Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > United States
Reload this Page >

Art Deco in Buffalo; Surprises, GTGS,Opera, in NY, Philly, Baltimore & DC

Art Deco in Buffalo; Surprises, GTGS,Opera, in NY, Philly, Baltimore & DC

Old May 24th, 2009, 08:38 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Art Deco in Buffalo; Surprises, GTGS,Opera, in NY, Philly, Baltimore & DC

Hooray! I've finally managed to load up all my photos from this last trip - I'm not much of a photographer, so don't look for unique shots.

Here's my trip report, divided by topic rather than done chronologically. It's a trip about historical sites and museums, so hope this report might be of some help to those who are planning to visit these cities.

I had a great trip and it was wonderful meeting all new Fodorites and one editor, Katie, again!

My apologies for calling "Philadelphia" Philly - the title will only allow 75 characters!


HOTELS

This was a very fortunate trip as far as hotels were concerned, as they were all well-located.

New York
Small boutique hotel chosen by my family and other relatives who live in New York. In the Upper West Side and easy metro ride to Lincoln Center. Also easy to get on crosstown buses for the museums.

Philadelphia
The Marriott Philadelphia Downtown on Market Street. This is a huge hotel with about 1,400 rooms. usual Marriott amenities (What? No free shower cap?). This hotel is on 12th Street and the historical sites start around 5th Street, so it was an easy walk to the historical sites, less than 10 minutes. the Phlash bus stop is right outside the hotel for the longer trip to the museums.

Baltimore
Hyatt Regency Baltimore on Light Street in the Harbor area, I could see the harbor from my window. Got onto the Executive Level where there was complementary breakfast of fruit, juice, tea, coffee, pastries, lox and bagels, yogurt and a very friendly and competent staff. Also had complementary evening snacks. Beer available for $2 a bottle, just plain ole Budweiser - wasn't interested.
Very convenient for public transportation. Close to Camden Yards where, one night, when I walked over, there was a Baltimore Orioles game.

Washington DC:
Marriott at Metro Center - which is just at the Metro Center metro stop, one stop away from Chinatown stop, three stops away from Union Station, two stops away from Dupont Circle, two stops away from The Mall - really a wonderful, centrally located hotel. Same usual Marriott amenities (What? Still no free shower cap?)
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 24th, 2009, 09:17 AM
  #2  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
OPERA and MUSEUMS

This was a trip for operas and museums, two great loves for me. I was pretty much in heaven during those two weeks!


NEW YORK

NY Met Operas: Wagnerian Ring cycle of four operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walkure, Siegfried, and Gotterdammerung - final Otto Shenk production. The scenery was out of this world, so was the singing, so was the conducting. For opera lovers, this was a superlative experience, with the sonorous Wagnerian music rolling on and on in waves of magnificence. This is the way Wagner intended the Ring to be produced and performed, not some of those goofy European "modernized" productions. When it comes to opera it's more enjoyable when it stays within it's original period, IMHO.

I was in a box seat on one side of the opera house and by the end of the fourth Ring opera, a wonderful and mysterious bond had developed among those seated in our box. We all felt we had experienced a unique, momentous production. Three of the box members came all the way from Europe, two from Germany and one from England. One man in the front row, an American, said he had attended all three Met Ring cycles this year and the one we were seeing was the best of the three.

We also met Fodorite bspielman and his wife during several intermissions. As with many Fodorites, they were a joy to meet and fun to be with. Mrs b was so bubbly and added so much sparkle to our discussions of the operas!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090510/...nd_of_the_ring

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009...ner-ring-cycle

I also saw live performances of Il Trovatore and La Cenerentola, this last opera was also viewable live on HD in theaters around the world.

The singers were all first class in all the operas and this week in New York has become the peak of opera attendance for me. It was an extremely enjoyable musical week. Six operas in six days and four of them were the marathon Wagnerian operas!


NY Museums: 111op was kind enough to take me to see the Frick Collection and the Morgan Library. I fell in love with the Frick, especially the exquisite small bronzes by Andrea Riccio and returned, on a separate day, for a second visit to spend hours just circling around these small bronzes. The Frick collection also has some of the best of European paintings. The Vermeer "Mistress and Maid" was absolutely outstanding, as was the self-portrait of Rembrandt in his old age, so world weary.
http://www.essentialvermeer.com/cat_about/mistress.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3235703...n/photostream/

There were also the magnificent Fragonard panels, the Thomas More portrait, and Bellini's great painting of Saint Francis:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7990831@N06/3161146770/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/artimages/3519621940/

Other members of my family were also in and out of New York around the same time and we all went to the Frick (separately) and each one found something that had riveted his/her attention. One family member, who was in NY a week later, shared with me the fascination of the Riccio bronze "Samson and Two Philistines". It IS a marvel!

