Or…As the NY Times article says..”.A night at the theater from your couch!”
Remember my post on kanopy a few weeks ago… Alright, Mr. DeMille, ? Well there was an Interesting article in the Arts section of the Times recently not only about kanopy, but also other streaming services including Broadway HD and PBS. Some free, like kanopy, some not.
From the Times Arts section (Nov 21,2017) by Elizabeth Vincentelli
“Another fairly recent arrival on the streaming scene is kanopy, which is free with a public-library card in 200 systems nationwide. A big chunk of bandwidth is occupied by Shakespeare telecasts the BBC produced in the 1970s and ’80s with a dizzying array of star (or not-yet-star) actors. We’re talking Helen Mirren in “As You Like It” and a 1981 “Othello” with Anthony Hopkins as the title character (this wouldn’t fly anymore) facing Bob Hoskins’s Iago. I was happy to rewatch my favorite Lady Macbeth, Jane Lapotaire, whom I had discovered when that BBC production was shown in France way back when. Offerings of more recent vintage include a “Julius Caesar” transposed by the director Gregory Doran to the Arab Spring.
Just as good are the documentaries, especially a 1990 interview with the performance artist Karen Finley; a chat with Martha Wilson, founder of the experimental performance space Franklin Furnace; and an illuminating exploration of “Hamlet” with David Tennant, Simon Russell Beale and Ben
Whishaw. For me, though, the biggest find was “Theater of War,” about the 2006 production of “Mother Courage and Her Children,” starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, at the Delacorte Theater, with rehearsal footage and a step-by-step breakdown of the production’s evolution.”
The Delacorte Theater in Central Park… Love this City!
KAY’S NOTES:
Important to know: For the full article on streaming services go to the link below… I highly recommend the read. Elizabeth(author) says you can crinkle candy wrappers whenever you want; I say, no one will care if :you dig into that popcorn and pop a bottle of bubbly!
Or…where to find those movies you always wanted to see or have seen but wanted to see again without leaving the comforts of your cozy home?
.
It’s kanopy baby, a new free service offered by many public libraries.
“kanopy offers a broad selection of more than 30,000 feature films, documentaries, foreign language and more. “ from the NYPL website.
I was reading my favorite newspaper and saw that not only is the New York Public Library offering free streaming from kanopy but so are many libraries across the country. Then the email hit my inbox from the NYPL officially announcing this new free serviceavailable to its members. Really true, libraries are definitely not just about books any more. Check out your library to see if they have it…if not, see if they’ll get it. (BTW did you ever return that overdue book?)
Have your popcorn ready and something good to drink, and find a movie you wanted to see that’s not in the theaters, not on Netflix or any other streaming thingy, but maybe, just maybe, there it will be FREE from your local library. And really good news, you don’t have to leave your domicile- just sign up – and let it stream right to your living room, den, bedroom or whatever!
KAY’S NOTES:
Important to know: If you’re not already a member of your library (tsk tsk) do it and then subscribe to kanopy. Check out their website or the NYPL website for more info: https://www.kanopystreaming.com/ https://www.nypl.org/
Good to know: NYPL members – get ten selections a month. Your library system may vary. Now depending on your city/town – library funding is usually thru our taxes. So OK – maybe not totally free – but close enough. Right? No direct cost to join or use. FYI – some universities and colleges also offer this service to students and alumni.
Fun to know: * For those who have not seen the movie or the Broadway show…or just too young (probably no one that reads my blog) to know… it’s that famous line from SUNSET BOULEVARD that Norma Desmond (aka Gloria Swanson, 1950 movie and Glenn Close, musical, first run 1994) says so dramatically. “Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup!”
Photo of Sunset Boulevard poster courtesy of Posterazzi.
Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people
Or… how about a quick FREE trip to Vegas without ever getting in a plane, in a car, in a bus or on a horse – well maybe a horse if you’ve been ” carriaging”* around Central Park.
Simply take yourself over to Lincoln Center Plaza on Saturday, August 26th. Grab a chair and sit back under the stars to see Rigoletto with all its lechery, murder, sex, gambling, kidnapping, deflowering and disguises, just like the real Casino town! This hit production by the Met of Rigoletto places the action in a neon-bedecked Las Vegas in 1960.
RIGOLETTO Vegas style
Yes, the Metropolitan Opera Summer HD Festival will be in full swing as of August 25th. This is one of my favorite things to do in the City as summer starts to murmur with hints of fall. I’ve had such great times watching these wonderful operas and enjoying the audience craziness before and after the screenings. And all free!!!!!
The Festival runs from August 25th thru September 4th. All performances begin at 8 PM except for Sunday the 27th which begins at 7:45.
