This article annoys me. http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2009/08/09/a_performing_arts_renaissance_for_boston/
First of all, having Jersey Boys come to Boston does NOT make a performing arts renaissance for the city as the article seems to imply. I love musical tours. I see the majority of musicals on tour. I do not think touring shows, by virtue of coming to Boston, can create a renaissance. A renaissance would include more Bostonians going to these shows, but unfortunately, I have not seen any noticeable increases in Boston theater audiences of late. To me, a city performing arts renaissance would mean higher quality and greater amounts of theater (and other arts) produced and performed by local regional people and attended by greater numbers of those local people.
This article doesn't even mention the BOSTON THEATERS. This is a major problem with the Globe. They never seem to cover the Boston-based theater which would actually be the basis of a performing arts renaissance. What about ART, the Huntington, the Lyric, the smaller companies like Company One? I don't go to nearly enough of their shows, but they are the Boston performing arts scene, not touring companies with no connection to our city! They are also the affordable options for people who like the arts, but can't spend over $100 on Jersey Boys.
Grr. Argh. This is why I rarely read the Globe Arts sections. I think I'll stick to sports. The Patriots look promising. : )
Friday, August 14, 2009
New York City, Center of the Universe
I was in New York City again last weekend with Nicki and Laura. Overall, it was a fun time and I visited some new places. It is always difficult for me to go there and not see a theater show, but we did a lot of other fun things. I'm gradually exploring less touristy places each time I go and I like feeling more like a "visitor" than a tourist. I think that with a subway map I could find my way around by myself at this point.
Our first stop was the MET and we chose to visit the European painters, sculpture, and arms and armor sections. We also wandered through some other sections like Chinese art and decorative art (is that what you call fancy furniture?). I'd love to go back again and see some of the other sections, but it was nice for a short visit--not too much and not too little.
Sometimes when I'm in museums for too long I get so saturated that I stop absorbing and appreciating everything and the works become meaningless to me. At that point a gorgeous painting just looks like another painting of Jesus to me. Luckily, this didn't happen this time. We stayed about two hours.
Most of the European painters' section was Dutch or religious paintings, which are not too of my favorite styles. I tend to prefer later styles like impressionism more. My favorite pieces were some beautiful Vermeer paintings. I love the light in his paintings and the sense of tranquility. I also saw a large painting of Cupid peeing through a hoop onto a naked Venus. Yeah . . .
After the MET, we ate at a cafe in the Upper East Side and wandered down to the flagship New York and Company store. It is big for a New York and Company, but much smaller than it looks on What Not to Wear. I unsuccessfully tried to find it on a few previous trips and it was nice to finally locate it. Someday I'll go into all those rich people stores in that area without feeling awkward.
Next we went to the Strand bookstore and I took a quick look in Forbidden Planet, a comics/gaming bookstore next to Strand. I have to say that the Strand didn't impress me much. I'm a big bargain girl and the bargains there weren't really good. Sure, you can get a hardcover for $8, but I could get the same book in paperback for $8 and it would be a normal price. Also, it wasn't very organized and it was extremely crowded. I'm sure I would like it better if I went on an off day instead of Saturday afternoon, but I felt very claustrophobic the whole time I was in there. It wasn't relaxing at all. You couldn't get down aisles because they were clogged with people and if you were looking at something you'd have to move every few seconds to let someone else squeeze by you. I like bookstore shopping to be leisurely and relaxing.
Also, their sci-fi/fantasy section was really small and not very diverse. Why is this always true? I've found that in order to get a good selection of used sci-fi/fantasy, I have to find a store that is only genre like Pandemonium Books here in Cambridge. Do fellow dorks just keep their good sci-fi/fantasy books? Forbidden Planet looked pretty cool for comic/graphic novel fans. The selection was huge, but not discounted. It was also insanely crowded there so I didn't stay very long.
We rested in Union Square for a bit and then wandered around the Village. On Sunday, we walked around the Upper West Side and I unsuccessfully tried to find Levain's Bakery, home to the most awesome cookies ever. Update: It is on the corner of Amsterdam and W74th. If you go there, you will not regret it!
The trip was tiring, but fun. I think next time I go I'll try to see the botanical gardens and the Bronx Zoo. I'll also see a show of course. I'm desperate to see Next to Normal before Alice Ripley leaves. : )
Our first stop was the MET and we chose to visit the European painters, sculpture, and arms and armor sections. We also wandered through some other sections like Chinese art and decorative art (is that what you call fancy furniture?). I'd love to go back again and see some of the other sections, but it was nice for a short visit--not too much and not too little.
Sometimes when I'm in museums for too long I get so saturated that I stop absorbing and appreciating everything and the works become meaningless to me. At that point a gorgeous painting just looks like another painting of Jesus to me. Luckily, this didn't happen this time. We stayed about two hours.
Most of the European painters' section was Dutch or religious paintings, which are not too of my favorite styles. I tend to prefer later styles like impressionism more. My favorite pieces were some beautiful Vermeer paintings. I love the light in his paintings and the sense of tranquility. I also saw a large painting of Cupid peeing through a hoop onto a naked Venus. Yeah . . .
After the MET, we ate at a cafe in the Upper East Side and wandered down to the flagship New York and Company store. It is big for a New York and Company, but much smaller than it looks on What Not to Wear. I unsuccessfully tried to find it on a few previous trips and it was nice to finally locate it. Someday I'll go into all those rich people stores in that area without feeling awkward.
Next we went to the Strand bookstore and I took a quick look in Forbidden Planet, a comics/gaming bookstore next to Strand. I have to say that the Strand didn't impress me much. I'm a big bargain girl and the bargains there weren't really good. Sure, you can get a hardcover for $8, but I could get the same book in paperback for $8 and it would be a normal price. Also, it wasn't very organized and it was extremely crowded. I'm sure I would like it better if I went on an off day instead of Saturday afternoon, but I felt very claustrophobic the whole time I was in there. It wasn't relaxing at all. You couldn't get down aisles because they were clogged with people and if you were looking at something you'd have to move every few seconds to let someone else squeeze by you. I like bookstore shopping to be leisurely and relaxing.
Also, their sci-fi/fantasy section was really small and not very diverse. Why is this always true? I've found that in order to get a good selection of used sci-fi/fantasy, I have to find a store that is only genre like Pandemonium Books here in Cambridge. Do fellow dorks just keep their good sci-fi/fantasy books? Forbidden Planet looked pretty cool for comic/graphic novel fans. The selection was huge, but not discounted. It was also insanely crowded there so I didn't stay very long.
We rested in Union Square for a bit and then wandered around the Village. On Sunday, we walked around the Upper West Side and I unsuccessfully tried to find Levain's Bakery, home to the most awesome cookies ever. Update: It is on the corner of Amsterdam and W74th. If you go there, you will not regret it!
The trip was tiring, but fun. I think next time I go I'll try to see the botanical gardens and the Bronx Zoo. I'll also see a show of course. I'm desperate to see Next to Normal before Alice Ripley leaves. : )
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