New York City Steuben Parade Trip

Posted on 9/22/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made my monthly trip to New York City. This was my 27th trip but I still managed to see more sights in the city. Luck seemed to be on my side during this trip because I caught several lucky breaks which I will describe when I come to them.

Susquehanna Trailways had five buses going to New York City on Saturday so we stopped for breakfast at a McDonalds in Danville PA instead of the usual one in White Haven. I kept my receipt because it has the address and Danville is a city that I may need to visit in the future. The Geisinger Medical Center in Danville is an important regional medical facility which even comes up often in my job.We arrived in New York City pretty early at 10:00 a.m.

The first item on my itinerary was the New York Public Library. Although I’ve seen the New York Public Library on previous trips I had never gone inside. I walked down Times Square to 42nd Street since the New York Public Library is located at 5th Avenue and West 42nd Street. It looks like I missed the main exhibition hall on the first floor but I did see the Jill Kupin Rose Gallery on the second floor and I found the main reading room and the Edna Barnes Salomon Room on the third floor. There were many tourists taking photos in the reading room where regular library users were working. This struck me as a little awkward but I took a few photos as well.

The New York Public Library

After leaving the New York Public Library my next goal was the Rizzoli Bookstore on West 57th Street. To get there I walked to the 42nd Street subway station and took the N train to the 57th Street Station near Carnegie Hall. I found it slightly difficult to get my bearings there but I soon found the Rizzoli Bookstore. Rizzoli is an Italian Publishing company and this store carries many magazines and books in foreign languages. I found the foreign magazine section towards the back on the first floor. I bought a copy of L’Espresso with Silvio Berlusconi on the cover. On the third floor I found Italian books. I bought La pagina breve which appears to be a collection of Italian readings for the intermediate student of Italian and an audiobook in CD of The Wizard of OZ in Italian. I will try to make a trip to Italy next year but I still can’t afford an international trip. In the meantime, I need to concentrate on learning Italian and researching Italy’s major cities. Currently I am working on my custom Rome travel guide. I am also slowly expanding my knowledge of the Italian language.

The next item on my itinerary was a play at 2:30 p.m. but I had plenty of time before then so I walked to Central Park. Although I have visited Central Park before I had not seen all of it so I explored the lower half of the park. I bought a map of Central Park for $2.00 because my notes did show me where the Literary Walk was located. I saw the Wollman Rink, the Literary Walk, the Bethesda Terrace & Fountain, and the Alice in Wonderland statue. A photo of the Literary Walk is the photo for September on my New York City calendar so it is appropriate that I saw it on this trip. I made sure to take a photo of the Shakespeare statue. There seemed to be a major chess tournament going on at the Bethesda Terrace since it was full of tables covered in chess sets. Taking a photo of the Alice in Wonderland statue was a little awkward since there were someone else’s kids crawling all over it. I heard a marching band as I neared the edge of Central Park on Fifth Avenue.

Central Park Literary Walk

In a stroke of luck, the German-American Steuben Parade of New York was taking place at Noon on Fifth Avenue and I just happened to be in the area. I didn’t even realize that this event was taking place on the day of my trip. I found a good spot along the parade route and took several photos of the German bands, parade floats, and various marchers. There were several German food establishments with floats and a few German language schools marching in the parade. I found it interesting even though my trip to Berlin was years ago and I’m not actively keeping up on my German language study. It was still great to see a New York City parade under excellent conditions.

Steuben Parade

Unfortunately I could only spend an hour watching the parade. I had to walk all the way back down Central Park to the 59th Street Station and take the N train to Times Square – 42nd Street. I did have time to go shopping at the Drama Book Shop before my play began. I bought the Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo, an Italian playwright, and Art and Decadence Plays by Caridad Svich, a Latina playwright associated with Primary Stages. I managed to walk to New World Stages on West 50th Street just in time to catch my play. There are several stages in this theater complex and they even have an escalator to the lower level. New World Stages may be the only theater in the world to have an escalator.

The play I had chosen to see was Tennessee William’s The Two-Character Play. I could have seen the Glass Menagerie at the Booth Theater starring the actor Zachary Quinto who plays Spock in the new Star Trek movies but The Two-Character Play is rarely performed. I also thought it would be cheaper to see this play but a ticket cost me over $100.00. The Two-Character Play starred the famous actors Brad Dourif and Amanda Plummer. I was more familiar with Brad Dourif. He is sort of a character actor  you see in many movies without knowing his name. But I think I remember him best from the movie Dune. I was sitting only two rows from the stage so I had an excellent view and he was close enough to see his facial expressions. I thought his performance was masterful. He should be given lead roles in major movies. I am not very familiar with Amanda Plummer but she has been in many movies too.

The Two-Character Play shows Tennessee William’s usual obsession with insanity and his sister but I thought it was an excellent play and just as good as Tennessee Williams’ poetic masterpiece The Glass Menagerie. The critics have been too harsh on Tennessee William’s later work. Maybe his work will be re-evaluated in the future and plays like The Two-Character Play will rank among his masterpieces. The stage set was interesting with a framework of a house exposing the back of the stage. The antique furniture managed to invoke an image of a old southern mansion. The costumes were shabby but fancy, creating a sense of decrepitude. Brad Dourif began the play wearing a frock coat and Amanda Plummer wore old furs. The subject of the play was also interesting; two abandoned actors getting lost in a play with the same title. It was very meta-theater-ish.

After the play I had dinner at Sardi’s Restaurant just like the theater program recommended. Sardi’s is probably the most famous restaurant on Broadway and a real treat for any theater enthusiast. I would have dined here before but I was worried that the place was too swank for me. Sardi’s is a little too fancy for my taste but they are not too formal. I don’t think you need a coat and tie and a platinum card to eat there. I made a reservation for 5:00 p.m. and arrived 15 minutes early. The restaurant was almost empty with just a few diners. I think there were more waiters standing around than customers and the service was extremely prompt. I ordered a special of the day, Seafood Cobb Salad Shrimp, Jumbo Lump Crabmeat and Sautéed Calamari over Mesclun Greens, Roasted Corn, Red Onions, Tomato, Carrot and Avocado drizzled with Orange Lime Vinaigrette $26.00 and a glass of prosecco, the Italian white wine popular in Venice.

That was as far as my planned itinerary went so I had to improvise for the last few hours of my trip. I walked to the Times Square – 42nd Street and took the 1 train downtown to Houston Street. I was annoyed to discover that I did not have the 1 train stops in my notes so I will have to add that. I then proceeded to walk east on Houston Street to see whatever I came across. I did manage to snag a copy of Chopsticks NY from a newspaper box although the first one I came across only had wet copies. Chopsticks NY is a great guide to all the Asian establishments in  New York City. I then came across the Feast of San Gennaro which I knew was taking place, but didn’t plan to visit. I had heard that the Feast of San Gennaro was a disappointment but I thought I might find some Italian CDs, DVDs, or books being sold. Unfortunately, the rumors were right. The Feast of San Gennaro was insanely crowded with a line of people that could barely advance against the crush of people. The vendors were the typical New York City street festival vendors and most of them were not Italian or selling anything Italian related. I struggled along for a block or two and then got tired of the jam packed crowd.

Feast of San Gennaro

I found myself on Price Street so I entered McNally Jackson Books which I remembered from a previous trip. I bought a DVD of La Commare Secca by director Bernardo Bertolucci. This Italian film was made in 1962. I think I prefer more recent Italian films which give you a better sense of contemporary Italian culture. I’m not a time traveler after all, so I don’t need to familiarize myself with the ancient Romans.

Eventually I found my way to the East Village and quickly walked to Kim’s Video and Music which sells many art films and foreign movies on DVD. I found a DVD of A Policewoman in New York, an Italian movie which I thought would be fun to watch. Unfortunately the DVD was loose in the case and the cashier insisted on checking it for scratches. The DVD was scratched so I left the store empty-handed. I ordered a DVD of that movie on Amazon today. Before leaving the East Village I had a mango-pineapple shake at Pinkberry. At this point it was getting late and I was worried about catching my bus home so I rushed to the Astor Place Station to catch the 6 Lexington Avenue Local train uptown. The 6 Lexington Avenue Local line is notorious for its ridership being over its capacity. I found a New York Times article about the problem; When the Train Is Too Crowded to Board. This was definitely the case on Saturday when I found myself so squeezed in the subway car that I had people crushed against me. You could hardly board the train but I didn’t have time to wait for a less crowded train. Fortunately the car became less crowded by the time it reached 51st Street. I think I will avoid the 6 Lexington Avenue Local train in the future. I had to walk several blocks crosstown to reach 7th Avenue. I only had 45 minutes to walk that far but fortunately it only takes 30 minutes. I’ll put that in my notes because I was cutting it too fine to make my bus. I also need cards with my cell phone number on it to give to the bus escort. I don’t think the bus company has my cell phone number. I do carry a cell phone with me now that I use Tracfone which is affordable.

My next trip to New York City will be on October 19th. This isn’t exactly a Susquehanna Trailways trip. The trip was organized by the WASD Alumni Association but they will certainly use a Susquehanna Trailways bus. After that will be my vacation in New Orleans for Halloween. I really need to concentrate on preparing for that trip now. For some reason I am not psyched for this vacation. My custom travel guide for New Orleans has many topics but it is not quite complete yet. I still need to book a flight.

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Niagara Falls Ontario

Posted on 9/2/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

On Saturday I made my second trip to Niagara Falls. I wasn’t going to blog about this trip, but it does represent a rare excursion north into New York state so it is worthwhile to record some notes. The bus only made one pickup after Williamsport, at the Landing Strip Family Restaurant in Liberty PA which is in Tioga County. We stopped for breakfast at a McDonalds in Bath, NY which is not far from the Pennsylvania border but pass Corning NY.

On this trip I crossed over the border into Canada. I had my passport and some Canadian currency left over from my vacation in Montreal last year. To reach Niagara Falls Ontario, you must walk across the Rainbow Bridge. The entire process of making the border crossing is not well documented and I saw people getting into trouble due to their confusion. One woman ventured out into the middle of the Rainbow Bridge and got yelled at by the police. Another woman went through a turnstile by mistake and couldn’t get back. I observed both of those incidents on my return.

To walk across the Rainbow Bridge to the Canadian side, just go through the turnstile. It is unnecessary to show anyone your passport or to speak to anyone until you reach the Canadian side. Once on the Canadian side you must go through immigration (stop in front of the immigration booth) and answer a few questions. There is no metal detector and your bags will not be searched. To return to the American side you must pay a 50¢ toll. It is unnecessary to show anyone your passport or to speak to anyone until you reach the American side. Once on the American side you must go through customs and answer a single question about what you are bringing back from Canada.

Once in Canada I walked to the Skylon Tower. I had bought my ticket online but I just had a printout. It turns out that you need to redeem the printout for an actual ticket so I had to go through the line to the elevator twice. You should probably not bother buying a ticket online. I went to the observation deck of the Skylon Tower. It was just like several other observation decks I’ve seen with the usual waiting to squeeze between people to take photos. So far, I have been to the following observation decks; Eiffel Tower, Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center), Fernsehturm (Berlin TV tower), the London Eye, the Olympic Tower in Montreal, the Empire State Building, and the Skylon Tower. Before leaving the Skylon Tower I went to a Starbucks and ordered an iced coffee since the building had no air conditioning. Then I found an ATM and used my debit card to get $100 more in Canadian currency (all new $20 bills).

Skylon Tower

My next destination was the Table Rock Welcome Centre where I wanted to do on the Journey Behind the Falls attraction. There are four attractions you can do with an Adventure Pass including Maid Of The Mist but Journey Behind the Falls was the only one which is unique to the Canadian side. I bought my ticket at a welcome center closer to the Skylon Tower and then walked to the Horseshoe Falls. A huge cloud of mist rises from the Horseshoe Falls and you begin to feel the mist as you get closer to it. I had a little trouble finding the entrance to Journey Behind the Falls attraction. You actually have to enter the Table Rock Welcome Centre to get to the Journey Behind the Falls attraction. Then you stand in a line and get your plastic raincoat before being admitted to the elevator. The Journey Behind the Falls attraction consists of tunnels and observation decks. The tunnels lead to an opening behind the Horseshoe Falls but all you see is a solid wall of water. The observation decks give you a great view of the Horseshoe Falls from up close. You get sprayed with a lot of water on the observation decks. I took a few photos but the mist is likely to get on your lens. My glasses got clouded over with mist.

