Random Thoughts

THE CHRISTMAS WALK-2005
Although the snow didn't prevent us from driving to New York for our one-day, "field-trip" to do our annual "Christmas Walk" up 5th Avenue, the ride down was a little hectic. Once we got there, we started at Macy's windows (the themes were "Miracle on 34th St." as usual on the 34th Street side, and "It's Christmas Time in New York"...with giant pop-up book windows of traditional New York Christmas events, on the Broadway side.) Up to Lord & Taylor for their always-beautiful windows (their theme was "Fairy Tales.")
The Saks windows were lovely, but we couldn't figure out if they were based on anything. The single word window-themes..."Friendship, Unity, Love, etc." sounded Kwanzaa-like.) The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was large and well-lit, but the area leading up to it was so packed, that it was hard to get a few pictures of our group with the tree in the background. A visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral revealed that they hadn't put up their Christmas decorations yet! On to Trump Tower for our usual pit-stop (TMI,) and then over to Bergdorf's for their magical windows, based on single lines from Christmas Carols. As usual, these elaborate windows were once again my favorites. Then, we walked up to the new Time-Warner Center for their creatively-lit giant stars, and then up to Lincoln Center to get some last-minute pictures in front of their "lit-up-instruments" Tree. A quick subway ride back to 34th Street, and then the long trip back to Boston. It could have been a very tiring, trying day (and I'm sure that it was for our driver,) but our group made it a fun time. Wish that you were there to join us. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SOME THOUGHTS ON LAST NIGHT'S GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS-2006

The 2006 Golden Globes show was a triumph for Independent films and a triumph for good taste. The five films nominated in the Best Picture (Drama) category were all small independent films ("Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Good Night and Good Luck," "The Constant Gardener," and "A History of Violence.") Some fine big studio films like "Munich," "King Kong," "Syriana," and "Jarhead," were inexplicably snubbed. As I predicted over a month ago, the Best Picture award went to "Brokeback Mountain," which took three other awards as well. Although both Felicity Huffman (Best Actress for "Transamerica,") and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Best Actor for "Capote,") both deserved their awards, it's a pity that Heath Ledger couldn't have shared the award with Hoffman. His performance in "Brokeback Mountain" was a magnificent example of an actor saying everything, by saying virtually nothing. He acted with his facial expressions, pauses, and body language. Part of why Huffman and Hoffman won, was because they transformed themselves physically into the people that they were portraying...Huffman (a big man) into the short, lisping Truman Capote, and Huffman, into a man about to become a woman!

Just in case you were wondering, the Golden Globes are voted on by 85 members of the Foreign Press Corps...critics from other countries. The Oscars are voted on by 6,000 members of the entire film industry. In spite of the small number in the Foreign Press, they usually are very accurate predictors of who will win the Oscars on March 5th.

The best acceptance speech was that given by Geena Davis, who won for the TV show "Commander in Chief." It was an intelligent parody of corny acceptance speeches. Most surprising acceptance speech was that of the intelligent, urbane Sir Antony Hopkins who received the Cecil B. DeMille Award. It was so ordinary!

I said at the beginning that the show was a triumph for good taste as well. For once, everyone came dressed appropriately for a formal affair. The men didn't wear tuxedoes that made them look like Mississippi gamblers or pimps. The only sunglasses were worn by Jamie Foxx, and he managed to pull it off. The only hat was worn by Tim McGraw, and I'm convinced that the cowboy hats on the heads of country western singers, are simply not removable! They're glued on. The women all looked beautiful except for three notable exceptions:
...Drew Barrymore is getting too fat not to wear a bra. She looked like a green car
...Mariah Carey looked like Queen Latifah's sister, only Queen looked much better
...Pam Anderson sounded and acted like a 4th grader experimenting with drugs, and why were her breasts wrapped in what looked like a large black sling?

Just for the sake of curiosity, I turned on Joan and Melissa Rivers, who had been relegated to interviewing the arriving stars, for the TV Guide Channel (which no one watches,) beginning at 5pm, when the only people on the red carpet were the men who were cleaning it, and some guy selling hot-dogs to the people in the bleechers! Two hours later, Joan Rivers managed to corner a reluctant Emma Thompson and Colin Firth, who the idiot Rivers kept mistaking for Emma Thompson's husband, and when he corrected her, she started gushing about how wonderful he was in this year's "Pride and Prejudice;" he wasn't in it! Next year, the people who run the telecast should bar the Rivers' women, and keep them behind a fence at least a block away from the proceedings.