One day, I also went back to the NY Met Museum - which is the museum I visit most often in NY. Three guided tours later, I was exhausted and had to take a quick nap before going in to Lincoln Center that night for a marathon performance of a Wagnerian opera.


PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia Museum of Art: One of the opera attendees in the box next to ours had mentioned during one of our intermission conversations that there was a special Cezanne exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, so I made a beeline for that museum immediately upon arrival in Philadelphia. The exhibit is called "Cezanne and Beyond" and showed how Cezanne had influenced so many artists after him: Matisse, Picasso, Jasper Johns, Mondrian, Georges Braque, Marsden Hartley, etc.

From the exhibit's brochure: "[Cezanne} was my one and only master! Don't you think I looked at his pictures?" Pablo Picasso

"To my way of thinking, there is no master equal to Cezanne." Georges Braque

"Cezanne was my greatest love and still is when I think of French art." max Beckmann

"Cezanne did not...seek to be original. And yet there is no painter so original as Cezanne." Alberto Giacometti

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/ar...gn/06ceza.html

I find that special exhibits bring so much enlightenment and understanding and this one was no exception. It is a wonderful exhibit, breathtaking in its revelations. It ends on May 31 and doesn't seem to be destined for any other museum. Tant pis. Meanwhile, the commemorative volume must weigh a ton. It is certainly one of the largest art volumes I've ever seen.

Rodin Museum: this is billed as the second largest Rodin collection outside of Paris. So is the Cantor collection at Stanford - the second largest. I believe I also saw some other museum (the NY Met?) bill its collection as the "second largest". So, there you have it - someone has the second largest collection of Rodins, but which one? From memory alone, I'd say that the Cantor collection is larger than the Philadelphia one, but Philadelphia probably has more of the originally cast bronzes.

http://museum.stanford.edu/view/rodin.html

I found the smaller bronzes on hands by Rodin especially interesting. My own photos some of the Philadelphia Rodins:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353377/index.html

The Franklin Institute Science Museum: This is a hands-on museum best for junior hi and hi school age children. I made three paper airplanes and they all flew! At present it has a special exhibit on Galileo which I didn't have time to visit. The shows in the Planetarium came with the ticket and are worthwhile to see.

PHILADELPHIA - HISTORICAL SITES

I went to Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and fell in love with the city. It's clean, has wide boulevards, multiple outdoor statues and sculptures, friendly people, and great local tap beer!

Besides the Liberty Bell, I also went to almost all of the rest of the historical sites listed on my map and spent an exhausting day and a half walking through Philadelphia's historical downtown. Having just finished "American Sphinx, the Character of Thomas Jefferson" and a biography of John Adams, these buildings took on a special meaning for me. There were many groups of school children and it was fun to listen to their teachers tell them about the history of each site. The area is very well organized and the only building that one needs a "ticket" for is Independence Hall, so I got my ticket with its designated time slot the very first thing at the Independence Visitor's Center and then meandered my way in and around all the other buildings: Liberty Bell Center, Congress Hall, Independence Hall, First Bank of the US ("residence" of Alexander Hamilton), Second Bank of the US, Congress Hall, Carpenter's Hall, Betsy Ross House, City Tavern, Declaration House, Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley. Christ Church Burial Ground. My photos of these various sites:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353357/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353359/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353363/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353364/index.html


BALTIMORE

Having only one day in Baltimore, I went to two museums: the Baltimore Museum of Art with its famous Cone collection of Matisses and the world-famous Walters Art Museum, which has a marvellous collection of pre-Impressionist ("classical") paintings and Greek and Roman art. I found the Far and Near East collections, although high in quality, rather negligible.

One group of bronzes by Antoine Louis Barye was very striking. Grouped around a large "Tiger Hunt" were four other hunt sculptures: Bear, Elk, Wild Bull and Lion.

http://art.thewalters.org/viewwoa.aspx?id=29585


WASHINGTON DC

Having visited many of the major Smithsonian museums in the past, I focused on two smaller museums with mostly East Asian art: the Freer Gallery and it's adjoining Sackler Gallery. There was a very interesting temporary exhibit from the Kremlin: Tsars and the East: Gifts from Turkey and Iran in the Moscow Kremlin. A lot of jewel-encrusted swords, daggers, saddles, etc.
http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/c...andtheEast.htm.
There was also the Tale of Shuten Doji, an ancient Japanese classic:
http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/c...ShutenDoji.htm
with marvellous scroll and screen drawings telling of the slaying of this monster. In one corner of the Freer Gallery is the famous Peacock Room with the Whistler painting:
http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/current/peacock.htm.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to these museums.

