Today was wet. It rained almost all day. Combine that with temperatures in the 50's and we were in winter again. We started our day with a tour of the US Capitol. Waste of time. We waited in various lines for about 30 minutes for a tour of basically two rooms with a tour guide who could be the daughter of Gretta Vansustren. We saw the Rotunda and Statuary Hall. After that we went over to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Cool stuff! After that we headed over to the Natural History Museum and saw the Hope Diamond. Then we headed down to the American History Museum saw the Ruby Slippers, Kermit D. Frog, Oscar the Grouch and a bunch of gowns worn by former first ladies. We had dinner at Old Ebbitt's which was a PJ Blands. Back at the hotel now staying out of the rain.
Tomorrow we are renting a car and heading to Udvar-Hazey, National Cathedral, Arlington Cemetery, and to dinner with some friends.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Washington, DC - Day 2
Today was started with rest. We did not leave the hotel room until almost lunch to head off to Steven Udvar-Hazey. We stopped off at a Subway on our way to the subway. We headed out towards the airport where the air and space museum was. We arrived to realize we were not carrying exact change bus fair and could not find somewhere to get change on a Sunday. SOOOOO we turned back around and headed to the mall. We went to the museum of modern art and saw some disturbing stuff. Jeremy said ti best, "modern art is something anyone could do, the artist was just the one to think it up." My favorite piece was the big man. He looks SO REAL.
We wondered through some sculpture gardens then over to the American History Museum to find it packed. We'll be going back during the rainy week ahead. We then went over to the American National Holocaust Museum. This place was terrible. It was laid out like a 4-story Ikea, death march and all. The place was packed, over-loaded to be exact. The experience of the museum was greatly diminished because we were shuffling through oh so slowly.
We finished up at the museum and got back to our hotel around 5PM. This hotel is the most curious place I have ever stayed. It's like if a Star Trek and a James Bond film collided.
We rested a bit and then headed out to Marvin's a Belgian/Soul Food fusion restaurant. It wasn't amazing, just good. We walked back to the hotel and have decided to call it a night.
Tomorrow we go see the Capitol and do more museuming.
We wondered through some sculpture gardens then over to the American History Museum to find it packed. We'll be going back during the rainy week ahead. We then went over to the American National Holocaust Museum. This place was terrible. It was laid out like a 4-story Ikea, death march and all. The place was packed, over-loaded to be exact. The experience of the museum was greatly diminished because we were shuffling through oh so slowly.
We finished up at the museum and got back to our hotel around 5PM. This hotel is the most curious place I have ever stayed. It's like if a Star Trek and a James Bond film collided.
We rested a bit and then headed out to Marvin's a Belgian/Soul Food fusion restaurant. It wasn't amazing, just good. We walked back to the hotel and have decided to call it a night.
Tomorrow we go see the Capitol and do more museuming.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Houston to Washington DC trip report and first night in DC
Wow, it what a long day! We left the house today at 9:30 AM for our 10:50 flight. Made it to the airport around 10:10 (just in time to check our bags by 10:20 AM). (This schedule is called the Guy Felder plan. The ultimate goal of the Guy Felder plan is to arrive at the gate after everyone has boarded and before they close the cabin door. With the Guy Felder plan there is very little waiting in line and no standing in the gate area. However, the Guy Felder plan makes some people nervous. I concede to those people that the Guy Felder plan leaves very little room for error, this is why it should only be deployed at one's home airport.)
We were on the plane by 10:40 in the morning getting settled in for our flight. We ended up sharing a row with Anise Parker (who is running for Mayor of Houston and has my support), so that was cool. We were told around 10:45 that we did not have a full crew and that they were waiting for a first officer from a flight from Austin so we would be leaving shortly after 11:00AM. I turned to Anise and Jeremy and said, "We we won't be out of here before noon." Ten minutes later the pilot came on again and announced that the airport was closed due to weather and we were going to de-plane.
