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Cleveland Museum of Art's iPad app as gorgeous as its remodel

Although I've only had the Cleveland Museum of Art's iPad app, ARTLENS, for under 24 hours it's already one of my favorites. And I haven't even really used it yet.  No one can until next week when the app is officially rolled out at the museum. 

Here's the story from The Plain Dealer's Steven Litt, Cleveland Museum of Art leads American art museums with its new Apple iPad mobile app and Gallery One education center.  The headline tells it all.  The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is on the cutting edge these days.  From the stunning atrium to this new app, all eyes are on us.

I was talking to a customer over the weekend and we were talking about University Circle, as he works at the Cleveland Clinic.  He'd confessed to having never been to the CMA.  If you're like him you need to change that soon. If you haven't been to the CMA in years you need to go soon.  It's an entirely different experience. And the final additions won't be open until the end of this year. 

Now the ARTLENS iPad app will make that experience all the more rewarding.  It's a bit like those self-guided tour systems that have been around for years, changing with the technology of the day.  Personal audio tour devices have been used by the CMA for the past few years during special exhibitions.  And who remembers the key shaped like an elephant used to play audio out of boxes at the Cleveland Zoo?  Technology has come a long way and makes the iPad tour guide an interactive delight.

There are numberous ARTLENS tours that have been designed for visitors, most lasting between 30 to 45 minutes.  Since the museum is free, yes free, you don't have to feel obligated to see everything in one day.  Choose a couple of the tours, stop for something to eat at the new cafe and come back another time to check out more. 

The tours focus on different genres and themes, ensuring a much different experience than you've had at any museum.  No more starting at the beginning and trying to follow your way to the end, which is especially difficult in art museums with its many rooms that create a sort of maze. 

 

 

 

 

Planning a weekend in Cleveland for an out-of-towner

Yesterday on a music message board someone started a thread asking if anyone was familiar with Cleveland as he was planning to be here for a weekend.  This weekend in fact.  

Considering myself an ambassador to my city I offered to give him some ideas.  He let me know what sort of things were of interest to him.  He already had some ideas, "we'll be there from this Friday to Sunday. Not sure where we're staying yet. Any entertainment recs you could provide would be much appreciated though. So far I've got the Cavs game, Great Lakes Brewery, Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Coventry neighborhood."

I thought I'd share with you the recommendations I gave him.   My hope in sharing this is that if you're an out of towner, maybe from Pittsburgh, Columbus, Detroit or even Chicago it may inspire you to take a weekend road trip.  It's a sure way to beat cabin fever.

 

All great choices. While at Great Lakes Brewery, on the near westside in Ohio City neighborhood, there's two other stops right there. The Westside Market, one the oldest food markets in America which just celebrated 100 years. Of course, Bourdain went there. Next door is another brewery, Market Garden. The brewmaster there used to head up Great Lakes before ratcheting up Dogfish Head. Now he's back home in Cleveland.

Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is in the final year of a huge redo. One more large wing will open in the last part of this year but there's plenty of it complete. It's an amazing facility, especially the new large atrium which uses the rear exterior wall of the original building as an interior wall. 


While at University Circle, where CMA is located you might want to check out the brand new home of the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (MOCA) s few blocks away. A crazily designed building.


Speaking of crazy architecture, Case Western Reserve University, right there at University Circle, has a Frank Gehry building. The Peter B Lewis building. Lewis, founder of Progressive Insurance (Progressive Field, home of the Indians right next to the Q where Cavs play) is the largest donor to NORML. The Cleveland Clinic is right next to University Circle which is also home to the large University Hospital campus.


For the best food experience in University Circle hit L'Albatross. A little pricey but some amazing takes on French cuisine. Or for a beer in a folksy bar, right next door, the Barking Spider.

MOCA is on the corner of Euclid and Mayfield. head up Mayfield through Little Italy. On the right is Lake View Cemetery. Not as accommodating in the winter as it is in better weather but still the resting place of President Garfield and John D. Rockefeller. 


At the end of the cemetery you'll come across Coventry Rd. Lots of small shops. Big Fun being the most talked about. It's the neighborhood Harvey Pekar lived in. Coventry in in Cleveland Heights. The library recently unveiled a statue of Pekar. 

 Reduced: 41% of original size [ 2304 x 3456 ] - Click to view full image

Tommy's restaurant, an institution on Coventry, specializes in vegetarian. Coventry is also where The Grog Shop is located. Lots of indie bands. Though not much this weekend.

Staying on the eastside but down near the lake, is the Waterloo neighborhood. It's being populated by musicians and artists due to the cheap housing but isn't always the safest place. Still, The Beachland Ballroom is there. Home to many great shows, though nothing thrilling Friday night there. There's also Music Saves and Blue Arrow, two good record stores. 

