We've been waiting for the intersection of a hot day that was also sunny. First, I realize that 'hot' is relative compared to the rest of the country right now; however, remember: there's no air conditioning in this part of the USA. Only a/c is at Walmart, the grocery store, and the movie theater. Most stores and restaurants and even the libraries aren't air conditioned. When the temp climbs past 85 and the humidity goes over 50%, believe me, it's hot. "Sunny" isn't all that easy to come by here either. There are lots and lots of clouds and a hazy fog that hangs around sometimes until late afternoon. The coolest place (on many levels) in this region is the summit of Mount Washington, the crown jewel of the Presidential Range of the northern Appalachian Mountains - known as the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
The reason Mount Washington is cool is because it's 6,288 feet in elevation, and in the summer it's 25 degrees cooler at the summit than at the base. It reminds me of the temperature difference between Phoenix and Flagstaff. It takes a 70 mile drive to achieve the temperature drop between those two cities, but only 3600 feet to achieve the cool temp at Mount Washington. There are three ways to get to the summit from the base (which has an elevation of 2700 feet). You can drive the Mount Washington Road - which has a 13% grade - and twists like a big snake up the mountain, you can hike up the mountain, or you can be cool and take the Cog Railway.
The Cog Railway was built in the 19th century right after the Civil War - it opened for business in 1869. Now, this isn't a normal railroad because the grade isn't gradual, it's at a 37.5% incline. At the zenith of the incline, we stood up inside the rail car, and we were standing at a 37.5% angle from the floor. You understand the concept of gravity like never before. The trees actually look like they are leaning, but it's an optical illusion - we were the ones leaning, not the trees. The tracks are normal tracks with the exception that there is a center rail full of holes that a cog fits into. The engine actually pushes the car up or down the mountain one hole at a time. Here's a pic of a 'used' cog - you get the idea.
Prior to our thrilling rail trip (it takes 40 minutes to go up 3600 feet) - there are no speed records being broken here, we stopped for lunch at the Mount Washington Hotel. I heard this described as a land locked Titanic, and that's a pretty apt description. This hotel opened in 1902, and it was the largest wood building in New England at that time. This was the resort to end all resorts, and it still it. What a lovely place. We had lunch on the Veranda. While we sipped lemonade, we enjoyed the superb view and even better people watching. This was so languorous and relaxing, it was tempting to blow off the summit trip. We persevered, levered ourselves out of those cushion padded white wicker chairs and went on our way.
The summit is known for the ferocious winds that blow up there. In fact the highest wind ever recorded (231 mph) was on the summit of Mount Washington. Today, the temperature was a mild 60 degrees, but the wind was blowing steadily at 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph. It was dangerous to walk close to the 'edge' of anything. But walk people do - the summit is on the Appalachian Trail which is a hiking trail that traverses the length of the Appalachians from Georgia to Maine. There are cairns built that guide people along the trail at the top of Mount Washington.
This has been a popular spot for more than a century. In the 19th century, there was actually a hotel at the summit - The Tip Top House. I think 'hotel' is stretching it since the 'bedrooms' are very primitive versions of the capsule Japanese hotel rooms or a more accurate comparison are the community berths on long distance trains that the 1930's movies are so fond of showing us - think of the rail scenes from Some Like it Hot or White Christmas. Today there's a canteen type restaurant, a gift shop (naturally), a post office (Sarah's getting a post card), and a serious weather observatory.
As always, the rocks and vegetation are very unique to a summit at this elevation with those winds. I got a real sense today of how old these mountains are. They seem elderly, but still regal. Today I understood that these treacherous mountains had to be reckoned with by the early settlers in the 18th century. They can be killers with their roaring winter storms. There were crosses close to the top commemorating people who the weather on this mountain has killed. According to the conductor/guide, Mount Washington weather has killed more people than Mount Everest weather. These mountains were so difficult to traverse and the winters so harsh that there was virtually no settlement in northern New Hampshire. Frankly, there's still not much. The sparseness of people is so evident. You can drive through miles and miles of forest as far as you can see (or even penetrate) and not see a soul.
We finished out our day with ice cream at Rendell's which has just been named one of the top ten places to eat ice cream in northern New England. I could have told them that. Best ice cream I've eaten since the Lopez Island Creamery. I actually think Rendell's edges out that excellent Washington State offering. Just to whet your taste buds: Today I had chocolate mint. Now their version is creamy chocolate ice cream with slivers of mint and slivers of dark chocolate. Divine.
