New York City Round-Up #1

LinkNYC by The Numbers

Last year when I was in New York City, I began to notice a number of tall, futuristic-looking kiosks located on Manhattan pavements. I soon learned that they were part of a bold new experiment, funded (and owned) by Google. The kiosks provide free WiFi access to users as well as allow people to make free telephone calls, use USB ports to charge devices, access maps, and initially at least, use the built in browser for the usual online purposes.

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to use the kiosks since those that I did find, seemed to have been commandeered by one of the many street people in the city. Not that they didn’t have a right to use the kiosks, but from what I could see, they would sit by the kiosks, sometimes for hours, listening, watching, reading, and accessing who knows what content. Well, as it happens, we do know what some people were accessing (although not necessarily street people), with the result that the internet browser function of the kiosks has now been disabled after complaints that people were using the kiosks to watch pornography.

The installation of the LinkNYC kiosks was just a few months into its schedule when I visited New York over the summer of 2016. After a full twelve months of ongoing work, the system continues to be expanded across the city. Michael Garofalo, in this online article provides the following statistics about the program. All data is current as of the week of February 27, 2017.

• 631 LinkNYC kiosks currently active, of a planned 7,500

• 1,256,450 unique devices connected to the Wi-Fi network to date, approximately one for every seven New Yorkers

• 115 million Wi-Fi sessions served to date

• 870.86 terabytes of data transferred to date, the rough equivalent of streaming 33 years of high definition video on Netflix

• 150 feet wireless signal range of each kiosk

• 600,000 Wi-Fi sessions served in year one by the city’s most popular kiosk, at 1313 Broadway in Herald Square

• $0 spent by New York City taxpayers on the system, which is operated by a franchisee and generates revenue through advertising and sponsorships

More Information

LinkNYC Website…
Here are the current LinkNYC locations...

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Native American Art at The Met, Fifth Avenue

Housed in the old Customs House close to the foot of Manhattan, and across the road from the Bowling Green (4 and 5 trains) subway, is New York City’s National Museum of the American Indian. There is also another National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, and no doubt there are more museums touting their own collections in cities across the United States. 

Not to be outdone or ignored, is the collection of Native American artefacts housed at the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth Avenue. 

Mary Gregory reports that: A small but extraordinary collection of Native American masterpieces is in its final days at the Met Fifth Avenue. Consider a visit to this show as a concise course in Native American art history. From the second century to the 20th, from the Plains to the Southwest to the Northwest Coast, “Native American Masterpieces from the Charles and Valerie Diker Collection” highlights some of the best works ever made in each age and place. It’s like a greatest hits compilation, and not a single piece disappoints.

The exhibition ends in ten days—March 31, 2017—so be quick. See it before it ends.

Read more here…

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Leslie-Lohman Museum reopens with 250-work Exhibition

A bit less conventional for some, perhaps is a new exhibition which opened this month at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York’s SoHo neighbourhood.

Clair Wang writes: The large, wooden cross hibernating in the back corner of the spacious studio resembles a cactus from afar. Pinned against a white wall, its body is punctured by dozens of colorful glass vials, each containing an assortment of objects that represent a day in the life of mixed-media artist Edward A. Hochschild.

The “Vial Cross” is one of roughly 250 works displayed at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art’s current exhibition, “Expanded Visions: Fifty Years of Collecting,” which opened March 10. The exhibit is the Wooster Street museum’s first following an expansion that nearly doubled the size of its original space. The effort, begun in October, will allow the museum to operate year-round, offering a mix of ongoing and future exhibitions, film screenings and artist lectures.

IF YOU GO

The Leslie-Lohman Museum…

26, Wooster Street, New York City

Ph: +1 212-431-2609

U.S. Capitol Building Tour

During my all too brief five night stay in Washington DC, I managed to squeeze in a tour of the Capitol building, and I do mean squeeze. I got into the last tour of the day, and within minutes realized my mistake. At the end of a long day, tour guides and security staff just wanted to go home, and our one hour tour - that included the awe-inspiring Rotunda and National Statuary Hall - lasted at most 45-minutes, as we were rushed from room to room with barely enough time to admire the Capitol's internal architecture, or time to pause and appreciate the wonderful collection of monumental paintings and the vast sculpture collection.

Sadly, those of us in the tour group who wanted to spend more time visiting the numerous displays and exhibition spaces in the Visitor Center had no time at all to do that. Clearly, visitors will need to allow another hour or two for this, and time their visit accordingly.

A Day In The Life of The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center

The two minute time-lapse video below, depicts a day in the life of the Capitol’s Visitor Center, and shows a constant stream of large school and veterans groups, along with thousands of other visitors pouring in and out of the building on what I assume is a typical day at the Capitol. So while joining the last tour group of the day may not be the best idea, visiting during the morning rush or mid-afternoon may not be such a great idea either.

Watching Congress In Session

The Senate and House galleries are open to visitors whenever either legislative body is in session, however the galleries are not included as part of the U.S. Capitol tour. Passes are required to enter either gallery at any time. American citizens can obtain gallery passes from the offices of their Senators or Representative. International visitors must inquire about gallery passes at the House and Senate Appointment Desks on the upper level of the Capitol Visitor Center.