Horseshoe Falls

After that I walked all the way back to Clifton Hill, a steep street of tacky tourist attractions. There were many haunted houses and wax museums to choose from. I’m not sure what a haunted house and a wax museum have to do with one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. It seems a little bizarre to me. It is as if the Canadians decided to build a funhouse version of American culture right on the border of the authentic American experience. It might make sense if they get a lot of international tourists who can’t actually cross the border into the United States. I was heading for Victoria Avenue because I wanted to have lunch at an Italian restaurant. Once on Victoria Avenue I quickly found the Antica Pizzeria & Ristorante but I had to walk a long ways to find a place to cross the street. Eventually I scurried across without using a crosswalk out of sheer frustration. At this point I dropped my camera but fortunately it did not break even though it fell on hard pavement.

Antica Pizzeria & Ristorante was a classy Italian restaurant with plenty of tables. They had many posters and huge photos of Italy on the wall. I was particularly impressed by a huge photo of the Bay of Naples which covered an entire wall. You almost felt you were there. I picked this place for lunch because I need to resume my preparation for a trip to Italy. So far I have spent most of this year improving my notes on domestic destinations; New York City, Baltimore, Washington DC, New Orleans, etc. I really couldn’t afford a trip to Europe this year but I should be using the time to learn Italian and research its major cities. For lunch I ordered some bruschetta and a strawberry frozen daiquiri. I didn’t even pronounce daiquiri properly. The strawberry frozen daiquiri was the only drink I’ve ever had with whipped cream on top. The bruschetta is slices of bread soaked in olive oil and covered with diced tomato and sprinkled with cheese. This wasn’t a full meal. I plan to visit several local Italian restaurants for further inspiration.

Clifton Hill

After lunch I wandered the streets looking for something to do. I bought a souvenir at one of the many souvenir stores. There were also many smoke shops selling bongs. I can just imagine trying to bring a bong through customs. It is as if the Canadians want to get you in trouble! What I bought was a Quartz Geode Crystal in a wooden stand. It was $46.00 which is kind of expensive but it is a nice souvenir. Everything else was tacky junk. I also stopped in at a Tim Hortons, the famous Canadian coffee chain, because I forgot to visit one on my trip to Montreal. I ordered a Tim Hortons Iced Cappuccino because I needed to cool off. Right next door was the Canada Trading Company with a slightly better selection of fine souvenirs. I bought a small Canadian Mountie teddy bear for $20.00, pretty expensive for such a small stuffed animal. I did get rid of several $2 coins but I wound up with even more Canadian small change.

Rainbow Bridge View

I walked back across the Rainbow Bridge with plenty of time to spare just in case I were detained but it was easier to return. For several hours I wandered around Niagara Falls NY. There was a Blues Festival taking place in front of the Seneca Niagara Casino so I watched a little of that. I saw many boarded up storefronts in Niagara Falls NY. I might be tempted to see this as a sad comment on the American economy but the truth is that the Canadian side is more built up because the views of the falls is better over there. Most of the restaurants and hotel chains over there are American companies so it is just a question of were the investment money went. On the trip home we stopped at Pembroke Travel Plaza on the NYS Thruway. So where was this? The New York State Thruway is Route 90 so we must have been east of Buffalo, New York.

My next big trip will be a week of vacation in New Orleans for Halloween. I need to concentrate on my New Orleans research for the next two months although a considerable amount of preliminary work has been done. This will be my first major domestic trip and there are a few things to consider. For example, I could do a lot of shopping if I mail my purchases from New Orleans rather than buying an extra suitcase. I can also see a play while I am in New Orleans but they don’t have much theater. But after New Orleans I really need to focus on Italy.

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FringeNYC and Brooklyn Museum

Posted on 8/11/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made yet another trip to New York City. This time I finally took everyone’s advice and ventured into Brooklyn but only to visit the Brooklyn Museum. I also attended a New York Fringe Festival performance which was an important goal.

Although everything went as planned, I did discover a few more deficiencies in my travel notes. I don’t think my Android smartphone is capable of displaying PDFs so I don’t have a large scale map of New York City which can be zoomed. I was looking for a map because I forgot to add a topic for my first subway entrance. I also need topics on the F subway line and the 3 subway line.

The bus arrived in New York City at around 10:00 a.m. but I had to be downtown for the New York Fringe Festival by noon so I didn’t waste any time. I walked west to the Rockefeller Center and found the subway station entrance for the F train. I’ve never used this line before so I had to hunt for the subway entrance and find the right platform for the F train heading downtown. Neither of my MetroCards from my previous trips had enough for a fare so I had to buy a new MetroCard. I think you can just add money to your MetroCard but I have not tried that yet.

I got off at the 2nd Avenue station in the Lower East Side and then walked towards the Red Square apartment building. That building is an useful landmark because it has a large clock on the roof and a statue of Vladimir Lenin. I think it is funny to see a statue of Lenin in New York City so I took a few photos of that. My destination was on Clinton Street, The Celebration Of Whimsy a.k.a. The C.O.W. performance venue. This theater used to be the famous Living Theatre which finally had to close. I arrived an hour before the show started so I went to Katz’s Delicatessen which was nearby. This restaurant is famous for a scene from When Harry Met Sally. I found the method of ordering food to be annoying since it is based on a ticket which you have to hand to the cooks and counter persons. I ordered a cheeseburger, a hot dog by mistake, and a Diet Coke. The food was quite unremarkable. It was like eating at a picnic. But I did use their restroom.

Katz

After that I walked back to the Celebration Of Whimsy performance venue and waited outside until they were ready to start the show. Because of my schedule I saw Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A Graphic Novel Play by playwright Katie May. This play was originally developed by a Playwright Incubator theater in San Francisco, the Playground. Since New York City is the center of the theater universe, lots of theater companies jump at the chance to present a show in New York City and the fringe theater festival is considered to be a great opportunity. I wanted to see at least one fringe festival show because they tend to be edgier than mainstream theater. I thought Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A Graphic Novel Play was slightly edgy but still very professional. The actors were quite attractive and talented so it did not look like an amateur production. The stage design was simplistic but they projected graphic novel panels on a screen which gave the show a little more visual appeal. There was a discussion with the cast after the performance but I left because I had other things to do.

Celebration Of Whimsy

My next goal was to visit the Brooklyn Museum. Most visitors to New York City don’t visit the Brooklyn Museum because they stick to Manhattan. Although this scarcely counts as a trip to Brooklyn, I did determine how long it takes to get to Brooklyn (around 45 minutes) and which subway lines to use. For this journey, I walked west to the Broadway – Lafayette Street Station and took the D train. The D train went above ground to reach Brooklyn by running across a bridge. According to my notes this would be the Manhattan Bridge. I do remember seeing the Brooklyn Bridge through the window and I could even see the Statue of Liberty which looked larger than I remember from this vantage point. I’m sure I saw the Statue of Liberty while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in 2010. I got off at the Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center station but I almost didn’t because it wasn’t as modern as I was expecting based on the redesigned entrance upstairs. Then I followed the signs to take the 2 train to Eastern Parkway – Brooklyn Museum station.

I didn’t really see any of Brooklyn. The subway station entrance is right in front of the Brooklyn Museum so I didn’t have to walk anywhere. The admission fee was $12.00 but that was only the recommended fee. I guess you don’t have to pay anything if you want to be cheap. The Brooklyn Museum has been on my to do list for a long time so I’m glad I finally managed to visit it. This museum has an excellent collection of Egyptian artifacts and minor collections of American and European artwork. The first thing I did was grab a free copy of The Brooklyn Paper to wrap around my theater program because I was afraid my souvenir theater ticket would fall out of it.

Brooklyn Museum

It was slightly difficult to figure out where to go. But I guess the Great Hall is to the right of the Museum Shop so just look for the sign that reads Art. Once you see the galleries on that level you must take the elevator to the second floor. I went through the Brooklyn Museum in a rush because I wanted to be back in Manhattan before 6:00 p.m. I can tell by my receipt that I arrived at 2:00 p.m. and left at 4:00 p.m. so I only spent two hours in the museum. I did visit all five floors though. I bought an out-of-print Brooklyn Museum Guide book before my trip so I’m sure I saw all the major pieces. I especially liked a Giovanni Bellini portrait from the era of the Belle Époque. The Belle Époque has begun to fascinate me after I read about the marchesa Casati. Giovanni Bellini also painted a portrait of Luisa Casati. Romaine Brooks also lived during the Belle Époque and after seeing her paintings at the Smithsonian American Art Museum I ordered a biography of Romaine Brooks which arrived during my trip to New York City. I found the book in my mailbox when I got home. At least I am finally following up on something I saw at an art museum. Usually I find a visit to an art museum very inspiring but I never do anything with that inspiration. I make no effort to learn more about the art I see or the artists who created it. I never even do the audio tours so I have no idea what I’m looking at except for modern art.

Before I left the Brooklyn Museum I went to the Museum Shop and bought two books; 100 Best Paintings In New York (although I’ve probably seen most of them by now) and Weekend Walks in Brooklyn which will be handy in planning future trips to Brooklyn.

I left the Brooklyn Museum at 4:00 p.m. because I wanted to leave myself plenty of time to get back to Manhattan. I wanted to visit the Drama Book Shop before it closed at 6:00 p.m. and I had a reservation at a restaurant at 6:00 p.m. I took the 3 train from the Eastern Parkway – Brooklyn Museum station to the 42nd Street Times  Square station which must have taken only a half hour since my Drama Book Shop receipt is dated 4:43 p.m. At the Drama Book Shop I bought Plays from Primary Stages which was exactly the book I wanted because I’m taking an online course offered by Primary Stages.

Zuni

After making that token purchase at my favorite store I wandered up 8th Avenue taking photos of various establishments along the way since I’m always in that area waiting for my bus to leave. Eventually I reached 51st Street where I found Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, the frozen yogurt café I visited on my last trip. I had some frozen yogurt there since I now know the procedure for using their self-service machines and it cools you down after a long, hot walk. But I probably shouldn’t have done that since I then walked all the way back to West 42nd Street for my reservation at the restaurant. I had diner at Zuni which is not far from Theatre Row because I had read that this place was popular with the Off-Broadway theater crowd. This restaurant is on 9th Street, not 8th Street so I was slightly confused while trying to locate it. Zuni is a great place to eat. The food is “New American” so it is inventive twists to familiar dishes. And it really is a hangout for Off-Broadway theater workers because I overheard a guy talking about his idea for a musical. He is working on a musical based on the The Thing with Two Heads starring Rosey Grier and Ray Milland only featuring a Tea Party conservative joined to a Puerto Rican transvestite. Yeah, I’m totally stealing that idea! Not!

My next bus trip will be to Niagara Falls. I plan to visit the Canadian side since I’ve already seen the American side. On my next trip to New York City I may explore Brooklyn itself if there aren’t any plays I want to see.

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Seventh Washington DC Trip

Posted on 8/4/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made my 7th bus trip to Washington DC. On the long ride I read Six Days of the Condor by James Grady. This book is finally available as a Kindle ebook which is good because paperback copies are hard to find and expensive. Six Days of the Condor is set in Washington DC. It was a short book so I managed to finish reading it long before we arrived in the city. I also watched a movie on my smartphone.

I spent most of the day at the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum which are in the same building. Although I visited this place on my last trip that was kind of rushed. On this trip I took my time and saw all three floors of artwork. I walked all the way from the National Air and Space Museum where the bus dropped us off but I still arrived before the place opened at 11:30 a.m. I think we arrived in Washington DC at 10:30 a.m. I did stumble across the Goethe-Institut while walking around the area. I also saw the Washington DC version of a BikeShare station and found the Friendship Arch in Chinatown.

Chinese Friendship Arch

At the Smithsonian American Art Museum I saw a major exhibit of the work of Nam June Paik, the video artist. I even saw his famous masterpiece, Electronic Superhighway: Continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, which looked kind of familiar. I must have seen that in one my modern art books. According to Wikipedia, this piece is on permanent display at the Lincoln Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. However, the museum was also running a special exhibit of his work so I saw additional stuff like his TV Cello.

Electronic Superhighway

I guess it is worthwhile to do some research on the artwork I saw. For example, I definitely saw Woman Eating by Duane Hanson even though the web site claims it is not currently on view. I saw Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting Manhattan. I also noticed the painting Bar in Hotel Scribe by Floyd MacMillan Davis featuring Ernest Hemingway and caricatures of other World War 2 war correspondents.

Woman Eating

Another special exhibit I saw at the National Portrait Gallery was the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013. I also found the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, a study center and visible art storage facility. The only artwork I recognized there were two paintings by Romaine Brooks; La France Croisée (The Cross of France, 1914) and Peter, a Young English Girl (1923-1924), a portrait of the artist Gluck.