In sum, this has been one of the most enjoyable vacations I've ever had and I wanted to share with you some of the wonderful jewels I saw and experienced on the East Coast. Hope you will have the time to see and enjoy some of them too.
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 24th, 2009, 09:59 AM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Art Deco and Churches in Buffalo:

Since there aren't many reports on Buffalo, once a major city in the US, where I went to visit some long-time, special friends of mine, I thought it might be of some interest to detail some of the highlights of this city.

My friend and I have been chatting all morning and we finally decide to get a move-on and to start doing a bit of touring around Buffalo. She told me of the free City Hall tour that starts at noon, M-F, and we head out just in time to join the tour. The Buffalo City Hall is a beautiful Art Deco building with Agriculture and Native American (Iroquois) themes. The exterior facade is done in sandstone but the interior has granite, marble, and many other stones and woods.

We toured the exterior first and learn that Buffalo was first settled by the surveyor Joseph Ellicott ( his brother, Andrew Ellicott, surveyed Washington DC) in 1804. There were skirmishes across the border and Buffalo was burnt down by the British in 1815 but rebuild again. When the Erie Canal opened it also ushered in the beginning of the heydays of Buffalo which has more buildings designed by famous American architects than any other city in the US except Chicago. Much of the downtown has solid and beautifully built buildings dating back to the 19th and 20th centuries.

On the exterior of the City Hall are many motivs, all 12 months are represented as are some Indian motivs and Agricultural themes. In the biting cold of the winds blowing in from Lake Erie, we toured around the building, starting out from the front of the building at Niagara Square. Niagara Square is where Buffalo was founded and, as we face the City Hall building, to the left is the statue of McKinley and to the right is the statue of Grover Cleveland, two presidents who hail from Buffalo. In 1905, the wealthy in Buffalo funded the great Pan Am exposition and President McKinley was unfortunately assassinated in Buffalo during his visit to the Pan Am Exposition. Theodore Roosevelt, the VP, was sworn into office just down the street from the Buffalo City Hall. In the center of Niagara Square is the beautiful obilisk dedicated to President McKinley. To one side is the now defunct Statler Hotel, still stately and sturdy, but empty. Buffalo has suffered a tremendous decline in population from around 600,000 to over 200,000 today. There are many areas of Buffalo where there are many vacant houses.

After making a circuit of the exterior of City Hall, we continue on into the building and view the beautiful interior paintings on the walls of the great hall which is built to resemble a long house of the Iroquois. There are four panels displaying Construction, Education, Protection, and Charity. The One displaying Construction shows the architect on the extreme left. We then went up in the classic Otis elevator with its beautiful wood paneling and went into the Major's office. Mayor Byron Brown is Buffalo's first black mayor and he's seems to be doing a good job (according to our guide). The major's office has pictures of all the former Buffalo mayors hung around the walls of the outer office. Only past mayors' portraits are hung there. The most prominent one is of Grover Cleveland when he was Mayor.

We then went up to the 13th floor (yes, Virginia, back in those days they weren't afraid to have a 13th floor!) where the City Chambers were located. It is built like a Greek amphitheater in a half moon shape. I sat in one of the seat and they are small - so people were probably not very big back in the 1930's when the City Hall was completed. The original seats are still there and under each seat is a wire rack which was designed to hold the gentleman's hat when he was seated. (See photos). There were twelve columns and each extolled a virtue that public servants ought to have: justice, wisdom, etc. (we were very innocent then!) Above the rotunda area is a beautiful skylight in a half moon shape and done with stained glass.

After that we went up to the 25th floor to walk up three flights to the view deck. Unfortunately, it was so foggy we could hardly see across the street. I'm told that on a clear day, the view from up there is unparalleled.

So ended our tour of a beautiful historic building. We walked a bit to 69 Delaware to the Andiamo Restaurant and had some wonderful food for a late lunch. I tried to order Buffalo Wings but they don't serve that any more, so I settled for Beef on Wek, another local dish, which is essentially a French dip sandwich. Very good food. There aren't too many places open in the center of Buffalo for lunch, so this was a wonderful stop in another classic building.

