THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => CHATTER => Topic started by: Barmymoo on 10 Sep 2011, 03:31
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I mentioned in a blog thread a while back that my college choir would be making a tour of the USA (or at least bits of it) during the summer of 2012, and now I have received dates and places! It would be wonderful if some people could come and see some of the concerts/services if you're in the area. Full admission: it is a church choir, we will be singing church music and probably most of the time it will be church services. So if you are vehemently anti-religion then it might not be the thing for you.
Anyway, here are the dates!
12 July - Boston
13-15 July - New York City
17 July - Garden City, Long Island
19 July - Philadelphia
20-22 July - Washington DC
I'm hoping we will have some free time in each city, so hangouts might be feasible too. I'm super excited about this! Please tell me exciting things that must be visited in those places, assuming I am free to do so.
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DC: the Smithsonian museums, until your feet fall off or you've seen them all, whichever happens first (hint: it will be your feet). I imagine you'll probably sing at the National Cathedral, which is a pretty cool place on its own too. (Hopefully they will have the damage repaired by then.) It also puts you not too far from the National Zoo (though it'll be hot and humid and full of tourists in July), Georgetown (expensive bars and shops), and the Metro, which opens up access to a lot of other areas in the city like Chinatown and H Street (somewhat less expensive bars and a ton of theatres). If you get to go out of the city, there's stuff within an hour's drive or so, like National Harbor, Annapolis, the National Arboretum, and the Baltimore Aquarium.
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Part of me is sad when I see that list, as I realize you are only going to be seeing about 1/7th of the country.
There is a lot more to the USA than just the BosNYPhilaWash corridor. Too bad you guys will probably be heading home after the 22nd, as a few side flights to Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, Minneapolis, Saint Louis, Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles would give you a more accurate "flavor" of the country. (And, if you were in Minneapolis, I'd actually have half a shot at seeing your choir sing.)
I guess it'd be just as bad as me only going to Sydney or Brisbane and assuming that all of Australia is like that.
Anyways: it does sound like you're going to have a pretty packed schedule, so I'd suggest doing some of the touristy things: go on a bus tour of New York City and the area when you're there July 13-17; make sure you see the WTC memorial and visit the Statue of Liberty (though it will be closed for repairs to the base). Times Square is now a pedestrian mall, so check that out, along with the Empire State Building.
Not sure if you're a footy fan, but you might see if the New York Red Bulls of MLS are playing that weekend (or maybe DC United, when you're in the capital).
If you guys are in Philly the 18th, try to see some of the major historical sites before your concert; at the very least try to get to Independence Hall, where the Constitution was signed. And make sure you try a Philly Cheesesteak or two.
DC has a LOT of things to do; I'd like to echo Baindhe_dub that you shouldn't try to see all of the Smithsonian museums. Pick some of the ones you'd really like to see - maybe the Air & Space Museum, or the American History Museum, or the main building (the "Smithsonian Castle"). Try to get in to see the Capitol Building and the White House, and visit at least one of the memorials/monuments (Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington).
Your group might be already slated for some group tours; they're easier for those from out of the country to use so that you can hit the "major" sites in your limited time here.
Just keep in mind what I said at the start: you're only seeing a sliver of the country.
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I realise that it's only a little bit - I have seen some more places, although mostly the mid-west, already, when we had ChicagoCon the first and Camp Eed (I think we saw bits of Ohio, Chicago, Indiana, other places I can't remember, my geography is terrible). One day I'll get to visit more western/southern places!
Thanks for the suggestions so far! Are there any places that tourists usually go to that you wouldn't recommend, as in places that cost more than they're worth or have huge queues or something?
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Ugh, if you could head a little more south into Virginia (by a little more, I mean 20 minutes south of Richmond) I'd tell you the best place to eat for some damn good BBQ.
Nanny's BBQ. Anyone in Virginia that reads this, go there. It's in the Petersburg/Prince George area. Their hours are kinda odd, they're open till 10 pm on fridays and saturdays closed sundays and mondays, and tues-thurs they're open from 11 am to 2 pm for lunch. But it's sooooo good. Buffet, home cooked nom noms, they sell the BBQ sauce by the bottle. I'm running low on mine so it's about time for me to make a trip up there to see my family and get some more sauce. Maybe some hushpuppy mix. Mmmmm.
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I think the Smithsonian has spoiled me with their completely free admission. the non-smithsonian museums aren't particularly worth going to in my opinion, they can cost up to $20 to get in.
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Yeah I am a bit anti-religion but uh, MAY, BOSTON, I'LL BE THERE.
Massive rad hangouts, right?
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YES
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And re: Boston, duck boats are lame, duck boats should only be ridden by championship teams slowly.
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Fuck the duck boats, goddddd those things are annoying.