Tune in for the Oscars on March 5th.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: THE RED SOX OPENING GAME AT FENWAY

Spring has now officially arrived in New England. I attended the Red Sox opening game at Fenway, as a guest of two friends (who were, in turn, guests of one of the ball players.) This is always a festive occasion, especially if the weather was as beautiful as it was yesterday. For those of you who've attended an "event game" at Fenway, you'll know that the festivities start long before the game starts, in the streets outside of the park, all of which are officially closed on game day. There are players and other dignitaries coming and going by helicopters, entertainers of all kinds, and the pervasive smell of sausages and beer overpowering your nasal passages. Once inside, we proceeded up to our seats in the new "EMC Club" area. For those of you who know Fenway, this is the old once-enclosed "406 Club" area, which has now been turned into 1300 luxury seats on two levels (behind and above home plate.) There's no more glass in front of them, and they're a wind-tunnel in the slightest breeze...and there was one yesterday. I was freezing on a 70 degree day! Stop complaining Nick; the seats were great, and the view of the game is unbeatable. (Thanks Paul and Leo.) The game was a good one (with Boston beating Toronto 5 -3,) and it gave me a chance to enjoy some of my old favorite players, and to get to know some of the new ones...who performed beautifully. If you read about the game, you'll have read about the two exciting double plays; the underestimated catch by Pena; and Beckett's 35 pitches in the 1st inning. All in all, a fun way to start the season...and Spring in Boston!

(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT REVIEW: "THE CLARK BROTHERS COLLECT" (at the Clark Art Institute)

Two brothers, Sterling and Stephen, heirs to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune, had two things in common...their impeccable taste in art, and their hatred for one another! Both acquired hundreds of great works of art, separately, and their two collections are combined here, for the first time in this incredible exhibit. Included are dozens of works by Manet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Matisse, Sargent, Eakins, Hopper, Remington, Homer, and Picasso. A work from each brother's collection, painted by two different artists, but based on the same theme (e.g., still life of fruits, etc.) would be hung side by side, to compare the brothers unique perspectives on art. Both men may have seen the world in different ways, but we're all benefiting from the fact that they've left us these incredible collections.

(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT REVIEW: "BODY WORLDS 2" (at the Museum of Science in Boston)

Unless you've been living in a cave for the past year, you must be aware of this sensational, controversial exhibit that's already been seen by over 20 million people around the world. I refused to see it in Vegas, where I thought that the venue was inappropriate to the content of the exhibit. Now, it's being shown at our Museum of Science, and so I decided to check it out. What Dr. Gunther von Hagen has done in this "the most highly attended touring exhibition in the world," (so much for the "Mona Lisa" and Michelangelo's "Pieta," both of which were touring exhibits decades ago!) is to show 20 authentic human cadavers, preserved by a process called Plastination (where bodily fluids and soluble fats are extracted to stop decomposition, and replaced with resins, silicon solution, and epoxy, giving the specimens rigidity and permanence.) These freaks of nature are posed to look like works of art, or sports figures in action. I found the whole damn thing to be obscene, repulsive, and dull. Just before going in, we stopped at the Museum Cafe, and I had a cup of "Dippin' Dots," a form of ice cream that I've never had before. That cup of tiny pellets of ice cream, was more interesting than the whole "Body Worlds 2" exhibit!

(1 1/2-Stars)

Part 1: The Winery Tour and Tasting at The Westport River Winery

We set out from the Marino Center at 8:30 in the morning on "The Nick Express," with Omar at the wheel, and 8 of us on board. Driving down to the Southeastern part of the state, heading towards the Cape, we passed some beautiful scenery in summer bloom. With 9 guys in a van, the time goes by quickly, (well, maybe not for the driver,) and before you knew it, we were in "wine country." One doesn't automatically think of Massachusetts when one thinks of fine wines, but much to my amazement, I've learned that we produce some of the world's finest sparkling wines, and an extraordinary Chardonnay. (In fact, according to one of our Canadian friends, this wine is served at posh dinners at the British Consulate in Boston!) The Westport River Winery is a picturesque 140 acre vineyard...the largest in New England. As we drove onto the grounds, we were surrounded by beauty on all sides...vines everywhere, old barns, and an old New England homestead. We met our tour guide, Craig, at the Old Country Store, and he proceeded to escort us through the vineyard, telling us about the history of vinology, the history of this Westport River Winery, the history of the grapes used, and the history of specific wines. After this enlightening tour outdoors (in the rain, I might add,) we proceeded indoors to tour the fermenting rooms filled with stainless steel vats. I wish that I had taken notes; we learned so much. Then, came the tastings. We were ushered into a room filled with bottles and glasses. We were shown what to look for and how to do a tasting correctly...and then we got sloshed out of our minds!!! It's not hard to do, even if you're only sipping the various wines. Some of them, especially the sparkling wines and the one red, are heady stuff. Everything came to an end too quickly, even though we were at the winery for almost two hours. I've been on vineyard tours and tastings all over the world, including Italy, France, and California, and I must say that this one ranks up there with the best of them.

