On the train to Boston

As I type this, we are chugging northwards on the Amtrak train to Boston. We decided to take the train rather than the plane to Logan airport because a) Penn Station was really near by and so the time taken is about the same either way and b) a lot more hassle going to Newark, going through airport security and traveling from Logan to Cambridge.

Now that we are about to leave New York, the weather has cleared up. It was a beautiful morning with bright sunshine. Walked out for about 1½ hours before mass, first to the Flatirons building, then to Union Square and ending up in Washington Square. I really like this part of New York. Slightly older than downtown NY, with a really pleasant relaxed atmosphere. Few cars, probably because its Sunday. So Broadway was closed below E13th Street for a street market (it was just starting up when I got there). People were going to church, or walking their dogs. New York University (NYU) accommodations are around the Washington Square area. It looked as though many people were moving in today – brings back lots of memories for me! There are also two dog runs in one corner of Washington Square, one especially for little dogs and one (I suppose) for dogs of all sizes. Dogs and their owners interacting quite happily within the run. Both runs were maintained by the “Washington Square Dog Run Association” – that’s the one thing I find different about Americans as opposed to the British of Singaporeans – they get together, associate and do things. Of course Singapore has certain obstacles in the way - I doubt that the dog run association folk had to register with any government body!

Rushed back from my walk to check out of the hotel and go to mass. Decided some time back to go to the 11am service at St Francis of Assissi but because I spent so long walking around, it was a real rush back. But it was well worth it. I was ever so slightly late :-) but it was really a pleasant surprise to enter the church and hear a pipe organ accompanying the congregation in the entrance hymn. St Francis itself is not large but quite beautiful. It is a long church with entrances on both W31st and W32nd Streets.

A large mosaic behind the alter depicts Mary carrying the child Jesus. He smites a serpent at their feet with a spear, as St Francis and (presumably) St Clare look on at either side. One smaller mosaic on the left depicts Mary being assumed into heaven; one more on the right shows St Francis (presumably) on his deathbed.

Mass itself was fairly well attended. I was surprised when we continued kneeling throughout the whole of the Liturgy of the Eucharist (from the breaking of bread to the great “Amen” before the “Our Father”. Local tradition? At the sign of peace, there was generally warm handshakes all around (contrast the chilly reception and funny looks I get when I try to do the same at Holy Family). Just goes to show how friendly Americans are!

For more pictures of St Francis and of NY, click here.

We have now left New York proper and are in the countryside. Quite charming – just crossed over an inlet with boats tied up on each side of the river. Saw some wooden frame houses on one side of the railway track. Just passed a golf course – what a lovely day it is for a round. Most unfortunately, I believe it is raining in Boston.

Postscript: The weather was beautiful until just before Providence, Rhode Island. Blue skies, little white cottony clouds…. then dark clouds appeared on the horizon and all of a sudden the train entered a damp foggy cloud which shrouded everything from Providence to Boston. It was so bad that flights into Logan (including from NY) were delayed. So it looks as though we made the right decision to take the train. Despite the fog, Boston itself wasn't really rainy - more a light sprinkle than anything else. Didn't stop us from having dinner at Legal Seafood.

At The Met

A note on my visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 2 Sep. It is a large museum, rather eclectic (or is that "comprehensive"?) in its mix of exhibits and artwork. As someone was saying, a combination of the dear old British Museum and National Gallery (plus many other things, including Suzhou gardens!). The Met can be all things to all men.

The main part of my time was spent in the American collection. Partly because once in the US, it makes sense to see works by US artists. But also because after the Musee D'Orsay, the museums of Florence, and the Egyptian and Grecian collections at the BM, it was time to see something new. The American collection is dominated by one man – George Washington. First of all, the large painting of “George Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Leutze. I did not realise before that it was painted on such a monumental scale. The picture is of Washington looking resolute, standing on a small boat. His men are around him, some breaking the ice before the boat and the others rowing the boat onward. Other boats behind follow his lead. Facing this painting is another large painting of Washington and Lafayette (another Revolutionary General, I suppose) supposedly talking at Washington’s plantation, Mount Vernon. Above this, two portraits of George and Martha Washington. More portraits of George dot the other rooms.

The other series of paintings in the American Collection which I enjoyed very much were the landscapes by the “Hudson River School”. These painters were inspired by the thought of showing God’s presence in nature and include Thomas Cole, Asher Brown Durand and Frederick Church.

Guided by Frommer’s, I also chose to spend a few moments in the European section to look at the “Studiolo Gubbio”, which is essentially a small wood-panelled study room. The panelling represents bookshelves and cabinets on which are various books, scientific devices (of the day) and includes a bird in a cage. The Met’s note:

“This detail is from a study, (or studiolo), intended for meditation and study. Its walls are carried out in a wood-inlay technique known as intarsia. The latticework doors of the cabinets, shown open or partly closed, indicate the contemporary interest in linear perspective. The cabinets display objects reflecting Duke Federico's wide-ranging artistic and scientific interests, and the depictions of books recall his extensive library. Emblems of the Montefeltro are also represented. This room may have been designed by Francesco di Giorgio (1439–1502) and was executed by Giuliano da Majano (1432–1490). A similar room, in situ, was made for the duke's palace at Urbino.”

The Met also featured the Temple of Dendur, which is an ancient Egyptian shrine presented to the US govt by the Egyptian government. Whilst this is one of the Museum’s principal exhibits, I was disappointed in that it lacked sufficient detail and background to give visitors a better sense of the historical context of the shrine, its place in the community and so on (unless I missed this totally).