Here’s the schedule starting on the 25th
Beginning with the Ingmar Bergman film, The Magic Flute followed the next evening by Rigoletto, and then in order, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia, L’Amour De Loin, Manon Lescaut, Roberto Devereux, Tristan Und Isolde (on two nights) Eugene Onegin, Nabucco, ending on the 4th with the beautiful La Traviata.
Hope to see you there! Come early – relax and watch the seats fill up which they do. As usual – I’m the one with the hat, popcorn and wine.
Love this City and love the Metropolitan Opera especially when it’s free.
Good to know: The series goes on rain or shine except thunder storms. Suggest you bring extra jacket or sweater as it can get chilly. And perhaps a seat cushion. Where to eat: All over the place. Many people, in fact, bring their own food, drinks and snacks. I, myself, am a popcorn and wine person. Restaurant prices: In the area – varies from hotdog carts to OMG$$$$ Where is it: At Lincoln Center Plaza known as the Josie Robertson Plaza in front of the Met Opera House on the Upper West Side between West 62nd and 65th Streets and Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. Buses and subways close by. Plenty of parking. Met website has all kinds of info on directions. Restrooms: Here’s the tricky part. If there is an event at the David Geffen Hall (formerly Avery Fisher) the restrooms are open in the Hall. But if not there are restrooms on the Concourse level below the Met Opera house. There is an elevator to Concourse level on the outside of the David Koch Theater or an escalator in front of the David Geffen Hall. Restrooms also at the David Rubenstein Atrium on Broadway between 62nd and 63rd right across the street. Kid Friendly: Absolutely and stay for a little while or for the whole performance. Lots of kids will be there along with opera loving well behaved dogs!
Photos and italic text from Metropolitan Opera website.
*Carriaging – a made up word -but you get my drift.
Disclaimer – I try for correct info on Kay’s Notes– but no guarantees people.
Finished reading the paper and finished the crossword and checked out anything of interest on my phone. Well…. yeah…. and yeah again. I love the Museum of Modern Art and how I missed this, I just don’t know. The events are sold out except for the ones in July only because registration hasn’t yet opened. Really sorry about missing the workshop on Smartphone Street Photography and the Contemporary Art in New York City event. How did I miss this program at MoMA, I ask again. A summer camp for Seniors…Wow!
Summer Camp for Seniors is just part of the Prime Time program for seniors 65 and older at MoMA. Check out their website for full info.
Prime Time is an initiative to engage older New Yorkers at MoMA and in the community. Each month we offer multiple programs that encourage older adults of diverse abilities and backgrounds to learn about modern and contemporary art.
For more information, please call Prime Time at (212) 333-1265, fill out our contact form, or e-mail primetime@moma.org.
These events for June are sold out.
Prime Time Summer Camp: Smartphone Street Photography
Prime Time Summer Camp: Crafting Sunprints
Prime Time Summer Camp: Contemporary Art in New York City
Prime Time Summer Camp: Gestural Painting
July Events:
Prime Time Summer Camp: Landscape Drawing Workshop
Registration opens June 27th at 9:30 AM
Or…walk Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 110th Street and enjoy free admission to 7 major museums with fun along the way!
Yes, FREE access to The Met, Neue Gallerie, The Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt, The Jewish Museum, Museum of the City of New York, and El Museo del Barrio! As you walk along, Fifth Avenue will be packed with special events. See you there! (no cars) Check out their website for alisting of allevents.http://museummilefestival.org/
Love this City!
KAY’S NOTES: CROWDS, CROWDS, CROWDS and FUN!
Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.
or..if it’s not Central Park what else could it be…I ask.
Yes, friends, 843 acres running 2.5 miles long and a half mile wide is that glorious part of the City starting at 59th Street and ending at 110th with pure magic in between…Central Park!
Now where to begin on my walks through the Park? A walk to the Boat Basin or to Belvedere Castle or to Strawberry Fields or to the Zoo or to the famed Carousel with the 57 hand carved horses? What to do, what to do.
I made the decision (not quickly) for this first post on the park, to write about my most frequent walk, which is to enter on East 66th Street and wind my way over to the exit by Tavern on the Green to Central Park West. (I miss, by the way, that gaudy shiny Crystal Room at Tavern even if the food and service were not so great).
Now before I go any further, just wanted to say, you probably know much of what I’m writing, but if, like me, sometimes a different perspective brings about some kind of awakening to something new. Even doing my research for my posts, I always have a discovery (e.g.The Central Park Conservancy Institute for Urban Parks The Institute teaches park users and managers to care for urban parks everywhere. ) Didn’t know that.
So let’s get started
If you’re going to the park for any reason, take the time to just enjoy! Wear comfortable shoes, take water, snack, hat and maybe a sweater, throw an umbrella in just in case, a blanket and a book and crossword puzzle if you’re so inclined. Much of the walkways and paths are good but there are interesting paths and trails that are unpaved and often muddy.
