Multimedia, performance and installation
artist Sue Austin challenges our notions of what disability is. Sue is
the founder and artistic director of Freewheeling, an initiative aiming
to further the genre of Disability Arts.
Sue states: "My studio practice has, for sometime,
centred around finding ways to understand and represent my embodied experience
as a wheelchair user, opening up profound issues about methods of self-representation
and the power of self-narration in challenging the nexus of power and control
that created the ‘disabled’ as other."
When Sue got a powered wheelchair more than sixteen years
ago, she felt a tremendous sense of freedom. However, others looked at her as
though she had lost something precious―her ability to walk and move about
freely. On the other hand, for Sue Austin, the power chair gave her precisely
that ability. By adding modifications and additions to her chair, Sue is able
to create art, and just as importantly, travel and explore the world in ways
that almost defy the imagination.
This talk, filmed at TEDxWomen 2012 includes stunning
footage of Sue as she dons an oxygen tank and breathing apparatus, and turns
her powered wheelchair into an underwater vessel that propels her across vast
ocean floors, and amongst schools of multi-coloured fish. In doing so, Sue
Austin reshapes how we think about disability, and proves once again, that
where there is a will, there is always a way.
~ I have only read one other book by Ian Frazier, and that was
his paean to the American prairies called Great
Plains - a book I thoroughly enjoyed and reviewed here…
Gone to New York collects together twenty-two essays
that examine aspects of life in New York City that are by turns, poignant,
funny, serious, and insightful. The essays come from a variety of magazine
sources, including the Atlantic, and The New Yorker, for which
Ian Frazier continues to write as he has since 1973. Each story in the book
contains a year of publication, and these range from Antipodes (1975),
to the 2005 essay, Out of Ohio.
Along the way we meet a succession of New Yorkers, each of
which is unique in their own way. There’s George Willig, the man who scaled the
World Trade Center in 1977 using handmade clamping devices; we learn about
Clifford Holland, that man for whom the Holland Tunnel is named; we meet Martin Tytell, who at 83 years of
age in 1997 (when the essay Typewriter Man was written), may have been
the last manual typewriter repair man in New York City. We visit crime scenes,
take bus rides, walk Canal Street, and stop to remove plastic bags from trees.
Two of the most touching stories are To Mr. Winslow (1993),
and Street Scene (1995). In the first essay, Frazier writes about Allyn
Winslow, a forty-two-year-old drama teacher who was shot and killed one June
morning, after refusing to hand his new bicycle over to four teenagers. In
three brief pages, Frazier documents the creation of a memorial to Mr. Winslow,
that appears over several days on the exact spot at which he died. He records
items as they are added to the memorial by locals, who in most cases didn’t
know Allyn Winslow personally, but who were still moved to remember his
passing.
Then, over a period of five months, Frazier traces the
gradual breakdown of the memorial as summer rains, vandalism, ongoing park
maintenance, and winter storms slowly eliminate signs of the original location,
so that eventually all trace of it disappears. And thus, with its final
disappearance, one is left to wonder if anyone―apart from the writer―still
remembers Mr Winslow.
[Image Right: The actress and singer, Bette Midler using a Bag Snagger to remove plastic from a New York City tree. Background to this photo is recounted in the essay, Bags in Trees: A Retrospective.]
In Street Scene, Frazier watches as a woman
administers mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an elderly woman who lies on a
Brooklyn sidewalk. Assisting her is a young male who counts off “One, two,
three, four, five,” as he in turn administers chest compressions in an
attempt to keep the elderly lady alive. Eventually, an Emergency Medical
Service truck arrives and the paramedics take over the life-saving work of the
volunteer rescuers. Ian Frazier watches as the male and female part without a
word, and go their separate ways. At least Frazier has enough presence of mind
to approach the man to thank him for what he had done.
He then runs after the woman, who was by now well down the
block: I tapped her shoulder and she turned and I said thank you. Her eyes
were full of what had just happened. There were tears on her upper cheeks. She
said something like, “Oh, of course, don’t mention it.” She was … an
ordinary-looking person, but glowing beautifully.
Earlier this month in my piece Reflections From The Window Seat, I asked the question, “…when you travel, where do you prefer to sit: window,
aisle or middle seat?.” I added that I am definitely a window seat traveller,
and went on to elaborate further about why. In Frazier’s essay, Route 3, I
was delighted to read this: I usually travel to and from the city by bus.
Most bus commuters sensibly occupy themselves with newspapers, laptops, CD
players, and so on. I always try to get a window seat and then look at the
scenery. If this were a ride at an amusement park, I would pay to go on it.
Frazier then goes on to describe in detail the bus journey
along Route 3 between his home and the city, and I got a lot of satisfaction
knowing that I had found a kindred spirit when it came to the joys of window
seat travel. Even if the journey was only between workplace and home.
