Cracks In Sidewalks

The weather was beautiful and I played tourist with a friend on Sunday.  A camera was a vital essential to fit the part, so was smiling and being happy.  Actually it’s hard not to smile and feel a sense of happiness and well being when setting out on an adventure on your home turf.

I have been on water taxi’s on Fire Island, shuttling from community to community, but I had never been on a NYC Water Taxi until Sunday afternoon.   It wasn’t until then that I realized I have been missing out on a wonderful little New York treasure.  For just $20 you can buy an unlimited “One Day” pass, which will ferry you to all parts of the city and definitely the tourist hot spots.

We got on at the Chelsea Piers stop on 26th Street and immediately climbed the stairs to the top open deck of the taxi to procure a best view status.  I can’t tell you what fun it was to see NYC and Manhattan from the water.  It’s probably been about 8 years since I’ve done that.  It was also fun spending the afternoon with tourists, feeling their enthusiasm, and honing in on some of their excitement.

Our taxi’s first stop was midtown west by the Intrepid Museum, then it was back to the Chelsea Piers, a stop in the West Village, then further south to the World Financial Center, Battery Park, offering great views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and finally making it to the tip of the island, the South Street Seaport.  Again they have a schedule of drop offs and pick-ups and you can get on and off to your hearts content.  We decided to stay on board, as our destination was Hunter Point, Long Island City.  From the South Street Seaport along the way we happened to see the NYC Waterfalls, all four of them, got a great view of and went under the Brooklyn Bridge, watched people in Brooklyn Heights dining at the River Café, and continued our way uptown up the East River.  It was awe-inspiring.  I have to say NYC is a magnificent place!

At Hunters Point the Water Taxi company has actually created a little beach with fake palm trees that glisten as you look across the water directly at the United Nations, Tudor City, and a great view of the Chrysler building sitting in the background.  We opted not to go to the “Water Taxi Beach,” but to pay a visit to a nearby restaurant and get king crab instead.  The restaurant we went to was a wonderful discovery for me; my friend had been there one time before.  It’s a restaurant that I now highly recommend, especially if you take this little tour and stop off at the Hunters Point water taxi landing.  Housed in what is left of a 100 year-old building, much of the building years ago was destroyed in a fire, obscurely sits this fabulous restaurant, the “Waterfront Crabhouse,” serving among other dishes fresh crab and crab delights to rival those in Maryland.  From the outside it doesn’t look like much, but when you walk through the door you are greeted with nothing but total and complete character, old photo’s, stuff hanging from the ceilings including an old sled, boxing memorabilia in a wood soaked bar, friendly people and lots of history and stories to match.  We ordered the King Crab served Scampi style with melted butter and also an order of Maryland Crab Cakes.  Both came with salads and side dishes and were delicious.  A real treat!

After our late afternoon lunch, we walked along the Long Island City waterfront.  Like Manhattan it too has seen quite a facelift and its waterfront is quite pleasant and beautiful.  But best of all are the views of Manhattan.  I must say those that live on the other side of the rivers both the East River and the Hudson, truly are the ones with the amazing cityscape views.  Manhattan is really beautiful during the day and especially at night.

On our way home we got to watch the sunset on the city and the river, see the moon rising behind the Brooklyn Bridge, the waterfalls lit at dusk, knowing that as the sun was setting NYC was just awakening and opening its eyes, readying itself to come alive as that is what it does each and every night.

Having taken photo’s of the city like I hadn’t taken in years, a few photo’s of Long Island City’s “cracks in sidewalks,” seeing NYC bleached in sunlight and later covered in red, having a healthy windblown look and sun on my face; yesterday I visited my own town and I was as happy, as happy as if I were on a vacation, which in a sense I was.

To find out more information about the NYC Water Taxi’s and also the “Waterfront Crabhouse,” either click on the links below or cut and paste them into your browser.

http://www.nywatertaxi.com/

http://wfcrabhouse.com/

I’ve been hearing about this project from my friend David Barratt for probably more than two years now.  I have to say it’s ingenious and I can’t wait to experience it first hand.  David, a songwriter/composer with gold and platinum albums to his credit, and a recognized world artist, was asked to install his audio sculpture, “Karito,” in the visitors lobby of the United Nations, and the day of his opening after years of anticipation, and many hours of creation, recording and hard work is just around the corner.  David’s installation will be up and open to the public from October 15th through November 19th and we should all try to experience it if we have the opportunity to do so.

