Jed's Chautauqua Institution, NY, trip report
Aug 14th, 2006, 12:31 PM
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Jed's Chautauqua Institution, NY, trip report
Last week my wife and I and 2 couples went to Chautauqua Institution (CI) http://www.ciweb.org/ for the first time. Friends of ours had recommended it highly.
GETTING THERE:
CI is a fenced-in area of 250 acres in Chautauqua, NY, which is on Chautauqua Lake, in the southwest corner of NY State, near Lake Erie. More than 100 years ago it was founded as a place where Sunday School teachers would be taught in the summer. Since then it has evolved into a major complex for entertainment, music instruction and performance for piano, violin, and many other instruments; also theater, dance, opera, lectures on various topics, and instruction on a multitude of subjects.
The season consists of nine distinct weeks, from June to August, each with a lecture theme, such as specific areas of politics, education, ethics, tha arts, religion, etc. Most people come for 1 week, but some for a few or even all nine weeks. There are a few hundred permanent residents of the area, but during the summer there are about 7000 visitors each week. Visitors usually rent boarding hose rooms, hotel rooms, apartments, condos, or houses. Most of the people were on the middle or older side, but there were many families.
Visitors buy a weekly pass, Saturday to Saturday, for $290 which entitles them to most activites. In addition, there is a charge for various courses which occur daily. There are a few other fees.
It was a long drive from Philly, so we decided to stay overnight to see Fallingwater, http://www.paconserve.org/index-fw1.asp in southwest PA. This is a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 for a businessman from Pittsburgh. It is quite impressive, and recommended if you are in the area. We left Friday and stayed at 'The Lodge at Chalk Hill', which as expected was in Chalk Hill nearby. The lodge was OK for the night. We went into Uniontown, near Chalk Hill, that night for dinner at '30 W Main' restaurant, which was very good.
The next day we left for CI, which was a 4 hr drive. We 3 couples rented a house at 43 Hanson, which was on the north side of town. Most of the houses in the area were very old, and not airconditioned. Our house was 2 years old, had A/C, and had 3 BR and 3 bath. There was a downstairs master BR with bath, and on the second floor were 2 BR with a shared bath. A small bathroom was in the hall downstairs. It was not a perfect arrangement, but the best under the circumstances, and it worked out well. It had a huge living room and kitchen. Very comfortable. It was an excellent choice. The house was equiped with kitchen needs and linen. We ate all breakfasts in, and most lunches and suppers.
A problem was that since our house was near the periphery of the area, it required a lot of walking, since you parked the car near the house and could not drive into the center of the area. It was about a 15 minute walk to the center, although the buildings where activites were held were spread all over the area. There were shuttle buses going all over the place, which required a short wait. The town streets were narrow and mostly without sidewalks.
On Saturday, on the way to CI, we bought some groceries in a supermarket in Mayville, a nearby town. Then we checked in at the main gate, getting our passes, then drove to the house. Then we decided to have fish for supper, and had to drive 25 min to Wegman's in Lake Shore, where we got much more groceries.
MORE TO COME................
GETTING THERE:
CI is a fenced-in area of 250 acres in Chautauqua, NY, which is on Chautauqua Lake, in the southwest corner of NY State, near Lake Erie. More than 100 years ago it was founded as a place where Sunday School teachers would be taught in the summer. Since then it has evolved into a major complex for entertainment, music instruction and performance for piano, violin, and many other instruments; also theater, dance, opera, lectures on various topics, and instruction on a multitude of subjects.
The season consists of nine distinct weeks, from June to August, each with a lecture theme, such as specific areas of politics, education, ethics, tha arts, religion, etc. Most people come for 1 week, but some for a few or even all nine weeks. There are a few hundred permanent residents of the area, but during the summer there are about 7000 visitors each week. Visitors usually rent boarding hose rooms, hotel rooms, apartments, condos, or houses. Most of the people were on the middle or older side, but there were many families.
Visitors buy a weekly pass, Saturday to Saturday, for $290 which entitles them to most activites. In addition, there is a charge for various courses which occur daily. There are a few other fees.
