November 2, 2013: CANstruction 2013 in New York

Date: November 2, 2013 (though this goes through 11/13)
Event: CANstruction 2013 in New York
Location: Lower Manhattan, New York City
Summary: It's art! Made of food! Then donated to charity!

Tis the season of some of my favorite events. October 31 and the Halloween Parade is quickly followed by a myriad of other New York events that mark the end of the year and the Holidays. And many of those events are charity benefits of one kind or another. This is one of those: it’s called CANstruction

I first discovered CANstruction back in 2008 and have attended the event every year since then. What is CANstruction you ask? Well, their website states, “Canstruction, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that holds annual design and build competitions to construct fantastic, giant sized, structures made entirely out of canned food. In each city after the structures are built and the winners declared the creations go on view to the general public as giant art exhibits. At the close of the competition all of the Cansculptures are dismantled food used in the structures is donated to the local food banks for distribution to community emergency feeding programs.”

It’s art. It’s engineering. It’s free to view. It helps feed the hungry.

It’s win-win-win-win.

Of course I go every year!

This year wasn’t the biggest exhibit they’ve had, but I must say I truly enjoyed the sculptures. Every year so inventive and imaginative and impressive. I love the creativity and appreciate the engineering.

In encourage everyone that can to look it up in their city – this isn’t confined to New York. Go. Enjoy. Take some canned goods to donate. A morning well spent. :) (remember, it's open through Nov 13 in New York!

Below are pictures of my favorites of the 27 sculptures they had.

July 30, 2013: Reception on the floor of the NYSE

Date: July 30, 2013
Event:  Reception on the Floor of the NYSE
Location:  New York City, Wall Street
Cost: FREE (though I had to get an invitation)
Summary:  I knew this was probably a once in a life time chance to see this place, to walk into this building.  I enjoyed every moment of it.

This was something I was super duper excited about. And it did not disappoint. Last week I got an email at work that said my company was hosting a reception for New York based employees -- on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Yes. ON THE FLOOR OF THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE. I could scarcely believe it was true. I mean, *on the floor* on the floor? Really? And I'm invited?  I RSVP'd immediately.

See, my company (I suspect you'll be able to guess what company that is based on the pictures that follow) recently switched from being listed on NASDAQ to being listed on the NYSE and this was a reception to celebrate that. And for me and many other employees, this was a once in a lifetime experience that we'll be grateful to our employer for!

Coolest things about the night (as well as pictures, of course!) below:

July 19, 2013: Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Date: July 19, 2013
Event: Walking Across the Golden Gate Bridge
Location:  San Francisco, California
Cost: FREE
Summary: It was overcast, foggy, windy, and cold.  And I loved it.

Work took me back to the west coast again for a week in the San Francisco Bay area.  When I spend a week there, I usually try to get a very early morning flight on Friday back to New York.  But this trip I ended up booked on a 4:00 pm flight Friday.  I was very grumpy about that.  Until I came up with a plan:  use the extra time in SanFran on Friday to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

This plan made me less grumpy.

The weather, however, didn't exactly cooperate.  It was overcast.  It was foggy.  And I was there early (6:45 am) before any of the fog and clouds were burned off.  But you know what?  That's okay.  It made everything very moody but I still loved the walk and I loved the pictures.

A couple impressions of Golden Gate -- it's loud.  You're walking right next to the road deck where cars and trucks are whizzing by at 45 to 50 miles an hour.  Also, it's windy and cold.  Take a jacket.  It's might be a bit scary for those who don't deal well with heights, but not too bad.  The railing along the majority of the bridge is not super high but you certainly couldn't accidentally fall off or anything, and the bridge does move a bit (shakes and rumbles) as bigger vehicles go by.  But, as someone who does have issue with heights, I was able to make the walk without any problems.

But it is worth the effort.  The bridge itself is spectacularly beautiful, of course and an engineering marvel.  The walk is really pretty easy -- 3.5 miles round trip to go all away across and back.  And it's just wonderful to get outside and do something different!

And best yet -- I was able to get standby on the 11:20 am flight.  So I got to walk across the bridge AND get back to NYC at a not completely unreasonable time.  Win-win!

Okay, some mysterious and moody pictures...

