City Walks - New York City - Oct 11 2009

Last week, I went into the city for lunch with a friend from Texas that I "met" through emails. A friend of hers told her about my blog, and after she read my blog, she wrote an email to me and told me about her art students with hearing impairments. She came to the West Village for a mixed media class, and I decided to spend about two hours walking around the area before I was due to meet her at the Westbeth Community Center.

I have been wanting to get on the High Line. The last time I was there, there was a long line of people waiting to walk up to the elevated path as reported in my previous post dated June 21, 2009. I was just thrilled to be able to get on it so that I could see the city and its buildings from a different perspective. Shown below is the southern end of the High Line.

This is where I started my walk - on Gansevoort Street in Meatpacking District.

At first, everything seemed to be in various shades of gray...

until I got to the top of the stairs. That's where the colors started to change from somewhat drab grey to warm hues.

I walked south, and encountered a wonderful and peaceful oasis. I could not believe that it was actually an elevated train line.

Turning around and facing north, I started to walk up the path.

I love how the tracks and plants were blended together.

Interesting bench design.

At various locations, tables and chairs were placed for walkers' pleasure. Looking at the bright green chair, this described exactly how I felt in some social situations - being the odd person that stands out too much.

This structure holds up one hotel - The Standard Hotel. Love this "window" - a sure hit with many photographers.

I have no idea as to what it is, but I saw this cool structure on top of a building. I have seen it before - from the sidewalk.

Nice lounge chairs, eh? But it might not be comfortable after a while.

However, the chair provided a perfect background for the various ephemera that I got from the organization, The High Line, which I happened to be one of its charter members. I bought a map and a book - the other two were picked up from the "free" information table.

The line runs through the building which houses the Chelsea Market - a food and wine festival was in progress, but at this moment, I was not interested in food.

Details of the building - a former cookie factory.

Inside a tunnel is a wallful panel of glass. At first I thought they were old glasses, but after looking at the colors more carefully. I had a feeling that they were intentionally placed.

I walked further on, and found a plaque - I learned that the whole artwork was done by Spencer Finch. The title is "The River that Flows Both Ways", and the artist took hundreds of photos of the water's surface while on the boat that went up the Hudson River for 700 minutes (11 hours 40 minutes) - one photo per minute! You can read more about his work in this website. The whole thing will remain there until June 2010. As I came out of the "tunnel", I encountered many new buildings in this section - look at the colors! This building below is on the right side of the path going up north.

On the left is Frank Gehry's design. I have been watching the construction of this building, and I strongly suspected that it was done by Gehry, and after I got home, I watched a DVD documentary about his works and creative process, and found out that indeed, the design was done by him.

I looked at almost everything everywhere - the plants, the steps, the buildings, the public space, and the signs.

I was extremely impressed by how ingeniously this was designed for the public to enjoy the view of the street - I plan to be there so that I can get a good window view of the traffic jam during early evening.

And the stairs and ramps (wheelchairs and strollers) are cleverly placed in such a way that it is accessible to everyone.

Details of the thin wire fence...
I liked the way the chairs were arranged - by color.

I took several photos of this long sign and stitched them together.

After I passed the Chelsea Market, I went down the staircase just before the Standard Hotel.

After I walked under the High Line, I saw these cool windows and found out that it was the hotel lobby.

I love this form/texture of the window "screen".

The section that I walked on is the High Line's first section that was opened to the public last summer. Next section (second) is scheduled to be opened next year. Last year, I have been on the northernmost section for the sketching class. This last section is currently closed to the public, but you can see the photos that I took in this post. I am so pleased and impressed with the overall design - it is so well-done!

Getting a Cup of Really Good Coffee

Before I left New Jersey for the trip to the west coast last August, my friend, Vicki, asked me if we could get together for dinner in San Francisco with friends. After emailing back and forth, we finally decided to spend a whole day touring the city by ourselves as our friends had other commitments. I went to Millbrae BART station to catch the morning train into the city. As I was going down the escalator, I noticed several sculptures on the columns and this particular one (below) caught my eye. It captures beautifully the general mindset of many commuters - too many things in mind to think about while on the way to work (and back home).

I also noticed the nice benches nearby - nice juxtapostion of buildings along the single track - all done in multi-colored stones.

I got off at the Embarcadero station, and as I was going up to the ground level, I noticed a rather large fabric sculpture. I was in a bit of a hurry, and did not find the names of artist/sculptor for each piece that I saw in the station.

Vicki also took the BART train - but she was in a different spot. She took this photo below and that's exactly our sentiment!

Just before I took the stairs up, I noticed this sign, and don't recall seeing a sign with the word, "No Graffiti" included.

Since I took an earlier train than planned, I was going to walk around and kill the time while waiting for Vicki to appear. Right after I took this photo below, we saw each other in no time! Perfect timing, indeed.

