NYC Day 4: Times Square, Wicked, and TWA

Last day in NYC today!  We got moving a little early to check out of out hotel by 10.  The staff stored our bags and we strolled towards Times Square for our last day of tourism.

H was surprisingly unenthusiastic about Times Square itself.  We went into a few shops (the Pele Soccer store was a hit), but didn't really have a jaw dropping moment like so many others have had.  She, did, however, like the panorama feature of the iphone:

We also found our way to FAO Schwarz and the Nintendo store (where there were plenty of large figures to pose with):

We grabbed hot dogs and knish from a street vendor and made our way to the Nederlander theatre to see Wicked.  S and I last saw it in LA, and H had never seen it.  We had tried over the last few weeks to interest her in listening to the score so she knew what was happening, but she consistently declined.  I was concerned that she might lose interest, but from the downbeat, she was engaged and rapt.  Literally on the edge of her seat.  

After the show, we got to meet J, the A1, who showed the FOH position (the last analogue console on b'way), showed us the pit and talked about the sound system.  H was particularly interested in the conductor cam; she loved waving at it and seeing herself show up on the monitors mounted on the balcony rail.

Next, we hightailed it back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and hopped in a cab to the airport hotel.  H zonked on the way.

We fly out of JFK pretty early tomorrow, so we decided to stay our last night at the TWA hotel at JFK.  It's a riot -  beautifully restored, with lots of historical artifacts.  The rooms are lovely and quiet, despite being right across from the tarmac.  There's a rooftop pool that's currently heated to 95F.  H and I went swimming when it was 43F minus windchill - brrrrrr.  There are multiple cocktail bars and restaurants, including one in an old plane.  There's a room just for Twister.  This is a remarkable place to be laid over.

So now, after H is asleep and S is winding down, I'm chilling in one of the bars, writing my blog, giving them a chance to move into REM before I come back into the room.  Tomorrow, we fly home!

NYC Day 3: Statue of Liberty, WTC, and friends in Brooklyn!

 We had a bit of an early morning today.  We grabbed breakfast at a local cafe before heading down to the Battery to visit Liberty Island.  I went to Ellis Island when I was in college, but we didn't get to the Statue.  Sarah didn't either.  And, we never went when we lived in NYC.  So, we took the opportunity to go with an 8-year old!  The morning was a little cold and drizzly, but we went through security and ferried out in the chilly wind.  H loved taking photos from the outside decks.

So did I!

Once we got to Liberty Island, we looked at some of the small statues commemorating some of the visionaries behind her (everyone from Gustave Eiffel to Emma Lazarus).  S bought tickets to go up the pedestal, so we put our bags in a locker and took the stairs/elevator to the top of the pedestal.  There's a lovely walk around the perimeter, from which you can see all around the harbor, and also take an awkward ussie. 

One of the reasons we decided to visit Lady Liberty was that H discovered the book 'Her Right Foot,' which recognizes that the statue's right foot is raised.  The book uses that as a metaphor; the statue isn't standing still as a static beacon.  Rather, she's moving.  What we see is an instant of her, mid-stride, walking into the harbor to meet the ships full of immigrants.  So, when we saw her in person, we made sure to look at her right foot.

There are two museums on the island.  One is in the pedestal base, and one is in the National Parks Service area.  They were both well-done, and while they understandably had a pro-statue agenda, they were also engaged with the criticisms of the statue.  There were exhibits about how the statue has been adopted by different groups for critique and satire.  There were areas that talked about how some women of the period took exception to her being a woman representing liberty when women in the US had so little freedom.  There were areas that talked about the criticism from many Black Americans at the sheer cheek of celebrating liberty in a country that spent so little energy fighting for equality for its Black and Brown citizens.  