It was a long drive from Philly, so we decided to stay overnight to see Fallingwater, http://www.paconserve.org/index-fw1.asp in southwest PA. This is a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 for a businessman from Pittsburgh. It is quite impressive, and recommended if you are in the area. We left Friday and stayed at 'The Lodge at Chalk Hill', which as expected was in Chalk Hill nearby. The lodge was OK for the night. We went into Uniontown, near Chalk Hill, that night for dinner at '30 W Main' restaurant, which was very good.
The next day we left for CI, which was a 4 hr drive. We 3 couples rented a house at 43 Hanson, which was on the north side of town. Most of the houses in the area were very old, and not airconditioned. Our house was 2 years old, had A/C, and had 3 BR and 3 bath. There was a downstairs master BR with bath, and on the second floor were 2 BR with a shared bath. A small bathroom was in the hall downstairs. It was not a perfect arrangement, but the best under the circumstances, and it worked out well. It had a huge living room and kitchen. Very comfortable. It was an excellent choice. The house was equiped with kitchen needs and linen. We ate all breakfasts in, and most lunches and suppers.
A problem was that since our house was near the periphery of the area, it required a lot of walking, since you parked the car near the house and could not drive into the center of the area. It was about a 15 minute walk to the center, although the buildings where activites were held were spread all over the area. There were shuttle buses going all over the place, which required a short wait. The town streets were narrow and mostly without sidewalks.
On Saturday, on the way to CI, we bought some groceries in a supermarket in Mayville, a nearby town. Then we checked in at the main gate, getting our passes, then drove to the house. Then we decided to have fish for supper, and had to drive 25 min to Wegman's in Lake Shore, where we got much more groceries.
MORE TO COME................
Aug 14th, 2006, 12:54 PM
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Hi, Jed - Can't wait to hear more! I just bought a house overlooking the lake about 5 min outside the Institution in Mayville. We have been going to Mayville a couple of times per summer for quite a while, and decided it was time to find our own place. We adore Chautauqua.
Aug 15th, 2006, 05:14 AM
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ACTIVITIES CORNUCOPIA
Saturday night there was a program at the Ampitheater of young people (15-25 age) singing Broadway songs. The music and voices were very good.
Sunday was quiet. In the afternoon there was a dance recital of about 40 young people for 1 1/2 hours non-stop. It was indeed well done and full of enthusiasm. The choreography was exceptional. We relaxed after an evening orientation meeting.
Monday started the real program. Every day there was 40-50 activities listed in the Program Guide and the Chatauqua Daily, a daily newspaper ($.50), which were open to everyone, some with a small fee or donation. In addition, during the nine weeks, there were about 200 different classes, of varying day lengths, for which there was a charge. But the availability varied by the week. For instance, for week 7, which is when we were there, 100 classes were offered. I took Adobe Photoshop editing; others took Tai Chi, history of film, selling on Ebay, a computer course, and bridge. Choosing was vexing. But the main pillars of the program, which most people attended, consisted of a lecture in the morning and afternoon, on the week's topic, which for week 7 was 'Film and Society'. At night, most people went to the Ampitheater for a musical production. This was a 2 acre, 5000 seat building with open sides.
The Monday lecture was about changes in film making since the beginning, and future challenges. After that was my daily photo class; then in the afternoon we decided to go to a chamber music presentation which was excellent. This was in a smaller theater, and to get tickets you had to show up by 8:30 AM, at which time all the 500 tickets were gobbled up. At the theater, many people were turned away. At night, The Theater Company presented the opera, 'Vanessa', in English, for a charge, which was well done. Voices, scenery, and costumes were top notch.
Tuesday the lecture was about film preservation. The afternoon lecture was about Thomas Alva Edison, and they showed several of the first movies ever made. Edison was connected to CI. We decided to have dinner in the 'best' restaurant, at the Atheneum Hotel. It was a beautiful hotel and restaurant. However, 4 of our six rated their dinners as poor to awful, and 2 rated theirs as good. We cancelled the reservation we made for Thursday night. In the evening, there was a symphony of movie music, and then a late night program of Cole Porter, with good singers.
About 200 young people stay at CI for the summer, and take lessons on all the arts mentioned above. They are accepted after a hard competition, and become quite accomplished.