Bravo Exhibit

I had lunch in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard after buying some food at the Courtyard Café. There wasn’t much of a selection so I had an egg salad sandwich and some chocolate milk. Before I left the museum at 3:30 p.m. I stopped in at the museum store. I didn’t find anything I particularly wanted to buy. I might have made a token purchase but I decided to go to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore on 12th Street where the book selection would be better. In fact, that is exactly where I went after leaving the museum. I found plenty of books to buy because they had a good selection in their Drama section. I bought Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson, and The Playwright’s Workout by Michael Bigelow Dixon. They even had the magazine American Theatre so I bought a copy.

Now I have a few minor details to note for the sake of future trips. The Washington Monument was covered in scaffolding to repair the earthquake damage. I noticed lots of food trucks parked along the National Mall so I bought a popsicle at one. The popsicle was three dollars which was outrageous. It started to rain a little but fortunately I had my umbrella. If you use Capital Bikeshare you should be careful where you ride the bike because I saw some people get yelled at for riding through the Hirshorn Museum’s Sculpture Garden.

On the trip home we stopped at a Bob Evans in Frederick, MD. I drained the battery on my smartphone while listening to music so I finally used my portable battery which did a good job of partially recharging my device. My smartphone, cell phone, and Kindle Paperwhite all use the same type of connection so I only need to bring one plug with the portable battery.

I don’t know when I will make another trip to Washington DC but I should try to visit the International Spy Museum, the Kennedy Center, and the Folger Shakespeare Library before finally exploring the rest of the city. Next week I am going on another bus trip to New York City.

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Writing Goals

Posted on 7/28/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Getting a reading of a ten minute play has not proven to be very difficult. So far I have managed to get three of my ten minute plays read. I even have video of the readings. Now I need another goal since my initial goal was to have anything at all done. My new goal will be to have a one act play read or performed.

The theater does not offer fame or fortune to the playwright. Most playwrights cannot make a living at it so playwriting remains a hobby even for the most talented writers. I have noticed that even successful playwrights receive very little feedback on their work. A published play on Amazon will have no reviews and a video of a reading or performance on YouTube will have no comments. This makes playwriting seem like a thankless and unrewarding activity.

I have been giving some thought on how to maintain my interest in playwriting since it can be so discouraging. I would not have written as much as I have if it had not been for a breakthrough in my understanding of motivation. The writer is often encouraged to write for the sake of writing. Unfortunately the muse will not cooperate when you write for no real reason. Writing for the sake of writing is like driving for the sake of driving. If you get in your car with the intention of just going on a joy ride, you will probably just sit there because you can’t think of where to go. The same thing happens to writers who don’t have anything in mind. Writing must serve some purpose. Writing should be seen as the means of achieving a goal. You need to envision a positive outcome or you won’t be motivated to do the writing.

So to maintain my interest in playwriting I need to have a clear objective. Since you cannot achieve anything by writing a play, the objective will have to be an artistic objective. In other words, I can’t expect to make any money at it or even receive much attention or recognition. Therefore whatever there is to be achieved must be achieved through the work itself. Just writing a play as great as The Glass Menagerie would be a good artistic objective. The sheer eloquence of your writing can be highly satisfying if you manage to express something noble. So that is one thing to shoot for.

Although theater is ephemeral, it can be exciting to see your vision brought to life. I was a little thrilled at how well my second ten minute play was performed. Although it was only a reading, the actors put some emotion into their reading and made the play work. I filled this ten minute play with many intriguing hints of great secrets. I don’t think anyone took that seriously but it was still exciting to see an actress read it with passion. That was pretty cool. So another objective would be to write something that I really want to see performed. I could fanaticize about the ultimate theater experience; a surreal experience of bizarre drama, fanciful costumes, garish makeup, and a sublime significance. I’ve never seen an ideal play that combines the surreal with the sublime but I can imagine it and I could strive to get such a play performed. It would be worthwhile just to see my conception of an ideal play. So that is another artistic objective.

But as a practical matter, it is hard to keep yourself inspired. My trips to New York City are certainly inspiring. I am trying to work more theater shows into my trips. Unfortunately I can’t afford to go to New York City too often, although I’ve managed to go once a month. I am currently taking an online course in playwriting and that is exciting. I should probably look for other writing workshops. There are always starving writers teaching writing workshops. I don’t think the workshop itself is very useful but participating in a workshop engages you in the writing life.

However, the most important means I have to maintain my interest in playwriting is through my own imagination. I can choose to invest more significance into theater than it deserves. I’ve become very good at heightening my sense of an object’s significance. I can choose to see theater as a sacred place. I can choose to inflate my slightest involvement with the theater into a matter of great import. For example, I can take a photo of a theater’s exterior and see that as a tragic gesture, an attempt to capture the magic of a cultural institution as an outsider. It is all a matter of subjective interpretation. After all, every minor event is a symbolic act to the writer.

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New York City Performing Arts Trip

Posted on 7/21/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

I have made yet another trip to New York City to advance my knowledge of the city and its cultural resources. Currently I am visiting New York City at least once a month. The tourist in me is tired of New York City but since I have an interest in the arts there is still a compelling reason to go. This particular trip had a performing arts theme.

I kept a bunch of receipts since they are a convenient form of documentation. For example, I know I ordered breakfast at the McDonald’s in White Haven PA at 7:31 a.m. This means it took the bus two and half hours to reach Exit 277 on Interstate 80. This fact is worth noting because this is also where you get on the Pennsylvania Turnpike for Philadelphia. Now I know this is two and a half hours from Williamsport.

I guess my digital camera photos also have a timestamp which is useful for figuring out when I was at someplace. My first photo was taken at 10:00 a.m. so the bus must have arrived at New York City shortly before 10:00 a.m. Another thing I want to note is that I saw lots of construction along The Helix, the New Jersey approach roadway to the Lincoln Tunnel. It looks like some buildings are going to obstruct your view of the New York City skyline as you approach the Lincoln Tunnel.

The first item on my itinerary was to photograph the High School of Performing Arts on West 46th Street. This was the high school that inspired the film and TV show Fame. I think I watched that TV show when I was in high school. The building wasn’t used in the film and it no longer houses the High School of Performing Arts. I also took photos of theaters on West 43rd Street which I missed on previous trips; The Town Hall and Stephen Sondheim Theatre. So I have located and photographed almost every Broadway theater in the Times Square Theatre District.

High School of Performing Arts

After that I walked to West 42nd Street and 10th Avenue just to take a photo of a CVS Pharmacy. There wasn’t much point in this except I am familiar with CVS Pharmacy and I couldn’t find any photos online of this particular street corner. I wanted the photo for my custom travel guide since I may want to find a CVS Pharmacy on a future trip. The CVS Pharmacy in my neighborhood built a new store to move into so they were sort of on my mind.

Once I had my precious CVS Pharmacy photo I retraced my steps to the Times Square subway station and followed an endless series of corridors to find the N train platform. A Q train showed up and based on experience I decided to board it rather than wait for a N train. Sometimes it seems to be a mistake to wait for a train with a particular letter. The Q train only went to 57th Street where I transferred onto a N train for one more stop, Fifth Avenue – 59th Street, my actual destination. The Fifth Avenue – 59th Street Station is on the south end of Central Park.

I was going to take photos of the Plaza Hotel but it was covered in a massive mural during its renovation. See Fake Facade Mural Covers Plaza Hotel Amid Renovation. But I did see the Pulitzer Fountain and an Apple Store glass cube nearby. I walked to West 60th Street and West 59th Street where I hanged around the neighborhood for several hours waiting for my show to start. I tried to find the Cinema Café where I planned to have lunch but I could not find it. Now that I am home I have discovered that this restaurant had closed. This pisses me off because my online research did not reveal that the restaurant was closed. They still have their web site up. It was only when I searched for “Cinema Café closed” that I discovered it was closed. So I guess I need to add the word “closed” to my search terms to make sure someplace hasn’t closed.

Anyway, I found some nameless café on West 60th Street where I had an almond croissant and a can of carbonated lemonade to keep hydrated. I accidentally left my umbrella here, but later on I came back and sat at the exact same table to casually retrieve it without anyone noticing. I was inordinately proud of this “save” even though it was only a minor annoyance.

I found Bloomingdales and Serendipity 3 along West 60th Street, places associated with Andy Warhol. Unfortunately Serendipity 3 was too crowded for me to drop in. But I did find the Roosevelt Island Tramway and since I had time to kill, I decided to ride the tram to Roosevelt Island. The fare was the same as a subway ride and you can use your MetroCard. I’m glad I did this because the Roosevelt Island Tramway gives you a spectacular view of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The cabin slowly rises through the nearby high rises so you can see their roof gardens. Then it follows the Queensboro Bridge over to Roosevelt Island where you have an excellent view of Manhattan’s skyline along the East River. I walked halfway down the island to take photos of the United Nations’ Secretariat building before making a return trip.

According to a receipt, the only meal I had on this trip was at Fresco Café at 250 East 60th Street. I had a bagel with Nova Scotia salmon (aka Lox) because this was a New York City culinary specialty I’ve been meaning to try. I ate rapidly in order to be on time for the show The Year I Was Gifted by Monica Bauer at 59E59 Theaters. This was technically the highlight of my trip. I wanted to check out the 59E59 Theaters because it is the theater used by Primary Stages, the theater company running the online playwriting course I’m taking. So if I understand things correctly, 59E59 Theaters is basically just an Off-Broadway performance space used by multiple Off-Broadway theater companies. I have to admit that I did not understand the distinction between a theater company and its performance space before I began to delve more deeply in the world of theater. Doing your research is important. Otherwise you get confused about whom you are dealing with.

The Year I Was Gifted was a one woman show performed in Theater C. Theater C was a black box theater. If you read the Wikipedia article on black box theaters you will see it mentions the Edinburgh Festival Fringe which is exactly where this show is heading. So if I understand things correctly again, 59E59 Theaters presented an East To Edinburgh festival of plays bound for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In other words, any performer or theater company planning on appearing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe could have arranged to appear here in New York City first. I want to understand all the relationships here because it is possible that Monica Bauer was just an independent playwright/performer unassociated with anyone else. The Year I Was Gifted was an entertaining show about Monica Bauer’s youth. I’m assuming it was autobiographical. She managed to get out of Oklahoma to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan where students were expelled for homosexual behavior. The Interlochen Arts Academy reminds me of the High School of Performing Arts I mentioned previously so I could relate to this show. I kind of envy anyone who was considered gifted enough to be pulled from regular school in order to attend a special school for the arts. It seems like such a significant validation but I suppose you are too young to really benefit from it. Monica Bauer appears to be a moderately successful playwright. In other words, she is more successful than me but still hasn’t received any real attention. Keep in mind that I’m a poor judge of such matters. For example, I’ve been studying the work of Marí­a Irene Fornés because she was on the reading list for my online playwriting course. Apparently Marí­a Irene Fornés was very influential in New York City’s Off Broadway community but I still get the sense that she is some obscure and forgotten playwright.

59E59 Theaters

I almost fell asleep during the show because air-conditioning makes me sleepy and the black box theater was dark enough to encourage a little rest. New York City was like a sauna. Eventually I lost so much weight through sweating that I could not keep my pants up. Seriously, I must have lost an inch from my waistline because I had to remove all heavy objects from my pockets to keep my pants from falling down. My belt was tight enough in the morning but by the afternoon  I could not pull it tight enough. I was sweating buckets!

After the show was over I walked to Columbus Circle and took the subway uptown to the Lincoln Center. I went to the Lincoln Center on a previous trip and took the tour. But I didn’t visit the Library for the Performing Arts so that was my objective on this trip. The Lincoln Center fountain was on so I took some photos of the fountain. I also saw many dancers practicing around the Hearst Plaza even though it was way too hot for such physical exertions. I’m not sure if they were rehearsing for a show or taking an outdoor class. Anyway, there wasn’t much for me to do at the Library for the Performing Arts. I examined some display cases on the work of the Kronos Quartet, an American string quartet I’ve never heard of.  I think I will explore their music even though discovering them at the Library for the Performing Arts is a random encounter. I then walked across the street to the American Folk Art Museum which moved here from West 53rd Street. I was expecting the museum to be bigger than it was when I visited it on West 53rd Street but it was even smaller with just two galleries devoted to a single artist. Admission to the American Folk Art Museum is free and I can see why. I didn’t even bother to make the $5.00 suggested donation for such a meager display of artwork. But I did buy a book on the work of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein. I mentioned this artist in my play on visionary artists so I wanted to buy this book for its personal significance to me.

