Conflict

Today I basically accepted a job I don't really want so I "celebrated" that by at least seeing a movie I really wanted to see.  The movie was The Last Station with Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer.  Plummer plays an aged and dying Leo Tolstoy (born Lev Nikolayevich) and Mirren plays his wife Sofya.  I enjoyed the movie.

The Last Station is a love story and a history lesson.  (I'll be doing some googling to learn what was real and what simply made for a good movie.)  I did learn that a group called the Tolstoyans were - and apparently still are in some places - followers of Tolstoy's philosophies of peaceful resistance, sexual purity, and community property, to name a few.  Ironically, it seemed that Tolstoy's most ardent supporter and founder of the Tolstoyans, Vladimir Chertkov, was more fervent about Tolstoy's philosophies than Tolstoy himself was.

 Left: Vladimir Chertkov, Right: Leo Tolstoy

One of Plummer's (therefore Tolstoy's) lines that struck me in the movie was that he was (paraphrasing) "repulsed by their privilege" and how his wife seemed to enjoy it.  This made me feel repulsion over my attitude toward my decision to take a job that will give me privileges that others during this time would gladly embrace - a good salary, benefits, and a ridiculous amount of paid time off. 

Ah, the conflict.  How appropriate considering I just saw a movie about a man whose famous book title is about the greatest conflict of all - War and Peace.

Two More Dia Foundation Sites

I was working on Park Ave between 25th - 26th Streets yesterday so, at the end of the work day, I thought it would be nice to walk down to 22nd and over to the West Side between 10th and 11th.  Armed with a mango-strawberry-banana smoothie (my now two-day old way of getting some fruit in me in different ways), I started walking.

Destination: Two additional Dia Foundation sites.  (See SoHo Night entry for more Dia information.)

First Stop: 548 West 22nd Street, Untitled, Artist Dan Flavin, installed 1996

Walking west on 22nd Street as dusk approached, I could see this 4-story installation.  It's an attention grabber; the glow called me to the building.

According to the Dia Art Foundation website, this stairwell installation

...comprises two rows of blue and green fluorescent lamps which measure 2 feet each (61 cm) and are stacked vertically, end to end, between the five floors of the building.

Five floors?  I clearly only saw 4 floors from street level.  Maybe the lights run into the basement level?

Set within custom-made fixtures that fit directly into the corners of the stairwells, eight blue lamps are on the first landing, seven blue lamps are on the second landing, seven green lamps are on the third landing, and nine green lamps are on the fourth landing.

Hhmmm, so they only describe 4 floors?  OK, I'm not just imagining 4 floors. 

The lights can be seen both within the building and from the street, and the installation exemplifies Flavin's subtle work in relation to a specific architectural context. Completed just prior to the artist’s death, it is Flavin’s last work in fluorescent light.

The best perspective of this work is from directly across the street.  It gives the full view of this tower of light.  As I walked back east on 22nd from this site, I passed (again) the 2nd installation.

Second Stop: West 22nd Street between 10th and 11th Avenues, 7000 Oaks, Artist Joseph Beuys, 1988

The jist of this installation is that are several varieties of trees and each is paired with a basalt stone.  If you are by these tree/rock pairs and look east, you can see trees that are both part of and not part of this installation.  This is a nicely-treed street, residential area with trees as far east as 8th Ave.  I am sure this is a very pretty walk in the summer and fall.  There are many galleries to peer into as you stroll, also.

One of the interesting things I saw near this 2nd installation on my tour was a repair shop. The entrance was painted like a roadway going through a tunnel. The outside of the building had lots of interesting signs and art.  Unfortunately, the picture is a little dark, but it does show the tunnel effect.

This business facade was actually more interesting than what I saw in some of the galleries in the area.

After this little investigative trip, I headed back to my apartment and remembered I wanted to stop by the Ace Hotel on 29th St and Broadway.  I was still in search of  Stumptown Coffee.  (See the Busy New York City Weekend entry for more on this newfound interest.)  Much to my dismay, they didn't have any decaf.  I was offered a decaf Americano as a alternative and I started to decline.  He explained it was espresso and, yes, it is possible to have decaf espresso. 

