A New York City experience in keeping it postive
- June 22, 2014, 8:08 a.m.
- |
- Public
Usually I try to go to a Saturday matinee on Broadway (at least when I've been working as the 1/2 price ticket booth is across the street from my job - AND ... I have the extra money), but I read that there would be a musical extravaganza in various venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn for Saturday.
I wanted to go to a few of them, but (1) they were scattered - and not REALLY in walking distance and (2) there were many at the same time - there are just so many hours in a day. I got to the first one - gongs - and it was supposed to be participatory. I just wanted to watch and listen. I expected a certain amount of polyphony (many sounds), but what I got was cacophony (sounds more like noise). I left and walked uptown.
I found some food vendors and bought something that was Turkish - supposedly had cheese and spinach inside... all I could taste was the dough. Now I like dough, but for $8, I wanted something more. Next there was a street fair. I used to buy a lot there, but this time I just browsed. I don't need anything that they were selling.
I got to the next venue early - no one had even set up yet. It was harp music. I was able to sit at a table and read for a bit. A man sat with me and we talked for a while. He was interesting, energetic, and VERY needy. He liked reading, women's issues, classical music, computer... but was underemployed - working as a custodian even though he was college educated in Colombia (his country of origin); he was "looking" for companionship, but was just "not right" for me. I should've been interested, but wasn't.
The harp music was lovely. The next stop was French horns (close enough to home I could walk there when the concert was over). I got on a bus I'd have to transfer from... then the dilemma - go to Trader Joe's and call it a day? or go to the next concert, then shop at a more expensive... but just as extensive... supermarket. Hmmm. I opted for TJ's and then came home. It was a long, interesting day. And in chatting with the bus driver, he nailed it: I got out of the house and did SOMETHING on this beautiful NYC day.
woman in the moon ⋅ June 22, 2014
This is a beautiful New York story. I love it. Yes, you did something. And you told us about it.
I wonder what they expected random gongs to sound like. I went to the web site you posted on your last entry. Very interesting. There was going to be a huge wind band playing complex stuff with many bands and also just whoever showed up. Wonder how that turned out.
Darcy0207 from OD woman in the moon ⋅ June 22, 2014
the gongs were "anyone could play", many of the sites were for whoever showed up to play, but I couldn't be everywhere at once. I wonder how the French horns sounded. I'll see if they do this again next year. Maybe it was for the summer solstice, maybe not.
vivement ⋅ June 22, 2014
Lovely! Yes, I'm not a big percussion fan in it's own right- as part of an ensemble, yes, but just gongs? Nothing relaxing about that to me. Harps are a different story. Beautiful.
Darcy0207 from OD vivement ⋅ June 22, 2014
I agree... somehow I thought they would be smaller gongs - but there was only a short while of an actual BEAT, then just let's see how MUCH noise we can make. Gotta move on for sure.
ermentrude ⋅ June 22, 2014
It sounds like fun!! One of my (many) Spanish teachers is from Colombia, she's such a lovely, optimistic lady with deep knowledge of the world and it's machinations.
And an amazingly contagious giggle :-)
X
Spinster ⋅ June 22, 2014
I think I would have went with the Broadway option.
Darcy0207 from OD Spinster ⋅ June 23, 2014
I'll probably go to a show this coming weekend. I consider it a bonus for working.
Ragdolls ⋅ June 22, 2014
Deleted user ⋅ June 25, 2014
At least you had a story to tell. =)
Darcy0207 from OD Deleted user ⋅ June 25, 2014
I ALWAYS have a story to tell.... LOL