It probably isn’t necessary to be a New Yorker, or to have
visited the city, to get the most out of the twenty-two essays in Gone To
New York, but it helps. Having said that, most people reading this have
been to New York City, if only through the medium of Hollywood movies and
countless television shows. It should not be too hard to imagine yourself
walking along Canal Street with Ian Frazier, as he points out some of the
streets quirkier characters, and grumbles about the plastic bag tangled in the
branches of the tree you are passing under. Speaking of which, here is an
American television news item which includes Ian Frazier and his friend Bill
McClelland using a Bag Snagger to remove plastic from trees.
~ The modern, relentless 24 hour news cycle, has
a voracious appetite. Most news stories, unless on the scale of the September
11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, and Washington, DC, quickly
disappear from the front pages of newspapers or as the lead story of nightly
news bulletins.
At least 285 people were killed along the path of the storm
in seven countries. In the United States, where media organizations and some
U.S. government agencies nicknamed the hurricane "Superstorm Sandy,"
the storm affected 24 states, including the entire eastern seaboard. The most
severe damage occurred in New Jersey and New York, when the storm surge hit New
York City on October 29, flooding streets, tunnels and subway lines, and cutting
power in and around the city. Damage in the US was estimated at over US$71
billion.
Six months after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Cuba, and worked its way up
the east coast of the United States to New York City and beyond, devastating
coastal communities in its path, little if anything is heard about the ongoing
recovery efforts still underway in these coastal communities. In New York City
for example, vast stretches of beach front along the Atlantic reaches of Staten
Island and Coney Island in particular still look much like they did soon after
the storm struck.
While I don’t have a complete list of locations and
infrastructure that are still closed or under repair, six months after Sandy,
the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Museum remain off the
tourist circuit. The Statue of Liberty is due to open by July 4, but no date
has been set for the reopening of Ellis Island.
Of the numerous subway stations and tunnels that were
flooded by the almost 14 foot storm surge, the new South Ferry
station seems to have suffered the most, when 15 million gallons of salt water
poured into it, causing around US$600 million in damage. In response, the old
108-year-old South Ferry station has been reopened while the new station is
repaired―a process that may take as long as two or three years!
To my knowledge, the one remaining subway line to be
affected by Hurricane Sandy is the A-train. This currently runs as far as the
Howard Beach station, with free shuttle buses operating non-stop between this
station, and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue. I assume, rail service is also affected
at the other end of the Rockaways, at Rockaway Park Beach. More information
about this service can be found at the MTA.INFO site…
Elsewhere along the coast, work is continuing apace to get
New York’s beaches ready for the 2013 summer season. Despite being one of the
worst affected areas, Coney Island is already open for business―or most of it
anyway. The main outlet for Nathan’s Famous, a Coney Island business famous
for its hotdogs, and for the annual hotdog eating contest they run remains
closed, although its other branch location on Boardwalk West is open.
Photo: M.T.A. / Patrick Cashin / via Wikipedia
The
nearby New York Aquarium at Coney Island was flooded, and will have a limited
opening this spring, but there is no timetable for the re-opening of Nathan’s.
Meanwhile, Rockaway beach and Jacob Riis Park should be open by May 25
(Memorial Weekend), but it looks like Fort Tilden will be closed for the summer.
And then there is one of my favourite New York City locations―the South Street
Seaport area around Pier 17. After a long day walking the streets of lower
Manhattan, I have spent many a warm summer evening relaxing and taking in the
sights and sounds around the South Street Seaport.
The viewing ‘decks’ of the shopping mall on Pier 17 provide
some of the nicest views of the Brooklyn Bridge―especially if you time your
visit to coincide with the magic hour or two around sunset. Then the view and
the wonderful photographic opportunities are unbeatable. Sadly, though, not
only did the South Street Seaport Museum suffer extensive damage, but the Pier
17 area itself was badly affected by the storm.
Negotiations are currently underway with the Howard Hughes
Corporation (which owns the Pier 17 area), to build a modern shopping mall,
incorporating a rooftop garden and concert area, and other facilities. I can’t
say I am excited by the new design for the building which features copious
amounts of glass, and seems out of place at a ‘seaport’ location, but
maintaining the seaport there is better than having yet another skyscraper
dominating the skyline at the foot of Manhattan.
In the meantime, I understand the current shopping facilities at Pier 17 will continue to operate as best they can through summer 2013, until construction of the new building commences later this year.
I am sure the above is just a small part of what remains to
be done to repair and replace damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in the New York
City area. But I hope it serves as a reminder that although the news cycle has
moved on, thousands of people along the whole length of Sandy’s path are still
dealing with the aftermath of the storm every day, and will continue to do so for
many years.
~ During my stay in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I went to check
out Wheatland, the home of America’s 15th President, James Buchanan. With my
usual impeccable timing, I managed to walk the mile and half from my hotel to
Wheatland on the one day of the week the home was closed. Thankfully,
the ten acre site is unfenced and visitors are free to wander the grounds and
examine the exterior of the house and gardens, and the various outbuildings at
leisure.
Constructed in 1828 by William Jenkins, a local lawyer,
Wheatland, or the James Buchanan House, is a brick, Federal style house which
was once surrounded by 22 acres of sculpted gardens and landscaped grounds.
