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With the passing the same day on July 30, 2007 of film-makers Ingmar Bergman and Michaelangelo Antonioni it makes sense to remember that film both then AND now is largely a commercial enterprise...
With the passing the same day on July 30, 2007 of film-makers Ingmar Bergman and Michaelangelo Antonioni it makes sense to remember that film both then AND now is largely a commercial enterprise targeted at the lowest common denominator: the masses largely interested in action--cheap thrills, empty spectacle, and stupefingly numbing cliches, one-liners, recycled gags, and loads of popcorn...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/movies/05scot.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/movies/12scor.html
Although I have only been there once or twice since it opened (it used to be at the Little Theater on 19th Ave. E. near St. Joseph's), I can attest to this being the least "commercial" movie theater in Seattle, with very fine, programming, including art, foreign, "independent,"experimental, documentary, and classic film.
This may one of the very few non-commercial venue for cinephiles in Seattle (Seattle Art Museum also counts, I guess)...
Hence, NO preliminary 10-15 minutes of uninterrupted cheesy, flashing, adrenaline-thumping previews, commercials, or announcements, as I recall, before a screening.
Where else could we have seen the haunting, psychologically resonant neo-Italian-realist*** film version of Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera "The Medium"--directed by Menotti himself and with a radiant young Anna-Maria Alberghetti--think of "Turn of the Screw," and "Umberto D." (or an Italian Fascist film from Rome's Cinecitta studio**** all rolled in one, set to a modernist Puccini? How they pulled this forgotten gem out of some obscure vault is an open question.
Or a few years, an exhibition/film festival/symposium
on Slovene contemporary art (attended by the Slovene ambassador)?
A strikingly original, funky space, with two very comfortable screening rooms, gallery, bar/cafe, large windows that look out onto the increasingly "in" 12th Ave. scene.
This one-of-a-kind non-profit venue clearly stands head and shoulders above the Landmark Theaters (excepting possibly the Harvard Exit, Seven Gables, and Egyptian) in its selection of not-often-seen, mostly non-commercial fare.
What about "revisiting" films by such cultural/intellectual luminaries and film-makers who have passed away recently, such as Susan Sontag ("Brother Carl,") "Duet for Cannibals"), Arthur Miller ("Playing for Time," "Misfits"), Gian-Carlo Menotti* ("The Medium"** or "Amahl and the Night Visitors," Bergman ("Cries & Whispers," "Persona," "Scenes from a Marriage"), Antonioni ("L'avventura," "Blow-Up", etc.? (Robert Altman, despite his iconic maverick status, worked within the Hollywood studio system, as far as I know).
Or "one of its own," Elia Kazan (d. 2003), controversial for his role in the blacklisting of the McCarthy era but lauded for his "Streetcar Named Desire," "On the Waterfront," "Baby Doll."
Seattle being a fairly important theater city--even though theater and cinema are in many ways antithetical media--it would also be interesting, for instance, to see a program of successful Hollywood film versions of Tennessee Williams's works (John Huston's "Night of the Iguana," Kazan's "Streetcar," the little seen "Glass Menagerie" with Gertrude Lawrence in one of her rare film roles), "Summer and Smoke" with Geraldine Page repeating the role that brought her fame in a Circle in the Square revival in New York), even though the number of bowdlerized, mediocre-or-worse versions makes up the vast majority (think of Eugene O'Neill, except for "Long Day's Journey into Night," or Arthur Miller).
Or opera-on-film...Bergman's "Magic Flute," the ca. 1987 "Carmen," etc. (Maybe they have already had an occasional opera on film, rarely "a mini-series" or in repertory, to my memory...).
[The Big Picture in Belltown used to be adventurous ("The Station Agent," the Robert McNamara documentary, "Fog of War," the documentary on the influential architect Louis Kahn, etc.). In the past year, it has turned to VERY standard Hollywood fare ("Dreamgirls," "Casino Royale") that could seen at ANY multiplex. This is a duplication of effort--the Meridian 16, that downtown rabbit-warren downtown due for demolition in the not too distant future, usually has "first dibs" on this sort of fare].
This and the Harvard Exit are my two favorite movie theaters in Seattle.