(5-Stars)

Part 2: The Grand Sunday Brunch at Bittersweet Farm in Westport

On the first Sunday of every month, Bittersweet Farm hosts a "grand brunch" that must be the granddaddy of all brunches! Just up the road from the Westport River Winery is the beautiful 29-acre Bittersweet Farm, a working farm, which on one Sunday each month, becomes the place to stuff your face with some of the best, and freshest, brunch food anywhere. All of this in a majestic old, beamed, high-ceilinged barn of a building, with ceiling-to-floor glass windows overlooking the farms grounds. When we were settled in at our long, trestle table, we headed for the sprawling food tables. Where do I begin? Well, let's begin where I did, at the Omelette table. You name it, from the freshest produce, to cheeses and meats, and they'll put it in your omelette. Mine was 4 Farm Eggs, with White Cheese, Tomatoes, Peppers, and Fresh Herbs. From there, I went to get some Poached Salmon with Capers and Artichoke Hearts, and Fresh Garden Salad, skipping the breakfast pancakes, waffles and French toast with fresh fruits, the pastas, the carving boards, the sauteed meats and vegetables, and the other hot entrees. Needless to say, the guys didn't skip these. Hell, they're growing guys, right? I'm shrinking! I took a short break, and listened to some of the live acoustic music played by a guy singing old folk songs of the '60s and '70s. Then, unfortunately, I headed over to the dessert table, which was laden with straight-from-the-oven pastries, sweet rolls, muffins, tartes, pies, etc. I won't even confess in print what I ate there...but I already regret it!!! It was hard to leave this barn-brunch. I mean it was literally hard to leave this barn; I could hardly move!!!!! But move we did, and drove back to Boston stuffed to the gills, still slightly tipsy, but filled with memories of an incredible "day in the country."

(5-Stars)

RESTAURANT REVIEW: "RAIN" at Mohegan Sun

Some people go to this beautiful resort in the woods of Connecticut for the gambling, I go for the fine dining! I've eaten at just about all of the restaurants there, with the exception of the exclusive (and expensive,) "Rain." So, we set off to rectify this, on our weekend at Mohegan Sun. Tucked away in a far corner of the grand dining area, this gem of a restaurant is gourmet dining at its finest, with cascading water and a soothing ambience, enhanced by a wall of verdigris beaded curtains. Once you walk through those beaded curtains, which keep out the noise of the casino, you're in a beautiful round room, with wine-colored banquettes and a wall of "rain" from ceiling to floor surrounding the room. It's a beautiful effect. From a menu of enticing choices I selected an appetizer of Shanghai Dumplings with Wild Mushrooms, Baby Bok Choy, and Mushroom Nage. We were given an amuse-bouche of Puff Pastry filled with Goat Cheese. My entree was Truffled Alaskan Salmon with Roasted Garlic Crust, Yukon Potato Puree, Leak Fondue, and Tomato-caper Vinaigrette. Our Cheese Tray consisted of a fine selection of Cow, Goat, and Sheep Milk Cheeses. No other dessert...too full! The service was impeccable. It took us a long time to eat all of this, but it was time well spent...with a good friend, fine food, and a magical setting.

(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: "DONATELLO TO GIAMBOLOGNA-ITALIAN RENAISSANCE SCULPTURE AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IN BOSTON"

I was sitting at my table at the gym with a couple of my friends, having just had lunch, when up popped my friend Carmine, who whisked me off to the MFA, to see the new sculpture exhibit. Who says I can't be spontaneous? The exhibit consists of a wide variety of sculptures from the Museum's own collection...sculptures in every medium, including marble, bronze, silver, painted and glazed terra-cotta, and even cartapesta, a form of paper-mache. The period covered is the Italian Renaissance. Having spent a great deal of time in Florence, covering every inch of the Bargello, the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia, and the Pitti Palace, whenever I see sculptures by Donatello, Giambologna, Della-Robbia, etc. there's always a sense of deja vu about the statues. Florence certainly has cornered the market on all of the greatest art work of the Italian Renaissance, including the major works of the sculptors shown in this exhibit, in addition to works by Michelangelo and DaVinci as well! Nevertheless, it's a charming exhibit, and it's a worthwhile visit especially if you've never been to Florence. Ooops, did I just sound like an "art snob?"