“Karito,” the Esperanto word meaning “love of one’s neighbor,” was created from the national anthems of the 192 member states of the United Nations.  David recorded 1500 different pieces of music to put this sculpture together.  What he did was to record all of the anthems in the same key using the exact same instruments for each one; a violin, viola, cello, bass, brass, and a plucked instrument.  The themes were then mixed and individual music files were created and put onto several MP3 players.  He then placed the MP3 players around a room, and put them on random shuffle.

What David has created in the process is a unique experience for the participant.  “Karito” is designed so that when one walks through the space of the installation each step that you take you will hear different parts of a whole, meaning different parts of all the United Nations countries anthems blended together.  Your position and where you walk, will determine what you hear.  As a result each visitor will experience it differently.  With some instruments in the forefront or possibly the background, it will be impossible to determine whether you are hearing the beginning, middle, or end of an anthem, because mixed together they become a musical country of their own, without borders, beginnings or endings.  And since it is random and you cannot predict what you will hear next, you just have to move one foot in front of the other and enjoy the discovery.

Accompanying the audio are large panels that double for walls and written on these panels are the lyrics from the various nations anthems, again in a random order.  It is suppose to create a flow, a continuity that has no beginning or end, much like a circle.

This has been a very ambitious project, years in the making.  It is innovative, of beautiful sentiment, and exceptionally timely and I for one can’t wait to go.  During these uncertain troubling times I am happy to have an opportunity present itself where I get to reflect upon the possibility of peace, coming together, and the creation of a greater whole.

The United Nations Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY

To learn more about “Karito,” I have included a link to the website below.  I have also included a link to David’s personal website where you will find much interesting artwork and music.  Just cut and paste the link into your browser to access it.

http://karito.org/

http://www.davidbarratt.com/

Kitties creating the greater whole come together.

A quick note to readers who did not read this past Monday’s blog.  I posted the new “In My Circle” monthly magazine style interview.  This month’s interview is with Gail Currey, VP General Manager of Lucasfilm Animation LTD.  To check it out, just click on “In My Circle” in the category section and this interview will appear.

Also the “Cracks In Sidewalks” online store is now open and will be expanding shortly with fun “Cracks In Sidewalks” cards for the holidays and more.  To view some of the unusual “crack” store items available to you, simply click on the “Cracks In Sidewalks Store” link in the top right hand side of this page.

Thanks for reading and supporting my blog.  Enjoy the articles and photo’s and be sure to take a peek at the online store.

Warm regards,

Audrey

Cracks In Sidewalks

I think writing about Milton Nascimento yesterday put me in a S.American mood.  Actually I’ve always been drawn to the writings and music of South and Central American countries.  I like the way they put words together.  I like the warmth.  I like the poetry.  I like the passion. And being someone with a pretty vivid imagination I also really enjoy the “magical realism” style that many of those authors tend to use.

Reading Isabel Allende for years now, I’ve read most everything she’s written for adults.  Her first published novel “The House Of The Spirits” remains one of my favorite books and might be one that would accompany me on that deserted isle, if put in that position.  And if you only saw the movie, don’t judge, read the book!  There is no comparison.  It’s a great cast and I had high expectations, but was sorely disappointed by the movie.

The pictures Allende paints of the characters in her novels, both real and imaginative, are always full of color and very painterly with subtle nuances that lift them up, bringing them to life as one continues reading and they hit the page.  Actually along the subject of this style of writing, one time I was taking a walk along the Hudson River with a Argentine girlfriend of mine and I was telling her about some of the Central and South American novelists I liked and why.  My friend having lived through the “disappearance” of friends and family in Argentina did not appreciate some of my reasons.  She did not appreciate anyone who wrote of these experiences using language that sounded in anyway flowery or romantic.  She was passionate about that.  For me it was very interesting because many of these writers, my favorites, who lived through these horrible times in Chile, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, tend to weave bits and pieces of those tales into their stories.  For me as an American, I always appreciated it because it was not my personal experience and I didn’t think of it as flowery.  It gave me a sense of history and context, but for her as a girl having to escape with her family, it was too personal.