By this point, H was overtired and hangry for lunch.  She lodged her protest against museums:

One of the museums had a beautiful interactive video exhibit where you could take a selfie, add some imagery that represents what you think about what the statue represents, and then see your images combined with those of thousands of other guests.  It was surprisingly moving, and I definitely found myself getting misty, thinking about what the statue meant to so many immigrants (including my own great-grandparents)

We grabbed a quick lunch (our obligatory NY hot dog), bought some gifts, and headed back to Manhattan.  We had hoped to head to Brooklyn to visit the Transit Museum, but it was closed today.  Instead, we headed a few blocks north to the new World Trade Center and the observation deck.  It's a bit over-schlocked and glitzy, but it's a beautiful experience and a stunning view:

After that, we headed into Brooklyn to meet some friends for dinner.  A and I have been friends since 1998, when we were first-year MFA students and had to tap a keg at a party because the third-year students didn't know how.  We became fast friends and have stayed in touch ever since.  We've both got spouses and kids now, and it was a magical evening for me to enjoy some good pizza, sit with A, K, and S, and watch our kids enjoy each other's company.  

After dinner we headed back into Manhattan and back to our hotel.  I finished off the chapter of the book I'm reading to H and everyone drifted off.  Time for me to process photos (and the day) and sip on some bourbon.  Tomorrow's our last day in the city.

NYC Day 2: Natural History Museum

 Last night was my first night on the sofa bed in the hotel.  It was... surprisingly not terrible!  I slept alright and woke up with less pain than most other sofaabeds. Winning.

We got up and out the door in time to meet B & SZ for breakfast around the corner on Central Park South.  B & SZ are both alums of the UCI sound design program (MFA and BA, respectively), and both also have connections to my Yale Drama (instructor and student, respectively), so we had lots to talk about.  H & S were very understanding and indulgent of our deep nerd-dive, and after we got a few photos in Central Park before we went our respective ways: they to their days off, and us to...

...The Natural History Museum!  It was H's first subway ride (though she'll remind you that she's taken the London Underground, thankyouverymuch), and we had a great time at the museum.  We started in the outer space area, learning about the big bang and the timeline of the universe.

Then, we headed to the minerals and gems room, where we saw some truly stunning pieces.  The entrance to the hall was a 9' tall amethyst geode, which sparkled stunningly and only looks (modestly) like the galaxy in photographs...

When we viewed the cut gems room, H had a separate dance for each beautiful gem she found!

There was a rad touchscreen interactive exhibit where kids could combine elements and isotopes to make minerals.  This occupied her while S and I took in the rest of the gallery.

After space and gems/minerals, we took a break to rest our feet.  Then, it was off to the ocean room (for whales, sharks, seals, and polar bears)...

And then to the dinos/vertebrats/mammals room. There were some stunning skeletons of all sorts of animals, from huge titanosaurs that spilled into second rooms to cute teeny pterodactyls with a 10" wingspan.  

This turtle is happy to see you.

This goat/ibex/deer/demon is not.

We stayed at the museum until it closed and then took the subway (H's first transfer!) to August, a restaurant on the upper east side.  It's original location was in soho, and when S and I live here, we had a way-too-expensive-for-our-budget first-anniversary dinner here.  Since then, it moved to the UES, and we had a nice nostalgia evening with H for dinner.  H was tired and bit of a grump, but we all had a (mostly) good time.  

After dinner we had a 15-minute walk back to the hotel in the drizzle.

My feet hurt!  Blisters, shin splints.  Lame.  I iced them and then I read half a chapter to H before putting her to bed.  Tomorrow's another day!

NYC Day 1:MOMA & Central Park

Yesterday we hopped on a plane in OC and flew to NYC for a few days of spring break family vacation!  We landed in Newark at around 9pm, and went straight our hotel.  We had booked a suite, but the hotel screwed up the reservation.  We ended up in two individual rooms next door to each other for the night, with a promise that we'd be moved to a suite the next day.  After we got settled at our hotel, I took a little walkabout in the mist/fog to find an evening nightcap.