The East 66th Street Entrance
Here’s one of the frequent sites seen everywhere in the park- people reading. Those readers could be on benches or on the grass or even on the rocks. I’ve done it many times myself or should I say I’ve tried to do it, but it’s not easy to stay focused when there is always so much to see and hear. Must admit weekdays is an easier time of it because it’s quieter, but even then, the birds chirp, people talk, interesting people talk, tours come through, children laugh and I’m very easily distracted . No, I don’t use a headset. One reason is “my hearing is definitely not what it used to be” plus I like the sounds and often a musician or group of musicians are playing. Love that!
As I walked down the small slope and past the children’s playground, I saw the usual puppeteer with his egg puppet to the delight of the kids. And just a little further up the hill is the popular Balto statue, the famed sled-dog who saved children’s lives in Alaska in 1925.
The Mall – the American Elms – Wow!
As I walked up the hill through the arch and up to one of my favorite places in the park The Mall, of American Elms It’s just so beautiful (by the way, how many times can I use “beautiful” in a blog…a lot when describing the park, but I’m going to try to use other adjectives, I promise. It’s gorgeous in the spring, summer, winter and fall.
The Mall and Literary Walk
And here we are: the single walkers, the bikers resting on the bench, the couple holding hands, the stroller in the distance, all under those magnificent elms. (saving for another post the section of The Mall called Literary Walk with statues of prominent writers.
Ahead of me was Sheep Meadow
I stood under this magnificent tree to take the photo of Sheep Meadow
FROM THE CENTRAL PARK WEBSITE: The fifteen-acre meadow holds true to this intention today as Central Park’s largest lawn without ball fields and as a designated quiet zone. No organized sports or gatherings are allowed on Sheep Meadow to preserve the space for quiet picnicking and relaxation.
It certainly is, trust me on this one
Sheep Meadow Is a wonderful place to stop, bring a blanket, a book, a snack, a hat and spend the morning or afternoon or day. (restrooms and cafe close by). With kids? Yes, bring balls.
And now I’m getting close to Central Park West, I stopped to rest on a bench and watch the action as people went by on bikes, some built for two, scooters, pedi-cabs, horse and carriages, piggy backers, strollers and the most popular…walking!
THANK YOU SAILORS FOR YOUR SERVICE!
As I write this Memorial Day weekend, it brought back to mind my last post on Fleet Week. I’m sitting looking around when these handsome sailors (told you I loved men and women in uniform) came by and cheerfully let me take their photo! What a great way to end this post on this Memorial Day! A thank you to all who served and serve!
LOVE THIS CITY!
KAY’S NOTES:
Important to know: Go to the Parks website – everything you ever wanted to know about this magical 843 acres! http://www.centralparknyc.org/
Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.
or… as Patience and Fortitude say “Come on in!” to the Main Branch of the New York Public Library!
Patience and Fortitude in front of New York Public Library (photo: The consortium/flickr C)
And see the newly renovated Rose Main Reading Room
Rose Main Reading Room. After being closed for two years for renovation is now open to the public.
“Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You!”
There is so much to say about this Main Branch of the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, I couldn’t figure out where to begin. And, these days, it’s not all about books! So my first suggestion is go to the NYPL website https://www.nypl.org/ and spend some time reading about everything this Main Branch has to offer. Then, when you’re done, look up the other branches and other major facilities (see in Kay’s Notes) and do the same thing. I was amazed, I think you will be too. I’ve described below several sections of the Library, but, and a big but, there is so much that I haven’t touched upon.
” 93,000 free programs a year across its 92 locations, from author talks and performances to exhibitions. Meet your favorite author, hear a live concert, or find something new at the Library.”
” Good News!”
There’s a “train” inside the Main Library that delivers materials in less than 5 minutes! “The cars pick up requested materials from the newly-expanded Milstein Research Stacks (underground under Bryant Park) – which now have two levels that can hold up to 4 million research volumes – and deliver the materials to library staff in two locations: one on the first floor and the other in the Rose Main Reading Room. Staff then provide the materials to researchers for use in the library.”
“Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”
Check out The Map Room, established in 1898, is according, to the NYPL, one of the world’s premier map collections in terms of size, scope,and unique holdings…established in 1898 with more than 433,000 sheet maps. And the room itself is simply beautiful.
“Strawberry Fields Forever”
Child’s Menu from 1907
Calling all foodies! This main branch has over 45,000 menus dating from the 1840’s to the present. They are also looking for volunteers to help with a major project for the collection to transcribe their historical restaurant menus so, as they put it, they can be more easily researched. I haven’t done it yet, but it’s on my list. . Go to Menus on the site – full details are there. menus@nypl.org
Speaking of food…Amy’s Bread Cafe has a location on the first floor and don’t forget a stop at the Library Store also on the first floor. Lots of interesting things including these “lion” socks!
