What can I say? October 29th 2006 is one of the biggest days of my life so far.
It started with a not-so-cold Fall morning, when we rose early to run the 31st Marine Corps Marathon ( the first one for most of us) in Washington D.C. This marathon is called as the ‘People’s Marathon’ because it is famous for drawing runners from various parts of the world.
Whenever there’s a marathon in a city, it dynamically transforms into a mecca of spirit and energy. Almost infectious, the enthusiasm of the runners and even more so of their supporters is what really pulled me through the 26.20 mi distance.
The first gun shot at 8:25 am, set off the Wheelchair and Hand Crank Marathoners; a category that only had 4 participants, out of the 35,000 total in number. The Scarlet Wave Runners (bib no.s from 1 – 15999) were to start off at 8:25 am, which later moved to 8:35 am and the Gold Wave runners (bib no.s 16000 - 35,000) would follow 20 minutes later. I was in the Scarlet Wave (bib no. 10343) and maneuvered my way through the crowd, to position myself right at the Start Line. Until of course, out of nowhere appeared this pack of Kenyan/ Ethiopian runners who all lined up at the start and Coach Jane’s email resounded in my head “Don’t start off too fast with those runners”. John, another runner from D.C, struck up a conversation with me and we chatted away, till the race began. Talking to him, sort of prepared me for the course that lay ahead of us, as he warned me to go slow, up the hill after Mile 2.
A gun shot released the mob of runners and our 26.20 mile long journey began. The spectator support was marvelous; not just ASHA mentors and friends/ spouses, but the crowd in general, really lent energy to the air. The first few miles were a breeze, running through Arlington’s buildings until we reached the hill where the ascent began. I found myself picking up a glass of Powerade and water at almost all water-points, to quench my palate. The Key Bridge was an important milestone for me personally, because it sort of declared getting out of VA and into D.C. I have always heard of Georgetown, but now can say I’ve run through it too. Having written our names on our ASHA T-shirts really helped, although I did know that by the time people manage to read and pronounce my name, I would probably have already whizzed past them. Still I did get a lot of “Go Asha”s and a few “C’mon Shweyta”s, which really helped quicken the pace. A literal display of how encouragement boosts performance!
From Georgetown, we moved on to Rock Creek Park, where the beautiful fall foliage and light breeze provided for easy distractions, while running. In my head, I kept looking out for the D.C Monuments, because I knew somewhere around there, would mean the half-marker of the race. Running through the monuments on Constitution Ave. brought back memories of the time I visited here, the previous two years. The stretch leading towards and back from the Capitol Hill is completely dedicated to my parents, for the adorable wish my Dad sent to me in his email “Unfurl our flag atop the Capitol Hill” with a picture of him and my Mom standing in front of it, from their trip here, last year. (Turns out coincidentally enough that MarathonFoto decided to take a shot of me, right in front of the Capitol Hill.)
It was always mind-talk, conversations with my self and looking around while on the run, that helped me throughout the race. If you are running for 4 ½ hours, you may as well put that time to best use, mentally too. Random thoughts in my head ranged from: How proud my friends and parents would be of me; Are they getting the text messages of my mileage as I run?; What would it feel like to cross the Finish line; What in the world is that woman wearing; Oooh he’s good-looking; Don’t cross the street before me, you doofus; Any familiar faces in the crowd?; Why are my knees red, are they going to break open?; That downhill slope will certainly speed up my mileage; Did you know last year today, you would be doing this next year today?; All this for those little kids; they better study hard:); What was that trick someone suggested to keep your mind occupied while running – Divide 129/17 upto 3 decimals (Did’nt work for me by the way, I forgot the numbers before the decimals until I reached the end); My legs must be looking really toned right now; How are we going to celebrate tonight?…etc etc…
Spectator support near the monuments was largely tourists, who didn’t spare a moment without shouting out to the runners. Little kids who held out their hands, to give high-five’s to the runners, provided for the support with a ‘personal touch’.
East Potomac Park was next; another mental note to self, that this is the end of the D.C part of the race. This part of the course also felt really long inspite of its scenic route, as my sole search while running through here, was for the foot of the bridge. The Freeway Bridge was the 20 mile marker; an important mile in every marathoner’s books, because from here on, as we are told, “It’s all going to be in the head”. (Most, if not all Marathon training programs, train you to run till the 20 mile distance, as the last 6.20 miles of a marathon are really meant to be “in your head”.) Sounds like a lot for the head, but it’s true as I saw for myself, on race day. Since I had run 21 miles as my longest run distance, twice before; at the 21 mile mark, I knew until now was distance-travelled. From here on would be the real challenge. I do recollect asking myself at that point, why does a Marathon have to be 26.20 mile long and not just end at 21, till where I ve run before?
The Freeway Bridge seemed to be a never-ending one. I remember looking around at the other runners to see when people had started walking instead of running, sort of trying to tell myself that it’s ok to walk now. I had always heard about runners with unearthly energy levels whom I might see talking/ sprinting in the last few miles of the race and actually got to see some such during the race as well. That sort of energy conservation tactic towards the end of the race, I have yet to learn. Somewhere around now, there came a Music Tent put up by Target, where I remember stopping for a quick jig and a twirl, much to the amusement of a little girl in the audience, before I moved on to finish my race. Throughout the entire race, I posed for the cameras at the important mile-markers, knowing a little make-belief and pretence would go a long way in making memorable pictures and videos for life. (I cannot wait for the DVD that will have personalized shots of me throughout the race, hopefully one’s in which I am smiling away:)
At the 25th mile marker, I had personal ASHA supporters cheering me as I passed them. Crowd support throughout the last mile was incredible. Finally, as I reached the 26 mile marker, I knew this was soon going to be over. Drawing into the Finish Line, was one of the most overwhelming experiences ever; I must confess, my hands automatically raised themselves to mark the end of a spectacular journey, in proud declaration, that I had done it. A handsome Marine wrapped a foil blanket around me and another one put my ‘Finisher’ Medal around my neck. My eyes were a little moist from the overwhelming conversations I had had with myself in the last few hours. There was pain that I could feel in my body but it was a ‘happy’ pain. One totally-worth it and would-do-it-all-over-again sort of pain. I thanked myself, (I think I heard an inner voice say “I am so proud of you”) and all those whom I think are the reason, why I ran this marathon.
Some stretching later, I was ready to line up for my Marathon Finisher Photo, followed by two really good massages. Apparently I blurted out “God is blessing you right now” to the masseuse, more than a couple of times, as I recollected later, while recounting to my friends. There was pampering galore, after the race, as someone offered us ‘samosas’ and ‘idlis’, while random people came up to chat and take pictures. I even gave a full-fledged interview; (felt like such a celebrity, while at it); one that I am really looking forward to see.
Note of Thanks:
At the risk of sounding clichéd, I want to thank my parents who’ve handled every new insanity of mine (including this one) in the sanest of ways; my closest friends, who convinced me that fund-raising (which was the biggest reason I was hesitant to sign-up) would fall in place, my co-runners who trained with me and provided for the much-needed camaraderie and spirit, the ASHA mentors and Coach for urging me to go all the way and of course the countless donors, (some of whom I don’t know or have never met), but who donated selflessly to my Marathon’s cause and brought me so close to my target. (Feel free to make your donations at: http://www.ashanet.org/nycnj/lib/marathon/publicmypage.php?1647)
Here is my official result from Race Day.
At the end of this 24-week journey, where I‘ve trained diligently towards a smaller goal (the Half-Marathon) at first, that grew into a larger one, (the Marathon) eventually, I have learnt a lot about myself, my body and of course running, in general. Be it the conversations I’ve had with myself while running, (after the time I decided that my Ipod was an additional hindrance) or the amount of time I’ve spent outdoors, appreciating parks, water bodies, skylines, sights, smells and sounds of the outside, or the wonderful people I’ve run with in the park, from the blind guy full of energy, running with his aide; the pregnant woman who ran at my pace in a NYRR race or the fragile grandma who runs religiously every Saturday morning, this training experience has enriched me in more ways than one. Among others, it has shown me that lines drawn earlier can always be extended and a lot of our reservations (mental or physical) really lie in our head and can easily be overcome. As I type, I am waiting to sign up for my next Half-Marathon to be held in Mumbai on Jan 21st, 2007, so as you can see, I am officially addicted to running now.
There used to be times when at the end of a 3 mile run on the treadmill, I would applaud myself and think that running anymore, will only make me tired. But now after having been past several Saturday mornings spent well, training in the park, from 10, 14, 16, 18 to 21 miles and being able to party the same night, like there’s no tomorrow, I ‘ve learnt that our bodies are capable of way more than what we give them credit for.
And that once taken good care of, they make us breeze through some of our toughest journeys:)!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
"Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)"
You know how sometimes we love some songs and then later totally forget about them at all?And then, some other time, later in life, we suddenly hear them play and they come back to us, and then we remember how much we loved and cherished them, at one point of time of our lives?
One such old, forgotten favourite that recently crossed my path, is Don Mc'lean's "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)". It brings back memories of rebellious days spent in architecture undergrad, when we lived and breathed creativity and when I first fell in love with Vincent's work and of more recent times, the beautiful afternoon spent among his works in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
One of my all time favourites; you can hear it here for free: (Song no. 10)
"Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)"
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colours on the snowy linen land
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen
They did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
Starry, starry night
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds and violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue
Colours changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain
Are soothed beneath the artists' loving hand
Now I understand
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen
They did not know how
Perhaps they'll listen now
For they could not love you
But still your love was true
And when no hope was left inside
On that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I could have told you Vincent
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you
Starry Starry night
Portraits hung in empty halls
Framless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and cant forget
Like the strangers that you've met
The ragged men in ragged clothes
The silver thorn of bloody rose
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Now I think I know
What you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity
And how you tried to set them free
They would not listen
They're not listening still
Perhaps they never will...
Friday, October 13, 2006
My First Marathon Appeal!
So it's here, sooner than you had expected; my announcement to all of you, who are'nt aware yet, that I am running my first Marathon. Feels like it was just yesterday, when I ran the ASHA 5K run, then the NYC Half-Marathon and now finally the ultimate one of them all, the Marathon.It's been one incredible journey, from the first 3.10 miles for ASHA on June 10th, 2006, to the 13.10 miles in the NYC Half-Marathon on Aug 27th, 2006 and eventually, the 26.20 miles that I will run in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C on Oct 29th, 2006.
Attached is the map of the race course, for the event and below is the link to more information for spectators and supporters (for those of you, who will be at the event to cheer me:), on the race day.
http://www.marinemarathon.com/race_info/spectators.htm
More than 2000 miles and 21 weeks of running and $1500 of funds raised later, I am still running and fundraising for ASHA; a Non-profit which works towards providing basic education for under-privileged children in India.
Here are the links that provide more information on ASHA:
http://www.ashanet.org/nycnj/
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/7630.htm
and here is the link where you can make your credit card donations:
http://www.ashanet.org/nycnj/lib/marathon/publicmypage.php?1647
I sincerely urge each one of you, who chances upon my blog or is a regular reader to make your valuable donation when you read this post. At ASHA Marathons, each one of us, runs with the belief "I run so they can read".
Robert Frost's following lines, now have a new meaning in my life:)
"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
Thank you for your time and donations (in advance) and do look forward to my post-marathon post, after the 29th.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Tag 1 - Eight Things about Myself
Axe tagged me onto this; quite a pain I must confess being tagged to writing something like this. And that too, only 8 things, when my list was beginning to seem endless:)
So here's my first 'tagged-to' post, especially since I see a reminder to do this, on my previous post.
Surprises; diamond ring and down on one knee-kind of proposals; kisses; hugs; physical manifestations of love; love stories; romantic movies; love notes; sunsets; moonlit nights; walking in the sand, hand-in-hand, etc sort of tried-and-tested or unique romantic gestures are all huge turn-ons.
2. I realize today that I’ve made a lot of adult/ life- changing decisions as a child; most of which I still am or plan to conform to.
To never smoke; to have, what in India we refer to as a ‘love-marriage’; what I would like to name my son if and when I have one; add the letter ‘y’ to my first name etc:).
3. I consider myself blessed to have had a best-friend to grow up with, since we both were born, 27 years ago. It’s not an ordinary gift and if I could, I would want to pass that on, more than anything, to my children.
4. I love traveling, mostly to cities.
I traveled to my first city (for tourism), when I was 3 months old and I think that’s when the bug caught on. I’ve been to more than 50 so far, in India and abroad, and am still counting.
5. I am extremely gregarious and love being surrounded by people. I can also hold conversations with almost anyone, including a wall. Both qualities are an inheritance from my Mom, I think.
6. I am an only child and have always loved it that way.
7. I cannot study in any other way, but aloud; like ‘read-the-text-out-loud’ aloud. I think that may be the reason I have an incessant, untiring capacity to blabber.
8. I have always done things my way and plan to spend the rest of my life continuing to do so. Someday, at the fag end of it, I hope to hear Frank Sinatra’s ‘I did it my way’ in my tribute:)
So here's my first 'tagged-to' post, especially since I see a reminder to do this, on my previous post.
Eight Things about Myself
1. I am a die-hard romantic to the core.
Surprises; diamond ring and down on one knee-kind of proposals; kisses; hugs; physical manifestations of love; love stories; romantic movies; love notes; sunsets; moonlit nights; walking in the sand, hand-in-hand, etc sort of tried-and-tested or unique romantic gestures are all huge turn-ons.
2. I realize today that I’ve made a lot of adult/ life- changing decisions as a child; most of which I still am or plan to conform to.
To never smoke; to have, what in India we refer to as a ‘love-marriage’; what I would like to name my son if and when I have one; add the letter ‘y’ to my first name etc:).
3. I consider myself blessed to have had a best-friend to grow up with, since we both were born, 27 years ago. It’s not an ordinary gift and if I could, I would want to pass that on, more than anything, to my children.
4. I love traveling, mostly to cities.
I traveled to my first city (for tourism), when I was 3 months old and I think that’s when the bug caught on. I’ve been to more than 50 so far, in India and abroad, and am still counting.
5. I am extremely gregarious and love being surrounded by people. I can also hold conversations with almost anyone, including a wall. Both qualities are an inheritance from my Mom, I think.
6. I am an only child and have always loved it that way.
7. I cannot study in any other way, but aloud; like ‘read-the-text-out-loud’ aloud. I think that may be the reason I have an incessant, untiring capacity to blabber.
8. I have always done things my way and plan to spend the rest of my life continuing to do so. Someday, at the fag end of it, I hope to hear Frank Sinatra’s ‘I did it my way’ in my tribute:)
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
My Half-Marathon High!
I can finally say 'I did it'.Earlier this year, I had set for myself a goal; that of running a race, in which I could put all my previous running experience to use. The ASHA 5K, was my first step in this direction, at which point I did not know that I would be training for/ running the Half this year as well. (I guess just as, at the time when I actually wrote this post, I had no idea I would be considering to run the Marathon in D.C, on Oct 29th, 2006. Figured, I may as well go all the way and end the year with a bang.) This gradual upgrading of races albeit natural progression of them, all the same (from the 5K to the Half and eventually the Marathon), is now becoming a way of life, I think.
On Aug 27th, 2006 as I drew into the Finish Line at Battery Place, the feelings varied from satisfaction, sense of achievement, fatigue and of course an ambitious drive to go all the way. (The upcoming Marathon, like all others, will be a 26.2 mile distance, in D.C)
Thanks all, for your donations and encouragement. I ran the Half-Marathon i.e 13.10 miles with a net time of 2:01:27. (Yes, I felt horrible when I saw that 1 min and 27 sec part and wished I had run faster to make it within 2 hours). My rank was 4958th out of 10,340 runners and my Gender place (that is rank among the women) was 1660th. I like to refer to it as "I was the 1660 th fastest woman in NYC that day:)" Some consolation!!
When I walked into work the next day, I was sent back home for rest, as I showed off my medal to my VP and manager and they were too thrilled. An applause, a few hugs, a lot of congratulations and some "You're our running star" later, they packed me off to go spend the rest of the day, pedicuring my feet or basking in the glory of my Sunday race:)
The Half, on Sunday, easily makes it to my list of 'unforgettable' days. The week before, as I kept training as per my schedule, when I was asked by various people if I was excited for the half, I kept answering that it felt like it would be a normal day. Until of course 6 am on Sunday morning, when I walked into Central Park, to see a whole new ambience. People all over the place, checking in bags, talking GU-gels and running goals; the park peaked in energy levels and I think that's where I drew from, for my run.
I was aiming at 2:15 and was super pleased when I drew into the finish line at 2:01. The ASHA team lined up and a co-runner and I decided to run together, but I realise I ditched her somewhere in between, when out of nowhere I picked up pace and moved ahead. En route the various highs, were at points where jazz musicians played in the park, under small tents and being able to criss-cross with ASHA runners on and off. Until of course, when it only kept getting better, as the biggest high that gave me goose bumps was exiting the park, onto the streets, where crowds cheered to loud music and Times Square neons loomed up ahead. A sudden shower of rain welcomed me on 7th Ave. and kept me pleasant company while I ran, the next few blocks into Midtown. The cheering crowds all along the route, some with bells, others with drums, mad screeching women-supporters, kids holding up 'Way to go Grandpa" signs, only added to the diversity of the experience. Cutting across 42nd St. and running on the West Side H'way, with cars on the other side of the road, was a thrill too. (I remember exclaiming "I just ran all that, we could have easily walked it now, instead of this cab" as we drove back from Battery Place to the Brunch place, at 14th and Broadway)...All in all, the medal at the end was totally worth all those non-alcoholic early Friday nights and early morning Saturday long runs.
Two days later, as I sit typing this post, my thighs are still aching a bit, but I am ready for my days run. I want to keep training because this is a bad time to stop and because I now think that I am addicted:) (Let's not even talk about the "Wow, you've lost weight/ toned up" compliments that I am getting used to as well:)
Above, is a picture of me taken, halfway through the race and my running result from the NY-Road runners website. Once again, thanks for all your contributions and 'good-luck' wishes..They certainly motivated me each time I thought I was getting tired to pick up pace again.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Day 3 - Chicago
Day 3 - (Sunday, 30th July 06')
Today was our last day in Chicago and our flight out of Chicago Midway was at 3 pm. Karthik had graciously insisted on dropping us at the airport, after we would get done with our CAF (Chicago Architectural Foundation's) Architectural River Cruise. We were booked on the 11 am cruise, which would take off from the Chicago River, at the foot of the Wacker bridge and bring us back there at 12:30 pm.
