“Monet’s Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden

If you have never been in Giverny, France and do not plan a trip anytime soon, you might consider visiting “Monet’s Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden for a taste of what you are missing. Organized by Paul Hayes Tucker, the Monet scholar, it is not a painting show, though it does include two representative garden-inspired Monet canvases. 

Claude Monet was a keen gardener and once reflected that perhaps flowers were the reason he became a painter. This exhibition explores the legacy of his idyllic garden in Giverny by transforming the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a floral masterpiece of diverse plants, bold colors, and dramatic design. Monet’s most famous subjects, water lilies, many of them the varieties he grew, are featured in the Conservatory Courtyard Pools.

 Two Monet’s works painted at Giverny --one which has never been publicly exhibited in the United States--are on display in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library’s Rondina and LoFaro Gallery.

Also on display in the Ross Gallery are Seasons of Giverny, photographic portraits of Monet's iconic garden revealing the beauty of Monet’s garden as it exists now.

“Monet’s Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden runs through Oct. 21.

While the admission fee is $20 during the week and $25 on weekends, it includes admission to all gardens and open buildings, and includes using the tram, which runs throughout the garden (easy on - easy off at any of the designated stops).

For driving directions, please go to http://www.nybg.org/visit/directions.php#car

The Botanical Garden is also accessible via public transport:

Take the Metro-North Harlem local line to Botanical Garden Station. Walk across Southern Boulevard to the Garden's Mosholu Gate entrance. It is just 20 minutes from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan! 

If you prefer the Subway take the B, D, or train 4 to Bedford Park Blvd Station. From the station exit take the bus Bx 26 east to the Garden's Mosholu Gate entrance or walk eight blocks down the hill on Bedford Park Blvd to the end (approximately 20 minutes). Turn left onto Southern Blvd and walk one block to Mosholu Gate entrance.

Falling Water, PA

On our way back from Pittsburgh to New York we visited The Fallingwater. I wanted to see this place for a long time and when I finally did, it exceeded all expectations. You can go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuZ0x5Qkgzg&feature=related to get an idea of what it is like, but books, postcards and movies do no justice to this amazing architectural wonder.

Fallingwater was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1936 for Pittsburgh department store owner Edgar Kaufmann Sr. who used it as a mountain retreat for his family.

Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius and this place is a must-see for anyone interested in architecture. The view away from the house is so stunning that even if you're not an art or architecture buff you will find the place fascinating and realize what a genius F. L. Wright was.

Fallingwater is listed among Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture" and in 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA. It really does feel like you could just settle right in, so very inviting is the architecture.

Pay attention to the building, of course, but don't forget to check out the amazing collection of furniture and decorative pieces (some of them gifts from Wright himself).

Visiting: There are several types of tour offered. The most common is the regular tour that features all the major rooms of the house and lasts approximately one hour.

Advance ticket purchase or reservations are essential for all tours at Fallingwater. Tickets may be purchased on-line at http://www.fallingwater.org/105 or by calling Visitor Services at 724-329-8501 daily 8:30 am to 4:30 pm ET.

The visitor's center is worth checking out: great gift shop, minimal junk, lots of real art pieces and solid design items; yummy things in the cafe, also minimal junk, lots of inside seating with beautiful views, as well as plenty of outside sitting for those preferring to eat al fresco.

The Cathedral of Learning, Pittsburgh, PA

On Labor Day weekend we went to Pittsburgh, PA.  We saw several interesting attractions including Biblical Garden and PPJ complex, but the most interesting for us and definitely most unique, was the Cathedral of Learning.
Perhaps the best-known building in Pittsburgh and the second tallest academic building in the world after Moscow State University, the Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story building used by the University of Pittsburgh. Dedicated in 1937 and a registered historical landmark, the building features classrooms, offices and libraries as well as the "Commons Room," a Gothic-style hallway souring four stories high, and the "Nationality Classrooms," ornately-styled classrooms designed in the style of a particular country.
You enter each room through a gigantic, heavy, wooden door - notice the details on the doorknobs and the doors themselves - amazing. Then each room is a treasure of art, history and culture. Be sure to look at the ceilings - many are decorated.
These 28 rooms, and the Commons Room that located in the center, are beyond description- they have to be seen to be believed (the University has received room reservation requests from seven additional Nationality Room Committees which are in various stages of fund raising and room design). Of course, I cannot tell you about each of them, but just would like to mention my favorite ones. 

The Indian Classroom is modeled on a typical 4th-9th century AD courtyard from Nalanda University, a Buddhist monastic university in Nalanda. The room depicts a classroom courtyard at Nalanda.

The Israel Heritage Room - the elegant simplicity of a 1st-century Galilean stone dwelling or house of assembly inspired the design of this room. Stone benches, patterned after those in the 2nd-3rd century synagogue of Capernaum, provide student seating. The oak entrance door panels bear the Ten Commandments carved in Hebrew. A scroll fragment in the rear case replicates the Dead Sea Isaiah Scroll segment. Ancient wine jars flank the scroll.

The Turkish Nationality Room, opened in May 2012, is designed to represent the “main room” in a traditional Turkish house with seating along the walls, surrounding the central open area. There is an entrance gallery area separating the main room from the entrance for privacy. The gallery space is adorned with four ceramic panels and a life size scene from 1928, depicting Kemal Atatürk instructing the Turkish nation on the Latin alphabet adopted as the legal script of modern Turkey. Another major feature of the Turkish Nationality Room is a 6’ by 20’ wall mural depicting a view of Istanbul behind what looks like a picture window on the east wall of the room.

The Ukrainian Classroom is designed in Baroque style with richly carved wood and colorful ceramics. The lintel inscription commemorates Ukraine's millennium of Christianity (988-1988). The stove tiles depict festival practices and daily life. The chalkboard doors bearing the Tree of Life are surmounted by three Cyrillic alphabets used in Ukraine in the 11th, 17th, and 19th centuries.

There are several ways to experience the rooms:
Recorded tour, describing the rooms’ elements allows guests to proceed through the rooms at their own pace. Beginning with the Israel Heritage Room in 1987, each third-floor Nationality Room has its own narrated tour which can run from five to eight minutes.
When school is in session the rooms function as university classrooms, so audiotape tours are only available on weekends.
School is out of session from the end of April to the beginning of the Fall Term in September. During this time, audiotape tours are available Sundays through Saturdays.
Fees:   Adults $4; Youths (6-18 years) $2
Online : You can see images of the rooms with accompanying text and audio descriptions online. Visit http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/pages/allnr.html and choose between the first and third floor rooms.
For driving direction please go to http://www.nationalityroom.pitt.edu/directions