The guide at City Hall had told us that another other large classic building, the Electric Building, had been remodeled and that we should try and visit it, so we drove over. Right across the street from the Electric Building we saw the building with a huge golden dome which had intrigued my friend. We went there first before entering the Electric Building. It turned out to the the old Buffalo Savings Bank and the interior was simply gorgeous with dome in the center that made it look like a basilica. Believe it is now called the M&T Bank.

We walked across to the square and took a picture of the Electric Building with the statue of "The Hiker" (see photos) and it's actually a memorial statue dedicated to soldiers from Buffalo who had fought in a number of 19th-early 20th century conflicts.

The Electric Building's interior was interesting, but the remodeling had made it more modern with a few left over themes from its early art deco days. The photos of the earlier days of the building were more interesting to me than the actual remodel.

We then drove down Elmwood Street which is like Newberry Street in Boston. It's a long street with lots of boutique shops and some old mansions. We stopped off at a remodeled mansion called "The Mansion" which is now a boutique small hotel (only 28 rooms). The woodwork inside was quite amazing and my friend said that this type of wood work was typical for the slightly upscale homes of those days. We also stopped off in Allentown on Allen Street where I took a picture of the first Quaker Meeting House founded in Buffalo in 1809. Then we drove back down by way of Delaware Street where all those old Mansions were build. Many lovely Victorians can be seen on and off Delaware Street.

So ended our tour of Buffalo in its heyday - first the Erie Canal (which is now Highway 190) and then the railroad had provided Buffalo with a dynamic period of growth and had brought great prosperity. Buffalo, which has had to struggle with the decline in these two modes of transportation, still has a very vibrant art life with about 14 different small theaters. I am certainly glad I got to visit a part of Buffalo's history and know more about it than the Nicolino Restaurant, which apparently doesn't exist any more! Up to this point, Nicolino's had been my dominant memory of Buffalo - it had fake Roman statuary everywhere and plastic purple grapes and green leaves so abundant they hung like curtains everywhere. Supposedly they had the best Italian food - which leads me to my next topic: food.

One additional note on Buffalo - my friends are Catholics, so we went to two services, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I took pictures of both churches. Buffalo is city seemingly with a church on every other block and many of them are great edifices.

Thus, Buffalo certainly has to lot to offer architecturally. There are also many other buildings, such as those by Frank Lloyd Wright, which I did not have time to visit.

My photos of Buffalo:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353323/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353332/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353337/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353342/index.html

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353355/index.html
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 24th, 2009, 10:28 AM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
FOOD

Since this was more of an art and music feast, there's not much of a trail of gourmet dining. It's also more a beer discovery trip, rather a change from all the winetasting we do here on the West Coast. Here are the highlights:


Buffalo- Niagara Falls: my friends took me to the "best view" of Niagara Falls at the Skylon towers. We had a great buffet lunch there.

http://www.skylon.com/

New York:
a) two great pre-opera dinners at the Cafe Fiorello with terrific friends.
b) a wonderful Fodors GTG at the Maria Pia with Editor Katie, bspielman and wife, Aduchamp, ellenem, Danielcjr, and one other person, whose signon name I've forgotten!, who came only for initial drinks (old age and failing memory! Someone help me with her signon name please!). We had the entire outdoor area to ourselves and had a wonderful group conversation where everyone got to say something without having to shout. One of the best "round table" conversations at an oblong table that I can remember! Very, very sophisticated group!

Philadelphia:
a) McGillin's Ole Ale House, "the oldest Irish tavern in Philadelphia" (founded 1860), which happened to be about a block and a half from my hotel. Patrons were in groups of twos and threes and there was karaoke that night (W, F and Sun nights). "I'm a sweet transvestite from transcendent Transylvania". I paid $12 for a 16-oz Porterhouse steak which came on a 8"x12" oval platter which also contained deep fried onions, 1/2 bowl of veggies, a 5" round of mashed, fried potatoes, and 1/2 of a toasted bun dripping butter. The very friendly waitress helped me with a choice of three beers: the Brawler, Summer Blonde, and Walt's Wit, which was a sweet "after dinner" wheat beer (they make "after dinner" beer?). Thus, 3 beers and 10 lbs heavier later I staggered out of McGillin's and got back to what appeared to be a very sterile Marriott. McGillin's reminded me, for whatever strange reason, of bars and restaurants I had gone to in Montana. Wood everywhere, and lots of old mugs, plates, beer bottles, etc. for decoration and extremely friendly staff.
http://www.mcgillins.com/

b) The concierge at the Marriott recommended The Field House just across the street from the Marriott. One forgettable cheese steak sandwich and one beer later, I was $21 poorer. It's a very popular and huge sports bar. There was a baseball game, a hockey game and a basketball game all going simultaneously on about 20 different screens, some of them gigantic. Each booth had its own smaller screen. Good for socializing and watching games, but food is forgettable.

c) The Reading Terminal Market was just across the street from the Marriott, so the last day I went there. Wish I had gone earlier! It closes at 6pm but the smells, the SMELLS! got some pictures to tempt you:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/353376/index.html

I found a spice market and must have spent an hour wandering around the narrow shelves. Got some Herbes de Provence and other spices, which then proceeded to add a lot of fragrance to my luggage!

