I had a chance to experience this event with a couple of good friends. This was a 'headphone' opera based on the book by Italo Calvino. The book is a description by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan of various cities in his empire, however the cities he describes are not real, but fantasy places. The opera was took part in the original part of Union Station. The small orchestra was located in (and stayed at) the old restaurant space where the audience started, after picking up our wireless Senneheiser headphones. As we gathered for the start of the opera, the words from the book were being read in Italian. The language is so musical that it made me realize why they invented opera. How could they not put music to such a language.
After a brief introduction (and guidance) by the director Yuval Sharon and a short overture, the audience was then welcome to wander throughout the areas of the station where various parts of the performance were taking place. In addition to the main characters, there were 6 other singers as well as dancers from LA Dance Project. The action took place in the two courtyards on either side of the main hall, in the main hall itself, and in the old ticketing area. The station remained open and commuters and travelers navigated in between the performers and audience members (and the regular homeless people who spend time there).
The performance was a truly eye-opening and amazingly wonderous experience. At first, I followed some of the dancers and focused on them. In my initial wanderings, I would glimpse someone seated in the great hall singing and realize it was a member of the cast (sitting reading a newspaper, or typing as they are singing). Halfway through I realized that the text being projected above the entrance to the train tracks were the lyrics and that they were singing in English. Marco Polo was dressed in a hoodie and backpack and looked like he could have been any random station denizen. Kublai Khan was also dressed in regular street clothes and sitting in a wheelchair. The dancers and choreography were wonderful as were the singers and I loved the music. The opera took about 75 minutes, ending in the old ticket hall. Kublai Khan at this point is dressed in imperial splendour. Before we reentered the ticket hall, there was a giant cloud of smoke hanging in the middle of the air. It retained its shape remarkably and when I walked under it, it smelled like burnt sugar.
After the performance, as the cast did their bows, they were standing not more than 10 feet from us. I was able to talk to one of the dancers on how it felt to dance so close to the audience (challenging and intimidating at first but he became accustomed to it). I also was able to talk briefly to the director and congratulate him on an amazing achievement. My friends Kathleen and Brandi and I sat at the bar afterwards to discuss our experiences (each a little different) and I couldn't help but feel like this was a quintessentially LA experience. I can't wait to see more events by this talented crew.
I was able to take some (flashless) photos during the performance. I actually had to restrain myself from taking more, because the visuals were so striking I kept seeing photos in my mind.
09 November 2013
Bestia
I finally got a chance to try out this new place, which has been getting rave reviews ever since it opened. It is run by a husband and wife chef/pastry chef team and located in one of those weird hidden pockets of downtown LA that people haven't found yet. We managed to get a 6p reservation. I got there about 5 minutes early and the restaurant wasn't quite open yet, but there was a lot of yelling coming from inside-the staff sounded like they were at a pep rally.
The food was consistently superb. We stuck to appetizer and pasta dishes and still ordered a little too much. Our favourite dish was the cavatelli with black truffles. The pasta was the exact right consistency, the sausage perfect texture and flavour and the truffles added that intense richness. The beef meatballs were another hit, with a smooth, soft texture and a complex but perfectly matched sauce. One of the diners at the next table had the pork chop, which was huge and he deemed it 'crazy' good. We had a chocolate tart and pear tart for dessert, both excellent (the pear tart was one of the best fruit desserts I've had).
This is a very loud restaurant, not helped by the fact that the staff is constantly yelling at each other (again, pep rally type yelling not angry yelling). Ours were ringing by the time we left, although we noted that the patio was much quieter and would be the preferred location for next time.
The food was consistently superb. We stuck to appetizer and pasta dishes and still ordered a little too much. Our favourite dish was the cavatelli with black truffles. The pasta was the exact right consistency, the sausage perfect texture and flavour and the truffles added that intense richness. The beef meatballs were another hit, with a smooth, soft texture and a complex but perfectly matched sauce. One of the diners at the next table had the pork chop, which was huge and he deemed it 'crazy' good. We had a chocolate tart and pear tart for dessert, both excellent (the pear tart was one of the best fruit desserts I've had).
This is a very loud restaurant, not helped by the fact that the staff is constantly yelling at each other (again, pep rally type yelling not angry yelling). Ours were ringing by the time we left, although we noted that the patio was much quieter and would be the preferred location for next time.
Netherlands Dance Theatre
I'm a little behind in posting about recent events. NDT returned to LA in October and I was really excited to see them. My friend Kathleen and I went along with her husband (who is not a dance afficionado). The program included a new piece inspired by Rite of Spring (as part of the centenary celebration) and two pieces by the artistic director Paul Lightfoot and his wife/creative partner Sol Leon. This is a new creative leader for this amazing dance group since they were last in LA (although both of them have been dancing with NDT for years). I've seen Lightfoot/Leon pieces before and have always found them to be wonderful.
The dancers were again incredible, as we expected. The most moving and emotional piece for me was 'Shoot The Moon'. The set for this piece is a series of three rooms that rotate with vignettes of pairs of dancers or a soloist. Two large screens above the set capture various details of the action, sometimes focusing on the faces of the dancers that you see on screen. The music for this piece was Philip Glass (who I always love being choreographed to.) The overall feeling was one of melancholy and despair, but with glimmers of potential hope and felt so deeply that I almost burst into tears at the end.