*http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/01/arts/music/01cnd-menotti.html?ex=1327986000&en=7ef65dc15876a946&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
** http://www.amazon.com/Menotti-Medium-Powers-Alberghetti-Schippers/dp/B00006ADF9/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1/002-2763930-2716018
*** http://www.italica.rai.it/eng/cinema/cards/neorealism1.htm
****
http://www.romefile.com/culture/cinecitta.php
Also recommended:
The Warren Report, in the old Carnegie Free Library in Ballard:
http://seattle.thewarrenreport.com/default.asp
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Nice to have the Seattle Aquarium right on the Waterfront. It is packed full of different exhibits AND hordes of tourists/families/kids. Rather confusing lay-out, like a rabbit-warren. ...
Nice to have the Seattle Aquarium right on the Waterfront. It is packed full of different exhibits AND hordes of tourists/families/kids. Rather confusing lay-out, like a rabbit-warren. Claustrophobic.
I liked the Dome where divers feed the fish at about 1:30 in the afternoon, as well as the otters and seals. And the hall in which one can actually touch and feel the sea-slugs, starfish, and the stunning, chrysanthemum-like anemone.
But for my money, a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo--mostly out in the open--makes the Aquarium pale in comparison, especially in summer, though, of course, we shouldn't be comparing...
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With the new addition on Union Street of the Washington Mutual Tower, the Seattle Art Museum adds two floors of galleries to the original (ca. 1994) post-modernist building by architect Robert...
With the new addition on Union Street of the Washington Mutual Tower, the Seattle Art Museum adds two floors of galleries to the original (ca. 1994) post-modernist building by architect Robert Venturi.
And the surprise is that what used to be a fairly limited collection now has covers most areas of world art, including first and foremost American modern and contemporary art.
Unfortunately, when I went Edward Hopper's "Chop Suey" had not been installed. But there was a representative Georgia O'Keefe as well as paintings by other major names (Jasper Johns, Motherwell, Rothko, Pollock, de Koening). And a "Bird in Motion" by Brancusi, that I believe I saw 30 years ago at the Seattle Center annex.
In view towards the $1 billlion in artworks promised to the Museum on the eve of its 75th anniversary, there are various "stations" where one can see a continuous closed circuit of videos with some of the major donors/collectors.
And in a nod to American colonial art, a Samuel Singleton Copley (this is not even Boston or Philadelphia!) painting hung pride of place at the entrance to one of the rooms devoted to American art.
What was pleasantly surprising to find were two medium-to-large Italian Renaissance tondos, one by Botticelli, "Madonna of the Magnificat" (a version on loan from the Paul Allen collection, the more famous version is in the Uffizi in Florence), with superlative bright deep cerulean blues and crimson reds and jewel-like clarity of design.
The significance of--the iconography of--this painting is not explained in the label.
http://www.wga.hu/fram...
Nice, too, to have small but fascinating collections of Egyptian, Roman and Islamic art. I'm not whether the famous Japanese "Deer Scroll" or the Black Crows (on a gold background) folding screen are on "short-term loan" from the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
And what ever happened to the Grand Staircase (with Chinese Ming dynasty rams and warriors) in the Venturi building?
One criticism I have is that the organization of the two floors is confusing. As the museum does not have separate wings to house the different "departments," one wanders from room to room without a sense of connection or flow.
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The first teahouse in Seattle (unless you count the Japanese Tea Garden in the Arboretum, which has such limited hours) and an oasis of "East/West" calm in the middle of Wallingford on...
The first teahouse in Seattle (unless you count the Japanese Tea Garden in the Arboretum, which has such limited hours) and an oasis of "East/West" calm in the middle of Wallingford on 45th.
Named for the Chinese goddess of mercy (as well as an eponymous black tea).
Cozy, intimate, relaxing, particularly in the autumn. Don't stop in very often, but I have always had a pleasant experience. I recall first coming here probably at least 20 years ago.
Every once in a while, it is nice to "take time out" from Starbuck's )or whatever your favorite coffeehouse is) and, instead, dive into an independently run teahouse such as this. It is neither a traditional Japanese or
Chinese teahouse but still has its own blended ambience.
Nice selection of high-quality teas. Live instrumental music in the evening. Unpretentious.
Recommended reading:.
The Book of Tea by Kakuzo Okakura
See also
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=teaculture290&date=20071029&query=Kuan+Yin+teahouse
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Part natural area (native species), part outdoors museum with a couple dozen contemporary sculptures, and part spectacular viewpoint (Elliot Bay and the Olympic mountains), this newest addition to...
