New York Adventures, part 1
The purpose of my trip to NYC in December 2007 was to reality check a career change.
I flew from Austin to JFK via Jet Blue (highly recommend) and stayed for $35/night at the Big Apple Hostel in Times Square (noisy but convenient). The hostel offers female only rooms, and I shared a room with women from France, Japan, and Sweden--none of us spent much time in the room.
I was exploring what it would be like to go to culinary school. The week-long masters course in chocolate Is one of several offered by The New School. My experience with Chef Bruce Beck and several native New Yorkers was wonderful. These are photos of the cakes and molded chocolates that we produced on the last two days alone.
Class ran from 9-1, so my afternoons were free for exploring: The Sex & the City Tour; an exhibit of the work of Jack Kerouac, including the On the Road scroll and artwork; several movies (Juno, The Savages, Starting Out in the Evening); and a few Broadway shows.
I was looking forward to seeing the Broadway debuts of Claire Danes in Pygmalion and Jennifer Garner in Cyrano de Bergerac. I found that what I like about Claire Danes, her subtle style, was lost on stage and in the emoting character of Eliza Doolittle. Jennifer Garner was charming in her supporting role as Rosalind to Kevin Kline's Cyrano.
But the play I liked best was off-Broadway at the Acorn Theater: Ethan Hawke's directorial debut of Things We Want with Paul Dano, Josh Hamilton, Zoe Kazan, and Peter Drinklage. The intimacy of the venue contributed to this story about three brothers coming together after the death of their parents.
In the end, I decided not to pursue a career as a pastry chef. My hands were not happy with the time spent gripping a whip or spoon and stirring. Ouch!
I was looking forward to seeing the Broadway debuts of Claire Danes in Pygmalion and Jennifer Garner in Cyrano de Bergerac. I found that what I like about Claire Danes, her subtle style, was lost on stage and in the emoting character of Eliza Doolittle. Jennifer Garner was charming in her supporting role as Rosalind to Kevin Kline's Cyrano.
But the play I liked best was off-Broadway at the Acorn Theater: Ethan Hawke's directorial debut of Things We Want with Paul Dano, Josh Hamilton, Zoe Kazan, and Peter Drinklage. The intimacy of the venue contributed to this story about three brothers coming together after the death of their parents.
In the end, I decided not to pursue a career as a pastry chef. My hands were not happy with the time spent gripping a whip or spoon and stirring. Ouch!