Downtown has a casino right at Public Square in the old Higbee's department store featured in Christmas Story. The two big bar/restaurant areas downtown are E.4th (my pick is The Greenhouse) and the Warehouse District which becomes a meat market on weekend nights. 

On E.4th and Euclid is House of Blues. Friday night my friend throws a large Capricorn Party. A Johnny Cash tribute band will be playing. Let me know and I can put your name at the door. 
And, of course, there's The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Speaking of Christmas Story. There's the Christmas Story Museum in the Tremont neighborhood, right near Ohio City. It's in the same house the movie was filmed in. Lots of good restaurants and bars in Tremont as well. My picks are the Tremont Tap House, Prosperity Social Club and The South Side. 

Moving west from Ohio City about 30 blocks is Gordon Square. If you have time hit the Happy Dog. They serve nothing but hot dogs with an insane number of toppings. Also lots of great local music showcased in the evening. It's my hangout. Friday's soul music happy hour is a good bet. 

There's plenty of other things but the above will certainly fill your couple of days. Cleveland is an adventurous foodie city so take advantage and don't dare go to anything chain-wise.

The way I'd do it is...
Hit Ohio City and Gordon Square Friday. Back downtown (if you're staying there) for House of Blues and the pick up scene in the warehouse district late night. 
Saturday do University Circle and Coventry then back downtown for dinner at Greenhouse then basketball game, then maybe casino afterwards. 
Sunday do the Rock Hall.
That means no record shopping on Waterloo. Oh well.

 

 

Cleveland's a great music town but sometimes we miss the musical magic

I'd been contemplating a weekend getaway and when I received an email from a good friend saying he'd just seen Glen Hansard and his band play in Chicago the previous night, calling it a life changing experience, I knew where I was headed.  I looked up Hansard's tour dates and discovered the final show of this short run was at the Beacon in New York City on Friday night. 

I booked my flight and using AirBnB for the first time, I found a room in an apartment in Chelsea with a shared bath for $75 a night.  I couldn't have been more pleased with the accomodations for the price.  Now I had to score a ticket as the show was sold out.  I found a great seat at face value on  Craigslist.  My weekend was set. 

I've been familiar with the Irish born Glen Hansard for some years starting with his band The Frames.  He became familiar to many more with his movie Once and the accompanying soundtrack by his other band The Swell Season.  Once is now a Broadway musical.  He's also just released a new album, Rhythm And Repose.  Still, I wasn't a huge fan and much of his material is still foreign to me.  That's why I was blown away by the performance Friday night. 

It's one thing to know every song by an artist when you see them in concert.  It's easy to be caught up in it when you know the songs by heart.  It's a much harder sell when the audience member isn't familiar with your material.  But sell he does.  Glen Hansard plays music for the sheer joy of it.  His unabashed enthusiasm is infectious.  Hansard also has one of the most dramatic voices going today and charisma in spades. 

He surrounded himself with some members of The Frames as well as the guitarist and the horn section from the late Levon Helm's band.  Before they broke into an acapella version of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and a raucous take on "Baby Don't You Do it" Hansard explained his philosophy on those who die before us.  He's an Irishman, of course he's going to talk about death.  When someone like Levon Helm passes away he's not really gone, he told the crowd.  His spirit lives on and makes musicians like himself stronger for it. We take that spirit inside and it makes us better, he concluded. 

Death was the theme of the final number, Pete Seeger's "Passing Through" which found the whole band including some buskers he'd played with in the lobby before the show (yes, he played in the lobby before the show) move to the edge of the stage for an acoustic take on the sing along song.  It transformed into a New Orleans funeral second line as the band marched off the stage, into the crowd and onto Broadway, the thousands of audience members singing along and dancing behind them.  They turned the corner down W.75th St. and finished the number by the stage door as about a thousand of us stood in the street blocking traffic. 

I had a wonderful Saturday morning, reconnecting with my infant self, as I ventured up to the Cloisters on the northern tip of Manhattan.  I lived up there in Washington Heights between the ages of one and two but hadn't been there since.  Did you know there's hills in Manhattan?  And beautiful gardens that are tranquil?  The charming restaurant on the grounds of The Cloisters, New Leaf, will be a go to for me from now on.

An orange and basil mojito at New Leaf

It's easy to get to the Cloisters.  Just take the A train to 190th. 

For dinner I found a fabulous little Mexican place on the edge of Chinatown called Barrio Chino.  The drinks alone were worth it.

A fresh grapefriuit margarita

What brought me over to that side of town was my decision to see Moonface, one of Spencer Krug's bands, play the Bowery Ballroom.  He also heads Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown.  And, yes, I scored less than face value tickets on Craigslist.  Thanks Vickie. 

