This was my favorite trip out of the whole sesemester. I really underestimated independent theater. I thought it was just gonna be a lot of bad acting. In reality it was great. The theater was a bit small and it was a little awkward to be so close to the action, it felt like I was intruding on a private moment. I also liked it because it was a lot les stuffy than all the other shows we had been to. The story was really well written and acted. I appreciated what each character brought to the table. Some moments were really intense and made all the more shocking by our proximity to the stage. It reached my emotions and really immersed the viewer into the story. The ending was a bit unsatisfying I actually wanted him to leave her because she lied to his face every single day. It was a bit anticlimactic after having seen so much intensity in previous scenes. Overall the experience was great and I will definitely be on the lookout for another opportunity to experience an off Broadway show. Art is meant to reach its audience emotionally and this play definitely did.

I had waited for the symphony the entire semester. Music is by far my favorite art form. It can be appreciated by all and it can transcend cultures and language. Carnegie Hall was really fancy and I felt very under dressed as I saw women with fur coats and full faces of make-up. What surprised me about the theater was the bare stage, it was nothing like the ballet or the opera but then again, there is no need to see anything when listening to music it’s best when you just close your eyes and enjoy. I was expecting a large symphony with all types of instruments and was disappointed when i only saw string instruments. The music was nevertheless beautiful and my favorite part was watching the players play. Some were completely immersed in the moment and played with so much passion it was awe inspiring.

I have always admired comic books from afar. The illustrations are unique to this art form alone and always interesting. As a history buff, I was super excited to learn about the history and beginnings of comics. I never really considered the funnies from daily newspapers to be comics but it was interesting to see how they had brought comics to the main stream and really prepared the public for what was to come. One thing I would have liked to see was more superhero comics. The curator seemed to look down upon them but even so they are a very important part of the art form, seeing as how it is the most common and widely participated in. I have gone to comic-con in New York City and it was a great experience seeing the dedication that goes into some of the cosplay and the loyal fans coming to get their favorite comic book signed by their favorite writer it’s pretty great. The lack of this element made the exhibit feel a bit lacking.

The food talk for me was a mixed experience. Jewish culture is rather foreign to me, I have always though of it as a religion and never understood the cultural aspect of it. That being said the talk was really insightful and i learned a lot about the history of Jewish food. I was really surprised they mentioned bagels as a stereotypical Jewish food. I never realized the influence that Jewish culture has had on New York culture. My only qualm about the talk was the audience it was directed at. There were too many things that only Jewish people would understand and they didn’t take the time to explain for others that might not be. This was despite the fact that they even mentioned they wanted to attract non-Jewish listeners and consumers. The whole time I felt like I was missing some obvious joke. However, I am glad that i was able to learn more about Jewish culture which was something that has always been a mystery to me.

THE BALLET

The ballet was very surprising to me. I was of the impression that ballet was stiff, boring, and only for old people. When I saw Fancy Free about the sailors having a night on the town, I was totally impressed. Although it wasn’t the traditional form of ballet and reminded more of regular dance, it was funny, lighthearted and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite though, was the Lilac Garden. The dancers played their parts so well and it was incredibly easy to follow the story even though there were no words. The end was really sad when she ends up actually going through with the marriage. The only thing that bothered me was the wardrobe for the women. They were all wearing long dresses that went down to their ankles. I though this took away from the grace and technique that characterizes ballet. All in all i though it was great. I would have never expected to enjoy it. Ballet is definitely a beautiful form of art.

THE OPERA 

The opera was actually a really interesting experience. The opera house itself is the largest of the three buildings in Lincoln Center. The sheer size and look of the building was really beautiful. The day Amanda came to teach us about opera, when she sang it was amazing. Her voice reverberated throughout the entire floor of the building. Our seats were really high up and the singers’ voices did not have the same power and effect as that day in the classroom. Even so I was very impressed at the various elements that are incorporated into an opera; singing, acting, and even dancing were a part of the show. I honestly think it was a bit long however. The story seemed to drag on in various parts and by the end I was getting a bit restless. Nevertheless Carmen was a really great show the emotion that is so characteristic of opera is what made me fall in love with it. I will definitely go back if I ever get the chance

This was not my first time going to the 9/11 memorial. I had visited when it was newly opened and you needed tickets to enter. This time was entirely different. I was immediately surprised at how many people were actually at the memorial. When we met up at the corner I actually thought it was just a park. The memorial itself was not what I expected I don’t really understand the concept of two black holes in the ground. Seeing the water descend into nothing inspires a somber mood, but not one that particularly made me remember those who lost their lives and how horrifying that day was. The fact that there was all these tourists around posing and smiling taking pictures really bothered me I feel as though the memorial did not do a good job of portraying its true purpose.

The Vietnam War Memorial was a completely different experience. When we got there, the sun was beginning to set and there was no one around. It really didn’t look like much at first but as I got closer i could see there was writing on the mural. This to me was the most important element of the memorial. There was a letter from a soldier to his girlfriend saying how he cant get the images of his friends’ gruesome deaths out of his mind. This was very powerful it made me think and appreciate the sacrifice of those soldiers.

First let me start by saying that I love black and white photographs. I had never actually heard of Gary Winogrand  but i had definitely seen many of his photographs. The exhibit itself was great, it was in chronological order and I feel as though it very accurately portrayed life in America from the 1950’s all the way to the 80’s. My favorite picture depicted a man lying dead on the street. There was police all around and you could only see his legs and a pool of blood. In the background there people walking and going about there business. This photograph really made me think of something my grandma always used to say “El muerto al hoyo el vivo al baile” it translated the dead go in the ground while the living go to parties. Life always goes on for others.

I have been to many museums before in my life and have never understood the appeal of standing in front of something really old and just looking at it. I would much rather read a good book or watching a movie than try to appreciate something I don’t care about. The Brooklyn Museum did not seem like a fun time at all. Walking around and talking about things I have absolutely no idea about made me kind of annoyed. I just didn’t see the point.

I actually rather enjoyed the night. My group was really fun and interesting. Throughout the night i tried to become interested in the art and think of “the big picture” but i was unable to personally experience any type of feeling towards it. I of course appreciated the hard work and skill that went into the paintings that I saw, but didn’t have any emotion towards anything. One thing I learned hearing my group members speak and express their ideas was the real effect that art can have. I can now understand how and why someone could look at a painting and feel awe, or happiness, and even anger.

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