Weather delays happen. There is no point in getting upset about it; it's one of those "help to accept the things I can not control" sort of things. Jeremy and I got comfy around an electrical outlet and began to entertain ourselves with various movies. At first they told us 12:30, then 2:30 then 4:00. We did not get back on again until 4:00 in the afternoon, five hours later. I can't say that the delay was difficult. I watched a movie and read a book and just took it in stride. I could be sitting at home or sitting at an airport. We landed in Washington, DC around 8:00 PM (5.5 hours late). If you ever fly to Washington DC I suggest landing at Reagan National Airport and sitting on the left side of the plane with a window view. On approach the plans flies right past the National Cathedral, Watergate hotel, Kennedy Center, all the monuments on the mall and then turns to touch down. You get to see a great aerial view of how the mall is laid out. We grabbed our luggage and hopped on the Metro into DC.
I have to say that I always enjoy being a city where there great public transit and DC, while no New York or Chicago, has pretty good mass transit. The metro stations are clean and the trains come at pretty regular intervals. We had to walk about .25 miles from our station to the hotel with luggage in tow.
The subway stations on the DC Metro or beautiful. They look as though they were designed in the 1960's. I am not a design expert but the use of concrete and lighting is amazing. Most subway stations in New York and Chicago or these low ceilinged, drippy, dank platforms where the train is preceded by a rush of dank air. These metro stations were like being inside a large coffered archways with lights that shine up from either side and from the middle.
After we checked into our hotel we checked out the maps to find the best way down to the mall. We hopped back onto the subway for a short ride over to the Smithsonian museums and then did the rest of the trip on foot.
I love seeing the mall at night. The entire mall is either dimly lit or not lit at all which is in stark contrast to the monuments which are brightly lit. It is a really neat affect. I like it because it tends to mask the people, it almost feels like it's just you and monument.
Click here to see a map of our treck (I can't figure out how to get it to embed).
We started out over on the Smithsonian side of the mall and headed straight for the Washington Monument. We walked around the monument watching the shadows of the people who played in the lights. Just after the Washington Monument is the newest monument, the World War II monument. The best way I can describe it is theatrical. It is full of waterfalls and lights with huge pillars. Very loud and bombastic. it is nice to visit, but not one of my favorite ones. We left the World War II monument and decided to walk down the reflecting pond towards the Lincoln Memorial. I love the Lincoln Memorial, especially at night.
As you walk towards it you begin to see President Lincoln's statue appearing from behind the columns, it is almost like it is glowing. Then you walk up the main steps and into the monument and I find that I have to just stand there for a moment in front of that huge statue of President Lincoln seated in that chair. Every time I go there I am moved deeply. I am moved because it is a very tangible realization of my national heritage which is something we do not have a lot of in places outside of our capitol.
On either side of the Lincoln Memorial there are two great speeches inscribed; the Gettysburg Address and his 2nd Inaugural. I am familiar with both, however, I wanted to read them again. As I read the Gettysburg address I felt a great sense of shame towards those in my state who, today, talk of secession. I stood there, reading these lines inscribed on the wall:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I thought to myself, "how dare they?" How dare they who bring up secession because the freely elected leaders of this country are not leading as they see fit even suggest that such a thing should happen. How dare they devalue the lives of every person who fought in the civil war? I went and sat on the steps of the memorial and looked back out over the reflection pond at the Washington Monument. I snapped this picture (that's Jeremy's head.)
We then headed off to see our last monument, The Jefferson Memorial. To get there you have to walk past the Korean War Memorial. Out of all the war memorials the Korean War and World War I memorials are my favorites. The Korean War memorial is just statues of soldiers in tableau. It is very moving (no pun intended). World War I is a stone gazebo tucked away in the woods on the side of the mall. It is so peaceful, many times people can be seen there just reading a book.
I snapped a few photos as we headed around the tidal basin to the Jefferson Memorial.
Jefferson Memorial is another one that I find very moving. This larger than life statue of Jefferson standing in the middle of a beautiful rotunda. The proportions are just awesome. As I read the text on the walls this one stood out to me the most:
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
We landed back at the hotel around midnight ready for bed. Today we plan on the following:
National and and Space Museum
United State Holocaust Museum
To see all the pictures from last night go to: http://gallery.me.com/casperey1978#100042
We were on the plane by 10:40 in the morning getting settled in for our flight. We ended up sharing a row with Anise Parker (who is running for Mayor of Houston and has my support), so that was cool. We were told around 10:45 that we did not have a full crew and that they were waiting for a first officer from a flight from Austin so we would be leaving shortly after 11:00AM. I turned to Anise and Jeremy and said, "We we won't be out of here before noon." Ten minutes later the pilot came on again and announced that the airport was closed due to weather and we were going to de-plane.