Today Wheatland shares its ten acres with the Lancaster County Historical
Society.
James Buchanan purchased Wheatland in 1848, and lived in the
house for next two decades―except for several years during his ambassadorship
in Great Britain and during his presidency. Speaking of which: in complete
contrast to the constant travel that modern presidential hopefuls embark on,
Buchanan did not tour the country as part of his 1856 campaign. Instead, he
conducted it from Wheatland as a "front porch campaign". In this age
of instant communications, it boggles the mind to try and imagine how anyone
could run a successful campaign for President from his front porch!
After his death in 1868, Wheatland passed through a
succession of owners before it was acquired by a group of people who set up a
foundation for the purpose of preserving the house.
Wheatland was designated a National Historic Landmark in
1961 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. It was
designated a contributing property to the Northeast Lancaster Township Historic
District in 1980. The foundation and the adjacent historical society merged in
2009.
Wheatland was opened to the public on May 5, 1936 and was
dedicated "as a new presidential shrine, taking its place with Mount
Vernon, Monticello and The Hermitage," in October 1937.
Architecture and Décor
As already noted, Wheatland is built in the Federal style.
Wikipedia has this to say about its construction:
As no documents on the actual construction are known to
exist, the person or persons responsible for the design of Wheatland have
remained anonymous. However, the architecture of Wheatland, as well as its
location on the property, indicates someone who was skilled in classical
architecture. Design elements, like various lunette windows, also show the
influence of various architectural guidebooks that were prevalent in the early
19th century.
Former privy built well away from main house!
The Grounds
On the grounds, behind Wheatland, stand a privy, a smoke-house and a carriage house. A stable used to stand on the property but
was replaced by the carriage house in the late 1880s; an ice-house also no
longer exists.
A bathroom, complete with bathtub, shower and a bidet, was
installed in the west wing in 1884. Until this was done, the household and
guests had to visit a large square privy built well away from the main
house―for obvious reasons.
Making the best of a poor situation, I am happy I took the
trouble to see Wheatland, but I am disappointed I did not have an opportunity to
enter the house to get a sense of life in the mid-1800s. Again, Wikipedia
offers this:
The interior of Wheatland is furnished as it would have
been in the mid-19th Century, with most of the furniture being original to the
house. As Wheatland has never been significantly altered or remodelled other
than the installation of modern lighting and heating, it provides an accurate
view of the lifestyle in the Victorian era.
If you are visiting Lancaster, don’t do as I did―make sure
you visit James Buchanan’s Wheatland while it is open! Having said that―unless
I have missed it―the official website does not mention specific opening hours,
just the start of the first and last guided tours. It is probably safe to assume
that opening hours are 9 AM-5 PM, but don’t take my word for it, call
717-392-4633 to confirm this for yourself.
The Hours of Operation noted below are taken directly from
the official site:
April through October Tours are offered Monday through Saturday, on the hour,
starting with the 10 AM tour. The last
tour begins at 4 PM.
Closed Sundays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and
New Years Day.
And just to prove that my outing to Wheatland was not a
complete waste of time, here is a brief video documenting my visit:
In my family and extended family, I count at least nine members who are involved in various fields of education, either as teachers,
instructors, or some other capacity. Across the same family there are members
who sing, play musical instruments, paint, write poetry, and dance. One is a
screenwriter, and another is currently undertaking a film making course.
I myself, am a singer-songwriter with a couple of albums to
my name, and I guess I can add video maker to my credits if I include the
numerous short videos I have put together documenting my various travels. It
goes without saying then, that questions examining the nexus between education
and creativity are of great interest to myself, and other members of the
family.
Today’s TED on Tuesday features a talk by Sir Ken Robinson,
who makes an entertaining and forceful case for creating a modern education
system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.
“I believe this passionately: that we don’t grow into
creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it.” ~ Sir Ken
Robinson
Posing the question: Why don't we get the best out of
people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become
good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Further, he argues that students
with restless minds and bodies―far from being cultivated for their energy and
curiosity―are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. Or
worse―diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder), and medicated into submission.
Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee
on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of
creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003
for his achievements. His latest book, Out
of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative was published in January 2009. He is also the author
of the best selling The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.
Take a look as Sir Ken Robinson delivers one of the
most popular TED talks on education and creativity:
I visited the Musée de l’Orangerie, in Paris during my stay in the ‘City of
Lights’, in December 2010. The Museum is an art gallery of impressionist and
post-impressionist paintings, located on the banks of the Seine in the old
orangery of the Tuileries Palace, on the Place de la Concorde near the Concorde
metro station.
I first encountered two of Monet’s magnificent Water Lily
masterpieces when visiting the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Although I had seen photographs of some of these paintings
often enough, nothing prepared me for the sheer joy I experienced standing
before these masterpieces of shadow, light and colour.
Claude Monet was born on 14 November 1840 on the fifth floor
of 45, rue Laffitte, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the
most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of
expressing one's perceptions before nature. The term Impressionism, is derived
from the title of his painting: Impression, Sunrise (Impression,
soleil levant).