The dancers were again incredible, as we expected. The most moving and emotional piece for me was 'Shoot The Moon'. The set for this piece is a series of three rooms that rotate with vignettes of pairs of dancers or a soloist. Two large screens above the set capture various details of the action, sometimes focusing on the faces of the dancers that you see on screen. The music for this piece was Philip Glass (who I always love being choreographed to.) The overall feeling was one of melancholy and despair, but with glimmers of potential hope and felt so deeply that I almost burst into tears at the end.
29 September 2013
Glow 2013
The all night beach side art festival in Santa Monica has returned. I had an amazing experience a few years ago, where a wonderful variety of art installations used lights, colours and luminescence in some incredible ways. This year's festival had fewer art installations, and the ones that were presented suffered by comparison. Very few of them were totally transcendent, like several of the ones from 2010. Too many of them required standing in line (in 2010, there were definitely lines, but there were also many that involved simply approaching the installation and interacting with it). Some of the more fun pieces this year included a phosphorescent wall where people could pose and have their shadow 'captured', and a series of giant fishing nets hung over a pit dug into the sand with coloured lights shining on it. One artist presented a well with biolumniscent algae that glowed when you dropped coins into it. It was quite beautiful when anything disturbed the water, but most of the time, it was just water and the effect was so short lived. The potential did not seem to have been realized.
Despite the disappointment in the art, this was a really fun evening, with beautiful weather and well behaved hordes of people. Here are some photos.
Despite the disappointment in the art, this was a really fun evening, with beautiful weather and well behaved hordes of people. Here are some photos.
Ai Wei Wei at Art Gallery of Ontario
During my trip to Toronto, there was an exhibit of Ai Wei Wei's work at the Art Gallery. I went with Ma and Shih Ah Yi (Aunt Pat). I thought the exhibit was interesting. Some of the pieces felt a little too obvious but most of them were interesting, with quite a few related to the Sichuan earthquake disaster. Ma and Shih Ah Yi both had a different take, being more skeptical of him, and feeling like he was all self promotion.
Here's a link to some photos from Toronto, including the Ai exhibit.
Here's a link to some photos from Toronto, including the Ai exhibit.
Ottawa
I'm spending the week with Ma and I decided that, rather than hanging around Toronto, it would be nice to get Ma out of the house for a few days. I planned a short trip to Ottawa, a place we visited when we were kids. Ma reached out to June Jordan, an old family friend who lives in Ottawa and we planned an afternoon together.
The drive to Ottawa was smooth and uneventful. The trees are still mostly green in Toronto, but they were starting to turn colour as we got a little farther north. The road up is mostly uninhabited aside from a few farms. Ottawa itself is a small place, very compact. We stayed at a hotel a few blocks from Parliament and walking distance to Byward Market, which looked like a good place to wander. We had great weather our entire stay, with the temperatures getting warmer as our stay went on.
On our first afternoon there, after checking into the hotel, we decided to take a walk around. I forgot a map, so we found a friendly local who pointed us towards the Rideau Canal. This is the beginning of a series of locks that takes boats from the Ottawa River all the way to Lake Ontario. The Canal also serves as the world's longest skating rink in winter. The elevation from the river to the top of the first set of locks is pretty impressive. From the locks, we walked to Byward Market. This area ended up being the place we went to find dinner every night. In addition to a multitude of restaurants of all kinds, there are shops, and an open air farmer's market. We bought a small sample of local wild blueberries for breakfast the next morning, and I picked up some souvenir local maple syrup bottles. For dinner we stopped at a restaurant called Social that was conveniently located and seemed to have a decent menu. Turned out to be a fantastic place, with terrific service. I had pheasant (really delicious with an amazing sauce) and Ma had duck.
On our first full day, we walked to Parliament to take part in a tour of the facility. It was another glorious day. The tour covered the House of Commons but not the Senate (there was some private activity going on in there), as well as the Library, which is the only original part of the building that survived a fire and is absolutely beautiful inside (no photos allowed, alas). Everywhere you go in the building are portraits of Prime Ministers, some from a long time ago, but others I recognized. At the end of the tour, we went up to the tower to get a bird's eye view of Ottawa. The adjacent Memorial Chamber has books with the names of all the soldiers who died in past wars, all written in the most beautiful calligraphy.
From Parliament, we walked to Byward for lunch (Fish Market, for delicious fresh caught trout and catfish for Ma, and shrimp stuffed with crab for me). We planned to meet June at the National Gallery at 2p and so walked over from Byward stopping in various stores on the way. There are lots of funky and unusual shops in the area. The Gallery is marked at the entrance by a giant Louise Bourgeois sculpture of a spider mama. I don't think I've seen June for maybe 30 years. Alan, her husband, passed away 25 years ago of colon cancer. They used to visit us when we were kids and I remember Alan being one of the few fun adults. June looks great for her age and is quite active. She caught us up with her kids (Gail is in a small town near Calgary, Mark is in Kitchener) and what she's been doing recently and we caught her up with us. We didn't spend too much time at the Gallery, so left there to walk around a bit, stop for coffee, walk some more. We ended up in Byward Market at an Italian place called Mangia for a delicious meal.