As we were walking on our way to the ferry building to get our own cups of coffee - she was raving about how good the coffee is there. She said the words, "Blue Bottle Coffee". I said to myself, "Blue Bottle Coffee? Is that what she said to me? Or did I misunderstand her?" We passed this sculpture which I immediately recognized as the work of Jean Dubuffet.

And this is the first time I saw the water flowing out of the ends in this fountain. I have seen it several times, but without the water.

I love this trolley car - it's a vintage one. No, we're not getting on it - we're waiting for it to go by so that we could cross the line.

Ah! The Ferry Building. That's the one that I have been wanting to see for quite a while.

The interior is awesome - lots of natural light coming through the roof.

Oh my! Look at these heirloom tomatoes!! Aw shucks, I couldn't buy some as they're heavy and we are going to be walking a lot. No, I am not going to carry them all day.

Ah! Yep, that's the blue bottle sign...

I see that I didn't misunderstand at all - it is indeed "Blue Bottle Coffee"! But I thought it was a strange name, tho. Vicki had warned me that it will take a while to get coffee brewed for us - and also we might have to wait in a line.

Oh, look at this embroidered sign -

We got in the line, and while we were waiting to place our orders, Vicki suggested that I get out and walk around.

I went to the back of the building, and saw this sleek-looking ferry boat.

Turning my head to the right, I saw this bridge - it did bring memories of my past visits. I was on this bridge three months before one section fell down during a severe earthquake.

I got back, and I realized that I had forgotten to introduce you. Hey, this is my friend, Vicki, and we met each other at our friend's studio in Seattle before we went separately to ArtFest. I was trying to take this picture the same way my nephew did with himself and his wife wherever they go - even right after their vows were said! Well, I have to say that my nephew did a much better job than I could!

As we were waiting, we looked at the nice arrangement of bags.

After we placed our orders, we had to wait a while as coffee is brewed individually.

Vicki wants another picture of ourselves, and she had a stranger take one for us - so, here's a clearer photo:

We went to the backery across from the coffee shop, and looked for something to eat along with the coffee.

Oooooh, look at these! Which one to have for breakfast?

I finally made a decision and bought the scones for ourselves. While we were waiting to be called, I was admiring these beautiful mosaic pieces on the wall.

Finally after half hour or so, we got our coffee, and oh wow, look at the cool swirls on the surface.

The coffee was DELICIOUS, and it was worth the long wait. And that was only the beginning of a great day in the city!

Checking In At The Squam Art Workshops - Sept 16, 2009

After a long day of touring the area, I finally arrived at Rockywold-Deephaven Camps about 3:30 pm. With several cars behind me, I followed the signs leading me to the registration area at Long House.

I drove all the way down to the end of Deephaven Road, parked my car, and walked into living room of Long House.

I was greeted warmly by Elizabeth, and picked up my bag. Included in the bag is the hat as everyone else got the headbands with the bright colored feathers which would not look appropiately on me - whew! (Andrew whispering: "thank you, Elizabeth!").

The photo above was taken at home on the front yard sidewalk. It just occurred to me that there were no concrete sidewalks at these camps. Also included in the same canvas bag are various postcards, freebies, maps, guidebooks, magazines, and various ephemera trying to entice you to visit this or that. I see that these will serve as the perfect fodder for my mail art project!

After I signed up for the potluck supper and got my parking assignment slip, I took the luggage out of the trunk of my car, and carried them to my room in Long House. The below photo shows the porch right front of my room.

My room...

and selected one bed to sleep on for the rest of the time. Yes, these dark green covers are filled with down, and you can see that it is not a heated room - no insulation in the walls. I could have brought my own small electric heater, but I decided against it as I knew that these dark green cover will keep me warm at night.

After I was done with the settling and moving my car into the assigned parking lot, I decided to pay a quick visit to the bench where I first met a group of SAW instructors last year.

As I was walking toward the bench, I briefly looked at the cabin where I stayed in last year. I remembered being in this cabin's small living room with the logs burning in the fireplace - what a wonderful memory.

After I passed the above cabin, I made a beeline to the bench by the lake.

I got there, walked around, and found a bag.

I was puzzled by its mystery, and an internal dialogue ensued.

After hemming and hawing over whether I should pick it up or leave it alone, I finally opened it and saw this note inside Christine Mason-Miller's book, Ordinary Sparkling Moments. I later told her at dinner time, and she was thrilled to hear that I picked it up for myself.

I also wrote a story which included my internal dialogue, and emailed it to Christine. It will be published in her blog soon. After some private moments by the lake, I decided to walk around, and find the Sugar House so that I can figure out how much time I will need to walk there for the classes with Christopher Frost.