As always, there are pictures:
https://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/2011NewHampshireTour2MtWashingtonCogRailroad?authkey=Gv1sRgCPiVi7-Ohan54QE#
We haven't exactly been touring up here because this place we've landed is so conducive to relaxation. However, we have also been part of the national heatwave, OK, up here the warmwave, so we decided to abandon the warmish house (no AC up here) for an afternoon's tour. We live within a couple of miles of the Kancamagus Highway which is a two lane road that traverses East/West through the White Mountains. It's New Hampshire's only National Scenic Byway. I got curious as to why it's called a 'byway', and I've discovered that byway has the specific meaning of a little traveled road. This byway is 34 miles long, no houses, restaurants, gas stations, or tourist attractions built prior to 1800, and is a straight shot across the White Mountains utilizing the Franconia Notch at one end and the Crawford Notch at the other. This highway was started in 1837, but not completed until 1959. A "notch" is what we westerners would call a 'pass' - literally a way through a chain of mountains that doesn't require you to climb up and down everyone to cross them.
The Franconia Notch is very impressive. It's the path that a glacier left behind. In these northern Appalachians, you can follow the paths of the glaciers because they scraped off all the soil as they receded and left bare mountain faces. These bare rock faces are sporadic, thus easy to see the glacial path. I learned these are old, old mountains because they look like big rounded hills. Geologists think that the Appalachians were at one time in the dim past as high or higher than the current Rocky Mountain chain. Now, the highest mountain, Mount Washington, is only about 7000 feet. We haven't seen this one yet. It's claim to fame is that there are often 200+ mile per hour winds at its top, and up to a 40 degree temperature change from bottom to top. The White Mountains consist of three distinct ranges within it - the most famous being the set named for presidents (Adams, Washington, Monroe, Jackson, etc.) My point is that compared to the Rocky Mountains, these are pretty small - although there are 48 peaks higher than 4000 feet. (There are people who have formed a '48' club, meaning they have hiked all 48 - a few people have carried this to an extreme and have hiked all 48 in the winter.)
The name of the highway and some of the rivers in this area commemorate the Indians that inhabited this area prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Kancamagus (The Fearless One) was a major chieftain of 17 tribes united into the Penacook Confederacy - an organization conceived and ruled by his grandfather as the first 'Sagamon'. This confederacy covered most of northern New England, and was broken by English harassment and bloody clashes. Kancamagus withdrew to northern New Hampshire and Canada. If you read between the lines, this tells you that northern new Hampshire was NOT exactly a desirable place. There was very little settlement here, and those who did come in the late 18th and early 19th century eked out a meager living. In other words, poor farmers who barely managed to find enough flat land to plant a subsistence crop, and then had to battle terrible winter conditions for more than six months of the year.
With that said, now this area is managed by the National Forest Service. There are wonderful overlooks, picnic grounds, waterfalls, and the Swift River (aptly named) that flows next to the road for part of the way. There are multiple hiking trails ranging from half an hour to several days. And there's skiing which is really the 'tourist' season here. Winter sports have been a way for the locals to make money since about 1890.
When you look out over these mountains, it's solid green trees except for the ski runs, and small patches where the trees have been removed for some purpose such as a house or a small field. There are very few roads and the ones here are tortured and circuitously winding in a serpentine flow over and around mountains. The only industry up here for decades of the 19th century was logging - specifically logging of the giant fir trees. The logging industry is why New England has the colorful autumns. As the fir trees were taken, it opened up the forest so sunlight could reach the deciduous trees (maples, elms, two kinds of beech, and a host of others). These trees filled the void left by the absent fir trees, and now, every fall they fill the mountains with color as their leaves turn.
Here are a few pictures of the Kancamagus Highway and the scenery of the White Mountains. https://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/2011NewHampshireTour1KancanmagusRoadScenicHighwayThruTheWhiteMountains?authkey=Gv1sRgCNXW3bSd2ISs_wE#
It's certainly NOT New York City when a big, big black bear ambles across the road in front of our car just before we turned into the resort where we rented the ski chalet. OK, call me crazy, but I have a morbid fear of BEARS. I don't want to see any, and I really, really don't want to acknowledge that they live anywhere near me. Even cautious people get eaten by bears. Somebody got EATEN in Yellowstone Park today by a bear!!!!! As we drove toward New Hampshire, I nervously asked Drake if he thought there would be any bears. "I don't know, honey, but don't worry about it." Yeah, right. Damn bear strolled across the highway, right in front of our car. Why should he care? He could EAT our car if he wanted to. New Hampshire has started off with a big black check mark. Not a good first impression.