Lincoln Center Dancers

Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything planned after that so I just took the subway back downtown to Times Square. It was way too hot to be running all around town. I went to The Drama Book Shop and bought a couple of books by Adam Rapp, a well known playwright. Most people probably don’t know who the hell Adam Rapp is. However the New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood has refused to review any more of his plays and this has given him a kind of fame. For the rest of the trip I just wandered around the theater district taking even more photos of Broadway theaters. I noticed a very heavy police presence in the West 42nd Street area but I didn’t see anything going on. I bought a lot of cold drinks to keep myself hydrated. I didn’t spend much money on this trip because I didn’t go to a formal restaurant but I did buy lots of liquids. There was a brief thunderstorm with some heavy rain which provided the only justification for carrying around an umbrella all day long. I did discover that the Booth Theater will be showing Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie. That is one of my favorite plays so I’m tempted to splurge on a Broadway ticket for that. My next trip to New York City will be on August 10th. I plan to see a NYC Fringe Festival play entitled Manic Pixie Dream Girl: A Graphic Novel Play because there is an Noon matinee.

Library for the Performing Arts

I was going to finish this blog post here but it is bad writing to leave out the summation. There must be some reflection on my experiences. I think the lesson of this trip is that while the grandeur of New York City may lend a certain majesty to its cultural life, the artist’s work may actually be very modest and unimpressive in other surroundings. I’ve realized this after seeing the birthplace of punk rock. Many of the New York punk rock bands were terrible and played in cramped bars but they became legendary simply from being based in New York City. A lot of the theater in New York City also takes place in shabby performance spaces and isn’t very impressive. But it is difficult to disentangle the experience from its context. Everything that occurs in New York City takes place in the company of skyscrapers and seems to tower over everything else. The Year I Was Gifted was part of my extraordinary day and became entangled with my visit to Lincoln Center and pilgrimage to the original High School of Performing Arts. So even though it was a randomly encountered performance it seems meaningful. It was kind of magical to see dancers practicing around the Lincoln Center afterwards. And where do I fit into all this? My vision of New York City does seem to stretch beyond its own mystique. My imagination becomes entangled in the experience and lends its own majesty to the island of the skyscrapers. After all, I researched this trip and gathered the threads to weave it into an extraordinary day.

The Glass Menagerie

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YouTube and Theater

Posted on 7/8/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

I’ve noticed that theater is making excessive use of YouTube. So far my scripts have made it onto YouTube more often than the stage. It seems like every theater company is videotaping their staged readings and productions to post on YouTube. Sometimes this is done to promote the show or reading and sometimes it is done to give the actors a video clip for self-promotion.

I’m not complaining, but theater is supposed to be a live performance on a stage. Something isn’t right if plays never make it onto the stage, but exist as YouTube videos. The playwright who finds himself writing scripts for video isn’t a playwright. He is a script writer. He should be writing screenplays.

It is important for playwrights to realize what is going on with the theater’s use of YouTube. I’ve seen some playwriting competitions which appear to be thinly veiled excuses for video production companies to drum up business. And I’ve seen playwriting opportunities which only serve to give an actor a YouTube video for self-promotion.

A playwright may need to change his writing if the script is sure to be videotaped. A scene will have to work on the small screen as well as on the stage. And a playwright will need to change his strategy if his portfolio consists entirely of YouTube videos.

Since I was very involved in the YouTube community before turning my attention back to the theater, I ask myself what am I doing back here? But fortunately I am very familiar with online video. Maybe I should reconsider online video. I remember that a lot of actors were using YouTube for self-promotion and there were many web series created by video production studios. Frequently you could not determine who was involved in producing a slick video. There was the famous incident of LonelyGirl15 posing as a vlogger when her videos were actually a work of fiction created by a screenwriter, a filmmaker, and a professional actress. And I’ve also seen videos by marketing agencies, theater companies, aspiring actors, aspiring comedians, amateur filmmakers, independent film producers, etc.

In the world of playwriting, I’ve come across some playwrights writing for online web series. It appears to be the actors in theater companies that start these kinds of projects. On YouTube the boundaries between theater, video production, filmmaking, and television become blurred with dramatic writers crossing into other areas almost by accident.

So how should I use this as a writer? First, I should search for theater artists who are active on YouTube and subscribe to their channel to interact with them. Second, I should study screenwriting since it appears to be impossible to avoid getting roped into that type of dramatic writing. I spent a considerable amount of time learning After Effects so maybe I should offer my video composition services to theater companies as a means of establishing a relationship. And finally, instead of producing my own plays maybe I should consider producing them as videos.

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Billtown Sideshow Extravaganza

Posted on 6/23/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Last night was the most memorable evening I have ever experienced in Williamsport! I attended the Billtown Burlescapades at the Pajama Factory. I decided to attend this event because I’m always looking for an excuse to visit the Pajama Factory. The Pajama Factory has become the artistic hub of Williamsport. Also, this event qualifies as theater.

This was a showcase of the best burlesque, circus, and carny performers on the East Coast according to the program. There were actually several shows with the entire event running from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. so it was a long evening. The first thing I noticed was a genuine, funky old circus bus parked in front of the Pajama Factory. The bus itself was very interesting and conjured up fantasies of traveling circus troupes. I think this bus brought the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue. It had a trailer for their stage and equipment. According to the program it was a red prison bus and definitely belonged to the Hellzapoppin troupe.

After a few brief magic acts in the courtyard, we moved into one of the many buildings of the Pajama Factory for a lengthy burlesque show. There were a few unusual aspects to the burlesque show. For example, there were artists working on sketches inspired by the performers. This was a nice touch. I’ve never seen theater try to involve artists like that. A few of the performers were from Washington DC and Philadelphia which I think is worth mentioning because it is evidence of the Northeast megalopolis, the concept of the East Coast being one huge urbanized region with a shared culture. Part of the show was an aerial dance with a dancer wrapping herself in a sheet suspended from the ceiling. I don’t know much about modern dance so I don’t know what you call that. It looked like some kind of performance art. The burlesque show also included some variety acts like the song “Anything You Can Do” from the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun and the old Abbott and Costello patter routine “Who’s on First?” starring Bob Taylor of Custom Taylored Productions. I recognized Bob Taylor from many Community Theater productions. He has mounted a few shows at the Pajama Factory.

The final part of the evening was the Hellzapoppin Sideshow Revue which was a sort of steampunk sideshow act. There were three performers; Bryce “The Govna” Graves, Chelsea NoPants, and Trixtah Rodriguez. Their show included fire breathing, sword swallowing, break dancing, walking on broken glass, and balancing acts. I loved the presentation which was very theatrical and clearly inspired by steampunk. They even used a Rammstein song.

The Billtown Burlescapades elevates my opinion of the local arts scene because it was genuinely awesome. I usually assume I have to travel to one of the East Coast’s major cities to find any alternative culture. Of course, some of the performers were not local but at least we finally have a venue for wacky creative people.

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New York City Scouting Mission

Posted on 6/16/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made yet another trip to New York City. The purpose of this trip was a sort of scouting mission because I wanted to locate various establishments where I might have business. But due to my varied interests, I had a long list of places to visit.

After visiting the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh last month, there were a few places listed in the book Andy Warhol’s New York City which I wanted to see. One place I particularly wanted to see was the site where Max’s Kansas City used to be. Unfortunately Max’s Kansas City is long gone but you can still see the building. Besides being associated with the Warhol crowd, Max’s Kansas City also played a big role in the New York Punk Rock scene. It was where Deborah Harry worked as a waitress before forming her rock group, Blondie. I’ve recently read the book Blondie: Parallel Lives.

But the first order of business upon arriving in New York City was to check out various theaters to the east of Times Square and Broadway. On previous trips I tended to concentrate on the side streets to the west. So I located the Belasco Theatre where President Obama once saw a performance of August Wilson’s play Joe Turner’s Come And Gone. Think about that for a minute. A major playwright might write something that will be seen by the President of the United States. I also found the Hudson Theater, which is no longer a theater, but it is still noteworthy for being one of the places where Andy Warhol would show his films.

I took a few photos of random things that were of some interest. For example, a Martz Trailways bus was interesting to me because that is the bus company which services North-East Pennsylvania. There may be circumstances under which I would want to take one of their buses to New York City. Last week I made a brief trip to Wilkes-Barre and saw where the Martz Trailways bus station is located. It was sort of hidden away and not where I expected it to be so that was a worthwhile excursion. Travel is frequently a difficult, vexing business so I’m always thinking ahead to make it go more smoothly. I also saw the new CitiBike racks of bikes for the public to use around New York City. I don’t intend to bike around the city but this new bike sharing scheme has been in the news and it is helpful to know where they are located.

There were three establishments further downtown which I wanted to locate because I may actually need to find those places on personal business. First, there was the Producers’ Club, a performance space located in the Times Square Theater District. I entered a short play in a playwriting contest. If they select my play it will be performed at the Producers’ Club. At first, I thought the Producers’ Club was the name of the theater company but it is actually just the performance space. It could be rented out by anyone.

The Producers Club

Another building I photographed is 311 West 43rd Street. This is a non-descript building that apparently nobody has ever bothered to photograph before, but it is where the Lark Play Development Center has their offices, on the 5th Floor. This non-profit organization provides many services to playwrights so I wanted to find the place for future reference.

Lark Play Development Center

The final establishment I found is 307 West 38th Street, where the Primary Stage Studios is located. I’m taking an online playwriting class offered by the Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) so I have a definite relationship with this organization. But I didn’t have any reason to drop in so I only confirmed my sense of where they are.

Einhorn School of Performing Arts

After exploring the Times Square Theater District, my next goal was to have lunch at El Quijote in the Chelsea Hotel. This restaurant is open to the public and it is about as close as you can get to the Chelsea Hotel without booking a room or renting an apartment. Andy Warhol and the members of the Factory dined here often, according to the book Andy Warhol’s New York City. The Chelsea Hotel was many blocks downtown so I took the subway. I think I took the 7 Avenue Local from Penn Station. I remember a long journey through the corridors of Penn Station trying to find the subway lines. Unfortunately the 7 train was an express train or wasn’t following its normal schedule because it took me to 14th Street without making any stops. So instead of going directly to the restaurant I had to walk several blocks uptown.

Fortunately I was able to find where Max’s Kansas City once was because it is between East 17th Street and East 18th Street. Max’s Kansas City is now a Bread & Butter restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South. I think there should be a shrine at this address considering how important Max’s was to the history of rock music and the fine arts. This Bread & Butter boutique restaurant should be invaded by aging punks and art history majors wearing leather jackets so nobody forgets what was once here. The most I can do is post my photos on Flickr and tag them with “Max’s Kansas City” so other cool tourists can find it and leave flowers or something.

Max's Kansas City

I also walked to Gramercy Park. Gramercy Park is a private park so I wasn’t able to get in but I did take a photo of the Edwin Booth statue. It does not really make sense to erect a statue to a man in a private park where the public cannot see it properly and reflect upon his legacy. It may make a good symbol for the elitism of the theater. I was also disappointed to find the Player’s Club covered in scaffolding so I was unable to take a photo of that exclusive social club whose members included Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, and a long list of celebrities.

By that time it was Noon, when the El Quijote should be open, so I walked all the way to West 23rd Street. El Quijote wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It is a slightly formal Spanish restaurant. The wait staff all wore jackets and could speak Spanish. But the customers were not so formal so I didn’t feel underdressed. I ordered the mixed seafood with green sauce. It was shrimp, oysters, scallops, and mussels covered in a thick sauce with onions and chives or something like that. It was an excellent choice because it wasn’t a ridiculous amount of food to eat. It was just right if you want a light meal without fancy, microscopic dishes that cost a fortune. It only cost me around $25.00 including the tip. Unfortunately, the Chelsea Hotel was also covered in scaffolding so I didn’t get any good photos of this historic hotel.

After lunch, I went further downtown to the East Village to locate some Off-Off Broadway theaters. I took the Lexington Avenue Local 6 train to Astor Place. The 6 train was very crowded. At Astor Place I emerged from the subway entrance in front of the Starbucks. I took lots of photos of the subway entrances here because this was something I was updating in my notes. Although I’ve been to the East Village on a previous trip on a mission to see the historic Off-Off Broadway theaters, I wanted to do a more thorough job this time.

One of the major theaters I located was Joseph Papp’s Public Theater. I think this was the theater that produced Jason Miller’s That Championship Season which later transferred to Broadway. I also found New York Theatre Workshop, La Mama Experimental Theater, Theater for the New City, Theatre 80, and the Orpheum Theatre which is still devoted to STOMP. I think it is irritating to see theaters doing the same show forever to the point where you think of them in terms of the show. For example, Winter Garden Theatre has been running the musical Mamma Mia! ever since I’ve been visiting New York City and I’m sick of seeing its giant billboard. Anyway, I don’t know if the Orpheum Theatre will ever do anything besides STOMP. I think the Orpheum Theatre only exists to do STOMP.