Saturday night's show couldn't have been more stylistically different than the night before.  What they had in common was excellent musicianship. The Finnish group Siinai was the band for Moonface.  The drummer was a standout from the very start of the performance. 

The other thing the two shows had in common was the fact that I would never have caught them here in Cleveland.  These were two limited tours, both ending their respective runs in the greatest city on earth. 

Glen Hansard - Rhythm and repose on Spotify

Moonface - With Siinai: Heartbreakling Bravery on Spotify

 

 

Local Artist Draws 100 Days In Cleveland

Julia Kuo is on 41 of her 100 Days In Cleveland, in which she's drawing a Cleveland scene each day.  I'm glad I found out about this before it's over.  Sure, the artist's renderings will live on past her self-imposed assignment, but, as you know from our 101 Springsteen songs, I love a countdown. 

The drawings are gorgeous and make me more acutely aware of the love affair I have with my town.  They capture iconic sites like the Westside Market and Wade Lagoon in front of The Cleveland Museum Of Art to the inside of popular haunts like Lolita and Parkview Nite Club complete with musicians. 

Kuo is an illustrator here in Cleveland who's clients include American Greetings, The New York Times, Universal Music Group, and others. She's also part of a small paper good start up, The Nimbus Factory which makes wonderful stationery, cards and the like. 

The best part is that these Cleveland images are available as 9"x6" prints on a favorite site of mine, Etsy.  They cost $10 plus $5 shipping.  I know I'll be buying a few of them. 

Sokolowski's University Inn (Day 41)

Camping Close To Home

Some pix from last Sunday at our own private camping spot 10 minutes from home in the suburbs of Cleveland.  A friend owns a 40 acre horse farm and a river oxbows his property.  The other side of the river is the Metroparks, but on our side it's private so we can have fires, beer, etc.  And, as I say, ten minutes from home so if one of the kid's gets too dirty or wet they can run home and be back in no time. 

Shark Bite Capital Of The World

A belated greetings from the shark bite capital of the world, New Smyrna Beach Florida.  Located just south of Daytona Beach on the Atlantic coast, my son and I had a great week of R&R.  I would've been blogging while there but the condo's wi-fi was out and I was without internet for a week!  Now that's a real vacation. 

We headed out on Sunday flying first class both ways to Orlando airport.  It was Jack's second flight and first time up front.  It was only my second time rubbing elbows with the elite.  If you've never experienced it, well, words don't do it justice.  Suffice to say there's better food served with real china, glassware and silverware, warm towels, free drinks, a drink offer before take off, and very attentive service.  Have I mentioned how much I love Continental Airlines.

We arrive at Orlando airport on schedule and are shuttled to my favorite car rental agency, Enterprise.  I'd reserved a simple compact car but was offered an upgrade to a Cadillac DTS that had been sitting idle for awhile.  Another 10 bucks a day and we were riding in fine style to the shore.  Here's a shot of it on the beach in Daytona.  In case you weren't aware you can drive on the beach there for a small charge. 

My son asked why we were getting such good deals.  I told him it's because I was dressed in sport coat, tie and slacks.  I'm from the old school where you used to dress up while flying, like going to church.  Nowadays hardly anyone does so and thus you stand out as someone important amidst the slovenly dressed.

We arrived at our beachfront condo around 7pm.  A co-worker of mine was the one who suggested I go to New Smyrna, as he and his family have been going there for 17 years.  It's not as well known, meaning less crowded and is a getaway spot for many Floridians.  The condo unit is owned by a friend of his who gave us a great deal on it since it was going unoccupied that week.  We were not expecting the close proximity to the beach and were in awe of our good fortune.  Here's a photo of the complex from the beach.  Ours was on the right side, second floor, closest to the beach.  That's Jack playing in the sand. Here's a few more condo shots.  Breakfast on the balcony. Relaxing poolside. Chillin' in the shade on the balcony after a swim. Most of our time was spent either at the pool or boogie boarding.  I am in need of a boogie boarding fix every year and this sure satisfied me.  Here's Jack in action. As it's prone to do in Florida during the summer, the afternoon thunderstorms would roll in.  This would give us a chance to cruise down to Flagler St., the heart of New Smyrna Beach and about 2 miles north of us.  There's some great shopping from art galleries to unique gift shops to surf shops.  There's also some great well worn bars and restaurants as well.  Here's Jack at the much photographed Flagler Ave. sign.  Being an early riser I was fortunate to catch some spectacular sunrises.  Sometimes while just lying in my bed and looking out the window at the ocean, or in the case taking a sunrise stroll along the beach.

