'Spectacle' in Philadelphia

[Image credit: Sebastiao Salgado]

My Philly adventure included a stop at the city's museum. (Note first Sundays of the month are pay as you wish. Regular adult admission is $16.) And yes the museum's steps are the Rocky steps, see video below.

Among the museum highlights: The Matisse exhibit runs through Oct. 25 in the Perelman building, located a block away from the main structure. There's a free shuttle that goes back and forth with departures from the back of the main museum.

Matisse moved to the French Riviera or Cote D'azur in 1917. He and others among the Fauvist group pushed the use of non-naturalistic, vivid colors.

+++++++

What I really enjoyed though was Spectacle, a collection of photographs that runs until Sept. 7. It's a small but worthy collection of prints about the desire to look and document. Many name photographers are represented. Henri Cartier-Bresson , Arbus.

My favorite images were by famed photog Sebastiao Salgado, who hails from Brazil. (See top photo) He's known for his epic projects and social issues he documents. One project focuses on hard labor around the world -- including the harsh realities of tuna fishing in Sicily. A few of these samples are on display at the Philadelphia museum. Click here for his bio.

Jim's Cheese Steak Sandwich in Philly

A lot of hype surrounding the city's famed food item but, damn, the sandwich at Jim's Steaks on South Street was GOOOOOD! (Click here.) Definitely worth the wait in the hot summer sun.

I had mine with white, American cheese, caramelized onions and mushrooms. (Other toppings include peppers and pizza sauce.) I hear Velveeta gives it that extra something. (I screwed up on the video, it's not cheese whiz.)

With soda my meal was $10. Why is the sandwich so good? It's clearly the high quality meat. Tender, juicy, TASTY!

The short-order cook was fun to watch, holding court at his grill station. Tossing the extras delicately in between the folds of bread. Seating is available upstairs.

The record for most sandwiches eaten is 12 in 1 1/2 hours, oh boy. (Paula and I had intended to take tasteful plate footage but we were so famished and enamored by the sandwich, we plum forgot.)

Doing Philly Right

Paula and I had a blast this weekend doing Philadelphia. Check us out on the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Wasting Not in China

[From "Waste Not" installation by Beijing-born artist Dong Song, MOMA]

NYC, July 17, 2009 -- There were so many visitors trekking the second floor MOMA exhibit "Waste Not" by Chinese artist Dong Song, the floor shook. (Click here for the MOMA link.)

We were all peering at Beijing-born Song's installation. When his father died in 2002, he suggested his mother deal with her grief by organizing all the goods she had hoarded over 50 years. The collection is ordinary -- shopping bags, wash basins, plastic bottles, old belts, plastic hangers -- yet extraordinary in its exhaustiveness and scope. 

The NYT's described the installation as "about attacking the powers that be than about regretting the diminishment of the powers that were, or might have been: familial cohesion, social stability and spiritual certainty." Click here for for the full NYT's write up.

MORE THAN LOSS

Yes there are feelings of frustration and "what could have been" that the installation inspires. But I found the work also about less romantic, arty things. Like my mother, grandmother, anyone who has survived war, political instability -- you hoard because you're afraid and there's comfort in making order out of domestic chaos.

One day the communists could find the underground hole, where your sons are hidden from the army. One day your crops could be taken away and you have to hide your precious cargo of rice in your ballooning blouse sleeves for fear the military will discover you're not giving your entire livelihood to the party. One day your brother could disappear behind the 38th parallel.

A girlfriend told me that her father, who survived Japanese internment in California, was hoarding goods in his basement.

It's caution, fear, sadness, anger, rolled up into loss and what could have been. 

Song's mother, Zhao Xiangyuan, passed away this year. In the end, the installation reminded me of the redemptive power of home and love. In a note, Song writes to his father and describes he and mom are alright. War, though strong, cannot destroy everything.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 7. And yes, pay-as-you wish Friday nights are a zoo so be zen and bring your patience.

The American Consumer Retrenched

Proof I'm worried about the economy, etc. I colored my own hair. What a pain.

In other recession news, great discussion this morning with bear economist Gary Shilling. He's concerned about deflation, which could stick around for a decade. Just think about your own personal spending habits. You're probably Not buying much at full-price because you know it will get marked down -- with further reductions, if you just wait a bit. Same with housing. From sellers to buyers, we're all on the sidelines waiting to see who will blink first.

MORE GENERICS PLEASE
On a more granular level, Gary notes retailers have even cut the number of brand-name goods on shelves to make room for cheaper, in-store generic brands. Wal-Mart has reduced its microwave popcorn varieties by 25% and Rite-Aid has cut its pain relievers by 14%, according to his research. (Remember when companies were pushing $4/$5 designer bottled water? Seems laughable now.)

And by Gary's analysis, we'll need a second stimulus to keep unemployment from completely collapsing and a populist uprising. So longer term, if the U.S. runs out of stimulus money/momentum, home equity continues to evaporate, and we're in this rut for the long haul, what's the larger effect to the American consumer psyche?

Chatting in the green room, we noted America isn't like Japan, whose consumers seem willing to suffer through a decades-long slog. We Americans want hockey-stick recovery in housing, stocks, weight loss, everything ASAP, or else! I think I need some wine and sunshine to cheer me up.

Kayaking on the Hudson

Go Paula!

Michael Jackson Memorial: From Times Square

43rd and Broadway.

Gonzo Journalists Document North Korean Defectors

I think the term gonzo journos is used too readily. But the 3-person investigative team of Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo are true rock stars.

For about a year, they posed as undercover North Korean defectors to capture -- with hidden video cameras -- the perilous 3,000-mile journey defectors make from China to Laos to Thailand and then finally to South Korea. Check out the PBS show here. The documentary, "Crossing Heaven's Border" is part of a larger documentary project, my pal filmmaker Hein tells me.

Not only is the journey treacherous as the North Korean refugees aren't always welcome in China, Laos or Thailand, the cost to be ferried by smugglers is about $1,500 USD -- roughly a year's salary for a NKorean defector hiding in China. The smugglers/drivers are half asleep in the video footage. Can you imagine risking your life fleeing a Communist country to have your life end by some driver falling asleep at the wheel? Unreal -- but it is.

For others who have more money, they buy a fake Chinese passport and fly into Thailand and then South Korea, where they seek asylum.

I'll never forget the footage of one woman [picture above] who successful makes it through immigration. When she safely passes security, she pumps her fist discreetly. Yes!

She just became a free woman.

Happy Fourth from NYC

  

For NYC Fourth happenings, see NYorkology. Fireworks start at 9:20 pm off the Hudson, yay!