We arrived at the ski chalet to discover that someone cornered the kitsch market. Kitsch is decorating your entire house with a 'theme' like cows or pigs or chickens. Kitsch is covering every square inch with 'something'. This house is decorated with ski memorabilia - like the crossed wooden child's skis and poles above the picture window, or the "Eat, Sleep, Ski" wooden sign above the door, the ancient wooden ski that you bump into every time you walk into the kitchen, and the ski theme is combined with bird house lamps, chintz curtains, multiple pictures (usually depicting some ski activity), as well as china plates, gray concrete flower wall tiles, dried flower arrangements, antique snow shoes hanging on a wall, twenty-five candles in every shape, size and variety with candle holders that range from Christmas to yell and green and 18" tall. There is also lots and lots and lots of heavy wooden furniture. Drake, the world's biggest fan of house minimalism, could barely breathe after he'd been here for an hour.
Drake believes that the perfectly decorated house looks like the model home of an upscale housing development. Functional, spare furniture with one perfectly centered bowl on a single coffee table as the only decoration in the room. He and I have struggled for years to find some happy medium between functional minimalism and decorating in a way that LOOKS like someone lives there. Fortunately, as I've always said, my decorating ability has always been to put up another bookcase. I'm hopeless at decoration, and I can imagine myself running to excess without the balance of my minimalist partner. I do agree, however, that this decoration is over the top, way, way over the top. The first thing I did here was to stash at least 40% of the removable decorations. At least when they were out of sight, Drake began to feel better.
Decoration aside, and bears aside, the views here are very New England. We're at about 5000 feet on the top of a gently rounded mountain and surrounded by a fir trees sprinkled among a dozen different kinds of deciduous trees including quaking aspen. I spotted them the first day, and I thought, "No, can't be - don't those only grow in the west?" Well, they do grow here, and we have several that I can see from the abundant windows. This house is actually made out of plaster, and the walls are very, very thick. It's got roll-out windows, several on each wall. It makes for nice cross-breezes and excellent scenery I won't belabor the nice weather for all you southern and southwestern summer sufferers.
We live only a few miles from three 'villages'. Barbara, the lady who runs the Franconia Welcome Center, explained to me that there are no towns up here, but rather, villages. The 'village' of Franconia has about 900 people, Sugar Hill (yes, lots of maple trees and a cheese factory) has 700 people, and Easton has about 300 people. These three villages all cooperate on certain services. For instance, there's no garbage pick up here. You have to take your garbage and your recycle to the joint Transfer Station - the address of which was not listed anywhere - because everyone knows where it is, of course. Tomorrow, I'm going to the Franconia Library which has bizarre hours. Sugar Hill also has a library, but they haven't graduated to using Library Cards yet.
Barbara, the welcome lady, is going to be a wealth of information. Her domain is a tiny house on the main drag of Franconia. It looks like a child's playhouse with a front porch) It has a double wide dutch door - those are the ones that the top half opens and the bottom doesn't. You don't get to go into the little house to pick up stuff - it's controlled access. Barbara's a retired banker who's lived in the area her entire life. She sniffed derisively at some of her contemporaries who now live in warmer climes. I did get the definite feeling that she's really tough. I actually had to almost beg for some of the info. She confided to me that she doesn't like to give out certain things to MOST people. I felt really honored when she bestowed a couple of hidden brochures on me. As Drake says, I can get along with anybody. I think it's going to be an interesting relationship. She also clued me in to the best restaurant in the area.
We also live about 5 miles from Bethlehem. It's another village with two golf courses and about a dozen bed and breakfast establishments. Franconia looks like real people co-exist here with the tourists. Bethlehem looks owned by tourists. It's just too quaint. (Did have some super homemade ice cream there today, though.) Sugar Hill has three buildings. I heard a hilarious story today. It seems there are three little old ladies in Sugar Hill who decided that they needed to feature the spring wildflowers of the area, so they single handedly devised the Lupine Festival - they created a 20 page booklet and a full weekend's worth of activities. Gotta love those civic minded little old ladies. I understand one of them owns the cheese factory in Sugar Hill, and the other two the general store I'm hoping to meet them.