Public Theatre

The East Village now has many futuristic skyscrapers which look totally out of place so the area must seem very different from what it looked like during the era of New York Punk Rock. I’ve read a lot about how this area is being gentrified. But I recently learned that the East Village is Little Japan and I saw plenty of evidence of that. If you look closely you can see many Japanese restaurants and establishments in the East Village. I even saw Japanese women in kimonos on the streets. There was a street fair taking place where I saw quite a few booths from the Japanese community.

After wandering all over several blocks taking way too many photos, I finally decided to actually enter a few establishments. First I went to St. Mark’s Bookshop where I bought two books; Lovely Head and Other Plays by Neil LaBute and The Art Lover’s Guide to New York. The Art Lover’s Guide to New York may give me some ideas for future trips to New York City. Right now I am repeating myself by revisiting places I’ve already been to. Then I had an Italian beer at Jimmy’s No. 43. I don’t usually visit bars but this place interested me because it is sort of a hangout for the Einhorn School of Performing Arts where they do readings of student plays. Finally, in a rare nod to geekdom, I went to Toy Tokyo where I bought a $100 Godzilla figure. I kind of regret this purchase because it was way too extravagant and unrelated to the serious purpose of my trip.

Eventually I began to get too hot and tired to keep up my exploration of the East Village. I actually walked all the way to Madison Square Park by following the street fair. I took the Lexington Avenue Local 6 train up to Grand Central. I got off there, at 42nd Street, because I intended to go to the Drama Book Shop on West 40th Street. Before I reached that store I passed the New York Public Library and Bryant Park. I really covered a lot of ground on this trip and saw most of the landmarks all over again. A purchase at the Drama Book Shop is becoming part of my New York City trip ritual. This time I managed to obtain some real finds. I headed directly to the B authors where I found Steven Berkoff’s Agamemnon and The Fall of the House of Usher. This is the British playwright’s work which I was searching for on a previous trip. More importantly I found Hunting and Gathering by Brooke Berman, the instructor of the online course I am taking. This book is totally unavailable for purchase online unless you want to pay $500.00 which is what some bookseller is trying to get for a copy.

I pretty much squandered the last few hours of my trip because I was exhausted from all that running around. I just took lots of photos around Times Square as usual. I was shocked to see a totally nude woman panhandling on Times Square. She was covered in body paint but she wasn’t wearing a g-string or pasties like some of the other “Nude Cowboy” panhandlers. Apparently this is legal because it qualifies as performance art. Times Square is getting to be like a open air strip club where you can have your photo taken with a nude girl for a few dollars.

Tom Hanks Lucky Guy

With this trip I am finally breaking away from being a tourist. I am beginning to use New York City as a resource to further my own ends. A lot of the photos I took will be added to my custom travel guide for future reference. Maybe I’m still acting too much like a tourist, but a lot of what I do may prove useful later on. For example, taking a lot of photos gives me a stockpile of images which I can use for self-published book covers or artwork which will require copyright free materials. I may use a few of my observations in my plays. And my research on the New York City theater community will definitely be useful in evaluating playwriting opportunities. But I think I need to explore Brooklyn next because the vast majority of the creative community lives there.

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Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Art Festival

Posted on 6/11/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Arts Festival is currently under way. Maybe I should have planned my vacation to coincide with this festival, but I wanted to explore Pittsburgh when nothing special was going on. It does not look like any of the major theater companies have anything planned for this art festival so I did not miss a chance to network.

If you attend the Three Rivers Arts Festival, stop by Breast Cancer Research tent and look for the Zinio Free magazine offer while you’re there.

Zinio

It looks like they offer a few literary magazines like Poets & Writers Magazine, The Paris Review, Writer’s Digest, and The American Poetry Review in digital formats.

This Saturday I will be making a bus trip to New York City. This will be an important trip because I am currently enrolled in an online writing course based in New York City. I will want to locate the school. I also have a long list of theaters and performance spaces to check out. Recently I added the Center for Fiction and Poets House to my travel notes. I don’t think I will visit those establishments on this trip but I may want to on a future trip.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Walters Art Museum In Baltimore

Posted on 6/2/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made my fifth trip to Baltimore Maryland. That may be my last trip because there is nothing else for me to do in Baltimore, unless I want to make a shopping trip to the Hampden neighborhood.

On this trip I finally ventured into the Mount Vernon neighborhood which is north of the downtown area. To get there, I used the Baltimore Light Rail just like on my trip on Sunday. But I only had to go three stops to Centre Street. From there it was a short walk to the Walters Art Museum. I wasn’t very enthusiastic about this trip but the Walters Art Museum was really impressive and made my trip worthwhile. The Walters Art Museum is quite similar to the Metropolitan Museum of Art but not as large. The museum is free so you can just walk right in and start your visit.

The Walters Art Museum

I saw lots of Egyptian, Roman, and Greek artwork and statues. The museum has many quality pieces. I especially like the Egyptian statues and the mummies. They had a few Greek krater vases and other treasures from the Ancient World. The Sculpture Court reminded me of the Carnegie Museum’s Hall of Sculpture but it was smaller. The Chamber of Wonders lived up to its name. I think that was the gallery room filled with a marvelous collection of objects. It looked like the study of a Victorian naturalist but there were many fine pieces of artwork too. There was even an alligator mounted on the wall near the ceiling.

After going through a bridge and cupola to reach another building, I found the Asian Art wing in the Hackerman House. The Asian Wing had some grand rooms including a fancy study that was filled with fine examples of Asian Art. I think that was the Japanese Study. The Hackerman House also had an impressive spiral staircase and a great view of the Washington Monument.

Washington Monument

I didn’t care much for the Medieval World gallery or the Renaissance & Baroque gallery because I don’t know much about that sort of artwork. However, the galleries were equally impressive. I did like the 19th Century Art on the 4th floor. I almost missed that wing of the museum because it is not connected to the Asian Art wing and I had to retrace my steps through the entire museum to get there. It would have been tragic to miss the 19th Century Art wing because I liked the artwork there best of all. Unfortunately, the museum does not have a guide book and I didn’t take too many photos because I didn’t see many people doing that. But I will try to figure out what I saw that particularly impressed me.

First, there was  The Duel After the Masquerade by Jean-Léon Gérôme. I liked this painting because I’ve read books on Pierrot but I’ve never heard of this painting. I like the tragic scene of the French clown shot in a duel. The background seems to be woods in a mist which adds an atmosphere of mystery. I also saw Oedipus and the Sphinx by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. It looks like the entire collection of the Walters Art Museum is online so you can browse through the artwork in each gallery. Before I left the museum, I bought the book Reconsidering Gérôme by Scott Allan and Mary Morton ISBN: 978-1-60606-038-4. Unfortunately, this book does not have a photo of The Duel After the Masquerade. I thought the book would help me to remember the name of the artist at the very least.

The Walters Art Museum was the highlight of my trip. After that I just walked around downtown Baltimore taking photographs of various landmarks. I did go out of my way to locate and photograph two theaters; Centerstage (near the Washington Monument) and the Hippodrome Theatre (near Lexington Market). Based on my research into the theaters mentioned in the copy of the Baltimore City Paper (which I picked up on Sunday) I did find a playwriting competition being run by the Fells Point Corner Theatre. That may be my one chance to put all this effort to good use!

Baltimore City Hall

I walked all the way to City Hall and then to the Shot Tower where I found the subway station. I wanted to try the Baltimore subway system on this trip. I bought a Single Trip pass just like the one I bought for the Light Rail but this ticket must be feed through the turnstile to enter the subway’s train platforms. It was very hot in the subways and I had been walking in the hot sun so I needed a drink. I decided to go to the Lexington Market which is a subway stop and a landmark food court. The trains were a little confusing since every train had a Johns Hopkins sign indicating it was going in the opposite direction from where I wanted to go. But after missing several trains I finally took a chance on one that was going in the right direction. At the Lexington Market Station the turnstile chewed up my ticket when I inserted it wrong but I was able to go through on the left near the booth after explaining my problem.

Lexington Market

The Lexington Market is quite similar to the Reading Market in Philadelphia. You have your same combination of diners, grocery stores, butchers, and restaurants. I went to Mexican Delight and ordered Three Tacos plus a Pepsi which I really needed. The Lexington Market is in a heavily black area which may be why some people describe it as being a little sketchy. But I didn’t encounter any hostility. Technically Baltimore is a southern city (not the Deep South but below the Mason-Dixon Line). I did give some change to a few beggars, mostly slovenly middle-aged white women at bus stops.

Centrestage

From Lexington Market I walked all the way back to the Inner Harbor which wasn’t too far to walk. It was probably faster than using the subway. I forgot to mention that there is only one subway line so it is not that useful for getting around. Once I was back at the Inner Harbor I made a beeline for the Banes & Noble Bookstore in the Power Plant building. There I bought two DVDs and two travel guides; Fodor’s Tokyo and Insight Guides Japan. I’m not planning a trip to Japan but after reading a lengthy blog about a tourist’s trip to Japan, I have to admit that I’m intrigued. I think a trip to Japan would be difficult because you can’t even read their writing system, which is said to be the most complicated in use anywhere in the world. I’m not sure how they are even able to read those tiny kanji characters. Baltimore’s Barnes & Noble has an excellent selection of DVDs on the second floor, including Criterion Collection titles and Cult Films. I bought a couple of Asian films to go with my Japan travel guides; Oldboy (actually a Korean film) and Detroit Metal City which looks like a whacky movie about the Japanese take on heavy metal. The cover photos promise high weirdness.

Barnes and Noble Power Plant

After doing that shopping I had nothing to do for two hours except wander around the malls and waste time in a few restaurants like Five Guys. I don’t like to waste time on a trip but I’e exhausted Baltimore’s possibilities. My next bus trip will be to New York City, a city that you can never get tired of. I plan to do a lot of running around in New York City to visit some obscure but meaningful establishments.

Just to remind myself, let me mention that I finished reading a book on my Kindle, John Dies At The End. I thought it was a terrible book but it is interesting how it came to be published. This novel began as a piece of fiction published online. Somehow it went viral and now there has been a movie made based on the book. There is a web site where writers can post short works of fiction to build up a readership. I’m considering giving that a try. I would write an imaginary tourist blog about a trip to another planet. It would be fun to imagine the trip and it would give me a chance to show off my imagination. I could invent all sorts of wonders to be seen in the future of travel. Anyway I may put some effort into that to see if it can go viral.

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Baltimore Art Museums

Posted on 5/27/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made my forth trip to Baltimore Maryland. My goal on this trip was to visit the Baltimore Museum of Art. This museum is not in the Inner Harbor area so getting to the museum required some planning. I worked on some detailed instructions on how to use public transportation to reach the Baltimore Museum of Art last year. This was the first chance I had to put my plan into effect since the tour bus company kept cancelling their trips to Baltimore.

From the Inner Harbor I walked west to the Baltimore Convention center. Near the convention center there is a Baltimore Light Rail station. I took a photo of the ticket vending machine because I could not find a decent photo online. A single trip fare was only $1.60. You don’t actually do anything with the ticket, just board the train, but it is a $500 fine if you are caught without a ticket or pass. I took the north bound train for seven stops north to Woodberry. Just before reaching that stop we had to transfer to another train.

Baltimore Light Rail

The Woodberry station drops you off at Meadow Mill. This is still pretty far from the Baltimore Museum of Art so I had to walk east. Along the way I passed Atomic Books, a bookstore frequented by John Waters, and Café Hon on West 36th Street. West 36th Street was a very interesting shopping thoroughfare. It had a lot of antique stores, fashion stores, and art stores which seemed to embody the Baltimore aesthetic of quirkiness. This street might be a good destination for a shopping trip. I just looked it up online. This is the Hampden neighborhood featured in a John Waters movie which I’ll have to order.

Baltimore Museum of Art

Finding the Baltimore Museum of Art did prove to be a little difficult. It is located within Wyman Park and the Johns Hopkins University. This is one occasion when my custom travel notes on my smartphone proved invaluable but I should have spent more time on my directions. Unfortunately half of the galleries in the Baltimore Museum of Art were closed for renovations. The museum has three floors and I only saw half of the second floor and a small area of the third floor. But the museum is free so you can’t complain. I saw the famous Cone Collection of French artwork collected by the Cone sisters of Baltimore. This included a lot of paintings by Henri Matisse. I also saw a gallery room of Andy Warhol artwork that was part of the Surreal Selves exhibit. That was real treat after my visit to the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh which sparked a minor obsession with Warhol. My obsession with Warhol is pretty mild and seems unlikely to maintain itself. Warhol and the New York City underground art scene of the 1960s seems kind of shabby and uninspiring today. I think I would need to find a more contemporary pop art scene to be intensely inspired. I only managed to spend around two hours at the Baltimore Museum of Art because there was so little to see. Before I left I bought the book The Art Of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta & Claribel Cone by Mary Gabriel.