On our final full day, we started at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where we saw a 3D movie about the migration of the monarch butterfly (Flight of the Butterfly, highly recommended). The museum has a great collection of native artifacts from the First Nations people on the west coast of Canada, including some amazing totem poles. Another part of the museum has an exhibit telling the story of some Canadians from various fields like politics, science, exploration, etc. The Canadian Hall starts from the beginning of settlement in Canada (with very dim lights) and talks of the lives of everyday Canadians over the decades as explorers became farmers and then farmers became townsfolk up to modern day. The lights get brighter as we move into the future.
The day before, June had recommended the Royal Canadian Mint so we stopped there next. Turns out this is an old castle from the early 1900s and only produces commemorative coins, investment coins and specialty medals, like the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic medals. They had some beautiful coins for sale (Ma loves commemorative coins) including some with enamel, or paintings. They also had a gold bar on display (surrounded by large policemen). The tour was really interesting (workers at the Mint are not allowed to wear any metal at all, which includes underwires) and there were displays of the Olympic medals as well as other unique commemoratives. They also have a display of coins that the Canadian Mint in Winnipeg produces for other countries. (Winnipeg is where the circulation coins are produced.)
After a short rest back at the hotel, we walked over to Byward and had dinner at a Latin Fusion restaurant called Mambo. Tonight was the mid autumn festival, so on our way back, we looked up to find the full moon at its most glorious, with a beautiful backdrop of clouds. According to an ancient poet, this time of year is when we most miss our loved ones who aren't with us (either far away or have passed on) and so we look at the moon and hope they are looking at the same moon.
Here's a link to some photos from Ottawa.
The drive to Ottawa was smooth and uneventful. The trees are still mostly green in Toronto, but they were starting to turn colour as we got a little farther north. The road up is mostly uninhabited aside from a few farms. Ottawa itself is a small place, very compact. We stayed at a hotel a few blocks from Parliament and walking distance to Byward Market, which looked like a good place to wander. We had great weather our entire stay, with the temperatures getting warmer as our stay went on.
On our first afternoon there, after checking into the hotel, we decided to take a walk around. I forgot a map, so we found a friendly local who pointed us towards the Rideau Canal. This is the beginning of a series of locks that takes boats from the Ottawa River all the way to Lake Ontario. The Canal also serves as the world's longest skating rink in winter. The elevation from the river to the top of the first set of locks is pretty impressive. From the locks, we walked to Byward Market. This area ended up being the place we went to find dinner every night. In addition to a multitude of restaurants of all kinds, there are shops, and an open air farmer's market. We bought a small sample of local wild blueberries for breakfast the next morning, and I picked up some souvenir local maple syrup bottles. For dinner we stopped at a restaurant called Social that was conveniently located and seemed to have a decent menu. Turned out to be a fantastic place, with terrific service. I had pheasant (really delicious with an amazing sauce) and Ma had duck.
On our first full day, we walked to Parliament to take part in a tour of the facility. It was another glorious day. The tour covered the House of Commons but not the Senate (there was some private activity going on in there), as well as the Library, which is the only original part of the building that survived a fire and is absolutely beautiful inside (no photos allowed, alas). Everywhere you go in the building are portraits of Prime Ministers, some from a long time ago, but others I recognized. At the end of the tour, we went up to the tower to get a bird's eye view of Ottawa. The adjacent Memorial Chamber has books with the names of all the soldiers who died in past wars, all written in the most beautiful calligraphy.
From Parliament, we walked to Byward for lunch (Fish Market, for delicious fresh caught trout and catfish for Ma, and shrimp stuffed with crab for me). We planned to meet June at the National Gallery at 2p and so walked over from Byward stopping in various stores on the way. There are lots of funky and unusual shops in the area. The Gallery is marked at the entrance by a giant Louise Bourgeois sculpture of a spider mama. I don't think I've seen June for maybe 30 years. Alan, her husband, passed away 25 years ago of colon cancer. They used to visit us when we were kids and I remember Alan being one of the few fun adults. June looks great for her age and is quite active. She caught us up with her kids (Gail is in a small town near Calgary, Mark is in Kitchener) and what she's been doing recently and we caught her up with us. We didn't spend too much time at the Gallery, so left there to walk around a bit, stop for coffee, walk some more. We ended up in Byward Market at an Italian place called Mangia for a delicious meal.
On our final full day, we started at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where we saw a 3D movie about the migration of the monarch butterfly (Flight of the Butterfly, highly recommended). The museum has a great collection of native artifacts from the First Nations people on the west coast of Canada, including some amazing totem poles. Another part of the museum has an exhibit telling the story of some Canadians from various fields like politics, science, exploration, etc. The Canadian Hall starts from the beginning of settlement in Canada (with very dim lights) and talks of the lives of everyday Canadians over the decades as explorers became farmers and then farmers became townsfolk up to modern day. The lights get brighter as we move into the future.