On the personal front, I'm trying to recuperate and get settled in. There are always a few things that you need. We are used to having our own stuff, so usually what we need is some fill in furniture. Here we're buying stuff like a chopper, small covered bowls, good kleenex, a door mat. We've had the oil burner guy out because the hot water was weird - sure enough a thermostat was malfunctioning. He gave Drake the short course in oil burner technology. We have a 'tankless' system for hot water. The guy was quite interested when Drake described water heaters to him. They just don't have them up here.
In the few days we've been here the most exciting thing we've done is attend the Franconia 4th of July celebration. We ate sweet sausages on strange hot dog buns that at first glance looked like pieces of white bread folded in half but weren't. This event was called a BBQ, although none was in evidence, and benefited the fire department. I went to the library book sale, and the flea market sale that benefited the food bank. (Yes, already located that. Next week, I'm going to drop by and see what volunteer help they need. ) We entered the Duck Race - hundreds of plastic ducks dropped in the Gale River (which runs thru Franconia) with the winning duck (not mine) getting $500. The Duck Race was started when the town cannon fired. It was loud enough to make everyone jump.
Mostly we watched the parade - it was very Norman Rockwell traditional with local pick up bands playing as they rode sitting down on folding chairs in flatbed trucks covered with crepe paper streamers, all the other floats were home made, and there was a single WWII vet in his Navy officer's uniform riding on the trunk lid of an open convertible to start the parade. It was all red, white, and blue except for the local dairy that handed out Holstein colored ballons from its float. The red and yellow villages' firetrucks were there, all blasting their airhorns. (I wondered at the time what would have happened if someone in the vicinity had a fire.) There were even a couple of groups touting local political causes marching in a ragtag formation in matching day glow orange T-shirts (STOP the NORTH PASS). There were families on bikes dressed in costumes. I especially liked the float comprised of women of a certain age dressed with accents of leopard such as hats, scarfs, tops, etc. and, no, I have no clue what that was all about, but they were having a great time. This was all accompanied by the Mayor of Franconia doing loudspeaker play by play of the parade from the steps of the City Hall Building. (NEXT, WE HAVE THE BERLIN JAZZ BAND - BE AT THEIR CONCERT IN BETHLEHEM NEXT SUNDAY AT THE GAZEBO) This was a quintessential Independence Day Celebration, and it was more fun than I imagined such a small town affair would be.
That's about it. We have really been homebodies since we got here. First, and foremost, I'm trying to let my foot recover. I stressed it to the maximum in New York, and it needs to rest. Second, we went someplace for 30 days straight, and I was ready to just stay home and relax. Relaxing is what this place is, and it is wonderful for SLEEPING. It's silent, and it's cool. I don't have to listen to white noise here to be able to get to sleep. There is lots to so and see around here, but I'm just not ready to start touring yet. As we all know, that won't last, and I'll be regaling you with New England sights, historical lore, and stories soon. Adios from New Hampshire. I'm afraid that's as close as I'm going to get to Mexican food for quite some time.
Drake and I have always loved to travel. Drake because he grew up traveling from place to place, and he feels comfortable seeing new places. I love to travel because l had to leave Tulsa, Oklahoma to find the things that I loved - art, theater and ballet. Before all my Tulsa friends jump down my throat, I'm talking the Tulsa of 1965. Once you'd been to Philbrook and Gilcrease that was pretty much it back then. Plus, my parents didn't have the money to go to any theater that came to town, and ballet consisted of my dance recital.
We started traveling even before we got married - Phoenix may not seem too exotic to me now, but at age 19 it was my first exposure to the desert and all its wonders, and my first road trip. My love affair with cactus and car trips started in 1970. We took an NCL cruise in 1975 - at the age of 25! We were only 40 years younger than almost everyone else. What we didn't do sealed the deal about travel. When Merilyn and Norm (Drake's parents) went to Korea, we thought we couldn't afford to go. Only later did we realize that we missed a great opportunity. From that point on (the late '70's) we planned trips to lots of great places continuing even after Sarah Lynn was born.