Saurabh and I checked out of our hotel and decided to conserve our monetary resources by taking the complimentary shuttle ride from the hotel into the city. We had become, very used to taking cabs in this city and figured that it may be a tough, thereby expensive habit, to lose, when we got back home in NYC.
We didn’t have enough time to grab a bite before the cruise, although we had already planned that the last thing we would eat before we left Chicago, was a slice of their deep-dish pizza. It only occurred to us later, that there weren’t many shops that sold pizzas by the slice, as in NYC. Karthik informed me that a deep-dish pizza would take atleast 1 to 1-1/2 hours to make, once ordered, so it was beginning to dawn upon us, that we might have to leave without having sunk our teeth into one.
Slightly disappointed at that, Saurabh and I got on the cruise and took almost front row seats, to make sure we didn’t miss any Chicago trivia that might come across our way.
The cruise was spectacular; starting off in the middle of downtown, where we craned our necks to see the steel and glass structures all around us. The cruise guide introduced herself and for the next 90 minutes, we were bombarded with loads of information, on the architecture of this dynamic city. Buildings from the art-deco to the post modern style; by architects ranging from the ‘Bauhaus’ to the ‘blob’ schools passed us by, as our cruise moved ahead on the green river, which apparently turns a darker green every year on St. Patrick’s Day. The boat, took us all along the river, cruising through the various tall buildings of downtown and into the harbour, from where we could see the Navy Pier in the distance and the black skyscraper building, which Oprah Winfrey calls home.
The Chicago River has gone down in civil engineering history, to have had its flow reversed, originally from flowing into the Lake Michigan River, to now flowing away from it. ‘Chicago’ means ‘the stinking onion’ in the language of the Native Americans who lived there. The name, as is apparent, was given to the river, on account of the rotten onion stink that it gave out, due to massive dumping of industrial waste in it, during Chicago’s industrial boom. However, the present day Chicago River, is nothing like it’s name; it’s clean and green, providing for a lovely natural hue to Chicago downtown.
The cruise lasted a good 90 minutes, during which I kept trying to store the three-dimensional experience through my two-dimensional digital viewfinder. Chicagoan’s almost tirelessly waved at us, from the numerous bridges we sailed under, to building rooftops and promenades that lined the river. I remember mentioning to Saurabh, how amazed I get, each time, with this sort of friendly urban conduct, encountered with, in cities other than NYC. Not to mention, that NYC does not have its own style of urban conduct, but time and pace definitely get the better of people there; that at times we forget to stand and stare as Davies’ would love to have us do, in his poem ‘Leisure’, my all time favourite. This CAF Architectural River cruise is certainly a must-do for any architectural or urban enthusiast, in Chicago, worth every penny it costs.
When we were back at the foot of the Wacker Bridge, Karthik called, to pleasantly surprise us with a “I’ve ordered you guys a Deep Dish Pizza, so come on over quick.”
We hailed a cab and reached ‘The Presidential Towers’, a modern, almost mini-city scale apartment building complex, which Karthik calls home. Our first reaction was, this is Chicago’s magnified version of Newport-Pavonia; a residential area of Jersey City, with hotel-like apartment buildings, that boast of washers and dryers/ elevators/ concierges and pompous chandeliers. (I live like most poor people in NYC do; in a rent-stabilized pre-war, brownstone in Astoria, Queens, so living it up in style such as this, certainly gives me a high at times. Although, I do believe that there is more ‘character’ to a brownstone with its rich historical context, than a carpeted, high rise apartment, laid with a stencil. The only thing that turns me on about a high-rise is really, the fabulous views it lays out, which I believe may be enough reason for me to make a move into one, eventually in life.) ‘The Presidential Towers’, just like in Newport, has a largely South-Asian population. It also has a grocery store, shopping mall, restaurants, coffee-shops, all within the complex. The commute from the lobby of the building to Karthik’s apartment was a good 10 minute walk; that comprised of riding on escalators, elevators and left me looking out for a moving walkway next:)
Karthik’s semi-one bedroom/ studio was neatly laid out and kept well; always a pleasure when it comes to a bachelor pad. As I was expecting, his apartment had splendid views of downtown and of the Sear’s Tower, which seems to be in his backyard. The Pizza was waiting for us to devour it, an act quickly conducted, to satiate our hungry tummies and make it in time for our flight from Chicago Midway. With our stomach’s full and hearts contented, we left to drive to the airport to take our flight back home and wrap up a weekend, well spent in Chi town.
To summarise it, in my favourite Ol’ Blue eyes words:
“This is my kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of people too
People who smile at you”
Acknowledgements:
Saurabh: For accompanying me on this trip and making it more interesting with our architectural discourses and sharing my wander-thirst with equal enthusiasm.
Suchi: For a wonderful tour of the area West of Michigan Mile and spending a sunny afternoon, chatting away, like old times. Also, for a few excellent recommendations on ‘Blues’ clubs in the city and her meticulously, neatly-written detailed list of the same.
Karthik: For a beautiful evening tour of the Navy Pier and saying it a 1000 times how wonderful he felt to meet with us 10 years later. Also, for being a wonderful host and getting us the elusive deep-dish, that we thought we had almost left Chi town without. And last but definitely not the least, for insisting on driving us to the airport, which only made our trip more comfortable.
All those Chicagoans' who waved at us when we were cruising along peeping into their houses. (A phenomenon so contrary to the one, when I was cruising along the Amstel River in Amsterdam, where the locals snorted, frowned and furled their curtains in our face, at times.
And, to think the Dutch are exhibitionists and love to have people peer into their houses.)
Lastly, the various ‘nice’ people for their ‘niceties’ that made me leave Chicago with the feeling that it is one of the ‘nicest’ cities I‘ve ever been to.
Nice enough, to make me want to call it "Ni(ce)City".
Today was our last day in Chicago and our flight out of Chicago Midway was at 3 pm. Karthik had graciously insisted on dropping us at the airport, after we would get done with our CAF (Chicago Architectural Foundation's) Architectural River Cruise. We were booked on the 11 am cruise, which would take off from the Chicago River, at the foot of the Wacker bridge and bring us back there at 12:30 pm.
Saurabh and I checked out of our hotel and decided to conserve our monetary resources by taking the complimentary shuttle ride from the hotel into the city. We had become, very used to taking cabs in this city and figured that it may be a tough, thereby expensive habit, to lose, when we got back home in NYC.
We didn’t have enough time to grab a bite before the cruise, although we had already planned that the last thing we would eat before we left Chicago, was a slice of their deep-dish pizza. It only occurred to us later, that there weren’t many shops that sold pizzas by the slice, as in NYC. Karthik informed me that a deep-dish pizza would take atleast 1 to 1-1/2 hours to make, once ordered, so it was beginning to dawn upon us, that we might have to leave without having sunk our teeth into one.
Slightly disappointed at that, Saurabh and I got on the cruise and took almost front row seats, to make sure we didn’t miss any Chicago trivia that might come across our way.
The cruise was spectacular; starting off in the middle of downtown, where we craned our necks to see the steel and glass structures all around us. The cruise guide introduced herself and for the next 90 minutes, we were bombarded with loads of information, on the architecture of this dynamic city. Buildings from the art-deco to the post modern style; by architects ranging from the ‘Bauhaus’ to the ‘blob’ schools passed us by, as our cruise moved ahead on the green river, which apparently turns a darker green every year on St. Patrick’s Day. The boat, took us all along the river, cruising through the various tall buildings of downtown and into the harbour, from where we could see the Navy Pier in the distance and the black skyscraper building, which Oprah Winfrey calls home.
The Chicago River has gone down in civil engineering history, to have had its flow reversed, originally from flowing into the Lake Michigan River, to now flowing away from it. ‘Chicago’ means ‘the stinking onion’ in the language of the Native Americans who lived there. The name, as is apparent, was given to the river, on account of the rotten onion stink that it gave out, due to massive dumping of industrial waste in it, during Chicago’s industrial boom. However, the present day Chicago River, is nothing like it’s name; it’s clean and green, providing for a lovely natural hue to Chicago downtown.
The cruise lasted a good 90 minutes, during which I kept trying to store the three-dimensional experience through my two-dimensional digital viewfinder. Chicagoan’s almost tirelessly waved at us, from the numerous bridges we sailed under, to building rooftops and promenades that lined the river. I remember mentioning to Saurabh, how amazed I get, each time, with this sort of friendly urban conduct, encountered with, in cities other than NYC. Not to mention, that NYC does not have its own style of urban conduct, but time and pace definitely get the better of people there; that at times we forget to stand and stare as Davies’ would love to have us do, in his poem ‘Leisure’, my all time favourite. This CAF Architectural River cruise is certainly a must-do for any architectural or urban enthusiast, in Chicago, worth every penny it costs.
When we were back at the foot of the Wacker Bridge, Karthik called, to pleasantly surprise us with a “I’ve ordered you guys a Deep Dish Pizza, so come on over quick.”
We hailed a cab and reached ‘The Presidential Towers’, a modern, almost mini-city scale apartment building complex, which Karthik calls home. Our first reaction was, this is Chicago’s magnified version of Newport-Pavonia; a residential area of Jersey City, with hotel-like apartment buildings, that boast of washers and dryers/ elevators/ concierges and pompous chandeliers. (I live like most poor people in NYC do; in a rent-stabilized pre-war, brownstone in Astoria, Queens, so living it up in style such as this, certainly gives me a high at times. Although, I do believe that there is more ‘character’ to a brownstone with its rich historical context, than a carpeted, high rise apartment, laid with a stencil. The only thing that turns me on about a high-rise is really, the fabulous views it lays out, which I believe may be enough reason for me to make a move into one, eventually in life.) ‘The Presidential Towers’, just like in Newport, has a largely South-Asian population. It also has a grocery store, shopping mall, restaurants, coffee-shops, all within the complex. The commute from the lobby of the building to Karthik’s apartment was a good 10 minute walk; that comprised of riding on escalators, elevators and left me looking out for a moving walkway next:)
Karthik’s semi-one bedroom/ studio was neatly laid out and kept well; always a pleasure when it comes to a bachelor pad. As I was expecting, his apartment had splendid views of downtown and of the Sear’s Tower, which seems to be in his backyard. The Pizza was waiting for us to devour it, an act quickly conducted, to satiate our hungry tummies and make it in time for our flight from Chicago Midway. With our stomach’s full and hearts contented, we left to drive to the airport to take our flight back home and wrap up a weekend, well spent in Chi town.
To summarise it, in my favourite Ol’ Blue eyes words:
“This is my kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of people too
People who smile at you”
Acknowledgements:
Saurabh: For accompanying me on this trip and making it more interesting with our architectural discourses and sharing my wander-thirst with equal enthusiasm.
Suchi: For a wonderful tour of the area West of Michigan Mile and spending a sunny afternoon, chatting away, like old times. Also, for a few excellent recommendations on ‘Blues’ clubs in the city and her meticulously, neatly-written detailed list of the same.
Karthik: For a beautiful evening tour of the Navy Pier and saying it a 1000 times how wonderful he felt to meet with us 10 years later. Also, for being a wonderful host and getting us the elusive deep-dish, that we thought we had almost left Chi town without. And last but definitely not the least, for insisting on driving us to the airport, which only made our trip more comfortable.
All those Chicagoans' who waved at us when we were cruising along peeping into their houses. (A phenomenon so contrary to the one, when I was cruising along the Amstel River in Amsterdam, where the locals snorted, frowned and furled their curtains in our face, at times.
And, to think the Dutch are exhibitionists and love to have people peer into their houses.)
Lastly, the various ‘nice’ people for their ‘niceties’ that made me leave Chicago with the feeling that it is one of the ‘nicest’ cities I‘ve ever been to.
Nice enough, to make me want to call it "Ni(ce)City".
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Day 2 - Chicago
Day 2 - (Saturday, 29th July 06')
Saturday started off with my scheduled 9 mile run, along the Lake Shore Trail. I woke up at 7 am and set off armed with my GU gel, towards the pedestrian bridge that would take me across the Lake Shore Drive to the trail. Needless to say, the run wasn’t half as good as I had expected it to be. I didn’t know if it was the heat wave lingering on the city, or the absence of shady trees or simply the unfamiliarity of the route, that made the run more difficult than usual. There were a lot of bikers and a few runners in the park, which was great, to boost my dehydrated morale, considering the lack of water fountains along the trail. Mile markers helped though, as I somehow made my target mileage for the day.
Headed back to the hotel, by 9 am or so, where Saurabh was wide awake watching ‘Alexander’. Done with the regular morning routine, we left to get breakfast at the hotel’s local restaurant and then took a cab into downtown, where the first stop was to be the Sears’ Tower.
The cabbie was an African gentleman; who’s accent was very difficult to comprehend. When I was talking to Saurabh in English, he thought I was speaking in ‘Pakistani’ and I thought to myself, how incomprehensible I may have sounded. Casual conversation with him revealed, that he was a big Mehmood fan and had watched a lot of his movies, until when I had no idea, that Mehmood was internationally famous.
An observation made in reference to Chicago cabbies is that they are rougher drivers than their Manhattan counterparts. I always thought that the latter were some of the most ruthless people behind the wheel, but last night and this morning’s cab rides have made me think otherwise.
At the foot of the Sears’ Tower, we found ourselves at the end of a rather short line for the sky deck. Constant comparisons to the Empire State were natural, as we noticed how security wasn’t such a big deal here, in spite of this being the US’s tallest building. ‘Just another NYC hype’ we told ourselves and moved on to the various levels, after which we were finally let into an auditorium, to be shown a short NatGeo film on the tower. The film was a good briefing on the building and the history of its construction, an interesting pre-viewing feature that the Empire State could do with, as well.
The Sears’ tower was conceived as 9 rectilinear tubes, bundled together like a pack of cigarettes that can be stacked higher or lower, in relation to each others heights. This to me, was symbolic of the whole skyline of Chicago, as I perceived it yesterday; staggering bars of a graphic equalizer, frozen notes of music. At the sky-deck, we were a little disappointed to find, that the footprint of the building was much smaller and more squarish, than the Empire States’, which obviously eliminated the 8 directional views that the latter offers, to just 4 basic views, from this rooftop. That was already four lesser ways of seeing this city, I said to myself. Also, the sky deck was enclosed, so that between the cityscape and me, stood glass, which completely left out the sensual experiences of sounds, weather and smell. The Sears’ Tower more, wanted to frame for you, the ways you should see the city, rather than you seeing what you want to, in it.
Still, we patiently walked ourselves and my little camera, through each window, marveling at times, at the dynamism each had to offer and groaning at others, at the boredom of monotony. I also missed a ‘Tony-the cab driver’ element, (For those of you who’ve been atop the Empire State Building, you may be familiar with this audio tour protagonist. In true NYC cabbie style, he walks you though the various neighbourhoods of Manhattan and unlike what some of my friends might want to add, is a pleasure to listen to, with all his little trivia and tidbits on the borough.)
The last time I was at a bird’s vantage like this, was at the Coit Tower, in San Francisco, marveling at the fascinating slopes of the 49 sq. mile city and then on top of the Getty Center in LA. Today’s experience, was a very different one, as my subconscious analytical mind, tried to analogize the Chicago-bird’s eye views, with those of SF, LA and NYC. The splendid vistas we saw, were a good mix of the suburban sprawl in the distance along the Southwest side of the city and the green river flowing on it’s prescribed path, right below us. Seemed like a marriage of American modernism and European magnificence. In the distance, curvaceous loops of highways, clover-leafed all over, as if trying to defy the man-made river’s unpredictability. The eternal lake, in a serene cool blue, lined the east side the city, and small specks of boats were buoyed at the various harbours, in a linear order of sorts. Green River, Blue Lake; Chicago couldn’t have gotten any luckier, I said to myself. A little before the lake, on the east side, was the green patch of the Millennium Park, with Gehry’s bandshell and Kapoor’s steel cloud, shining through. On the upper north side, the Navy Pier stretched out orthogonally, cutting into the lake.
A must-do for any city lover, I believe, is to go on top of it and look down, on it, as in a real time map, watch it breathe, move and adapt itself to its various neighbourhoods, observe its multi-faceted personality unfold itself, street by street, block by block, until the eye meets the horizon where nature takes over.
Done with our Sears’ Tower tour, I shopped for my usual 'I’ve-been-to-this-city magnet’ to add to my refrigerator collection at home. While at it, we came across a penny machine and got a souvenir penny with ‘The Windy City’ embossed on it.
We walked around a little bit, and decided to take a ride on the ‘El’ to get as close as possible, to the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave); Chicago’s equivalent to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. This is also where, my friend Suchi was going to meet us, later in the afternoon.
We transferred train lines, Orange to the Red and ended up at the ‘Chicago’ stop on the Red line, from where we walked across to the John Hancock Building; a similar sort of black skyscraper like the Sears Tower, albeit with a tapering top. It’s interesting to note, how the typologies of various buildings in different cities, speak so much for the history and the making of that city. Chicago boasts of a good mix of modern skyscrapers, sleek, black and in tempered dark glass, with a sprinkle of a few art-deco structures within; Manhattan on the other hand upholds more architecture from the pre-war and art-deco periods, with some modern and post-modern glass towers, mostly in downtown.
A Water-tower located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile, seemed worth a look, so we walked in, to find a B/W photography exhibit, showcasing athletes in their various fields of expertise. I day-dreamed of myself in a picture, where a sepia-toned, sweaty but grinning, woman seemed to have just crossed the finish line of a marathon race.
Outside the Water-tower, the Mile seemed to be busy with shoppers and tourists. We walked the entire Mile, from the John Hancock Building to the Wacker Bridge, where Suchi would meet us. A newly married couple with their troupe, posed for pictures against the Mile, and I posed for one, with a steel cow sculpture, across them. In a while, Suchi was walking towards us, in her brand new short haircut.
She decided to walk us West of the Mile, pointing out to the ‘Pizzeria Uno’; the city’s first ever Pizza place (est. 1943), to sell the famous Chicago ‘deep-dish’ pizza, where a never-ending line of people stood patiently to be seated. A block across from it was ‘Pizzeria Duet’; the second branch of the same pizzeria, with an equally long line of customers waiting outside. A flamboyant Mc’Donalds stood a few blocks away, looking too good to be a Mc’Donalds. (We had earlier observed another Mc’Donalds, in downtown, which could easily pass off to be a fine-dining restaurant if not for the arched ‘M’ outside, that gave it away.) The area west of the Mile, had a few quaint bars and jazz clubs, that Suchi mentioned, were good places to catch an evening with the blues. We finally decided to beat the heat and catch-up, over a few starters and beers on an outdoor table of a beautiful Irish bar that was painstakingly decorated with flowers and ferns. After a few hours of chatting away endlessly, it was time to leave. Suchi’s husband Rishi arrived, to pick her up and they left after giving us an excellent tip for a live-jazz place to go to, for the night. We headed out to walk the Mile again and strolled into a random jazz record store, a mecca for jazz lovers, where Saurabh and I browsed around for a while.
