Last night Kate and I went out to Whelan’s Ones to Watch show, which would have been called best new bands in Minnesota. We saw three bands: Sheep, Peer Pleasure and Blue State. I loved Peer Pleasure – very punk. Fun to be at a local music event that’s not in Minnesota. Funny how quickly you can still appreciate the comradery and local support.
Today was a relaxed walking day. I started off before Kate. I thought I wanted to see Andy Warhol at the Hugh Lane Gallery but turns out I’m too cheap to get tickets, but I did see “Suzanne walking in leather skirt” by Julian Opie. I love that video; I remember when it was installed.
Roaming around between the gallery and EPIC HQ, The Irish Emigration Museum, I saw so many fun things. I walked by the Markievicz Swimming pool, where I swam daily for a summer many years ago. I saw a house where Bram Stoker lived when he was a kid. A huge nod to people who made the house so obvious, or I would have never known! I ended up walking down to the North Wall, where I saw an amazing sculpture of musician Luke Kelly. It’s huge and the hair is so perfect. Then I made my way to EPIC in time to see a gorgeous rainbow. A nod to the weather when the only rain I walked through led to the epic rainbow. To be fair, I think it rained every time I ducked into a shop and that rain made 35 degrees feel so cold but not as cold as if I had been out in it.
Kate and I went to the Emigration exhibit. It’s a full-on multimedia experience. With your ticket you can visit once again in the next 10 days, which would be helpful since there’s so much to see. Parts feel very historical, like the information on the famine and parts feel absolutely contemporary because emigration is still very much a part of the Irish experience. Also equal rights for women and everyone play highly in the exhibit, something we’ve been working in Minnesota for more than 100 years. And/or I realized, I must be getting old because especially when they talked about the music of the 1980’s I realized I had seen most of the bands and mourned the Mean Fiddler, a venue in London that closed years ago. My favorite section of the exhibit was They Gave the Walls a Talking, the story of Shane MacGowan.
Our post-museum plan was to check out a flea market in The Liberties and we did but it was more of an art market than the vintage clothes secret shop we were hoping for. But we had fun walking through the city. We popped into the National Gallery for a quick look. We were there last summer and it’s someplace we frequented when Kate was young but it’s always fun. Then a quick look at the Oscar Wilde statue in Merrion Square, one of my favorites. We saw fun things everywhere. I made a point to stop at several James Joyce/Ulysess landmarks because they are always fun to see and bring back completed and abandoned attempts of walking through Bloomsday (touring Dublin on June 16 in the path of Leopold Bloom, the main character). It made me think that I should write a St Paul (ok maybe Twin Cities) version of Ulysess to help celebrate and memorialize my home.
Kate and I traveled from Galway to Dublin yesterday once Kate finished work. We got in late, and being fair we were both tired and possibly crabby. I had been outside all day and Kate had been working a new job. But after a drink we both warmed up. We are staying in the city center, half a block from the Liffey behind Trinity so we headed into town through Templebar, the touristy/trendy part of town, which wasn’t too busy but the bars were too boisterous. I dragged her to the heavy metal bar at Bruxelles, which was actually not busy and pretty nice. Then we hit The Palace, another old favorite.
Today I did something new (to me) in Dublin. I can’t say that every day! I walked to Poolbeg Lighthouse. It’s in Dublin Bay right where the Liffey pours in, well a mile out on the pier. My big mistake was walking to the site from the flat – it ended up being about a 7-mile walk. Part of it is a fun walk, down the Liffey, through a very-family park and then you hit a very industrial part of town. I found myself surrounded by stacks of train cars and power generation stuff. The road became less pedestrian-friendly. Mostly big truck were passing me on the famously too-narrow road. Occasionally, a jogger would pass. Then I passed a waste management treatment center. (Yes, it smelled!) I was about to turn back because I’ve sent myself on these sort of boondoggles before. Then I turned a corner and found myself on the beach on the “other side” of the Poolbeg Stacks, the striped-like-barber-pole chimneys. You’d notice them in any picture of Dublin Bay because you can see them from anywhere in Dublin. It was very cool! Then it’s a short hike to the pier to the Lighthouse. It was a gorgeous day – a perfect day for a windy, windy walk. I’d definitely recommend doing it – but I might drive, bike or uber to the pier. (Even I uber home after I realized I had 8 miles done and an afternoon of shopping planned.