The day before, June had recommended the Royal Canadian Mint so we stopped there next. Turns out this is an old castle from the early 1900s and only produces commemorative coins, investment coins and specialty medals, like the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic medals. They had some beautiful coins for sale (Ma loves commemorative coins) including some with enamel, or paintings. They also had a gold bar on display (surrounded by large policemen). The tour was really interesting (workers at the Mint are not allowed to wear any metal at all, which includes underwires) and there were displays of the Olympic medals as well as other unique commemoratives. They also have a display of coins that the Canadian Mint in Winnipeg produces for other countries. (Winnipeg is where the circulation coins are produced.)
After a short rest back at the hotel, we walked over to Byward and had dinner at a Latin Fusion restaurant called Mambo. Tonight was the mid autumn festival, so on our way back, we looked up to find the full moon at its most glorious, with a beautiful backdrop of clouds. According to an ancient poet, this time of year is when we most miss our loved ones who aren't with us (either far away or have passed on) and so we look at the moon and hope they are looking at the same moon.
Here's a link to some photos from Ottawa.
02 September 2013
LACMA on Labour Day
I haven't been to the museum all summer. Today I had tickets to experience the James Turrell exhibit, including the Perceptual Cell and Dark Matters. The whole exhibit is mind blowing and disorienting (I was actually a little dizzy from the Perceptual Cell experience). No photos allowed (besides photos would not capture the full experience). The Roden Crater models were really cool, would love to see that some day (if it ever opens to the public).
In the Resnick there were models of the latest ideas for rebuilding LACMA with some super cool models of the new building and site. This plan is by Peter Zumthor, a Swiss architect. The new building would be very open to the outside passerby, which would be amazing (and very LA I think). The model builders included miniatures of existing LACMA art to show the potential.
In the Resnick there were models of the latest ideas for rebuilding LACMA with some super cool models of the new building and site. This plan is by Peter Zumthor, a Swiss architect. The new building would be very open to the outside passerby, which would be amazing (and very LA I think). The model builders included miniatures of existing LACMA art to show the potential.
Fancy box at the Hollywood Bowl
I was invited to the Hollywood Bowl with a seat to the center front row box last week! Very different ambiance than I'm used to since we are typically up in the cheap seats. Some photos. The sound is really quite good from down there. Wouldn't be as great for fireworks, though. :)
01 September 2013
Connie & Ted's
Apparently the latest thing in LA is the east coast seafood shack (or so I"m reading). I went to Michael Cimarusti's version this past week. His inspiration is his grandparents who lived in Rhode Island (so there is a smattering of RI specialties on the menu). Cimarusti is the chef of Providence, which is one of the best dining experiences I've ever had.
Well, the seafood shack is much more affordable than Providence and did not disappoint. It's quite a large space (and noisy, but typical LA restaurant noisy) located on Santa Monica Blvd heading away from boys' town into the Russian neighbourhood. There are a lot of raw oysters on the menu, and quite a few beers on tap but I don't eat raw and I don't drink beer. I did have a delicious and refreshing gin based cocktail, and we had Angels on horseback, which is oysters wrapped in bacon. Yum! The lobster roll is available hot (butter!) or cold (typical mayo) in a traditional NE top split bun. We had the hot roll, yum again! There were quite a few catches of the day available cooked a few different ways, I had halibut with herb and lemon. It was firm, fresh and delicious. The seasonal vegetable was a creamed corn. Not so exciting, we thought. And yet it was seriously the best corn we've ever had. The crab cake was also incredible. And my friend's fries (from the fish and chips) was amazingly good as well. Nothing we had was fancy, molecularized or fusioned into something else, but it was done as well as those dishes could be done. For dessert, we had the Indian pudding, again really good, a unique combination of dessert flavours. (The pastry chef is also runs the Providence dessert menu.) No wonder this is turning out to be a hard place to get a reservation at!
Well, the seafood shack is much more affordable than Providence and did not disappoint. It's quite a large space (and noisy, but typical LA restaurant noisy) located on Santa Monica Blvd heading away from boys' town into the Russian neighbourhood. There are a lot of raw oysters on the menu, and quite a few beers on tap but I don't eat raw and I don't drink beer. I did have a delicious and refreshing gin based cocktail, and we had Angels on horseback, which is oysters wrapped in bacon. Yum! The lobster roll is available hot (butter!) or cold (typical mayo) in a traditional NE top split bun. We had the hot roll, yum again! There were quite a few catches of the day available cooked a few different ways, I had halibut with herb and lemon. It was firm, fresh and delicious. The seasonal vegetable was a creamed corn. Not so exciting, we thought. And yet it was seriously the best corn we've ever had. The crab cake was also incredible. And my friend's fries (from the fish and chips) was amazingly good as well. Nothing we had was fancy, molecularized or fusioned into something else, but it was done as well as those dishes could be done. For dessert, we had the Indian pudding, again really good, a unique combination of dessert flavours. (The pastry chef is also runs the Providence dessert menu.) No wonder this is turning out to be a hard place to get a reservation at!
26 August 2013
New neighbour
This central coast craft brewery is opening a spot in my 'hood. I'm not much of a beer drinker (i.e., at all) but it's exciting to see new places like this coming to the neighbourhood. I wonder what kind of food they'll have?
