Category Archives: awe

Arts and activities

There is a hidden gem in Spanish Harlem that offers a peaceful cultural experience or rather experiences. It is rare and not as well-known as it justly deserves.

I apologize for the musical oldies  reference. PS109 ArtSpace is at the edge of El Barrio. It provides housing for artists, and studio spaces, as well as Salsa nights and art shows. It is gorgeous. It is pristine.

PS109 offers enough events to invite us, [you and me, everyone], to visit often.

Today, I made a repeat visit with my friend the artist LM, [we go to art  venues together] with a crew of another group of adventurers.

We were given a full tour of the galleries and other public spaces. Our friend F planned a return tonight with his wife to see a play in the little blackbox theater.

We went off to dine nearby on the recommendation of Rolinda Ramos, the director of PS109 ArtSpace El Barrio.

This is the 10th anniversary of PS109, located at 215 E 99th St, which gives you the excuse to drop by at least 10 times this year.

Entitled

My quandary over what to «name« a post has led me to refine my activity.

I think I am gaining skill in the art of titling a story.

It’s about defining what you want to say.

It’s about grabbing a  reader’s attention. It’s an important part of the process, especially in my «opinion« pieces. It’s very much a challenge for my poems.

Ok, so I have laid bare my longs and my shorts.

Here’s one where I came up with an “alternative” to the title I used.

Man walks into a bar

The original was «Barkeep, I’ll have a….« The subject was simply musing on the art of tending to a coffee bar.

Run run run

It’s not like I’m crazy for the big footrace that is the NYC Marathon as it has disrupted my 1st Sunday in November for about 50 years.

Let me explain.

I moved to the other side of the race’s course in 1974. On the day of the Marathon, I am confined to staying east of its long, long path. That confinement lasts from appx 10 am until 4 or 5 pm. 

The closest to normal for me is to walk along the east side of 1st Av, avoiding crowds. I can walk past the 59th  Street Bridge and start across town there.

Busses did not run down York for many a year; perhaps because their terminus is at 91st and 1st. I am not sure why I was able to get one once; call it a fluke.

This year, I watched the festive firework display as runners gather in the Park. My perch was my window overlooking rooftops and clear to the site. 

I also captured the smoke as the show ended.

Every year since 1974, I have been trapped between the East River and 1st Avenue.

That was fun.

“Wade in the water”

If anyone or anything can convert me towards religion, it would be a snippet from Alvin Ailey’s Revelations. Yes, it is a masterpiece. Yes, it has stunned audiences all over the globe since its creation in 1960.

This audience included. Tonight, I caught a glimmer from archives of this rich inclusive robust dance work on a PBS American Masters show. It sent shivers. Just as it had when I first met it on a stage in the ’60s and every encounter since.

There’s a purity to Alvin Ailey’s choreography that gives his dances grandeur.