To return to the Inner Harbor area I just retraced my steps. I was considering calling a taxi but I had plenty of time left to get back downtown. Before I made the trip back, I had brunch at Café Hon, the John Waters inspired restaurant with the pink flamingo on the front. Café Hon is the sort of quirky hang-out that I wish we had in my home city. The booths have formica tables and leopard skin benches which are very retro and trashy. I ordered a Belgium Waffle which had a mound of whipped cream and fruit on top. It was delicious!

Cafe Hon

When I arrived back at the Inner Harbor area I just had time to sneak in a visit to the American Visionary Art Museum and the Federal Hill neighborhood before my bus left. I always visit the American Visionary Art Museum when I am in Baltimore because I’m very interested in profoundly inspired artists. It is remarkable to me that anyone can consider themselves to be an artist without being driven and haunted by inspiration. I saw their new Art of Storytelling exhibit which included some miniature theater dioramas by artist Mars Tokyo. These were much smaller than I expected. I found it inspiring to see theater themed artwork because it demonstrated how you might invoke the magic of the theater without being involved in the theater arts which is overly exclusive. I also liked the sculptures of Vanessa German, especially Minstrel Blood which looked like a surreal carnival altar to a JuJu god. And the Fairy Tree House by Debbie and Mike Schramer was magical. It was a rotating tree house such as fairies of the woods might create from pieces of moss, bark, twigs, etc. I searched the museum bookstore, the Sideshow Shop,  for something worthwhile to buy. I was tempted to buy the two volume set of photographer Larry Yust’s Streets Tell Stories but it was expensive and heavy. Eventually I found the perfect book, 500 Essential Cult Books by Gina McKinnon ISBN 978-1-4027-6485-0. This book lists 500 books which have achieved cult status. It has great photos of book cover art so browsing through the book is like visiting a used book sale. I was amazed by how many of the books I’ve read or own so this book really suited my tastes. And it was only $5.00!

After leaving the American Visionary Art Museum I wandered around the Federal Hill neighborhood for a little while. I was planning to make this neighborhood the focus of a trip but there isn’t that much to it. I only stopped in at a Dunkin Donuts for an iced tea because it was hot and I was thirsty. Later on I climbed Federal Hill for the view of the Inner Harbor.

I’m going on another bus trip to Baltimore this Saturday. That might be my last trip because I will run out of things to see in the city. I still haven’t seen the Washington Monument area or the Walters Art Museum but I hope to do that on Saturday. Eventually I will exhaust the East Coast tourist destinations. Then I will have to make more expensive trips to cities like Toronto, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. This year I plan to visit New Orleans around Halloween.

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Carnegie Science Center

Posted on 5/12/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

For my last day in Pittsburgh I was tempted to rush home but I’m glad I squeezed in one last tourist attraction. I visited the Carnegie Science Center before going home.

I had breakfast at the Priory Hotel before checking out. I wasn’t sure I was entitled to this but I stayed four nights so I should get four breakfasts. There were no extra charges on my bill so this was a relatively inexpensive vacation. I drove from The Priory to the Carnegie Science Center. It wasn’t very far to drive but I had to be careful of one way streets. It cost me $5.00 to park at the Carnegie Science Center. I bought a general admission ticket with an IMAX movie.

Carnegie Science Center

The Carnegie Science Center was crawling with kids. There were several bus loads of kids running around. It must be a popular school trip for miles around. Fortunately, the museum isn’t exclusively designed for kids. They did have an elaborate model train layout with Pittsburgh area scenes like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house. But my favorite exhibit was the Robot Hall of Fame. They had life sized models of C-3P0, R2-D2, B9 from Lost In Space, Robby the Robot from Fantastic Planet, HAL 9000, and even a robot from the 1971 film “Silent Running”. There was an actual android at the entrance to roboworld. I also went through the USS Requin (a World War II submarine) docked along the Ohio River alongside the Carnegie Science Center. For lunch I had a slice of pizza and strawberry milk.

B9 Lost In Space

I had to wait until 1:15 p.m. to see an IMAX movie about the Hubble space telescope so I walked around outside on the river walk trail. Fortunately I found the memorial to Mister Rogers and took lots of photos of this sculpture of him looking towards the Pittsburgh skyline. I must have been right in the area where the shootings take place in the Jack Reacher movie which was filmed in Pittsburgh. I saw that film last night. It was thrilling to see this movie after my trip to Pittsburgh where I saw the exact same views of the city.

Mister Rogers Pittsburgh

The IMAX movie about the Hubble space telescope was awe inspiring. It was the biggest movie screen I’ve ever seen, like having the entire sky for a screen. It included shots of the space shuttle launching and the universe full of galaxies. Before I left I bought a DVD Pittsburgh’s Big Picture since I may be back in the city some day. There wasn’t much else worth buying in the Carnegie Science Center store.

USS Requin

The drive home was completely uneventful but this was of great interest to me because I want to know how to drive around the state. US 22 East has a lot of stop lights along the way. I had to take US 220 North near Altoona PA. Some day I may want to see the famous Horseshoe Curve. Tyrone PA looks like an interesting little industrial town that I don’t know much about.

My next trip will probably be a bus trip to Baltimore. I also plan to drive to Wilkes-Barre which I know from local television and maybe a weekend trip to Philadelphia. To avoid getting locked out of my car again I will try to get an extra spare key. I have also ordered a belt clip and case for my cell phone and a belt key clip because I need to keep things on me. This trip was a learning experience but I need to step up my game and be better prepared for emergencies and problems.

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Pittsburgh Vacation Thursday

Posted on 5/12/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Thursday was my last full day in Pittsburgh. I had to check out of my hotel on Friday morning. My goal for the day was to ride the famous inclines for a view of the Pittsburgh skyline and to explore the South Side. I called the Yellow Cab company for a taxi to the Station Square because I didn’t want to walk to the North Shore Station and then take the subway all the way. That would have required a transfer to the light rail system. The cab fare came to $20.00 because the driver did not have change.

Station Square is a shopping mall with a few restaurants, hotels, and even a sports stadium. This is where you can book trips on the Just Ducky Tours, the Double Decker tour, or the Gateway Clipper Fleet. I guess all the tour operators are located here to be near the inclines, a major tourist attraction. I went up the Monongahela Incline to reach Grandview Avenue and its series of overlooks. The fare was $2.50 and I paid at the top. Unfortunately it was a bit overcast early in the morning with a few light showers but I took lots of photos anyway. The walk along Grandview Avenue required climbing two hills which was very tiring for me. I saw the fancy restaurants on Grandview Avenue but they were all too formal for my taste. I went back down on the Duquesne Incline where you pay the fare at the bottom. From there I walked all the way back to the Station Square. I was tempted to walk across the Fort Pitt Bridge to reach the North Shore but fortunately I found the stairs to reach a lower roadway.

Monongahela Incline

At Station Square I had a large latte at Crazy Mocha, a local coffeehouse chain. I then entered the shopping mall and waited until 10:00 a.m. when the stores opened. I bought a travel guide at Bradley’s Book Outlet, The Business Traveler Guide to Washington DC by Jason R, Rich ISBN 978-1-599181-424. Washington DC is one of the largest cities within 250 miles of Pittsburgh so it made sense for them to have this book. Cleveland and Toronto are also within 250 miles of Pittsburgh. At Hometowne Sports I bought a Cheerleader Plush Bear wearing a Steelers jersey because you can’t leave Pittsburgh without something with the Steelers logo plastered on it. There is sort of a visitor’s center at the entrance to the Shops at Station Square so I picked up a few brochures for future research.

Pittsburgh Skyline

It looked like rain so I bought a ticket to the Double Decker Tours guided historic tour. Fortunately there were only a few light sprinkles of rain so I sat on the top deck. There were 21 stops on the tour so I got to see a lot of Pittsburgh. First we went to the North Shore which I was already familiar with. Then we went to the Strip District, then downtown, then to Oakland where I was yesterday, and finally to Southside Works where the bus waited 15 minutes. I rode one more stop to East Carson Street where I got off. East Carson Street was where I was planning to go anyway so it beat walking. I had lunch at Fat Head’s Saloon where I ate a large cheeseburger with fries. I then walked into the ghetto to find a Family Dollar store. I’m joking, but Family Dollar stores are for poor people. There is one in my neighborhood. I was looking for some handkerchiefs but I had to make do with some paper facial towels and some cheap shoe insoles. Back on East Carson Street I found my way to City Theatre which I made sure to photograph. City Theatre is one of the theaters that may be involved in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival so I definitely wanted to locate the place. East Carson Street is Pittsburgh’s main party street with lots of bars, clubs, hip restaurants and trendy clothing stores. It is a very wild place at night where the police frequently need to show up.

City Theatre

I walked all the way back to Station Square which was a long way to walk in the hot sun. But since the sun was out I decided to go up the Monongahela Incline again to take some better photos of the Pittsburgh skyline. However, I did not walk all the way to the other incline. I just went back down the Monongahela Incline. At Station Square I bought a soft drink to rehydrate and called a cab. Once again Yellow Cab kept me waiting for almost an hour but they finally showed up. I waited because my feet were killing me.

Pittsburgh Skyline With Trees

Once at the Priory Hotel I wasn’t inclined to do anything else but I did walk to Max’s Allegheny Tavern where I ordered a German Peach drink and a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwich. I should mention that I was staying in the Deutschtown historic neighborhood on the North Shore. It is a very nice neighborhood with a great view of the Pittsburgh skyline across the Allegheny River. The houses are Victorian and made with more stone than is usual. The only downside was a housing development across from my hotel which made the neighborhood a little ghetto.

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Pittsburgh Carnegie Museums

Posted on 5/12/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

I spent most of the third day of my vacation at the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh. If you only have one day in Pittsburgh you should probably visit the Carnegie Museums. I don’t know why the local travel agencies don’t offer bus trips to the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh. Clearly it is a world class tourist attraction that rivals anything else in Pennsylvania. Getting to the Carnegie Museums from my hotel was a little difficult because I had to go to Oakland. The hotel shuttle bus does not go to Oakland. I decided to call a taxi. I really should use taxis more often on my trips because I waste a lot of time walking long distances. I always wind up with sore feet but I avoided any blisters on this trip. I used the Yellow Cab company and it cost me $15.00 (tip included) to get to Oakland. I arrived around 9:30 a.m., a half hour before the museum opened, so I walked around a few blocks and photographed the Cathedral of Learning, the Stephen Foster Memorial, the Giuseppe Moretti statue of Stephen Foster, the Heinz Memorial Chapel, and of course Dippy the dinosaur.

Cathedral of Learning

There are two museums between the campus of the University of Pittsburgh and the campus of Carnegie Mellon University; the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Art. However, the museums are connected and you can visit both together for just one price. You can enter at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History entrance which has a convenient circular drive for cars to drop you off. I had my umbrella with me and I was asked to put it in a locker. The Carnegie Museums have self-service lockers. I’ve never seen self-service lockers before. You find a locker with a key, open it, put a quarter in the mechanism inside, and then close the locker and take the key with you. Fortunately I did not forget to retrieve my umbrella before I left.

Dippy

I was at the Carnegie Museums from the time they opened to the time they closed, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It really takes you that long to see everything. The first thing I saw was the mineral exhibit which was quite impressive. They have large pieces of crystals, gems, gold, and mineral deposits. They even had some radioactive material but I did not spend much time standing in front of that! The dinosaur fossil exhibit was also impressive with massive mounted skeletons. Like most natural history museums, the place was packed with kids on school trips.

Dinosaurs

They also had a collection of natural habitat dioramas with taxidermied animals; North American Wildlife and African Wildlife. The Botany room was empty, no visitors, but I saw an exhibit on the poisonous plants of Pennsylvania which was informative.

The Carnegie Museum of Art was more interesting. I saw the Hall of Sculpture which can be seen in the 1980s movie Flashdance. I had that Irene Cara song “Flashdance… What a Feeling” playing in my head the whole time. I also found the Hall of Architecture which was quite impressive. This hall has massive life size casts of various architectural details from antiquity. For example, there was a large model of the Parthenon and some casts of the pediment marbles. Of course, I saw the original Elgin Marbles in the British Museum last year. They also had a cast of the Porch of the Maidens from the Acropolis in Athens.You could look into the Carnegie Music Hall but it was roped off.

Hall of Statues

I saw lots of artwork in the Heinz Galleries and the Scaife Galleries. My favorite painting was The Garden of Adonis – Amoretta and Time by John Dickson Batten. There was a special exhibit of Japanese prints including some Japanese theater actors which I found interesting.

