Jackson Pollock’s studio and house in East Hampton

by Jamie Rhein on

When I was finding out details about Cody, Wyoming for my post on Cody Cowboy Village, I found out that Jackson Pollack was born in Cody Wyoming in 1912 and yesterday (January 28) was his birthday. Jackson Pollock is one of those artists whose work I admire tremendously, but don’t know exactly why.

One of the things I remember about my first trip to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City is Jackson Pollock’s paintings. A long time ago I took the Foreign Service exam just to see what would happen and found out that there are some things I just don’t know. What I did know, was Jackson Pollock’s picture. There was a photograph of him painting and I recognized him immediately.

To celebrate his birthday, I looked into what mark he made on the world besides his art that you can see in museums. I did think about making a list of museums where you can see his work, but instead am happy to report that his former studio and house is now a museum and study center in East Hampton, New York. The house built in 1879 belonged to a fisherman’s family. Now it’s the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center and is where Pollock did most of his work from 1946 until his death. Visiting here is one way to soak in the atmosphere and belongings of a person who is certainly one of abstract art’s most energetic contributors. The house is open seasonally. Visits begin again May 1.

By the way, East Hampton is also a gorgeous, trendy place to spend some time, but bring money.

Relax, sushi lovers in Japan respond

by Iva Skoch on

Crazy Americans! You almost hear the dinner conversations in Japan right about now. Just as New Yorkers are “worried” to “panicked” about toxic levels of mercury found in several sushi restaurants in New York, the Japanese are not worried. ..just like every Japanese woman is perfectly OK eating sushi while pregnant.

The Mercury News (what a perfect name for a newspaper to cover this story) reports today that everyone in Japan apparently knows that tuna is high in mercury. That’s why you only eat a few pieces a week. It won’t kill you. The Japanese government even exempts tuna from its legal limit on mercury in seafood because it is not caught coastally.

Japanese sushi lovers interviewed in the story, said it would take more than a U.S. report to take them away from their tuna rolls, and they argued a little mercury was probably harmless compared to the fats and oils in something like a hamburger and fries.

Considering Japan’s life expectancy is higher that the US, they probably have a point.

Curb your sushi cravings, New York

by Iva Skoch on

Well, just a few days ago I told you about how good New York Restaurant Week was. Not sure if the sushi places around New York feel the same way this time. After today’s front-page New York Times expose about high mercury levels in at least twenty New York sushi places, I think people will be skeptical about eating Japanese food for a while. The good news is — reservations should be easier to get.

One of the places they named in the article as having high mercury levels in their tuna is Blue Ribbon Sushi in Soho, one of my favorite places. I always wonder how much damage an article can do to an established restaurant. What if this was just one bad shipment? One bad fish? Do people believe the chef and the food or will they stop going there because of the article?

From the bureau of alarmist propaganda: Hotel prices

by Jerry Guo on

Normally the New York Times isn’t on the receiving end of my rants about shoddy “travel trend” pieces. But I came across one from this weekend’s travel section that simply had to be cleared up.

Their story argues that hotel room prices across the world are surging: From New York to Asia, and just about every desirable destination in between, the prices of rooms – especially at hotels and resorts favored by luxury and business travelers – are expected to rise significantly, sometimes in the double digits, analysts say.

Wow, that’s probably the dictionary definition of over-generalization, when they try to extrapolate a few data points to, umm, the entire world. If you read the article, you’ll notice that they mainly talk about New York–over and over again. They also like to bring up India and New Delhi.

Of course, there are some places where they have it right, like Beijing, though that’s a gimme since they’re hosting the Olympics next summer, when demand will obviously be high for rooms. But I think it’s misleading and a disservice to travelers to be crying higher hotel prices–of course, I don’t think NYT‘s hotel advertisers will mind too much if the paper can convince everyone to just throw more money at the hospitality industry.

Eat well in New York. You can afford it this week

by Iva Skoch on

One of the delightful things about New York this time of year is Restaurant Week. Some of the best New York restaurants offer prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner menus a “bargain” deal of $24.07 (lunch) and $35 (dinner). Over 200 restaurants participate. You shouldn’t wait to make a reservation — you can actually do it online now. The best restaurants fill quickly.

New York holds Restaurant Week twice a year – one now and one in June. I like the one in the winter better because New York relatively tourist-free an–besides–eating well is one of the better ways to survive the New York winter.