Austin is famous for its street art – or murals, as Austinites call them. The murals are colourful and everywhere. Also famous are the many food trucks. I’d not heard of the term until I went to Austin. They’re just motorized vehicles, such as vans, equipped to make and sell food. I suppose the British … Continue reading / view photos Austin murals
Category: Culture
Keep it weird
Even before I went to Austin, I was regularly listening over the internet to KUTX 98.9, an Austin-based radio station. I found it about a year ago when I couldn’t find any British radio station that I liked. I wanted to listen to random, eclectic, indie/alternative/rock music. A search on the internet suggested KUTX and … Continue reading / view photos Keep it weird
The Broad
The Broad is a contemporary art museum in LA and probably the second most visited after LACMA. Entry to The Broad is free. You have to book a slot to get in. I found out about that and did book on their website. Alas, I missed booking for an incredible installation called Infinity Mirrors by … Continue reading / view photos The Broad
LACMA and La Brea Tar Pits
Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible. Paul Klee. LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is huge. It has everything from contemporary to Etrustan art. Occasionally, I’m pleasantly surprised that I come across a famous painting or sculpture that I’d seen in books or film but never in reality. This … Continue reading / view photos LACMA and La Brea Tar Pits
LA beach baby
Los Angeles was hot. So I decided to head west from downtown to Venice and Santa Monica Beaches. Unlike San Francisco, Los Angeles is not easily walkable. The points of interest are distributed around the city and you need something more than your legs to get around. Most people use cars. However, there are motorised … Continue reading / view photos LA beach baby
This is Hollywood!
“In Hollywood if you don’t have a shrink, people think you’re crazy.” Johnny Carson If you go to Los Angeles, you must go to Hollywood! Hollywood was a 30 minute metro ride from my hostel. The small LA metro is quite good but, like buses, suffers from under-investment. This is partly, someone told me, a … Continue reading / view photos This is Hollywood!
The Getty Center
The first place I went to in LA was The Getty Center, which was quite far from my hostel. To save time, I got a taxi. The centrepiece of The Getty Center is the museum, which has an extensive art collection from around the world. The funding for the museum came from J Paul Getty, … Continue reading / view photos The Getty Center
Golden Gate Park
The lungs of San Francisco are in Golden Gate Park. I found myself often gravitating towards it. It’s a huge park at the city’s centre. In the park, there is the de Young art museum, a botanical gardens, a Japanese garden, the California Academy of Sciences, a conservatory, buffalo (!), and two windmills (a gift … Continue reading / view photos Golden Gate Park
A little taste of San Francisco art
The de Young museum in Golden Gate Park is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. It had a Gauguin exhibition on and a permanent collection of modern and classical art. The Legion of Honor, another art museum, had a surprisingly large Rubens collection, including a large version of The Thinker sculpture. View photos A little taste of San Francisco art
“They hate our country”
The Republican husband of an adviser to President Trump describes in a few pointed words what others have taken pages to say: “No, I thought, President Trump was boorish, dim-witted, inarticulate, incoherent, narcissistic and insensitive. He’s a pathetic bully but an equal-opportunity bully – in his uniquely crass and crude manner, he’ll attack anyone he … Continue reading “They hate our country”