As mentioned, there is quite a lot of walking, but after a while, you learn the shortcuts. A good map is helpful. The weather was great, with minimal rain. It was cool in the evening. Dress was mostly casual.
AND MORE..........
Saturday night there was a program at the Ampitheater of young people (15-25 age) singing Broadway songs. The music and voices were very good.
Sunday was quiet. In the afternoon there was a dance recital of about 40 young people for 1 1/2 hours non-stop. It was indeed well done and full of enthusiasm. The choreography was exceptional. We relaxed after an evening orientation meeting.
Monday started the real program. Every day there was 40-50 activities listed in the Program Guide and the Chatauqua Daily, a daily newspaper ($.50), which were open to everyone, some with a small fee or donation. In addition, during the nine weeks, there were about 200 different classes, of varying day lengths, for which there was a charge. But the availability varied by the week. For instance, for week 7, which is when we were there, 100 classes were offered. I took Adobe Photoshop editing; others took Tai Chi, history of film, selling on Ebay, a computer course, and bridge. Choosing was vexing. But the main pillars of the program, which most people attended, consisted of a lecture in the morning and afternoon, on the week's topic, which for week 7 was 'Film and Society'. At night, most people went to the Ampitheater for a musical production. This was a 2 acre, 5000 seat building with open sides.
The Monday lecture was about changes in film making since the beginning, and future challenges. After that was my daily photo class; then in the afternoon we decided to go to a chamber music presentation which was excellent. This was in a smaller theater, and to get tickets you had to show up by 8:30 AM, at which time all the 500 tickets were gobbled up. At the theater, many people were turned away. At night, The Theater Company presented the opera, 'Vanessa', in English, for a charge, which was well done. Voices, scenery, and costumes were top notch.
Tuesday the lecture was about film preservation. The afternoon lecture was about Thomas Alva Edison, and they showed several of the first movies ever made. Edison was connected to CI. We decided to have dinner in the 'best' restaurant, at the Atheneum Hotel. It was a beautiful hotel and restaurant. However, 4 of our six rated their dinners as poor to awful, and 2 rated theirs as good. We cancelled the reservation we made for Thursday night. In the evening, there was a symphony of movie music, and then a late night program of Cole Porter, with good singers.
About 200 young people stay at CI for the summer, and take lessons on all the arts mentioned above. They are accepted after a hard competition, and become quite accomplished.
As mentioned, there is quite a lot of walking, but after a while, you learn the shortcuts. A good map is helpful. The weather was great, with minimal rain. It was cool in the evening. Dress was mostly casual.
AND MORE..........
Aug 15th, 2006, 12:11 PM
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Can't wait to hear more Jed. I'm surprised that I don't hear more on this site about the Chatauqua Institute -- It's quite a gem and a very unique experience. I'm not aware of another experience like this -- Anyone else?
Aug 16th, 2006, 07:18 AM
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BUSY, BUSY, BUSY
Wednesday morning we went shopping for food, some at Wegman's, and some at the farmers market which was set inside the main gate every morning. The morning lecture was about film documentaries. In the afternoon, we went to a lecture by Thandeka (the name she goes by), a professor of faith and film (!) at Harvard. She talked about faith and film (!). I thought it was fair. Then a lecture on nuclear proliferation by an anylyst at the Nuclear Control Institute. Depending on your point of view, it was either pessimistic or very pessimistic. Then a student violin competition, very good for these young people. The night program was old films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the first feature film, 'The great Train Robbery", which was accompained by a ragtime orchestra with appropriate sound effects. Quite enjoyable. There was at the same time a voice presentation of 'Cosi fan tutte', which sounded good when we passed the venue in the way back to our house.
Thursday was a lecture by Michael York, the film star, on film stars, which was mildly boring. For the afternoon, my wife and I did a belated bus tour ($4) of the grounds. Then we decided to go for a swim in the lake. Unfortunately, the water was filled with algae, and the bottom was shallow, rocky, and slimy. We didn't stay long. Dinner at the "Season Ticket" restaurant at the St. Elmo Hotel, in the center area. All rated our dinners as good to excellent. Night program was by the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra playing Bruckner symphony #8. The playing was excellent, which I compared to the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, but the music itself was only fair.