I had lunch at 1:51 p.m. at the Carnegie Café. I ordered a chocolate milk and a salad with Maryland crab cake. Ordinarily I might have left after that but I wanted to spend as much time in the museum as possible so I checked out the third floor. The third floor had exhibits on Eskimos, American Indians, and Ancient Egypt with a few mummies. The Polar World exhibit on Artic Life included some interesting information on Canada’s First Nation peoples. I also checked out the Decorative Arts and Design galleries which I would usually skip.

Before I left at around 3:42 p.m. I stopped off at the art store and bought a book on Art Deco. They did not have a good selection of books unless I wanted to carry around a heavy art book. Art Deco is one of the great retro looks and there is plenty of Art Deco to see in New York City so I thought this was a good choice.

After leaving the museum I decided to explore Oakland since it would be a shame to leave too quickly. I had no plans to return to this part of the city. I walked to Schenley Park and found the Phipps Conservatory but it was too late in the day for a visit. I also saw the Frick Fine Arts Building. There was a very impressive fountain in front of the Frick Fine Arts Building. Unfortunately, my research did not uncover any information on this fountain but I walked all around it and got some great photos of the fountain with the Cathedral of Learning in the background. It is a shame the fountain was not on and spouting water. On the bridge over Panther Hollow I saw a mysterious collection of padlocks chained to the fence. It looked like some sort of public art installation.

Fountain

There are several bookstores in Oakland because there are huge universities in the area so I visited Caliban Books. I looked for the plays of August Wilson but I did not find any, so I bought a road map of Pittsburgh and the book Symbolist Theater by Frantisek Deak. The book was a great find because I’m definitely interested in Symbolist Theater. I think Symbolism may offer the only way for theater to present the experience of a dream onstage. I’ve recently reread William Butler Yeat’s symbolic play At the Hawk’s Well and the analysis of it in A Jungian Approach to Literature by Bettina L. Knapp. I was impressed by how that play managed to dramatize a mythology through ritual and symbolic actions. I was planning on eating at Crepes Parisiennes further up the street but they were closed by then.

I then tried to take a taxi back to my hotel. First I called the Yellow Cab company but they kept me waiting for an hour. Then I tried to call for a Classy Cab but they said it would be an hour for them to pick me up. I got fed up and told Yellow Cab to forget it, I would take a bus back to my hotel. So on this trip I learned that you can’t rely on getting a taxi in the evening in Pittsburgh. I confirmed this the next day. This is the sort of detail I like to note.

I was really angry at the prospect of walking all the way back to my hotel after being on my feet all day in the museum. But as I was walking down Forbes Avenue I came across the Original Hot Dog Shop so I decided to stop in for a bite because their hot dogs are famous. I had a cheese dog with chili and a large cup of Sprite to keep myself hydrated. The Sprite was flat and tasted like carbonated water. That fueled my anger and deserves to be recorded for all time as part of my trip report. Damn flat Sprite! Eventually I noticed that Forbes Avenue was a one way street so there were no bus stops in the downtown direction. I crossed over to Fifth Avenue and caught a bus at Carlow University. The bus dropped me off near the Steel Plaza Station so I was able to ride the subway to the North Shore Station and walk from there to the Priory Hotel.

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Pittsburgh Vacation Tuesday

Posted on 5/11/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

On the second day of my vacation I had breakfast at the Refectory, the dining room at The Priory, the bed and breakfast were I was staying. There was quite a spread for breakfast so I had some ham and cheese, fresh fruit, yogurt, a donut, orange juice, and coffee.

My first goal for the day was to visit the Andy Warhol Museum. This was one of the main reasons for my trip. I’ve wanted to see the Andy Warhol Museum for a long time. Andy Warhol is an idol to me because he was closely associated with Deborah Harry and I used to be a huge Blondie fan. I even had a collection of Blondie memorabilia which could have filled a museum. Unfortunately, I sold my Blondie collection to buy my first car. In addition to Blondie, I was fascinated by the New York punk rock scene, the Velvet Underground, and the Andy Warhol crowd. They represented everything that was cool and creative about New York City. Skipping ahead a little, I did buy a book Andy Warhol’s New York City: Four Walks at the museum store. Maybe I will visit the Warhol sights on my next trip to New York City.

Andy Warhol Museum

It only cost me $10.00 to visit the Andy Warhol Museum. I think there was a 50 percent discount because a few floors were partially closed off for new exhibits. To be honest, the Andy Warhol Museum wasn’t very impressive. They had a few of his silkscreen paintings and his art films playing on the walls but his work does not lend itself to art exhibits. I was unfamiliar with a few aspects of his oeuvre. For example, there were black and white photos stitched together which I have never seen. One room was filled with silver balloons just like the Silver Factory. At the museum store I bought the New York City guide book I mentioned and a short biography Andy Warhol by Arthur C. Danto. I was just going to buy the Victor Bockris biography on Amazon but it is already in my book database so I must have read that a long time ago.

After leaving the Andy Warhol Museum I walked across the Andy Warhol Bridge to reach downtown Pittsburgh. I walked around the cultural district taking photos of the theaters but it seemed like each one had construction work going on in front or there was a school bus parked out in front. I ordered an iced coffee at Starbucks to keep myself hydrated. At noon I had lunch at the Primanti Brothers on Market Square. The Primanti Brothers sandwich is famous for having coleslaw and fries between the slices of bread with the rest of the sandwich. Unfortunately this makes the sandwich hard to eat without getting sloppy. I only had a few paper towels to clean my hands but I used the condensation off my cup of soda to wet my hands slightly, an old trick. I could only eat half my sandwich. At some point I came across the Pittsburgh Welcome Center where I picked up a city map and bought a DVD of The Perks of Being A Wallflower, a movie shot in Pittsburgh.

My trip to Pittsburgh wasn’t all fun and games. I also wanted to try out the public transportation in case I ever find myself in Pittsburgh again. Pittsburgh doesn’t have much of a subway system but it is free so I entered the Gateway Center Station and rode the subway to the North Shore Station. The exit was near the PNC Park baseball park so I had a long walk to get back to my hotel. Generally it was easier to cross one of the Three Sister bridges to get downtown than to use the subway. I didn’t need to buy a ticket or anything. You just freely enter the subway station and walk onto a train.

Gateway Center Station

After a brief stop in my hotel room I headed back out to visit the Mattress Factory, a museum of contemporary art which mostly features room sized installations. This museum is hidden away in the Mexican War Streets section of the North Shore. I was kind of far to walk to and some of it was uphill so I decided to try a bus. The bus is the main form of public transportation in Pittsburgh. You can only reach many sections of the city by bus. I attempted to pay the $2.50 fare when I got on but the driver told me to pay when I got off. When I did pay the fare it rejected a Canadian quarter I happened to have. This is why I hate to ride a bus! It is always more complicated than you think. I got off at Federal Street and then had to walk many blocks west trying to find the Mattress Factory. The museum is well hidden in a residential area.

The name of the Mattress Factory amuses me because it is similar to the Pajama Factory here in Williamsport. Now Pennsylvania just needs a Pillow Factory to complete its bedding theme for the arts. The Mattress Factory is a fun museum of underground art. The most famous installation is the Infinity Dots Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kusama. You have to take off your shoes or put paper slippers over your shoes before entering. The room itself was surprisingly small and square. I didn’t like how I was in the reflection so I only took a few photos. Another room was like a theater with spooky apparitions appearing onstage accompanied by discordant music and rambling monologues. I liked that installation the best. Another great permanent installation was It’s All About Me, Not You by Greer Lankton, a recreation of an apartment crammed with dolls, pill bottles, and shrines to Patti Smith and Candy Darling. One room really mystified me since it appeared to be nothing more than a room to experience a complete absence of light. Going through this museum was sort of like going through a funhouse or a haunted house. Before I left I bought an expensive book on Yayoi Kusama’s work.

Infinity Dots Mirrored Room

I walked back to my hotel which wasn’t too tiring because it was downhill. I remember it was around 4:00 p.m. and I had a show to catch at 7:00 p.m. but I decided to do something adventurous and walked downtown. I had an one hour massage at Zhang’s Wellness Center. The massage was very relaxing. I almost fell asleep. By the time I got out of there, it was almost time for my show so I had another iced coffee at Starbucks to rehydrate.

The highlight of my trip was seeing the play Clybourne Park at the O’Reilly Theater. The O’Reilly Theater is home to the Pittsburgh Public Theater. This theater is also where the last August Wilson play was premiered and the great playwright saw his last play produced here just before he died. I bought Clybourne Park for my Kindle so I already knew the story. The play is about how white neighborhoods feel threatened when black families move into the neighborhood. In Act Two, the play is about how black neighborhoods feel threatened when whites gentrify the neighborhood. This play was perfect for Pittsburgh because it is a city of many ethnic neighborhoods. The program had an article about how August Wilson’s Hill District was razed to build the Civic Arena Stadium. The Civic Arena has been torn down so I did not see that famous landmark. The O’Reilly Theater is an impressive theater with a balcony and many seats. They did not have a full house but the audience was very large. The stage design was very realistic. I thought that must be how some of the historic houses on the Mexican War Streets must look inside.

O'Reilly Theatre

Since I entered a play into the Pittsburgh New Works Festival I may need to return to Pittsburgh. I don’t want to be too optimistic. I think my play was really bold and unusual but it may be too outré for the general public. I think it really is a matter of the odds. When a writing competition gets hundreds of submissions the odds are going to be against you. It does not matter how good your writing may be, you don’t stand much chance when the odds are against you. However, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the only cities in Pennsylvania with major theaters producing new work so it is important to be familiar with both cities.

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Pittsburgh Vacation Monday

Posted on 5/11/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

I decided to spend my vacation in Pittsburgh because a proper visit to that city was long overdue. Pittsburgh is the second largest city in Pennsylvania but I had only been there a few times. My first trip to Pittsburgh was to see Deborah Harry perform at the Metropol. This club still exists but it is now known as the Club Zoo. I remember I took the Greyhound bus to Pittsburgh for that. Hurricane Hugo made the trip a real nightmare. My next trip to Pittsburgh was for a job interview. It is a shame I did not get that job because I’d be living in Pittsburgh now. My most recent trip to Pittsburgh was a Susquehanna Trailways bus trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo.

I spent a lot of time planning the drive on Google Maps. I printed easy to read directions with photos of exits and highway numbers. I used my GPS but it was giving me crazy directions. The long drive went smoothly except for one truck that pulled off the highway but left its back end sticking out in my lane. I also did some aggressive driving once I reached Pittsburgh because I wanted to follow my precise directions. I had to go through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel on Interstate 376 and this proved to be a very congested area. It took me around four hours to drive to Pittsburgh.

Since I could not check into my hotel until 3:00 p.m. I decided to visit the Strip District until then. So instead of heading directly to my hotel I went over the 16th Street Bridge and parked in a large parking lot under that bridge for $6.00.

The first thing I did was have breakfast at DeLuca’s Restaurant which is famous for its breakfast. I ordered a California Omelet which had slices of avocado in it. My seat had a plaque honoring some TV food critic or chef who had sat there. DeLuca’s Restaurant  is a very famous diner! The Strip District did not impress me. It resembles Philadelphia’s Italian Market with ethnic grocery stores and discount stores selling crap. I did buy a few travel guides at Bradley’s Book Outlet which was right next to the diner; Working and Living France ISBN 1-86011-128-9 and  Venice ISBN 1-86011-822-4 Cadogan Guides and the 11th edition of Rich / Poor Man’s Guide to Pittsburgh. I also managed to snag a copy of the Pittsburgh City Paper before returning to my car. After that I returned to the Strip District to buy some Steelers souvenirs at Mike Feinberg Company at 10:28 a.m.. I wasn’t particularly interested in the Steelers but they are a Pittsburgh institution.

Shortly after depositing that purchase in my car I was horrified to discover that I had locked my keys in my car! This was a disastrous way to start my vacation. I was already feeling bad about the drive to Pittsburgh so now I was quite glum.

I needed to use a restroom so I decided to go ahead and visit the Heinz History Center at 11:07 a.m. where I could think about what to do. I didn’t enjoy the Heinz History Center because I was too worried about my car. But I did see a great exhibit 1968: The Year That Rocked America. There were all sorts of Sixties pop culture artifacts that I remembered, although I was only fours years old in 1968 so most of this stuff was from the previous generation as far as I was concerned. I remember seeing Mister Roger’s hand puppets. I know I watched that show as a child.

There was also an antique robot which I’ve never seen before, Elektro built by Westinghouse in 1937, and various exhibits on the industrial history of Pittsburgh. I also wandered around the Sports Museum a little which was nicer than I expected because it includes a wide variety of sports. At the gift shop I bought the book Pittsburgh In Stages because exploring Pittsburgh theater was one of the reasons for my trip.