On the way to Sugar House, I looked at this Bell Tower with fond memories, and once again, I was tempted to pull the rope. Aw shucks, the parent in me won the battle the inner wild child.

I did not remember seeing this banner last year or even last spring, so I'm assuming that it must be new.

This spot somehow reminded me of Swiss chalets where the window boxes were filled with bright colored annuals.

I looked inside the Deephaven ice house to check how much is left since the last time I peered in last spring. Sure enough, winter's coming very soon, and ice harvesting will be done on the first or second month of next year.

All of the paths within the camps are pretty well-marked.

The white "gooey" stuff above is actually the sap from the pine trees not the birds. And the flowers below - I have no idea as to what they are, but they're very delicate and beautiful.

I love this half-circle window of the dining hall.

I never saw that many mountain bikes, and oh boy, they triggered a lot of wonderful memories from my two mountain bike touring trips - one in northern Arizona and one in Idaho. I have not ridden my own hybrid bike for a very long time, and I would very much like to get myself back on the bike some day.

I walked to the main boating pier in the Rockywold section, and took several shots of Squam Lake just before dinner. I had them stitched together to create one panoramic picture.

I had my first meal at the Rockywold dining hall - the photos of the meals were posted in another post. As I was eating my dinner alone, I was listening to the sounds of people talking and feeling the mood in their voices. Wow, what a big difference between last year's and this time - it was much more festive, and full of excitement joy over seeing each other again. Just before I left the room for the gathering at the Playhouse, I looked at this grape stem, and I was fascinated by its structure and form, so I took a snapshot.

The atmosphere at the playhouse was also pretty festive - look at these lights. Sorry about that ugly flash - it nearly ruined the ambience of the room.

The instructors were introduced, and then Elizabeth's opening speech was given. Then the special guest speaker from Somerset Studios, Jenny Doh, gave a wonderful speech entitled "Something from Nothing" - she told us about where she came from, and how she got involved in crafts. Soon after, many attendees went to the bonfire where Jonatha Brooke provided musical entertainment. I had to go to bed early as I was pretty tired from a whole day of driving, shopping, touring, and walking. It was a great day.

Great Food and Wine at the Winemaker's Cookoff

Early that day, I took the first morning flight from Portland to San Francisco. I got into my big bright red rental car which to me looked more like a "1940 milk truck". From the San Francisco airport, I drove down south on El Camino Real for three hours to visit my friends, Jerry & Jeri, in Paso Robles. I met them at ArtFest about three years ago, and they invited me to come down to visit the area. I have driven through this area last April - I stopped there one time for breakfast with Jeri at a local restaurant. I was so impressed with the town that I decided I should stop by again later. I arrived in Paso Robles some time before 3 pm in the afternoon. At my friends' house, I was greeted heartily by a big dark grey poodle, and then I was shown the room where I will be sleeping in. Oh by the way, let me tell you something about this dog - she is very polite. Even if you put a bowl of food in front of her, she will wait until you sit down at your table to eat your own meal! I wished my small dog would do the same thing years ago - instead, he literally gulped the whole bowl, sat down next to my mother or me, and beg for more food even before I touch my own food! He was a garlic fanatic, yep, as soon as the chopped or sliced garlic was being cooked, he came into the kitchen and went crazy. Anyway, for dinner Jeri took me to the winemakers' cookout, oops, I mean, cookoff. Actually, it was a cooking competition between local winemakers.

I gave the ticket to the attendant at the entrance, and got a booklet, a clear plastic plate with the wine glass holder. The wine glass itself was really big, and I was sure that I will not get a full glass of wine.

The first thing I did was to eat dessert - yep, before "dinner".

That's Jerry, Jeri's husband, on the right side of the photo below, helping his son-in-law with the grilling of the mini-burgers.

Their daughter and son-in-law are owners of Mitchell's, one of the local winemakers in the region.

As you can see from the photos below, it's very organized. I love the plating list - that's a great idea for determining the order of the food placed on the plate. I have a lot of cookbooks, and very, very rarely do I see anything like this plating list.

This is really, really a delicious and elegant burger.

The photo below does not show the crowd - that's because we got there early. It got really crowded an hour later, and the waiting lines were longer.

In addition to the wine samples, look at all these beautifull prepared food that we got -

The shrimp (or is it prawn?) in the right photo above was placed on top of mashed blue (should be 'purple') potatoes. That seafood piece was HUMONGOUS - one could make a meal out of a single piece alone.

While we were walking around, drinking and eating at the same time, I encountered an unusual sight - a fire hydrant on top of a grill!

What a fun fundraising event! Even though I have gone to many tasting rooms, this was my first time that I went to a winemakers' cookoff where I can both sample the wine and eat their food. Proceeds from this event went to a scholarship fund for the local high school students.