Travels in the 2nd half

Main Street, Cooperstown Here’s a question, What if you are in Cooperstown New York , and you have no interest in the Baseball Hall of Fame? What is there to do? Well, actually, there is a lot going on, and here is some of what I found on a beautiful fall day. My first stop was at Doubleday Field , two blocks down Main Street from the Hall of Fame. I visited on a day when there were not a lot of people in town, and the Doubleday Field parking lot was convenient, and at $2/hour, reasonably priced. The field opened in 1920, and its current stands were built as part of a WPA project in 1939. From 1940 through 2008, Doubleday Field was home to the Hall of Fame Game, a mid-season exhibition game between an American League and National League team played during the Hall of Fame induction weekend. Since 2009 it has hosted an Old-Timers game in conjunction with the ceremony. Today, the field is available to be rented for games and tournaments and the stands are (usually) open for fre...

Wish-fulfilling Tree New York City is home to many small museums that highlight specific areas of art or history. One of the best is he Rubin Museum, which focuses on the people of the Himalayas. The Rubin Museum was founded by Shelly and Donald Rubin. They first bought art from the Himalayas in the 1970’s. Over the following decades they amassed a large and diverse collection. By the 1990’s they had decided to use their collection as the founding basis for a new museum to showcase and preserve art and culture from that part of the world. Shiva Vishvadura (Tibet) In 1998, the Rubins purchased the former Barney’s building on 17th street, in the Chelsea section of New York. By 2004, when they museum opened, they had converted that site to a world class exhibition space. It’s six floors offer a comprehensive look into the past, present and future of art and culture from the Himalayas, and also relating to social justice campaigns around the world. Breathing Room by Na...

Met Life Building Just a short piece this week. December in NYC is a time of lights. So this week I took a walk through the center of the city, camera in hand. Here is some of what I saw. I started at Lincoln Square, on the Upper West Side. The tree in the square offered a wonderful sight on a snowy day with Lincoln Center in the background. Lincoln Sqaure snowy tree for sale From there I walked down Broadway to the Time Warner Center, where the colored stars were beautiful. Time-Warner Center Time Warner Center Time Warner Center My walk continued east to 6th Ave. and then south towards the big tree. Garland, with a little surprise The Time-Life building has big, uh, ornaments From Radio City, it was a short walk to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Happy Holidays, No Service The Rockefeller Center Rink The big tree The last leg of my walk was over to Grand Central Station. Park Ave. Lights Helms...

I love small museums and galleries. They are a great way to enjoy art or history, without being overwhelmed. On a recent day I had a chance to visit three interesting small museums in Brooklyn. Each offered a unique view of art and history. Brooklyn Art Library Take the L train to Williamsburg and you will find a truly unique museum. The Brooklyn Art Library is the only user-sourced museum that I know of. It is a collection of over 45,000 sketch-books created by people who just want to contribute to art in the world. That’s right, even you can add your creative touch to their library. Anyone can purchase a 30 page blank book for $30 and create your own work. When done, just mail your book back to the library. It will be added to the collection.   Taunting Sweater by Lance Holden Time and the Way We Travel by Lance Holden When you visit the Brooklyn Art Library, it can be a little overwhelming. The walls are filled, floor to ceiling with books that ...