We've been able to spend 30 consecutive days on an uber-vacation twice: Once in 1980 - we went to Western Europe for 30 days. (Now that was a trip! At age 30, I could appreciate all it offered, and I still had the boundless health of the young.) This 30 day trip to New York City was a gift to ourselves. Since we have a very limited need for possessions, we decided that this would be the perfect 40th Wedding Anniversary gift. New York City was our first choice. I hadn't been there since age 16, and Drake had never been there. For some reason, it just didn't get 'done' prior to Sarah Lynn's arrival, and NYC is not exactly a kid friendly trip.
After spending 30 days there, this is what I think. NYC turned all my assumptions about 'how it would be' on their head. I assumed it would be difficult to negotiate, overwhelming, overrated, filled with rude people who didn't possess an iota of courtesy, unsafe, and overcrowded. I was left with two assumptions that turned out to be oh so true: too many people living too close together, and noisy.
Because people do live so densely, basic courtesy is the rule. You say "Excuse Me" when you bump someone inadvertently. (You're expected, generally, not to especially in transit situations.) I routinely saw people give up seats to old people, pregnant women, and even to me when someone noticed how much trouble I had staying upright on the subway while standing up. People thank, you, hold doors, and are generally helpful.
Tourists are brightly colored buttons in a sea of black. We're very easy to pick out like M&M's. Average people were constantly stopping to ask us if we needed help. We could pause on the street to ponder which way to go, and more than likely someone would stop and ask if we were lost, needed to find the subway, or directions some place. This happened in all parts of town. Tourists were also fair game in terms of aggressive marketing. Most street corners in the places tourists frequent were filled with street carts selling dreck. Did you know they make I (heart) NY t-shirts in every color under the sun? Also, if you didn't buy it in Chinatown, you paid too much. I saw those shirts everywhere priced from $10 each down to 7 for $12 in Chinatown.
After having ridden the subway system at all hours of the day and night (including Sarah and Jay who rode consistently after midnight), I don't understand how any major city can function without one. Texans should be ashamed of their non-existent transit. We have 3 of the top 10 cities in the United States, and NONE of them has transit worth spit. Not only were the subways great, but the bus system was also superior. You never waited more than 10 minutes for anything - and it was usually much less time waiting than that. Plus, everything was almost always ON TIME. If the train was supposed to arrive at 10:03 - by heaven, it was there at 10:03.
One of the positive things that sheer numbers buys is lots and lots of great art, great theater, great music, and great ballet. The robber barons were total stinkers, but they did pour money by the carload into culture. I think they were belatedly trying to save themselves from hell. I guess I'll have to wait for the afterlife to see if their plan worked. Everywhere in New York is the touch of the rich. So many 'collections' are the roots of the great museums. Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney literally put American artists on the international scene with her money, support and purchases. Donated pieces of art are housed in buildings that were built with rich people's money. Us average folks are reaping the benefits of their largess. New York houses some of the greatest art in the world - yes, to rival Europe and the far East. The largess of the rich still continues as they patronize and help maintain the great New York artistic institutions. For example, The American Ballet Theater handout for each performance has a 'sponsor's name' printed under the name of each principal dancer. I can't imagine what you have to pony up to sponsor a dancer and get your name saying so in the program.
Another assumption that WAS true is the NYC is expensive. Drake and I both realized that we don't have enough money to be able to live in Manhattan or Brooklyn for that matter. Drake constantly wondered what people did for a living that allowed them to live in the Big Apple. We were told that New York has two industries left: Finance and Tourism. Tourists account for over 50% of revenue flowing into New York City. No wonder people were so nice to us. Those service jobs just don't pay that much though.
One answer is rent controlled apartments. The guide on our tour bus was bragging that his grandmother managed to hang onto an apartment in Manhattan for 20 years (the amount of time it takes to become a rent controlled apartment - meaning there can only be a 5% rental increase any year). His birth certificate listed that apartment as where he born, and now he lives in central Manhattan where apartments routinely rent for $3000 for a rent of $500. We also noticed New Yorkers sharing meals, eating at happy hours, and in places tourists don't know to go.
A big surprise was how easy New York was to navigate. It's just not that hard to find where you want to go. The MTA (metropolitan transit authority) actually has a 'trip planner' embedded in it's website that will say: Do (1), do (2), do (3) VOILA! - you're where you wanted to go. Maps are easily available for free everywhere.
Another surprise was that there was that I really never felt 'ripped off'. Of course, you have to accept that everything is going to be expensive, but even though we paid a lot of money for certain things (like Yankee/Ranger tickets), I always felt I got value for money. The only exception was the Guggenheim Museum, and that was more a function of I didn't like the artist they installed throughout the entire museum.