Baltimore:
What's going to Maryland and not having crab, right? So, it's Obryski's Crab House on Pratt Street! http://www.obryckis.com/

This restaurant was recommended to me by the concierge on the Executive Level of the Hyatt and it was a great recommendation ("Always ask for the male crabs, they are tastier".). FRESH, seafood has to be fresh and their crab was very fresh. First they spread a huge piece of brown paper on the table, then they dump piping hot crab cooked with spicy seasoning onto the brown paper and hand you a large plastic bib, a wooden mallet and a fork. GO FOR IT! I did! Got another dark beer, can't remember it's name. Never mind, give me another one - the same kind. Had six medium-sized crabs before i gave up. Price was $45 for a dozen. I had a great time!
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/Qq_kI...7WXNMRihd7Z5rg

Oh, the way to eat the crab? Remove all the legs and the claws. Pick up the spear-shaped thingajig on the back and break that off (can't do this with a dungeness crab where the big shell has to be removed first) and remove the big shell, remove the gills and the liquidy innards. Hold the body of the crab and squeeze hard, then break in half. The body is in segments and one can then get big chunks (the "lumps" when doing crabcakes) from each segment. Delicious!

The smiling waitress wanted to show me how to eat crab, but I told her thanks but no thanks, having had mucho much experience breaking apart all kinds of crabs - dungeness, hairy, spiky - but gosh these crabs were great!

Washington,DC
Another wonderful Fodors' GTG at Jack's near Dupont Circle. So many Fodorites, so little time! Happily glad to have met famous maitaitom and Tracy and Kim and Mary, St Cirq and DH, TDudette and DH, yestravel and DH, basingstoke2, tsarinna & Chris, Bubblywine, and 309pbg and her sister. Hope I haven't forgotten anyone! The noise level was formidable. More good beer recommended by TDudette's DH: a Smithwick's on tap. St Cirq recommended the crab cake - must have been good, but the conversation was better, as I can't remember what I was eating.

And a great time was had by all!

Got to go. Will return and post the final segment on transportation later.
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 24th, 2009, 12:33 PM
  #5  
Amy
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,822
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wonderful report! I'm so glad you fell in love with Philadelphia...I am, and have been for 44 years, but I'm happy to share the love. And now I want to go to Buffalo, which I have to admit has not been a craving before.
Amy is offline  
Old May 24th, 2009, 01:31 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 479
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I would love to know the name of the boutique hotel in New
York. Is there a reason that you did not reveal it?

Pat
wanttogo is offline  
Old May 24th, 2009, 02:42 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,854
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Me too, wanna know the NYC place, please. And what a fantastic report, my head is swirling between the music, museums, art, buildings, food, scenes ...
Shanghainese is offline  
Old May 26th, 2009, 09:28 AM
  #8  
yk
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 25,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi easytraveler - I'm so happy to find your trip report after meeting you in SF! What a great report and love your photos (esp those sunset photos at Lake Erie). You're right about the lack of information on Buffalo here, so your detailed description of the city is great.
yk is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 10:11 AM
  #9  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi, Pat and Shanghainese,

The boutique hotel was by special arrangement with a distant family member handling all the details - and the special rate. In terms of amenities, it wasn't that special, so I thought that people travelling to NY could do better by doing their own investigation. Also I didn't want to have to answer further questions on the hotel because I know next to nothing about the special arrangements and didn't want others to think that they too could get the special rate.

On the whole, I personally prefer to stay in the UWS because of Lincoln Center and the museums, but most people don't want to be in that location.
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 10:13 AM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi, yk!

Thanks for your kind words! Hope you can get to Buffalo yourself to see all those architecturally interesting buildings!