Weather delays happen. There is no point in getting upset about it; it's one of those "help to accept the things I can not control" sort of things. Jeremy and I got comfy around an electrical outlet and began to entertain ourselves with various movies. At first they told us 12:30, then 2:30 then 4:00. We did not get back on again until 4:00 in the afternoon, five hours later. I can't say that the delay was difficult. I watched a movie and read a book and just took it in stride. I could be sitting at home or sitting at an airport. We landed in Washington, DC around 8:00 PM (5.5 hours late). If you ever fly to Washington DC I suggest landing at Reagan National Airport and sitting on the left side of the plane with a window view. On approach the plans flies right past the National Cathedral, Watergate hotel, Kennedy Center, all the monuments on the mall and then turns to touch down. You get to see a great aerial view of how the mall is laid out. We grabbed our luggage and hopped on the Metro into DC.
I have to say that I always enjoy being a city where there great public transit and DC, while no New York or Chicago, has pretty good mass transit. The metro stations are clean and the trains come at pretty regular intervals. We had to walk about .25 miles from our station to the hotel with luggage in tow.
The subway stations on the DC Metro or beautiful. They look as though they were designed in the 1960's. I am not a design expert but the use of concrete and lighting is amazing. Most subway stations in New York and Chicago or these low ceilinged, drippy, dank platforms where the train is preceded by a rush of dank air. These metro stations were like being inside a large coffered archways with lights that shine up from either side and from the middle.
After we checked into our hotel we checked out the maps to find the best way down to the mall. We hopped back onto the subway for a short ride over to the Smithsonian museums and then did the rest of the trip on foot.
I love seeing the mall at night. The entire mall is either dimly lit or not lit at all which is in stark contrast to the monuments which are brightly lit. It is a really neat affect. I like it because it tends to mask the people, it almost feels like it's just you and monument.
Click here to see a map of our treck (I can't figure out how to get it to embed).
We started out over on the Smithsonian side of the mall and headed straight for the Washington Monument. We walked around the monument watching the shadows of the people who played in the lights. Just after the Washington Monument is the newest monument, the World War II monument. The best way I can describe it is theatrical. It is full of waterfalls and lights with huge pillars. Very loud and bombastic. it is nice to visit, but not one of my favorite ones. We left the World War II monument and decided to walk down the reflecting pond towards the Lincoln Memorial. I love the Lincoln Memorial, especially at night.
As you walk towards it you begin to see President Lincoln's statue appearing from behind the columns, it is almost like it is glowing. Then you walk up the main steps and into the monument and I find that I have to just stand there for a moment in front of that huge statue of President Lincoln seated in that chair. Every time I go there I am moved deeply. I am moved because it is a very tangible realization of my national heritage which is something we do not have a lot of in places outside of our capitol.
On either side of the Lincoln Memorial there are two great speeches inscribed; the Gettysburg Address and his 2nd Inaugural. I am familiar with both, however, I wanted to read them again. As I read the Gettysburg address I felt a great sense of shame towards those in my state who, today, talk of secession. I stood there, reading these lines inscribed on the wall:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
I thought to myself, "how dare they?" How dare they who bring up secession because the freely elected leaders of this country are not leading as they see fit even suggest that such a thing should happen. How dare they devalue the lives of every person who fought in the civil war? I went and sat on the steps of the memorial and looked back out over the reflection pond at the Washington Monument. I snapped this picture (that's Jeremy's head.)
We then headed off to see our last monument, The Jefferson Memorial. To get there you have to walk past the Korean War Memorial. Out of all the war memorials the Korean War and World War I memorials are my favorites. The Korean War memorial is just statues of soldiers in tableau. It is very moving (no pun intended). World War I is a stone gazebo tucked away in the woods on the side of the mall. It is so peaceful, many times people can be seen there just reading a book.
I snapped a few photos as we headed around the tidal basin to the Jefferson Memorial.