Part natural area (native species), part outdoors museum with a couple dozen contemporary sculptures, and part spectacular viewpoint (Elliot Bay and the Olympic mountains), this newest addition to the Seattle Art Museum also partakes of his proximity to the tourist-inflected Waterfront--hence it similarity to an amusement park--as well as to Myrtle Edwards Park (home of the 4th of July Fireworks display).
Thus, it tries to be many things to different people.
The sculptures--mostly by very well known names in contemporary American art--tend to be easy to overlook and hard to find, as they blend into the surroundings.
But Alexander Calder's "Eagle," which used to be be on the front lawn of the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park--where it was completely out-of-place--benefits greatly from its new surroundings and takes on a breathtaking aesthetic significance.
Tony Smith's "Wandering Rocks" are largely lost in a small wooded area.
Richard Serra's "Wake" has a large "courtyard" to itself and is meant to be walked through and next to, enhancing its towering undulating curves which suggest the prow of a ship.
Louise Bourgeois's "Father and Son" fountain--by its proximity to the Waterfront---has a schmaltzy quality, worsened by the literal interpretation given to it by the Museum's own publicity. Her ocular black marble "benches," likewise, lose their odd visual/tactile qualities by being placed so close to the same entrance on Alaskan Way and thus made available to pedestrians, on which they will immediately plunk themselves down.
See http://www.metmuseum.org...
http://cybermuse.gallery...
for more representative works of Bourgeois.
The "Vivarium" is difficult to find and often closed. You really need a map (available at the Paccar Pavilion, the visitors' center) to find about half of the sculptures.
Part of the excitement of this park is its location, with freight trains running through it at various times of the day (or night), Elliott Avenue suddenly thrusting itself out of the ground at mid-levels.
The day I went a young African-American couple was letting their four kids trample and race through the strips of delicately planted native species, even though there were signs everywhere asking people to respect the plants and to stay on the gravel path (I suppose that's the fault of white people, too). There weren't any skateboarders on the concrete areas.
The park itself faces West, so a blazing afternoon sun obliterates much of the pleasure that might otherwise be had strolling in zig-zag manner down to the shore. There are metal red chairs scattered on the "viewing" terrace above the Calder.
Rarely has an outdoor sculpture "garden" (though this is really a park) incorporated art into both the urban and natural environments in such a spectacular fashion (think of the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in D.C.).
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I'll have to admit that I'm not a big fan of dim sum. The dim sum I had were not that great--especially the ones that were pan-fried, somewhat burnt and oily. The cha-shao-bao were cold. Portions...
I'll have to admit that I'm not a big fan of dim sum. The dim sum I had were not that great--especially the ones that were pan-fried, somewhat burnt and oily. The cha-shao-bao were cold. Portions were O.K. The best were the fried cakes of garlic leeks and shrimp.
Tea did not arrive until well after several dishes had arrived.
Noisy and crowded...
I know some people really like this place but it's not my cup of tea, and I've had better dim sum at China Gate or House of Hong.
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Update 9-26-07
Alas, this small store has closed its doors. Now you have to go to the rather overblown, decidedly NOT charming store in the University Village.
A smaller "outpost" of the...
Update 9-26-07
Alas, this small store has closed its doors. Now you have to go to the rather overblown, decidedly NOT charming store in the University Village.
A smaller "outpost" of the store that has also a very conspicuous presence in University Village (home to Restoration Hardware, etc.) but with a small, dedicated, gracious, low-key staff.
I have only purchased a couple of pots of herbs but both times were pleasant experiences. Both times the staff were very helpful.
Nice to have on the Avenue at the top instead of an Eagle Hardware, one of a number of "miniature" shops (The Teacup, Cafe Ladro, Video Isle) with a distinctive character that add to the charm of the neighborhood--especially now that Molbak's, City People's Mercantile, etc. have by the wayside.
Hope this business stays here!
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Charming private museum with pretensions in inverse proportion to the uniqueness of its programming. I recall with pleasure the exhibitions devoted to the costumes of Nijinsky, the oeuvre of...
Charming private museum with pretensions in inverse proportion to the uniqueness of its programming. I recall with pleasure the exhibitions devoted to the costumes of Nijinsky, the oeuvre of Fairfield Porter--far from the blockbuster exhibitions (and hype) of what large city art museums favor these days.