Friday morning I took an extra class in how to use Picasa for improving and emailing digital photos. The morning lecture was by Richard Brown, a film professor at NYU, and host of AMC's "Movies 101". It was an hour of riotous, side splitting laughter. It was the best lecture of the week. In the afternoon, another lecture with Thendaka, then a faculty recital with piano, violin, and cello, which was SRO. My wife, who is musically inclined, has a love for chamber music, second only to dogs. I am somewhere on her list. Wherever we walked, the were people walikng their dogs, and she would stop and kiss them (the dogs, that is) when she could. I would then thank the dog owner for giving my wife her daily dog fix. In the evening there was a concert by Kenny Rogers, which was sold out, and the overflow stood ouside and listened. He was duly appreciated. We had yummy ice cream and walked home.
Saturday we packed up and left early for our 400 mile drive back to Philly. We took the southern NY state Route 17, to Binghamton, them south to Philly. It was a full, busy, entertaining, and enjoyable week. A good time was had by all.
.......THAT'S ALL FOLKS
Wednesday morning we went shopping for food, some at Wegman's, and some at the farmers market which was set inside the main gate every morning. The morning lecture was about film documentaries. In the afternoon, we went to a lecture by Thandeka (the name she goes by), a professor of faith and film (!) at Harvard. She talked about faith and film (!). I thought it was fair. Then a lecture on nuclear proliferation by an anylyst at the Nuclear Control Institute. Depending on your point of view, it was either pessimistic or very pessimistic. Then a student violin competition, very good for these young people. The night program was old films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and the first feature film, 'The great Train Robbery", which was accompained by a ragtime orchestra with appropriate sound effects. Quite enjoyable. There was at the same time a voice presentation of 'Cosi fan tutte', which sounded good when we passed the venue in the way back to our house.
Thursday was a lecture by Michael York, the film star, on film stars, which was mildly boring. For the afternoon, my wife and I did a belated bus tour ($4) of the grounds. Then we decided to go for a swim in the lake. Unfortunately, the water was filled with algae, and the bottom was shallow, rocky, and slimy. We didn't stay long. Dinner at the "Season Ticket" restaurant at the St. Elmo Hotel, in the center area. All rated our dinners as good to excellent. Night program was by the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra playing Bruckner symphony #8. The playing was excellent, which I compared to the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, but the music itself was only fair.
Friday morning I took an extra class in how to use Picasa for improving and emailing digital photos. The morning lecture was by Richard Brown, a film professor at NYU, and host of AMC's "Movies 101". It was an hour of riotous, side splitting laughter. It was the best lecture of the week. In the afternoon, another lecture with Thendaka, then a faculty recital with piano, violin, and cello, which was SRO. My wife, who is musically inclined, has a love for chamber music, second only to dogs. I am somewhere on her list. Wherever we walked, the were people walikng their dogs, and she would stop and kiss them (the dogs, that is) when she could. I would then thank the dog owner for giving my wife her daily dog fix. In the evening there was a concert by Kenny Rogers, which was sold out, and the overflow stood ouside and listened. He was duly appreciated. We had yummy ice cream and walked home.
Saturday we packed up and left early for our 400 mile drive back to Philly. We took the southern NY state Route 17, to Binghamton, them south to Philly. It was a full, busy, entertaining, and enjoyable week. A good time was had by all.
.......THAT'S ALL FOLKS
Aug 16th, 2006, 10:25 AM
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Sorry - I meant to say the web site for the Chautauqua Institution is www.ciweb.org
Aug 16th, 2006, 06:24 PM
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It's worth a visit just for the day (if you're not interested in all the programs)! There are so many Victorian homes and buildings in the community. You could easily spend the day just walking the grounds and enjoyihng the homes, grand hotel, the lake, etc.
I haven't been in a while. Perhaps I'll take a ride some weekend this fall.
Enjoyed your trip report, Jed!
I haven't been in a while. Perhaps I'll take a ride some weekend this fall.
Enjoyed your trip report, Jed!
Aug 17th, 2006, 07:35 AM
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giro and cabo.....I'm glad to know you're up to date on your "Buffalo English!"
I'll "take a ride" on "the 90" to get there, and bring along some POP to drink. Soda..... whatever do you mean? Club soda, baking soda?