For over close to 40 years now, if you count her writings as a young woman, Allende who was born in Peru where her father was the Chilean ambassador, has had a very successful and distinguished international career.  Although her life reads like one of her novels, and some are very biographical, although seemingly blessed, Allende’s life has not always been easy or without tragedy.  Her Uncle (cousin) Salvadore Allende, who was President of Chile, the only communist president ever elected in a democratic election (I believe that is still true), was assassinated in a military coup purportedly staged by the United States which gave Pinochet power, and forced her family to flee Chile.  And years later Allende sadly lost her daughter Paula to illness and writes about it in her book “Paula.”  It’s a very touching and moving story.  But Isabel Allende also came from a family of privilege where the likes of people such as the famous poet Pablo Neruda were family friends.  Neruda encouraged a young Isabel who was working in journalism to give it up and to write novels instead.  He said she had too much imagination for journalism.  It’s funny there is a story of a young Allende working one of her first jobs, which was to translate books from English into Spanish.  I guess Allende of course not with the knowledge of her employers, use to embellish the stories she was translating with her own ideas and writing.  When discovered it was not greatly appreciated and as a result she lost her job.  I believe she probably made the books more interesting as she is such a wonderful storyteller.

I think for me I just stumbled upon her magic.  She is a brilliant magical storyteller, be it  “The House of the Spirits,” “Eva Luna,” “The Infinite Plan,” “Portrait in Sepia,” or her tales of “Zorro,” where she was asked to create the story of “Zorro’s” early life and how he came to be the man and infamous swordsman we all know.  When I read Allende, it’s like she is sitting next to me whispering the words with her expression and Chilean accent into my ear.  I just can’t get enough and it continues like this until I fall asleep then wake up the next morning and start again.  Her storytelling and her magic caste their spell on me and I gladly let them take me prisoner.

It’s hard to write something short about Isabel Allende because her life and personal history just cover too much ground.  But if you are looking for a good book to read, all you have to do is pick any one of hers and my guess is that you’ll probably find yourself like me, mesmerized from start to finish.

If you want to find out more about Isabel Allende below is a direct link to her website.  Either click on the link below or cut and paste it into your browser.

http://www.isabelallende.com/

I love Brazilian music!  I use to name my cats after Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes.  There was “Dinde” and “Triste,” both beauties that would have made Jobim proud.  Besides listening to Brazilian music late at night I also love to listen to it on Sunday mornings with the windows open, sipping my first cup of strong freshly brewed coffee, while reading the Sunday paper.  Having been a vocalist, I can’t listen to lyrics I can understand and read at the same time.  I’m not saying all vocalists or former vocalists aren’t able to do this, but in particular this one has not yet mastered that skill.  I need to either put on classical music orchestral only, instrumental anything usually jazz, or someone singing in a language I can’t understand.

To me there is almost nothing sweeter than the sounds and rhythms from Brazil.  Hearing Portuguese sung in their own unique accent is music to my ears.  And to me one of the sweetest voices to come from Brazil would have to be the famous falsetto voice of Milton Nascimento who started his career at the age of 13 and has gone on to become a Brazilian legend in both his country and around the world.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Nascimento’s mother was a maid.  She died when he was only one and a half.  The people with whom she had previously worked adopted the young child.  When he was two, the family moved to Tres Pontas in the state of Minas Gerais.  In his teens he started a band called “Lunar de Prata” with Wagner Tiso with whom he would continue to play into adulthood.  While living in Tres Pontas, Nascimento also had a stint as a local DJ.  Moving to the town of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, to study economics, Nascimento made the acquaintance of many musicians who would play a pivotal role in Nascimento’s musical life as he would in theirs.  He helped bring to the forefront not only Wagner Tiso, but also Marcio Borges, his brother Lo Borges, and Fernando Brant, who co-wrote the song “Travessia,” that I have linked below for you.

Before his much widespread international acclaim there was a time in the 70’s when Milton Nascimento’s music was censored by the military regime in Brazil.  It was during this time that Nascimento made his way to the states and made albums with well-respected jazz artists such as Airto Moreira, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.  And it was his album with jazz great Wayne Shorter, “Native Dancer” in 1974, that eventually created his international breakthrough. After this Milton Nascimento caught the eye of other top musicians, producers, and arrangers, like Quincy Jones, George Duke, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Peter Gabriel, and even Duran Duran with whom in the 90’s he co-wrote the song “Breath After Breath,” which was featured on the bands album of the same name “Duran Duran.”  He also performed with the band.

Having influenced generations of musicians both in Brazil and abroad, I hope you will enjoy the sounds and voice of an all-time Brazilian favorite of mine, Milton Nascimento.  If you do, consider buying one of his many albums.  They are all good, but one of my favorites is the album “Yauarete,” recorded by the artist in the late 80’s.

Below is a link to a live performance of Milton Nascimento singing and playing one of the first songs he ever recorded “Travessia.”  It’s really beautiful!  To listen either click on the link of cut and paste it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo5UlFDTZ6g