A cab ride later, we were standing outside the ‘Buddy Guy’s Legends’ Jazz Café, that played R+B. The café interior was dark, painted in an electric blue, where people shot pool, bought jazz memorablia and CD’s and dined at rickety inexpensive tables, enjoying the southern fare. We particularly indulged in Fried Okra - southern style, which was outstanding. A contrasting mix of audiences, ranged from well-dressed ‘stiletto-ed’ young women on dates, to casually dressed first-time tourists.
Willie Davis and Fruteland Jackson were the two performers for the night. The first session performed by Willie Davis, conformed more to jazz of the Harlem genre, where six very talented musicians played in synchrony to Davis’s rendition of the blues. The second session on the other hand, was a complete contrast, with a troupe of five formally dressed musicians-in-black, led by a female vocalist/ performer, Fruteland Jackson, who stole my breath with her unrestrained energy and talent. Each time she sang, her voice shamelessly liberated her feet, to dance away incessantly in a world of her own. Her performance clearly, stole the show, that evening.
Mesmerized with what can easily pass off to be the best R+B concert I’ve ever seen, we walked out of the café, to hail a cab back to the hotel. On our way back, through the cab window, the Chicago notes of music, escalated and plummeted like the notes of the saxophonist in the café, painting the night sky, in a beautiful, subtle ‘blue’.
Saturday started off with my scheduled 9 mile run, along the Lake Shore Trail. I woke up at 7 am and set off armed with my GU gel, towards the pedestrian bridge that would take me across the Lake Shore Drive to the trail. Needless to say, the run wasn’t half as good as I had expected it to be. I didn’t know if it was the heat wave lingering on the city, or the absence of shady trees or simply the unfamiliarity of the route, that made the run more difficult than usual. There were a lot of bikers and a few runners in the park, which was great, to boost my dehydrated morale, considering the lack of water fountains along the trail. Mile markers helped though, as I somehow made my target mileage for the day.
Headed back to the hotel, by 9 am or so, where Saurabh was wide awake watching ‘Alexander’. Done with the regular morning routine, we left to get breakfast at the hotel’s local restaurant and then took a cab into downtown, where the first stop was to be the Sears’ Tower.
The cabbie was an African gentleman; who’s accent was very difficult to comprehend. When I was talking to Saurabh in English, he thought I was speaking in ‘Pakistani’ and I thought to myself, how incomprehensible I may have sounded. Casual conversation with him revealed, that he was a big Mehmood fan and had watched a lot of his movies, until when I had no idea, that Mehmood was internationally famous.
An observation made in reference to Chicago cabbies is that they are rougher drivers than their Manhattan counterparts. I always thought that the latter were some of the most ruthless people behind the wheel, but last night and this morning’s cab rides have made me think otherwise.
At the foot of the Sears’ Tower, we found ourselves at the end of a rather short line for the sky deck. Constant comparisons to the Empire State were natural, as we noticed how security wasn’t such a big deal here, in spite of this being the US’s tallest building. ‘Just another NYC hype’ we told ourselves and moved on to the various levels, after which we were finally let into an auditorium, to be shown a short NatGeo film on the tower. The film was a good briefing on the building and the history of its construction, an interesting pre-viewing feature that the Empire State could do with, as well.
The Sears’ tower was conceived as 9 rectilinear tubes, bundled together like a pack of cigarettes that can be stacked higher or lower, in relation to each others heights. This to me, was symbolic of the whole skyline of Chicago, as I perceived it yesterday; staggering bars of a graphic equalizer, frozen notes of music. At the sky-deck, we were a little disappointed to find, that the footprint of the building was much smaller and more squarish, than the Empire States’, which obviously eliminated the 8 directional views that the latter offers, to just 4 basic views, from this rooftop. That was already four lesser ways of seeing this city, I said to myself. Also, the sky deck was enclosed, so that between the cityscape and me, stood glass, which completely left out the sensual experiences of sounds, weather and smell. The Sears’ Tower more, wanted to frame for you, the ways you should see the city, rather than you seeing what you want to, in it.
Still, we patiently walked ourselves and my little camera, through each window, marveling at times, at the dynamism each had to offer and groaning at others, at the boredom of monotony. I also missed a ‘Tony-the cab driver’ element, (For those of you who’ve been atop the Empire State Building, you may be familiar with this audio tour protagonist. In true NYC cabbie style, he walks you though the various neighbourhoods of Manhattan and unlike what some of my friends might want to add, is a pleasure to listen to, with all his little trivia and tidbits on the borough.)
The last time I was at a bird’s vantage like this, was at the Coit Tower, in San Francisco, marveling at the fascinating slopes of the 49 sq. mile city and then on top of the Getty Center in LA. Today’s experience, was a very different one, as my subconscious analytical mind, tried to analogize the Chicago-bird’s eye views, with those of SF, LA and NYC. The splendid vistas we saw, were a good mix of the suburban sprawl in the distance along the Southwest side of the city and the green river flowing on it’s prescribed path, right below us. Seemed like a marriage of American modernism and European magnificence. In the distance, curvaceous loops of highways, clover-leafed all over, as if trying to defy the man-made river’s unpredictability. The eternal lake, in a serene cool blue, lined the east side the city, and small specks of boats were buoyed at the various harbours, in a linear order of sorts. Green River, Blue Lake; Chicago couldn’t have gotten any luckier, I said to myself. A little before the lake, on the east side, was the green patch of the Millennium Park, with Gehry’s bandshell and Kapoor’s steel cloud, shining through. On the upper north side, the Navy Pier stretched out orthogonally, cutting into the lake.
A must-do for any city lover, I believe, is to go on top of it and look down, on it, as in a real time map, watch it breathe, move and adapt itself to its various neighbourhoods, observe its multi-faceted personality unfold itself, street by street, block by block, until the eye meets the horizon where nature takes over.
Done with our Sears’ Tower tour, I shopped for my usual 'I’ve-been-to-this-city magnet’ to add to my refrigerator collection at home. While at it, we came across a penny machine and got a souvenir penny with ‘The Windy City’ embossed on it.
We walked around a little bit, and decided to take a ride on the ‘El’ to get as close as possible, to the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Ave); Chicago’s equivalent to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. This is also where, my friend Suchi was going to meet us, later in the afternoon.
We transferred train lines, Orange to the Red and ended up at the ‘Chicago’ stop on the Red line, from where we walked across to the John Hancock Building; a similar sort of black skyscraper like the Sears Tower, albeit with a tapering top. It’s interesting to note, how the typologies of various buildings in different cities, speak so much for the history and the making of that city. Chicago boasts of a good mix of modern skyscrapers, sleek, black and in tempered dark glass, with a sprinkle of a few art-deco structures within; Manhattan on the other hand upholds more architecture from the pre-war and art-deco periods, with some modern and post-modern glass towers, mostly in downtown.
A Water-tower located in the heart of the Magnificent Mile, seemed worth a look, so we walked in, to find a B/W photography exhibit, showcasing athletes in their various fields of expertise. I day-dreamed of myself in a picture, where a sepia-toned, sweaty but grinning, woman seemed to have just crossed the finish line of a marathon race.
Outside the Water-tower, the Mile seemed to be busy with shoppers and tourists. We walked the entire Mile, from the John Hancock Building to the Wacker Bridge, where Suchi would meet us. A newly married couple with their troupe, posed for pictures against the Mile, and I posed for one, with a steel cow sculpture, across them. In a while, Suchi was walking towards us, in her brand new short haircut.
She decided to walk us West of the Mile, pointing out to the ‘Pizzeria Uno’; the city’s first ever Pizza place (est. 1943), to sell the famous Chicago ‘deep-dish’ pizza, where a never-ending line of people stood patiently to be seated. A block across from it was ‘Pizzeria Duet’; the second branch of the same pizzeria, with an equally long line of customers waiting outside. A flamboyant Mc’Donalds stood a few blocks away, looking too good to be a Mc’Donalds. (We had earlier observed another Mc’Donalds, in downtown, which could easily pass off to be a fine-dining restaurant if not for the arched ‘M’ outside, that gave it away.) The area west of the Mile, had a few quaint bars and jazz clubs, that Suchi mentioned, were good places to catch an evening with the blues. We finally decided to beat the heat and catch-up, over a few starters and beers on an outdoor table of a beautiful Irish bar that was painstakingly decorated with flowers and ferns. After a few hours of chatting away endlessly, it was time to leave. Suchi’s husband Rishi arrived, to pick her up and they left after giving us an excellent tip for a live-jazz place to go to, for the night. We headed out to walk the Mile again and strolled into a random jazz record store, a mecca for jazz lovers, where Saurabh and I browsed around for a while.
A cab ride later, we were standing outside the ‘Buddy Guy’s Legends’ Jazz Café, that played R+B. The café interior was dark, painted in an electric blue, where people shot pool, bought jazz memorablia and CD’s and dined at rickety inexpensive tables, enjoying the southern fare. We particularly indulged in Fried Okra - southern style, which was outstanding. A contrasting mix of audiences, ranged from well-dressed ‘stiletto-ed’ young women on dates, to casually dressed first-time tourists.
Willie Davis and Fruteland Jackson were the two performers for the night. The first session performed by Willie Davis, conformed more to jazz of the Harlem genre, where six very talented musicians played in synchrony to Davis’s rendition of the blues. The second session on the other hand, was a complete contrast, with a troupe of five formally dressed musicians-in-black, led by a female vocalist/ performer, Fruteland Jackson, who stole my breath with her unrestrained energy and talent. Each time she sang, her voice shamelessly liberated her feet, to dance away incessantly in a world of her own. Her performance clearly, stole the show, that evening.
Mesmerized with what can easily pass off to be the best R+B concert I’ve ever seen, we walked out of the café, to hail a cab back to the hotel. On our way back, through the cab window, the Chicago notes of music, escalated and plummeted like the notes of the saxophonist in the café, painting the night sky, in a beautiful, subtle ‘blue’.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Day 1 - Chicago
A $75 rebate coupon on AirTran Airways, received last year, due to flight delays, was the catalyst to a great weekend spent in Chicago. Saurabh (my childhood friend and co-worker) and I decided to take the Friday off, to take one of our architectural sojourns to this city; we both have wanted to visit for a while.
Day 1 - (Friday, 28th July 06')
Our flight took off on time from La Guardia Airport, where the airport designers within us, noticed the lack of hold room space and waiting areas for passengers. I had just been ranting to Saurabh, on the flight, about how I usually manage to get a free ticket/ airline rebate on most trips and as if to affirm that, we walked into two ladies giving out free one-way air tickets and bags to random passengers. Since we were on vacation, we stopped by, filled out the necessary paperwork and after making sure our next trip is half-off, walked to the CTA Orange Line. Here I got my first taste of what henceforth will be referred as ‘Chicago nicety’ – A woman leaving the subway system, randomly handed over a one-day pass to me and said it is valid until tomorrow. I couldn’t help but think that I had never seen this happen in NYC, a doubt clarified later by Karthik, who had done the same in NYC, while visiting. (Karthik attended MP’s coaching classes with us, in the 10th grade, in Mumbai and we’ve never stayed in touch, since. A year ago I discovered his online existence through his blog and finally, now when I was to visit Chicago, we decided to meet up, as he’s recently moved there. We were going to be meeting after 12 years; not an everyday phenomenon, in either of our lives, so this was going to be fun.) All the same, this was a random stroke of luck and niceness combined, that became a precursor for a few other niceties I was subjected to in Chi town. Nicety no. 2 followed suit, when at the CTA station, the station manager allowed everyone to get through the turnstiles for free, as the ticket-machines were broken. Again, something I’ve never seen in NYC.
The CTA would take us to our stop, Van Buren and State, from where we were to take the Bus No. 6 to our hotel. Our hotel, the Ramada Inn Lake Shore, was on the Lake Michigan waterfront and was to have views of downtown Chicago in the distance, on a clear day.
The bus driver, a woman, was nice enough (overuse of term already?) to take the time to answer all our touristy queries and stunned us at one point, where she yelled out to everyone in the bus, asking if someone knew a shorter route to our hotel. Saurabh and I, were two pleasantly stunned but slightly shocked tourists, when we alighted the bus, after profuse ‘thank-you’s’ to the passengers. This town definitely means it, when they say; “We’re glad you are here!”; Mayor Richard Daly’s campaign line, pasted all over the city.
An early check-in into the hotel and a few “We’ve-landed-in-your-town” phone calls later, Saurabh and I were ready to research our maps and draw out the plan for the day. Karthik was to meet us in the evening for dinner and Suchi, we were meeting tomorrow. (Suchi and I went to undergraduate architecture school together, in Mumbai and have a lot of fond memories to look back on. We’ve also been pretty good at staying in touch with each other and often meet up in NYC when she visits. This was my first trip to her city, so I was looking forward to catching up with her in her own Chi town.)
The plan for the day was to head out into downtown, by the hotel shuttle, try to get the CAF (Chicago Architectural Foundation’s) Architectural River Cruise and then walk around exploring the architectural experiments within The Millennium Park. Our shuttle driver, was nice (there goes that word again) enough, to go out of his way, literally, to drop us at the base of the Wacker bridge, right where the cruise sets off from. Turns out, the cruise was booked until Saturday evening, which left us with the Sunday morning option. There are several types of cruises along the Chicago River, but this particular one by the CAF, is the best ‘architectural’ cruise, the other’s being more ‘touristy’. Saurabh and I, the fastidious architects that we are, hence were naturally more inclined to go with this one.
I had been told by various people that Chicago is a very clean city; someone once even went to the extent of saying that “You often wonder in the mornings, if elves came out and swept the city clean by night.” So its stark cleanliness is the first thing I noticed when we walked around. The Chicago urban fabric seemed to be a weave of Los Angele’s spacious sprawled spaces and NYC’s denser, grid city blocks. Main roads were spotless, at all times being minimum 3 ½ lane wide in either direction; city blocks seemed larger than Manhattan blocks, yet downtown felt more city-like than just a chunk, as in LA or some other cities in the US. The Elevated Loop (called ‘The El’ in short) is a characteristic feature of the city. I remember wondering, while watching Spiderman, how awesome it would be to have an elevated train running through Manhattan’s high rises and discovered in this trip, that Chicago actually enjoys that. As a commuter, the elevated trains are a pleasure because of the dynamic views they offer, but of course the noise and invasion of privacy caused by them, can be an issue of concern to offices along its edge. At any given point of time, in most areas of downtown Chicago, the train can be heard in the distance, an urban sound I was getting accustomed to, just as in NYC one gets used to fire-engine sirens.
A quick bite for lunch and we were walking towards the Millennium Park. En route we passed through the Chicago theatre district; a sort of mini-Broadway, lined by theatres and performance halls. Here is also where we first came across the ‘cow’; a classic Chicago sculpture, to be found in various parts of the city. My wise crack to Saurabh; ‘They have a cow on the street like we have a bull back home’ was received with a disinterested look. The cow is the O’Leary cow, which had apparently caused the Great Chicago Fire, in October 1871. Quoted from http://www.thechicagofire.com/:
“One dark night, when people were in bed,
Mrs. O’Leary lit a lantern in her shed,
The cow kicked it over, winked its eye and said,
There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.”
Next to the cow, was a temporary set-up of a guy with a banner, that read; ‘Help me train for the World Rock Paper Scissors Championship in Toronto.’ Interesting, I said to myself, and almost volunteered practice help to the aspiring champion, but figured we had an agenda, and moved on towards the Millennium Park. Up ahead, was Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker bandshell; a sort of a cultural misfit in titanium, that perched itself on a grass mound and radiated tentacles all around it, to create a semi-enclosed seating space for the audience. Come sit in me, the light trellis roars to its viewers, hear me play and watch me engulf you and the performance, to transcend you to a surreal urban experience. Look away from within me, to view the spectacular city skyline, all around you.
I have seen quite a few of Gehry’s works and I must say, this was the worst one, so far. Gehry, is a brand phenomenon; his work is barely ever contextual or site-specific; in fact die-hard Gehry fans will even go on to say, that it’s generic quality, is what makes his work, internationally commendable. The Chicago bandshell, is an example of his stamp on the city; a stamp as Saurabh exhorted, possibly fully drawn and designed by an intern in his office. We were reminded of the last time we saw Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA, and how differently it reacted to its spaces, both internal and external; in my mind a true Gehry masterpiece. The aesthetics of this proscenium, were sort of distorted, like a badly skewed Maya model, where the designer couldn’t control the ‘nurbs’ and extruded facades anyways. Saurabh noticed that part of the imperfection in the facades of the stage, were due to snow-collection that may have indented the surfaces.
The proscenium design alienated us, but the audience arena, with its framed, broken mosaic views of the skyline and semi-spatial qualities, welcomed us. I didn’t want to touch the stage, but I wanted to be one with the lawn under the trellis; such were the polarities this structure aroused in me. I said to Saurabh, “We always end up seeing works done by the wrong ‘Frank’.” (For the non-architectural readers, Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright are two famous architects; the former is a post-modernist ‘blob’ brand phenomenon, while the latter is considered to be one of the ‘Masters’ of Architecture. Among his most famous works are the house he built on a waterfall near Pittsburgh, appropriately called as 'Falling Waters'; a trip I ve yet to make.)
A short walk from Gehry’s sculpture is Anish Kapoor’s 110 ton elliptically arched, highly reflective, spotlessly polished, steel sculpture. This masterpiece, made it to my ‘list of favourite sculptures’, the moment I set my eyes on it. A site-specific work of art, this steel cloud, reflects the Chicago skyline and the Millennium Park on its curvaceous façade, while interacting with the crowd, letting them intersperse its spaces and make funny faces into the steel exterior. It was easily the most popular sculpture in the park.
Tall funny men on stilts walked around, entertaining little kids and 'grown-up kids' alike and not asking for tips; another thing I wasn’t used to. Chicago seemed to be more family-oriented in its urban outlook; most spaces seemed to be flocked by people with children and I didn’t remember seeing as many family-oriented spaces in NYC. Possibly speaks for the demographics and affordability of both cities, where young couples with children apparently still seemed to live in the city as versus in the case of Manhattan, which is gradually working towards eradicating its middle-class. Saurabh was put through the usual exercise, of taking my pictures against various backdrops and one while holding hands with tall-man-on-stilts.