(4-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: "EDWARD HOPPER" at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
Ok, we're not talking about Michelangelo or Rembrandt here. But when it comes to American Art in the 20th Century, Edward Hopper is a force to be reckoned with. In fact, when it comes to capturing classic images of middle-class America, in my opinion, he has no equal. The Museum of Fine Arts (in conjunction with The Art Institute of Chicago,) has put together a comprehensive exhibit of fifty of his oil paintings, thirty watercolors, and twelve prints, including "Nighthawks" (my favorite,) "Lighthouse and Buildings," "Chop Suey," "Cape Elizabeth," "Portland Head," etc. These works, and others, created during the period of his greatest achievements--from about 1925 to 1950--are considered icons of American art. I certainly agree. I love representational art (art that looks like photography,) and Hopper is one of the best of the Americans who worked in this genre. If you're in Boston this summer, head over to the MFA. The exhibit is on until the middle of August.
(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: THE NEW GREEK & ROMAN GALLERIES at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
When you enter the Metropolitan Museum and turn left in the huge lobby, you now enter the new Greek & Roman Galleries. What the Met has done is nothing short of amazing. They closed down their huge first floor restaurant, and in its place, they've brought all of their thousands of Greek and Roman treasures, out of the vaults and basements below, and set them out for display, in a series of huge galleries, where we can now walk through the centuries viewing everything from massive bronze and marble statues, down to the most detailed and exquisite jewelry, that wouldn't look out of place in the windows of Tiffany's and Bulgari! The huge gallery that runs down the middle of the other galleries, actually looks as though it had been lifted from a temple in Ancient Rome or Greece. Start in the first Greek gallery and work your way up through the ages, beginning in prehistoric "Greece," (5000 BC.) Read the introductory explanation on the wall in each gallery. That will give you a sense of time and place, and it'll set everything in the room in an historic context. I knew a lot about Ancient Rome and Greece, but I learned so much more by reading these helpful notes. We tried to do it all in one 2 1/2-hour visit, but we found it to be overwhelming. I would suggest doing the Greek galleries in one visit, and the Roman and Etruscan in another. The galleries are now a permanent part of the Met, so there's no rush getting there. (Don't miss the exhibits on the mezzanine level as well.) My favorite pieces were a small bronze statue of a dancer, a huge statue of an emperor of Rome, and the rooms taken from a villa near Pompeii. Oh, but there's SO much more!
(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: "EL GRECO TO VELASQUEZ" (at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston
The already enormous Museum of Fine Arts is in the process of doubling its size by enclosing its many gardens and courtyards in multi-storied glass "boxes," designed by Sir Norman Foster. This expansion will allow the museum to show more of its vast holdings, now entombed underground in basement storage. During the many years of the construction work, the museum has remained open, showing its prized collections of art, as well as the visiting blockbuster exhibits such as the current ones. One of these is "El Greco to Velasquez" which has been drawing the crowds. This groundbreaking exhibition examines the period of the reign of Philip III in Spain (1598 -1621,) the period of two of Spain's greatest artists, El Greco and Velasquez. There are paintings by other artists who worked for Philip III during this period (e.g. Reubens, etc.) but the spotlight is on the two Spanish giants. Much of the art produced at and for the court of Philip III replaced the austere art created for Philip II, with a more emotionally expressive art. The exhibit features paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts. Most of it is religious, much of it includes portraits and court life, and there is even a room of still lifes. If you like the work of El Greco, with his pale-faced saints with elongated faces and bodies, and the work of the more detailed and expressive Velasquez, then you'll love this exhibit. The paintings have been brought from all over the world, including one of my favorites, the "View of Toledo" by El Greco. You'll get a chance to compare the work of these two masters, with the work of other Spanish painters who were also working at the court. It's a beautiful exhibit, but try to go on a day when the crowds haven't descended en masse, plugged into those damn audio-guides, which force viewers to linger much too long in front of every painting. I just walked right in front of them. Most of them didn't even notice me!
(4 1/2-Stars)