Then I met up with Kate in town. We spent the afternoon thrifting around the city center. We had a lovely Thai lunch and checked out charity and vintage shop in Templebar. We walked down Grafton Street where we got to see Christmas decoration and buskers. It was a perfect day of new activities and old favorites. And now we’re recovering before we head out tonight!
Filed under: Galway
I’m writing this Friday evening as we take the coach from Galway to Dublin. Kate had to work today so I was solo all day. I do enjoy a free day of doing whatever I want. I will admit I probably had two hours longer than optimal alone-walking time. (Sidebar: on top of her artist residency, Kate recently started working at a hotel.) It was a gorgeous day – lots of sun and not much rain at all. I got 12 miles of steps in; I’m not even sure if they have 12 miles of street in the City Center. I spent the last 40 minutes pretending to be a guest in the lobby of a very nice (and warm!) hotel lobby. I’m just going to organize photos by idea rather than any sort of linear chronology. Think of it as my Beckettian post of the trip.
Claddagh
Claddagh is the part of Galway city where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay. It used to be a fishing town. (Bonus factoid: I was told several times that the River Corrib is the fastest river flowing in Europe. It’s formidable – and that’s from someone who walks by the Mississippi River often.) Many folks know the Claddagh ring (pictured below). Well, rumor has it that the design came from Richard Joyce in the 17th century. He was apparently kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave in the West Indies to a goldsmith. He learned the trade of jewelry making and eventually got back to Galway where he created the hand and heart motif.
Street Art
Art is big in Galway. I learned from the Galway City Museum that the poet has historically (going back centuries even) been a well-respected position and Galway was top Cultural City of Europe for many years – until bad weather caused them to cancel so many festivals. (Or so I was told by a local.)
Galway Cathedral
I popped into the big Cathedral because I had a long time. It’s gorgeous inside and every much a working church. Lots of people lighting candles and praying. I love the St Therese of Lisieux corner. (It is my middle name.) Although, I sometimes question the idea that she became a saint by doing many good little things. I like the concept except I don’t they’d make a man a saint for doing many good little things. Maybe it’s the word little. Honestly, it sems like being consistently kind, helpful and generous can be much harder than one big miracle.
Galway City Museum
All of the signage in the museum is prominently in Irish and English. There’s an exhibit on the history of Galway going back to Druidic culture and language. That morphs into a more recent history of Ireland decoupling from the British colonizers. (I won’t say more – you can buy me a beer if you want my broken recollection of the history.) There are also very family/kid friendly exhibits on science and Ireland and giant Galway hooker (the boat) hanging from the walk. But my favorite part was the collection of gig posters from 1979-1982 called This is the Modern World, as a nod to The Jam.
Filed under: Galway
Today we traveled via van through Connemara. We thought we were going by big coach, we went on little van. But apparently, we were the bold hounds who grabbed the only seats with tables in the back – even though we weren’t the first to arrive – so we were very comfy. We heard all about the area enroute from our fantastic tour guide, Padraic Moran from Wild Atlantic Way Day Tours.
Connemara is in Western County Galway, much of it on the Atlantic coast. It’s known for ponies, stones and Irish speakers. The Connemara ponies are smaller than most horses so apparently it’s a good starter for horse riders. Connemara stone, or Connemara marble, which comes from the area. It’s a greenish stone. Connemara is the largest Gaeltacht (Irish speaking area) in Ireland. There are still many Irish speaking schools and many summer schools or other programs where people might go for accelerated, immersive language lessons. The connection to culture is as close as the language.