The benefactors, Charles and Emma Frye, ensured that their own private collection be turned into a museum after their deaths and that would be always free to the public. This represents, in my opinion, the kind of public-spirited generosity that Seattities have exemplified for decades (think of Dorothy Bullitt and King-FM, et. al.).
The Frye offers varied programming as well--recitals as well as round-table discussions (witness the round-up of the best films of last year, moderated by Robert Horton (KUOW), with local movie critics of the caliber of Sheila Benson, etc.), and guest speakers. The noted author of several books on fin-de-siecle art Bram Dijkstra (Idols of Perversity: Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin de Siecle Culture), spoke recently on the Franz Stucke painting in the collection (and other related artworks).
The Frye could give the Clark Art Institute (on the East Coast) a run for its money....
Some of the gems of its collection include German and French academic painting of the 19th century, including the famous Franz Stucke painting of female "Sin" as well as some works by the once very popular (and considered sentimental to the point of bathos) Bouguereau, who fell out of favor with the rise of modernism (think abstract painting) in the early 20th century..
A visit to the Frye makes for a relaxed time spent looking at various forms of the visual arts...and you usually do not have to fight the crowds as one would at SAM.
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[The four stars are for the downtown Seattle Library as a whole, including its overall mission, programs, computer terminals, the performance of the staff, and so forth. The building I would still...
[The four stars are for the downtown Seattle Library as a whole, including its overall mission, programs, computer terminals, the performance of the staff, and so forth. The building I would still rate as 3 or possibly 3.5 stars].
Compared to its predecessor built ca. 1959, this is definitely a huge "practical" improvement.
And it certainly has garnered world attention for itself and architect Rem Koolhaas. In a city with a penchant (for the new--and where "history" in the minds of many of its citizens conjures up the '50's, the Monorail, early grunge-rock*, and sometimes Pioneer Square with its turn-of-the-century neo-Romanesque buildings--, this building seems to have assured a special place already in the minds of most Seattleites..
That said, it is not exactly my cup of tea, especially when compared to main branch of the San Francisco Public Library (and was approximately 3-4 times the cost per square meter), which is in a far more classical style, though contemporaneous. (Let's not even mention the Boston Public Library in Copley Square with its Italian Renaissance-palazzo-inspired architecture and inner courtyard, John Sargent Singer and Puvis de Chavannes murals).
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bullets-and-beer.com/Alternate%2520Site/images/Library1a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bullets-and-beer.com/Alternate%2520Site/BostonPublicLibrary.html&h=1140&w=1505&sz=395&hl=en&start=14&sig2=aGPNZwUyGlmxp5RzWZyfaQ&um=1&tbnid=gJaBdh59lE-K0M:&tbnh=114&tbnw=150&ei=HWIZR_CuAqGcjgHykaGXBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboston%2Bpublic%2Blibrary%26imgsz%3Dxxlarge%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DDVFC,DVFC:1970--2,DVFC:en%26sa%3DN
http://www.goodart.org/blog/JohnSingerSargent-IsraelitesOppressed-BostonPubLib-1895Large.jpg
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/19th/bpl10.jpg
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/19th/bpl10.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/beauxarts.html&h=527&w=786&sz=92&hl=en&start=8&sig2=P3XKWkC8tHBJsyAN3NSYjw&um=1&tbnid=oSrKVT_ETWAY2M:&tbnh=96&tbnw=143&ei=PGYZR-77AcbwiwHqmaigAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dboston%2Bpublic%2Blibrary%2B%2B%2BPuvis%2Bde%2BChavannes%2Bmurals%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DDVFC,DVFC:1970--2,DVFC:en%26sa%3DN
The gleaming asymmetrical glass-and-steel exterior, though nice to look at at night when it is lit up, is aesthetically disappointing--angular, lop-sided, box-like.
And sterile.
It also is a definite architectural break with the Carnegie libraries, whose local branches are still scattered throughout the city (Greenlake, Yesler, Queen Anne, Fremont).
Nonetheless, it is an important part of civic life in Seattle now and redresses the lack of space and the general creakiness of its predecessor.