Fun to have met with you and your DH while you were here in the Bay Area! How did you like the fog in the morning and evening?
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 10:21 AM
  #11  
yk
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 25,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi easytraveler - I almost froze to death so I ended up buying a jacket or else I would die from frostbite at the wedding! For once, I was looking forward to going home as I knew it was nice and warm in Boston. Of course, being Boston, the nice weather only lasted for one day. Right now it is 48F and rainy here.
yk is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 10:23 AM
  #12  
yk
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 25,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
P.S. I'm ashamed to say that you saw more of Philadelphia in a few days, than I have during the 6 years I lived there!
yk is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 10:57 AM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Here's the final piece. Took awhile to remember what kind of transportation I took where. Hope this helps for some travellers to the East Coast!

TRANSPORTATION

Since we on the West Coast go everywhere in our cars, I decided that, for this trip to the East Coast, I was going to try as many local, public transportation methods as possible.

Buffalo: Was with friends, so can't comment on their public transportation system there.

Buffalo-NYC: Took Amtrak, which turned out to be about an 8 hour ride on very comfortable seats. The better seats are on the right side as one goes by the scenic Hudson River for about the last hour.

NYC: Metrocard and Taxis. Had to relearn the metro system all over again, but it wasn't hard. All the New Yorkers I asked were very helpful. I got a metrocard from a machine for an initial input of $20 and used about a total of $55 in metro fees for one week in NY. Also took a couple of taxi rides, especially when it was raining hard!

NYC-Philadelphia: Megabus. Took the metro to 31st and 8th, the corner adjoining Penn Station. Arriving outside of Penn Station was better than arriving inside Penn Station because it's really confusing inside. Walking just one block from the Metro station, arrived about 40 minutes ahead of time and was the second in line for the Megabus bound for Philadelphia. I really recommend Megabus. The person who was in line first told me that Megabus has this quirky booking system. The earlier one books, the cheaper the ticket, so that the first person to book a particular trip can get it for as little as $1! Just think of going from New York to Philadelphia for $1! Also it costs only $1 to change a trip, so if you can't make that particular trip and want to change to a different date, you can do it for just $1. Apparently I booked my ticket NY-Philadelphia rather late, as it cost me all of $12 to ride in one of the best seats on the bus. The bus is a double-decker and I snagged one of the four seats way up at the very front on the second level. The view was unobstructed and unparalleled of a lush green countryside. My suitcase was checked into the storage area in the back of the bus. It was all very easy as the Megabus goes from Penn Station, NY, to the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, so it was easy to catch metro lines in both NY and Philadelphia before and after the Megabus ride. The person ahead of me also told me that the restrooms on the Megabus are clean and recommended these buses over the NY Chinatown buses. If booked sufficiently ahead of time and if one can get a good seat upstairs, the Megabus is certainly a better and cheaper ride than Amtrak.

Philadelphia: Local train and Phlash bus. On arrival, I rode the local train from the 30th Street Station two stops to the Market East stop and didn't have to pay anything. Not certain how this works, but apparently if one travels within one "zone", it's free. Going around to the major tourist sites, I took the purple "Phlash" bus which runs in a loop from the downtown historical sites out Ben Franklin Highway to the museums. It costs $2 for one trip; children under 6 and seniors travel free; $5 for an all day pass; $10 for an all day family pass. I loved the Phlash buses and took one extra ride on one just to go the entire loop. Warning: the Phlash buses run from around 10/11am to 6pm only. Don't stand at a stop like a bunch of us out-of-town yokels did, waiting for a bus that never came!

Philadelphia-Baltimore: There were no Megabuses running between these two cities, so I went on Amtrak again.

Baltimore: Light Rail, Bus and Taxis. On arrival at Baltimore Penn Station (why are there so many Penn Stations on the East Coast?) I took the Light Rail down to Camden Yards at the very end of that line. Cost of one ride: $1.60, seniors pay 55 cents. Then I took a taxi over to my hotel, the Hyatt Regency, in the "Harbor" area. It is walkable (about 4 blocks), but I wasn't sure how safe it was, especially at night and with a suitcase in hand. The taxi ride was only $3.00 - I paid the taxi driver a lot more because who knew how long he had waited to get one passenger and I had gotten him to give up his first place at the taxi line.

Having just one full day only in Baltimore, I confined my activities and went to two museums by taking a local bus, the #3, all the way up to the Baltimore Museum of Art. This bus runs up Charles Street (one way) and comes back down St Paul Street. If you get on this bus, the stop for the Museum of Art is the 32nd street stop (the bus driver didn't know exactly). On leaving the Museum of Art, I got on the #3 southbound at St Paul Street going south to the Walters Art Museum. The #3 bus crosses from St Paul Street over to Cathedral St and stops right by the Walters Museum (Cathedral and Centre stop). Same price for the bus rides: $1.60 with seniors paying 55 cents. After visiting the Walters Museums, a very nice elderly lady visiting at the Walters Museum then walked me to the St Paul Street stop. I took the #3 again down to its last stop which is just outside the Hyatt hotel. Otherwise I took taxis around Baltimore. The buses in Baltimore run less frequently than the buses in NY, so be prepared for longer waits at the bus stops.