Jefferson Memorial is another one that I find very moving. This larger than life statue of Jefferson standing in the middle of a beautiful rotunda. The proportions are just awesome. As I read the text on the walls this one stood out to me the most:
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
We landed back at the hotel around midnight ready for bed. Today we plan on the following:
National and and Space Museum
United State Holocaust Museum
To see all the pictures from last night go to: http://gallery.me.com/casperey1978#100042
Monday, November 10, 2008
First morning in Nashville
This trip to Nashville is shorter than most trips that I take for work. Only one full day. My original flight was scheduled at 8:50 AM. When I checked in there was a later flight so I took it, mainly because the flight is on a Barbie Dream Jet. These "regional jets" are pretty small and cramped. I can't even stand up in one. Thankfully, the flight is only 1.5 hours. Made it to Nashville (BNA) with no problem. The airport is small compared to airports that I usually fly into. Mostly small regional jets. As I deplaned and headed to the baggage claim I was impressed by how empty the airport was. I realize it was Sunday and that may have had something to do with it. I guess I'm used to Houston where even on Sunday it is busy. Went and grabbed my rental car and headed towards my hotel.
This hotel is so big that it is a hinderance. It is really like 4 hotels around a convention center. I have a 15 minute walk to my convention area it's just to big to be feasible. That being said, the rooms are very well appointed. The mattresses are hotel mattresses, obviously, but they aren't too bad, especially for the two nights I'll be here. While I recognize the benefits of a hotel like this I also have a fundamental disagreement with it. People who stay here don't leave the hotel it's all here. Nine places to eat, shopping, a Godiva Chocolate store and three atrium gardens with waterfalls, boats and a tropical conservatory. I should not have rented a car because we wont' leave the hotel.
This hotel is so big that it is a hinderance. It is really like 4 hotels around a convention center. I have a 15 minute walk to my convention area it's just to big to be feasible. That being said, the rooms are very well appointed. The mattresses are hotel mattresses, obviously, but they aren't too bad, especially for the two nights I'll be here. While I recognize the benefits of a hotel like this I also have a fundamental disagreement with it. People who stay here don't leave the hotel it's all here. Nine places to eat, shopping, a Godiva Chocolate store and three atrium gardens with waterfalls, boats and a tropical conservatory. I should not have rented a car because we wont' leave the hotel.
Monday, October 27, 2008
A really big show
Before we left Houston we planned on seeing at least one, maybe two shows. We ended up seeing five. Five shows in 4 days. What’s even more interesting is each show was of a different varietal of theater. Theatre is like alcohol. It can be the singular common factor between different types of theatre. Like beer, wine, and liquor, theatre can be fermented from many fruits. On this trip we saw an opera, a musical, a dramatic thriller, a comedy, and an off Broadway musical. I liked some more than others and for the sake of memory I would like to record my impressions of each below:
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
A really big show
Before we left Houston we planned on seeing at least one, maybe two shows. We ended up seeing five. Five shows in 4 days. What’s even more interesting is each show was of a different varietal of theater. Theatre is like alcohol. It can be the singular common factor between different types of theatre. Like beer, wine, and liquor, theatre can be fermented from many fruits. On this trip we saw an opera, a musical, a dramatic thriller, a comedy, and an off Broadway musical. I liked some more than others and for the sake of memory I would like to record my impressions of each below:
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
Thursday: La Traviatta, Metropolitan Opera at the Lincoln Center.
• Venue: By far the largest venue I have ever been in. With Orchestra, Box, Grand Tier, Mezzanine, Upper Mezanine and Family Circle levels this building is almost an arena. Yet, the sound in the house is crisp and close. You could hear the actor’s foot falls as they moved across the stage. The stage has a high proscenium arch that acknowledges the grand dimensions of the building. From the lobby to the coat check room this place is built to amplify the elegance that is grand opera. The lobby features crisscrossing stair ways that take you from the lobby level (which leads to the box seats, the orchestra level requires that you step down) to the highest seats. The famous “star burst” chandeliers had recently been re-hung with new crystals. The carpet was so thick it felt as if I were wading through it. My only complaint was the subtitle devices. Instead of placing the words on a screen at the top of the proscenium arch they were on displays on the backs of the seats. This meant you had to shift focus to read the words. It gave me a headache.