In fact, my praise for the central role of the Seattle Public Library in bringing a sense of shared community and promoting learning is practically boundless. The downtown library provides so many different functions, practical and lofty, to the citizenry of this city.
(One wonders if the Bush administration had used 1/1,000 of the amount it has spent on the Iraq war to build libraries of this calibre across the Islamic World (such as the stunning, cutting-edge library of the legendary city--now metropolis--of Alexandria in Egypt, http://www.bibalex.org/English/index.aspx), how much safer we would be from an imminent terrorist attack on our own soil).
For instance, the purely functional Microsoft auditorium is host to a rather astonishing array of speakers and previews of opera and the like. Some of the luminaries one would expect to be on the circuit of the Seattle Arts and Lectures series (at the Nordstrom Hall at Benaroya) or at Town Hall--Joan Didion (The Year of Magical Thinking, Slouching towards Bethlehem), for instance, presidential historian Michael Beschloss, and so on.
Of course, there was a long line two hours even before Joan Didion even spoke, so it's definitely not as if you'll get in...but it's indication of the high civic/cultural/literary aspirations of the Seattle Public Library.
Elevators rather slow (and there are not enough of them), with waiting times up to 8-10 minutes! And that's with your chin pressed up against the nape of someone's neck.
The nature of the plan of the spiral stacks makes it difficult to cut across from one level to the next without following in spiral-fashion. The reading room on the 10th floor is nice and airy. And generally folks adhere to quiet conversation and concentrate on their reading. They seem to respect the library and other patrons.
The soaring, vast lobby on the 5th Avenue side, which is open, atrium-style, to the very top (10th) floor is a marvel. One gets pleasantly accustomed to the electric lime-green of the escalators and some of the walls.
The fifth floor has a phalanx of public computer terminals) as well as a group of very patient, dedicated reference librarians who address patrons' questions. For now, at least, the computers-hooked-to-the-Internet have not replaced the traditional book.
Crowds of people all the time, which shows how popular it has become, moving in all directions.
* This reminds me of a recent interview with actor Anthony Hopkins that appeared (5-13-07) in the Seattle Times, where he stated that he "sometimes wants to say to people 'Do you know anything about anything?'' A [Hollywood] director asked me, 'Did Britain fight the Germans in the Second World War?'" And "I said, 'Do you know America had a civil war?' 'Yeah, I kind of knew about that. Was that Lincoln?'"
But I doubt the downtown public library would be able to fill in gaps this large.
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The best Trader Joe's store in the Seattle area is the one on 17th & Madison: wide aisles, pleasant staff, relaxed atmosphere, very wide selection of groceries. Wish this one were on Queen Anne...
The best Trader Joe's store in the Seattle area is the one on 17th & Madison: wide aisles, pleasant staff, relaxed atmosphere, very wide selection of groceries. Wish this one were on Queen Anne instead of on Capitol Hill.
The selection of breakfast cereals is very good, unlike the kiddy stuff found in your typical supermarket. Trays of combo hummus, sushi. Bags of pre-washed collard and mustards greens. Very nice boxes of fresh basil, all-year-round I believe. Beer and wine. Pet food/litter.
In other words, basically everything you could find in a supermarket.
Some sub-standard groceries like the all-purpose Italian salad dressing (plenty of sugar, could be used as a topping for ice cream) but half the price.
The store on Queen Anne is FREQUENTLY out of stock of certain products. In other words, what you found two weeks earlier, you may not find again for a while, which may lead to a certain "hoard" mentality. If you see it once, go for it!
One can never be sure if the national management is going to decide to "cut" a particular product because it is not selling well enough--no advance warning given at all. Quite a disappearing trick..
If you don't see something that you see two weeks ago it may not only be NOT on the shelves, it may have been discontinued completely. Ask at the customer service desk just to be sure!.
(I was crestfallen when their wonderful buttermilk, not Ranch, salad dressing was discontinued).
But the staff is as hardworking and friendly as one could possibly hope for (I don't know how they do it, but they frequently rotate jobs). There is nary a let-up in the aisles, whatever the time of day.
Going to the one on QA is like going to a Friends of the Seattle Public Library semi-annual book sale: you rush into a crush of people and hope to get out as soon as you grab your groceries and get through the line at the cash register.
But in an era of airplane-hangar supermarkets like the Harvard Market QFC. any Trader Joe's is somewhat of a victory for the consumer.
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