We walked by a Catholic Church almost immediately as we turned down a lane off Grafton Street exploring Dublin on our first day.We have since visited so many churches across Ireland that I can’t keep them straight but they are all historic and beautiful.With the history of Ireland so closely tied to the Catholic and Protestant churches, it is no wonder they dominate the landscape.Well, not as much as the pubs dominate but still, there are a LOT of churches here.
The church we spent the most time in was St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.It is really a museum now mostly with some services but beautifully preserved with groupings of historically significant relics to read about and enjoy.We found a video loop playing the in back corner and sat through a nice overview of the history before we explored, giving good context to what we were going to see which dates mostly back to the 14th century but a religious building stood on this site a thousand years before that. It is the largest church in Ireland and also houses the largest ringing peal bells in Ireland as well, whatever those are.Bet they are loud.
One story we learned from the video was that during a feud in 1492 there came a point where the warring families were deadlocked so the two leaders agreed, as a gesture of good faith, to extend their hands through a slot in a massive door to shake and call a truce.This “Door of Reconciliation” now hangs in the church and thus the Irish expression, “to chance your arm” meaning to take the initiative. Here’s betting that if Hillary extended her arm through a door, Trump would cut it off and call her a loser for wanting to negotiate.
Along with the velvet covered pew benches that are preserved and roped off in the sanctuary, there are stand-alone chairs for people to sit in and worship with embroidered kneeling cushions that some little old ladies probably created for use by worshippers. Charming AND useful.
Though you do have to pay 6 euros to enjoy St. Patrick’s, it was money well spent given not only the beauty but the historical experience of it all. Amen.
The theme for Friday’s Manhattan adventure was a deep dive into literature so it was only fitting that we got to see two Gutenberg Bibles in one day-first at the NYC Public Library and then in the evening at the Morgan Library. Just blocks apart, these masterpieces are two of only 49 left of their kind, the first major book printed around 1450 using mass-produced movable type. A beautiful and historic book to behold and the Morgan Library has 3 copies that they rotate to preserve. They’ve done a good job because it is in great repair for being so old and enduring many adventures among owners in the past before being acquired in 1815 for the Morgan Library.
Taking advantage of the free Friday deal to visit the Morgan, we sought out Rembrandt’s first masterpiece, Judas Returning the Thirty Pieces of Silver, which is considered to be his first mature work. Perhaps we are a little jaded from seeing so many Rembrandts on our Amsterdam tour but still it was impressive, along with other pieces of his work on display.
More interesting to me though was the Charlotte Bronte exhibit that showcased all her talents from drawing to writing. She and her sisters started early in life by creating tiny books telling stories to each other. Charlotte was a strong liberated woman for her day (with a teeny tiny 18 inch waist-dress pic) and wanted only to write and not be a teacher or governess as the culture would dictate her to be in the early 1800’s. She declared herself “a free human being with an independent will”. Unfortunately, it’s still hard to make a living being a writer even in this day and age. I respect her fortitude to follow her passion and share her talents with the world.
After soaking up the opulent Morgan Library with it’s iron staircases leading to even more books on the upper floors interspersed with tapestries and paintings and, of course, an elegant ceiling, we enjoyed a jazz trio treating the crowd to a spirited jam session. Resting before the walk home, Thom and I smiled and agreed it was another perfect day in NYC.
On a beautiful sunny Seattle day, we were lucky enough to use our SAM membership to check out the new exhibit: Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic. WOW. DAMN. If you are lucky enough to live in Seattle, go check it out. I am totally impressed with this artist’s vast talent. Not only can he paint scenes that you can’t help but stare at in awe and examine up close to ponder how he can paint so realistically but his sculpture and stained glass pieces of art are equally fantastic.
Unfortunately, we missed Kehinde in person at the opening event but we did watch the documentary on his “An Economy of Grace” paintings last night after seeing his work. The story as told on this PBS video really brings to life the paintings on display and I would suggest you take the time to view it either before or after you visit the SAM. Kehinde works in both New York and Beijing. In the documentary, we loved seeing how his artists help with the background work in his Beijing warehouse, the trip that the art took to get from China to the first showing in NYC and how he recruits his street models. You don’t realize how much work goes into prepping the space to showcase the art–the right wall color, the right frame, etc. WOW.
So why is his art so different? Kehinde picks people off the street to be his models, focusing on street culture, black masculinity and hip hop as portraits of these individuals set in historically famous poses of European works. The contrast between the Nike-wearing regular people in their lavish portrait settings is striking and stays with you long after you leave the gallery.