• The Show: Flawlessly executed. The Met does Opera in a way that could only happen in a city like New York where arts is just ingrained in the culture. The sets were large, complex, lavish and numerous. 4 set pieces across 3 acts. The show opens in a Parisian townhome, the second act takes place in a country house and then moves to a ball back in the city. This requires a scene change during the show which was accomplished in minutes. The third act takes place back in the Paris house, only this time it begins in an upstairs bedroom. Violetta is sick in bed she hears news that her lover is coming to see her for the usual opera reasons. He’s been given a letter that shows she didn’t mean all those hurtful things she said to him at the big party the night before. She leaps from her bed and heads downstairs (leaping from your bed and heading downstairs takes about 9 minutes of singing in an Opera). On stage the second floor is all you see, it goes from stage level to the top of the proscenium arch. As Violletta walks to the stair case the set begins to move upwards. The second floor disappears above the stage and below it we see the first floor. It’s enormous and expensive and Opera. I really enjoyed this entire show and would say The Met is a must stop place for any Opera lover.
Friday: Young Frankenstein, Hilton Theater in Times Square
• Venue: Standard old theater. Medium sized lobby, the house was smaller than our houses in Houston and the lighting and sound was bolted on to the walls hiding the beautiful artwork that was once very important.
• The Show: Terrible. This Mel Brooks attempt at another hit after the raving success of The Producers was pure crap. The story is sacrificed for smoltzy showtunes and jokes that seem to be wedged into already weak dialouge. The funniest part of the show was the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz” which, again, didn’t really fit. This thing is a tourist trap and Mel Brooks should get some help or a new musical maker if he plans on doing “Blazing Saddles” next.
Saturday: Equus, Broadhurst Theater on 44th and Broadway.
• Venue: It’s like someone took a theater and shrunk it, seats and all. We had seats at the front of the mezzanine which gave us a great view of the stage. The seats were small which was distracting at times.
• The Show: The play starred the guy who plays Harry Potter, his non-wizard uncle, and a bunch of other British notables. The story is one of a 17 year old boy who, for no apparent reason, uses a hoof pick to blind six horses in a stable that he works at on the weekends. The boy, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) is sent to a psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of a psychiatrist played by Richard Griffiths (History Boys, Harry Potter’s Uncle who he lives with over the summer breaks.) The show goes into territory that a lot of people would find uncomfortable. Essentially, the young boy creates his own sort of religion out of mixed messages from his parents that involves a god named Equus who lives in every horse. Equus talks to him through the horses and part of worship is to ride the horse forcing it and the god inside to submit. After attempting intercourse with a female stable worker he feels as if Equus is condemning him through the eyes of the horses so he blinds them all. This psychological thriller is beautifully written. I love how the boys problems are not spelled out, but rather alluded to. The show is well written, amazingly acted and not for everyone.
Sunday: Boeing Boeing, Longacre Theater on 48th and Broadway.
• Venue: Similar to the Broadhurst
• The Show: A slow starting, but fast building romantic comedy about an American bachelor living in Paris who has 3 air hostesses as fiancées. They each work different schedules so they are never there at the same time, until…Well you get the gist. This play is hilarious. I laughed so much I want to see it again in hopes of catching the parts that I missed because I was laughing so hard. It’s energy carries it forward as a dramatic play in much the same way as “Noises Off” for anyone who is familiar with that show.
Sunday: Alter Boyz, New World Theater, Stage 4 on 48th and 8th (off B’way)
• Venue: Black box.
• The Show: This cute Christian spin on Boy Bands is cute and full of stereotypes. Some mild laughs and a pretty predictable story. If this were a movie I would have rented it.
All in all we had a great time and I’m ready to be home. So, I’m going to get packing. Next trip is Nashville in two week.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
On getting around in "The City"
When you talk to New Yorkers they often refer to New York, and more specifically Manhattan as, “the city.” The title offers interesting insight into how people who live in New York City view this little island.
Location is a huge part of any conversation. “Where are you staying?” In the city. “Oh, where?” It has always seemed to me to be more of a sort of How Well Do You Know New York quiz. If you just respond, “51st and Lexington” you should expect to hear back, “oh, uptown.” One of the first things you may know about anyone you have a conversation with is what borough they stay in. It always strikes me as odd until I consider that moving around in this place is not anything at all like Houston. Much more thought is required. Should I walk, take a cab, train or a bus?