We then walked towards the Lurie Gardens; another aspect of the park, landscaped with various seasonal flowers. On display, was an outdoor exhibition of various landscaped areas in the world, which ranged from Central Park in NYC to mini indoor landscaped spaces in Tokyo. People sat with their feet in narrow water canals that ran parallel in the gardens, to relieve themselves from the heat wave looming over the city. We couldn’t help but think, how beautiful an element, water is, in such outdoor landscapes; it’s a pity that it isn’t half as much appreciated in this form, when used in India.
We crossed over to walk to the Art Institute, where the next ‘Chicago nicety’ occurred. The security guard, a friendly woman asked us if we were going in to see the regular exhibits. (This random-people-talking-to-us was taking a little getting-used-to.) We nodded and in return she informed us that in the next 45 minutes, the museum entry was going to be free, so we should wait if we wanted to escape the fee. The reason this goes down as a nicety, is because I’ve never heard of a similar occurrence at the MOMA in NYC, where they have Target-free Friday’s. I told Saurabh, that if I get used to such niceties, I may be in for a rude shock when we go back home.
So with 45 minutes to kill, we walked back to the park to see the last sculpture, the Crown Fountain; a water sculpture involving two 50 ft high glass towers activated by changing video images and lights and water cascading from them. Both towers line the ends of a shallow pool, where children and adults wandered around in their swimwear, squealing every time water spouted from the towers. Each tower projected video images of different people, (only their faces), which we thought was a brilliant idea that could be put to commercial use, for occasions such as birthdays, wedding proposals, announcements etc. A rickety stall set up near the sculpture, encouraged passers-by to walk over and make a move on the many chess boards, kept on the table. Chicago seemed to not have reservations of what goes on in it's streets, in that aspect it seemed to be a city of the people.
At 5 pm we were back at the Art Institute, for our free entry into the museum and the next 2 hours were spent looking at a very large collection of artwork, especially paintings and architecture-related exhibits. Works of maestro’s such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Monet, Van Gogh, Mondrian, Cezanne lined the walls. The museum has an impressive collection and we were glad we didn’t skip it on this trip.
At 6:30 pm, Karthik was to meet us at the Gehry sculpture, which had a jazz concert starting at 6 pm. In keeping with our ‘outdoor-concert’ theme of this summer, we thought we’d catch the concert and also experience the functionality of the ghastly designed sculpture. We weren’t disappointed, as the space worked very well as a public outdoor concert space and once lit, the stage area seemed to emanate character, along with soulful jazz to the audience.
On meeting Karthik, 'catch-up' conversation followed and after sometime at the concert, we decided to walk across the Millennium bridge and take a cab to the Navy Pier. The Millennium bridge is a winding, extended arm of the titanium clad, poorly detailed, Gehry sculpture that connects the park to the other side of the street. While on the bridge, I noted the light-play on a building façade; the letters ‘CFD’ (Chicago Financial District or Chicago for Dummies, I wasn’t sure) made with the lights of various offices within the building. Karthik imparted to us a little bit of Chicago trivia here, which to me was the ultimate ‘Chicago nicety’. He said as a law, the city dims its lights at night, for certain durations of the year, so as not to confuse migratory birds or affect their flight patterns. This consideration on behalf of the city, towards birds, let alone all the niceness I had already experienced towards people, made me a fan of Chicagoans for sure.
The Navy Pier is a waterfront element of the city and an essential to-do, on a Chicago tourist’s list, which offers spectacular views of the lake and the city skyline. So we decided to spend the rest of our evening there and hopefully grab some good fresh-water seafood while at it. Turns out Navy Pier is a lost brother of Pier 33 in San Francisco; a purely manufactured artificial pier, with ferry lights and cruise boats; restaurants lining one side of it and the lake on the other. A huge Ferris wheel stood out, that seemed very inviting, except that my company wasn’t keen enough to join in. We walked all along the pier, where various cruise boats took off from and reached the Beer garden (that has apparently made the Navy Pier a destination spot) where an alive, beer-consuming crowd grooved to a live band performing contemporary rock music. Dinner was had at Riva’s Café, on an outdoor patio, overlooking the river and the city skyline. Tilapia with Couscous was my choice (and a good one, as I realized later) for the meal, to replenish myself with enough proteins for tomorrow morning’s run.
After dinner, we got a cab back to the hotel and I realized that NYC is not the only city in the US, where you can hail a cab. In fact, Chicago has more cab company options, all offering similar rates, to take people around, not a bad idea for NYC to learn from. The cab ride was a beautiful lakefront drive, all along Lake Shore, from the Navy Pier in the North to our hotel in the South. All along, as I stared at the Chicago skyline, I realized, it appears like the vertical bars from a graphic equalizer; musical notes, sort of frozen at various summits, to create this random razzmatazz skyline. In the distance stood the Sears’ tower, this country's tallest man-made claim, in its jet black magnificence and next to it gleamed the fragile, crescent moon; my picture perfect end to a beautiful day spent in this city.
Day 1 - (Friday, 28th July 06')
Our flight took off on time from La Guardia Airport, where the airport designers within us, noticed the lack of hold room space and waiting areas for passengers. I had just been ranting to Saurabh, on the flight, about how I usually manage to get a free ticket/ airline rebate on most trips and as if to affirm that, we walked into two ladies giving out free one-way air tickets and bags to random passengers. Since we were on vacation, we stopped by, filled out the necessary paperwork and after making sure our next trip is half-off, walked to the CTA Orange Line. Here I got my first taste of what henceforth will be referred as ‘Chicago nicety’ – A woman leaving the subway system, randomly handed over a one-day pass to me and said it is valid until tomorrow. I couldn’t help but think that I had never seen this happen in NYC, a doubt clarified later by Karthik, who had done the same in NYC, while visiting. (Karthik attended MP’s coaching classes with us, in the 10th grade, in Mumbai and we’ve never stayed in touch, since. A year ago I discovered his online existence through his blog and finally, now when I was to visit Chicago, we decided to meet up, as he’s recently moved there. We were going to be meeting after 12 years; not an everyday phenomenon, in either of our lives, so this was going to be fun.) All the same, this was a random stroke of luck and niceness combined, that became a precursor for a few other niceties I was subjected to in Chi town. Nicety no. 2 followed suit, when at the CTA station, the station manager allowed everyone to get through the turnstiles for free, as the ticket-machines were broken. Again, something I’ve never seen in NYC.
The CTA would take us to our stop, Van Buren and State, from where we were to take the Bus No. 6 to our hotel. Our hotel, the Ramada Inn Lake Shore, was on the Lake Michigan waterfront and was to have views of downtown Chicago in the distance, on a clear day.
The bus driver, a woman, was nice enough (overuse of term already?) to take the time to answer all our touristy queries and stunned us at one point, where she yelled out to everyone in the bus, asking if someone knew a shorter route to our hotel. Saurabh and I, were two pleasantly stunned but slightly shocked tourists, when we alighted the bus, after profuse ‘thank-you’s’ to the passengers. This town definitely means it, when they say; “We’re glad you are here!”; Mayor Richard Daly’s campaign line, pasted all over the city.
An early check-in into the hotel and a few “We’ve-landed-in-your-town” phone calls later, Saurabh and I were ready to research our maps and draw out the plan for the day. Karthik was to meet us in the evening for dinner and Suchi, we were meeting tomorrow. (Suchi and I went to undergraduate architecture school together, in Mumbai and have a lot of fond memories to look back on. We’ve also been pretty good at staying in touch with each other and often meet up in NYC when she visits. This was my first trip to her city, so I was looking forward to catching up with her in her own Chi town.)
The plan for the day was to head out into downtown, by the hotel shuttle, try to get the CAF (Chicago Architectural Foundation’s) Architectural River Cruise and then walk around exploring the architectural experiments within The Millennium Park. Our shuttle driver, was nice (there goes that word again) enough, to go out of his way, literally, to drop us at the base of the Wacker bridge, right where the cruise sets off from. Turns out, the cruise was booked until Saturday evening, which left us with the Sunday morning option. There are several types of cruises along the Chicago River, but this particular one by the CAF, is the best ‘architectural’ cruise, the other’s being more ‘touristy’. Saurabh and I, the fastidious architects that we are, hence were naturally more inclined to go with this one.
I had been told by various people that Chicago is a very clean city; someone once even went to the extent of saying that “You often wonder in the mornings, if elves came out and swept the city clean by night.” So its stark cleanliness is the first thing I noticed when we walked around. The Chicago urban fabric seemed to be a weave of Los Angele’s spacious sprawled spaces and NYC’s denser, grid city blocks. Main roads were spotless, at all times being minimum 3 ½ lane wide in either direction; city blocks seemed larger than Manhattan blocks, yet downtown felt more city-like than just a chunk, as in LA or some other cities in the US. The Elevated Loop (called ‘The El’ in short) is a characteristic feature of the city. I remember wondering, while watching Spiderman, how awesome it would be to have an elevated train running through Manhattan’s high rises and discovered in this trip, that Chicago actually enjoys that. As a commuter, the elevated trains are a pleasure because of the dynamic views they offer, but of course the noise and invasion of privacy caused by them, can be an issue of concern to offices along its edge. At any given point of time, in most areas of downtown Chicago, the train can be heard in the distance, an urban sound I was getting accustomed to, just as in NYC one gets used to fire-engine sirens.
A quick bite for lunch and we were walking towards the Millennium Park. En route we passed through the Chicago theatre district; a sort of mini-Broadway, lined by theatres and performance halls. Here is also where we first came across the ‘cow’; a classic Chicago sculpture, to be found in various parts of the city. My wise crack to Saurabh; ‘They have a cow on the street like we have a bull back home’ was received with a disinterested look. The cow is the O’Leary cow, which had apparently caused the Great Chicago Fire, in October 1871. Quoted from http://www.thechicagofire.com/:
“One dark night, when people were in bed,
Mrs. O’Leary lit a lantern in her shed,
The cow kicked it over, winked its eye and said,
There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.”
Next to the cow, was a temporary set-up of a guy with a banner, that read; ‘Help me train for the World Rock Paper Scissors Championship in Toronto.’ Interesting, I said to myself, and almost volunteered practice help to the aspiring champion, but figured we had an agenda, and moved on towards the Millennium Park. Up ahead, was Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker bandshell; a sort of a cultural misfit in titanium, that perched itself on a grass mound and radiated tentacles all around it, to create a semi-enclosed seating space for the audience. Come sit in me, the light trellis roars to its viewers, hear me play and watch me engulf you and the performance, to transcend you to a surreal urban experience. Look away from within me, to view the spectacular city skyline, all around you.
I have seen quite a few of Gehry’s works and I must say, this was the worst one, so far. Gehry, is a brand phenomenon; his work is barely ever contextual or site-specific; in fact die-hard Gehry fans will even go on to say, that it’s generic quality, is what makes his work, internationally commendable. The Chicago bandshell, is an example of his stamp on the city; a stamp as Saurabh exhorted, possibly fully drawn and designed by an intern in his office. We were reminded of the last time we saw Gehry’s Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA, and how differently it reacted to its spaces, both internal and external; in my mind a true Gehry masterpiece. The aesthetics of this proscenium, were sort of distorted, like a badly skewed Maya model, where the designer couldn’t control the ‘nurbs’ and extruded facades anyways. Saurabh noticed that part of the imperfection in the facades of the stage, were due to snow-collection that may have indented the surfaces.
The proscenium design alienated us, but the audience arena, with its framed, broken mosaic views of the skyline and semi-spatial qualities, welcomed us. I didn’t want to touch the stage, but I wanted to be one with the lawn under the trellis; such were the polarities this structure aroused in me. I said to Saurabh, “We always end up seeing works done by the wrong ‘Frank’.” (For the non-architectural readers, Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright are two famous architects; the former is a post-modernist ‘blob’ brand phenomenon, while the latter is considered to be one of the ‘Masters’ of Architecture. Among his most famous works are the house he built on a waterfall near Pittsburgh, appropriately called as 'Falling Waters'; a trip I ve yet to make.)
A short walk from Gehry’s sculpture is Anish Kapoor’s 110 ton elliptically arched, highly reflective, spotlessly polished, steel sculpture. This masterpiece, made it to my ‘list of favourite sculptures’, the moment I set my eyes on it. A site-specific work of art, this steel cloud, reflects the Chicago skyline and the Millennium Park on its curvaceous façade, while interacting with the crowd, letting them intersperse its spaces and make funny faces into the steel exterior. It was easily the most popular sculpture in the park.
Tall funny men on stilts walked around, entertaining little kids and 'grown-up kids' alike and not asking for tips; another thing I wasn’t used to. Chicago seemed to be more family-oriented in its urban outlook; most spaces seemed to be flocked by people with children and I didn’t remember seeing as many family-oriented spaces in NYC. Possibly speaks for the demographics and affordability of both cities, where young couples with children apparently still seemed to live in the city as versus in the case of Manhattan, which is gradually working towards eradicating its middle-class. Saurabh was put through the usual exercise, of taking my pictures against various backdrops and one while holding hands with tall-man-on-stilts.
We then walked towards the Lurie Gardens; another aspect of the park, landscaped with various seasonal flowers. On display, was an outdoor exhibition of various landscaped areas in the world, which ranged from Central Park in NYC to mini indoor landscaped spaces in Tokyo. People sat with their feet in narrow water canals that ran parallel in the gardens, to relieve themselves from the heat wave looming over the city. We couldn’t help but think, how beautiful an element, water is, in such outdoor landscapes; it’s a pity that it isn’t half as much appreciated in this form, when used in India.
We crossed over to walk to the Art Institute, where the next ‘Chicago nicety’ occurred. The security guard, a friendly woman asked us if we were going in to see the regular exhibits. (This random-people-talking-to-us was taking a little getting-used-to.) We nodded and in return she informed us that in the next 45 minutes, the museum entry was going to be free, so we should wait if we wanted to escape the fee. The reason this goes down as a nicety, is because I’ve never heard of a similar occurrence at the MOMA in NYC, where they have Target-free Friday’s. I told Saurabh, that if I get used to such niceties, I may be in for a rude shock when we go back home.
So with 45 minutes to kill, we walked back to the park to see the last sculpture, the Crown Fountain; a water sculpture involving two 50 ft high glass towers activated by changing video images and lights and water cascading from them. Both towers line the ends of a shallow pool, where children and adults wandered around in their swimwear, squealing every time water spouted from the towers. Each tower projected video images of different people, (only their faces), which we thought was a brilliant idea that could be put to commercial use, for occasions such as birthdays, wedding proposals, announcements etc. A rickety stall set up near the sculpture, encouraged passers-by to walk over and make a move on the many chess boards, kept on the table. Chicago seemed to not have reservations of what goes on in it's streets, in that aspect it seemed to be a city of the people.
At 5 pm we were back at the Art Institute, for our free entry into the museum and the next 2 hours were spent looking at a very large collection of artwork, especially paintings and architecture-related exhibits. Works of maestro’s such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Monet, Van Gogh, Mondrian, Cezanne lined the walls. The museum has an impressive collection and we were glad we didn’t skip it on this trip.
At 6:30 pm, Karthik was to meet us at the Gehry sculpture, which had a jazz concert starting at 6 pm. In keeping with our ‘outdoor-concert’ theme of this summer, we thought we’d catch the concert and also experience the functionality of the ghastly designed sculpture. We weren’t disappointed, as the space worked very well as a public outdoor concert space and once lit, the stage area seemed to emanate character, along with soulful jazz to the audience.
On meeting Karthik, 'catch-up' conversation followed and after sometime at the concert, we decided to walk across the Millennium bridge and take a cab to the Navy Pier. The Millennium bridge is a winding, extended arm of the titanium clad, poorly detailed, Gehry sculpture that connects the park to the other side of the street. While on the bridge, I noted the light-play on a building façade; the letters ‘CFD’ (Chicago Financial District or Chicago for Dummies, I wasn’t sure) made with the lights of various offices within the building. Karthik imparted to us a little bit of Chicago trivia here, which to me was the ultimate ‘Chicago nicety’. He said as a law, the city dims its lights at night, for certain durations of the year, so as not to confuse migratory birds or affect their flight patterns. This consideration on behalf of the city, towards birds, let alone all the niceness I had already experienced towards people, made me a fan of Chicagoans for sure.
The Navy Pier is a waterfront element of the city and an essential to-do, on a Chicago tourist’s list, which offers spectacular views of the lake and the city skyline. So we decided to spend the rest of our evening there and hopefully grab some good fresh-water seafood while at it. Turns out Navy Pier is a lost brother of Pier 33 in San Francisco; a purely manufactured artificial pier, with ferry lights and cruise boats; restaurants lining one side of it and the lake on the other. A huge Ferris wheel stood out, that seemed very inviting, except that my company wasn’t keen enough to join in. We walked all along the pier, where various cruise boats took off from and reached the Beer garden (that has apparently made the Navy Pier a destination spot) where an alive, beer-consuming crowd grooved to a live band performing contemporary rock music. Dinner was had at Riva’s Café, on an outdoor patio, overlooking the river and the city skyline. Tilapia with Couscous was my choice (and a good one, as I realized later) for the meal, to replenish myself with enough proteins for tomorrow morning’s run.
After dinner, we got a cab back to the hotel and I realized that NYC is not the only city in the US, where you can hail a cab. In fact, Chicago has more cab company options, all offering similar rates, to take people around, not a bad idea for NYC to learn from. The cab ride was a beautiful lakefront drive, all along Lake Shore, from the Navy Pier in the North to our hotel in the South. All along, as I stared at the Chicago skyline, I realized, it appears like the vertical bars from a graphic equalizer; musical notes, sort of frozen at various summits, to create this random razzmatazz skyline. In the distance stood the Sears’ tower, this country's tallest man-made claim, in its jet black magnificence and next to it gleamed the fragile, crescent moon; my picture perfect end to a beautiful day spent in this city.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Tequila Sunrise Walls and I.
Painted walls after ages yesterday, in my apartment. A therapeutic exercise, I enjoy indulging in, all by myself. The walls and I, with the colour, tequila sunrise; all dancing to the tune of Ol' blue eyes on a hot Wednesday afternoon.
I spoke to the roller and the roller in turn translated to the wall, gently caressing it with love, changing its mood from a refreshing lime to a sizzling orange. The cooler hues of the green now replaced by a hot orange; the subtle made way for the bold. Specks of colour filled the gaps, until the present completely took over the past. Up and down, nonchalantly concealing, what lay beneath, to give it an unblemished face. Like a palimpsest, the wall now stands testimony to the colours it has seen, the places it has been. It speaks of its past realm and lost splendour; narrating what it was, before this metamorphosis began. Before the new took over the old and the passion replaced the cold; of days of yore and happier times galore; of spilt red wines and furniture wounds.