A self-identified gay man, Kehinde grew up in LA and began painting at an early age. As the SAM gallery guide explains, “He challenges long-held assumptions by opening new doors of perception, offering unprecedented interpretations and reimaging the black figure as subject, object and agent.” As I watched part of his documentary in the gallery, the large audience included a diverse crowd, including children learning about this interesting exhibition. Well done, Kehinde and SAM for a breathtaking experience. We plan on going back again to savor the creativity before this unique show moves on to the next lucky museum.
Despite a busy work day on Friday, I managed to squeeze in some shopping at the new and “only one in the world” Amazon Bookstore at University Village that just opened up and then joined the “IT” crowd at the Seattle Art Museum REMIX event in the evening. Fun in Seattle despite a dreary day!
Seattle Art Museum REMIX Event on Friday night-dancing, art and music! What’s not to like?
While working at UV, my team and I tried to get into Din Tai Fung for lunch but to no avail–still widely popular (also in China!) this dumpling superstar restaurant had a one hour wait time at 11:30 a.m. just after opening. WTF!!! They’re good but they’re just pork dumplings people! Okay for tourists and leisure shoppers to wait it out but, on a work lunch hour, not so much for us. So we traipsed across the street to another place that probably loves being so close to Din Tai Fung because it gets people like us who can’t wait. After some lovely fish tacos, I just had to check out the Amazon Bookstore that was all the rage in recent national headlines. Thom shared with me some source that quipped, “first they killed the bookstore and now they’re wearing their dead skin”– pretty graphic but true. As most online retailers are learning, you can make a lot of money online but it doesn’t replace the experience of being able to serve customers face-to-face and hear their feedback.
Each book has a sign with reader review and upc codeAmazon Book Store at University Village was hopping on Friday
The Amazon bookstore is not a comfortable place-no overstuffed chairs or cafés like Elliott Bay Bookstore, my favorite on Capital Hill, though they do have ledges by the window to perch on uncomfortably while checking out the merchandise. Message here is: stay but not too long-buy our stuff and get the hell out for the next customer. Their hardware takes up the center of the store, Kindles and such, but the true star of the store is the authentic, not electronic, books that beg to be bought and curled up with on a rainy Seattle day. I actually liked how the signs for each book feature a customer review and their endcaps have delightful curated selections like “if you like George R.R. Martin, try these” or “if you enjoy series, try these” which helps guide voracious readers like me who are always looking for new material to consume. I finally had to put a halt to my Amazon Kindle book habit as it was costing $100ish a month. I turned to the Seattle online library lending of Kindle books which, while not a huge assortment, still helps feed my reading habit for free. Reading is one of life’s pleasure however you enjoy it but there is nothing better than a cozy bookstore–just don’t go to the Amazon bookstore if that is what you want. Try Elliott Bay or Third Place Books!
Elvis Costello would not be happy that his book is categorized by Amazon next to the Donald
On to the evening’s entertainment! After work I trotted home and changed into my evening attire to check out the Seattle Art Museum REMIX scene. I found out about it through a Meetup group I joined, Seattle Arts & Culture Events, that lets you know about cool stuff happening around town. We got a $5 discount on the $25 tickets for the 8 p.m.-midnight event “after hours” at the museum. We showed up around 8ish and there was line stretched down the block to get in-what a crowd! This is definitely a place to go not only with a date but also to meet and greet new people, i.e. pick up someone. The crowd (about 2500 people, mainly 20-30ish crowd) was dressed to the nines-we even saw a stylish guy with the whole pirate ruffled shirt thing going on paired with a jacked and jeans. Somehow he pulled it off! Kudos to him! While the majority of the guys were still rocking jeans and major plaid, the ladies were going all out with dresses and fierce heels. Very rarely have I seen such a display of fashion in Seattle. Loved the people watching!
Renoir’s portrait of Monet, my favorite artist.
What is REMIX? A packed house for the quarterly event enjoying adult arts & crafts, bands, drinking (on the lower level only away from the masterpieces) and celebrity-led tours. We joined Lorrie Cardoso, founder of our meetup group, as she led us around sharing her favorite and least favorite pieces of art. She was not a huge fan of the golden urinal in the Modern section of the museum. Agreed.
Our tour guide shows us her “least favorite” piece at the SAM-the gold urinal
We had planned to enjoy the Impressionist exhibit anyway so this gave us new perspective with her guidance. Since most of the pieces in this collection are from the National Museum of Art in DC, we had already seen them but Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, etc. never disappoint no matter how many times you are lucky enough to view them.
We were probably the first to leave around 10 p.m. just as the dancing was getting going but it had been a long week and we had a long walk home on a beautiful fall evening. So thankful, as always, that we live in a great town and are able to enjoy wonderful experiences.
They’ve done a good job because it is in great repair for being so old and enduring many adventures among owners in the past before being acquired in 1815 for the Morgan Library.
Travels with Melinda 