June 29, 2013: Apples On Parade

Date: June 29, 2013
Event: MLB Apples on Parade for the All Star Game
Location:  New York City
Cost: FREE  (well, except, ahem, for any props you might want to buy...)
Summary: 34 apples, 8 hours 40 minutes, 15 miles of walking,12.5 miles on the subway, 10-15 flights of stairs, sighting numerous landmarks along the way



A number of weeks ago I saw this big huge painted apple in Grand Central on the way to work. Curious, I went over to see what it was. Well, it was part of the lead up to the MLB All Star Game. I looked it up on line to find that there were going to eventually be 35 of these apples spread throughout the city.

An idea was born: go visit all 35 apples in one day.

A friend, Leigh, was going to be in town and I asked if she wanted to come. She was game. And then we got it in our heads that not only did we want to get our picture taken with each apple, but we wanted to do something special for each one – have a prop or a pose or something that was fitting for that particular apple. THAT spawned a hunt around my apartment for possible props and then a dash to Party City for more and then a realization that to carry all these props I’d need a suitcase. A SUITCASE.

But we were not daunted. So, on June 29 with the promise of decent weather, we met at The Apple Store (we thought that was fitting) at 59th and 5th. At 11:10 am we took our picture in front of the Apple Store and with a map and an Excel spreadsheet of the order we were to go in and what prop we were to use at each apple, we were off on our way.

June 22, 2013: Hiking to the Hollywood Sign

Date: June 22, 2013
Event: Hiking to the Hollywood Sign
Location:  Los Angeles, CA
Cost:  FREE
Summary: If you're in LA -- do this!

Catching up on some blogging here – that’s what I do with long holiday weekends, I guess. This one is part of my two-day adventure in LA in late June. On Friday I went to Paramount Studios (I may or may not get a post up about that). On Saturday, I hiked to the Hollywood sign in the morning and went to 24 Hour Plays LA in the evening. I’ve already written about 24 Hour Plays; this post is about the first half of the day: Hiking to the Hollywood sign.

All I can say is that if you have any time in LA, somehow get this on your itinerary. It was so much fun, great views (albeit through haze/smog) of LA, little bits of nature to keep you company, and an up close and personal view of one of the most iconic signs in the world. Do it!

My only warnings would be that nearly the entire hike is exposed to the sun – no shade to speak of what so ever. So, very exposed. Go early in the morning to avoid the heat, wear tons of sunscreen, and take at least one bottle of water (at least). Also, read up on which trails to follow – they aren’t marked – but also know that you can ask the numerous other people making the trek which way to go. In terms of difficulty, it’s about 6 miles round trip and while there is a steady incline on the way out there, it’s pretty mild.

But, all that being said, I can’t tell you how much I recommend this for anyone who wants to add a little something different than the regular tours and sites of LA. You won’t regret it. I sure don’t!

June 16, 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos at Lincoln Center

Date: June 16, 2013
Event: Sing for Hope Pianos at Lincoln Center
Cost: FREE
Summary: 88 uniquely and artistically decorated pianos staged in the plaza at Lincoln Center with the public invited to come to enjoy them and play them.  A feast for the eyes and the ears!

For a couple of years now I’ve heard of this "Sing for Hope" pop-up Pianos (http://singforhope.org/).  Essentially, 88 differently painted pianos scattered throughout NYC, left in parks or other public places for people -- anyone, everyone -- to play.  The theme:  art for all.  I had always meant to try to go see some in their native locations but never quite got to it.  So I was thrilled to hear they were doing a closing ceremony of sorts by gathering all 88 pianos at Lincoln Center for all day Sunday.  After a morning bike ride and a quick breakfast, I grabbed my camera and headed to Lincoln Center.

And it was even better than I had expected.  So much better.  There are times when I just want to throw my arms out and hug an event and laugh in pure enjoyment.  This was one of those times.  I'm not sure I can fully explain why but it just was.  I had expected to fall in love with the pianos themselves, the colors and creativeness of each.  But I hadn't expected the pure cacophony of sound -- people playing pianos located right next to each other but playing different music.  Yet it wasn't noise, it wasn't dissonant, it was just so many different musical notes coming at you much like each piano was something different visually.  So I loved the pianos and I loved the music.  But I think what struck me the most, the thing that really made me want to hug the entire scene was the people.  The different races, ages, gender, types of dress, types of style that each person had.  It was a cross section of New York.  Not of high society New York (which one might think when one thinks of 'piano playing at Lincoln Center') but of all of New York.  Everyone coming together to just enjoy some music.