Baltimore to Washington, DC: Light Rail, MARC Train. I had planned on taking the MARC train from nearby Camden Yards to Washington DC ($6.00 one way, seniors $4), but the one leaving at 8:25am had been cancelled! No one was around to tell us why and there was just a hand-written sign on the door! Bah! Pooh! At this point, there was an increasing group of people all wandering around the MARC train station in total confusion. Two Valkyries from Minnesota (I was still under the influence of the Wagnerian operas) and I started discussing the situation and we found another small notice that said that for about a month certain trains were cancelled because they were repairing the line and that we were to go to Penn Station and catch the Amtrak train. I remembered that Penn Station was north of us and we wanted to go SOUTH, but there was nothing else to do but to retrace my arrival in Baltimore and go back on the same Light Rail back to Penn Station. Fortunately, there are MARC trains leaving from Penn Station for Washington DC's Union Station. The MARC trains are local trains and takes about an hour to go from Baltimore Penn Station to DC Union Station for $7, seniors pay $3.50. One could take a faster train but it would cost a whole lot more to arrive 1/2 hour earlier. The two Valkyries joked that they had planned on having lunch with the Obamas but now had to call the White House to cancel on their luncheon plans!

Washington DC: Metro. At Union Station, I got a one day metro pass for $7.50 (apparently there are no discounts, everyone pays the same price) and went on the red line to Metro Center. My hotel, the Marriott Metro Center, was 1/2 block from this Metro stop. I then took the metro to other destinations around Washington DC. It's an easy system to use. HOWEVER, unlike the New York Metro system, to exit the metro, one has to stick the metro card into the turnstile slot just to exit. So, the metro card has to be used twice - once to enter and once to exit. DON'T THROW YOUR METRO CARD AWAY until you've exited!

DC to BWI airport: Metro, MARC Train, and Bus. This was a painful experience. It was the only time I wished for a car. Taking the metro from my hotel to Union Station was easy enough, but Union Station itself was another experience in confusion. "MARC Tickets" said the big sign with a large arrow pointing thataway, so thataways I went only to find nothing at the end. Wandering around I asked diverse people who all look bemused and who said to go thisaway-thataway. I finally found the Amtrak ticket booths and bought a MARC ticket for BWI airport. Going over to where the MARC trains leave, there was no track indicated for our train. On asking a person in an official uniform, he told me that the track would be posted and to wait inside the terminal (one doesn't wait outside where the trains leave, but inside vast Union Station? Why this complexity?) Inside I talked with a vivacious young person who also had no idea where to stand and what to wait for. Great! As we stand there, lo and behold! a line formed behind us! What's this? Are all these people as lost as we are? It turns out we were standing right in front of a board which will announce from which track our train will leave. As soon as the track appeared on the board, the two of us were nearly trampled over by the "line" of people behind us. We rushed forward with everyone else and I found a seat on the train, hoping to goodness that this was the correct train. It was. The MARC train made several stops and finally arrived at the BWI stop. Almost everyone got out. "Take the bus to BWI" shouted someone from the train as it left the station. What bus? Where's the bus? Aren't we at BWI yet? Turns out there's a bus that makes the 10-minute trip from the train stop to the BWI terminal. Well, it took two whole hours to get from my hotel to BWI - this is not the best way to get to BWI.

I had read online that the best way to get to BWI is to go on the metro green line all the way to its end at Greenbelt. Then there's a #30 bus that goes from the metro stop to BWI. Hope someone can confirm that this is the best way to get to BWI by public transportation.


Final Note on East Coast Transportation from a West Coaster: There are some very strange but probably generally harmless people who get on public metros and buses, especially those on the NY subway. Every other trip there was someone roaming up and down the metro cars, asking for a handout. One man really needed it as he had a leg missing. I saw people pulling out their wallets for him, but the others went to the next car empty-handed and God-blessing everyone in sight. On one of the Baltimore buses, some young man started commenting on my New Balance shoes and kept up his commentary for two bus stops and then got off at the third stop. Very strange!

So, that's it! I would encourage anyone traveling to the East Coast to try out their public transportation, especially if you can select a hotel that's centrally located and close to a transit line.

