Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for May, 2008
Cleanse Your Palate
By Linda Tancs
They say good artists suffer for their art. And if the exhibition taking place at the Whitney biennial art celebration this year is any indication, they suffer for their ecosystem, too. At New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art now through June 1, there’s an interesting fusion of environmental issues and contemporary art among the 80 or so exhibitors. You’ll find such eco-inspired displays as resin-encased compost droppings, a floral-infused recycled industrial trash heap, and sculptures modeled on bird droppings. Not to be outdone, Germany’s Biennial for Contemporary Art in Berlin offers the work of over 110 international artists until June 15. However, the difference between these biennials is like night and day. Literally. Berlin’s event is divided into two parts–Night and Day. At night, patrons can sample a mix of lectures, concerts, and even an out-of-body experimentation. During the day, the exhibition will have you walking the city at four distinct locations to take in sculpture, artwork and movable objects, some designed to evoke images of Berlin’s tortured past, like the Berlin Wall death strip.
Art with a conscience. That appears to be the promise of these events. Will you promise to go?
Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street
New York City
http://www.whitney.org
phone: 1-800-WHITNEY
Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art
Multiple locations
http://www.berlinbiennale.de
phone: +004903024345910
Share this:
A Twist of Twain or a Dash of Dickens
By Linda Tancs
Book lovers, take note. Do you long to experience the riverscape of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer? Are you interested in the historical underpinnings of chancery, “keeper of the King’s conscience,” as young law clerk Charles Dickens would have seen it? Then why not step into their shoes–and those of other literary greats–through a literary tour. Is this a new trend? Hardly. Think “da Vinci code tour” and you’ll know what I mean. Still, you can’t help but be inspired to write the next great novel of our time after walking in the path of the masters. The thought of their dedication and effort gives more meaning to every edifice of brick, marble or stone lining the tourist trail of the places with which they’re associated. Perhaps Oscar Wilde said it best: “Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it.”
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Air Barista
By Linda Tancs
Okay, so there’s really not an airline by that name. But Austrian Airlines Group is a strong contender for the title, billing itself as the first Viennese coffee house above the clouds. Business class passengers get to choose from 10 of the finest Austrian coffees such as Kaisermelange and Franziskaner. Business class is also touted for its unparalleled sleep comfort. Seems to me you have a choice: enjoy the fine coffee or get a good night’s rest for, as the saying goes, “Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.”
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Share this:
Jewels of the Brandywine Valley
By Linda Tancs
Beginning today, the glorious mansion and grounds of the late industrialist Alfred duPont will re-open after an eye-popping $40 million renovation. Named Nemours after the family homeplace in France, the estate is one of the highlights of the Brandywine Valley, located on Rockland Road in Wilmington, Delaware. While you’re in the neighborhood, why not follow the Brandywine Valley wine trail in the Philadelphia countryside and enjoy the spoils of the six wineries competing for your nose and palate. Poetry in a bottle? Perhaps. But a good vintage is better savored than spoken about.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it on Digg, or bookmark it on del.icio.us. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
Travelrific® Travel Journal 