It bears it’ s phases, like a deja-vu from before, when it was pale and knew no joys of colour; like a virgin devoid of flavour; until it’s life was enriched and it’s spaces blessed, with joie-de-vivre. Then the silence fell and the wall became indiscernible, left with nothing but a pack of memoirs. Until yesterday when it was found again and given a new face. All it’ s secret memories erased and washed out, the wall now upholds a new façade and is ready for new beginnings.
The space it holds, renovates into a warm cove; my very own piece of frozen sunset, emanating it’s orange over the Hudson. Like a huge fireplace; that splashes its warmth all over, the wall becomes it’ s own space and beckons radiance. It waits to dwell in the tinkling of glasses, the laughter of faces and the company of voices. To make more memories and store them in it’s head. Until the Tequila Sunrise must make way for change; when there will be another new beginning, another cheerful adieu and it will be time for me to speak to the roller again!
I spoke to the roller and the roller in turn translated to the wall, gently caressing it with love, changing its mood from a refreshing lime to a sizzling orange. The cooler hues of the green now replaced by a hot orange; the subtle made way for the bold. Specks of colour filled the gaps, until the present completely took over the past. Up and down, nonchalantly concealing, what lay beneath, to give it an unblemished face. Like a palimpsest, the wall now stands testimony to the colours it has seen, the places it has been. It speaks of its past realm and lost splendour; narrating what it was, before this metamorphosis began. Before the new took over the old and the passion replaced the cold; of days of yore and happier times galore; of spilt red wines and furniture wounds.
It bears it’ s phases, like a deja-vu from before, when it was pale and knew no joys of colour; like a virgin devoid of flavour; until it’s life was enriched and it’s spaces blessed, with joie-de-vivre. Then the silence fell and the wall became indiscernible, left with nothing but a pack of memoirs. Until yesterday when it was found again and given a new face. All it’ s secret memories erased and washed out, the wall now upholds a new façade and is ready for new beginnings.
The space it holds, renovates into a warm cove; my very own piece of frozen sunset, emanating it’s orange over the Hudson. Like a huge fireplace; that splashes its warmth all over, the wall becomes it’ s own space and beckons radiance. It waits to dwell in the tinkling of glasses, the laughter of faces and the company of voices. To make more memories and store them in it’s head. Until the Tequila Sunrise must make way for change; when there will be another new beginning, another cheerful adieu and it will be time for me to speak to the roller again!
Monday, July 17, 2006
My Half-Marathon Appeal
Hi All,
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Running has been a part of my life for the past three years; sort of on and off, but a constant all the same. As most other people, I have been running on the treadmill, purely for personal fitness and health reasons. It was' nt until the beginning of 2006 when I thought, that maybe it was time to put all these years of running to good use and give philanthropy a chance. In my quest, for a worthwhile cause, I zeroed in on ASHA.
ASHA (meaning ‘Hope’ in Hindi) is a Non-Profit organization that works towards providing basic education for under-privileged children in India.
Running for ASHA, involves fund-raising $100/ per mile of the chosen marathon; i. e the NYC Half-Marathon (13.10 miles), in my case, which I will be running on the 27th of August 2006.
This is the first time ever, that I am running a Half Marathon and simultaneously fund-raising for a charity. The Half-Marathon, I can take care of, with my training and newly acquired running discipline; the fund-raising is where I need your help!
Please help me raise $1310 to achieve my target; a substantial sum of money which when directed towards the appropriate cause can create an impressionable difference in the lives of children in India.
All donations are tax-free and will be highly appreciated. So if you are in the habit of giving to charity, you may as well direct your funds towards this one; if not, then this could be a start. A sum of $1310, albeit small, can help educate 5 children for a year and set the ball rolling towards transforming their future, through education.
So please aid my noble fundraising endeavour.
Suggested donation: $10 or more/ per person!
Thank you!
For the slightly more difficult to convince, here’s my list of:
Ten reasons you should give your Ten Dollars here!
1. It’s a little more than what you spend on lunch everyday. I could bring you home-cooked lunch one day, if you want.
(Offer available only in Manhattan, at the moment)
2. It’s the price of a drink at an expensive upscale lounge or a decent chunk of your Friday night’s Happy hour quota; eitherways, since when did alcohol stand more ground than education?
3. It’s the price of a movie ticket that you won’t even feel the pinch of. Just assume it was a movie “you had to watch” because the girlfriend said so.
4. I am your friend/ acquaintance/ fellow blogger and I am training hard to push myself to run the 13 mile distance. Small price to pay, to applaud my determination, don’t you think?
5. Assume it’s my birthday and you’re buying me a drink! That way, you don’t have to remember my birthday and I can forgive you if you forget!
6. Give, to this charity instead of giving to Starbucks, and thus, spare your body, all that Seattle caffeine.
7. It’s the meager sum; you spend on car gas or cab fare, when you could so easily have walked the same distance.
8. For most of us, it’s a small part of what we make per hour and so not a big deal to part with.
9. I am your catalyst for charity; if you’ve never given before, now’s your chance to make up for all the times you should have given, but did not, for some reason.
10. Lastly and most importantly, consider that your money is going to play the role of a beacon in illuminating someone’s life and possibly changing it forever.
If you’re reaching out for your credit card already; please click on the 'Donate' button on the following webpage:
http://www.ashanet.org/nycnj/lib/marathon/publicmypage.php?1647
If you're still not, here’s my last pitch; “It’s only ten bucks, C’mon!”
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Running has been a part of my life for the past three years; sort of on and off, but a constant all the same. As most other people, I have been running on the treadmill, purely for personal fitness and health reasons. It was' nt until the beginning of 2006 when I thought, that maybe it was time to put all these years of running to good use and give philanthropy a chance. In my quest, for a worthwhile cause, I zeroed in on ASHA.
ASHA (meaning ‘Hope’ in Hindi) is a Non-Profit organization that works towards providing basic education for under-privileged children in India.
Running for ASHA, involves fund-raising $100/ per mile of the chosen marathon; i. e the NYC Half-Marathon (13.10 miles), in my case, which I will be running on the 27th of August 2006.
This is the first time ever, that I am running a Half Marathon and simultaneously fund-raising for a charity. The Half-Marathon, I can take care of, with my training and newly acquired running discipline; the fund-raising is where I need your help!
Please help me raise $1310 to achieve my target; a substantial sum of money which when directed towards the appropriate cause can create an impressionable difference in the lives of children in India.
All donations are tax-free and will be highly appreciated. So if you are in the habit of giving to charity, you may as well direct your funds towards this one; if not, then this could be a start. A sum of $1310, albeit small, can help educate 5 children for a year and set the ball rolling towards transforming their future, through education.
So please aid my noble fundraising endeavour.
Suggested donation: $10 or more/ per person!
Thank you!
For the slightly more difficult to convince, here’s my list of:
Ten reasons you should give your Ten Dollars here!
1. It’s a little more than what you spend on lunch everyday. I could bring you home-cooked lunch one day, if you want.
(Offer available only in Manhattan, at the moment)
2. It’s the price of a drink at an expensive upscale lounge or a decent chunk of your Friday night’s Happy hour quota; eitherways, since when did alcohol stand more ground than education?
3. It’s the price of a movie ticket that you won’t even feel the pinch of. Just assume it was a movie “you had to watch” because the girlfriend said so.
4. I am your friend/ acquaintance/ fellow blogger and I am training hard to push myself to run the 13 mile distance. Small price to pay, to applaud my determination, don’t you think?
5. Assume it’s my birthday and you’re buying me a drink! That way, you don’t have to remember my birthday and I can forgive you if you forget!
6. Give, to this charity instead of giving to Starbucks, and thus, spare your body, all that Seattle caffeine.
7. It’s the meager sum; you spend on car gas or cab fare, when you could so easily have walked the same distance.
8. For most of us, it’s a small part of what we make per hour and so not a big deal to part with.
9. I am your catalyst for charity; if you’ve never given before, now’s your chance to make up for all the times you should have given, but did not, for some reason.
10. Lastly and most importantly, consider that your money is going to play the role of a beacon in illuminating someone’s life and possibly changing it forever.
If you’re reaching out for your credit card already; please click on the 'Donate' button on the following webpage:
http://www.ashanet.org/nycnj/lib/marathon/publicmypage.php?1647
If you're still not, here’s my last pitch; “It’s only ten bucks, C’mon!”
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The July 4th long weekend.
Lunch at Hampton Chutney in SOHO;
Multiple co-ordination of plans for the weekend;
Drinks at Bryant Park Grill;
Introduction with a girl, who in another one of those recurring coincidences, lives across the street;
Cooper Hewitt Summer Session with friends;
Dancing in the Rain;
Dinner with interesting conversation at Sala Thai on the Upper East Side,
Early night, for the run tomorrow!
6 mile morning run in the Park;
Still co-ordinating plans for the weekend;
Home for a shower and packed bag for the beach;
Lunch at a local cafe in Astoria;
Set off for Jones Beach in Long Island;
Ended up at Long Beach, less crowded;
Got in the water;
Played Soccer with friends and a little kid;
Tried to read but gave up, took in the breeze;
Lay on the sand, ocean by the side, under the sky;
Wrapped up to go get ice-cream;
Got back into Queens for Indian Chinese;
Waited for an hour till we got our table;
Binged on a huge spread, over more interesting conversation;
Went to Newport for a house-party at 12 am;
Felt very “cool” entering a party this late, after ages;
Danced to a few Desi numbers;
Got back home by 3 am!
In Newport by noon;
Returned the rental car;
Outdoor Lunch at Amiya, in Exchange Place;
Paan at Journal Square;
Sprawled out on the lawn in Newport;
A quick nap;
Back into the city for the night;
Turkish dinner at Ali Baba’s;
Bumped into some friends en route;
Karaoke at Village Ma – “La Isla Bonita” to “I’ve got you under my skin”;
Got back home by 3 am!
Late morning;
Made sandwiches for the picnic;
Went to Central Park for a Picnic on the Great Lawn;
Lay on the grass, ate, napped, read, played;
Various conversations, Dumb Charades;
Dinner at Saravanas with Stefano and Elsye;
Some introductions and a pleasant walk to the subway;
Back home; called it a night!
Late morning;
Soccer game at Central Bar;
Bumped into a friend who was supporting Germany;
Rooted for Italy;
Was thrilled when they won;
Walked to the PATH and into Newport for fireworks;
Bumped into more familiar faces there;
Picked a spot by the river, spread sheets and lay on the grass;
Fireworks began, first at Liberty Island, then at FDR Drive;
Downtown and GW Bridge joined in, to create a spectacular vista,
Specks of light, some single, some clustered;
Bright, coloured, radiant globes of illuminance, that dissolved into the skyline;
“Oooohhhhh”s and “Aaaaaahhhh”s and more conversation,
A generous friend paid for dinner; Bhindi on the lawn;
At 11, it was time to wind up the weekend;
Folded it and kept it in my head;
Trains across the rivers to come back home;
A long weekend, spent well!
Multiple co-ordination of plans for the weekend;
Drinks at Bryant Park Grill;
Introduction with a girl, who in another one of those recurring coincidences, lives across the street;
Cooper Hewitt Summer Session with friends;
Dancing in the Rain;
Dinner with interesting conversation at Sala Thai on the Upper East Side,
Early night, for the run tomorrow!
6 mile morning run in the Park;
Still co-ordinating plans for the weekend;
Home for a shower and packed bag for the beach;
Lunch at a local cafe in Astoria;
Set off for Jones Beach in Long Island;
Ended up at Long Beach, less crowded;
Got in the water;
Played Soccer with friends and a little kid;
Tried to read but gave up, took in the breeze;
Lay on the sand, ocean by the side, under the sky;
Wrapped up to go get ice-cream;
Got back into Queens for Indian Chinese;
Waited for an hour till we got our table;
Binged on a huge spread, over more interesting conversation;
Went to Newport for a house-party at 12 am;
Felt very “cool” entering a party this late, after ages;
Danced to a few Desi numbers;
Got back home by 3 am!
In Newport by noon;
Returned the rental car;
Outdoor Lunch at Amiya, in Exchange Place;
Paan at Journal Square;
Sprawled out on the lawn in Newport;
A quick nap;
Back into the city for the night;
Turkish dinner at Ali Baba’s;
Bumped into some friends en route;
Karaoke at Village Ma – “La Isla Bonita” to “I’ve got you under my skin”;
Got back home by 3 am!
Late morning;
Made sandwiches for the picnic;
Went to Central Park for a Picnic on the Great Lawn;
Lay on the grass, ate, napped, read, played;
Various conversations, Dumb Charades;
Dinner at Saravanas with Stefano and Elsye;
Some introductions and a pleasant walk to the subway;
Back home; called it a night!
Late morning;
Soccer game at Central Bar;
Bumped into a friend who was supporting Germany;
Rooted for Italy;
Was thrilled when they won;
Walked to the PATH and into Newport for fireworks;
Bumped into more familiar faces there;
Picked a spot by the river, spread sheets and lay on the grass;
Fireworks began, first at Liberty Island, then at FDR Drive;
Downtown and GW Bridge joined in, to create a spectacular vista,
Specks of light, some single, some clustered;
Bright, coloured, radiant globes of illuminance, that dissolved into the skyline;
“Oooohhhhh”s and “Aaaaaahhhh”s and more conversation,
A generous friend paid for dinner; Bhindi on the lawn;
At 11, it was time to wind up the weekend;
Folded it and kept it in my head;
Trains across the rivers to come back home;
A long weekend, spent well!
Monday, June 26, 2006
Morning
I am listening to the music of Il Postino, after ages and remembered how much in love I am, with this one!
Morning
Naked, you are simple as one of your hands,
smooth, earthy, small, transparent, round:
you have moon-lines, apple-pathways:
naked, you are slender as a naked grain of wheat.
Naked, you are blue as a night in Cuba;
you have vines and stars in your hair;
naked, you are spacious and yellow
as summer in a golden church.
Naked, you are tiny as one of your nails-
curved, subtle, rosy, till the day is born
and you withdraw to the underground world,
as if down a long tunnel of clothing and of chores:
your clear light dims, gets dressed - drops its leaves-
and becomes a naked hand again.
- Pablo Neruda (poet)/ Sting (Vocals)/ Il Postino (the movie)
Morning
Naked, you are simple as one of your hands,
smooth, earthy, small, transparent, round:
you have moon-lines, apple-pathways:
naked, you are slender as a naked grain of wheat.
Naked, you are blue as a night in Cuba;
you have vines and stars in your hair;
naked, you are spacious and yellow
as summer in a golden church.
Naked, you are tiny as one of your nails-
curved, subtle, rosy, till the day is born
and you withdraw to the underground world,
as if down a long tunnel of clothing and of chores:
your clear light dims, gets dressed - drops its leaves-
and becomes a naked hand again.
- Pablo Neruda (poet)/ Sting (Vocals)/ Il Postino (the movie)
Sunday, June 25, 2006
What a PotLuck!!
So, three people who've barely known each other for three weeks, decided to get together to throw a potluck party, that took place last night. And What a Potluck it was!
The amount of good food, (some brought their self-cooked culinary delights, while others just bought ready-made food; eitherways it was a delicious spread), the variety of alcohol, the wild games we played, "Psychiatrist" and "Truth or Dare", the zonked people we met and the random dance steps, all ensured the party was a blast that we would remember for a very long time to come. A stay-over after ages, and fun conversation in the morning over breakfast and coffee, made this one of the longest parties I've attended/ co-organized in a while.
A fun night with a great set of friends; here's hoping for many more to come!
Special Mentions: (in alphabetical order)
1. Amit: For bringing the tastiest samosas I've had in this country and his willingness to bring us our much-needed morning cup of joe.
2. Apoorva: For co-organising the party and her special management skills that directed Saurabh in the kitchen to cook the Lemon Rice.
3. Ashish: For the amusing choreography with even more amusing nomenclature and tasty gulab-jamuns. Also, for providing the funniest moment of the night, when he fell, while performing the 'lawn-mower'.
4. Czaee: For introducing "psychiatrist" into the evening and her sporting performance on the 'dare'.
7. Daljeet: For being a good DJ for some part of the evening and then showing us his wild and terrifying (to some) side.
8. Raj: For unbelievably tasty Gobi Manchurians that commanded unanimous adulation.
9. Saurabh: For the only person who cooked/ partially cooked, non-vegetarian (Chicken Curry) and vegetarian (Lemon Rice) dishes for the party.
10. Shiv: For his gracious hospitality, never-ending supply of drinks and delightful breakfast of Kokila-Ben-made Idlis this morning.
11. Supriya: For providing mouth-watering kababs.
and last but not the least:)
12. Me: For acting like a Chief Guest at my own party as a co-host; as Apoorva correctly pointed out, arriving late and leaving earliest:) (I was the first one to hit the sack).
The amount of good food, (some brought their self-cooked culinary delights, while others just bought ready-made food; eitherways it was a delicious spread), the variety of alcohol, the wild games we played, "Psychiatrist" and "Truth or Dare", the zonked people we met and the random dance steps, all ensured the party was a blast that we would remember for a very long time to come. A stay-over after ages, and fun conversation in the morning over breakfast and coffee, made this one of the longest parties I've attended/ co-organized in a while.
A fun night with a great set of friends; here's hoping for many more to come!
Special Mentions: (in alphabetical order)
1. Amit: For bringing the tastiest samosas I've had in this country and his willingness to bring us our much-needed morning cup of joe.
2. Apoorva: For co-organising the party and her special management skills that directed Saurabh in the kitchen to cook the Lemon Rice.
3. Ashish: For the amusing choreography with even more amusing nomenclature and tasty gulab-jamuns. Also, for providing the funniest moment of the night, when he fell, while performing the 'lawn-mower'.
4. Czaee: For introducing "psychiatrist" into the evening and her sporting performance on the 'dare'.
7. Daljeet: For being a good DJ for some part of the evening and then showing us his wild and terrifying (to some) side.
8. Raj: For unbelievably tasty Gobi Manchurians that commanded unanimous adulation.
9. Saurabh: For the only person who cooked/ partially cooked, non-vegetarian (Chicken Curry) and vegetarian (Lemon Rice) dishes for the party.
10. Shiv: For his gracious hospitality, never-ending supply of drinks and delightful breakfast of Kokila-Ben-made Idlis this morning.
11. Supriya: For providing mouth-watering kababs.
and last but not the least:)
12. Me: For acting like a Chief Guest at my own party as a co-host; as Apoorva correctly pointed out, arriving late and leaving earliest:) (I was the first one to hit the sack).
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
"The best way to see New York is on the run!"*
The most awaited time of the day was when the clock would strike 12.