I am not a fan of espresso, or I thought I wasn't, but I tried it with some cream.  OMG.  I'm in love.  This was the moment I've wanted it New York.  I FINALLY have found something that I will make a point of getting in the future when I come back to the city.  (See the Busy New York City Weekend entry for more on this lament.)  It's not an entree or dessert or drink...it's coffee. 

I'm not a coffee connoisseur by any means - Dunkin' Donuts is about my speed and Starbucks is typically too strong for me.  Stumptown's espresso and coffee are simply fabulous.  That first taste of espresso was such a delight!  I'm hooked.  I almost walked back there tonight but it got much colder since the day began and I was cold with a too-light jacket.  Perhaps tomorrow.  I'll be working close-by again...and thinking about it all day.

Lumberville, PA

Spent a beautiful Sunday the old-fashioned way - dressed up more than normal for a Sunday and off for a country drive. Headed to Lumberville, PA and the Black Bass Hotel for a friend's birthday.  Once in Bucks County, the drive is charming.

My friend told us of the Black Bass Hotel and its wonderful Sunday Brunch.  The brunch was quite good and the scenery in the room closest to the river is pretty. The service seemed exceptionally slow.

After our two-hour brunch, we walked over the Delaware River to New Jersey.  This is the view from New Jersey looking back at the inn.

I hope to remember to make time to come back to this area in the Spring to do some hiking along the river and canal and then have a hearty lunch.  We talked about doing this...perhaps for another friend's birthday in July.

Long Beach Island

This is the place where I spent decades of summer weekends.  It feels like home. 

It was a beautiful ride on a fully sunny day with 50 degree-plus temperatures.  It felt like waking from a long nap.

SoHo Night

Tonight was SoHo Night, which meant some galleries were open later than normal. Maybe it meant restaurants were offering specials, too; I'm not sure about that.  I was looking forward to visiting two Dia Art Foundation sites. 

I first learned about Dia when I read a book called Spiral Jetta: A Road Trip through the Land Art of the American West by Erin Hogan.  Dia Art Foundation was founded in 1974 and, according to literature I picked up tonight, its purpose is

initiating, supporting...(and) preserving art projects.  Dia also maintains long-term, site-specific projects through the country and world.

I was really intrigued by Dia after I read the book because they sponsor a particularly interesting site in New Mexico.  When I researched Dia a bit more, I learned the foundation maintains several sites in NYC.

It is impossible, at least at the time of this writing, to find a description of Dia on its website.  You can, however, read a little bit about the two exhibits I went to see - the Earth Room and the Broken Kilometer.

The Earth Room is just that - a room of earth, as seen here. 

This view is a little deceiving as it doesn't truly reflect the immensity of this "sculpture" (the name provided in Dia literature).  The picture shows just the narrow passageway through which you see the opposite wall, which is not too far away. What can't be seen is the distance left or right; it's far greater than the width. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the soil is retained by glass, not a solid (black) wall, as it may seem.

The soil is very clumped. For some reason I thought (heard?) there were earth worms in the soil but that doesn't seem to be the case. The soil is 22 inches (56 centimeters) deep, which takes it right up to the window sills. The windows on the left had a lot of condensation but the windows on the right did not. You could feel the humidity from the soil. (I understand why the exhibit is open only through September - June. I'm sure they don't air condition the Earth Room.)

The Earth Room is on the second floor of a building. Remarkably, the earth weighs 280,000 pounds (127,300 kilos). I don't know a lot about structural engineering but that seems to be quite a feat.

The artist, Walter de Maria, has created three Earth Rooms. The first two were in Germany. The only remaining one is this one in NYC, which has been on public display since 1980. (It was "sculpted" in 1977.) It's in a huge room in SoHo, taking up prime real estate. I can only imagine that Dia owns this building and bought it before SoHo was "chic and hip." Paying rent on this space for 30 years would be out of the question - and there is no revenue from visitors as there is no fee for viewing this site at 141 Wooster Street.

After I left the Earth Room I ventured to the Broken Kilometer, which has been on public display since 1979. This is also a Walter de Maria piece.

Like the Earth Room, it was commissioned by and is maintained by Dia.  It is composed of

500 highly polished, round, solid brass rods...The rods are placed five parallel rows of 100 rows each...Each rod is placed such that the spaces between the rods increase by 5 millimeters with each consecutive space...The front rods of each row are placed 80 millimeters apart, the last two rods are placed 570 millimeters apart. 

