I then headed a block away to the Museum of the African Diaspora, the other free museum. I probably would not have gone to this museum had it not been on the free list, but I'm glad that I went. One of my favorite parts of the museum is best seen across the street from it. They have a photo mosaic of the face of a beautiful girl which is made up of faces of many other people from around the world that I looked at as I went up the stairs inside. I spent most of my time upstairs looking at some beautiful photography of individuals throughout history who have affected it through resistance. They had photos of Dr. Martin Luther King, Josephine Baker, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. DuBois, Ray Charles- to name just a few. I loved that they had such a broad definition of "resistance" ranging from musicians/singers to activists (Rosa Parks, Malcolm X) to academics (W.E.B. DuBois). The museum is pretty small- mostly two floors- so I was able to enjoy the top floor as it was the one that had the special exhibit. The second floor had several films that looked very interesting, but time was running out on my parking meter and I had run out of quarters (I definitely need to plan ahead better next time). I still can't believe that I was able to visit these two amazing exhibits for free- I will definitely continue to utilize this great deal on the first weekends of the month! Thanks Bank of America!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Two Museums in a Day - FOR FREE!!
I am so glad that I am still a Bank of America card holder because I was able to go to two museums yesterday for FREE because of it! Poor William has to work all day Saturday which worked out good for me since he wasn't really interested in the exhibits. I went to the Contemporary Jewish Museum first to see the "Chagall and Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949." I have been a fan of Chagall's work for awhile- several years ago, back in 2004, on a trip to SF, I stopped at one of the galleries along the wharf where they had some Chagall pieces for sale. I unfortunately made the mistake of asking how much one of them cost which then lead to this huge sales pitch- they even took me into the special lighting room to examine it- for which I protested that I did not have the money as I was just starting my phd program. I learned my lesson from that and am not sad at all that I didn't purchase that piece. Since I am a long time fan of his work, I was very excited to see this exhibition and even more for free. The exhibit combined some actual black and white photos of various Russian Jewish plays and even some video excerpts of several productions. However, I found that what I enjoyed the most was seeing the costume sketches for the characters. To me, they had so much more personality and life to them that I knew what the character was about even not having seen the play. They had several of Chagall's costume sketches as well as some other artists. Two of the highlights for me was the room where they had the actual wall paintings that Chagall did for a theater. He filled the entire room- walls and ceiling- with these beautiful mural drawings. This was some of his earlier work and I was fascinated by how much of it utilized geometric shapes not only for the background, but also to construct the characters. Yet, it still had a playful and not rigid feeling to it. The very last room of the exhibit was my other favorite featuring some of his other works from his later period. These are more free flowing with bold colors and ephemeral people and figures. I have long been fascinated by the progression of great artists over time and so I was very pleased that this exhibit briefly touched upon this. This room also had some of his original sketches from his autobiography entitled "My Life" which co-incided with some parts of the text. I wish that more great artists would do this.
I then headed a block away to the Museum of the African Diaspora, the other free museum. I probably would not have gone to this museum had it not been on the free list, but I'm glad that I went. One of my favorite parts of the museum is best seen across the street from it. They have a photo mosaic of the face of a beautiful girl which is made up of faces of many other people from around the world that I looked at as I went up the stairs inside. I spent most of my time upstairs looking at some beautiful photography of individuals throughout history who have affected it through resistance. They had photos of Dr. Martin Luther King, Josephine Baker, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. DuBois, Ray Charles- to name just a few. I loved that they had such a broad definition of "resistance" ranging from musicians/singers to activists (Rosa Parks, Malcolm X) to academics (W.E.B. DuBois). The museum is pretty small- mostly two floors- so I was able to enjoy the top floor as it was the one that had the special exhibit. The second floor had several films that looked very interesting, but time was running out on my parking meter and I had run out of quarters (I definitely need to plan ahead better next time). I still can't believe that I was able to visit these two amazing exhibits for free- I will definitely continue to utilize this great deal on the first weekends of the month! Thanks Bank of America!