Bucato
Last weekend, I tried out this new restaurant with my friend Brandi. It's located in the old Beacon laundry building (former location of a much loved asian fusion restaurant). The chef, Evan Funke, is well known about town (another former Spago-ite) and has been running the Porchetta truck lately while setting up this place. The interior is small, with most of it taken up by kitchen. Two outdoor areas provide the bulk of the seating. Apparently they will be adding canopies to the outdoor areas which will help in the winter. The food was fantastic. Another 'small bites' type place (which means they bring out the food in whatever order it is done). The menu is composed of several categories including a selection of hand made pastas, bigger entree size dishes and starter-y type things. Everything we ordered was delicious and fresh. Service was great. They have porchetta on the menu. What more could a girl want?
03 July 2013
Disneyland
After I got back from Chicago, Mei and family drove down to check out the new digs. Mei helped me figure out my kitchen and with some unpacking. We then all hopped in cars to drive down to Disneyland for a couple of days. It was either that or more unpacking.
This was our first time to see the new Cars Land, and we all loved it. The three rides in this section of the park are so much fun! Radiator Springs is the race car ride and the lines are long. We got there around 9a or so and it was already a 60 minute wait and Fast Passes were for 8p at night. This ride is worth the wait though. You start off driving your sports car through the Cars story (or so I'm told, I've never seen the movie). The second half of the ride is the race. With the sound of revving engines coming through the car's speakers, you sit at the start line with another car (with time for some trash talk!) before taking off in a mad dash through the southwestern landscape! The second ride is Luigi's Flying Tires, which is basically like being the puck in an air hockey game (if the puck was a giant air filled pillow). The third ride is Mater's Tow Truck, which is basically a dosey-do with trucks where you're sitting in a cart being towed and tossed around slamming into your fellow riders.
Neve and Mason are getting to the age now where they are able to go on many of the adult rides. Mason even went with Mei and I on Space Mountain! Neither of us adults had been on the ride in years, and we went at night (the kids were up until about 11:30p that night) and I fully believe that the ride goes much faster after dark, because boy, it was fast! I was definitely a little scared (clearly I'm getting old) and worried that Mason might be freaking out, but he was totally psyched at the end of the ride!
We also saw Fantasmic for the first time. This is a night time show that has been going on since the 90s (how did I miss this?) and it includes a projection of videos on a sheet of water, live characters (Mickey and most of the fairy tale characters, among others), music, light and pyrotechnics, plus the pirate boat with Peter Pan and crew, and the paddle wheel with the princesses and princes. We had to save our spots on the pavement by the lagoon in New Orleans Square starting at 7p for the 9p show, but this is definitely a worthwhile show to wait for, particularly if you have a big enough group to send a few people out to get food, do rides etc while others hold your spot.
Here are a few photos from the visit.
This was our first time to see the new Cars Land, and we all loved it. The three rides in this section of the park are so much fun! Radiator Springs is the race car ride and the lines are long. We got there around 9a or so and it was already a 60 minute wait and Fast Passes were for 8p at night. This ride is worth the wait though. You start off driving your sports car through the Cars story (or so I'm told, I've never seen the movie). The second half of the ride is the race. With the sound of revving engines coming through the car's speakers, you sit at the start line with another car (with time for some trash talk!) before taking off in a mad dash through the southwestern landscape! The second ride is Luigi's Flying Tires, which is basically like being the puck in an air hockey game (if the puck was a giant air filled pillow). The third ride is Mater's Tow Truck, which is basically a dosey-do with trucks where you're sitting in a cart being towed and tossed around slamming into your fellow riders.
Neve and Mason are getting to the age now where they are able to go on many of the adult rides. Mason even went with Mei and I on Space Mountain! Neither of us adults had been on the ride in years, and we went at night (the kids were up until about 11:30p that night) and I fully believe that the ride goes much faster after dark, because boy, it was fast! I was definitely a little scared (clearly I'm getting old) and worried that Mason might be freaking out, but he was totally psyched at the end of the ride!
We also saw Fantasmic for the first time. This is a night time show that has been going on since the 90s (how did I miss this?) and it includes a projection of videos on a sheet of water, live characters (Mickey and most of the fairy tale characters, among others), music, light and pyrotechnics, plus the pirate boat with Peter Pan and crew, and the paddle wheel with the princesses and princes. We had to save our spots on the pavement by the lagoon in New Orleans Square starting at 7p for the 9p show, but this is definitely a worthwhile show to wait for, particularly if you have a big enough group to send a few people out to get food, do rides etc while others hold your spot.
Here are a few photos from the visit.
Neocon
I started off June by moving. A week after I moved, I went to Neocon in Chicago. The last time I went was a few years ago and it included a lot of activities prior to the trade show. This time, since I'd just moved, I basically got in and out. The trade show itself was quite interesting.
However the best part of being in Chicago is trying out restaurants. When I arrived in town and despite a 3 hour delayed flight, I managed to just about make dinner at MK Chicago. We were sat in the balcony with a view overlooking the main floor of the restaurant. The food was Chicago's version of farm to table and was delicious!
Monday night was spent with the TW team (people from TW Facilities in NY, Turner from Atlanta and HBO from NY and Santa Monica) and Herman Miller. HM treated us to a private dinner at Girl and the Goat which is one of the renowned restaurants in town and a very hard reservation to get. The restaurant is run by a Top Chef contestant and the name comes from her last name being a type of goat. We were transported in a ridiculously long limo to the restaurant and taken down into their basement private dining room/wine cellar/storage room. The menu had 13 courses in the form of small plates type dishes. All of them were delicious. The wood oven roasted pig face was particularly amazing (think the best bacon and eggs ever) and I had my first taste of goat (although I was so stuffed by then, I could only eat a small portion. The main meal was followed by four types of dessert (amazingly I discovered I had enough room to try a bit of each).