The one thing that bothered me about New York more than anything was the NOISE. There was constant unrelenting noise. It was loud, it was hard to ignore, it was blaring, and it was impossible for this country bumpkin to sleep through. The noise just wore me down. It was NEVER quiet. Even at 3am, there was noise. During the peak of the day it felt like a physical presence beating on you. The noise alone made me ready to leave. That coupled with constant people, people, people anytime you stepped out of the house made me very happy to get to New Hampshire.
I'll be ready to go back to NYC in about 3 years. Without a doubt the next trip will revolve around the ballet. Drake and I both considered the two ballet performances we attended to be the pinnacles of the trip. I can see us blowing into New York, after leaving a car in a long term lot in New Jersey and taking the train into town, for a four or five day stay - hitting the NYC Ballet and the ABT, taking in special art exhibitions and going to the theaters. Now that will be ANOTHER great trip.
If you are a ballet aficionado, the title of this blog says it all. For those of you who think ballet is (a) boring, (b) a stupid waste of time or (c) are Neanderthals, there are no pictures with this one, so you can just go back to watching "My Mother is a Car" re-runs. OK, now that THOSE PEOPLE are gone, this was the most wonderful rendition of Swan Lake that I've ever seen. First, the theater is wonderfully suited to ballet. The stage is deep which allows the staging to be more creative. The sets were haunting and creative, and the costuming comfortingly expected. It was a full orchestra complete with harp. Our seats were first row mezzanine - our favorite spot in any theater to watch ballet performances.
However good the sets and costuming are, it always comes back to the dancing. Last night Jose Manuel Carreno was the male lead, playing the Prince. Here's irony for you: Drake and I went to one performance of the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi in 1990 - the 'encore' performance of the medalists. Guess who won the male Gold Medal that year: Jose Manuel Carreno. We knew he was amazing then, and he's been a ballet superstar for the past 16 years. This is his retirement year with ABT. He's leaving performance to teach. He joined the ABT as a Principal in 1995. It was really wonderful to see him dance again. We've talked about him for years, and it was his stand-out performance at that competition that inspired us to vow our return and see the entire competition in Jackson. We fulfilled that dream last summer. Truthfully, though, the role of the Prince is secondary to the role of Odette/Odile, and now matter how great HE is, the ballet is judged by her performance.
Since even casual followers of the ballet have seen Swan Lake, the Odette role is often the role that defines a ballerina for the ballet goer. A prima can be fabulous in every other role she undertakes, but if her Swan Lake is forgettable, so is she in the eyes of many ballet fans. I've seen Swan Lake at least five times. I've seen it done multiple times by the Houston Ballet (which is usually ranked about the 4th best ballet company in the United States). I've seen it done by the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet at least twice. The last time was so disappointing (they used CANNED MUSIC instead of live) that we stopped going to see that ballet company.
Three of those performances (not including last night's) were breathtaking. I got to see Janie Parker, the diva of the Houston Ballet, and the first American woman to win a Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition do the Odette/Odile role at the absolute pinnacle of her career. I've also gotten to see Martha Butler, another Gold Medalist, do the role once. Frankly, I never thought I'd ever see any better Swan Lake performances by a prima ballerina.
Well, I was wrong. The ABT principal, Irina Dvorovenko's performance topped them all. Drake argued that Janie Parker's acting ability as Odile the seductress was better, but Irina's total mastery of her body was jaw dropping. She seems to control every single muscle in her body. That physical control allows her to express nuance and artistry with her every move. Her control makes all the difficult choreography of the role seem effortless. 32 fouettes as Odile? No problem. The 32nd was as superbly executed as the first. During the pas de deux, her leg never drops an inch, there are no wobbles, no swift arm movement to re-grab her partner to stabilize herself. Every position is classic - almost as if she's giving a textbook demonstration of the 'moves'. He spins are timed perfectly to the music. Sarah and I both marveled at her flexibility.
She was completely backed by a company that performed not just technically flawless (which they were), but I BELIEVED that I was seeing a flock of swans. That has never really happened before. I always marveled at the synchronicity of the ballet dancers of the earlier performances, but the ABT ballet company transcended technique. They were swans.