What else did I see at the Met? The Tiffany collection was lovely – lamps, vases (see lovely irridescent flower vase on the right), windows in beautiful glowing colours; the 4 knights charging down the middle of the hall were fun. See some other photos here.

Yes, I also visited the Store. Prices are a lot cheaper than those in Singapore – only to be expected.

In general, the Met is a most worthwhile place to spend a morning or a day (if time permits). Especially, with student discounts ($10 as compared to $20).

On Broadway

Attended my first Broadway play today - "The History Boys", by Alan Bennett. Although, strictly speaking, it is a British play which enjoyed considerable success in London before crossing the Atlantic to Broadway, where it won Tony Awards (2006) for Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.

The play is about a group of schoolboys preparing for their Oxbridge entrance exams. The main tension in the play is the different teaching styles and approaches to life as manifested between the boys’ English teacher (Hector) and their History teacher (Irwin), and the legacy they pass on to their students. The play challenges the audience to ask themselves, of the two, who is more “successful” as a teacher, and how would we define success in the first place. It is about the purpose and nature of education – of form vs substance, rationalisation vs understanding the truth, about improving school rankings vs education for life (sounds familiar?). It has been reviewed in many places, but I happen to like this one in the New York Times.

I found the Broadhurst theatre (where the play was being staged) a little different from London theatres. The lobby is small and we moved straight into the house proper (and bumped into the bar). The seats were pretty narrow and there was not much leg room in between the rows. Probably an older theatre. On the other hand, the playbill (programme) was free! Unfortunately my jet lag caught up with me near the end of the first act. Considering this is a pretty intellectual play with a lot of literary references, this meant that some portions just swept over me. Managed to shake off the drowsiness and was pretty alert during the second half.

What I enjoyed – great performances from Richard Griffiths (as the English master) and Frances de la Tour, scenes showing the interaction between the boys and their teachers, the songs and performances put up by the boys throughout the play, the use of film segments for additional scenes (probably the best use of it that I’ve seen, not that I’ve seen that much). Also, the interesting sets – different rooms were constructed using movable walls on the stage. All in all, a great play and a great evening out (even though we had to walk to the subway station in the rain, through crowds of other umbrella-carrying people).

Jet Lagged

I woke up at 4am today, and went back to sleep until 5.40am. At this point, recognised that my body clock was still not catching up with me and so started drafting this blog.

Yesterday was spent largely downtown. We went first to see the Statue of Liberty. The intent was to take the cruise which would ferry us to Liberty Island itself – but there were no admissions to the statue that morning. So, we took the free Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. No complaints personally but its truly amazing that this ferry service is free. It is heartily abused by all these tourists round-tripping from Manhatten to Staten Island just to see the Statue, and from a distance at that. (That’s why it turned out pretty small in my photo.) However, there were 3-4 people dressed up as Lady Liberty around Castle Clinton (Ticketing Station for the Cruise to Liberty and Ellis Islands) and that was close enough for me. But the ferry ride was fun – and with the cold winds blowing in our face as we went back to Manhatten from Staten Island, quite exhilarating. Having said that, the weather right now is not the greatest. Temperatures are quite ok (about 20 degrees C or so) but there are overhanging clouds and it gets a little nippy. But we should count ourselves lucky. There is flooding in Norfolk, Virginia. Thanks to Tropical Storm Ernesto.

After the Statue of Liberty, we went to the World Trade Centre site. It was sobering to see the massive site where so many people had lost their lives, but the new construction work has started, and we could see some trains (the subway?) going through the site. The fire station next to the site has a huge memorial on its outside wall which I think said it well – acknowledging both “those who fell and those who carry on”.

I went on to Greenwich Village for a walk in the afternoon (other members of our party went their separate ways). The Village is an older part of New York and the houses built reflect the architecture of their times (see photos). It is indeed a pleasant part of NY which has a warm feel of community about it. One neighbourhood adopted a street corner and turned it into a little garden. People walk their dogs (but there is no trace of you-know-what on the ground) and pop into the "neighbourhood" shops (Bleecker Street ranges from craft shops to designer clothes, with one rather nice bookshop - Biography Bookshop).

Jet lag struck in the evening (about 6pm) and I slept for an hour before going out for dinner. Probably the main reason behind my early start this morning!

My first night in New York, New York

We arrived at New York City yesterday at about 7pm. This is the second time I've been to NY, the first since 9/11. Am here because my Masters' programme includes a stint at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and am taking advantage of the trip to visit NY first.

Am staying in a fairly decent hotel in "Korean Town", and there are certainly a wide range of Korean restaurants on our street, none of which we ate at! Walked to Times Square last night after dinner and window shopped along the way - Gap, Footlocker, Macy's, Toys "R" Us, Sephora (actually that was more than just window shopping), Virgin, etc. Look forward to a more ... purposeful? ... visit later on.

I didn't really notice it last visit but this time, what was obvious was the range of accents with which people in NYC speak. Our cab driver was Egyptian, and the serving staff at the little cafe we ate at didn't have obvious American accents either. We pride ourselves that Singapore is a pretty cosmopolitan place but if you listen to people's voices, the range of accents is similar. Will Singaporeans be comfortable with a range of accents in the restaurants, shops, cinemas, supermarkets.... and most of all taxis? Hmmm.