Here are a few photos from the festivities.
My final meal was with a small group from LA at a french bistro near our hotels called Henri. This was a quiet, elegant establishment and we all agreed was the perfect way to wind down after what is always a hectic and jam packed 2 days at Neocon.
However the best part of being in Chicago is trying out restaurants. When I arrived in town and despite a 3 hour delayed flight, I managed to just about make dinner at MK Chicago. We were sat in the balcony with a view overlooking the main floor of the restaurant. The food was Chicago's version of farm to table and was delicious!
Monday night was spent with the TW team (people from TW Facilities in NY, Turner from Atlanta and HBO from NY and Santa Monica) and Herman Miller. HM treated us to a private dinner at Girl and the Goat which is one of the renowned restaurants in town and a very hard reservation to get. The restaurant is run by a Top Chef contestant and the name comes from her last name being a type of goat. We were transported in a ridiculously long limo to the restaurant and taken down into their basement private dining room/wine cellar/storage room. The menu had 13 courses in the form of small plates type dishes. All of them were delicious. The wood oven roasted pig face was particularly amazing (think the best bacon and eggs ever) and I had my first taste of goat (although I was so stuffed by then, I could only eat a small portion. The main meal was followed by four types of dessert (amazingly I discovered I had enough room to try a bit of each).
Here are a few photos from the festivities.
My final meal was with a small group from LA at a french bistro near our hotels called Henri. This was a quiet, elegant establishment and we all agreed was the perfect way to wind down after what is always a hectic and jam packed 2 days at Neocon.
08 May 2013
Bloom and Wilt
by Mari Cheng, 8 years old.
Bloom and Wilt
This poem is so beautiful, I want to memorialize it on this blog.
Bloom and Wilt
Bloom,
Like the first sparkling heart
Run,
Like the lightning striking the sky
Wilt,
Like every living being
Rise,
Like the beings that came before you
Hope,
Like you really love and care
Love,
Like glittering water
Drift,
While angels help you go upThis poem is so beautiful, I want to memorialize it on this blog.
16 April 2013
Sometimes, life gives you answers
Back in October, I walked from my old condo to see the space shuttle Endeavour as it was getting ready to do its slow crawl through the streets of LA to its final home at California Science Center. That was the one and only time I ever walked down La Tijera to the airport. On the way there, I took a picture of what I thought was a garage door:
At the time, I was curious what the story was behind this, but I was there to see the shuttle, so I quickly moved on. Well, today, the LA Times had a story about the owner of the house to which this wall is attached. You'll see in the story, that he has added a grid to the chalkboard. I think I prefer the free form version better. People were so creative in how they expressed themselves.
It's great to get an answer to a fleeting question when you least expect it.
At the time, I was curious what the story was behind this, but I was there to see the shuttle, so I quickly moved on. Well, today, the LA Times had a story about the owner of the house to which this wall is attached. You'll see in the story, that he has added a grid to the chalkboard. I think I prefer the free form version better. People were so creative in how they expressed themselves.
It's great to get an answer to a fleeting question when you least expect it.
13 April 2013
AIA Spring Tour, 2013
This year's tour covered some facilities in Skid Row. First was Inner City Arts, a facility that provides weekday arts education for low income children throughout LA, as well as weekend classes open to all children. The campus is a wonderfully open yet safe environment for creativity, staffed by top notch artists. What really captured our attention was the art that the kids had created, on display throughout the facility.
The second stop was the Skid Row Housing Trust facility for the staff. This organization provides permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals (that is, they also provide services to assist homeless individuals to improve the conditions that contributed to their homelessness). We were also able to tour one of their residences. I was able to chat with a couple of people who now work for the organization but used to be residents.
These are two amazing organizations staffed by amazingly talented and energetic individuals. Here's a link to my photos of both facilities.
The second stop was the Skid Row Housing Trust facility for the staff. This organization provides permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless individuals (that is, they also provide services to assist homeless individuals to improve the conditions that contributed to their homelessness). We were also able to tour one of their residences. I was able to chat with a couple of people who now work for the organization but used to be residents.
These are two amazing organizations staffed by amazingly talented and energetic individuals. Here's a link to my photos of both facilities.
16 March 2013
Sign language
I went to see a play called 'Tribes' with my friend Megan. The play is about the deaf son in a hearing family who meets and falls for a woman who is the hearing daughter of deaf parents. She knows sign language and but is losing her hearing. He (and his family) never learned sign language.
Megan wanted to see the play because she studied sign language back in college. We were sitting in the section for deaf patrons, with two sign language interpreters. It was really interesting to watch the audience members communicating to each other in sign. The play was really interesting and moving, and really was about all kinds of miscommunications, not just between hearing and non-hearing people. The actor who plays the son, Billy, is deaf. He speaks well enough to be understood quite easily. The play included moments of pure sign. The set was designed in such a way that super-titles could be projected onto various parts of it during the signing. Afterwards, there was a discussion period with the cast and it was interesting to hear the questions and comments from the audience. A gay man related to Billy's situation to his own coming out. A deaf young woman described how she went through similar situation as Billy in her hearing family. Watching the various signers, I could see there were differences in how each of them used their hands. Some were emotional and aggressive. Some were slower and more relaxed. The movement was like dancing with their hands.
