Manhattan Moments: Night at the Opera Plus

TULIP TIME Spring in Manhattan usually means a surfeit of tulips.  This year is no exception.  Despite rain and wind which have beaten down some blooms, we still discovered colorful arrays here and there.  In Central Park, in the Jefferson Market Garden, and in the occasional street-side bed.   A NIGHT AT THE OPERA  Our midweek outing was a …

Carolina Comments: Music, Books, Pizza

MUSIC IN THE PARK Each spring, Chamber Music Raleigh holds one of its concerts in a public park.  Last Sunday, we spent a most pleasant two hours in Ritter Park in Cary listening to the American Brass Quintet.  The weather was warm, not hot, and metal picnic tables under a canopy provided seating, shading us from the sun.   …

Carolina Comments: Cuba & Local Culture

 REFLECTIONS Cuba in 2019 Seven years ago this week, the Chief Penguin and I were part of a small group educational and cultural trip to Cuba.  We were in Havana the bulk of the time with a trip one day to the Vinales Valley.  In the city, we experienced lunch at a private restaurant, one of the …

Spain & Portugal: The Last Bite

I’m milking this travel experience for all it’s worth.  I decided to share additional notes about food and also something about flamenco. DANCE IN SEVILLE Flamenco originated in the south of Spain and is particularly associated with Seville.  Performances are usually in small halls seating around 50 people, and there are numerous venues around the city.  We went …