The work is 45 feet wide and 125 feet long and weighs 18 3/4 tons.  You, too, can see this at 393 West Broadway.
 
I have prided myself on being open-minded when I view artwork and I generally can appreciate that which I view in some way.  I struggled to understand these works. While they made me smile because of their uniqueness - and well, maybe outrageousness - I felt like I didn't "get" them.  I wondered about all of the money spent on them.  I guess, because they made me think, that is part of their value?
 
I left Broken Kilometer and wandered through fancy-store SoHo down to Canal Street, where I ate at Thai So'n (named after a mountain in North Vietnam) at 89 Baxter Street.  The food was good, but the service was exceptionally strange.  I entered and said "One, please" and was told to wait.  Next, a couple came in and they were immediately seated.  After that, another couple came in and they were about to be seated when I spoke up.  I was asked to sit with this couple at a 6-top.  Minutes after we ordered (they were asked to order first, although I was clearly ready before them), we in inexplicably asked to move to another 6-top.  No one ever sat at the table we vacated.  I had more strangeness when I tried to get the check...and then more when I wanted to box my leftovers.  So, go for decent, inexpensive food, but not as a party of one.
 
I wandered home from SoHo night on the 6 train, happy that my "bucket list" could be updated and with a full stomach.

It Happened Tonight

There's a concert in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn to which I'd love to go.  It's in May.  I won't be in New York City anymore.  Damn.

Busy New York City Weekend

This past weekend was a whirlwind, and I'm just getting around to capturing it in writing. 

I returned to NYC with two friends on Saturday.  It was a cold and dreary day, but we spend time exploring the quaint little section of Midtown East known as Tudor City. The pictures show why it's named as such.

Tudor City, which is very close to the United Nations, feels like a quaint village away from the hustle and bustle of the big city - until you look up.  I like this view of the old building juxtaposed to the iconic Chrysler Building

Tudor City also has a cute park. The children - and the lions - didn't seem to mind that it was snow-covered.

After this brief walk, we eventually headed to dinner at Vice Versa in the West 50's area. The food was average - good but not great - and the wine was nice. From dinner we went to see Valerie Harper (a.k.a "Rhonda," Mary Tyler Moore's sit-com buddy) in Looped.  This comedy is about Tallulah Bankhead, an actress in the 1930's - 1950's, primarily. 

Tallulah was funny and wild and apparently a great actress at various times.  She also pushed the envelope -  drank in excess frequently, seemingly had a passion for cocaine, and had affairs with men and women. One thing for sure, her wit contributed to a library of quotes that are occasionally shocking but always funny.  Harper's performance was outstanding.  I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a Tony nomination for this role.

On Sunday, we had brunch at Resto on East 29th St.  Again, the food was average.  The coffee, however, was outstanding.  It's called Stumptown Coffee and originates from Portland, OR.  The only retail location for it in NYC (besides the few bags Resto had) is at the Ace Hotel on 29th St in NYC.  (I was really craving the coffee this week but still haven't gotten to the Ace Hotel yet to get a fix.  It's on my list of things to do soon.)

After brunch we hopped the 6 train to the end - the Brooklyn Bridge stop.  We walked across the bridge with hoardes of people competing for limited space because of the snow-filled walkway. It was still a pleasant walk, though.

I felt giddy when "Lady Liberty" came into view; I'm always tickled to see her. There were also great views of Manhattan.

We spent a little time in Brooklyn but had to hurry back to my apartment so my friends could catch a bus to Philadelphia.  After they left, my whirlwind continued with a walk to Carnegie Hall and then Lincoln Center, where I had to pick up tickets for various events. 

I topped off my evening with my first Ethiopian meal.  It's been literally 20 years that I've wanted to try Ethiopian.  I liked the Red Sea on 9th Avenue in the West 40's because there was a vegetarian (or meat, if that's your preference) sampler that  gave me the opportunity to try a bit of several main entrees. The bread with which you eat had a consistency that was very unfamiliar to me.  I found that I couldn't always use it to "dip" as the waitress coached me because some items were so chunky that dipping wouldn't work.  In those cases, I used the bread like a mitt and grabbed the food that way. I would definitely have Ethiopian again.

I walked all the way back to the East side with a full belly, tired legs, my beloved Sunday New York Times, and memories of a great weekend.