No, I wasnt turning into a pumpkin:), the NYC Half-Marathon registration was about to begin.
At 11:55 am, the registration tab appeared on the webpage and then started a series of "refresh" page commands, entering credit card details and mad chat messages, asking friends to try to log in from their networks. Had one leg in the ongoing seminar in the conference room and the other at my desk, trying to register, if only the site would let me.
Finally an hour and a half later, I just managed to find my way onto the last page, where I thankfully said "Submit" and was finally registered!
So, here I am, at this end of the training and running sessions, that sort of began around the weekend of June 10th with the Asha 5K Run at Riverside Park.
Participating in the half-marathon as a part of the Asha Marathon training group, also means fund-raising $100/ mile, i.e $1310 for the 13.1 miles that I will run on August 27th 2006. All the money will go towards the basic education of underprivileged children in India, a well-deserved cause for which any contributions will be appreciated. I havent yet officially signed up for this, but when I do, I will have a website to raise this money and would certainly hope that anyone who reads this on my blog or otherwise, will be nice enough to chip in a few bucks for this worthy cause!
Running has never been the same for me ever before and I think I can say with a certain amount of surety and spunk in my step, that it has begun to change my life!:)
On that end note, here's the beautiful course that 'we' 10,000 half-marathoners will run on D-Day!
* Quoted from the NY Road Runner's Club website.
No, I wasnt turning into a pumpkin:), the NYC Half-Marathon registration was about to begin.
At 11:55 am, the registration tab appeared on the webpage and then started a series of "refresh" page commands, entering credit card details and mad chat messages, asking friends to try to log in from their networks. Had one leg in the ongoing seminar in the conference room and the other at my desk, trying to register, if only the site would let me.
Finally an hour and a half later, I just managed to find my way onto the last page, where I thankfully said "Submit" and was finally registered!
So, here I am, at this end of the training and running sessions, that sort of began around the weekend of June 10th with the Asha 5K Run at Riverside Park.
Participating in the half-marathon as a part of the Asha Marathon training group, also means fund-raising $100/ mile, i.e $1310 for the 13.1 miles that I will run on August 27th 2006. All the money will go towards the basic education of underprivileged children in India, a well-deserved cause for which any contributions will be appreciated. I havent yet officially signed up for this, but when I do, I will have a website to raise this money and would certainly hope that anyone who reads this on my blog or otherwise, will be nice enough to chip in a few bucks for this worthy cause!
Running has never been the same for me ever before and I think I can say with a certain amount of surety and spunk in my step, that it has begun to change my life!:)
On that end note, here's the beautiful course that 'we' 10,000 half-marathoners will run on D-Day!
* Quoted from the NY Road Runner's Club website.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Whew-kend II!
It's been a slightly different weekend.
Friday: The evening was spent at Central Park, running outdoors after a very long time. Taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the park, while running on the circular track reminded me of how it is to run free and liberated, meandering my way through the other runners, dodging the occasional bikes that whizzed me by, with a partner in tow and the wind for momentum. I've been running indoors, regularly on the treadmill, with music for company, sort of on my own designated space, linear and in motion, pushing me forward, step by step. A new running buddy, not music, for company; a new track, stationery, not mobile, to run on; marked the beginning of the weekend. Post-running, a juice and a 26 block-long walk; one of those fun conversational walks in the city. Back home at 10 pm, to have my favourite soup for dinner, packed the bag for the next day's first 5K run and after setting two alarms for the next morning, called it a night.
Saturday: Woke up at 6 am and left home after breakfast to get to the Riverside Park for Asha's third annual 5K Run/ Walk. The track was a beautiful linear ribbon, that found it's way through trees and dog-shows and paralleled beautifully by the Hudson to bring us back to where we would start from. The energy was contagious, as the Asha volunteers and the 5K participants registered and warmed up for the run. At 9:10 the run started and the first runner trickled into the finish line, a quick 19 mins later. I made it in 30, which was a personal victory, but still needs to be worked upon. Turns out the 250 odd-participants had managed to fund-raise about $20,000, aside from the registration fees and other collections still underway, all to be invested in Asha's various basic education programs run all over India. A true example of how a small effort can go a long way.
Post-run a few of us went to Cafe Lalo for brunch (more new people) and then made our way downtown, walking and talking, taking in the summer sun. A pee-stop at the Lincoln Center Plaza where we sprawled by the water fountain over some sorbet and gelato. Back home in the afternoon, to relax and spruce up for the evening farwell party at a friends place at Times' Square. The evening and most of the night was spent chatting with and meeting new people at the party, over a few drinks and ended with kathi rolls in Midtown Manhattan. Cabbed back home by 4 am and hit the sack.
Sunday: Thankfully a lazy Sunday morning that started at 11:30 am. Could'nt make it to brunch with some friends and just hung out at home instead. Made movie plans with some other friends for the evening. Went to the temple in the afternoon and then rushed back into the city for X-Men 3. Another new acquaintance made, watched the film and then walked some more in the city. Back home in Astoria, ran some errands and then off to bed, to end another weekend spent meeting new people, doing new things and harbouring a new goal; that of achieving a farther milestone in my next run, which should hopefully develop some new habits:)
On a separate note, over the last few weekends, I've added more new names and phone numbers in my phone than ever before. Gregariousness, at it's best!
Maybe I should consider an alternative career in public relations or event-management as a close friend suggests!
Friday: The evening was spent at Central Park, running outdoors after a very long time. Taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the park, while running on the circular track reminded me of how it is to run free and liberated, meandering my way through the other runners, dodging the occasional bikes that whizzed me by, with a partner in tow and the wind for momentum. I've been running indoors, regularly on the treadmill, with music for company, sort of on my own designated space, linear and in motion, pushing me forward, step by step. A new running buddy, not music, for company; a new track, stationery, not mobile, to run on; marked the beginning of the weekend. Post-running, a juice and a 26 block-long walk; one of those fun conversational walks in the city. Back home at 10 pm, to have my favourite soup for dinner, packed the bag for the next day's first 5K run and after setting two alarms for the next morning, called it a night.
Saturday: Woke up at 6 am and left home after breakfast to get to the Riverside Park for Asha's third annual 5K Run/ Walk. The track was a beautiful linear ribbon, that found it's way through trees and dog-shows and paralleled beautifully by the Hudson to bring us back to where we would start from. The energy was contagious, as the Asha volunteers and the 5K participants registered and warmed up for the run. At 9:10 the run started and the first runner trickled into the finish line, a quick 19 mins later. I made it in 30, which was a personal victory, but still needs to be worked upon. Turns out the 250 odd-participants had managed to fund-raise about $20,000, aside from the registration fees and other collections still underway, all to be invested in Asha's various basic education programs run all over India. A true example of how a small effort can go a long way.
Post-run a few of us went to Cafe Lalo for brunch (more new people) and then made our way downtown, walking and talking, taking in the summer sun. A pee-stop at the Lincoln Center Plaza where we sprawled by the water fountain over some sorbet and gelato. Back home in the afternoon, to relax and spruce up for the evening farwell party at a friends place at Times' Square. The evening and most of the night was spent chatting with and meeting new people at the party, over a few drinks and ended with kathi rolls in Midtown Manhattan. Cabbed back home by 4 am and hit the sack.
Sunday: Thankfully a lazy Sunday morning that started at 11:30 am. Could'nt make it to brunch with some friends and just hung out at home instead. Made movie plans with some other friends for the evening. Went to the temple in the afternoon and then rushed back into the city for X-Men 3. Another new acquaintance made, watched the film and then walked some more in the city. Back home in Astoria, ran some errands and then off to bed, to end another weekend spent meeting new people, doing new things and harbouring a new goal; that of achieving a farther milestone in my next run, which should hopefully develop some new habits:)
On a separate note, over the last few weekends, I've added more new names and phone numbers in my phone than ever before. Gregariousness, at it's best!
Maybe I should consider an alternative career in public relations or event-management as a close friend suggests!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Whew-kend!
Picture this:
Wednesday: After work, spent happy-houring with friends who announced their engagement! Met some new, some old friends and called it a night!
Thursday: After work, spent the evening walking around the city, bumped into another old friend, had Indian tapas for dinner and at 11 pm waited in the lobby of a swanky Times' Square hotel, for cousin and family arriving from India. Took them around Times' Square and caught a train home at 1:30 am.
Friday: Early morning Seminar at Times Square AMC, regular Friday work day, evening spent at Starbuck's waiting for calls of a possible undergrad school reunion. Walked around the city more, finally went to spend some time with cousin and family at hotel, left an hour later to go to LGA to pick up a friend. Waited for an hour, for the friend's already landed flight to disembark, picked up friend and got back home. Drank and chatted away untill bedtime at 3 am.
Saturday: Woke up early, had breakfast at home and then left for the city by noon. Spent some more time walking around, some appetizers at Ben's in midtown and then met more friends at a Deli. Chatted away, heard from another friend who was in town for the long weekend and tried to figure out a slot to fit him in. Left to go home by 5:30 pm, got dressed, sari and all, for a friend's wedding reception. Also, packed for the road trip to Capecod, from there. Had a ball at the reception, danced away till midnight, then left for Capecod.
Sunday: Reached Capecod, by 4 am, checked-in to the hotel, and slept till 9 am. Dressed and ready to leave for Whale-watching at 10:30 am. A mini breakfast later, spent 4 fabulous hours aboard the "Whale-Watcher", fascinated with the mammals in their natural habitat. Got back to shore, for a sumptuous fresh sea-food dinner and then left to come back home. Reached home at 10 pm, conferenced with friends for a bit and watched an episode of "Desperate Housewives", then called it a night at 2 a.m.
Monday: Woke up to a friend's message, rushed into the city to meet friends from The Netherlands, spent a few hours with them at Madison Square Park, catching up and t aking pictures, talking cities mostly. Left to get back to Queens, to go to the temple with another visiting friend, and lunched away on delicious South Indian food. Got back home, took the train to the city and went to The new 'Le Louvre-ish' Apple Store on Fifth Ave. Walked to Central Park and spent some time walking around. Cabbed to the movie hall at Times' Square, caught a 7:10 Hindi film, and laughed our hearts out through it. Bumped into two more friends, promising to catch up next weekend with them. Went to a family-style Italian restaurant close by for dinner and finally got back home. Slept at 2 am.
Tuesday: Friend left early morning at 5:30 am. Said good-bye and tried to sleep in till 7:30 am. Woke up tired and completely un-aligned to come to work this morning. Got to work and thankfully it's a relaxed day so far. Typing out the weekend agenda, and re-living the longest weekend ever, spent doing too many things, but all enjoyed to their best:) Still regret not being able to squeeze in time to meet the other friend visiting from SFO. Maybe next time!
Need a vacation, to sit back and do nothing!
Wednesday: After work, spent happy-houring with friends who announced their engagement! Met some new, some old friends and called it a night!
Thursday: After work, spent the evening walking around the city, bumped into another old friend, had Indian tapas for dinner and at 11 pm waited in the lobby of a swanky Times' Square hotel, for cousin and family arriving from India. Took them around Times' Square and caught a train home at 1:30 am.
Friday: Early morning Seminar at Times Square AMC, regular Friday work day, evening spent at Starbuck's waiting for calls of a possible undergrad school reunion. Walked around the city more, finally went to spend some time with cousin and family at hotel, left an hour later to go to LGA to pick up a friend. Waited for an hour, for the friend's already landed flight to disembark, picked up friend and got back home. Drank and chatted away untill bedtime at 3 am.
Saturday: Woke up early, had breakfast at home and then left for the city by noon. Spent some more time walking around, some appetizers at Ben's in midtown and then met more friends at a Deli. Chatted away, heard from another friend who was in town for the long weekend and tried to figure out a slot to fit him in. Left to go home by 5:30 pm, got dressed, sari and all, for a friend's wedding reception. Also, packed for the road trip to Capecod, from there. Had a ball at the reception, danced away till midnight, then left for Capecod.
Sunday: Reached Capecod, by 4 am, checked-in to the hotel, and slept till 9 am. Dressed and ready to leave for Whale-watching at 10:30 am. A mini breakfast later, spent 4 fabulous hours aboard the "Whale-Watcher", fascinated with the mammals in their natural habitat. Got back to shore, for a sumptuous fresh sea-food dinner and then left to come back home. Reached home at 10 pm, conferenced with friends for a bit and watched an episode of "Desperate Housewives", then called it a night at 2 a.m.
Monday: Woke up to a friend's message, rushed into the city to meet friends from The Netherlands, spent a few hours with them at Madison Square Park, catching up and t aking pictures, talking cities mostly. Left to get back to Queens, to go to the temple with another visiting friend, and lunched away on delicious South Indian food. Got back home, took the train to the city and went to The new 'Le Louvre-ish' Apple Store on Fifth Ave. Walked to Central Park and spent some time walking around. Cabbed to the movie hall at Times' Square, caught a 7:10 Hindi film, and laughed our hearts out through it. Bumped into two more friends, promising to catch up next weekend with them. Went to a family-style Italian restaurant close by for dinner and finally got back home. Slept at 2 am.
Tuesday: Friend left early morning at 5:30 am. Said good-bye and tried to sleep in till 7:30 am. Woke up tired and completely un-aligned to come to work this morning. Got to work and thankfully it's a relaxed day so far. Typing out the weekend agenda, and re-living the longest weekend ever, spent doing too many things, but all enjoyed to their best:) Still regret not being able to squeeze in time to meet the other friend visiting from SFO. Maybe next time!
Need a vacation, to sit back and do nothing!
Thursday, May 25, 2006
New!
New apartments in new neighbourhoods,
New jobs in new localities,
New friends made in new ways,
New bikes that reveal new routes,
New TV series in a new queue,
New books causing a new view,
New movies creating new discussions,
New happy-hours in new bars,
New trends and new do's,
New accessories complementing new styles,
New winds heading in new directions,
New vision on a new scale,
New reasons to party in new settings,
New routines within new commutes,
New visitors hosted in new ways,
New co-workers with new traits,
New wines with new spirits,
New recipes with new zest,
New tastes discovered in new ingredients,
New explorations within new places,
Same ol' life within the Same ol' city,
Another New Year starting in New York!
New jobs in new localities,
New friends made in new ways,
New bikes that reveal new routes,
New TV series in a new queue,
New books causing a new view,
New movies creating new discussions,
New happy-hours in new bars,
New trends and new do's,
New accessories complementing new styles,
New winds heading in new directions,
New vision on a new scale,
New reasons to party in new settings,
New routines within new commutes,
New visitors hosted in new ways,
New co-workers with new traits,
New wines with new spirits,
New recipes with new zest,
New tastes discovered in new ingredients,
New explorations within new places,
Same ol' life within the Same ol' city,
Another New Year starting in New York!
Friday, April 07, 2006
Fire...Earth...Water
Saw Deepa Mehta's Fire in 1996,
Earth two years later and finally finished with the trilogy,
by seeing Water today.
Fantastic movies all three, a definite must-watch!
Earth two years later and finally finished with the trilogy,
by seeing Water today.
Fantastic movies all three, a definite must-watch!
Monday, January 16, 2006
Day 4 - Amsterdam/Rotterdam
Day 4 - (Monday, 16th Jan 06')
Today was my last day in The Netherlands and I had to plan it well, to cover as much as I could, of all that was left to do in my agenda. I had decided to spend the earlier part of the day in Amsterdam, visiting the Van Gogh and the Rijks Museums and then cover some selected areas of Rotterdam, in the evening.
Started the day with another good breakfast cooked by Chints and then we left for his school, where dear Melissa was going to give me her 'MuseumCard', which would waive my entry fee for any museum in the two cities. Armed with another one of Chintan's hand-drawn maps, I left for the Rotterdam Centraal station, to head to Amsterdam Centraal. At the station, took an 'Intercity' to reach Amsterdam in 45 mins.
Walked out of the station to get a whiff of the weed in the air, find a canal in the distance and bikes-bikes everywhere. This has to be Amsterdam, I said to myself:)
Melissa had told me that the Tram No. 5 will take me from Amsterdam Centraal to both the museums, so I was off to bug the tram driver; a tourist in the true sense, to warn me before we reached my stop. The Rijks Museum is about a 1/2 mile before the Van Gogh Museum, (both are in Museumplein; i. e Museum Square) so this was going to be simple.
The Van Gogh museum, was a must visit for me. Having loved Van Gogh's work ever since I first learnt about him in undergraduate school, I rarely miss a chance to see it. Just the previous day Melissa and I were talking about the museum and she wondered if I could skip the museum to go see other places instead, to which I was adamant, that having come all the way to his home-country I couldnt possibly skip a trip to the only museum in the world which houses the world's largest collection of his works. Seeing my 2005 Van Gogh planner, she was convinced that maybe it's best if i did go after all:)
The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam houses more than 200 of the artist's paintings, including many masterpieces. (Dutch Trivia: Van means 'of' or 'from' in Dutch, so Vincent Van Gogh meant Vincent who hails from Gogh. My instant analogy to this bit of information from Chints was, "Oh, like how in India, some Maharashtrian's have 'kar' in their last names". He almost mocked me, but agreed all the same)
As much as I was thrilled at seeing so many of Van Gogh's works, in one trip, a part of me was also a slightly dissappointed at not having seen some of his most famous works there. One of my favourite pieces of art, 'The Cafe Terrace on The Place du Forum at Night, Arles, 1888' was not there. But most of his self-portraits were, which made my day! Van Gogh's rough, wild, somewhat insane streaks on canvas kill me; his wheat fields, sunflowers and yellow balls of fire for a sun, are to me an artist's expression at his best. On the other hand, there were the pleasant irises with slightly subtle strokes and perspectively challenged drawings of his room in Paris; a must-visit for anyone even slightly artistically inclined.
A trip to the gift-shop downstairs, lasted almost an hour as I contemplated over a calendar or a reprint. I left with a calendar, a magnetic bookmark and a mini phone book, all with various works of Van Gogh on them. Found several street vendors selling Van Gogh memorablia and souveneirs outside the museum for half the price, so it was good that I had'nt bought my magnets in the shop.
The next stop was the Rijks Museum, which like the Van Gogh Museum was not very large. (I had allotted about 4-5 hours for both the museums together, going by the time it took me to cover the Tate Modern in London or the MOMA in NYC. But I was done with both the museums in about 3 hours, after having satisfactorily looked at most of the works, which was good, as it gave me some more time to explore the rest of Amsterdam before I left) The Rijks Museum houses works by various Dutch and other European artists and has a section called 'De Meesterwerken', i.e 'The Masterpieces', a category that has a changing set of works on display. Works of Rembraandt were on display as were paintings and pieces of art from the rich historic past of the Netherlands. Renaissance paintings shared gallery space with almost photographic still-life works and portraits that varied from Dutch milkmaids to royalty. Royal doll houses stood next to showcases decorated with blue and white Delft ceramics. My favourite section was naturally, the one displaying Rembrandt's work as it brought back memories from Visual Studies' classes in my undergraduate years.