Also, where in Boston? I'm also vehemently anti-religious, but I do study a lot of church music so I may be interested!
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Sadly I have no idea where in Boston. Perhaps you could all listen really hard for music and run towards it?
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I dunno May. That usually just attracts me to record stores.
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Well, it's in a church, right? That should narrow it down... :-D
Maybe a particular type of church? Catholic? Anglican/Episcopal? Lutheran?
Unitarian?
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We're talking Boston, there's a LOT of churches.
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I know, I know, like I said, narrowing it down...
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I will assume it's one of the churches in downtown, that's where Umass has our choral performances usually. So by that I mean it could still be any of like, 20 churches.
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Really guys? Based on what we know, google searched Church Boston July 12 Choir England.
Very first listing: the Keble College Chapel Choir will be performing at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, which is at 138 Tremont St.
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Ah, ok, I know that one. It is where I thought it was.
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And from the website of Keble College Chapel Choir of Oxford (http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/about/chapel/music-in-the-chapel/keble-college-choir):
The choir also has the chance to travel both during and out of term. In 2011 the Choir offered Evensong at Bouthrop Church, John Keble's first parish in Eastleach. The choir also travelled to the East Coast of the USA for a 12-day tour in Boston, Manhattan, and Washington DC singing at St Paul's Cathedral in Boston, St John the Divine and St Patrick's Cathedrals in Manhattan, and Washington National Cathedral as just a few of their venues.
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But May is at Cambridge, not Oxford. We (here in Oxford) call it "the other place", and I dare say they do the same in return!
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Still - those do sound like probable venues. (Woo, Saint Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan - that's gonna be impressive.)
I think I see the obvious reason why there's no trips beyond the East Coast of the US (besides money and logistics): the Anglican church didn't take root beyond the old colonies. (For example: my little town of Merrill has about five or six Lutheran churches of various synods, and only one Catholic church - and I think only one Episcopalian church.
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Paul is correct, I'm at Newnham College, Cambridge (that is incidentally my address too! If you send things addressed to May, Newnham College, Cambridge, they will find their way to me, which I think is ridiculous. I feel like maybe the Queen and I are equals in the eyes of Royal Mail)(except that she is the Royal part obviously).
We're an Anglican choir so I dunno.
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Well, obviously, the problem started over here about 1775-76 with the Anglican Church.
Still - the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (aka The National Cathedral) is a pretty impressive place to play (and it is an Episcopalian Church). Hopefully it will be reopened by the time your choir comes to sing there.
Just don't be surprised when you start singing God Save The Queen and everyone in the audience starts singing with different lyrics... ;)
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I really hope it doesn't take them almost a year to fix those spires... But the whole, earthquake > spires break / bring crane to fix spires > crane gets blown over, thing is not too encouraging.
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Considering it took over 80 years to build the thing (without pause), and they're still evaluating the structural damage, it may be awhile...
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Thanks for the suggestions so far! Are there any places that tourists usually go to that you wouldn't recommend, as in places that cost more than they're worth or have huge queues or something?
Times Square in New York City....it's nice to just say you've been there but I wouldn't plan a lot of time there...it's twice as crowded as anywhere else in the city (except maybe Chinatown or the subway during rush hour).
I second World Trade Center, Statue of Liberty &/or Empire State Building but definitely check out Central Park, Bronx Zoo, the village in general (when I lived in NYC I always loved St. Marks Place)...oh! And the Metropolitan Museum of Art!! It really depends on what you're into, but you could probably find something for everyone you're traveling with :-D
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If you're not too busy, check out the PS1 in Queens as well, it's a contemporary arts center/gallery/museum and just absolutely amazing.
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Not to mention MOMA. Or the Guggenheim, which I think would be my suggestion if time is limited; the Metropolitan Museum of Art is vast.
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Take in a Rockette's show at Radio City. 'bout as American as it gets...
In DC you definitely want to spend some time at the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, they're as quick/long as you have the time for, and awesome.
In Philly, Independence Hall is interesting, but it's been 30 years since I saw it last. There's also the WWII battle ship New Jersey, docked at the waterfront as a museum. And eat at least one cheesesteak. Don't eat more than one in a day, though, and definitely not before a performance!
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Sadly much American cuisine is closed to me, as a mildly lactose-intolerant vegetarian.
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Boston Baked Beans it is, then. :wink:
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Or perhaps another burrito the size of your head?
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Yeah, but you can get Heinz Vegetarian Beans. They have a blue label and are good with Kraft mac n cheese.
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I didn't know there was more than one kind of burrito! My life just got more exciting.
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Oh! But don't get the pinto beans at Chipotle. They have bacon or pork or some sort of pig-parts in them. They only just started telling people, and a lot of Muslim and Kosher people are pissed.