Much of day was spent checking out the views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Aran Islands and/or the 12 Pins (aka 12 Bens), which is a mountain range. (The Banshees of Inisherin was filmed on the Aran Islands. So, it’s that kind of stark, creepy, yet beautiful world of lots of nature and few people.)
At one point, we seemed to drive through a rainbow. The weather is wild. It can be sunny and storming at the same time. We had a day where the harder rain really held off until we were on the way back to Galway. Otherwise, there was plenty of mist but nothing to hold us back too much. And we had lot of clear skies to see the Islands and mountains when the views were the best. Skyway Drive was a spectacular view of the coast. My palms were sweating the whole way from the heights.
The big stop was Kylemore Abbey. Actually we had a choice between the Abbey of climbing on of the 12 Pins. On a less rainy day or with better clothes, I might have gone with the mountain hike. One out of eight on our tour did.
The Abbey is majestic from the outside. It feels like it’s in a mystic, foggy valley and deep woods. The building was originally a castle built by John Henry. He gave it up after his wife died and kids grew older. It went from hand to hand until someone lost it in poker game. Eventually, the gambler ran into harder times financially and the sisters were able to buy the abbey for a song. It was a boarding school for the elite. I can only imagine the ghost stories they told. It still is an abbey for the Benedictine nuns.
On the way home, we stopped by the famous bridge from the Quiet Man, a movie I should probably watch at some point although John Wayne doesn’t sell it to ne much.
We brought the good weather with us. (Well, me I guess.) It’s been torrential rain for weeks but today was gorgeous. But that I mean it was sunny half the time, lots of cloud and rained (gently) at least 5 minutes every hour but that’s all we needed. I started off walking to Kate’s place. She has a room and studio space at an artists’ residence. It is in idyllic setting. There are cows in the back, chickens to one side and you can see a derelict castle a short distance away. Kate told me that often the rainbows seem to end in their back garden.
Our original plan for the day was to rent a car and drive to nearby sights. I said I’d pay if Kate drove. Unfortunately, we learned that you need to be 25 to be an insured driver in a rental car. So, we had to go to plan b. (In the years I lived here I never once drove. I hate driving at home, can’t imagine it’s more fun here.) We ended up taking a taxi out to Salthill, a beachside town just outside the Galway town. We could see a rain most of the hour or more we were walking. It is a gorgeous area. We also saw a fair number of swimmers – nutty as that seems.
Then we had a little break before we had an amazing dinner at Ruibin. I had chicken liver pate, Kate had something vegan that she really liked and we both had cocktails. It is a lovely place; we’d been there before.
Then we head out to see some Irish music. You’d be amazing how many pubs there are to choose from in Galway. Kate seems pretty well-versed on the topic. So, I was in good hands. We saw some impressive music – with background of sports cheering and discussions.
Filed under: Galway
The first step is the hardest is never truer than the start of an overseas vacation but my New Year’s resolution is to travel more in 2024. (It even rhymes.) And why not start with a visit to Kate in Galway. I left Monday (Jan 1) at 9pm, traveled and now it’s 5am on Wednesday and I’m jetlagged.
The travel was fine. I flew to Amsterdam, and had three hours to wait for my next flight, so I got a little walk in around the airport. The highlight was seeing the Schiphol Clock, it’s giant clock above a main terminal and it looks like a man is standing in this giant airport clock, painting the hands in real time. I feel lucky I even noticed it. According to Atlas Obscura, the painter is actually a 12-hour-long recording, that gives a convincing illusion that a human is standing inside the translucent clock, busy at work as the hands go around. The artists, Maarten Baas, is a well-known Dutch artist and designer that has a series of similar live clock recordings.