The next morning, the sun was out and I had a nice run in Central Park before meeting up with S & H for a visit to MOMA.  H is generally into modern art (the bigger, more colorful, and more interactive, the better), and while MOMA had a few of those pieces (the big Pollocks were a hit, as was this dynamic video piece), she was less moved than she was at the Guggenheim in June.  Still, we found some great pieces to look at, and MOMA had a fun area for kids to make their own inspired art!

Also I got to see my first IRL Christine Sun Kim piece!  We studied her in my Sound Art class, but I had never seen one of her pieces in person.  I'm glad to say that I recognized it right away as one of hers...

After MOMA, we grabbed some lunch at Turnstyle (an underground food court on 8th between 57th and 58th) and then headed to Central Park.  H climbed on playgrounds and rocks while S and I visited with B, one of my old students.  It was the first sunny warm day of the year, so the park was jammed full of people.  Many of the fields had signs asking people to stay off them... you can see how well that worked.

While we were out, the hotel staff moved our luggage to the new room, a suite with a view of the park.  We returned from our Central Park fun, rested our feet and unpacked, and then headed to the Carnegie Diner for dinner.  S had a lobster roll, I had a Reuben, and H had chocolate cake.  All were content.

Back at the hotel room for a 10pm lights out for H.  S was tired so didn't stay up much later.  I rallied and went out for a drink, but at this time of the night and week (10pm on a Sunday), not much is open.  I was hoping for a quiet bar with a nice cocktail.  I ended up in a Sheraton hotel bar, which didn't quite suck but wasn't the experience I was hoping for.  Maybe tomorrow will be more successful...

 

Day 3: Super Bloom and Super Hot

 A/B/O bought our octet tickets to the SuperBloom and entrances to the Tower of London for today, so at 10am, we showed up at the tower, ready for action. The SuperBloom is a huge amount of flowers planted in what used to be the Tower's moat, and we started our visit by circling the tower, in the moat (which was devoid of shade on this scorching day), marveling at the flowers and the busy bees:

Our own busy bee decided to record her memories by sketching some of the flowers!

After the SuperBloom, we walked along the Thames and then spent a few hours inside the Tower. It's as described - a tower, in the center of London, full of historical artifacts.  Castles, weapons, chapels, armor, ravens, dungeons, and ice cream!  We saw perhaps a third of it before we called it a day, grabbed ice cream for the girls, and hopped a water shuttle to London Eye.

We had hoped to pick up tickets to the Eye, but by the time we got there, we had run out of time. So, we headed for home!  Me on foot, and the rest of the octet on the Tube.  My overland walk took me past Big Ben, Parliament, Scotland Yard, Parliament Square, and Westminster Abbey:

Once home, we cleaned up (this was definitely a two-shower day) and headed to proper pub for a proper dinner.   Dinner was swell (A & I particularly enjoyed their G&T's), and we all returned tired to the house to get the girls ready for bed.   After they were zonked (which took a record short time), C and I headed to the corner pub for a pint and a chat.  This was my favorite beer of the evening (for taste, brewer's name, and graphic design reasons):

Tomorrow is an early morning for an early adventure!

Peru: Some Closing Thoughts

Now that our trip to Peru is winding down, here are some thoughts about our two weeks here, in the order in which they come to my head.