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I am not surprised that they would be pissed! I would be furious and I'm just vegetarian by choice, not by religion (which I feel is more of an imperative - if you believe that your God requires you not to consume meat, there's a lot more at stake than just your dietary preferences if you do).
You guys, I have a very ridiculous idea in my head. It is unlikely to happen, but on August 4th there is a writing conference in New Jersey that I'd love to go to. My choir tour finishes on July 22nd in Washington DC. Is there anyone who lives in or near or even between either of those places who might be able to let me sleep on their floor/sofa for the interim period? Does anyone live near Newark and might be able to put me up for the night of the 4th? The meet finishes at 11pm and it's in a hotel that would cost $119 a night - I don't think I can afford that but a cheaper alternative might be possible.
Basically I can only do this if it's super cheap so I'm not being too optimistic, but since I'm in the US anyway, it feels like I'm halfway there cost-wise and it's at least worth investigating.
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Good news! The National Cathedral (http://www.nationalcathedral.org/) will be reopening Nov 12th, well before your arrival. The interior is in good condition, and the exterior damage has been sufficiently stabilised.
Repairs will be ongoing, but most of the damage was cosmetic. Like my first visit over 30 years ago, I expect there will be scaffolding...
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The National Cathedral has been under construction pretty much since it opened.
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It's reopening to visitors in November, but complete repairs are expected to take 10 years.
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The National Cathedral has been under construction pretty much since it opened.
It was actually completed in 1990, after 83 years of construction. Aside from routine maintenance, there hasn't been "construction" for over 20 years!
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I wasn't previously aware how close this building program was to that of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, started in 1904 and completed in 1978. In each case a chapel was completed for use early in the process, (1910 in Liverpool, 1912 in Washington). Both buildings are among the top few cathedrals in the world by size (the ordering varies according to what you measure, of course). Washington was designed by Bodley, who lost out in the competition for Liverpool to the young Giles G Scott*.
* I nearly typed G G Scott, but there were three generations of G G Scott, all church architects, the first two called George Gilbert, and the third Giles Gilbert - quite confusing at times!.
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Update on these exciting plans: I am now planning on staying in the US for the remainder of the summer (I have to be back in Cambridge on September 22nd). The very tentative plan is to be either in Virginia or Indiana, because the wonderful Edith is trying to find somewhere I can live in exchange for my labour. Money is very tight but it's possible I might be able to make trips out to interesting places if I can find cheap transport and cheap/free accommodation. I spent an hour or so today enquiring about possible grants and bursaries from college and it's looking promising - especially if I can find a worthy project to do somewhere.
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Well I plan to be in Muncie, Indiana in September for college. While I am no expert on Indiana, there are a few things you should do:
1. Eat some corn
2. Go to ComedySportz in Indianapolis
3. Go be all historical touristy in Corydon
4. Bloomington is generally a rad place. I can tell you specific resturaunts and some interesting shops if you decide you are interested.
5. If you are interested in hanging out with a random person, visit me at Ball State University.
Now, if anyone needs information on visiting south florida, I could write a freaking bok on that.
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OOh, Excellent. Get thee away from the East Coast and visit the REAL America.
Or, at least, you could come up here to the Midwest and look at some cows...
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We definitely have cows in the northeast.
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It's ok, we have cows in England too.
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But do you tip them?
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Yup, and then giggle as they try to get back up again.
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I keep reading the thread title and thinking it says "My exciting American joints!"
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There are several jaunty joints in America...
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The Bluebird Cafe on Broadway in Nashville, for one. :D
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You guys! I just booked my ticket home from Indiana for September 18th! I am spending the summer in America! It will cost around £800 in total (as a maximum, not including the cost of fun things while I'm staying with Edith but including the choir tour and travel) and hopefully I'll get a whole load of travel grants and college bursaries to cover at least some of that cost. I wouldn't be able to rent one room in a grotty boarding house for that little. EXCITING.
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Dear everyone who cares at all, did I ever post my choir schedule here? I know I've put it a couple of places but this seems the logical place. I was just googling the National Cathedral and it is absolutely huge. Rather alarmingly so, actually.
Anyway:
Thursday 12 July
12:15pm recital in Trinity Church, Copley square, BOSTON MA
Friday 13 July
7:30pm concert in Christ Church, NEW HAVEN CT
Saturday 14 July
5:00pm Mass in Our Lady of Refuge RC Church, BROOKLYN NY
Sunday 15 July
11:00am Eucharist in St Thomas 5th Avenue, MANHATTAN
4:00pm Evensong and 5:15pm Recital in Cathedral of St John the Divine, MANHATTAN
Tuesday 17 July
7:30pm concert in Cathedral of the Nativity, BETHLEHEM PA
Wednesday 18 July
7:30pm concert in Immanuel Highlands Episcopal Church, WILMINGTON DE
Thursday 19 July
12:15pm recital in Episcopal Cathedral, PHILADELPHIA PA
Sunday 22 July
9:00am and 11:15am Mass in St Paul's K Street, WASHINGTON DC
4:00pm Evensong in National Cathedral, WASHINGTON DC
I would love for anyone to come along to any of these, and hopefully might be able to hang out with people in between services and concerts, although I don't know what our plans are yet. I'm intending on getting an American mobile phone in Boston, because I'll need one for the rest of the summer. Someone who knows about such things, advise me: can I get a cheap, pay as you go, non-fancy phone that will have the same service coverage and charges in any and all states? And if not, would I be better getting a pay phone card or something for the tour and then getting an Indiana phone later?
