Amsterdam Days 0-2: arrival and hot/sticky/worky

Last Tuesday, I hopped on a plane for Amsterdam to for two weeks to put up two shows with a couple colleagues from UCI.  I flew direct out of LAX, flying overnight.  My hair looked good when I left...

... but by the time I landed in Amsterdam, it was...less than.

 

L and I flew in on the same flight. After we landed Wednesday morning, moved through passport control, and hopped a train into central city, B, R, and H met us to walk us to the theatre.  Along the way, we passed over lots of beautiful canals and BOY was it hot!  I had been checking the weather for the previous week and the forecast was reasonable (mid-70's), but it was 80F by the time we landed at 9am.  

From the train station, we went straight to the theatre for a while to get settled in.  The theatre is roughly 50x50', and the grid is a system of trusses that can be raised and lowered individually.  Here's a shot of a few of them lowered to the ground.

After a few hours at the theatre, L and I were beat, so we headed to the apartment to get settled in.  We're on the 4th and 5th floor of a walk-up with no a/c.  L passed out and I went to buy an oscillating fan.  We cooked in (and triggered the smoke alarm), and I was passed out by 10.30.

On Thursday morning, I was up at 6 and we were at the theatre by 9.15.  L and I walked in to the theatre and kept working on load-in.  We took a break mid-afternoon and walked across town (hot! HOT!) to pick up rental bikes. H & S facetimed along the way!  Everything you've read about Amsterdammers riding bikes everywhere is 100% true. This city is full of bikes, and the roads are designed to prioritize bikes over motorized vehicles.  Plus, it's super fun to ride in Amsterdam!

After rehearsal, L and I had dinner with E, our producer for these two plays.  We met at a small pub right next to the theatre for a beer, and then E took us to a chinese restaurant in the Chinatown section of Amsterdam.  The dinner was delicious, and on the way, we passed this small castle that used to host a human dissection theatre on the top floor.  Today, there's a restaurant on the ground floor.

Back home, I got a chance to check in with S before working on some notes and then blogging.  Off to bed soon!  Another workday tomorrow!

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...