Megan wanted to see the play because she studied sign language back in college. We were sitting in the section for deaf patrons, with two sign language interpreters. It was really interesting to watch the audience members communicating to each other in sign. The play was really interesting and moving, and really was about all kinds of miscommunications, not just between hearing and non-hearing people. The actor who plays the son, Billy, is deaf. He speaks well enough to be understood quite easily. The play included moments of pure sign. The set was designed in such a way that super-titles could be projected onto various parts of it during the signing. Afterwards, there was a discussion period with the cast and it was interesting to hear the questions and comments from the audience. A gay man related to Billy's situation to his own coming out. A deaf young woman described how she went through similar situation as Billy in her hearing family. Watching the various signers, I could see there were differences in how each of them used their hands. Some were emotional and aggressive. Some were slower and more relaxed. The movement was like dancing with their hands.
23 February 2013
Vegas
I went to Vegas to hang out with Mei's family plus Ma and Ba. We were there for about 2 1/2 days, staying at Caesar's Palace. The rooms in the Roman Tower were a little dated and run down, definitely could use a spruce up.We spent time wandering The Venetian, Forum Shops, eating too much at the Buffett and checking out the Bellagio fountains (still my favourite thing in Vegas). Lots of hotels were decorated for Chinese New Year.
We took 1/2 a day to head out to Hoover Dam. We'd been there on one of our massive car trips when we were kids, but they have since built a giant bridge that connects the Arizona and Nevada side.
The stale cigarette smoke in the casinos is annoying (as always) but there are lots of celebrity chef restaurants to eat at. We went to Gordon Ramsey's Pub and Grill (good food, amazing sticky toffee pudding) and Sushi Roku (which I didn't need to go to Vegas for since they are part of an LA based chain, but the kids like sushi rolls and the food was good). Ma, Mei and I spent $10 for 1/2 hour of entertainment on one slot machine, which satisfied us for the entire stay.
The one unfortunate thing that happened the first night we were there (while we were asleep) was a car-to-car shooting right at the intersection in front of our hotel. Three people died and they were still looking for the culprit. The investigation shut down Las Vegas Blvd. from Caesar's all the way to the Cosmopolitan, and Bellagio shut the fountains down as well!
Here are some pictures that I took.
We took 1/2 a day to head out to Hoover Dam. We'd been there on one of our massive car trips when we were kids, but they have since built a giant bridge that connects the Arizona and Nevada side.
The stale cigarette smoke in the casinos is annoying (as always) but there are lots of celebrity chef restaurants to eat at. We went to Gordon Ramsey's Pub and Grill (good food, amazing sticky toffee pudding) and Sushi Roku (which I didn't need to go to Vegas for since they are part of an LA based chain, but the kids like sushi rolls and the food was good). Ma, Mei and I spent $10 for 1/2 hour of entertainment on one slot machine, which satisfied us for the entire stay.
The one unfortunate thing that happened the first night we were there (while we were asleep) was a car-to-car shooting right at the intersection in front of our hotel. Three people died and they were still looking for the culprit. The investigation shut down Las Vegas Blvd. from Caesar's all the way to the Cosmopolitan, and Bellagio shut the fountains down as well!
Here are some pictures that I took.
02 February 2013
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey was back in town this weekend. They performed their recreation of Rite of Spring along with several other short pieces. I went on Friday when they performed a new piece by Stanton Welch and Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain.
I had seen the Joffrey's Rite years ago when they brought it to LA. Their piece is based on research by a dance historian and a costume historian working for years to piece together what the original Nijinsky choreography was, along with costumes and sets. We were up in the upper balcony, with the hoi polloi (seemed like a lot of graduate dance students!) and so the patterning and groupings of the dancers was most evident. This piece (both choreography and music) is 100 years old and I swear, it could've been created yesterday. I loved the first half but the second half felt like a little repetitive and dragged a bit. The connection between the music and movement was really strong. My friend studied modern dance in college and she could see in this piece the precursor for much of today's modern dance. After this piece, the dance majors were all ecstatic, while their 'plus ones' were a little confused.
The first piece was a new short dance to John Adam's music. I'm not a big fan of Adam's music, however the Joffrey is a company of beautiful, strong dancers and it was great to watch the movement from our high angle. It really emphasized upper body and port de bras (arms) over the typical legs and feet.
The middle piece, After the Rain is one that I believe I've seen before in NY. The music is by Arvo Part (there was a time when every other new piece I saw was choregraphed to his music). This is a gorgeous piece, particularly the duet and here it was danced by the Joffrey's main principals, Fabrice Calmels, their gorgeous 6'-6" dancer, and Victoria Jaiani, who has the most beautiful supple body and feet. They were amazing together. (Here is a brief video from the NYCB page, on which this piece was originally created.)