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If you get a prepaid, I would get a Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile phone because they seem to have the best coverage nationally. You can probably walk into a store like Target or Walmart (ugh) and buy a phone. Just compare rates and see what's best for you.
I will be on vacation during the earlier performances, but I think the farthest north Michael and I are going is West Virginia. :( But Ft. Wayne isn't too far from where I am, so we'll probably get to see each other more than just at GenCon. I could come up for a visit or maybe you and Eed can come visit for a weekend? Do fun things like go to the zoo or something? I'll have to check with Michael, but I think you guys could probably stay in the guest bedroom if you do!
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Linds, that would be awesome! Edith is basically in charge of what we're doing because she's got to work most of the time, but I'd love to visit :) You don't by any chance have any contacts at a women's prison or an organisation that works with female offenders, do you? That way I can tie it into the dissertation research I'm meant to be doing!
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No. :( Most of the contacts I have work with schools or disabled people. I don't really know anyone who works with prisons...but I could ask around, maybe one of my classmates might know.
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Here's a starting place for the Indiana Dept of Corrections: http://www.in.gov/idoc/2861.htm (http://www.in.gov/idoc/2861.htm) with a list of facilities and a contact link. A more or less formal request, perhaps to the director's office, might give you a start. Michigan's women's prison is in Ypsilanti, near Ann Arbor. If you find a site in day trip range, I'm close enough and retired enough I'd be pleased to provide transportation.
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I'm hoping to get across to visit the Indiana Women's Prison, but I'm not sure where to begin contacting them. Writing to the director seems like a start, but I'd almost prefer to ring and have instant feedback - but an informal request seems less likely to get a positive response.
Thanks for the offer about the Michigan women's prison, I'll keep that in mind. I was hoping to go to the Indiana one because it was the first in the country, so would make a good comparison to the prisons built in the UK at the same time and also the more recent ones, but anything would be good!
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From my experience as a reporter, I'd start with whomever deals with media. At IDOC, according to the contact page, it's this guy: Chief Communications Officer (Media) Douglas Garrison at (317) 232-5780 and email dsgarrison at idoc.in.gov. I left a message on his machine, but also told him I'd pass it on to you. My guess is that the department has some experience dealing with requests from graduate students wanting some kind of access.
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Barmy: you've got mail.
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Massive thanks both of you, I will definitely follow up on both ideas once my exams are over. I want to make a start now, but I realise that I won't even be writing the dissertation if I don't pass the exams this year...
I'm not actually a graduate student yet, Redball, law is an undergraduate degree here, but hopefully that won't be a problem!
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OK. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
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OK, people, anyone have any ideas how I can get 7-10kg of books from the UK to the USA without it costing a fortune? They won't fit in my luggage allowance (well, they will, if I don't take any clothes with me) and checking another bag would cost £90 which is outrageous. The Royal Mail seem to do a service for sending books but only up to 5kg. I guess I might have to send two parcels, but if anyone knows another way that'd be great.
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Yeah, I was going to say Media Mail is what I use over here in the States. Usually if it's cheap enough, even having to send two packages shouldn't be too bad on cost.
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I don't know if there's an equivalent in the UK, but if you use the Priority Mail method from the US postal service they will ship anything for a flat rate based on the size of the box. Might not be a bad option for the way back, but hopefully someone else has an idea for getting them here in the first place.
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I'm finding it difficult to get UPS or Fedex rates UK to US, but finding rates west should be easier from there. Only one I saw was Parcelforce Worldwide, and lowest price was £83 for 10kg 30x30x30cm. Depending on the titles, is it possible the books might be more cheaply obtained via Amazon and used, or that forum members have them? Or are they textbooks? In a future year, you'd be using a Kindle or equivalent.
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The Royal Mail seem to do a service for sending books but only up to 5kg. I guess I might have to send two parcels, but if anyone knows another way that'd be great.
For comparison's sake, what's the Royal Mail rate?
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They're textbooks from the college library. I checked the library catalogue at Edith's library but didn't have much hope and I was right - not a lot of textbooks on the English law of trusts in circulation in US libraries.