I never did mention as to why New Smyrna Beach is known as the shark bite capital of the world.  This year alone 15 people have been bitten.  Most of them occur north of Flagler at the inlet where the intercoastal waterway empties into the Atlantic.  This is where much of the surfing is done and also where sharks come to feed.  The bites mainly come from baby sharks who can't tell the difference between fish and a human.  Though there have been some more serious bites inflicted by adult bull nose or nurse sharks.  Fortunately Jack and I saw none.  It was in my mind most of the time while boogie boarding but I didn't venture in much past my waist.  Here's a photo taken a couple months ago that's been seen world wide.  It's a remarkable shot taken by a surfer/photographer in New Smyrna.  He was just snapping away at some friends who were surfing and caught this adult shark leaping out of the water right behind them.  So, my son Jack and I, bid you adieu from the sunny shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

The complete Flickr photo set.

Paris day 4

On our last day in Paris we decided to stay in the hotel neighborhood which is in southern Montmartre right next to the Opera district.  It was probably the most enjoyable day spent.  This had to do with the fact we weren't walking so much and the little discoveries of actual neighborhoods without the tourist aspect being so prevalent.
Here's a shot from Rue De LaFayette looking down our street at the hotel on Rue Faubourg Montmartre.

A few blocks down from our hotel near the intersection of our street and Boulevard du Montmartre is the famous Chartier restaurant. We didn't eat there though. Our favorite discovery was these mid 1800's arcades called the Passages. They ran on for about 5 blocks and had different names on each block. Lots of old book stores, antiques, galleries and small cafes. We had a two hour lunch at one we deemed as looking quintessential French with simple French cuisine and nothing but locals as customers. We were not disappointed. It was wonderful food and a 3 course lunch with two carafes of wine ran 50 euros. It's called Les Troubadours Bistrot. Another shot of our street looking from the corner of Blvd. du Montmartre. We capped the trip with one last Metro ride to Bercy Village near the end of the newest subway, Line 14. The fellow message board member I spoke of suggested meeting there as it's not known as a touristy place. The street on which the bar was located was right off the Metro and was a pedestrian, cobblestone street lined with cafes and bars. He lives a little over an hour out of the city and we were flattered he'd come that far on the train to meet us. We had some good laughs, discussions about the message board, music, politics, etc. He spent some time in the US as a French teaching assistant at a university in Boston. For the life of me, I can't remember which one. Anyway, cheers to the internet for creating real life friendships across the world.

Paris Opera House

Last evening we took a short jaunt over to the Opera House area. Another striking thing about Paris in the summer is that since it's a bit farther north than where I'm from it stays light here until well after 10pm. We also found the 15 dollar beers I'd read about on line. If you drink at cafe in a prime location, like across from the Opera House, a Corona runs 10 euros or about 15 bucks a pop. Yikes. So, we had the cheapest glass of red wine at 8 euros. A little splurge. We're hanging out in the hotel neighborhood today in Montmartre. It's just off the ritzy area and prices at cafes, etc. are considerably less. Then we're meeting up with a member of a music message board Ia belong to. He lives in the Paris suburbs. It'll be fun to meet someone via the net and shared passions like music and shows how cool the internet can be. Looking forward to talking music with a Parisian.

Day 3 in Paris

Last night we took the obligatory boat ride up and down the Seine.  A very touristy thing to do but it did give us a good look at things.  The most striking of which, is the fact that every night the banks fill with locals and tourists for sunset picnics where food, wine and beer is consumed without a hassle it appears.  Street musicians perform as entertainment and the parade of boats leaves a great deal of hand waving going on. Today we did the Louvre and D'Orsay museums. I can't help but laugh.  In this day of digital photography, tourists just constantly shoot pix.  At seemingly every painting they see.  Here the poparazzi set their sites on the silent and still Mona Lisa.  This just cracked me up. Though I did get a shot of me and Venus.  A cool shot outside the Louvre. And inside D'Orsay.

More in Paris

So, did the Champ-Elysee, after strolling Montaigne where the tres chic shop.

Headed toward the Arch de Triumph which was closed.  Looked like they were already setting up for Bastille Day. Then we headed over to the Eiffel Tower. Did some record shopping at Virgin Megastore and then over in the Latin Quarter at Gibert Joseph.  Picked up the new Coldplay (see Eiffel pic), Odessy and Oracle, and Tonight's The Night.  A bottle of wine at a cafe near the fountain of St. Michel where this was the view. Lots more strolling then ended up at the Pompidou Centre. And of course, lots of time spent down here in the Metro. Notes: I'm not really a foodie and Europe and especially France is not a bargain so we eat with things we get at Supermarches. Spend the money on some nice street side drinks. Obviously other tales to tell but no time.
Also, the 5 years of French in high school and college has come in handy. Really fun to try and remember and practice my French, I do pretty well with simple things and still have the enunciations down well.