I then headed a block away to the Museum of the African Diaspora, the other free museum. I probably would not have gone to this museum had it not been on the free list, but I'm glad that I went. One of my favorite parts of the museum is best seen across the street from it. They have a photo mosaic of the face of a beautiful girl which is made up of faces of many other people from around the world that I looked at as I went up the stairs inside. I spent most of my time upstairs looking at some beautiful photography of individuals throughout history who have affected it through resistance. They had photos of Dr. Martin Luther King, Josephine Baker, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. DuBois, Ray Charles- to name just a few. I loved that they had such a broad definition of "resistance" ranging from musicians/singers to activists (Rosa Parks, Malcolm X) to academics (W.E.B. DuBois). The museum is pretty small- mostly two floors- so I was able to enjoy the top floor as it was the one that had the special exhibit. The second floor had several films that looked very interesting, but time was running out on my parking meter and I had run out of quarters (I definitely need to plan ahead better next time). I still can't believe that I was able to visit these two amazing exhibits for free- I will definitely continue to utilize this great deal on the first weekends of the month! Thanks Bank of America!
UP
William and I went and saw UP in 3-D by Pixar last weekend and I am only now blogging about it because I can now finally talk about it without crying. Yes, I am OFFICIALLY a bawl baby as I cried after the first ten minutes of the movie and then on and off throughout the rest of the film. I couldn't even talk about it with William afterwards because I would start crying. The movie just touched a chord with me- I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. I very highly recommend this movie more for adults than kids even- William and I both though that it was a more "adult" issue than some of the other films- but kids too would still like it for the balloons, animals, and adventures that they do have.
At the end of the film, they go to this ice cream place called Fenton's. I thought that they had just made it up but William told me that there was actually an ice cream place he had been to in Oakland. After the film, we went to the temple and since we were already in Oakland, decided to visit the real Fenton's Creamery. Workers at Pixar actually frequent this creamery pretty often and so they specifically wanted it to be in the movie.
We split a burger in order that we would have room for our own ice cream desserts. William got a custom creation made up of chocolate peanut butter ice cream and butter pecan topped with chocolate peanut butter sauce (on the left) whereas I got the "Cookie Connection" made up of cookies and cream ice cream, cookie dough ice cream, a chocolate chip cookie on the bottom, and marshmellow and hot fudge (on the right). I was not a fan of the hot fudge, but the marshmellow was INCREDIBLE! It was heaven- especially with the other ice creams and cookie. I will definitely get that next time on the whole sundae.
And don't worry- between the two of us, we managed to scrape the bowls clean.
It definitely was an "UP" Saturday!
At the end of the film, they go to this ice cream place called Fenton's. I thought that they had just made it up but William told me that there was actually an ice cream place he had been to in Oakland. After the film, we went to the temple and since we were already in Oakland, decided to visit the real Fenton's Creamery. Workers at Pixar actually frequent this creamery pretty often and so they specifically wanted it to be in the movie.
We split a burger in order that we would have room for our own ice cream desserts. William got a custom creation made up of chocolate peanut butter ice cream and butter pecan topped with chocolate peanut butter sauce (on the left) whereas I got the "Cookie Connection" made up of cookies and cream ice cream, cookie dough ice cream, a chocolate chip cookie on the bottom, and marshmellow and hot fudge (on the right). I was not a fan of the hot fudge, but the marshmellow was INCREDIBLE! It was heaven- especially with the other ice creams and cookie. I will definitely get that next time on the whole sundae.
And don't worry- between the two of us, we managed to scrape the bowls clean.
It definitely was an "UP" Saturday!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Walden Pond
Unfortunately for my parents and William's mom, Boston did not provide them with the best weather. It was cold, gray, and rainy for most of their visit, but the ironic thing is that literally, at 4:30 pm, the time they were flying out, the sun came out and it was beautiful.
On my very first trip to Boston with my dad back in 2002, he insisted that we visit Walden Pond so that, in his words, he "could see the place that inspired such a boring book." My mom had never seen it and also wanted to see this place. Here's my mom looking out the window of Thoreau's replica cabin, maybe contemplating nature like he would have.
I actually want to read Walden Pond now- so I'll let you know my thoughts and personal contemplations about it.
On my very first trip to Boston with my dad back in 2002, he insisted that we visit Walden Pond so that, in his words, he "could see the place that inspired such a boring book." My mom had never seen it and also wanted to see this place. Here's my mom looking out the window of Thoreau's replica cabin, maybe contemplating nature like he would have.
My dad exiting the cabin to commune with nature like this Thoreau statue
My mom, William, my dad, and William's mom contemplating the beauty and serenity of Walden Pond . . . or maybe just how tough (or crazy) the one lone swimmer was with how cold it was.
The Elms
No, this is not a post about "The Elms" where I lived my sophomore year of BYU :-) This is the much more upscale Elms in Newport, RI. There are 11 total properties operated by the Newport Mansion Society and since it took us several hours to just see the Breakers, we decided to only do one other mansion. One of the cashiers recommended that we try the Elms to have a slightly different experience.