The Royal Mail rates are £62.88 for 5kg, which is still too much. I don't think I can afford to spend that much - I will have to be selective about which books I take, and attempt to get them into my suitcase. I hadn't realised how expensive this stuff was. Boo.
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I suppose it's a silly question, but are they available in e-book format?
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Sadly not, which is annoying. I bought my contract textbook for Kindle this year, which was published in 2012, but the books I need this summer are all older. I've got them out of the library, so providing I can get them to the USA without it costing a fortune they're free.
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What kind of rates do Ebay sellers in the UK pay to send to the U.S.? Hard to believe it would be as much as Royal Mail. In fact, a power seller might be able to find you a good rate.
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I think I'll probably just reduce the number of books (two or three or entirely non-essential, simply quite interesting) and take them in my suitcase. I had forgotten that I also have hand luggage; if necessary things can go in there too.
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What I would do is pack them this time and then ship them back home when you go back. That way in case you buy anything while you're here, there will be room for it, and then you only have to pay for shipping once. Or just bring an extra bag. :)
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I just packed all my clothes and three books, and weighed the suitcase, and it's come to about 16kg. Bearing in mind that I haven't packed my laptop, any shoes, toiletries or other random things, I think I'll be alright. Phew!
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Boy, it's getting to be that time, hey?
Sorry the country's in such a mess. We had this little thing they call a Tropical Storm wander through the East Coast, and the rest of us are just suffering from a horrid heat wave.
We would have tried dusting a bit, but it's a tad difficult, what with it being unbearably hot and all.
Sorry again about the 30-40 degree Celsius temps and the rain/lack of power in some areas. It's not always like this.
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Argh I am more convinced than ever that I am going to die this summer, and that would be a terrible shame because I GOT ACCEPTED ONTO THE DISSERTATION COURSE! I was so convinced that I wouldn't be, and I was preparing myself for having to take the family law paper instead. But I don't have to! I can write about women and prisons and all kinds of things hurrah!
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Congratulations! And no, you won't die. Just as you're getting used to it, you'll go back to college.
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It just took me seven attempts to activate my travel money card, because I couldn't use the stupid Skype key pad. I realised I could just use my keyboard, and then somehow managed to type the number in wrongly twice. Argh. Anyway, sorted now - I have money, I have almost finished packing, I have my passport, I have travel insurance which covers the duration of the trip (that was a fiasco), I have sun cream, I have a huge hat.
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Do you have a handgun? Or at least a contact to get one?
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May, does the choir sing for the fun of it? Did you sing on the flight? Do you sing in a restaurant?
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Do you have a handgun? Or at least a contact to get one?
Not actually neccessary in most parts of America.
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bon flight, May. Really bummed I can't make it out to Boston to see you.
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SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE
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WHAT. WHy do you never text me anymore?
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dude my phone has been missing for like four months now. It's gone, dude, it's gone.
(ps I was going through my notebooks earlier and I found the picture of my penis that I texted you)
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The choir has been doing so much singing lately (6 to 10 hours a day) that we don't even speak for fun any more! At the moment at least a quarter of us are ill at any one time, there's a disgusting cold going round that I'm in the final stages of at the moment - makes singing tricky. And we're still adjusting to the heat and the humidity, which alters our sound. I hope the concert today is worth coming to, we sounded fairly dire at rehearsal yesterday.
Boston is beautiful you guys. And I'm staying with the loveliest host family, they're just great. Tonight we're going to get ice cream, which is apparently different to the ice cream I've had before, and maybe visit Wellesley college.
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Saying "It's not like ay ice cream you ever had before" is required of people taking you to a local ice creamery.
There really isn't that much difference, but it's bound to be quite good!
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I don't think it's that it's better than any other ice cream, I think it's actually a different type of ice cream. I discovered that what I call custard, and what you guys call custard, are two different substances, so I'm prepared to believe this.
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Ah, FROZEN custard. Mmmmmmm.
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I associated frozen custard with soft ice cream. Wikipedia might shed light on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_custard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_custard)
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Frozen custard, ice cream, soft serve, and frozen yogurt can all be completely different things.
Also May, you HAVE to go here (http://www.mikespastry.com/) and have a canoli. Trust me. The gelato is also good.
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Mike's! Yes! Worth the ridiculous queues.
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Hopefully her voice survived the concert last night.
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Mike's has the best cannoli I've ever had. I think I had the Amaretto and Peanut Butter while Michael had the Oreo or Espresso and Chocolate Covered and we split a Chocolate Chip. (This was over the course of a few days, not one trip! :D) So. Freaking. Good.
