and Midnight Magic. In the end, the only music I did see and hear snatches of was provided by two other local musicians going by the name, The Goldenhour Piedmont Boys. 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.

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.

Above: The Lantern, and Below, Calsi's General Store 

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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.

And with that outing, dear reader, Day 57 drew to a long, train ride close.

More Information
Wikipedia...
The Wassaic Project...

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Saturday 12, August | Expenses $53.35 ($67.55)
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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.




Any questions, comments or suggestions? How about complaints or compliments? Let me know via the comments box below.

Monday, June 26, 2017

NYC Day 8: The Met Cloisters, and Week 1 Expenses

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THE MET CLOISTERS
Yet another first visit, this time to the Met Cloisters, a Medieval museum located in Fort Tryon Park, at the top end of Manhattan. I timed my visit to catch a midday tour/talk entitled Wings in the Middle Ages: Birds, Beasts, Angels, and Altarpieces, led by Michael Morris an expert in this particular area. Between now and the end of August there are another eleven different gallery talks/tours that I could participate in. These take place on weekends at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM. There are also daily Highlights tours (at 3:00 PM), and daily Gardens of the Met Cloisters tours (at 1:00 PM).





Among many other treasures, the Cloisters Museum if famous for its numerous medieval tapestries, and the most famous of these are the magnificent tapestries that are known as the Unicorn Tapestries.




Even though I have only managed to visit each of the museums and their offshoots once each to date, purchasing memberships to MoMA and The Met Museum is fast turning out to be the best thing I have done in preparation for this visit. Since I feel no obligation to exhaust myself trying to see as much as possible each time I visit one of these institutions, I find my outings are much more relaxing and less stressful than they might have otherwise been if I was trying to pack too much into each visit.

WEEK 1 EXPENSES: USD$483.00
As near as I can work it out, the weekly spend for my first week in New York was just $483, which averages out to a daily figure of $69.00. This includes transport, accommodation, food, recreation, and shopping. For readers coming late to these updates, my expenses are so low due to the fact that I am apartment and cat sitting for a friend, and I am contributing a very nominal amount to help offset costs associated with maintaining this apartment. Hence the biggest expense of any trip, accommodation, is turning out to be my least expensive cost, something for which am incredibly grateful for.


Saturday, December 8, 2012

This Reading Life



Is it possible for me to motivate myself to start writing again for this blog? I seem to have lost all enthusiasm for the task, but have instead rediscovered my love of reading. Like most book lovers, I have more than one book under way at any one time.

As of this moment, I am part way through the eBook version of Rolling Stone Keith Richards’ autobiography, Life. My current toilet reader (everyone has a toilet reader, don’t they?) is The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. And finally I am also reading Eric Moffatt’s 1983 collection of essays examining aspects of American culture: Blood On The Nash Ambassador.

In the past month or so since my return from travelling, I have completed the first two volumes of Robert Green Ingersoll’s Works of Robert G. Ingersoll (of which there are twelve volumes). These are available as free eBook downloads via the Gutenberg website. I have also read Neil Young’s Waging Heavy Peace; Jim Rasenberger’s High Steel; and Thunderstruck, by Eric Larson – all in their eBook versions. And finally, I finished reading The Alienist, by Caleb Carr, a book I started reading before I left for my trip at the end of July. Oh, that reminds me – I am also about half way through Edward Rutherford’s work of historical fiction, New York, another eBook begun back in July.

And they are just the books I have read or am currently reading. If I add to these a growing list of online sites I monitor on a daily basis: New York Magazine; The Huffington Post; Daytonian In Manhattan; amNY; and numerous others, then quite frankly, I really have not allowed myself time to write anything on a regular basis for this blog. And yet…

And yet, here I am, taking time out from all the reading to write this. So maybe the fire has not completely gone out. Something keeps drawing me back to the blog, but that has not been enough to get me to sit down and write. And yet…

To my amazement, the visitor numbers to The Compleat Traveller continue to rise, and despite my tardiness, those numbers have topped one hundred thousand visits, which leaves me gob smacked. I am left to assume that visitors are searching for information that continues to draw them to the site, and hopefully, the information and entries they find here continue to be relevant months after I have written them. Hopefully.

Anyway, enough of this pontificating and soul searching. I am still here. Still writing (if this post is any indication), and still waiting for the Muse to return from her extended break to inspire and motivate me again to write. In the mean time, I have a pile of books to attend to.

More Information:
Gutenberg.Org…
New York Magazine…
The Huffington Post…
Daytonian In Manhattan…
amNY…

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Bitter End – A Winner Never Quits

The Bitter End is one of those classic Greenwich Village venues that have been around since the 1960s. With regard to The Bitter End, the venue has been hosting live music, comedy and other entertainments since 1961.

So many famous and infamous musicians have performed at the Bitter End, that it would take a couple of pages just to list them all. However, how about these for starters: Woody Allen, America, Tori Amos, Joan Armatrading, Joan Baez, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, Tracy Chapman, Judy Collins, Shawn Colvin, Chick Corea, Jim Croce, David Crosby, Billy Crystal, Miles Davis, John Denver, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Jose Feliciano, Steve Forbert, Steve Goodman, Stephane Grappelli, Arlo Guthrie, Bill Haley, Tim Hardin, John Hartford, Richie Havens, Gil Scott Heron, Norah Jones, Billy Joel, Kris Kristofferson, Patti La Belle, Jay Leno, Neil Young, Lady Gaga, and many thousands more.