The jury is in: New York City owns the ballet. We were privileged to see the two best ballet companies in the world. We saw the New York City company do a Balanchine contemporary full length ballet with no story - my favorite kind of ballet, and it was outstanding. Then, we had the joy of seeing THE ballet, "Swan Lake", in a beautiful theater, danced by the best dancers in the world to live music. Yesterday evening was a crescendo to our New York City trip. And the whipped cream? I got to experience yesterday evening's ballet sitting next to Sarah. This is a special memory that the three of us will always share, and we got the further thrill of watching Jay enjoy Swan Lake for the first time. It was a magic evening.
Today we went to see the Guggenheim Museum, and I felt like I got ripped off. They have installed an artist called Ufan Lee in 90% of the museum, and even I couldn't be convinced that a piece of rock laying on the floor is art. (Yes, that presentation was actually 'several' of his pieces of art.) Drake's only comment was that at least he chose nice rocks. The building was great. We got to see some wonderful pieces by Kandinsky - only about 10. They had a smattering of other pieces from their collection. Mr. Lee is apparently a very famous Korean artist. However, as much as I looked at 6 levels up a spiral of his work, I just couldn't fathom it. If it wasn't for the building, I would have to say the trip to the Guggenheim was a waste of time.
We finished up today with a great Szechuan meal at the Chinatown Brasserie, a restaurant in NoHo (means north of Houston street) that Jay and Sarah tipped us off to. Tomorrow is packing day, but we are going to try and see one more show tomorrow night before we take off on Thursday morning for New Hampshire. When I get settled into New Hampshire, I think I'll write the difficult blog - reflections on a month in New York City. What I termed to Jay as "Uber Vacation" is almost over. I do want to think about what it's really been like to blitz this city.
Today we went to the Museum of Modern Art. To tempt you to view the pictures, there are many, many Impressionists in this set. Over the years, as I've seen about a zillion pieces of art, I've come to appreciate and, yes, even prefer modern art because of its unpredictability, its spontaneity, and its sense of humor. You have to love a piece that makes you laugh. I think that's the basic definition of modern art: It makes you feel something.
Just as you don't like every piece of representational art you see, you are not required to like every piece of modern art you see. Just start the slide show and see if you are not impressed by the quality of this collection.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/NewYorkMOMA?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3Zoq73u-OuGA#
After the museum, we went to the Modern Bar Restaurant - for your basic $100 lunch - and it was great. Imaginative food that was delicious. The gazpacho included almonds and basil oil. The fish was situated on re-imagined grits. And the beers were Brooklyn micro brews. A very successful meal in perhaps architecturally the most beautiful restaurant we've eaten in since we've been here. I should have taken a picture, but I'm not that much of a RUBE!
Tonight, NY pizza with Jay and Sarah. What could be better? Another wonderful NY day.
Sarah blew into town, and I haven't had time to write. I'm sure the readership has appreciated the break. Today, though, I want to talk about Central Park and some other interesting environs of New York City. Central Park is a giant swath of green literally in the geographic center of Manhattan Island. It's 843 acres of the most expensive land in North America. It's the largest urban park in the United States. It is a breath of much needed air in a jungle of concrete, high rise buildings, choked roads, blaring cars, buses and taxicabs foaming with wall to wall people. The park opened in 1857, and has been continually improved.
All the 'features' of Central Park except for the rock outcroppings are man-made. There are several lakes (all man made), 26,000 trees (all planted), miles of benches, walkways, garden areas, meadows, the largest ice skating rink in the city, statues both life size and larger than life size, and fountains. There are 24 playgrounds in the Park. People stream into the park from the surrounding streets. Housing with a view of the Park' is highly prized and extremely expensive - millions of dollars expensive. The first apartment house built in New York City was built at the edge of the Park.
As a tourist there are four ways to see Central Park: (1) hoof it - it's 6 miles around the park. (2) bike it - rent your bike at the Boat House (where you can also rent boats or gondolas to go out on the big lake). (3) Take an old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage ride, and smell manure for your entire tour, or (4) hire labor to pedal for you by renting a pedi cab with bicyclist. We chose option #4, and we had a thoroughly entertaining time being rickshawed thru Central Park. We wove in and out of bicycles and horse draw carriages while in the Park, and in and out of cars, trucks, buses and taxis on the short sojourn out of the Park. Our pedi cab driver confided that the horse carriage drivers hate the pedi cabs. I'm sure they do. These pedi cabs halved their business. It was a great and relatively inexpensive way to see a lot of Central Park.