RANDOM THOUGHTS: "SHERRILL MILNES MASTER CLASS at the NEW ENGLAND CONSERVATORY"
If you're not an opera buff of a certain age, don't bother reading any further. This morning, I attended a Master Class at The New England Conservatory. It was given by one of the world's greatest baritones of the past, Sherrill Milnes. The man is still physically and mentally alert enough to handle this choice assignment. Hell, he's probably younger than I am! Several students from the NEC's Opera Program were selected to sing for him, and be critiqued by him. Wow, that takes a set of coqones. I'd have been so nervous that I wouldn't have been able to utter a sound. But sing they did, and they were all wonderful. Milnes was thoughtful, supportive, and I would imagine very helpful in his criticism, which he doled out with wisdom, experience, and humor. I enjoyed every minute of this class, and felt very privileged to be a part of the outside audience.
(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: "TITIAN, TINTORETTO, AND VERONESE: RIVALS IN RENAISSANCE VENICE." (at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.)
In these turbulent economic times, it's a miracle that any museum can afford to mount a blockbuster exhibit that is as overwhelming, ground-breaking, and as breathtaking, as is this one. The fact that it was put together jointly, by two of the world's most prestigious museums, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Louvre, makes it even more impressive. The fifty-six works of art were gathered from some of the world's greatest museums as well as from the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II, and have never appeared together before in one place...and surely never will again. The exhibit is not touring. A bit of history. During the Early Renaissance, Rome and Florence dominated the art world. Most artists worked in tempera and on huge wall frescoes and wood panels. Because of the humid climate in Venice, these media were not popular there, which led to the discovery of painting with oils on canvas. An added advantage to oil-on-canvas paintings, was that they were easily moved from studio to church, palace, etc. Titian was one of the first artists to work in this new medium. His huge oil paintings were filled with color, movement, and emotion. Following in his footsteps, was another Venetian artist, Tintoretto, a much younger man, who became his rival. Then came Veronese, who tried to outdo both of them with his huge canvases. Out of this heated rivalry came some of the greatest oil paintings ever created...fifty six of which are displayed in this awesome exhibit. The paintings are brilliantly displayed by theme, so that the artists work can be compared side by side. It's worth a trip to Boston to see this remarkable exhibit. It'll be here for the next five months.
(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT; "The Shepard Fairey Exhibit" at the new INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART.
As with the Guggenheim Museums in New York City and Bilbao, Spain, the new Institute of Contemporary Art's building, is so stunning that it overwhelms anything inside. When it moved from its Newbury Street location, the architects Diller & Scofidio were commissioned to design a building that would showcase its site on the Waterfront overlooking the ocean, as well as its exhibits. What they designed is so magnificent that nothing inside compares to the building itself. It's a giant glass cube, cantilevered out over a massive grand staircase below, which can be used as an outdoor theater. From everywhere in the Museum one is always looking out over the water. The present exhibit is the well-publicized Shepard Fairey exhibit. Shepard Fairey is the street artist (albeit a graduate of RISD,) who was arrested for vandalism just prior to the opening of this exhibit! His provocative works include stencils, screen prints, and collages, including the famous one of President Obama used in the campaign. All of the art looks like the anti-American propaganda posters that I saw in the old Soviet Union in the '70s when I was there. They're all very interesting and bizarre, but as I said before, the building is more stunning and beautiful than anything inside.
(5-Stars) for the Institute of Contemporary Art building
(2 1/2-Stars) for the Shepard Fairey exhibit

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: THE NEW AMERICAN WING OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, and "AMERICAN STORIES"
The new American Wing of The Metropolitan Museum in New York, is quite imposing. It's a huge high-ceilinged area, enclosed in glass, and it houses all of the American Rooms that used to be in other parts of the museum, and they are much better displayed here. There are also beautiful Tiffany Glass windows, fountains, and panels, as well as paintings and sculptures by Americans. The most impressive part of the new wing, is the three-story facade of a bank that was formerly on Wall Street. It leads into the enclosed part of the American Wing. The rest of the Wing is under a high glass-ceilinged roof, covering a large courtyard. It's all quite beautiful.
The "American Stories" Exhibit took up 10 galleries in another part of the museum, and was filled with a couple of hundred genre paintings by people like Winslow Homer, Mary Cassat, Remington, Sargent, Eakins, etc. Quite an exhibit.
(5-Stars)

MUSEUM REVIEW: "ART OF THE AMERICAS WING" (at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston)