I'll "take a ride" on "the 90" to get there, and bring along some POP to drink. Soda..... whatever do you mean? Club soda, baking soda?
Aug 8th, 2007, 05:26 AM
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We are back in CTQ right now, having arrived Sunday. It has been raining most of the time, but fortunately the temp is much lower than last week, which would have made our stay in our non-airconditioned house difficult.
We are now 8 seniors, 3 couples and 2 single ladies. Our house is on McClintock, which is close to the center and most activities. There are 5 bedrooms, and a small kitchen, which makes it difficult with 5 cooks. But the rest of the house is comfortably large, although some of the bathrooms are shared. And it need some fixing up, painting, etc. But you can't have it all.
So far the program is very good, and again there are enough activities to keep all of us as busy as we want to be.
I will be back with a specific report later.
We are now 8 seniors, 3 couples and 2 single ladies. Our house is on McClintock, which is close to the center and most activities. There are 5 bedrooms, and a small kitchen, which makes it difficult with 5 cooks. But the rest of the house is comfortably large, although some of the bathrooms are shared. And it need some fixing up, painting, etc. But you can't have it all.
So far the program is very good, and again there are enough activities to keep all of us as busy as we want to be.
I will be back with a specific report later.
Aug 14th, 2007, 09:07 AM
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And here it is .....
Chautauqua trip report 2007
We left for CTQ on Sunday Aug 5. The usual week goes from Sat to Sat, but our house was on a Sunday schedule. From Phily to CTQ is about 400 miles, and we decided to try the route up the Northeast extension of the PA Turnpike, then West on US 80, then up to CTQ when we got to the DuBois area. However, from that point the roads were rural and with some construction. It took us 8hr, including pit stops and getting lost. I decided that going back we would go East on 17 to Binghamton and then directly South, which is all highway.
When we got to the Chautauqua Institution (CI), we went to our house at 17 McClintock. This year we were 8 seniors, 3 couples and 2 single ladies. It was a difficult finding the right house with at least 4BR and 3BA, and not too far from the center since a few had problems walking. This house seemed to fit the bill. It was comfortable, although it needed some sprucing up and did not have AC. Fortunately, for most of the week the temp was reasonable, although we had a lot of rain.
The topic for the week was "Security and Preparedness". "Speakers will consider the issues of privacy versus preventive knowledge and action, the responsibilities of government, and the rights of citizens." In actuality, the talks were mostly peripheral to the topic.
After we did our shopping and settling in, we chose to go to a talk by a lawyer on "Rights and Privileges of the First Amendment." This, of course, is an important topic today. However, he was a media lawyer, and talked about the minutae of the development of censorship on the radio and TV. A more boring lecture was inconcievable, and we were glad to get to our house, relax, talk, and sleep.
To be continued....
Chautauqua trip report 2007
We left for CTQ on Sunday Aug 5. The usual week goes from Sat to Sat, but our house was on a Sunday schedule. From Phily to CTQ is about 400 miles, and we decided to try the route up the Northeast extension of the PA Turnpike, then West on US 80, then up to CTQ when we got to the DuBois area. However, from that point the roads were rural and with some construction. It took us 8hr, including pit stops and getting lost. I decided that going back we would go East on 17 to Binghamton and then directly South, which is all highway.
When we got to the Chautauqua Institution (CI), we went to our house at 17 McClintock. This year we were 8 seniors, 3 couples and 2 single ladies. It was a difficult finding the right house with at least 4BR and 3BA, and not too far from the center since a few had problems walking. This house seemed to fit the bill. It was comfortable, although it needed some sprucing up and did not have AC. Fortunately, for most of the week the temp was reasonable, although we had a lot of rain.
The topic for the week was "Security and Preparedness". "Speakers will consider the issues of privacy versus preventive knowledge and action, the responsibilities of government, and the rights of citizens." In actuality, the talks were mostly peripheral to the topic.
After we did our shopping and settling in, we chose to go to a talk by a lawyer on "Rights and Privileges of the First Amendment." This, of course, is an important topic today. However, he was a media lawyer, and talked about the minutae of the development of censorship on the radio and TV. A more boring lecture was inconcievable, and we were glad to get to our house, relax, talk, and sleep.
