Yesterday I went to see Back to the Future on Broadway with my nephew Scott, his wife Sherrie, and daughter Brianna. I’m always somewhat leery of seeing adaptations of movies into musicals, especially movies that I remember fondly. But this adaptation was fun. The lead looks and moves like Michael J. Fox, the new “Doc Brown” is uniquely his own, … Read More
Terence Blanchard
Until a few years ago I hadn’t been aware of Terence Blanchard. Then his opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, premiered at the Metropolitan Opera to rave reviews. Friends told me to see it, unfortunately I didn’t. But Blanchard’s name rose in my consciousness and I began to hear more about him. He is a seven-time Grammy winning musician … Read More
Border Crossings
The NY Public Library for the Performing Arts is a gem located in Lincoln Center. Researchers from around the world head to their massive collections of theater, film, dance, music, and recorded sound materials. The public can also use the library. When I was in High School, I went there often to listen to recordings or watch films. They mount … Read More
Manhatta
The building is now known as 28 Liberty. But the minute I saw it, I knew it was the old Chase Bank headquarters. It was a place I’d visited often; Chase was a client for many years. The building has since been sold. I never noticed or knew about the space on the 60th floor. It’s now occupied by the … Read More
Orchids in NYC
Yesterday, when it was gray, cold and windy I ventured north to the NY Botanical Garden for warmth and beauty, specifically to the Orchid Show. It is one of my favorite shows of the year, a riot of color, unusual varieties and fabulous presentation. This year the show maintained the tradition of vivid colors and varieties. The overall theme was … Read More
Orchids and more
I could easily write many posts about the orchids at this year’s show at the NY Botanical Garden. As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t like the theme of the show. But the individual specimens are glorious. As the orchid show had just opened the day before, many of the plants were budding. Seeing trails of buds about to burst was … Read More
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) NYC
On Saturday I visited the AMNH with my nephew, his wife and daughter. Brianna is in fifth grade and is studying the Aztec and Incas so she asked if we could go look at those exhibits. The museum is enormous and even though I visit it regularly, I hadn’t been to the hall of Mexican and Central American peoples in … Read More
Quirky American Towns
I’ll be teaching a couple of classes this spring focusing on offbeat small towns that have some of the best the US has to offer – and almost no one knows about them. They’ve got fabulous art, architecture, music, history, scenery, food and more. In some places, there are unique American subcultures. Other towns are just plain quirky. There’s a … Read More
More Small Quirky American Towns
By the time I was nearing age fifty I’d traveled extensively around the globe—visiting every continent except Antarctica and all fifty states. However, I’d mostly been to large U.S. cities and a few national parks. It was time to see more of my own country. So, in 2001, to celebrate my 50th birthday, I took an epic ten-month road trip … Read More
Even more quirky American towns
The abundance of off the beaten path but fascinating American towns is nearly endless. The more I explore, the greater my admiration for people who have transformed their hometowns into fun, beautiful places. What sets a town apart from the ordinary? Sometimes they have unique traditions, eccentric festivals, one-of-a-kind landmarks, or being home to museums dedicated to niche subjects. Local … Read More