Category Archives: Uncategorized

October 31, 2011 · 5:56 pm

Amazing views and vertigo at Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis

We finally visited the new (okay five-year-old) Guthrie Theater last weekend during a visit to the Twin Cities. What an astonishing place. Designed by Frenchman Jean Nouvel’s (2008 winner of the Pritzker Prize)  its odd-looking exterior is a  rounded cobalt highrise (echoing the nearby historic flour mills downtown) with a protruding platform that sticks out towards the Mississippi River like a bridge lopped off in mid stride.  As suggested, we took the very narrow steep elevator that reminded me of an elevator in the London Tube system to the fifth floor and walked out on the platform which we had all to ourselves on a quiet Saturday morning in late October.  Astonishing views of the River,  St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge, bright sunshine bouncing off the blue glass, and I felt like an ant whose antenna had been ripped off. Dizzy. Disoriented. Dazzled.

Inside, the strange interior – soaring spaces with cut out windows offer very precise views of the river and city and a lovely green landscaped park dotted with fiery red-leafed trees – also had me feeling woozy. We rode the elevator up to the ninth floor for another dazzling view, this time through huge panes of yellow-green tinted windows. Interesting how the glass totally changed the view we’d seen several floors below. We also walked around the curving space lining one of the theaters and through the sleek darkened bars on the fifth floor.

Building tours are available the first Saturday of the month. Next time, we’ll go to a performance there at one of the complex’s three stages (the “thrust stage” and Shakespeare seems good idea.)

for photos and more info: see http://www.guthrietheater.org/about_guthrie/our_spaces

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October 21, 2011 · 2:54 pm

Adding to list for Hawaii’s Big Island: Polulu Valley and town of Hawi

A fellow blogger recommends the Polulu Valley in the northern tip of the Big Island. I’ve checked it out and definitely on our list now, thank you very much.

Here’s her thoughts: Polulu Valley….we are so glad when we added it to our things to do!! The Highway 270 up in North Kohala dead ends into this beautiful valley lookout. You can hike down the cliff to beautiful black sands with some green in it. Not very crowded at all. We wish we had brought lunch with us so we could just enjoy sitting by the water! If you google it, you can see some great pictures of it.

 

And here’s what Lets Go Hawaii has to say:

Polulu Valley, where North Kohala’s main artery, Hwy-270, comes to a dead end, is the last of the chain of inaccessible valleys, and for the moment is every bit as pristine as Waipio. The fear of tsunami, which led the Hawaiians to abandon these once densely populated valleys, is probably their best defense against the rapacity of the developers.

The morning is the best time to visit this picturesque perch overlooking a stretch of sea cliffs. Pololu valley is located at the end of Highway 270 in North Kohala.  On your drive up Highway 270, be sure to stop for a look-see and a wonderful bite to eat in the quaint town of Hawi. The highway ends at the picturesque lookout for the Pololu Valley.  At the top you can look down onto the Pololu Valley and a beautiful black sand beach.

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October 5, 2011 · 7:35 pm

Walking the Big Island in Hawaii

I’m starting to think we should visit the Big Island during our trip to Hawaii in January, which will start with a conference in Honolulu.  I’ve gotten some suggestions from VBT’s walking tours catalog – including visiting Pu’uhonua o Hanaunau,  Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hamakua Coast/Wilamea/Anna’s Ranch , Kohala Coast, Hilo and staying at: Kilauea Lodge, Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Hapuna Beach Prince Resort.

Any other suggestions welcome!

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September 20, 2011 · 1:57 am

Chicago restaurants to try….

I found myself taking six 19-year-olds out for lunch in Evanston, Illinois – upon my son’s return to Northwestern – which i was happy to do. But even happier when we went to Dixie’s – a fun Cajun place – that has a very parent-friendly menu of $6.95 lunch specials – including a good southwestern salad with grilled chicken, beans, corn salsa and a light creamy dressing and a sampler with little bowls of gumbo, jambalaya, and red beans and rice.
Now onto Chicago where E has these restaurants in mind:
This place is supposed to be great too, owned by the same people:
A combo of Asian and Mexican.

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September 18, 2011 · 3:29 pm

milwaukee – serbian food, sausages, santiago calatrava

Friends are going to Milwaukee for a college visit to Marquette U. so here are a few suggestions of things to do/see/eat:

– Three Brothers – a Old World Serbian restaurant in a neighborhood just north of the airport. Yes Serbian food. Good. Try the burek, sort of akin to Greek spinach and cheese pie

– The Milwaukee Art Museum, designed by Santiago Calatrava. The building alone – looking like bird landing on the lake – is worth a wander. There’s an exhibit on the building of the museum, marking its 10th anniversary. (more below)

– Usinger’s Sausages – okay, you don’t have to go to the original store downtown but it’s kind of a kick. there’s a stand selling them at the Milwaukee Airport.

 

 

Building a Masterpiece: Santiago Calatrava and the Milwaukee Art Museum

September 8, 2011–January 1, 2012

Feature image for the Calatrava exhibition It has been named the sexiest building in the world, featured in TV ads and shows and Hollywood movies, and it has transformed the city of Milwaukee. In September, the Milwaukee Art Museum celebrates the 10th anniversary of its iconic building, the Quadracci Pavilion, with the exhibition Building a Masterpiece: Santiago Calatrava and the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Designed by internationally renowned architect Santiago Calatrava, the Quadracci Pavilion was the Spaniard’s first completed commission in the United States. In 2001, it was named Time Magazine’s “Best Design of 2001.”