Beginning in the 1880s and 1890s through the end of his life
in 1926, Monet worked on several "series" paintings, in which his
subject matter was depicted in varying light and weather conditions. Using his
own gardens (with their water lilies, pond, and bridge as inspiration), Monet’s
Water Lilies date from this period.
In 1922, Claude Monet signed
a contract donating the Nymphéas series of decorative panels to the French
government. With input from Monet, the Nymphéas were arranged on the ground
floor of the Orangerie in 1927. The eight paintings are displayed in two oval
rooms, and are viewed under direct diffused light as was originally intended by
Monet.
In what I can only assume
is a very unconventional method of mounting the paintings, the eight massive
canvases have been glued directly to the walls.
Monet died of lung cancer on 5 December 1926 at the age of
86, and is buried in the Giverny church cemetery. His home, garden and water
lily pond were bequeathed by his son Michel, to the French Academy of Fine Arts
in 1966. Through the Claude Monet Foundation, the house and gardens have been open
for visits since 1980, and are a ‘must see’ for all devotees of Monet’s work.
According to the museum's website, the Orangerie was
originally built in 1852 to shelter the orange trees of the garden of the
Tuileries. Today, while it is most famous for being the permanent home for
eight Water Lilies murals by Claude Monet, the Musée de l’Orangerie also
contains works by Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo
Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Rousseau among others.
Here is a brief look at some of those magnificent works of
art:
~ I only spent one night (February, 2011), at Peri’s Hotel & Apartments, in Athens, Greece, but I was delighted with the location, the
room, and the friendly service. After a short uneventful flight from the Aegean
island of Ikaria, to Athens International Airport, I was picked up as arranged
by Antonis. Peri’s provide a free pick up and drop off service between the
airport and hotel, so make sure you request this service if you need it.
The hotel was built in 2004, and offers just twelve well
appointed rooms, each with their own balcony. My room had a large double bed,
en suite, television, bar fridge, free WiFi, but no tea or coffee making
facilities. There was plenty of storage space – in fact too much given that 80
per cent of the visitors staying here are probably only staying for one or two
nights at most. Still it was nice to know they had gone to the effort.
Room service: Tea and Cake
Although no tea/coffee making facilities are available in
the rooms (unless this has since changed), following my arrival at the hotel,
Antonis brought a pot of tea to my room, along with a slice of cake. It was a
lovely touch, and after settling in, I went for a walk to Artemis beach about 1 km from the hotel.
There are numerous
cafés and restaurants along the foreshore, and I treated myself to a
late lunch/early dinner of calamari, chips, salad and Heineken beer, which,
along with a tip came to just €20.
Peri’s Hotel is
located about 15 minutes drive from Athens International Airport EL.
VENIZELOS, and less than 30 minutes from the port of Rafina, from where you can
catch ferries to the islands of Myconos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Tinos and Evia.
Visitors wanting to head into central Athens will find a public bus stop close
by.
Breakfast tray. Luverly!
Booking Your Stay
Booking your stay
at Peri’s Hotel & Apartments requires that you call the hotel direct (see
numbers below). Online reservations through the usual online sites, was not
available when I stayed in the hotel, and still does not appear to be
available.
My breakfast
consisted of two slices of toast with slices of cheese and ham; jam, one boiled
egg, a pot of tea, and 250ml of orange juice, all delivered cheerfully to my
room. Luverly!
Other Details
~ A breakfast room
and TV lounge are available if you don’t want to spend time in your room.
~ Continental
breakfast is served between 8.00 am to 10.00 am.
~ A small bar is
also located in the TV lounge
~ Transfer to and
from the Airport is available (free shuttle between 7.00 am to 23.30 pm)
~ Reception office
is staffed 24 hours.
Peri's Hotel & Apartments, Athens, Greece
If you are looking for somewhere to stay for a night or two
between flights, Peri’s Hotel is an excellent choice. The hotel is located well
away from main roads, with their frenetic traffic and highly strung Greek drivers,
and provides the perfect respite before embarking on long homeward flights.
~ I visited the Philabaum Glass Gallery and Studio during my stay in Tucson, Arizona last
September. Tom Philabaum has been producing stunning works of art in glass for
more than thirty years. He built his first glassblowing studio in 1975 in
downtown Tucson, and opened a gallery in 1982. The current gallery and studio
was opened in 1985, and not only features Tom Philabaum’s work, but the work of
many other talented glass artists.
Visitors to the gallery are able to enter the studio
attached to the main gallery, and watch as the glassblowers work their magic on
the molten glass. This is not the place to go into a detailed description of
glassblowing, and any way, I know next to nothing about the processes involved.
However, it was exciting to watch these skilled craftspeople at work, and to
spend time examining the truly stunning works in glass available for sale in
the gallery and shop.
Tom Philabaum was the recipient of the 1998 Arizona
Governor’s Art Award for Artist of the Year. And in May 2000, the Community
Foundation for Southern Arizona awarded him the prestigious $25,000 Arizona
Arts Award in recognition of significant contribution to the growth and
development of the arts in Arizona.