Elektro

When I returned to the parking lot I tried to get a parking attendant to help me but he couldn’t do anything. I decided to walk all the way to my hotel on the North Side since they seemed to be the only ones who might help me. I actually did bring my spare car key along with me but it was in my luggage. I should try to get a spare key made that will fit in my wallet like my house key. I had also left my cell phone in my car. I really need a belt clip to carry that thing.

After walking downtown I crossed the Andy Warhol Bridge to reach the North Side. I took lots of photos on the way to make good use of my time. When I reached the Priory Hotel I asked to check in and then told them about my predicament. This began a learning process of what you should do if you lock your keys in your car. The hotel staff thought I should call the police but the police did not appreciate being called about a lockout when it is not an emergency. So the hotel staff called a locksmith for me instead. Unfortunately the locksmith kept me waiting until after 3:00 p.m. so eventually I just checked in. After waiting another hour I called another locksmith from my hotel room phone. I still had to wait another hour until that guy showed up. I was worried the locksmiths were going to keep me waiting until it was dark.

Andy Warhol Bridge

But eventually someone showed up and picked me up at the hotel. I gave him directions to the Strip District parking lot because I had the route mapped out very precisely. At least I learned what happens when you call a locksmith to get back into your car. First, they have to make sure it really is your car so the locksmith asks to see your driver’s license. After he gets the car door open he also asks to see your registration. The locksmith used two inflatable bags to force the car door to open just a crack. Then he used a metal rod to push the latch of the car door. So he did not mess with the lock at all. This cost me $200 which I paid using my credit card. When I get home I am definitely going to do something to keep a spare key on me.

I then drove extremely carefully to the Priory Hotel. I was freaked out about how badly my trip was going so I made sure I didn’t do anything else stupid.

That evening at 7:29 p.m. I had dinner at Max’s Allegheny Tavern which is a few blocks from my hotel. I walked there because I wanted nothing more to do with my damn car. I ordered an Allegheny Club sandwich, a glass of Chardonnay, and bread pudding for desert. Their homemade potato chips were the best I ever tasted.

Even though it was quite late, I then walked across the Rachel Carson bridge to explore the cultural district. The sight of the Pittsburgh skyline at night finally began to make me feel better about this trip. I was especially impressed with the Alcoa Corporate Center because you could see each floor and its offices light up in the night.

Alcoa Corporate Center

Before returning to my hotel room I went into the nearby Giant Eagle grocery store and bought a copy of Pittsburgh Magazine,  some Dr. Scholl shoe inserts, some pens, nail clippers, cough drops, and a bottle of flavored water to rehydrate myself.

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Cash On Delivery at Community Theatre League

Posted on 4/26/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Tonight I saw the British farce, Cash On Delivery at the Community Theatre League. I think I will write more extensively on this experience because I don’t think I have been giving enough attention to theater artists. Every artist would like a serious writer to devote some serious thought to his work.

I was kind of tired this evening and for some reason I really wanted to daydream about an idealized university. This has become a habit when I am siting in the theater of the McDade Trade and Transit Centre. I think this theater reminds me of a college theater but it is associated with a reimagined downtown scene so it encourages me to get into a surreal mental state. It is difficult to describe inspiration but the Community Theatre League’s performance space always causes me some cognitive dissonance. I only mention this because I was almost more interested in my own reverie than I was in the show until it started.

I’d never heard of this play. The title is misleading because the play has nothing to do with deliveries. The play is a comedy about an unemployed British man who is defrauding various government social agencies by making up bogus claims for his imaginary tenants. When caseworkers show up with some documents to sign, he has to keep the farce going by juggling mistaken identities. The action of the play was rather complex because you had to follow the conflicting stories and misunderstandings of multiple characters. I could identify with the story because I work for a community action agency which also provides social services on behalf of the government.

The actors used terrible British accents, not that I minded. There were a few references to British culture but fortunately my trip to London gave me the necessary background to understand the play. It is particularly important to understand the local government in the UK which is made up of councils. For example, a council flat is a housing project.

The subject matter of this play is bound to delight conservatives who like to imagine that there is massive welfare fraud but since the play takes place in the United Kingdom I don’t think it is as political here as it might be. I thought the play was hysterical and the audience could not stop laughing.

I sat in the front row at stage level so I had to be careful to keep my feet tucked in, or I would have tripped the actors as they ran by me. And since this was a farce, there were often actors running across the stage. When you have a play based on mistaken identities you often have people running off.

The stage design was impressive for community theater. Of course, it is easy to throw some furniture on the stage but the backdrop was a realistic front wall. The window was particularly interesting because it appeared to be using some sort of 3D effect to give the illusion of depth.

I never have anything to say about the actors but they probably want some recognition. Keith Wagner (Eric Swan) had the starring role which required a lot of reaction to events which he managed beautifully. Brian McKeon (Norman McDonald) also gave a good performance reacting to nonstop craziness. And Laura Hartranft (Linda Swan) managed just the right touch of indignation.

The next play I will see is Clybourne Park at the Pittsburgh Public Theater (O’Reilly Theater in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Cultural District). I already have my ticket. This theater is where August Wilson premiered his last play shortly before he died. I entered my best script in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

Still no word on the staged reading of my ten minute plays in New York City and Los Angeles. I did recently write another ten minute play for a promising contest. Getting a staged reading of a ten minute play does not appear to have been a particularly difficult goal. So I have written a full length play. Unfortunately I don’t think it is very good. I’m not sure I want to do anything with it. I think I need to outline more action for a full length play.

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Arsenic and Old Lace at Lycoming College

Posted on 4/10/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Tonight I saw the 116th play I’ve seen onstage, Arsenic And Old Lace at Lycoming College. Since I keep a list of all the plays I’ve seen, I know this was also the 25th play I’ve seen. I vaguely remember a Community Theater League production years ago.

Lycoming College Theater productions have always been my favorite local productions because they select plays with some literary merit and create lavish sets. The set design for Arsenic And Old Lace was no exception. It was a two story set dominated by a fairly long staircase. Although the stage looked like a realistic Victorian house, the lighting made everything look a little more vivid than it should be. As realistic as theater can be, it always seems a little more vivid and alive.

There was one mishap in which an actress fell while trying to sit on an ottoman so a stagehand duck taped it to the stage during intermission. Another amusing mistake occurred when an actor reached up to adjust his gag after his hands were already supposed to be tied. These little incidents merely added to the comedy. For some strange reason, all the police officers were played by women.

Arsenic And Old Lace is a farce dating back to World War II. I’ve been reading a biography of the stage actress Eva Le Gallienne so the play invoked the theater of her era. Eva Le Gallienne was a very beautiful actress even for the 1920s and she was a real artist. I think I have fallen in love with her just from her photos and her artistic integrity. I found some audio recordings of her reading Baudelaire poems in French at http://fleursdumal.org/audio/

Fortunately my playwriting efforts are finally meeting with some success. I should have two staged readings in the next few months which will be videotaped. One staged reading will occur in New York City and the other will occur in Los Angeles. This sounds more impressive than it actually is though. Five plays out of 35 plays submitted were selected by the New York City theater company so the odds were pretty good. The Los Angeles staged reading is something I paid for because it was quite affordable. Still, that is the only encouragement I need. I had very modest goals for my 10 minute plays. Now I will need a new goal. I’m working on a full length play. I’ll have a dramaturge look at it at the very least.

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Washington DC 2013

Posted on 4/4/2013 by Robert S. Robbins

Yesterday I made my sixth trip to Washington DC in order to explore the city. Although I did the usual visits to museums, I tried to accomplish a few goals related to my relocation planning. I also located a few theaters for the sake of my playwriting ambition.

The tour bus dropped me off at the National Air and Space Museum and it would have been easiest to walk to my destination, the Newseum, but I wanted to finally try the DC Metro system. So I walked to the Smithsonian Metro station several blocks away and bought a farecard from a complicated vending machine. The Metro vending machines look like the instrument panels of a commercial airline jet with a confusing array of buttons, digital readouts, knobs, bill slots, coin returns, and ticket printers. But I managed to buy a $5.00 farecard and not the $20.00 farecard it tried to sell me. I then had to follow my simple directions to go one stop on the Orange Line and then one stop on the Green Line to arrive at the Archives Station.

US Capitol Building

From the Archives Station I walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Newseum. Most of the museums in Washington DC are free because they are part of the Smithsonian Institute but two of the more popular paid museums are the International Spy Museum and the Newseum, a museum devoted to journalism and freedom of the press. The Newseum won my patronage because they show you the daily front page of newspapers from cities around the United States. I’ve found this useful in researching the local media of cities I may relocate to. But it cost me $21.37 to visit this museum.

I only had six hours in Washington DC so I only devoted three hours to the various exhibits in the Newseum. I felt a little rushed which is typical for my visits to Washington. The museums are huge. I’ll have to consider a week long trip to Washington DC to really do justice to the city and its attractions. Anyway, I watched a 20 minute 4D movie (3D plus seat motion) which was genuinely impressive. There were lots of information bubbles that really seem to float in space and appear right in front of you. It was definitely the best 3D experience I’ve ever had.

There was also a part of the Berlin Wall and an East German watchtower. This made me feel a little privileged because I’ve actually been to Berlin and saw the Brandenburg Gate. The Newseum only had large photos of the Brandenburg Gate and video from the party which occurred when the travel restrictions were lifted.

I had lunch at the Newseum café which was one of those self serve cafeteria deals that I prefer. I had chocolate milk, a cheese burger, and a parfait. I didn’t want to eat too much because I had plans to eat at a restaurant later.

One of the more sad exhibits at the Newseum was the actual broadcasting tower from the World Trade Center’s North Tower. It was really mangled. They also had parts of the engines from the planes that struck the towers. If the museum were built before 2001, they probably would have used the Moon Landing for an exhibit of front page news on all the world’s newspapers but since this is a fairly new museum, 9/11 was the biggest story they could commemorate.

North Tower Broadcast Tower

I also saw exhibits about contemporary digital media and mobile devices for receiving the news online, including mention of Wikileaks, and lots of presidential photos. The entire Washington DC culture seems to be obsessed with their embodiment of supreme world power, the President of the United States. There were murals of Obama everywhere, portraits of Obama in the art museums, and all sorts of Obama souvenirs for sale by street vendors. The Newseum also has an outdoor terrace on the top floor where you can take some great photos of the United States Capitol Building which isn’t that far away. Before I left, I bought a book The Making of McPaper: The Inside Story of How USA Today Made It which was the most interesting book I could find even though I’m not that interested in USA Today.

After leaving the Newseum I headed North to explore the Penn Quarter area. I located the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company entrance, the Lansburgh Theatre of Shakespeare Theatre Company, and the Ford’s Theatre which is famous for being the place where president Lincoln was shot. President Abraham Lincoln was shot by an actor. I think I’ll bring that up if I ever have any trouble with an actor. I will say something to effect, “an American theater actor hasn’t been such trouble since that guy who shot Lincoln.”

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

I had lunch at Teaism, a Japanese restaurant on 8th Street. I ordered a salmon bento box because I wanted to try this Japanese meal. A bento box is just a meal served in a bamboo box with compartments for different dishes. After eating about half of that meal, I wandered around the Penn Quarter area taking a few photos of various establishments, and bought a copy of the Washington Post,  but then I came across the National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum so I decided to pop in there. This was a good decision because I saw some amazing art.

The most amazing artwork was by Adam Chapman. He created digital paintings in which the lines and patches of color are slowly floating around the canvas because the painting is actually a high definition digital screen. But the artwork looks like a real canvas so you are genuinely surprised and delighted when the elements of the painting begin to float around. This is pure genius!

I also saw the exhibit Poetic Likeness: Modern American Poets which was portraits of major American poets, photos mostly. I was familiar with most of these poets because I’ve been interested in writing for a long time. But I especially like the Bravo exhibit with portraits of entertainers. This exhibit included many portraits of theater artists like Lynn Fontaine and Joseph Papp. It was nice to see theater artists honored by fine art in a major art museum. I even saw a bronze bust of playwright Arthur Miller. I tried to take a photo of this bust but unfortunately it turned out blurry. My digital camera displayed a blink warning which amused me. It is a bronze bust! How could it blink?

I stumbled upon the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum which is an amazing architectural space. I should visit these combined museums again because I was really rushed for time and could not examine the artwork at leisure.

Kogod Courtyard

I observed many other little details on this trip but I won’t bore you with that. I really expanded my Washington DC travel guide notes in preparation for this trip so my knowledge of the DC area is improving. Washington DC has some excellent resources for the aspiring playwright like the Inkwell Theatre so I may want to travel there on business some day.

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