 

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September 16, 2011 · 2:53 pm

Mass MOCA – for huge art!

Last week, we thoroughly enjoyed a visit to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (aka Mass MOCA) in the old factory town of North Adams, near Williamstown. It was raining, which made it easier to spend a September day inside – and we were impressed not only by the exhibits but the building itself – a huge sprawling weathered old factory. The show on oppressed workers (see description below) was engrossing – as was the semi-permanent (“on view through 2033” according to the website) retrospective of bold colorful Sol LeWitt wall paintings (especially engrossing was a video of young people creating  these paintings, following LeWitt’s instructions.)

I thought the Tate Modern in London was huge – but Mass MOCA is even huger and the enormity of some of the art installations (by Nari WArd and Katarina Grosse) is astonishing. The museum also has a good cafe (Lickety Split) with large well-done salads and sandwiches. And if it had not been raining, would have been fun to poke around town a bit, especially some of the galleries that have sprung up in the wake of Mass MOCA.

THE WORKERS exhibit: “What does work look like today in a global economy marked by outsourcing, rapid migration, disruptive economies, and a state of labor that seems fractured, precarious, and almost invisible? With video, sculpture, photography, and performance art from 25 artists, this exhibition examines the way labor is represented today (and how some contemporary workers choose to represent themselves). “

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September 5, 2011 · 7:15 pm

Guilford – New Haven – Fairfield

The very good news is that our friends in Trumbull finally got their power back yesterday, eight days after Tropical Storm Irene. Beyond that we’ve seen a few downed trees and some dramatically rippled parking lot along the waterfront in Guilford, when it comes to storm damage. In Guilford, we walked around the pretty pristine New Englandesque town green, stopped in at the pleasant local bookstore and had a drink at Cilantro, a little coffee shop next door. In New Haven we had Pepe’s pizza in the Little Italy area which was as good as promised followed by Italian Ice and Gelato at Libby’s (I think.) Today we walked along the beach in Fairfield and stopped at Chef’s Kitchen for lunch (good tunafish in the salad bar.) Things are looking good for our drive to the Berkshires and Vermont – at least in terms of the roads, not so sure about the weather although my son managed to make it to the U.S.Open without rain, so far.

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August 24, 2011 · 2:33 pm

Leo’s/Royal Oak and Lou Malnati’s in Chicago

Made it home without a hitch yesterday after a 5.5 hour drive from Chicago which started with some very stormy weather. Didn’t have much time to explore the city since we were just passing through but did get a take out pizza from Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – an outpost of which recently opened in my aunt’s Gold Coast neighborhood in the old Anthropologie building. Looked like a fun place to eat – especially the outdoor patio. We opted for takeout and thin crust, not Chicago thick. It was good  – especially the unusual crust that I believe is made with cornmeal – but wasn’t that bowled over. Certainly will try again. Another place to remember – the original Heaven on Seven, a Cajun restaurant downtown near the old Marshall Field’s and near my stepdaughter’s new place of employment. Comes well recommended by several.

Before leaving Michigan, we had to cram in a trip to Leo’s Coney Island in Royal Oak for my son who happily and quickly devoured two Coneys. And I do need to add – for one blog reader who protested – that Lafayette Coney Island was much more crowded when we tried to go there Saturday night than when we passed by midday Saturday. Unfortunately it was so busy that we couldn’t find a place to park and had to forego our visit.

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August 15, 2011 · 2:45 pm

Rick Perry, lamb kebobs, dairy barn ice cream et al at the Iowa State Fair

If you want to see new presidential candidate Rick Perry up close and personal, a good opportunity awaits at the Iowa State Fair today where he will be speaking at 11:15 or so at the Des Moines Register’s “soapbox” at the Iowa State Fair. The fair was blissfully free of Republican presidential candidates last night but packed with people thanks to the recent arrival of perfect summer weather – low 80s, a light breeze, flawless blue skies. Annual fairgoers are used to much hotter muggier weather – so this nice stuff was a real treat.

I’d also recommend the lamb kebob, one of several lamb entrees offered at the Iowa Sheep Industry Association’s stand, located in a relatively out-of-the-way spot amidst the livestock barns (east of the sheep barn, across the street from the always popular Big Boar who this year was a 1,700-plus pound boar named Tiny). The pork producers outpost is much closer to the action – near the midway and along the grand concourse – and much busier than the lamb folks’ operation. But I found the pork chop rather dry and unflavorful, especially compared to the juicy well-spiced lamb. As always, a chocolate ice cream cone at the Dairy Barn was the perfect treat. And I gladly skipped the newest entry to the fried food on a stick category – fried butter on a stick.

One other tip – hitch a free ride on one of the tractor-drawn open-air shuttle wagons that winds through the fair. It’s very handy when your legs are suddenly getting worn out from so much walking and a good way to people watch as the shuttle moves slowly around the fairgrounds.

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August 2, 2011 · 7:03 pm

A visit to the Swamp Fox in Knoxville, Iowa

After touring a reconstructed prairie in 100 degree heat (which was lovely except for some very irritating little flies with a nasty bite), we stopped by the Peace Tree Brewery in nearby Knoxville, which is in an airy old brown brick building, and then ate burgers around the corner at the Swamp Fox, in the town’s cultural center (which were guessing was once an old meeting hall.) Darned good patty melt! We passed a good looking ice cream stand on the way west out of town but were too full to partake. Peace Tree is open officially for samples on Thursday and Friday late afternoon and eves and on the weekends. We’ll have to return sometime.

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