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I survived so far! Even managing to cope with the heat - it was about 88F today and I managed. I did have a minor meltdown yesterday after two services and a recital in cassocks and surplices (if anyone doesn't know what they are, it's basically what vicars wear - floor-length black coats with white robes over the top, on top of normal clothes) in a poorly-air conditioned St John the Divine. It was a pretty amazing place to sing but I just was feeling awful. But I got lots of sleep and felt a whole lot better today. NYC is awesome! We had the whole day off to look around, so we went up the Rockerfelle, on the Staten Island ferry, along the high line, round Central Park and all over the place. Lunch in a great restaurant in the Meatpacking district.
Boston was so gorgeous, and I met Leslie! She is even taller than I expected, and also excellent at advising me on purchasing cell phones, opening doors, using libraries etc. Turns out international travel makes me stupid. Sadly lack of internet means I didn't get to Mike's Pastry, but I have had some amazing food - last night's dinner at the italian restuarant oposite St John the Divine was the best pizza I have ever eaten.
Off to Pennsylvania tomorrow, which should be interesting. So far I've stayed with two host families - the first for two nights, and we spent a fair bit of time together, they were lovely. The second we were only there for one night, and only for maybe three hours awake, but I chatted to them before bed and they were really nice too in a different way. My "host family mate" (we're arranged by dietary requirements or something) is a girl I don't really get along with; she's basically the only person in the choir I find it hard to like, which is a pity. Hopefully we'll be changed up a bit for the second half of the trip.
I just checked my email and I've got the go-ahead to visit the prisons for my dissertation, so now I need to contact them directly and ask if I can come. I might need to wait until I'm in Indiana to do that, so that I can talk to Edith about how and when etc. But I'm excited!
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Hooray!
I didn't get to Mike's Pastry
Except for this. So sad. Also the being too hot in robes, which I've experienced before and it is pretty terrible. (Only time I've ever come close to passing out.)
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I met Leslie! She is even taller than I expected
I get this all the time. I was about 6'8" when you met me, with the boots.
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in a poorly-air conditioned St John the Divine. It was a pretty amazing place to sing
Somehow it doesn't surprise me that such a huge space is poorly air conditioned. It's been a-building for most of a century, as I recall, and I wonder about the size of its congregation and finances. I only hear about it for special events, in particular the Winter Solstice concerts staged by Paul Winter, and I have a CD of one of those performances live. I'm interested in the acoustics. Were you amplified? How did you cope with the reverberation? Recorded? I think St. John claims to be larger the National Cathedral, so I'd be curious about your comparison.
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We sang the recital in an ante-chapel so it was a bit smaller but the service was pretty hard to hear. Most of the congregation were near to us, but it was very hard to produce much sound. I'll let you know how the National Cathedral compares when we get there - I think St John is the biggest Anglican cathedral in the world but it's lots of little chapels so that is kind of cheating.
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Needless to say, I'm fond of the architecture of the National Cathedral (see: my avatar). It is an absolutely beautiful building. Are you actually singing there, then?
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I think St John is the biggest Anglican cathedral in the world
We're even better at being English than England! USA! USA!
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Bigger is not automatically better.
It is, however, more impressive.
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Bigger is not automatically better.
Only people with small churches say that.
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Agh May I totally forgot that yesterday was your show until like 2pm when I was most of the way to Baltimore. :( But! If you're going to be around here a bit longer, the DC Fringe Festival is going on & there are 2 shows I'm planning to go to next Sunday afternoon. Interested? (Anybody in the area, actually?)
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Sadly (actually not sadly, but in the context of meeting people in DC) I am now in Indiana for the next two months. I did sing in the National Cathedral, it was our last service - and it is a bloody hard space to sing in, that high ceiling just swallows sound. There is a point at which the size of a church stops being for a purpose other than just "look how big we built it" and gets annoying.
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My group sang in a large meeting room of a large Presbyterian church in one of Detroit's wealthiest suburbs, and after some of us were offered a tour of the rest of the building. As we were shown the huge sanctuary, I suggested we sing on the steps leading up to the altar. There were about 20 of us. We were swallowed up. Just as well you didn't sing in the sanctuary at St. John.
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Ask Edith if she'd like to meet sometime before GenCon! Maybe the three of us can meet somewhere halfway and spend an afternoon together?
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May, if you ever make it to the southern states, let me know! I wish I'd had the opportunity to head up there as I've got family in Virginia and DC, but I didn't have enough vacation time to do that this year :(
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Welcome to Indiana! Please pardon all the brown, we are in the middle of what appears to be a drought. Luckily some storms passed through this week and some are supposed to come tomorrow.
Also, if you ever find yourself in Central Indiana with nothing to do, let me know. I know a few good places to go to for bars, eating, or just to have some fun
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...Must... resist... obvious... shot...
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Never resist an obvious shot.
(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzxbm32mjh1r5kbwz.jpg)
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Indianoplace?
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And that's just the capitol!