I had seen the Joffrey's Rite years ago when they brought it to LA. Their piece is based on research by a dance historian and a costume historian working for years to piece together what the original Nijinsky choreography was, along with costumes and sets. We were up in the upper balcony, with the hoi polloi (seemed like a lot of graduate dance students!) and so the patterning and groupings of the dancers was most evident. This piece (both choreography and music) is 100 years old and I swear, it could've been created yesterday. I loved the first half but the second half felt like a little repetitive and dragged a bit. The connection between the music and movement was really strong. My friend studied modern dance in college and she could see in this piece the precursor for much of today's modern dance. After this piece, the dance majors were all ecstatic, while their 'plus ones' were a little confused.
The first piece was a new short dance to John Adam's music. I'm not a big fan of Adam's music, however the Joffrey is a company of beautiful, strong dancers and it was great to watch the movement from our high angle. It really emphasized upper body and port de bras (arms) over the typical legs and feet.
The middle piece, After the Rain is one that I believe I've seen before in NY. The music is by Arvo Part (there was a time when every other new piece I saw was choregraphed to his music). This is a gorgeous piece, particularly the duet and here it was danced by the Joffrey's main principals, Fabrice Calmels, their gorgeous 6'-6" dancer, and Victoria Jaiani, who has the most beautiful supple body and feet. They were amazing together. (Here is a brief video from the NYCB page, on which this piece was originally created.)
dine LA again!
Here we go again, another couple of weeks of great restaurant deals right before my birthday. This rounds picks were gastropub intensive: The Parish downtown, Ford's Filling Station in Culver City and The 6 in Studio City. Plus one diner, Blue Plate Oysterette.
The Parish is new, I've heard good things about it. It's located in a skinny triangular plot of land in the old garment district of LA. The spot has been empty for awhile. Back when my friend Cindy and her husband were living on Spring St. We used to walk by here to get to various new restaurants. The dine LA menu had a great mussels dish and while the rest of the food was good, there was nothing particularly special about it. If I were working downtown, it might be part of my circuit, but I wouldn't go out of my way.
Ford's Filling Station is run by Harrison Ford's son. It's been open for awhile, but I never got around to dining there because when it first opened, it was constantly packed. It was probably on the leading edge of the gastropub wave in LA. The food was great, the server was familiar with the restaurant's food and they were willing to make a substitution for one of our party who has celiac.
The 6 was chosen strictly for location. It's in the Coldwater Curve shops in the location where there used to be an Italian restaurant. The gimmick is that there are 6 of each of the categories on the menu (starters, pizzas, red wines, white wines, etc). The food was fine, and the place had a decent ambiance with a covered outdoor area. Again, not something to go out of one's way for, but nice if you need a place to meet people in the area.
The final location, Blue Plate Oysterette, is a diner that serves seafood. The restaurant made a bad first impression when the hostess failed to mention that they don't take reservations which confused the heck out of me and caused me to wait outside for 5 minutes when my friend was already inside. Grrr. The place was very crowded but my friend had found a spot at the bar. The server was excellent and started to help make up for the ridiculous hostess. Then the food ended up being amazing! I had clam chowder (the one dish that was not particularly special, but was good), shrimp pesto (yummy huge shrimp and enough pasta for dinner the next day). The key lime pie was a great way to end the meal. Their regular menu features three fresh catches of the day that you can have prepared with a number of sauces and sides. The manager of the restaurant stopped to chat with us for quite awhile. Apparently they are looking to expand this concept to other locations.
The Parish is new, I've heard good things about it. It's located in a skinny triangular plot of land in the old garment district of LA. The spot has been empty for awhile. Back when my friend Cindy and her husband were living on Spring St. We used to walk by here to get to various new restaurants. The dine LA menu had a great mussels dish and while the rest of the food was good, there was nothing particularly special about it. If I were working downtown, it might be part of my circuit, but I wouldn't go out of my way.
Ford's Filling Station is run by Harrison Ford's son. It's been open for awhile, but I never got around to dining there because when it first opened, it was constantly packed. It was probably on the leading edge of the gastropub wave in LA. The food was great, the server was familiar with the restaurant's food and they were willing to make a substitution for one of our party who has celiac.
The 6 was chosen strictly for location. It's in the Coldwater Curve shops in the location where there used to be an Italian restaurant. The gimmick is that there are 6 of each of the categories on the menu (starters, pizzas, red wines, white wines, etc). The food was fine, and the place had a decent ambiance with a covered outdoor area. Again, not something to go out of one's way for, but nice if you need a place to meet people in the area.
The final location, Blue Plate Oysterette, is a diner that serves seafood. The restaurant made a bad first impression when the hostess failed to mention that they don't take reservations which confused the heck out of me and caused me to wait outside for 5 minutes when my friend was already inside. Grrr. The place was very crowded but my friend had found a spot at the bar. The server was excellent and started to help make up for the ridiculous hostess. Then the food ended up being amazing! I had clam chowder (the one dish that was not particularly special, but was good), shrimp pesto (yummy huge shrimp and enough pasta for dinner the next day). The key lime pie was a great way to end the meal. Their regular menu features three fresh catches of the day that you can have prepared with a number of sauces and sides. The manager of the restaurant stopped to chat with us for quite awhile. Apparently they are looking to expand this concept to other locations.
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