Glass artists at work at Philabaum Glass
Also in 2000, Tom began teaching nationally accredited
classes at Philabaum Glass, giving birth to the Sonoran Art Foundation,
co-founded by Tom and David Klein, which is now known as the Sonoran Glass School.
Tucson Glass Festival
In 2010, Tom Philabaum collaborated with the Sonoran Glass
School to organize and host the first Tucson Glass Festival, presenting live
demonstrations with visiting artists and exhibitions in galleries and museums
throughout Tucson. The festival is currently underway in Tucson with the final
events set for April 20.
I was delighted to be able to visit the gallery and studio
during my stay in Tucson, and I recommend it highly if you are planning a stop
in the city.
Here is a brief video compilation I have put together
following my visit:
Instrumental I'm In Pieces courtesy of MJW RECORDS…
~ During my 2010 American trip, I travelled via Greyhound Bus
from New York City to New Orleans (with stopovers in Philadelphia, PA and
Raleigh, NC). I have written an extensive six part road trip report of that
journey beginning here…
That trip went so well, that I was keen to repeat the experience―albeit along a
different route―during my 2012 visit to America. To that end, following my
three week stay in New York City, I caught the first of what I thought would be
many Greyhound Buses, to Lancaster, PA.
During my stay in Lancaster, someone suggested I use Amtrak to get to my next destination―Harrisburg, PA., a short leg by any standards.
Since Greyhound Buses shared facilities with Amtrak, it was easy enough to
do―so I did. That was it. I was immediately smitten. Seduced by the comfort;
the leg room; the ability to get up and walk the length of the train; the large
windows; the smooth, traffic free flow of the carriages; and more. The run from
Lancaster to Harrisburg was over in under an hour, but I was hooked. I decided
that if the opportunity arose to travel by train again, I would seize it.
Washington, DC to Savannah, GA
When I left Harrisburg, it was by bus for Washington, DC.
But when I left America’s national capital, for Savannah, Georgia, it was on
the Amtrak Atlantic Coast Service that takes in New York - Washington,
DC - Charleston - Savannah - Jacksonville - Orlando - Tampa/Miami. There was no
turning back after that. Given a choice between spending nearly eleven hours on
a train or a bus, there is only one choice, and that of course is the train.
Atlantic Coast Service route guide
In researching current prices for this entry, I was able to
confirm what I already knew, that depending on how and when you choose to
travel, it can be cheaper to take a train than it is to take a bus. For
example, current prices (as of Sunday, 14 April 2013), for the
Washington-Savannah run are US$101.00 for the morning and afternoon trains, and
US$173.00 for the evening train. The same route by Greyhound Bus ranges from
$85.00 (advance purchase) to $159.00 (refundable ticket). The Standard Fare is
$142.00.
Using the example above, the bus is cheaper than the train service. However, even though I was initially looking for the cheapest tickets
available, I did not hesitate to spend the extra $16.00 for the space and
luxury of the train. Oh, and it helps that some of the Amtrak services include
WiFi as well. And did I mention the restaurant car? And the observation
carriage with its comfortable seating that allows you to sit back, stretch your
legs, and enjoy panoramic views of the passing countryside? All in all, the
experience is better; the ride much smoother; and the journey certainly seems
to pass much quicker.
After the Richmond stop I walked up to the restaurant car
for a coffee and Panini. It occurred to me that a coach paying passenger could
spend most of their trip here in relative comfort. In fact, it was a whole lot
easier to use my iPad there where I could rest the device on a table and type,
than to balance it in my lap, or hold it for extended periods.
Also in the restaurant car one has an opportunity to take
part in conversations with a number of other passengers, rather than sit alone
or converse with the person in the seat next to you in your designated carriage―assuming
they want to talk in the first place.
New Orleans, LA to Tucson, AZ
Alpine, Texas
From Savannah, I rode a Greyhound to New Orleans, and after
a five night stay there, I boarded Amtrak’s Sunset Limited service for
Tucson, Arizona.
For the record, current prices on the New Orleans-Tucson run
are $143 (Amtrak), and $188 (web only) to $232 (refundable) for the Greyhound
Bus. That’s a difference of $45 assuming you buy the cheapest tickets, or a
difference of $89 (if you purchase a refundable Greyhound ticket) in favour of Amtrak. As the saying has it: It’s a no brainer.
I have taken to referring to Amtrak as one of America’s best
kept secrets. Almost everyone I spoke to about my train travel was amazed at
the prices I paid, and my glowing recommendations. Most assumed that travelling
by train would be far more expensive than by bus, and had therefore never
considered the Amtrak service.
If there is a downside to using the rail network, it is that
compared to the Greyhound Bus network, passengers have many more choices
available to them when travelling by bus. The American rail network is a pale
shadow of what it used to be, which is a great pity. Never the less, what
remains covers all the main urban centres and for my money, it just can’t be
beaten. At the very least, take time to compare prices between the Greyhound
Bus and Amtrak services. Like me you may become a convert to the joys of rail
travel.