After the Rijks Museum, it was time to head back to Amsterdam Centraal, on the tram no. 5. I got off a few stops before the station, to walk around, in and out of shops, say my last good-bye's to places I had barely said "Hello" to, yet. I also wanted to buy my Amsterdam magnet and take pictures of stores abounding in 'clogs', perhaps pick a pair or two while I was at it. Struck a good deal (half-off everything) with an Egyptian shop-owner who wanted to get his last sales-of-the-day over with and walked out with plenty of souveneirs for myself and the folks back in India. (He kept asking me why I stayed in NYC and did not move back to India; "Was'nt NYC too big a city? Look at Amsterdam, it's such a busy city and everyday I keep wanting to move back to Egypt")Another 5 minutes with him and he was almost asking me out, so after a quick selection of souveneirs, I was hurrying out of the shop. It was almost 5 by now and I had almost all of Rotterdam to cover in the remaining part of the day. One last purchase to make - pre-packed Dutch tulips for Mom, nowhere to be found near the Centraal station or even in it, so I left hoping to buy them at Schipol tomorrow.
The train ride was spent jotting down notes and pointers that would later go into the making of this travelogue.
Back in Rotterdam and it was drizzling outside, as I called Chints' to co-ordinate our dinner plans. Turns out that he was still busy with his paper and I set off to do my Rotterdam touring, all by myself, armed with a very helpful map that Sahil and Melissa had handed over to me the day before.
Rotterdam is a rather small city, almost completely traversible by foot, if you dont mind walking that is. I did'nt; coming as I was from another walkable city. My 4 hour long walk through this city, would begin through the Centrum area, which is the City centre; downtown Rotterdam as they would say in the US. "MiddellandStraat is the cosmopolitan street that you must walk through Shweyts; it's a mini Chinatown and has some Indian stores on it as well"; that was Chint's voice in my head. So Middellandstraat was next, where most shops were closing ("Rotterdam, unlike Amsterdam closes really early every day. How I wish Berlage had still stayed in Amsterdam, instead of moving to Rotterdam" another one of Chint's comments in the past couple of days) I had been instructed by him that it was safe to walk around in this city at any time of the day and so my solitary night-walk did'nt seem scary, except of course in parts where I was the only one on the entire street. As I had been told, MiddellandStraat was a multi-cultural street, which started off on an Asian note with Chinese and Japanese restaurants and shops, interspersed with Indian saree stores that had particularly excited my host.
My next stop was to be MuseumPark, to see the NAI (Netherlands' Architecture Institute) and the Kunsthal Rotterdam, both from the outside, as it was beyond their working hours. (Yah, unfortunately the trip to Brussels had cramped me for time in Holland, making me spend the least of my time in seeing Rotterdam, something I will have to leave for my next trip).
At night, the lighting at MuseumPark was worth a dekko; the NAI was lit up in a repetitive pattern of colours, one per bay and their reflection in the large pool of water inside, rendered a simultaneous sense of calm and modernity to the building.
Going upstairs from the sunken level of MuseumPark, I reached a main road, almost towards the end of Rotterdam. I walked towards the river 'Nieuwe Maas' to see the new symbol of Modern architecture, used for the promotion of the city, the ErasmusBrug (Erasmus Bridge). Not to mention, the view would have been even more spectacular by day, but it was'nt so bad by night as well. It was strane in a way, that distances in this city were really small, a walk across the river on the bridge barely took me a while.
There were water-taxi's, that operated on various routes through the river, a boat ride that I could'nt take because of time constraints. My walk back was on an alternate route, as I was to meet up with Chints at Witte de Withstraat, a street lined with clubs and bars all along; kind of like a mini Greenwich village in the heart of Rotterdam. En route I passed three residential towers, each lit up in a different colour and later was informed by Chints, that Rem Koolhauss lived in one of them. ("Now you can say that you not only saw his office, but also his house, when you were in Rotterdam" he later told me. Sure, that would be something to brag about to my architectural friends back home!)
Andy Warhol's famous line, written in neon on a wall "In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" stared back at me, on Witte de Withstraat. I found an interesting looking restaurant, that was buzzing with activity even on a Monday night and was done up with multiple, exotic lanterns suspended at various heights over a central core within. 'Bazar' was a Turkish restaurant, where I waited for Chints, while sipping at my hot Turkish tea with honey in it.
A sumptuous dinner followed, after Chints arrived and then we waited for Melissa and Sahil, both of whom were to join us later into the night. The night lasted for almost 6 hours, 4 of which were spent at 'Bazar', where to my amazement we saw 'DUDOK Apple Pie' listed on the Desert menu. It was interesting to see how one restaurant's claim-to-fame was served in other restaurants' too, with rightful credits to the original source of the delicacy. Unfortunately however, the 'DUDOK Apple Pie' here was frozen, hence not fresh. Perhaps an appropriate end to my trip would have been at the DUDOK restaurant near Berlage, where I had my first taste of apple-pie heaven. No regrets however, considering there would be no DUDOK pie, fresh or frozen, once I left the Netherlands.
We left 'Bazar' when they almost shut down upon us; dinner conversation had carried us through the evening especially as this was my last dinner with my Dutch hosts. Post dinner we walked through the modernist looking shopping complex, once again where Melissa and Sahil pointed out design flaws in the curvaceous roof to me. We were four architects walking through the post-war European capital of Modern Architecture and still, true to our profession's nature, we had issues with the design. Such is the breed called Architects, blame it on the profession I say:)
The night, or more appropriately next morning (It was 2 am by the time we reached Chints place and I had a 3:59 train to Amsterdam to catch) was spent in Chints house. I packed while Chints and Sahil forced poor Melissa to sit through a classic Bollywood flick, 'Dilwaale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge' in the middle of the night.
Finally at 3:30 Sahil and I left after I said my good bye's to Chints and Melissa, to go for the last time to Rotterdam Centraal. Thankfully Sahil had accompanied me, as I later discovered, that credit cards did'nt work at the ticket-vending machines and I had to borrow 5 Euros from him (a debt, I still owe him) to buy my ticket to Schipol. It's a debt I plan to pay off, when he visits me in NYC.
At Schipol, I managed to buy my pre-packed tulip bulbs, which as I was to see a month down the line, blossomed beautifully into blood red tulips in my mom's potted soil in her mini-kitchen garden. 10 Euros, very well spent!!!
Acknowledgements:
1. Chints', my official host for the trip and source of endless Dutch trivia, instruction and very good care-taking during my stay in Dutch-land. For buying me my first DUDOK Apple pie and insisting I go to Brussels. For the hilarious Bappi Lahiri imitiations of 'Gulaai gulaai go' and insane 'Bappa-Bappi poetry' we made up. Also last but not the least, for the enthusiastic yet typical KRVIA conversations and discussions we had over the course of my stay.
Truly Dutchints, I owe you big time and Thanks for making my trip memorable!
2. Sahil, my junior from KRVIA undergrad, whom I got to know better in this trip and now look forward to staying in touch. Also, for going out of his way to accompany me to Amsterdam and coming for dinner every night of my stay there.
3. Melissa, a complete stranger who over the 4 days of my stay, became a good friend. For accompanying me to Amsterdam and joining us for dinner each night. For lending me her MuseumCard, cooking the delicious chicken for dinner and giving me all the valuable tips from her experiences in the Netherlands.
4. Chintan's friends, who were interesting company to Brussels.
5. And last but not the least, my sensibility that drove me towards making an almost last minute decision to route my vacation through Holland.
Danku Wel, you all and I hope to return soon!
Today was my last day in The Netherlands and I had to plan it well, to cover as much as I could, of all that was left to do in my agenda. I had decided to spend the earlier part of the day in Amsterdam, visiting the Van Gogh and the Rijks Museums and then cover some selected areas of Rotterdam, in the evening.
Started the day with another good breakfast cooked by Chints and then we left for his school, where dear Melissa was going to give me her 'MuseumCard', which would waive my entry fee for any museum in the two cities. Armed with another one of Chintan's hand-drawn maps, I left for the Rotterdam Centraal station, to head to Amsterdam Centraal. At the station, took an 'Intercity' to reach Amsterdam in 45 mins.
Walked out of the station to get a whiff of the weed in the air, find a canal in the distance and bikes-bikes everywhere. This has to be Amsterdam, I said to myself:)
Melissa had told me that the Tram No. 5 will take me from Amsterdam Centraal to both the museums, so I was off to bug the tram driver; a tourist in the true sense, to warn me before we reached my stop. The Rijks Museum is about a 1/2 mile before the Van Gogh Museum, (both are in Museumplein; i. e Museum Square) so this was going to be simple.
The Van Gogh museum, was a must visit for me. Having loved Van Gogh's work ever since I first learnt about him in undergraduate school, I rarely miss a chance to see it. Just the previous day Melissa and I were talking about the museum and she wondered if I could skip the museum to go see other places instead, to which I was adamant, that having come all the way to his home-country I couldnt possibly skip a trip to the only museum in the world which houses the world's largest collection of his works. Seeing my 2005 Van Gogh planner, she was convinced that maybe it's best if i did go after all:)
The Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam houses more than 200 of the artist's paintings, including many masterpieces. (Dutch Trivia: Van means 'of' or 'from' in Dutch, so Vincent Van Gogh meant Vincent who hails from Gogh. My instant analogy to this bit of information from Chints was, "Oh, like how in India, some Maharashtrian's have 'kar' in their last names". He almost mocked me, but agreed all the same)
As much as I was thrilled at seeing so many of Van Gogh's works, in one trip, a part of me was also a slightly dissappointed at not having seen some of his most famous works there. One of my favourite pieces of art, 'The Cafe Terrace on The Place du Forum at Night, Arles, 1888' was not there. But most of his self-portraits were, which made my day! Van Gogh's rough, wild, somewhat insane streaks on canvas kill me; his wheat fields, sunflowers and yellow balls of fire for a sun, are to me an artist's expression at his best. On the other hand, there were the pleasant irises with slightly subtle strokes and perspectively challenged drawings of his room in Paris; a must-visit for anyone even slightly artistically inclined.
A trip to the gift-shop downstairs, lasted almost an hour as I contemplated over a calendar or a reprint. I left with a calendar, a magnetic bookmark and a mini phone book, all with various works of Van Gogh on them. Found several street vendors selling Van Gogh memorablia and souveneirs outside the museum for half the price, so it was good that I had'nt bought my magnets in the shop.
The next stop was the Rijks Museum, which like the Van Gogh Museum was not very large. (I had allotted about 4-5 hours for both the museums together, going by the time it took me to cover the Tate Modern in London or the MOMA in NYC. But I was done with both the museums in about 3 hours, after having satisfactorily looked at most of the works, which was good, as it gave me some more time to explore the rest of Amsterdam before I left) The Rijks Museum houses works by various Dutch and other European artists and has a section called 'De Meesterwerken', i.e 'The Masterpieces', a category that has a changing set of works on display. Works of Rembraandt were on display as were paintings and pieces of art from the rich historic past of the Netherlands. Renaissance paintings shared gallery space with almost photographic still-life works and portraits that varied from Dutch milkmaids to royalty. Royal doll houses stood next to showcases decorated with blue and white Delft ceramics. My favourite section was naturally, the one displaying Rembrandt's work as it brought back memories from Visual Studies' classes in my undergraduate years.
After the Rijks Museum, it was time to head back to Amsterdam Centraal, on the tram no. 5. I got off a few stops before the station, to walk around, in and out of shops, say my last good-bye's to places I had barely said "Hello" to, yet. I also wanted to buy my Amsterdam magnet and take pictures of stores abounding in 'clogs', perhaps pick a pair or two while I was at it. Struck a good deal (half-off everything) with an Egyptian shop-owner who wanted to get his last sales-of-the-day over with and walked out with plenty of souveneirs for myself and the folks back in India. (He kept asking me why I stayed in NYC and did not move back to India; "Was'nt NYC too big a city? Look at Amsterdam, it's such a busy city and everyday I keep wanting to move back to Egypt")Another 5 minutes with him and he was almost asking me out, so after a quick selection of souveneirs, I was hurrying out of the shop. It was almost 5 by now and I had almost all of Rotterdam to cover in the remaining part of the day. One last purchase to make - pre-packed Dutch tulips for Mom, nowhere to be found near the Centraal station or even in it, so I left hoping to buy them at Schipol tomorrow.
The train ride was spent jotting down notes and pointers that would later go into the making of this travelogue.
Back in Rotterdam and it was drizzling outside, as I called Chints' to co-ordinate our dinner plans. Turns out that he was still busy with his paper and I set off to do my Rotterdam touring, all by myself, armed with a very helpful map that Sahil and Melissa had handed over to me the day before.
Rotterdam is a rather small city, almost completely traversible by foot, if you dont mind walking that is. I did'nt; coming as I was from another walkable city. My 4 hour long walk through this city, would begin through the Centrum area, which is the City centre; downtown Rotterdam as they would say in the US. "MiddellandStraat is the cosmopolitan street that you must walk through Shweyts; it's a mini Chinatown and has some Indian stores on it as well"; that was Chint's voice in my head. So Middellandstraat was next, where most shops were closing ("Rotterdam, unlike Amsterdam closes really early every day. How I wish Berlage had still stayed in Amsterdam, instead of moving to Rotterdam" another one of Chint's comments in the past couple of days) I had been instructed by him that it was safe to walk around in this city at any time of the day and so my solitary night-walk did'nt seem scary, except of course in parts where I was the only one on the entire street. As I had been told, MiddellandStraat was a multi-cultural street, which started off on an Asian note with Chinese and Japanese restaurants and shops, interspersed with Indian saree stores that had particularly excited my host.
My next stop was to be MuseumPark, to see the NAI (Netherlands' Architecture Institute) and the Kunsthal Rotterdam, both from the outside, as it was beyond their working hours. (Yah, unfortunately the trip to Brussels had cramped me for time in Holland, making me spend the least of my time in seeing Rotterdam, something I will have to leave for my next trip).
At night, the lighting at MuseumPark was worth a dekko; the NAI was lit up in a repetitive pattern of colours, one per bay and their reflection in the large pool of water inside, rendered a simultaneous sense of calm and modernity to the building.
Going upstairs from the sunken level of MuseumPark, I reached a main road, almost towards the end of Rotterdam. I walked towards the river 'Nieuwe Maas' to see the new symbol of Modern architecture, used for the promotion of the city, the ErasmusBrug (Erasmus Bridge). Not to mention, the view would have been even more spectacular by day, but it was'nt so bad by night as well. It was strane in a way, that distances in this city were really small, a walk across the river on the bridge barely took me a while.
There were water-taxi's, that operated on various routes through the river, a boat ride that I could'nt take because of time constraints. My walk back was on an alternate route, as I was to meet up with Chints at Witte de Withstraat, a street lined with clubs and bars all along; kind of like a mini Greenwich village in the heart of Rotterdam. En route I passed three residential towers, each lit up in a different colour and later was informed by Chints, that Rem Koolhauss lived in one of them. ("Now you can say that you not only saw his office, but also his house, when you were in Rotterdam" he later told me. Sure, that would be something to brag about to my architectural friends back home!)
Andy Warhol's famous line, written in neon on a wall "In the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes" stared back at me, on Witte de Withstraat. I found an interesting looking restaurant, that was buzzing with activity even on a Monday night and was done up with multiple, exotic lanterns suspended at various heights over a central core within. 'Bazar' was a Turkish restaurant, where I waited for Chints, while sipping at my hot Turkish tea with honey in it.
A sumptuous dinner followed, after Chints arrived and then we waited for Melissa and Sahil, both of whom were to join us later into the night. The night lasted for almost 6 hours, 4 of which were spent at 'Bazar', where to my amazement we saw 'DUDOK Apple Pie' listed on the Desert menu. It was interesting to see how one restaurant's claim-to-fame was served in other restaurants' too, with rightful credits to the original source of the delicacy. Unfortunately however, the 'DUDOK Apple Pie' here was frozen, hence not fresh. Perhaps an appropriate end to my trip would have been at the DUDOK restaurant near Berlage, where I had my first taste of apple-pie heaven. No regrets however, considering there would be no DUDOK pie, fresh or frozen, once I left the Netherlands.
We left 'Bazar' when they almost shut down upon us; dinner conversation had carried us through the evening especially as this was my last dinner with my Dutch hosts. Post dinner we walked through the modernist looking shopping complex, once again where Melissa and Sahil pointed out design flaws in the curvaceous roof to me. We were four architects walking through the post-war European capital of Modern Architecture and still, true to our profession's nature, we had issues with the design. Such is the breed called Architects, blame it on the profession I say:)
The night, or more appropriately next morning (It was 2 am by the time we reached Chints place and I had a 3:59 train to Amsterdam to catch) was spent in Chints house. I packed while Chints and Sahil forced poor Melissa to sit through a classic Bollywood flick, 'Dilwaale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge' in the middle of the night.
Finally at 3:30 Sahil and I left after I said my good bye's to Chints and Melissa, to go for the last time to Rotterdam Centraal. Thankfully Sahil had accompanied me, as I later discovered, that credit cards did'nt work at the ticket-vending machines and I had to borrow 5 Euros from him (a debt, I still owe him) to buy my ticket to Schipol. It's a debt I plan to pay off, when he visits me in NYC.
At Schipol, I managed to buy my pre-packed tulip bulbs, which as I was to see a month down the line, blossomed beautifully into blood red tulips in my mom's potted soil in her mini-kitchen garden. 10 Euros, very well spent!!!
Acknowledgements:
1. Chints', my official host for the trip and source of endless Dutch trivia, instruction and very good care-taking during my stay in Dutch-land. For buying me my first DUDOK Apple pie and insisting I go to Brussels. For the hilarious Bappi Lahiri imitiations of 'Gulaai gulaai go' and insane 'Bappa-Bappi poetry' we made up. Also last but not the least, for the enthusiastic yet typical KRVIA conversations and discussions we had over the course of my stay.
Truly Dutchints, I owe you big time and Thanks for making my trip memorable!
2. Sahil, my junior from KRVIA undergrad, whom I got to know better in this trip and now look forward to staying in touch. Also, for going out of his way to accompany me to Amsterdam and coming for dinner every night of my stay there.