“The Best Things in Life are Free!”
Take the time to take the tour! Available everyday – check the website for times. The Beau-Arts building itself is stunning and what it holds is beyond awesome. Remember, the Library is free and in a city like New York costly things are happening all the time, so knowing that there is a wonderful haven out there, to relax, to read, to learn, to be entertained and more and at no cost is, indeed, a New York treasure !
“I’ll See You Again”
Before I close, a post on the New York Public Library wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention at least one book that I borrowed and a note on what kind of wine I was drinking…rose’. The lines below open the latest novel By Jay McInerney, Bright, Precious Days and took me by surprise. Why? Because I was in the midst of writing this post, I just had to figure out where to put it. I decided to add it at the end. So here it is…
“Once, not so very long ago, young men and women had come to the city because they loved books, because they wanted to write novels or short stories or even poems, or because they wanted to be associated with the production and distribution of those artifacts and with the people who created them. For those who haunted suburban libraries and provincial bookstores, Manhattan was the shining island of letters. “
And so it was and still is, as is the wonderful New York Public Library’s Main Branch and the NYPL system itself. If you haven’t been to one of these libraries lately or especially to the Main Branch, go and go again and keep going!
“To the Library and Beyond”
Psst… The Music Division is at the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. Check it out ! Songs I use in this post are in Kay’s Notes.
“The division has made the documentation of American classical and popular music a major priority. Collection efforts bring to the division a copy of almost every piece of classical and popular music published in the United States each year.”
Enjoy! Love this City!
KAY’S NOTES:
Important to know: Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (the main branch) “Dedicated on May 23, 1911, the majestic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, houses outstanding research collections in the humanities and social sciences, as well as a circulating children’s collection; and plays host to numerous talks and special events. Standing proudly before this Beaux-Arts building are “New York’s most lovable public sculptures, the lions Patience and Fortitude.”
The New York Public Library System’s other three major locations.
Americans are {also} divided on a fundamental question about how books should be treated at libraries: 24% support the idea of moving books and stacks in order to make way for more community- and tech-oriented spaces, while 31% say libraries should not move the books to create such spaces. About four-in-ten think libraries should maybe consider doing so. Plus further from Pew Research:80% of those ages 16 and older say libraries should “definitely” offer programs to teach people, including kids and senior citizens, how to use digital tools like computers and smartphones. September, 2016
Good to know: http://www.jaymcinerney.com/Author,Bright,PreciousDays” Besides his great novels on NYC, he is also a wine aficionado and has written several books on the subject along with a column in the Wall Street Journal.
Where to eat: Amy’s on the first floor for light food, sandwiches, plus the surrounding area is packed with restaurants.
Restrooms: On the first floor.
Kid Friendly: Not in all parts, but definitely in the Children’s Room on the first floor.
How to get there: Bus, subway, walking are the best. Parking difficult and expensive. Easy location on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Can’t miss it!
Music acknowledgments: “Getting to Know You” from The King and I;” To the Library and Beyond” from Matilda, the musical; “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” by Burt Bacharach; “Strawberry Fields Forever” by The Beatles; “The Best Things in Life are Free” by Ray Henderson; “Good News” by Ray Henderson; “I’ll See You Again” by Sir Noel Coward
Credits: The NYPL’s website was the source for the information about the libraries on this page and all photographs.
Disclaimer: I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.
That gorgeous Oscar winning movie kicks off the HD Festival.
CHECK MY PREVIOUS POST (July 26th) ON THE HD FESTIVAL THAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ AGAIN – OR NOT – AND JUST WING IT AND HAVE A GREAT TIME…. I’LL BE THERE – MAYBE I’LL SEE YOU…. I, OF COURSE, AM THE ONE WITH THE WINE AND POPCORN!
And on Saturday night – Le Nozze di Figaro and Sunday Il Trovatore
A great line up of operas streaming on the Plaza from the 26th thru September 5th will include: Le Nozze di Figaro, il Trovatore, Otello, La Fille du Regiment, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Cenerentola (Cinderella) Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci (2 different operas) The Merry Widow, Turandot, and last Les Pecheurs de Perles (The Pearl Fishers). Go to The Met website more info on each opera.http://www.metopera.org/user-information/summer-hd-festival/
Have fun – Enjoy! Love this City!
Disclaimer – I try for correct info on my posts, but no guarantees people.
ppet to the delight of the kids. And just a little further up the hill is the popular Balto statue, the famed sled-dog who saved children’s lives in Alaska in 1925.