To be continued....
Aug 15th, 2007, 10:23 AM
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The main program begins...
Monday morning was a lecture by Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton. I was disappointed and felt that it was mostly criticism of Bush, and utopian pap.
The CTQ community is quite liberal, and received this enthusiastically. In the afternoon, we went to a movie, "For the Bible Tells Me So." It was a documentary exploring the social and theological challenges involved involved for 5 Christian families who have a gay or lesbian child. One was about the Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who was there and answered questions. It was an interesting and important film, although somewhat too long.
Later we went to a concert by the Audubon Quartet. They played a lesser known work by Leos Janacek, and a sextet by Tchaikovsky. It was excellent. In the evening we went to the opera, a production of "Werther" by Jules Massenet, whicch is rarely seen. The sets and voices were very good, but to me the music and story were inconsequential. The most remarkable item of the opera was the ending, at which the hero was shot. As he lays dying for 15 minutes, he manages to sing numerous arias and duets with the heroine.
Tuesday AM's lecture was by NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer. The first part was a rebuke of the Bush administration for a lack of hubris. The later part was a political rally celebrating his first nine months in office. In the PM we went to the Annual Music Dept Scholarship Winner Performance. There was an excellent soprano (I think she was an Australian aborigine), and good to fair performances by a violinist, harpist, and tenor. Then we went to a program called "The Many Faces of Carmen", showing videotape of 3 different performances, one classic, one modern, and one on iceskates. Most imteresting.
Four of us went to dinner at McDuffs in Jamestown, which the other couple had recommended. Unfortunately, it was only fair. There was heavy rain coming home, and we were glad to get to bed.
Wednesday AM's lecture was by Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice, whose topic was labelled "American Justice Issues Today". Instead, the talk should have been labelled "Assorted Firsts of the Supreme Court". It was interesting, but off topic. She also spoke in the PM, mostly on education. In the evening was a performance by "Barrage", an Irish group of young people playing the fiddle while doing lively dances. It was enjoyable.
Stay tuned....
Monday morning was a lecture by Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton. I was disappointed and felt that it was mostly criticism of Bush, and utopian pap.
The CTQ community is quite liberal, and received this enthusiastically. In the afternoon, we went to a movie, "For the Bible Tells Me So." It was a documentary exploring the social and theological challenges involved involved for 5 Christian families who have a gay or lesbian child. One was about the Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, who was there and answered questions. It was an interesting and important film, although somewhat too long.
Later we went to a concert by the Audubon Quartet. They played a lesser known work by Leos Janacek, and a sextet by Tchaikovsky. It was excellent. In the evening we went to the opera, a production of "Werther" by Jules Massenet, whicch is rarely seen. The sets and voices were very good, but to me the music and story were inconsequential. The most remarkable item of the opera was the ending, at which the hero was shot. As he lays dying for 15 minutes, he manages to sing numerous arias and duets with the heroine.
Tuesday AM's lecture was by NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer. The first part was a rebuke of the Bush administration for a lack of hubris. The later part was a political rally celebrating his first nine months in office. In the PM we went to the Annual Music Dept Scholarship Winner Performance. There was an excellent soprano (I think she was an Australian aborigine), and good to fair performances by a violinist, harpist, and tenor. Then we went to a program called "The Many Faces of Carmen", showing videotape of 3 different performances, one classic, one modern, and one on iceskates. Most imteresting.
Four of us went to dinner at McDuffs in Jamestown, which the other couple had recommended. Unfortunately, it was only fair. There was heavy rain coming home, and we were glad to get to bed.
Wednesday AM's lecture was by Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice, whose topic was labelled "American Justice Issues Today". Instead, the talk should have been labelled "Assorted Firsts of the Supreme Court". It was interesting, but off topic. She also spoke in the PM, mostly on education. In the evening was a performance by "Barrage", an Irish group of young people playing the fiddle while doing lively dances. It was enjoyable.
Stay tuned....
Aug 16th, 2007, 04:54 AM
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...rolling along...