[rimshot]
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But that's one of the few places in Indiana with stuff to do! Maybe one of a couple. Ft. Wayne had some stuff to do. The rest...eh? I imagine it to be like where my grandpa lived - nothing but corn, old people restaurants, and the occasional Walmart. And Nature.
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There are the big university towns, too - South Bend, Bloomington and (West) Lafayette (Notre Dame, IU and Purdue, respectively. I spent seven years in each of the latter two). Lots of... bars. And good food.
And research libraries, if that's your thing.
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I have been to Bloomington. I wasn't that impressed, because I feel like a lot of college towns are the same. Then again I am also used to an urban campus. I don't really go to bars a whole lot, so that's not really an interest for me. (The bar I used to frequent had a quieter, older crowd and decent food, the other bars in the area were far too loud and full of annoying people.) And the thing about good food is you can pretty much find it anywhere if you just look for it and/or ask around.
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IU has a good performing arts program, I recall, although I don't know what opportunities to see and hear exist in late summer.
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I went to college in Indiana, Valparaiso University. Not much up that way, and too close to Gary for my taste haha.
My sister, Lynn, majored in French and minored in German and had quite a few friends from different countries because the college's international program was pretty big. So one time, some of her German friends flew to America to visit and they drove partway to our house (we lived in Illinois). When they finally got to our house, they were telling my sister that they saw "Indiana police". Lynn said, "Yeah, they're everywhere," and her friends said, "No, we were IN Indiana police!" Of course the wrong realization dawned on my sister and she thought they meant that they'd been picked up and ended up in a police station. She freaked out and it took some explaining for her to finally realize that they meant the capital, Indianapolis.
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Compared to the alternative places I could have spent my summer (basically either parents' house), this is a thriving metropolis. Within walking distance there are two parks, two or three cafes with wifi, a library with ditto, an outdoor swimming pool and several interesting shops, and the church I'm planning on attending is only 15 minutes away by bike. Plus hopefully I'll be able to drive Edith's car sometimes (it needs to go to the garage first, it's being badly behaved) so even more things will be close. This is exciting!
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May, I forget - where in Indiana are you?
Please don't say Terre Haute...
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Ft. Wayne. Which actually is a nice place! And there's much more than a bunch of Fightin' Engineers*. ;)
*For those of you who don't know, the college in Terra Haute, Rose Hulman, their team name really is the Fightin' Engineers. I kid you not.
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I taught at Rose-Hulman for a year after I got my masters. It was a blast! They're the ones who persuaded me to go on and get my Ph.D.
Terre Haute holds fond memories for me, but it's a pretty dreary (ad stinky) place (there's a creosote plant there, just downwind from the sewage treatment facility...).
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I visited Anderson today, really run down. It is like a mix between a classic midwestern town and a city, combining the worst aspects of both.
I haven't been to Ft. Wayne for years. Well except for that one trip last year, but I never got to see anything there really.
And Bloomington is pretty cool. I mean it's just a university town, but it has a lot of stuff there that's more interesting than most other Indiana towns. It also has a Taiwanese resturaunt called the White Tiger (At least I think that's the name). If you do go there though, be sure to be prepared to either share food or bring leftovers.
Where I go to school, Ball State University, is very nice. But its town is very lackluster. As you get farther away from the university, the more the town degrades. But it is a pretty campus.
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Visited with Redball and Barmymoo this afternoon. Kinda weird to meet some of the strange people we have on this board IRL. :psyduck:
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Who are you calling strange, matey? ;)
Currently Bob and I are on something of an adventure, on our way to a prison which hasn't 100% officially agreed I can visit, but I will just turn up and insist they do. Then another, more official visit on Thursday. My travel grant has been validated at last! Only two weeks left in my American jaunt. I'm looking forward to university starting up again in a month but not to leaving here. It's been almost uniformly excellent.
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I just think it's strange you didn't notice the "TEH" shirt I was wearing. ;)
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Ft. Wayne. Which actually is a nice place! And there's much more than a bunch of Fightin' Engineers*. ;)
*For those of you who don't know, the college in Terra Haute, Rose Hulman, their team name really is the Fightin' Engineers. I kid you not.
Eh. I'm near Renssaler Polytech Institute, hockey powerhouse for some reason, home also of the Engineers.
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I'm assuming May is back in the UK by now?
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I believe she's leaving Ft. Eed Tuesday, back in the UK Wednesday. I'm sure she'll correct me when she logs on.
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I'm in Indianapolis airport right now. My flight is meant to leave in twenty minutes, but is delayed by an hour. Or maybe the gate has been changed.
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Hopefully you're having a safe flight and can read this once you've landed.
Unless you haven't left yet, then, well, have a safe flight! :mrgreen:
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Wx today looks to be cooler and wetter in UK than Indy. Surprise?