When I looked through all my pictures (I won't admit exactly how many I took), I would have expected that most would have been of the pianos.  But no, the biggest block of pictures were of the people playing the pianos.  The people, the players, they were what really captured my imagination.

Sadly, it is impossible to impart through pictures the audio aspect of the experience (even harder than imparting the taste and smells of the food festivals), but I hope the pictures at least tell a story you can understand....

June 4, 2013: Breakfast Briefings at Bryant Park with Bobby Flay

Date: June 4, 2013
Event: Breakfast Briefings at Bryant Park with Bobby Flay
Cost: FREE (well, an hour of sleep so I could get to work early so I could take an hour off)
Summary:  Beautiful morning, beautiful weather, free coffee, and Bobby Flay talking about barbecuing.

I was checking my twitter feed last night and lo and behold, Bryant Park (@BryantParkNYC) tweets about the first "Breakfast Briefing" (sponsored by Wall Street Journal) of the year -- a one hour discussion with Bobby Flay, click here to register.  Why, I think I *will* click there to register, thank you!

So, about 14 hours later I find myself at Bryant Park on the most gorgeous of spring/summer mornings.  And soon after that, found myself in this wonderful little outdoor seating area listening to Bobby Flay talk about cooking, his restaurants, Iron Chef, an upcoming book of his, and barbecuing.  All the while enjoying the weather and sipping coffee while the city goes on around us.  Mornings like this is just one of the things I love about NYC.

June 1 & 2, 2013: HOWL Festival

Date: June 1 & 2, 2013
Event: HOWL Festival
Cost: FREE
Summary: It's like they are making an art museum right before your eyes.

I had never heard of the HOWL Festival.  Or maybe I had but hadn't really thought much about it.  But as I was looking for something to do this weekend, this looked interesting.  It is an arts festival encompassing music, dance, visual art, poetry, etc.  Pretty much everything.  It's probably easiest if you read about it at their website here:  About HOWL.

While there was lots going on on various stages and locations in Tomkins Square Park, I most went for Art Around The Park which the festival website describes thusly: "A live action weekend-long event involving 140 artists of all ages turns an 8 foot high, 900 foot long blank "canvas" encircling the exterior of Tompkins Square Park into an explosion of color and creativity."

And let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint.  AT ALL.  It was amazing.  Awesome.  The creativity, the creation, the colors, the controlled chaos, and all the other things that don't begin with 'c'!  Seriously, each artist used their canvas so differently and seeing each style, each bit of invention, some thought provoking, some very much not, all of them interesting in their own way.  Loved them all.  Some more than others, of course.  And to be there to watch them being created -- not just to see the finished product but to *watch* them being created.  It was wonderful.  It really was.

And if you're in New York during HOWL, I highly recommend going on Saturday to see it all happening.  And then if you've got time and if you're curious, head back on Sunday to see the finished product.

LOTS and LOTS (and lots) of pictures under the cut.  :)

June 1, 2013: Name Tag Day!

Date:  June 1, 2013

Event:  Name Tag Day

Cost:  FREE

Summary:  Volunteers with the Awesome Foundation hand out thousands of name tags to New Yorkers so that we can say hi to each other by name as we pass each other on the side walk.  What's not to love?

Pretty much, the summary says it all.  What a fun idea.  I got my name tag while I was out at the Howl Festival (post on that to come) and managed to say 'hi' to two other people.  "Hi Terrance!" and "Hi Jenny!".  This resulted in smiles and waves.

Then, as I was headed back to my apartment, I was at Starbucks near Union Square (one of the locations where name tags were being handed out) and just as I was leaving these two women were coming in and I heard one say to the other, "What's with all the name tags?"  That also made me smile.

And finally, as I was headed across Union Square, I heard this, "Hi, Jill!" I turn and look and it's the person who gave me my name tag.  How he remembered my name I have no idea.  But we both waved at each other frantically.  And I smiled the rest of the way to my apartment.

Thank you Awesome Foundation.

Just a couple pictures after the jump.