We also went to another park - it's actually a new park in Manhattan in the Chelsea neighborhood. It's a park with a twist: the park is elevated. It's called "The High Line". NYC parks took possession of an abandoned elevated rail line, and turned that ribbon into a new urban park. It's wildly successful, and it's been cleverly executed. It's obviously bringing more people to the Chelsea area and thus more businesses and lots more housing is being renovated because of the High Line. There are benches, GRASS, flower gardens, trees, amphitheaters, and wide walkways on 6.73 acres that is elevated 30 feet in the air. It's got views of the New York piers along the North River (It's where the Hudson and East Rivers come together, and it's got it's own river name.) The High Line Park is a triumph, and a genius re-purposing of what was once a rusting eyesore running through this neighborhood.
Another 'environ' of New York City is the club/cocktail scene. No - Drake and I haven't suddenly given up our stodgy ways. We are living this part of the New York City experience through Sarah and Jay. At age 25 life begins at 11pm. One of the things they have wanted to do while here was go to cool clubs in New York City. As you look at the pictures, you will see one such place. They came to breakfast yesterday with a terrific story.
Upon getting ready to leave dinner, they asked the waitress if she could recommend any really "NY" places for an after dinner drink. She must have liked their looks because she sent them to a place with two, not one, but two bouncers out front. The waitress warned them to tell the bouncers they were joining someone's party inside, and they should be able to get in. The bouncers did give S & J a hard time because their function is to let in only deserving people (meaning NOT TOURISTS). Sarah and Jay just kept bullshitting them about joining "Jenyne's Birthday Bash", but I think the truth is that they didn't LOOK like rube tourists - that's my specialty. The place was everything they hoped: All New Yorkers. A specialty bartender (meaning, you just tell him you like 'gin', and he makes a specialty drink just for you.) A DJ playing music to set up a distinctive New York atmosphere. Sarah and Jay were popular enough to be invited back by the 'regulars'. A very satisfying New York experience for all of us.
Drake and I did make a THIRD trip to the Metropolitan Art Museum - I really wanted to see the Contemporary Art. It was gratifying to see that the artists being collected at the Met are the same artists that the Fort Worth Modern has been acquiring. I also wanted to see some Asian art, particularly Japanese art. My favorite Japanese artist - Hiroshige, a 19th century artist doing woodblock prints, was well represented. I also got to see the Alexander McQueen haute couture clothing exhibit in a less crowded setting. We closed the museum down at 9pm on Friday night, and we both feel like we saw everything we wanted.
I'm putting in two picture sites. The first link is the Parks, and the second link is the third set of Metropolitan Art Museum pix.
https://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/NewYorkCityCentralParkAndEnvirons?authkey=Gv1sRgCNz71K2Cx76cQw#
https://picasaweb.google.com/jalyss1/NewYorkMetropolitanMuseumOfArt3?authkey=Gv1sRgCMeEopa37tna9QE#
We've also eaten at four more terrific restaurants - scattered all over New York City. Tomorrow it's either the Guggenheim or the MOMA for Drake and I. Then one last blow-out outing for the four of us; the crescendo of this trip for me: The American Ballet Theater doing Swan Lake.
The Cog Railway was built in the 19th century right after the Civil War - it opened for business in 1869. Now, this isn't a normal railroad because the grade isn't gradual, it's at a 37.5% incline. At the zenith of the incline, we stood up inside the rail car, and we were standing at a 37.5% angle from the floor. You understand the concept of gravity like never before. The trees actually look like they are leaning, but it's an optical illusion - we were the ones leaning, not the trees. The tracks are normal tracks with the exception that there is a center rail full of holes that a cog fits into. The engine actually pushes the car up or down the mountain one hole at a time. Here's a pic of a 'used' cog - you get the idea.
Prior to our thrilling rail trip (it takes 40 minutes to go up 3600 feet) - there are no speed records being broken here, we stopped for lunch at the Mount Washington Hotel. I heard this described as a land locked Titanic, and that's a pretty apt description. This hotel opened in 1902, and it was the largest wood building in New England at that time. This was the resort to end all resorts, and it still it. What a lovely place. We had lunch on the Veranda. While we sipped lemonade, we enjoyed the superb view and even better people watching. This was so languorous and relaxing, it was tempting to blow off the summit trip. We persevered, levered ourselves out of those cushion padded white wicker chairs and went on our way.