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OK so here is what happened. I got to Indy airport with plenty of time and had no problems (although they did search my hand luggage because it "looked dense" on the scanner. I'd say it looked dense, it contained 40lbs of textbooks. The woman searching it was very friendly though). Then I sat at the gate for hours and we finally were allowed to board at about 3pm - an hour after scheduled take off. At 3.30 we were updated by ATC that we might be able to take off at half past four. So we waited for another hour and I think we did take off then. When we got near Newark we were put into a holding pattern for an hour, and the pilot said "we don't have enough fuel to hold for an hour" so we went to Hartford instead.
The landing into Hartford was very turbulent, and I passed out.
When I came to, I discovered that the man across the aisle from me had a doctorate in nursing, which was rather handy, and he took care of me until we finally landed (to applause from the rest of the plane). Once everyone was off the state police turned up, for some reason, and took my details down. Then the airport fire service arrived and took my blood pressure, my blood sugar, my blood electricity, and probably some other things too, both sitting and standing. The numbers were sufficiently similar, and sufficiently close to normal, that they said I didn't have to go to hospital if I didn't want to, and I certainly didn't want to. So I signed a medical waiver stating I had refused medical advice (I'm not so sure I did - if they had said "you need to go to hospital" I would have gone).
Then we all got off the plane, after I'd cleaned myself up and changed from my urine-sodden skirt into the pyjamas I'd luckily packed in my carryon bag, because my bladder couldn't cope with the landing either. The nice airport man prioritised sorting out what I was going to do, and got me on a flight via London back to Manchester on Wednesday night. There were earlier flights to London, but there was nothing earlier to Manchester so I'd have been stuck somewhere whatever I did. He also made a note on my file that I was to be comped a hotel room.
So then we all got back onto the plane, which a team of efficient cleaners had already dealt with, and flew rather less eventfully to Newark. It still confirmed that I was right not to be flying across the Atlantic that night though, because I almost fainted again on the 30 minute flight and perfectly smooth landing. Once we got off the plane we all queued up to ask the woman at the desk where to go next. I was sent off to a different terminal by bus to speak to the customer service centre. The queue was nothing like as long as the ones I stood in when I was snowed in at Heathrow for five days - they weren't giving out bottles of water and sandwiches either. When I got to the desk I explained to the man what I needed and he checked me into the flights for Wednesday night and gave me my new boarding cards.
I mentioned the hotel and at first he started talking about me going to a different queue to talk to someone, and said "do you have a credit card? Because the hotel will need one". I told him I had exactly four dollars in cash, and an English debit card £400 into its overdraft. Then I said something about my itinerary, meaning that I needed a printed version so I knew what I was doing, but he said "oh, wait, was it already sorted?". He looked at my file again and suddenly became even more kind and concerned, and gave me a voucher for a hotel and three $10 vouchers for food.
I trekked off with my vouchers to the other side of the terminal and joined a queue to use the two working hotel shuttle phones (there were two out of order, typically). I never actually made it to a phone, because the woman in front of me had got through to the hotel we'd both got a voucher for and managed, after four different phone calls, to discover that they would be sending a shuttle for us soon. So we stood in a rabble of people as a dozen different hotel shuttles went past (some of them three times) before ours arrived. Twice as many people as could fit jammed into the bus and we rattled off to the hotel. Then we stood in another queue as a panicked and harassed-looking man tried to check us all in and get rid of the people who didn't have vouchers. I made it up to my room by half past eleven, and once I'd dumped my bags headed back down to buy a pizza from the 24 hour cafe. Thank goodness, because nowhere else had been open.
On my way back to my room a man in the elevator started chatting to me, and asked if he could come and eat pizza with me. In another life I might have said yes - he was quite attractive - but the new and improved May does not allow strange men into her bedroom at midnight and anyway I hadn't had a shower since the skirt-wetting incident and I didn't really want to be propositioned. So I ate half my pizza on my own, washed out my clothes in the hotel bathroom sink, and went to bed.
This morning I woke up to find a reply to my emails letting my friends and family who were expecting me know that I would be a day late. My mum's broken wrist has turned out to be worse than initially thought and she's going into hospital tomorrow morning for an operation. She might get home on Friday morning, but she might not. I'm going back to Cambridge on Saturday. So I will, all being well, fly back to Manchester and get the train straight back to mum's. Luckily the train station is very close to the hospital, so assuming that I can carry all 100lbs of my luggage across there I will go and see if I can see her. I won't have much else to do; my stepdad is visiting his mother and can't pick me up from the station until late afternoon.
Quite an adventure. Now I'm off to dry my skirt with a hairdryer and hopefully get it in a wearable state before I have to check out at noon. Then an exciting six hours in the airport before (please!) my flight leaves and gets to England uneventfully. Touch wood.
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...and her last day has more drama than the entire three months prior. :psyduck:
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... and she copes.