Thursday's lecture was by Philip Zelikow, a former member of the US State Dept, on "Globilization and Civilization". As I heard it, his main points were that some people fear globilization because they fear it is a force beyond their control. Also, much of the aid sent to other countries is wasted; and UN peacekeeping forces are often useless. I enjoyed the presentation. The afternoon lecture was by Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of a Jewish group. I thought his talk was a great delivery of feel-good nonsense. Later there was a ballet presentation by the dance students, which was mostly very good.
Thursday evening was a highlight of the week. The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra was to play Mahler's Ninth. Before that was an hour lecture on Mahler's life, how the symphony fit in, and explaining the intricasies of the melodies and themes. The orchestra and symphony were marvelous. We topped the evening with with ice cream cones of carmel swirl and buckeye (a peanut butter concoction).
Friday's morning lecture was on the threat of bioterrorism and pandemic disease. Very scary. The afternoon lecture was by Amir Hussein, a Muslim professor of history at Loyola. His lecture was a soothing explanation of Islam and the benignity of the Koran, dedication to peace, and condemnation of terrorism. To many there, it was "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." The questions after were quite pointed, and one difficult question was just ignored.
A later lecture was "Presidential Politics 2008", by a professor of public policy. It was an excellent non-partisan discussion of the candidates, primary process, and nominating process which we can expect.
Friday night all 8 of us went to dinner at the "Season Ticket", one of the better reataurants on the grounds. It was an attractive place, with good service and food. We all enjoyed our dinner.
Saturday was a lazy day. we went swimming in the lake in the afternoon. There is a small sandy beach and dock, with a life guard. It was very enjoyable. The evening was a ballet by the Chautauqua Ballet Company, dancing to Bach, Beethoven, Gershwin, and Rachmaninoff.
Sunday morning we straightened out the house, packed, and headed home. We stopped at Mom's Savona Diner in Savona NY, on Rt 17, for lunch. It was an old-fashioned diner with excellent food and prices. It was a great find after walking out of a Subway in the area, because of poor service and uncleanliness. We got home after 8 hrs and 400 miles. We had a glass of wine and relaxed from our vacation.
In all, a 4* (out of 5) experience.
Thursday's lecture was by Philip Zelikow, a former member of the US State Dept, on "Globilization and Civilization". As I heard it, his main points were that some people fear globilization because they fear it is a force beyond their control. Also, much of the aid sent to other countries is wasted; and UN peacekeeping forces are often useless. I enjoyed the presentation. The afternoon lecture was by Rabbi Irwin Kula, president of a Jewish group. I thought his talk was a great delivery of feel-good nonsense. Later there was a ballet presentation by the dance students, which was mostly very good.
Thursday evening was a highlight of the week. The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra was to play Mahler's Ninth. Before that was an hour lecture on Mahler's life, how the symphony fit in, and explaining the intricasies of the melodies and themes. The orchestra and symphony were marvelous. We topped the evening with with ice cream cones of carmel swirl and buckeye (a peanut butter concoction).
Friday's morning lecture was on the threat of bioterrorism and pandemic disease. Very scary. The afternoon lecture was by Amir Hussein, a Muslim professor of history at Loyola. His lecture was a soothing explanation of Islam and the benignity of the Koran, dedication to peace, and condemnation of terrorism. To many there, it was "Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative." The questions after were quite pointed, and one difficult question was just ignored.
A later lecture was "Presidential Politics 2008", by a professor of public policy. It was an excellent non-partisan discussion of the candidates, primary process, and nominating process which we can expect.
Friday night all 8 of us went to dinner at the "Season Ticket", one of the better reataurants on the grounds. It was an attractive place, with good service and food. We all enjoyed our dinner.
Saturday was a lazy day. we went swimming in the lake in the afternoon. There is a small sandy beach and dock, with a life guard. It was very enjoyable. The evening was a ballet by the Chautauqua Ballet Company, dancing to Bach, Beethoven, Gershwin, and Rachmaninoff.
Sunday morning we straightened out the house, packed, and headed home. We stopped at Mom's Savona Diner in Savona NY, on Rt 17, for lunch. It was an old-fashioned diner with excellent food and prices. It was a great find after walking out of a Subway in the area, because of poor service and uncleanliness. We got home after 8 hrs and 400 miles. We had a glass of wine and relaxed from our vacation.
In all, a 4* (out of 5) experience.