I more intentionally sought out Rijksmuseum Schiphol, which seems to be a sample plate of a larger museum in town. A few amazing “Dutch master” sort of paintings. I noticed a big trend in painting women selling fish.
I finally caught the flight to Dublin. I hightailed it to the coaches and got an express bus to Galway. I was feeling very lucky since it did sell out. It was dark and rainy but still nice to be in Ireland. Kate met me at the Galway station with a Diet Coke and croissant in hand. Two of my favorite things in Ireland. What a thoughtful kid. We taxied to the Maldron hotel, which happens to be where she works. Let’s just say, I have a very nice room.
We headed to the city center. It was damp, but not raining. (Very important distinction.) We had a nice dinner – three cheers for seafood chowder -then walked around and checked out a few pubs. There was live music in many of the pubs. Often it’s a choice of tradition or cover music. We went with traditional. There was amazing musicians. The key is finding an intimate place that still has good seating for us.
We capped off the night at a heavy metal/rock pub. See if you can figure out all of the featured artists on the mural. (One mural is on the ceiling, which made it harder to capture.) More adventures today!
Filed under: Chicago
“The biggest enemy of life is stupidity.” I learned that today from Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a hologram of a Holocaust survivor at the Illinois Holocaust Museum today. Anita was 18 when she was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Her family had tried to escape before the Nazi invasion several times, unsuccessfully. The last time, she and her sister were arrested, sent to prison and eventually to Auschwitz. She survived because she was a cellist and, as she made a point of saying several times, because she was lucky. In this case, she was lucky they were starting an orchestra, she was lucky someone asked if she played, she was lucky they remembered the answer. We heard her story and then, through the magic of technology, were able to ask the hologram-of-her various questions. I recorded one answer because it speaks to how music literally saved her.
I have talked to so many musicians who feel their music is frivolous in bad times. (And I think it doesn’t take blurred vision to see parallels to persecution of Jews and others today.) But music transcends. Also, music is a way to tell a story that can be more palatable than other methods. Storytelling irradicates stupidity. Or at least it helps. Before the presentation, the docent encouraged us to take pictures and videos to share with the world. I wish I could share the whole museum! (Their website does a good job!)
The description of the holocaust is like a test case of how to do propaganda and break down community. Only by learning about how this has been done before can we recognize it happening again and one of the credos we should all stand up is … never again.
Also at the museum was an exhibit on delis – I’ll have what she’s having. It seems weird to end such a series post (or visit) with something lighthearted but it speaks to the resilience of the survivors and makes it easier to want to share the whole story. Anita told her story with hints of humor; it makes it easier to listen and hear. I’ll just share pictures here; in the case of delis that’s enough to help us all connect to the story. (I’m going to include some screenshots of their super smart exhibits on how you can help make people smarter based on your skillset to be upstanders, not bystanders.)
Filed under: Illinois
Dad was heading to Chicago to see friends. Very last minute I decided to go too. Not to see sick friends but to see my sister Katie and be the ultimate tourist downtown Chicago for a gorgeous afternoon of sun and 70 degrees. It was so much fun. The Art Institute was closed, which while sad made me do different fun things. I took the train downtown, walked around to soak up some downtown ambiance and then headed to at least say hello to the Art Institute lions and Millennial Park. Sadly even the Bean was under repair but I got to the fountain spit and then headed to Navy Pier.
First walking from Millennial Park to Navy Pier is probably the most expensive real estate in the Midwest. Whoa. Lots of private parks and chauffeurs (and not mom-chauffeurs either!). I hadn’t been to Navy Pier or years. There were people around but it wasn’t busy. The wind is exactly what you expect from the windy city but the views are spectacular and the air feels fresh. I stopped in to see The State of Sound highlight Chicago musicians. It’s a free, quick fun stop. I saw some folks I expected to see like Nat King Cole, John Prine, Louis Armstrong and Jeff Tweedy. I saw one of my lost favorites, Naked Raygun. I saw someone I watched play over the weekend -Shemekia Copeland.