3. Melissa, a complete stranger who over the 4 days of my stay, became a good friend. For accompanying me to Amsterdam and joining us for dinner each night. For lending me her MuseumCard, cooking the delicious chicken for dinner and giving me all the valuable tips from her experiences in the Netherlands.
4. Chintan's friends, who were interesting company to Brussels.
5. And last but not the least, my sensibility that drove me towards making an almost last minute decision to route my vacation through Holland.
Danku Wel, you all and I hope to return soon!
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Day 3 - Brussels/Rotterdam
Day 3 - (Sunday, 15th Jan 06')
Chintan and I woke up early to meet his other team-mates at Rotterdam Centraal, from where we were to take our train to Brussels. Another stop en route for the flaky croissant and cup of coffee, and we were boarding our train. Trains in the Netherlands (or was that in all of Europe?) were well-equipped with adjustable tables and contractable trash bins, by each seat. Post breakfast, Chints moved over to work on his paper with his team-mate and I sat back with my Nano for company, taking in the Dutch countryside. We passed Den Haag, the seat of the government in Holland, a place I visited only while on the train, to and fro my journeys to Amsterdam and now to Brussels.
The ride into Brussels was barely an hour and a half long, and the cultural and linguistic differences were already obvious. The large Dutch windows were giving way to traditional European fenestrations as signages started reading in French.
The Brussels Central station was another one of those magnanimous iron and steel trussed-structural enclosures they have, for stations in Europe. Within the station, we passed closed chocolaterie's and boulangerie's, going up and down stairs to find our way out. Once outside the station, Ron (one of Chints' Swiss friends) led us into the city, which was just waking up on a lazy Sunday morning. We were finding our way through narrow sloping streets, lined with closed shutters for shops, as shopkeepers threw buckets of water on the pavement, to start a fresh day. Our troupe was actively looking to find a Brunch place, that would be open. Two unsuccessful stops later, Ron led us to this cosy yet large brunch place, called 'Le grand cafe'. The maitre'd seated us on a rather large table and our hungry selves placed our orders and went to the loo's. An interesting loo experience, as there was no visual demaracation of the men's and women's restroom areas. So obviously, I dont know what I was thinking when I walked right past the urinals and into a toilet, only to realise at the end of it, that I had relieved myself in the men's loo. Not that the old lady collecting tips, at the entrance of the loo's found it strange; all she wanted was her 25 pence tip. Back to my breakfast table, where one of Chint's friends lit up a smoke at the table, (not knowing we were at a non-smoking area), at the horrified astonishment of the waiter and later had to put it out. (European bars bother me; having to sit in a smoke-environment, passively inhaling all that evil air and ending up with it, in your hair and clothes, let alone in your lungs is something I've lost practice of; thanks to Mayor Bloomberg)
After breakfast, it was time to get to work, for my group-mates. We walked through the cobbled streets, as I noticed the omni-presence of Tintin on the sides of a lot of buildings (Tintin's creator Georges Remi, better known as Herge, was born in Brussels and he made Tintin, Belgium's most famous reporter).
We passed through The Grand'Place (Grote Markt - Market Square), taking in fleeting glimpses of the golden facades, gleaming in the early morning sun; again up and down narrow streets, into the station and outside it, onto the other side of the city. Here we were, face-to-face with the Museum of Modern Art, where Chints and gang had to go see an exhibit on Moscow, for their studio project. I decided to bow out of it and explore the city by myself instead, deciding with Chint's to meet back here after two hours.
As it was around 10 am now, the city seemed to be getting livelier than before. I walked through the Central station, (dodging my way through the many tour-guides trying to sell me a 'City-tour by bus' tickets) and out into the city on the other side of it. My first stop was the The Grand'Place (Grote Markt - Market Square), to have a good look at the historic market square with its splendid guild houses and the impressive Gothic beauty of the Town Hall. This square is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, flanked by sets of 14th century guild houses with elaborate baroque facades, complementing the King's house, that already had a queue of tourists waiting outside it for the tour. I spent some time watching a group of little girl guides being instructed by their beautiful and very attractive young teachers, rambling away instructions in French. I moved on from the square towards the "Rue des Bouchers" (butchers' streets), where fresh varieties of sea food were beautifully arranged, along the edges of the narrow pathways. Each restaurant was painted in a different hue and had a coloured board at its entrance, that spelt the 'menu' of the day. Most restaurants had three course lunches priced from 18-20 Euros each; a steal for the spread they were offering. Walking through the butcher's streets, I reached a street market that sold everything from hats to shoes, next to a bronze statue - a seated man reading a book, with his pestering dog at his knees. There were many such public sculptures that I was to see, in my day there, the most important one (from the tourist point of view) being the 'Mannekin Pis' (the little bronze boy peeing), which of course I missed out on. No complaints, on that one!
I walked ahead amidst the market streets, trying to find myself a good chocolaterie, where I could try my first authentic Belgian chocolate. ( I was hoping to try Belgian chocolate, beer and waffles, all in a day) So the next half an hour was spent well, learning about the various kinds of chocolates in a quaint, nicely done up store with a very patient French lady for an owner. I walked out of the store, with a bag of assorted Belgian chocolates, (from trufles to Chocolate Euro's). 20 Euros well spent!
Street musicians played along as I noticed the elaborate details and aesthetics that went into the design of an attractive Chocolate store. Godiva must learn a lesson or two; as it looked meagre next to the 'La Belgique Gourmande', an almost royal temple of sorts for chocolate. No wonder Belgian chocolate is so rich. Next to the rich confiserie's was an interesting looking collage-sort-of Turkish window ensemble, appropriately titled 'Kazana'. Ducked into a curio shop, and I was face-to-face with the 'Mannekin Pis'; the poor guy seemed to be peeing all over the place, on magnets, postcards, even on t-shirts. Bought a magnet, (I've become a magnet collector lately; successfully managing to take back home a magnet from every city I visit. Only wish I had started it much earlier, then I would have had an even greater collection. But I guess its getting there albeit gradually:) and realised I had just about enough time to walk through the square and revert back to the museum, to meet the rest of the troupe, in time.
At the museum, Chints and gang were downstairs and we decided to move onto the other part of the city, the parts that look and feel like the capital of the European Union. Stopped to get directions and then almost half-ran, half-walked as I desperately tried to balance my photographing and filming and to keep pace with the super-fast Ron and his troupe. Passed some atrocious buildings existing in the name of Modern architecture and some really outstanding ones. The city structure was very reminiscent of Lutyen's Delhi or Washington D.C; a sharp axis running along, to create various vistas of important government buildings, all through the urban fabric. Spent some time admiring Gordon Bunshaft's sprawling modernist structure, which was closed for the day, before we moved onto 'Le Botanique', a Botanical garden cum Museum/ Gallery for 'Les 7 Tours de Moscou'- an exhibition showcasing the 7 towers of Moscow, as the name suggests. To get to the gallery, we passed through a gay-lesbian convention, my first such experience ever, which also made me notice how active the gay-lesbian community in Europe is. In Amsteram and even here in Brussels, society seemed to be much more tolerant and open somehow. We stopped for a beer and a quick bite at the cafe, which seemed to overflow with people from the convention. I was happy to be voyeuring again! Also got to know Chintan's friends better over our conversation that ranged from India to New York.
After the exhibition, it was time to rush back to the station to catch our train back to Rotterdam. So after a brisk walk and a free bus ride, we reached the station with just enough time left for me to get my Belgian Waffle and hop into the train. It goes without saying that just watching the waffle being made, produced stars in my eyes, and after a "Merci beaucoup" to the pretty and amused waffle lady, it was time to indulge. An amused Chintan took a picture of me eating the waffle, another food-memory that will stay with me forever.
On the train ride back, Chints and I caught up on old memories of undergraduate school and common acquaintances. We were to get back and meet up with Sahil and Melissa for dinner at this Italian restaurant, close to Berlage. Chints and I walked around Rotterdam; he giving me a night tour and I clicking away to glory. We passed 'Pathe' which was Rotterdam's largest movie theatre complex; a slick building with a light dynamic trellis facade, that changed light. It was here, Chints informed me that the Rotterdam Film Festival will be held on Jan 25th and this is where he watches his occassional Bollywood film. The dynamism of the 'Pathe' facade, reminded me of the evolving skin facade that I had proposed as part of my Final Project for Masters' at SCI_Arc. 'Pathe' had a massive open plaza upfront, that doubled as a basketball court, which had wooden boards for flooring, and Chint's mentioned how extravagant Rotterdam City was, because every year they changed the wooden boarding, after the rains left them soggy. (Additional European govt. trivia: The Swiss government, until recently, would use iodized cooking salt to spray on the roads over snow, instead of cheap rock salt. Finally, the Swiss people got together to stop this waste. A story told to Chint's by his swiss classmate Ron).
We talked about how being a Dutch architect really helps as the Dutch government's agenda includes huge subisdies and financial allowances towards Art and Architecture. Chintan suggested I get married to a Dutch guy and then set up office in Rotterdam, if I wanted the easier route to becoming a successful international architect. Our conversation flowed towards how Rotterdam represented an Urban design project, right out of an Architecture student's portfolio. The reason why there is not much consistency in the fabric of this city, is because good and different designs are given a chance to be built here, resulting in a varied architectural pattern. Walking through the city at times, felt like walking through my classmates projects, all placed side-by-side; that's how disparate the city feels at times. I was to see more of this modern and post-modern urbanity tomorrow. Right now was time for a good Italian meal, where conversation flowed along with the wine and marked the end of another perfectly spent day in Europa!! Tomorrow was to be my last day here; visiting Amsterdam and it's museums tomorrow and then Rotterdam by night, just before I fly out to Mumbai!
Bon Nuit est Ashu Bleeft!
Chintan and I woke up early to meet his other team-mates at Rotterdam Centraal, from where we were to take our train to Brussels. Another stop en route for the flaky croissant and cup of coffee, and we were boarding our train. Trains in the Netherlands (or was that in all of Europe?) were well-equipped with adjustable tables and contractable trash bins, by each seat. Post breakfast, Chints moved over to work on his paper with his team-mate and I sat back with my Nano for company, taking in the Dutch countryside. We passed Den Haag, the seat of the government in Holland, a place I visited only while on the train, to and fro my journeys to Amsterdam and now to Brussels.
The ride into Brussels was barely an hour and a half long, and the cultural and linguistic differences were already obvious. The large Dutch windows were giving way to traditional European fenestrations as signages started reading in French.
The Brussels Central station was another one of those magnanimous iron and steel trussed-structural enclosures they have, for stations in Europe. Within the station, we passed closed chocolaterie's and boulangerie's, going up and down stairs to find our way out. Once outside the station, Ron (one of Chints' Swiss friends) led us into the city, which was just waking up on a lazy Sunday morning. We were finding our way through narrow sloping streets, lined with closed shutters for shops, as shopkeepers threw buckets of water on the pavement, to start a fresh day. Our troupe was actively looking to find a Brunch place, that would be open. Two unsuccessful stops later, Ron led us to this cosy yet large brunch place, called 'Le grand cafe'. The maitre'd seated us on a rather large table and our hungry selves placed our orders and went to the loo's. An interesting loo experience, as there was no visual demaracation of the men's and women's restroom areas. So obviously, I dont know what I was thinking when I walked right past the urinals and into a toilet, only to realise at the end of it, that I had relieved myself in the men's loo. Not that the old lady collecting tips, at the entrance of the loo's found it strange; all she wanted was her 25 pence tip. Back to my breakfast table, where one of Chint's friends lit up a smoke at the table, (not knowing we were at a non-smoking area), at the horrified astonishment of the waiter and later had to put it out. (European bars bother me; having to sit in a smoke-environment, passively inhaling all that evil air and ending up with it, in your hair and clothes, let alone in your lungs is something I've lost practice of; thanks to Mayor Bloomberg)
After breakfast, it was time to get to work, for my group-mates. We walked through the cobbled streets, as I noticed the omni-presence of Tintin on the sides of a lot of buildings (Tintin's creator Georges Remi, better known as Herge, was born in Brussels and he made Tintin, Belgium's most famous reporter).
We passed through The Grand'Place (Grote Markt - Market Square), taking in fleeting glimpses of the golden facades, gleaming in the early morning sun; again up and down narrow streets, into the station and outside it, onto the other side of the city. Here we were, face-to-face with the Museum of Modern Art, where Chints and gang had to go see an exhibit on Moscow, for their studio project. I decided to bow out of it and explore the city by myself instead, deciding with Chint's to meet back here after two hours.
As it was around 10 am now, the city seemed to be getting livelier than before. I walked through the Central station, (dodging my way through the many tour-guides trying to sell me a 'City-tour by bus' tickets) and out into the city on the other side of it. My first stop was the The Grand'Place (Grote Markt - Market Square), to have a good look at the historic market square with its splendid guild houses and the impressive Gothic beauty of the Town Hall. This square is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe, flanked by sets of 14th century guild houses with elaborate baroque facades, complementing the King's house, that already had a queue of tourists waiting outside it for the tour. I spent some time watching a group of little girl guides being instructed by their beautiful and very attractive young teachers, rambling away instructions in French. I moved on from the square towards the "Rue des Bouchers" (butchers' streets), where fresh varieties of sea food were beautifully arranged, along the edges of the narrow pathways. Each restaurant was painted in a different hue and had a coloured board at its entrance, that spelt the 'menu' of the day. Most restaurants had three course lunches priced from 18-20 Euros each; a steal for the spread they were offering. Walking through the butcher's streets, I reached a street market that sold everything from hats to shoes, next to a bronze statue - a seated man reading a book, with his pestering dog at his knees. There were many such public sculptures that I was to see, in my day there, the most important one (from the tourist point of view) being the 'Mannekin Pis' (the little bronze boy peeing), which of course I missed out on. No complaints, on that one!
I walked ahead amidst the market streets, trying to find myself a good chocolaterie, where I could try my first authentic Belgian chocolate. ( I was hoping to try Belgian chocolate, beer and waffles, all in a day) So the next half an hour was spent well, learning about the various kinds of chocolates in a quaint, nicely done up store with a very patient French lady for an owner. I walked out of the store, with a bag of assorted Belgian chocolates, (from trufles to Chocolate Euro's). 20 Euros well spent!
Street musicians played along as I noticed the elaborate details and aesthetics that went into the design of an attractive Chocolate store. Godiva must learn a lesson or two; as it looked meagre next to the 'La Belgique Gourmande', an almost royal temple of sorts for chocolate. No wonder Belgian chocolate is so rich. Next to the rich confiserie's was an interesting looking collage-sort-of Turkish window ensemble, appropriately titled 'Kazana'. Ducked into a curio shop, and I was face-to-face with the 'Mannekin Pis'; the poor guy seemed to be peeing all over the place, on magnets, postcards, even on t-shirts. Bought a magnet, (I've become a magnet collector lately; successfully managing to take back home a magnet from every city I visit. Only wish I had started it much earlier, then I would have had an even greater collection. But I guess its getting there albeit gradually:) and realised I had just about enough time to walk through the square and revert back to the museum, to meet the rest of the troupe, in time.
At the museum, Chints and gang were downstairs and we decided to move onto the other part of the city, the parts that look and feel like the capital of the European Union. Stopped to get directions and then almost half-ran, half-walked as I desperately tried to balance my photographing and filming and to keep pace with the super-fast Ron and his troupe. Passed some atrocious buildings existing in the name of Modern architecture and some really outstanding ones. The city structure was very reminiscent of Lutyen's Delhi or Washington D.C; a sharp axis running along, to create various vistas of important government buildings, all through the urban fabric. Spent some time admiring Gordon Bunshaft's sprawling modernist structure, which was closed for the day, before we moved onto 'Le Botanique', a Botanical garden cum Museum/ Gallery for 'Les 7 Tours de Moscou'- an exhibition showcasing the 7 towers of Moscow, as the name suggests. To get to the gallery, we passed through a gay-lesbian convention, my first such experience ever, which also made me notice how active the gay-lesbian community in Europe is. In Amsteram and even here in Brussels, society seemed to be much more tolerant and open somehow. We stopped for a beer and a quick bite at the cafe, which seemed to overflow with people from the convention. I was happy to be voyeuring again! Also got to know Chintan's friends better over our conversation that ranged from India to New York.
After the exhibition, it was time to rush back to the station to catch our train back to Rotterdam. So after a brisk walk and a free bus ride, we reached the station with just enough time left for me to get my Belgian Waffle and hop into the train. It goes without saying that just watching the waffle being made, produced stars in my eyes, and after a "Merci beaucoup" to the pretty and amused waffle lady, it was time to indulge. An amused Chintan took a picture of me eating the waffle, another food-memory that will stay with me forever.
On the train ride back, Chints and I caught up on old memories of undergraduate school and common acquaintances. We were to get back and meet up with Sahil and Melissa for dinner at this Italian restaurant, close to Berlage. Chints and I walked around Rotterdam; he giving me a night tour and I clicking away to glory. We passed 'Pathe' which was Rotterdam's largest movie theatre complex; a slick building with a light dynamic trellis facade, that changed light. It was here, Chints informed me that the Rotterdam Film Festival will be held on Jan 25th and this is where he watches his occassional Bollywood film. The dynamism of the 'Pathe' facade, reminded me of the evolving skin facade that I had proposed as part of my Final Project for Masters' at SCI_Arc. 'Pathe' had a massive open plaza upfront, that doubled as a basketball court, which had wooden boards for flooring, and Chint's mentioned how extravagant Rotterdam City was, because every year they changed the wooden boarding, after the rains left them soggy. (Additional European govt. trivia: The Swiss government, until recently, would use iodized cooking salt to spray on the roads over snow, instead of cheap rock salt. Finally, the Swiss people got together to stop this waste. A story told to Chint's by his swiss classmate Ron).
We talked about how being a Dutch architect really helps as the Dutch government's agenda includes huge subisdies and financial allowances towards Art and Architecture. Chintan suggested I get married to a Dutch guy and then set up office in Rotterdam, if I wanted the easier route to becoming a successful international architect. Our conversation flowed towards how Rotterdam represented an Urban design project, right out of an Architecture student's portfolio. The reason why there is not much consistency in the fabric of this city, is because good and different designs are given a chance to be built here, resulting in a varied architectural pattern. Walking through the city at times, felt like walking through my classmates projects, all placed side-by-side; that's how disparate the city feels at times. I was to see more of this modern and post-modern urbanity tomorrow. Right now was time for a good Italian meal, where conversation flowed along with the wine and marked the end of another perfectly spent day in Europa!! Tomorrow was to be my last day here; visiting Amsterdam and it's museums tomorrow and then Rotterdam by night, just before I fly out to Mumbai!
Bon Nuit est Ashu Bleeft!
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