Designed by the British architect Norman Foster, this magnificent new addition to our Museum of Fine Arts, is absolutely overwhelming. Entering through a four-story-high glass courtyard housing a new restaurant by Ken Oringer (Clio's etc.) one lingers a while in this space, because it's truly spectacular...a work of art in itself. Then you enter the four levels housing the Art of the Americas. The art is arranged chronologically, so the bottom level is Pre-Colombian gold and Andean civilization as well as Native North American art. I was never one for clay pots with penises, so we moved through this level quickly. Level one houses the art of the 18th-century , including furniture design and construction. Beautiful. The next level is my favorite, housing the art of the 19th century. The MFA must have emptied its below-level vaults, because everyone is represented here, with several paintings for each artist. There are separate rooms for John Singer Sargent, John Singleton Copley, and the American Impressionists. The artists represented in this new wing run the gamut from Winslow Homer, Gilbert Stuart, and Thomas Eakins, to Norman Rockwell, Edward Hopper, and Jackson Pollock. Speaking of Gilbert Stuart, his famous portraits of George and Martha Washington are here, as well as Thomas Sully's huge "The Passage of the Delaware." Washington fanatics (one of my old friends is one) will be in heaven. Tourists will be coming from all over the world just to see this new wing. They won't be disappointed. I can't wait to go back.

(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: "DALE CHIHULY: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston)

I developed a love of blown glass when I first visited the island of Murano in Venice, where I purchased a made-to-order set of glass goblets...the same glasses that I've been giving to relatives and friends over the past 25 years as wedding gifts. Dale Chihuly's glass sculptures are some of the most beautiful and colorful examples of glass sculptures in the world today, and we're very lucky to have them here, in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, for the next four months. I hope that we get to keep the magnificent "Green Glass Icicle," which reaches up to the heights of the atrium in the new Art Of The Americas Wing , where Chihuly installed it for the exhibit. My other favorite pieces are "Mille Fiori," a room filled with what appears to be 1000 colorful flowers, and "Venetian and Ikebana Boat," a boat filled with colorful flowers of all shapes and sizes, floating on the water. Then there's the room filled with huge chandeliers, clearly inspired by those made in Murano. The "Persians" is a ceiling covered with glass flowers, similar to the much larger and more elaborate one covering the ceiling of the lobby at the Bellagio hotel in Vegas. I love that ceiling. Anyway, this exhibit is a must. It's even worth a trip to Boston. Check to see if it's coming to your city. If it isn't, come here!

(5-Stars)

RANDOM THOUGHTS: OPENING DAY AT FENWAY PARK: RED SOX VS YANKEES

Two perfectly matched teams (even though one had lost the first six games of the season.) Three brand new high definition scoreboards. New "gourmet" food concession stands, in a completely redone Concourse level. Beautiful weather, in spite of the cold (I had on a down coat.) "Yaz" throwing out the first pitch. Great offensive playing...Pedroia, Rodriguez, etc. Great seats, behind 1st base ( I was invited by very generous friends.) Best of all, the Red Sox won 9 to 6.

(5-Stars)

MUSEUM EXHIBIT: "ART IN BLOOM" at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Once a year, the Museum of Fine Arts invites the garden clubs of Massachusetts, along with professional designers, to create huge floral arrangements (see picture below) inspired by works of art in the Museum. Each garden club, or designer, selects a work of art and goes to work creating the beautiful arrangement. There are about 60 on display throughout the Museum, and the overall effect is breathtaking. The flower sculptures, because that's what they are, are displayed right next to the work of art that inspired it. The effect is unforgettable. My favorite flower piece was the one inspired by the Crossing the Delaware painting by Gilbert Stuart. It's too bad that these pieces can't remain intact forever; they're truly memorable.

(5-Stars)

A Fall Foliage Tour to New Hampshire...on an antique train.

Although it was never on my bucket list, We just returned from a fall foliage trip around some lakes and over a mountain in New Hampshire. The best part of the trip was that it was done in an antique train, and our car was the "presidential car," with sofas, overstuffed seats, and our leather seats from the original train. There was also a grand piano for background music, and a private steward who brought us drinks and snacks. An hour into the four-hour trip, we stopped at The Common Man restaurant in Plymouth, NH, for an incredible meal in a beautiful venue. In short, it was a perfect Fall field trip, and only two hours from Boston. If you want to see some pictures, shoot me an e-mail, and I'll send you Omar's photo album of the trip.

(5-Stars)

Send mail to CompanyWebmaster with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2001 CompanyLongName Last modified: May 08, 2006

Send mail to CompanyWebmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2001 CompanyLongName
Last modified: May 08, 2006