~ Artist and designer Ron Finley could not help but notice what
was going on in his backyard, South
Central Los Angeles. Describing the area as “the home of the drive-thru and the
drive-by,” Finley decided that it was way past time to try and do something
about just one aspect of the many issues facing the area―and that was (and is)
the area’s poor health and high mortality rate, with one in two kids
contracting a curable disease like Type 2 diabetes.
He started working with the organization L.A. GreenGrounds to install a vegetable garden on the 150
ft x 10 ft patch of ground in front of his house, that strip between the
sidewalk and the street that the city owns but the resident has to keep up.
What happened when he did this, becomes the heart of this inspiring talk, which
has in turn inspired many other people in L.A. and elsewhere to take control of
their health and urban environments.
"We’ve got to make this [gardening] sexy,” he
proclaims. “Let’s all become renegades, gangsta gardeners. We have to flip the
script on what a gangsta is. If you ain’t a gardener, you ain’t gangsta. Let
that be your weapon of choice!”
This odd building stands on the corner of 161st Street
and Melrose Avenue, New York City. It is a bit over 4ft. in depth, 17ft.
frontage, and one and a-half storeys high, with a basement and sub-basement
built under the broad sidewalk, extending to the curb. The house itself is of
wood, on a steel frame, and has a slate roof.
Its owner is an eccentric tailor, who lives and carries
on his trade below the street. The interior consists of a small show-room, a
store-room, and spiral iron stairway going down to the "lower
regions." The upper storey seems to have been constructed merely as a
finishing touch. It is reached by an iron ladder from the store-room. The
entire construction, appointments, and fittings are very ingenious, and are all
the ideas of the owner.
The story of the house is that the original lot was cut
away in opening the avenue, save only the few feet now occupied by the
building. A controversy arose between the tailor and the owner of the adjoining
property regarding the disposal of the small strip, and the tailor becoming
enraged because his neighbour would neither sell his property nor pay the price
the knight of the shears demanded, built this odd structure out of spite. The
photo. was taken just at the completion of the building, and before the street
had been fully paved. It shows, however, the dimensions of the building, and
also the construction under the street, etc. Photo. sent in by Mr. W. R. Yard,
156, Fifth Avenue, New York City."
Recently, I was indulging my curiosity on the Gutenberg site, and on a whim decided to take a look at a copy of The Strand Magazine, dating from February 1899. To my delight I saw a piece called 'The Spite House', which I have reproduced in full above. Of course, I immediately had to Google the address (161st
Street and Melrose Avenue, New York City), and used Street View to see what
buildings were standing at the intersection today, and not surprisingly this
odd little building has long disappeared.
I love the serendipitous nature of the Internet, and how one link leads to another and then another. I also take delight in discovering amazing facts and bits of information about any number of things I may not have been specifically searching for, but gain great satisfaction from learning about anyway. One such example, out of many, involves my regular monitoring of the latest uploads to Gutenberg.Org. I have written before about this wonderful organization that has digitised more than 40,000 books, which are now in the public domain (that is, copyright free). The books are then made freely available via their website.
I’ll have more to say about Project Gutenberg at a future
date, but until then, why not check the site out for yourself.
You will be amazed at the range of books and authors available via the site.
~ On Saturday, June 14, 2008, a Festival of Greek Dance was
held in the village of Rahes, on the Aegean island of Ikaria, and this film,
one of several I have put together, shows the final dance of the night. The
tune is known as the Ikariotiko (or The Ikarian), and is the island’s
traditional tune and dance.
The festival took place on the village basketball court,
under lights that attracted hundreds of moths and other airborne insects which
fell constantly onto the heads of the audience below. This probably explains
why only half the lights were turned on during the performances. Unfortunately,
this also made it extremely difficult to get good, well lit footage of the
dances.
Audience chatter and the constant movement of children and
adults across the 'stage' seems to be part and parcel of any event of this
type, given the location, and the hot summer night. In the end, it all goes
towards creating yet another unforgettable and unique Greek island experience.
The wonderful thing about this festival is the way the
community totally involves itself in the event. Rather than assume the constant
chatter and movement as being disrespectful to the musicians and dancers, it is
instead a sign of the audiences involvement and connection with the music and
dancing.
Quite frankly, I'm surprised the adults didn't get up and
dance during the three hour show themselves. Greeks find it very difficult to
sit and watch something like this, when their natural inclination is to get up
and join in.
Throughout the night, local children stood at the edges of
the performance space intently watching the feet of the dancers, while they
tried to follow the steps of each dance. As everyone (dance troupes and
visitors alike), got ready to join the final dance.
This was the signal for children of all ages to join the
long lines―generally at the end of each line, as tradition dictates―to learn,
and carry on the island traditions. It would of course be unthinkable to tell
the children to keep out of the way while the adults did 'their thing'. The
children are literally learning at the feet of the adult dancers.
