Our Big New York Adventure

Tara and I boarded Continental's nonstop, a red eye, to EWR on Saturday, connecting by city bus 62 to PATH inside Newark's Penn Station, thence to JSQ for breakfast at VIP Diner (an old haunt). The guy in the next booth was showing off his fancy new camera to the pretty waitress. Bright sunny, but still a bit nippy that early, and almost no traffic.

VIP Diner, Jersey City

We reboarded PATH to New York's Penn Station (Penn being a Friend and American icon), then walked to Times Square, gawking with the other tourists. I see Bodies has followed me here, or I it as the case may be (EMP's Dylan exhibit is also enroute). Monty Python's Spamalot is generating guffaws off Broadway -- good to see that brand in action. Monty Python is the comedy troupe for which our Python -- as in "Python Nation" -- is named.

Monty Python off Broadway

Former CUE boss and CORE colleague, David, now of Merkle Foundation, and Patricia with IBM, showed us around, Carl Schurz and Central Parks especially. Particia's bird Bartok was a big hit with Tara, who mentioned Llysa might be getting a bird soon.

Tara with David Lansky in Central Park

In the interim, before our friendly lunch with Kenneth Snelson, who generously spared the time to meet with us (he's about to open in Paris) we took the tram to Roosevelt Island, stopped at a StarBucks, road the 25 cent electric shuttle bus, and meandered over the colorful bridge next to the very impressive power station. Very Toys R Us (flip that R mentally) -- our big Grand Finale before departing for Newark International Airport from 33rd Street on NJ Transit.

Tara with Kenneth Snelson in studio

Near that power station, north on Vernon, is the Noguchi Museum, a remodeled gas station parked across the street from Shoji's and Bucky's brick building studio.

John Belt and his design science students from SUNY Oswego, the new BFI Director of Development, Angela Molenaar and associates, Tara and I from Portland, museum staff, other dignitaries, mingled and mixed at a reception for these talented musicians who'd delivered a slice of Fuller's transcendentalist namespace -- in this case, his 1980 commencement address at SUNY Buffalo -- in what I might call a "high conehead" style.

The composer Petr Kotik was intense, and the vocalist Gayla Morgan, whom I interviewed afterward, had been strict with herself in adhering to the score's directives (Bruce Rameker too; they blended well together to give a deresonated flat affect).

The Continental flight back featured Click and X-Men: The Last Stand. Tara didn't like their crushing an Aibo in the first one (the Scrooge story retold), so a thumbs down from her. The second was simply a Marvel Comics heroic opera with lots of special effects (getting sleepy...). Tara is reading Uglies, and trying to stay current with schoolwork @ Winterhaven (formerly Brooklyn) Public School.

Tara with Noguchi sculpture

While we were away, our house changed color, from battleship gray to a deeper oceanic color (Loyal Blue by Sherwin Williams).

Chris Cradler & Tara