photo diary 1

I went with one of my roommates to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden a couple of days ago. On Tuesdays you get in for free. You couldn't tell it was a tourist attraction though. The Gardens were full of people reading, couples holding hands, and not many people actually looking at the plants. It was more like a meditation garden. I was disappointed I had missed the cherry blossoms, with their fallings pedals of pink. I felt that if anything, the Botanical gardens were a glorified park, albeit with much more variety of trees and flowers. Yet what beautiful trees and flowers. I find it very ironic, and a bit strange that I'm living in a city known for its density, tall buildings, and crowded streets yet I've taken more pictures of nature and greenery than anything else. Anyways, here are some pictures from the gardens, a place where my heritage of landscapers contributed to my appreciation immensely.

Lilly Pads!

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Sue told me about a free exhibit in the East Village that practically no one knows about. It's located in the continuing renovation of Cooper Square, at Cooper Union, in the basement of the building. The exhibit is called Surface to Structure, and features dozens of artists from all over the world using the artistic technique of Origami to construct different objects and shapes out of not only paper, but metals, bronze, etc. It truly was one of the most beautiful exhibits I've seen so far on my trip. From animals, to geometric 3D shapes, to even outfits, Origami never looked better.

The old Cooper Union Building located across the street. 

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And finally, I saw my first Broadway show last night, at the Cort theatre on 48th street. A play, not a musical, called "The Cripple of Inismaan" with the star of the Harry Potter film series, Daniel Radcliffe, as the lead, the cripple. I got a cheap ticket, and therefore a cheap seat, on the balcony, with a clear view of not much other than the rotating set, and the tops of the actors heads. The play, like much of Martin McDonagh's work, is funny and morbid, dealing with a young boy named Billy, who has been crippled and therefore labeled an easy target his whole life. After simply trying to decipher what was being said in the thick Irish accents, I concluded that not only did I find the play not all that funny, but when a fairly large couple decided to switch seats and move right in front of me for the second act, I almost entirely lost interest. Instead I found myself looking around at the theatre, its immaculate design and intricate central chandelier, and imagining all the important plays and musicals that had been produced here in the past. Still, it's almost always worthwhile going to see a live performance, because you remember the experience of being there and not necessarily what you had watched, and it was a memorable experience to say the least, even if I wasn't a fan of the play.

Right outside of the Cort theatre.