The music is performed here on a Tsampouna, an instrument
made out of goat skin, which has obvious links to the Scottish bagpipe and the
gaida. I should also add, the Ikariotiko is played constantly at festivals,
weddings, parties, in deed at celebrations and occasions of all types. And not
just once per night, but many times. Each musician has his or her own variation
of the tune, and some musicians are still remembered and spoken about today,
long after their passing, because of the way they played the dance. I love how
the musician actually spends a full minute and 20 seconds (1:20), playing an
extended introduction to the main tune. This gives audience and performers
alike plenty of time to make their way onto the basketball court and join lines
in readiness for the dance to begin.
To my great regret, I did not get the name of the female
playing the Tsampouna, nor did I take any footage of her during the dance,
which finished off the evening's entertainment. However, as chance would have
it, she happened to walk past my camera just before I turned it off at the end
of the dance. I have captured a frame from the video and added it as a still
image just before the final credits appear as a way to acknowledge her
performance.
A comment added to one of my other videos suggests the
musician is Eva Kratsa. Another source thought she lived on the island of
Mykonos.
I stayed at the Palace Hotel during December 2010. Don’t be
fooled by the name, though. As hotels go, this is basic at best, but for my
money, the price couldn’t be beaten. I paid just €35/night – or €350 for a ten
night stay in a budget hotel that was within easy walking distance of some of
Paris’s most popular attractions. Oh, and don’t confuse this Palace Hotel with
the much grander Golden Tulip Little Palace hotel nearby, where the same ten
nights would have cost me €2,300 or more!
Given that it has been more than two years since my stay, I
must stress that this review may be doing the hotel owners a great disservice,
since any number of conditions may have changed during the intervening 28
months. However, I have read more recent reviews for the Palace Hotel, and
judging from the comments left by other guests, it seems that
little has in fact changed.
Room 5: At least the bed was comfortable
While writing this entry, I checked current room rates and
to my amazement the prices are almost the same as they were in 2010. However,
it is a well known truism that ‘You get what you pay for’, so I can’t stress enough
that you get the absolute basics for this price: a wardrobe, small desk, bed,
and bathroom. My room did not have the usual extras such as hair-dryer,
television, refrigerator, air-conditioner, complimentary tea and coffee, free
Continental breakfast, or much else in that regard.
The hotel does offer breakfast (baguettes, butter and jam,
coffee, tea etc), but at an additional cost of €4.50 each day. WiFi was also
available when I was there, but the signal was quite weak in my room, despite
the fact that it was almost directly above the reception area.
Room 5: bathroom
I should also point out that some rooms do not have their
own en-suite bathroom/shower, in which case guests must use shared facilities.
These rooms are of course priced at lower rates than those with en-suites – currently
€25-€30/night.
The hotel owners were friendly and despite their limited
English (and my non-existent French), were always eager to help in any way they
could to ensure my stay there was positive.
The neighbourhood around the hotel has many good local cafes
and Boulangerie’s, as well as other low-cost shopping outlets. A brisk 30
minute walk will get you to the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, Les Halles, the
Pompidou Centre, the Louvre and the Tuileries Garden. Even the famed Basilique
du Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre can be reached on foot in less than 45 minutes.
Room 5: wardrobe and 'desk'
Would I stay at the Palace Hotel again? Most definitely. I
think it would be hard to beat the current prices being asked at the hotel, and
given its location, it still remains a great choice for visitors on a limited
budget.
Craft & Vision use as their tag
line: More Great Ways to Make Stronger Photographs, and the talented
photographers who comprise the Craft & Vision team of writers surely live
up to that motto. More than 50 beautifully produced eBooks are available as PDF
downloads from the C&V website.
Incredibly, most of the eBooks cost as little as US$5.00
each, and all are packed with stunning images, and great content by
writer/photographers who know intimately the topics they are writing about.
Right now, C&V are offering free downloads of Craft
& Vision II (see link below), so I thought I should give you a ‘heads up’
about the freebie, and mention a couple of other great photography eBooks you
might want to check out. However, as mentioned, there are many other books
worth examining in detail, so head over to the Craft & Vision website and take
a look through the complete collection.
Craft & Vision II: Another Free eBook
This gorgeous 45-page PDF eBook has nine articles that will
help photographers of all levels make stronger photographs. Martin Bailey, Piet
Van den Eynde, Nicole S. Young, Dave Delnea, Sean McCormack, and David duChemin
have written articles exclusively for this eBook.
Articles cover such topics as making sharper images and
learning to shoot in manual mode; developing smarter; balancing flash with
ambient light; learning to see light; developing style and consistency;
isolating your subjects; experimenting with B&W; and coping strategies for
challenging light.
Speaking about this free eBook offer, Craft & Vision say:
“Consider it a random act of kindness to the photography community we so
passionately serve. Aside from the great articles contained in the eBook, you
will also discover an exclusive promotional offer, we call it the C&V
Starter Kit, where you can save USD $16 and get another four amazing products
to help take your photography skills to the next level.”
The best things in life may be free, but generally we have
to pay for the things we want. The Craft & Vision team have produced a
whole range of great eBooks aimed directly at all photographers – whether
amateur or professional. Here are a couple of my personal favourites…
Beyond Thirds: A Photographer's
Introduction to Creative Composition This inspiring eBook from Andrew S.