They also had an audio tour of this property which was owned by Edward Julius Berwin, one of the major coal suppliers for the nation. The mansion was definitely more "understated" than the Breakers with its platinum walls, but still pretty opulent with beautiful artwork and amazing moldings. But the best portions of the home was the conservatory which reminded me of the Orangerie in Kenzington Garden in London and the gardens. We even saw a wedding party taking photos in the gardens- always a good sign of a beautiful place.
We found these opulent houses to be in stark contrast to the John Adam's homes that we saw the day before. So just imagine 9 more properties just as opulent as well as several others just like it that aren't owend by the society and that sums up Newport.
We were so impressed by this giant willow tree that we walked around it to get a closer look and found out . . . .
that is was actually made up of four or five trees.
Cliff Walk
Running along several of the Newport Mansions, including the Breakers, is the beautiful Cliff Walk. The Cliff Walk is actually a national historical trail.
We walked a good portion of the walk, looking at the Breakers as well as Salve Regina College. The Salve Regina College has one of the most spectacular campuses I have ever been to, since the buildings literally overlook the cliffs and the water.
William took the notion of a "cliff walk" literally- look at how close he was to the edge! Of course he did it to scare us all.
But we later encountered an even more disturbing sight- this sailboat which had crashed up against the rocks, placing a HUGE gaping hole in the bottom side of the boat. You can see some of the debris floating next to it. The saddest part was that it had hit the oil tank and lots of diesel has already leaked well along the edge of the cliff.
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Breakers
On our trip back to Boston, I wanted to do things that I had not been able to do, such as going down to the mansions down in Newport, Rhode Island. Our first stop was the Breakers Mansion, the former home of the railroad family- the Vanderbilts. The first house burned down so the second house was completely made out of steel beams filled in with stone and brick in an Italian Renaissance style.
This is the front of the house with a covered entrance so that you could pull up your coach and not get wet.
I also loved the outdoor 2nd floor covered porch along the back where you can watch the ocean "break" along the cliffs.
Unfortunately, photography is not allowed on the inside which is MUCH more spectacular and elaborately detailed. 70 rooms containing art and other treasures from Italy and France, as well as several modern bathrooms where you could not only get hot and cold running water, but also SALT water from the ocean. They had a great audio tour that not only discussed the artifacts and furnishings in the house, but also what the life of a grand socialite was like. The house reminded me of the opulence of Versailles- completely over-the-top.
This is the front of the house with a covered entrance so that you could pull up your coach and not get wet.
I also loved the outdoor 2nd floor covered porch along the back where you can watch the ocean "break" along the cliffs.
I loved the vaulted arch ceilings and intricate carvings along the exterior of the house.
Stanford Shopping Center "Playhouses"
We really like to think of these as mini houses- ones that we probably still can't afford for the bay area. The Stanford Shopping Center currently has on display the most elaborate and fancy playhouses that I have ever seen. 14 will be auctioned off and one awarded though a drawing to raise money to help rebuild houses for low-income persons.
My personal favorite was the "Celtic Clubhouse"- complete with a thatched roof
I also loved this one inspired by Don Quiote and the windmills of Spain called "Molina of La Mancha." The windmill was powered by electricity and water actually flowed from the tiled fountain
The design of the "Point Bonita Lighthouse" was nice, but it seems fairly cramped
Being a professor, I also had an affinity to look like "School House Rock"
The rope drawbridge looked quite impressive, although it was more for aesthetics rather than function- but doesn't that apply to most of these houses, since many actually have the capacity for electricity
They also had houses that were "green" as well as one with a secret entrance and another one where it used the energy produced from jumping on the trampoline to power the playhouse.
My personal favorite was the "Celtic Clubhouse"- complete with a thatched roof
I also loved this one inspired by Don Quiote and the windmills of Spain called "Molina of La Mancha." The windmill was powered by electricity and water actually flowed from the tiled fountain
The design of the "Point Bonita Lighthouse" was nice, but it seems fairly cramped
Being a professor, I also had an affinity to look like "School House Rock"
The rope drawbridge looked quite impressive, although it was more for aesthetics rather than function- but doesn't that apply to most of these houses, since many actually have the capacity for electricity
They also had houses that were "green" as well as one with a secret entrance and another one where it used the energy produced from jumping on the trampoline to power the playhouse.
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