Do Your Research

This student orientation video provides a good introduction to the Capitol Visitor Center and is worth watching, as are the numerous video on the U.S. Capitol’s YouTube channel here…

The official Capitol Visitor Center website has vast array of useful information that can either be examined online, or downloaded if visitors want to read through the numerous brochures highlighting different aspects of the building and its facilities. 

Permanent and temporary exhibitions at the Capitol

Last Thoughts On My Visit

Despite the rush through the Capitol Building, it was fascinating to hear some of the stories behind the works of art and the significant rooms in the building, and since the tour was free I can't complain about not getting my money's worth,.

 and despite my caveat about the obvious crowds of visitors during the day, I recommend that if you are planning a visit, go early, take a tour, and then allow plenty of time to wander on your own through the building, taking as many photos as you want—but only in areas where photography is permitted, of course.

Having given my truncated visit some serious thought, my recommendation would be to book a late afternoon tour, when the crowds have started to thin out, but get to the Visitor’s Center two to three hours before the tour begins if you want to view the exhibitions, visit the Senate and House galleries, or join one of the separate Specialty Tours or Activities, that also take place throughout the year.

Click here to download a .PDF map of the Capitol site…

IF YOU GO

East Capitol St NE & First St SE, 
Washington DC, DC 20004

Phone Number: +1 202-226-8000
U.S. Capitol Visitors Center...

Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne

This imposing memorial to the men and women of Australia's armed forces stands on a hill overlooking the Melbourne skyline. A recent rebuilding program has added a huge underground exhibition space which contains detailed histories of Australia's involvement in international conflicts, ranging from the First and Second World Wars, to Korea, Vietnam, and to more recent (and still ongoing) conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Information also shows Australia's participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations, which are arguably even more important, given that these operations can help stop local conflicts from escalating into major international wars.

History

Patriotism statuary

The Shrine of Remembrance was created to meet the needs of a grieving community after the extensive loss of lives in the First World War (1914 –18). 114,000 Victorians enlisted in the First World War. Of the 89,000 of them who served abroad 19,000 were killed. They were buried in distant graves far from home at a time when most Australians did not travel abroad. The Shrine provided a place where Victorians could grieve as individuals, as families or as a community. It also served to honour the courage of the men, women and children who remained at home. 

The Shrine of Remembrance was designed by two Melbourne returned-soldier architects, Philip Hudson and James Wardrop. The inspiration for the external outline came from one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the mausoleum at Halicarnassus to Mausolus, King of Caria in South West Asia Minor.

The Shrine is composed of a number of elements consisting of exterior and interior features, a Crypt, a World War Two Forecourt, Visitor Centre, and the Remembrance Garden and Shrine Reserve. All are brought together by the grand design and the bold architectural elements that are each worth examining closely.

The Exterior

The east and west sides of the Shrine are marked at the corners by four groups of statuary representing Peace, Justice, Sacrifice and Patriotism. In addition, visitors can see sixteen stone ‘battle honours’ discs, commemorating Australia’s involvement in World War One battles at Gallipoli, Villers Bretonneux, Amiens, Ypres, and many others.

Western wall inscription: Let all men know...

The western wall of the Shrine bears the inscription: LET ALL MEN KNOW THAT THIS IS HOLY GROUND. THIS SHRINE, ESTABLISHED IN THE HEARTS OF MEN AS ON THE SOLID EARTH, COMMEMORATES A PEOPLE’S FORTITUDE AND SACRIFICE. YE THEREFORE THAT COME AFTER, GIVE REMEMBRANCE.

The Sanctuary

As visitors enter the Shrine of Remembrance they enter the main Sanctuary inside of which are the Stone of Remembrance. This is set into the floor and contains the inscription; GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN. This is part of a verse from the Bible (John 15:13), “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” The stone is aligned with an opening in the roof of the Sanctuary so that a ray of sunshine illuminates the word LOVE, on the Stone of Remembrance at exactly 11:00 am each year on November 11, Remembrance Day.

Crypt memorial: Father and Son

RAAF Display

At left: Located beneath the Sanctuary in the Crypt, stands a large bronze statue of a father and son representing the two generations who served in the both world wars. 

There is much else to see and do here, including examining the numerous displays in the exhibition space deep below the Shrine. In the grounds surrounding the Shrine visitors will find the Cenotaph and Eternal Flame, the Remembrance Garden and Shrine Reserve containing important statues and memorials—such as the one to John Simpson Kirkpatrick who is commonly known as “The Man With The Donkey”.

Finally, if visitors  to Melbourne and are able to visit the Shrine of Remembrance on the two most important days on the Australian memorial calendar—Anzac Day (April 25), and Remembrance Day (November 11), I’m sure they will find the experience to be both memorable and emotional, especially if they are up early for the Dawn Service.

Acknowledgements
Much of the information in this post is sourced from the official Shrine of Remembrance website and from Wikipedia…

Note: Click on images to see at full size.