• Traveling on a trip like this, in a country without an easy-to-navigate tourism infrastructure, S and I both felt that we needed a travel agent to handle the details of our trip. We found Roberto at Peru Inside Out, and he and his support was exceptional! When we landed in Lima, the driver handed us a cellphone that we used on occasion to check in with him, but usually, things ran smoothly. Drivers met us at the hotels, airports, and train stations. We had knowledgeable guides on our trips (Nancy in Lima, Roberto himself in Arequipa, Omar in Colca/Chivay, Janet in Cusco/Sacred Valley, Augustine in Machu Picchu, Dino in the jungle), and the details of the trips (hotel reservations, train and plane tickets, etc.) were all taken care of. We definitely splurged on this trip, but if you want to go to Peru, check out Peru Inside Out (and I hear they're expanding into Ecuador too!).
• I'm very glad that most of our tours were private. The one time we spent stuck on a large bus (for Inti Raymi) was awful.
• Speaking of Inti Raymi, don't buy the ticket to the big show. It's not worth it. Just wander the town and go to the two free events in Cusco proper.
• Cities we liked: Lima, Arequipa, Cusco.
• Cities we didn't like: Puno
• Hotels we loved: Casa Andina in Arequipa, Colca Lodge, Tambo de Inka in Urubamba, Inkaterra in Machu Picchu Pueblo, Hacienda Concepcion near Puerto Maldonado.
• Hotels we didn't like: Tierra Viva in Puno (but the staff was great)
• The star-rating of hotels seem to be relative to what the city has to offer. Tierra Viva was a four-star, but it was by far the worst property we stayed at.  Colca Lodge was a four-star, but it was on par with the five-stars in the Sacred Valley. Do your research!
• In general, all of the staff at the hotels, airlines, etc., were all excellent. Most spoke English, and if not, they indulged my pigeon Spanish.
• We spent way too many days traveling. There was one time we spent three nights in one place. The rest of the time, we were in the same hotel for one or two nights. That was a mistake.
• Also, we planned too many things. We actually had very little time where we were able to laze about. The few times we did, it was often because we were on a train for 10 hours, or something like that.
• Do not discount the altitude issues when traveling in Peru. It's there, and it's real.
• S found some clothing made by Ex Officio that was specifically treated to ward off bugs. We both bought some, and I treated some of my other clothing with a spray to do the same thing. It worked fantastically. We both came back from the Amazon jungle with nary a bug bite.

If we were going to come to Peru again, I think this might be a smarter itinerary:

• Three nights in Lima
• Three or four nights in Cusco
• Four or five nights in the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu
• Three nights in the jungle

Peru: Day 15: Inti Raymi

When S and I started organizing this trip, we discovered that 24 June was when Cusco celebrated Inti Raymi, or the festival of the sun. Why it wasn't on the solstice, we didn't know, but we bought tickets to see the ancient Incan celebration.

What a mistake.

The day started off with an 8am meeting at the hotel lobby to walk to the first of three sites for the festival. The first site was just a few blocks from our hotel. It was a packed sidewalk overlooking a sunken garden. We crowded in with thousands of our closest friends, each one clambering for a better view. Finally, at 9, the event started. Some music played, and about 200 Peruvians, clad in different Peruvian costumes, paraded in. Then, there was some prayer, and the 200 Peruvians danced out. The whole thing took about 45 minutes, most of which was watching the costumed dancers file in and out. All while being crushed. Lame.

S left after this first event. The crowds and altitude were too much. I should've joined her.

We then filed to the Plaza de Armas, where again we crammed together to watch a 45-minute ceremony, most of which was the filing in and out. It was almost exactly the same, but at least this time I was able to take some photos:

Then, we followed our tour guide (this was one of the few times this trip where we joined a larger group) to the travel agency, where we waited for 45 minutes before boarding a bus for the trip up the hill to the last location. On the bus trip up, the guide explained that the entire ceremony used to take place in the Plaza de Armas, but that the main event was moved up to the hillside so that the city could make money selling tickets to tourists. This made me uncomfortable, but if me buying an expensive ticket made for a good show and a boon to the local economy, I guess I could live with that.

Famous last words.

The hillside ceremony was only slightly better than the previous sections. For one, I had an actual seat. For two, there was an agenda that was more than just filing in and out. But that was where the improvements ended. There was still a long period of time filing in and out. There were still the same two songs I had been hearing all day (both in an AABB pattern, with influences from American Indian and Chinese music), there were still the same dances, only now they were interspersed with long monologuing in Quechua, the ancient Incan language. I took a bunch of photos:

And then, about 70 minutes in, I packed up my stuff and left.