Gibson, is about taking composition past the so-called rules. It’s a
thoughtful, practical book about the way we build our photographs within the
constraint of the frame.
Andrew moves past the traditional discussion of thirds by
showing how a more holistic approach can turn a conventional rule into a
powerful tool. The eBook explores important subjects like the creative use of
balance and focal points, insights into how to shape a subject, and using
aspect ratio to establish an ideal foundation for making photographs, and so
much more!
The diagrams and creative exercises will provide you with
the ideas and insights you need to compose more engaging photographs.
BELOW THE HORIZON: Understanding Light at the Edges of Day,
was written by Dave Delnea, a photographer whose commercial work includes some
of the finest resort properties in the world.
Delnea’s ability to see and capture the mood present in
light at the edges of day have garnered him some exceptional clients and
produced some amazing images.
His secret is no secret at all; simply to understand and
capture the light that is uniquely present when the sun is below the horizon
and other photographers have put their cameras away. Highly recommended.
I am on the organization’s mailing list, and their latest
‘On The Hip’ e-newsletter lists a number of forthcoming activities, including
the very popular Hidden [New York] Harbor Tours.
I have joined three previous Hidden Harbor Tours (two in
2010, and another in 2012), and I consider them to be some of the best ‘hidden
gems’ of any visit to New York. You can read my account about one of those
tours here…
Image courtesy of Working Harbor Committee
Among events scheduled from now until the end of summer, are
a series of narrated tours under the theme: Beyond Sandy: Keeping the
Conversation Alive, as well as more Hidden Harbor Tours.
Beyond Sandy,
is described as a series of special Hidden Harbor Tours exploring the many
issues and plans arising from Super Storm Sandy, that focus on the array of
global warming and sea-level rise protection alternatives being discussed by
government, private institutions and citizens. Special guest speakers will
discuss and pose questions such as: Are Netherlands-style sea barriers the
answer? How did various neighborhoods fare and why? Fight the ocean or retreat?
And How did the working harbor fare and help?
Each tour will have two guest speakers from a number of
sources: the maritime industry, government agencies, private industry, think
tanks and universities, as well as other noted experts. The tours are two hours
in length and visit Red Hook, Sunset Park, The Verrazano Bridge, Staten Island,
Bayonne and Hoboken, the lower Manhattan shoreline and many points in between.
The tours leave from Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport
District (itself heavily impacted by Sandy – under 6 feet of water) at 6:30
p.m. on the large three-deck motor vessel Zephyr
There will be three different tours:
Tour 1 - High Seas
on the Inner Harbor: From Wall Street to Snug Harbor This
tour is from the Verrazano Bridge to Hoboken, including Brooklyn, Staten
Island, New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. See where giant sea
gates are proposed.Tuesday
- 21 May, 2013Tuesday
- 18 June, 2013
Tour
2 - Fire, Floods and Floating Containers: East River - Hell Gate to Governors
Island This
tour traverses the East River from Queens to Governors Island, including the
East Side of Manhattan, Newtown Creek and Brooklyn Navy Yard. See the site of
the giant electric sub-station explosion.Tuesday
- 28 May, 2013Tuesday
- 25 June, 2013
Tour
3 – Protecting Our Ports: From Red Hook to Newark Bay.This
tour traverses Kill van Kull to Newark Bay, including container terminals, oil
docks, tug yards, and rail yards. Learn how close we came to a goods delivery
crisis.Tuesday
- 4 June, 2013
Hosted by Bill Miller, this tour will begin by passing
around the southern tip of Manhattan and the large ferry terminals to Staten
Island and Governors Island.
It will also travel north up along the west side of
Manhattan passing the Battery and Castle Clinton, then most of Hudson River
Park, including historic ships, ferry terminals, fireboat terminals, historic
Pier 57, Chelsea Piers, excursion boats, the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space
Museum and finally the passenger ship terminals.
The tour will then cross over to the New Jersey side passing
the historic Hoboken waterfront, scene of "On The Waterfront",
another active shipyard, Morris Canal entrance and finally, as all tours do, it
will visit the Statue of Liberty before returning to Pier 16.
The tour departs from Pier 16 at the South Street Seaport
District at 6:30 p.m. on the large three-deck motor vessel Zephyr
TICKETS:
Adults: $39.00 | Children (3-12 yrs): $25.00 | Seniors:
$32.00
WHC, South Street Seaport and THIRTEEN Members: $32.00
Here is a short video I put together after my 2012 Hidden
Harbor Tour:
I would dearly love to join one of the above Hidden Harbor
Tours, but sadly, I won’t be visiting New York City this year. However, if I
visit again in 2014 as I hope to do, a fourth tour will be definitely part of
my trip.
Additional Hidden Harbor Tours including Port
Newark/Port Elizabeth and Brooklyn are being planned for July, August and
September. If you think these unique tours might appeal to you, I highly
recommend you signup for ‘On The Hip’, the official e-newsletter of the Working
Harbor Committee, and bookmark the organization’s blog for ongoing news and information.