Walking across Manhattan East to West is not bad; most people can easily do it. North to South, that’s a different story. Jeremy and I have walked home almost every night from wherever we were; it’s a nice way to end the evening.
Taking a cab is the most expensive form of getting around. It can be the quickest depending on where you are going. If traffic is bad, walking can be fastest.
The subway is a very complex, yet efficient way of getting places. The subway is split up in to several lines: the red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple and brown. Each line has several trains, which are differentiated either by a number or a letter. The letters/numbers are not repeated across lines, so you would not have a C train on the blue line and the yellow line. The C train is blue. If you take a look at this map (http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm) you’ll see that each of the trains on each colored line makes most stops. This is called “local”. A local train makes all the stops. There are also express trains but those generally don’t go express until they get out of Manhattan so you usually do not have to worry. You do need to know which train to take on lines such as the orange. Just south of central park it splits three ways. I have only had to take trains out of Manhattan once and I had a friend as a guide. Since we stayed in Manhattan we did not have to plan much. This is one place where having an iPhone proved invaluable. I downloaded the iTrans Application that tells you what trains and where to transfer to get from one station to another. This takes most of the guesswork out of the subway system and made it very easy for us to use.
Whenever I come here I realize that in Houston we get into this paradigm of automatically including our car in any travel plans. When I’m in New York I find myself putting a lot more cognitive effort into deciding how I should go from point a to b. When you put that into the context of the culture here it’s easy to realize why location is such a topic of discussion. Just by telling someone where you live/stay he or she can gain insight into the parts of your daily life that include commuting and traveling.
After using getting around this city for 5 days I am looking forward to being back in Houston where I just hop in my car and drive where I want to go. Waiting on trains, watching to make sure unscrupulous cabdrivers don’t go the long way.
Location is a huge part of any conversation. “Where are you staying?” In the city. “Oh, where?” It has always seemed to me to be more of a sort of How Well Do You Know New York quiz. If you just respond, “51st and Lexington” you should expect to hear back, “oh, uptown.” One of the first things you may know about anyone you have a conversation with is what borough they stay in. It always strikes me as odd until I consider that moving around in this place is not anything at all like Houston. Much more thought is required. Should I walk, take a cab, train or a bus?
Walking across Manhattan East to West is not bad; most people can easily do it. North to South, that’s a different story. Jeremy and I have walked home almost every night from wherever we were; it’s a nice way to end the evening.
Taking a cab is the most expensive form of getting around. It can be the quickest depending on where you are going. If traffic is bad, walking can be fastest.
The subway is a very complex, yet efficient way of getting places. The subway is split up in to several lines: the red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple and brown. Each line has several trains, which are differentiated either by a number or a letter. The letters/numbers are not repeated across lines, so you would not have a C train on the blue line and the yellow line. The C train is blue. If you take a look at this map (http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm) you’ll see that each of the trains on each colored line makes most stops. This is called “local”. A local train makes all the stops. There are also express trains but those generally don’t go express until they get out of Manhattan so you usually do not have to worry. You do need to know which train to take on lines such as the orange. Just south of central park it splits three ways. I have only had to take trains out of Manhattan once and I had a friend as a guide. Since we stayed in Manhattan we did not have to plan much. This is one place where having an iPhone proved invaluable. I downloaded the iTrans Application that tells you what trains and where to transfer to get from one station to another. This takes most of the guesswork out of the subway system and made it very easy for us to use.
Whenever I come here I realize that in Houston we get into this paradigm of automatically including our car in any travel plans. When I’m in New York I find myself putting a lot more cognitive effort into deciding how I should go from point a to b. When you put that into the context of the culture here it’s easy to realize why location is such a topic of discussion. Just by telling someone where you live/stay he or she can gain insight into the parts of your daily life that include commuting and traveling.
After using getting around this city for 5 days I am looking forward to being back in Houston where I just hop in my car and drive where I want to go. Waiting on trains, watching to make sure unscrupulous cabdrivers don’t go the long way.
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