I have made a point of going to The Bitter End (at 147, Bleecker Street), on both my stays in New York City. More specifically, I have made regular visits to catch the All Star Jam that performs from 10pm until late on the second and fourth Sunday of each month.

I filmed the clip embedded here, during one of the Jams in August, 2010. On drums is the shows host, Mark Greenberg, along with regular bassist Brett Bass. Singing duties on the number filmed here are by Danny Thompson (guitar and vocals). Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the other guitarist’s name, although at one point Thompson seems to refer to him as ‘Benny’.


I have a number of other clips waiting to be turned into videos and as soon as I have done so, I will upload them to my YouTube page and let you know via this blog. In the meantime, enjoy...

Visit The Bitter End website…

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Manhattanhenge, New York City

Manhattanhenge – sometimes referred to as the Manhattan Solstice – is a semi-annual occurrence in which the setting sun aligns with the east–west streets of the main street grid in Manhattan, New York City.

The term, as you might have already worked out, is derived from Stonehenge, the prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire.

Manhattanhenge was popularized in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. During Manhattanhenge, an observer on one of the gridded east-west streets will see the sun setting over New Jersey directly opposite from the street, along its centerline.

The dates of Manhattanhenge are usually around May 28 and July 12 or July 13 – spaced evenly around Summer Solstice. In 2011, Manhattanhenge occurred on May 31 at 8:17 p.m., and will occur again on July 11 at 8:25 p.m. The two corresponding mornings of sunrise right on the center lines of the Manhattan grid are approximately December 5 and January 8 – spaced evenly around Winter Solstice. As with the solstices and equinoxes, the dates vary somewhat from year to year.

Manhattanhenge in Popular Culture
Not surprisingly, the Manhattanhenge phenomenon has made it into popular culture, with the event appearing in an episode of CSI: NY that aired on November 25, 2009. Also, the closing scene from the 2010 film Morning Glory features Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford), and Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams), walking off into the Manhattanhenge sunset.

Here’s a very brief 16 second time-lapse YouTube video of the Manhattanhenge event from 2008.
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The same phenomenon occurs in other cities with a uniform street grid. In Chicago, Illinois, for instance, the setting sun lines up with the grid system on September 25, a phenomenon known similarly as Chicagohenge. In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the setting sun lines up with the east–west streets on October 25 and February 16, a phenomenon known locally as Torontohenge.

If any reader knows of similar phenomena happening around the world, please let us know via the Comments section below.

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Friday, July 1, 2011

New York City Dreaming

Typical Washington Heights apartments
Some days, when I’m sitting here at home in my room surfing the Internet and researching and writing blog posts, it is hard to believe that I ever travelled at all, let along travelled for eight months last year and into the first two months of this one.

I am thinking about this now, as I reminisce about the beginning of last year’s travels.

It was exactly a year ago today, that I flew into New York City’s, JFK International Airport for the start of a two month apartment sitting gig that seemed like a gift from heaven. In fact it was a gift from friends of my sister and husband, whose Australian friends have been living and working in New York City for some years, now.

Chris works in the education sector. When New York’s schools shut down for the summer, Chris returns to Australia for two months. From time to time, friends and other family members are able to stay in his empty apartment for a week or two during their New York stay. Sometimes, nobody visits, and the apartment stays empty – apart from the family’s two cats. Obviously, the cats need to be cared for, and when the apartment is left empty, Chris is obliged to pay a pet sitter who visits the house morning and night to feed the cats and change their litter.

As you can imagine, the cost for this service adds up over two months, so when I offered to stay in the apartment last summer and keep an eye on the cats and the apartment, Chris and his wife were happy to accept my offer.

My niece, Scarlett is about to head to America for an extended vacation, and she has arranged to stay at the apartment in Washington Heights during the New York leg of her trip. Lucky girl! I would love to be there as well, but this year I’m staying home. Hopefully, the apartment will be available next year, and if it is, I hope to stay there again, enjoying another hot and humid New York summer.

I can hardly wait. Only twelve months to go!

I have of course, written extensively about my stay in New York on this blog. To read some of those posts use the Search box at the top left of the page and search for “New York City”.

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Friday Foto: Weightless in Space

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0.065 pounds? Ahh, if only! If only.

Yes, folks, this would have been my weight if I was dancing about on a giant red star somewhere out in the far flung galaxies. I guess I would have to add a few pounds for the space suit I would need to wear, but hey, I think I should be able to bear the load of a few extra pounds without too much trouble, don’t you think? Especially, given that my current earth weight is around 232 pounds.

“Where can I find this magical scale?” I hear you ask. The answer is in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. To be more precise, you will find a range of similar scales fixed into the floor of the Cullman Hall of The Universe, in the Rose Center. Here’s what the website offers by way of an explanation:

Visitors can step on several digital scales located in different areas of the Hall of the Universe and discover their weight on Saturn, Jupiter, a neutron star, and the Sun, among other celestial bodies. Your lunar weight can be found on the first level beside a model of the Moon. [Source: AMNH website…]

Suggested General Admission
· Adults: $16
· Children (2-12): $9
· Seniors/Students with ID: $12
· Adult Members: Free
· Child Members: Free

Suggested General Admission, which supports the Museum's scientific and educational endeavors, includes admission to all 45 Museum halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Should you wish to pay less than the suggested admission, you may do so by purchasing tickets at any admissions desk at the Museum.

Oddly, purchasing tickets online incurs a service charge of $4 per ticket! You'd think it would be cheaper, but I assume the ticketing agency is adding their fees to the process. It hardly seems worth it. On the other hand, if ticket holders are able to avoid the queues, maybe paying an extra four bucks is good value.

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