I couldn't find the tour group leader to say goodbye, but I assume he didn't miss me too much. I walked down the hill into town, found my way back to the hotel, and spent the afternoon wandering around town. S and I met up for dinner, and now we're back in the hotel, relaxing before heading to bed for an early morning. We need to be packed and ready to go by 6am for our ride to the airport. Looking forward to a long flight and sleeing in our own bed tomorrow night!

Bon voyage, Peru! It's been (mostly) great!

 

Peru: Day 14: Back to Cusco

We got up this morning, ate our breakfast, said goodbye to the birds and Dino, and hopped a boat back to Puerto Maldonado to catch our flight to Cusco.

We got back to Cusco, got an upgrade to our room, unpacked a bit, and set out to wander the town. Cusco is getting ready to celebrate Inti Raymi tomorrow, or the festival of the winter solstice. Today, the Plaza de Armas was packed with revelers and paraders. It was hard to tell with my limited Spanish, but it sounds like each of the towns around Cusco out together their own dance/music demonstration.

S and I had burgers for lunch, a little taste of home. Then, we toured the local Inca temple,

wandered Plaza San Bras, the bohemian district, and did a little gift shopping.

S got pooped, she turned in early while I visited a bar that specialized in artisanal Pisco. The manager talked me through five different kinds of Pisco, how it is made, and how the different varieties differ. I managed to hold my own with my knowledge of spirits in general, but I definitely learned a great deal about this grape spirit. I may have bought a few bottles and made some friends with some guys from the Bay Area.

Back to the room to take care of some flight nonsense and get some sleep. Tomorrow is another early morning!

 

 

Peru: Day 13: Relaxing in the Amazon

This morning I woke to the sound of a bird that I've been trying to record for a few days. I crept out of bed, grabbed my recorder, and got some good samples. I had woken earlier than I had intended, so with my extra time I walked away from the cabanas to do some more recording. There are some amazing animal sounds around here, but any recording close to the riverbank is marred by the sound of motorboats putting up and down the river. Short of a hike three miles inland, there's not much doing to get rid of that sound. Bernie Krauss would have a lot to say about it.

The rest of D's group left this morning, so S and I had D to ourselves. We started the day off with a trip to a local farm. The farmers were in Puerto Maldonado for the weekend markets, so we wandered through ourselves. Most of the farm is agricultural, but they do grow some chickens for meat. Here's the house where the family lives:

As D took us around the farm, he told us a lot about farming in the Amazon. For example, there are papaya trees AND mamaya trees. The papaya trees have more fruit, but smaller in size. The mamaya has bigger fruit, but fewer of them. Also, after a banana tree fruits twice, it gets hacked off mid-trunk, and a new plant sprouts from the trunk We saw papaya, banana, lemon, lime, oranges, corn, cauliflower, cabbage, squash, cilantro, fake cilantro, basil, star fruit, coconut, and avocado. Here's a lemon -it's much larger than ours in the USA (about the size of a grapefruit):

S and D tromp through the fields

Also, D showed is this fruit whose name we can't remember (nina, or noni, or nani...):

After walking the grounds, we came back to the farmhouse and D hacked up a coconut, which he presented to S:

Then, a short boat ride back to the lodge and a chance to take a siesta before lunch (where I drank the coconut).

In the late afternoon, we met up with D one last time for a paddle around the lagoon here at the lodge. We saw lots of birds and insects, but only one fish (which was in a heron's mouth):

Then, back to the lodge, where we left D with a nice tip (he said he would share it with the others), and another break before we do the night cruise again.

After the cruise was one last dinner, which featured a spectacular dessert: roasted plátanos with clove, cinnamon, and vanilla, in a butter-rum sauce. Whoa. On the way back to the cabana, we stopped for a quick photo of the upstairs of the lodge. All of the buildings here are open to the air (but with screens) - there are very few solid walls.

Tomorrow, we depart our jungle habitat, bound again for Cusco, our final stop of this trip!