GETTING AWAY FROM THE CRY OF THE MILLIONS

Today was the day I promised myself to get out of the city...to remind myself that there were other places to be seen besides the isle of Manhattan....to open up a path in my mind so it would become easier the next time to venture forth, before too many months have gone by....
So, this morning, I went to Grand Central and bought my ticket out to see some trees, even if they didn't have leaves on, and some water...away from the visual din of nyc....




Riding on trains is by far one of my all time favorite modes of travel, hands down....







Today I was heading up the beautiful Hudson river valley to the tiny town of Beacon... now a name on the map, because the DIA foundation has opened a beautiful museum there, in an old box printing factory.... Like the new Getty, its worth a visit just for the space itself..... but in this case it doesn't drown out the art, but inhances it... I have never seen a Richard Serra piece so at home in its surroundings... As I was walking around inside one of his big rusting coils, imagining myself in some narrow canyon in the southwest, the sun was setting....I was deep in shadow, except for the top lip of the "canyon", picked out by a line of bright orange light...I could have stood there forever, and was so lost in thought, that I had shit scared out of me by three men who had noiselessly crept up on me in the narrow curving passage... The art is all lit by the natural light filtered in through the windows in the roof, that bounces off high white walls, and old pale, time stained floors.... (I was instantly compiling a long list of people I have to bring here...).

[Sadly, I have no pictures, as they won't let you near a camera...sigh....]

The town is beautiful as well...heavy in brick, with a thriving art scene, and I could easily see myself relocating here with a group of friends.... hint, hint... (again, no pictures, my camera loves to run outta of juice whenever I really need it most)


Which is why I have no pictures of my own of Bannerman Castle....This amazing gothic castle sitting on its own island which we passed on the train, just before arriving into Beacon... I might have passed and not been looking out the window, and never have seen it if my friend Joe hadn't warned me about it.... Luckily, there happened to be a book on Hudson river ruins at the bookshop of the museum, so I read all about it..... The short story being that it was built by a Scottish immigrant at the dawn of the 1900s partly to store a growing inventory of military munitions... the building actually proclaims in stone carved letters: "BANNERMAN'S ISLAND ARSENAL"... There are limited tours (guess who's gotta go on one of those?), and restoration of what is left (a mysterious fire around 50s(?) gutted alot of it), including the gardens.... It's nice to know there's at least on cool castle this side of the Atlantic....






As night fell on Beacon, I headed back to the station...happy with my little adventure, which makes me wonder what is waiting up ahead for me... Tired, and cold, I climbed onto the train and was soon back in the busy city....which hadn't even noticed I'd left it....