Then Katie finished work and we met at the Museum of Contemporary Art. (More amazing addresses enroute!) There was a farmer’s market outside of the gallery – bonus for a Tuesday. So we got a picnic lunch and ate on the museum patio. We saw a few exhibits but the most striking to us was Public Enemy by Gary Simmons. He has been using art to call out racism and classicism especially in popular culture and everyday life in American since the 1980s. His most famous works are smudged chalk drawing that capture images from popular media. (Apparently one of his first studios had a large chalkboard, which goes to show you the power of happy accident.) The images are recognizable but ghostly in the smudge. He recreates the works in the studio – so that when the show closes, the MCA will just paint over it and the message will remain hidden in the walls.
Also he uses regalia without people to represent situations or conditions. He had a piece where tennis shoes (Puma, Nike, Adidas) were dipped in gold and places in front of a police witness lineup wall. The message is clear. Even without people in the shoes, we are trained to have a certain view. There’s another wall with tall, narrow, white chalkboards hung up furnished with white chalked places inches in front of a row of old school wooden desks representing the white washing of education. Finally, on the opposite was a bare bones school closet with several size 6x (think kindergartener) Ku Klux Klan costumes. The MCA always makes me think.
We stopped by my favorite consignment shop in Evanston on the way home. (Got new shoes.) And them Katie, Dad, Dan and I went to our favorite D&J Bistro in Lake Zurich for an amazing French meal. The folks there are so good and friendly. The food is amazing and I never need to eat again.
Now 12 hours after leaving the restaurant, Dad and I are halfway home to St Paul!
Filed under: St Paul
We had another great day at the Fair. We might have another one on Monday and, if so, I’ll share more pictures. Today it was Dad, Katie, Uncle Dan, Bridie and her new Freshman roommate, Ava. Also, we made an unexpected friend named Meg.
We loosely followed the scavenger hunt, which is pretty usual. We saw the biggest boar and the fancy new Oink Booth. We ate donuts, bacon, cheese curds, pork chops, French fries and ice cream. We saw the longest lines ever for pickle pizza. Yuck! We saw Mae Simpson play at the KARE 11 Barn and some dancers in front of the Education Building. I chatted with Senator Pappas, who has done great work for ERA MN (and other things).
We checked out the butter queens and saw a few in the flesh. Learned about a few fun events, like the NAMI walk at Minnehaha Falls and Crosby Park After Dark. We judged others and were applauded for it. Finally, we met our friend Meg. She was in line in the Education Building to get a calendar with a picture of her family, but her family never came or at least didn’t come in time, so we offered to fill in. Best picture ever!
It’s time for the annual Treacy family scavenger hunt. Bridie (my niece) is starting at the University of Minnesota so we’re making an old school trip to the fair to see how far we get on the hunt. I thought I’d share for folks who are looking to combine festival eating with a meaningless competition. I’ll be posting pictures after we participate.
Get a group picture calendar at the Education Building – a point for each participant in the photo.- Find a seedy rendition of Barbie.
- Pose with a butter princess sculpture.
- Eat a Fair favorite: cheese curds, Sweet Martha’s, Tom Thumb donuts, corn on the cob, corndog or fries. (Point per treat)
- Get a team to go down the giant slide – point per person going at once (or once-ish).
- See a band; take a video. (Find the free music calendar.)
- Catch a live birth at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center.
- Get a picture with a famous person – 1 point per famous person. (Candidates count.)
- Eat something new – 1 point per treat. (See the new food list.)
- Get a bird’s eye view from the Sky Ride
- Kiss a prize-winning animal or at least get in kissing distance.
- Get a picture of Debbie Filla’s bench. (Think poultry barn.)
- Pose in front of the U of M “M”. (Near KARE 11 Health fair.)
- Get as many free school supplies as possible at the Education building.
- Get a judgey photo in the Education Building
10 Questions About... 