The one thing I couldn't get used to was the weather - the rain and the humidity and I was really glad to get back to sunny, dry California! I never did learn how to open and close that umbrella I bought in New York! What a curious contraption!
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 11:06 AM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hey easy, thanks for an interesting report.

And as you know I was in Philly too earlier this month. I agree with you regarding the Megabus (I think I first found out about it from one of yk's reports). My return trip was $1 (so yes, they are available!) but the trip there was $9. There was a $0.50 reservation fee.

I really enjoyed the Cezanne exhibition also.

I'd not realized that the Otto Schenk production of the Ring was such a big deal, or I'd have made more of an effort to go. For those interested, there's a recent article by Tommasini that compares various newish productions of the Ring. However I feel that I've done my duty supporting classical music having gone through a mini-ring of sorts in about two weeks, hearing two performances of Bruckner 8, one Mahler 2 and one Mahler 8.
111op is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 11:09 AM
  #15  
yk
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 25,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I never did learn how to open and close that umbrella I bought in New York! What a curious contraption!



The Boston <-> NYC Megabus also offers fares starting at $1. I was able to snag that when I went to NYC in March. It's pretty much impossible to get the $1 seats for weekend travels, as people buy them as soon as the seats are released (something which I haven't quite figured out yet: how far in advance the tickets go on sale).

Regarding the NYC Metrocard - since you mentioned you were there for a week, you would have gotten a better deal by purchasing the 7-day metrocard (unlimited travel) for only $25. [I made the same mistake back in march when I should have gotten that instead of pay-as-you-go.]
yk is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 01:44 PM
  #16  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
111op: what a terrific trip you had to Philadelphia! I'm really glad you got to see the "Cezanne and Beyond" exhibit. It's truly extraordinary and it's really such a pity it will not be shown anywhere else!

Do you have a link to the Tommasini article? I overheard during one intermission that the newer production was going to be nothing more than "some concrete walls and a few sticks" - another modern production.

I hope the Otto Schenk production survives - rumors are that the set is being saved in New Jersey or shipped off to Chicago. The final scene is really the most dramatic, with the Hall of the Gibichungs collapsing, the Rhine rising and Valhalla crumbing and going up in smoke and fire in the distance.

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/ar...cal-magic.html

It'll be heartbreaking to see the grandeur of the set which has matched the grandeur of the music become nothing but "concrete and sticks".
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 01:51 PM
  #17  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi, yk!

Glad you got a jacket! It really became very cold those few days and I had not seen the wind be so ferocious as that day when we were out there on the cliffs!

I'm really happy I saw as much in Philadelphia and do urge you go sometime and revisit! Right now with all the debate over the new Supreme Court nominee and the Constitution, I keep remembering Independence Hall where the writers of the Constitution closed the windows and drew the drapes in order that their discussions of the Constitution should be kept secret. This was in the summertime in Philadelphia! It's a wonder they didn't all keel over from heat stroke!

Thanks for the tip on the NYC Metrocard! Others of my family are going East in June, so I'll let them know to buy the 7-day metrocard!
easytraveler is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 03:36 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi easy, this is the Tommasini article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/ar...ewanted=1&_r=1

I think there must be another one I read recently also about various productions of the Ring. There was some mention that the Goettedaemerung set in the Schenk Ring was falling apart (without the special effects). I can't seem to find the article however. I'll try to look for it.
111op is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 03:45 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 8,862
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Ah, actually the quote about the set I was thinking of comes from the Guardian article you posted, easy:

"the set itself is said to be ready to actually implode – as opposed to ­theatrically implode, as it does at the end of Götterdämmerung."

But then now I'm thinking that there's *yet* another article that compares productions of the Ring. Maybe it was a link posted by someone here. I just remember a comparison of various endings of Goetterdaemerung. In one the gods were walking among ordinary folk, but in another, the interpretation was supposedly totally unrealistic.

Now, if I could find *that* article....
111op is offline  
Old May 27th, 2009, 04:12 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 11,652
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes on 1 Post
Easytraveler -- good meeting u in DC. Really enjoyed your great report! u have inspired me to get back up to Phila.

The Freer and Sackler are both wonderful, often overlooked museums. Your description of Union Sration is hysterical and is all too accurate. I can picture it. Unfortunately transportation to BWI from DC is not the best. U can take the metro green line to Greenbelt and then take the 30 Metro bus. I have never done it so can't comment on how easy it is. I do know that traffic to BWI can be horrendous depending upon the time of day and/or accidents.

Glad u had such a great trip.
yestravel is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -