Living Our Bucket List Life: July 2013

Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (July 2013)

The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personæ to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play's major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways.

Contemporary reviews all praised the play's humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of social messages, while others foresaw the modern consensus that it was the culmination of Wilde's artistic career so far. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde's most enduringly popular play.

The successful opening night marked the climax of Wilde's career but also heralded his downfall. The Marquess of Queensberry, whose son Lord Alfred Douglas was Wilde's lover, planned to present the writer with a bouquet of rotten vegetables and disrupt the show. Wilde was tipped off and Queensberry was refused admission. Soon afterwards their feud came to a climax in court, where Wilde's homosexual double life was revealed to the Victorian public and he was eventually sentenced to imprisonment. His notoriety caused the play, despite its early success, to be closed after 86 performances. After his release, he published the play from exile in Paris, but he wrote no further comic or dramatic work.

The Importance of Being Earnest has been revived many times since its premiere. It has been adapted for the cinema on three occasions. In The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Dame Edith Evans reprised her celebrated interpretation of Lady Bracknell; The Importance of Being Earnest (1992) by Kurt Baker used an all-black cast; and Oliver Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) incorporated some of Wilde's original material cut during the preparation of the original stage production.

Synopsis:

Act I

Algernon Moncrieff's flat in Half Moon Street, W

The play opens with Algernon Moncrieff, an idle young gentleman, receiving his best friend, John Worthing, whom he knows as Ernest. Ernest has come from the country to propose to Algernon's cousin, Gwendolen Fairfax. Algernon, however, refuses his consent until Ernest explains why his cigarette case bears the inscription, "From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack." 'Ernest' is forced to admit to living a double life. In the country, he assumes a serious attitude for the benefit of his young ward, the heiress Cecily Cardew, and goes by the name of John (or, as a nickname, Jack), while pretending that he must worry about a wastrel younger brother named Ernest in London. In the city, meanwhile, he assumes the identity of the libertine Ernest. Algernon confesses a similar deception: he pretends to have an invalid friend named Bunbury in the country, whom he can "visit" whenever he wishes to avoid an unwelcome social obligation. Jack refuses to tell Algernon the location of his country estate.

Gwendolen and her formidable mother Lady Bracknell now call on Algernon who distracts Lady Bracknell in another room while Jack proposes to Gwendolen. She accepts, but seems to love him very largely for his professed name of Ernest. Jack accordingly resolves to himself to be rechristened "Ernest". Discovering them in this intimate exchange, Lady Bracknell interviews Jack as a prospective suitor. Horrified to learn that he was adopted after being discovered as a baby in a handbag at Victoria Station, she refuses him and forbids further contact with her daughter.

Gwendolen, though, manages covertly to promise to him her undying love. As Jack gives her his address in the country, Algernon surreptitiously notes it on the cuff of his sleeve: Jack's revelation of his pretty and wealthy young ward has motivated his friend to meet her.

Act II

The Garden of the Manor House, Woolton

Cecily is studying with her governess, Miss Prism. Algernon arrives, pretending to be Ernest Worthing, and soon charms Cecily. Long fascinated by Uncle Jack's hitherto absent black sheep brother, she is predisposed to fall for Algernon in his role of Ernest (a name she, like Gwendolen, is apparently particularly fond of). Therefore, Algernon, too, plans for the rector, Dr. Chasuble, to rechristen him "Ernest".

Jack, meanwhile, has decided to abandon his double life. He arrives in full mourning and announces his brother's death in Paris of a severe chill, a story undermined by Algernon's presence in the guise of Ernest.

Gwendolen now enters, having run away from home. During the temporary absence of the two men, she meets Cecily, each woman indignantly declaring that she is the one engaged to "Ernest". When Jack and Algernon reappear, their deceptions are exposed.

Act III

Morning-Room at the Manor House, Woolton

Arriving in pursuit of her daughter, Lady Bracknell is astonished to be told that Algernon and Cecily are engaged. The revelation of Cecily's trust fund soon dispels Lady Bracknell's initial doubts over the young lady's suitability, but any engagement is forbidden by her guardian Jack: he will consent only if Lady Bracknell agrees to his own union with Gwendolen—something she declines to do.
The impasse is broken by the return of Miss Prism, whom Lady Bracknell recognises as the person who, twenty-eight years earlier, as a family nursemaid, had taken a baby boy for a walk in a perambulator (baby carriage) and never returned. Challenged, Miss Prism explains that she had absentmindedly put the manuscript of a novel she was writing in the perambulator, and the baby in a handbag, which she had left at Victoria Station. Jack produces the very same handbag, showing that he is the lost baby, the elder son of Lady Bracknell's late sister, and thus indeed Algernon's elder brother. Having acquired such respectable relations, he is acceptable as a suitor for Gwendolen after all.
Gwendolen, though, still insists that she can only love a man named Ernest. What is her fiancé's real first name? Lady Bracknell informs Jack that, as the first-born, he would have been named after his father, General Moncrieff. Jack examines the army lists and discovers that his father's name—and hence his own real name—was in fact Ernest. Pretence was reality all along. As the happy couples embrace—Jack and Gwendolen, Algernon and Cecily, and even Dr. Chasuble and Miss Prism—Lady Bracknell complains to her newfound relative: "My nephew, you seem to be displaying signs of triviality." "On the contrary, Aunt Augusta", he replies, "I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital importance of being Earnest."

Link to the review by The Morning Call here

Perkasie: Maize (July 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Maize in late July 2013, and we called to make a reservation about one month prior to the night that we wanted to dine. The restaurant is open for dinner only from Tuesday through Saturday.

This is a BYOB establishment, and they have two copper tubs filled with ice near the hostess stand in which to keep white wines chilled, rather than trying to set smaller ice buckets at individual tables. The restaurant does not have its own parking lot, but there is street parking as well as a public parking lot down the street. The restaurant space is small, and diners are seated close together. The dining room is somewhat open to the kitchen, so you can see what is going on behind the scenes, particularly when you need to pass through the kitchen to access the restrooms. Service was incredibly slow, as most reviews claim. We often dine at restaurants that have 20+ course tasting menus served over the course of a few hours, but even we found the service to be painfully slow, with lots of time elapsing between courses. The restaurant serves an herb popcorn amuse-bouche, in keeping with the restaurant name, but we still are not clear on the significance of the restaurant name itself - something to do with the Lenape Indians - but we are not sure how that culture relates to the restaurant owner or location.

The cornbread served with local honey and cold butter slices was fantastic - easily the best part of our meal - but even that complimentary item took a long time to be delivered (probably 30 minutes after we sat down). We elected to order the 5-course blind tasting menu for $50 per person, which in retrospect, was a mistake, because the regular menu featured far more interesting items (such as bison tartare and teres major, an unusual but tender cut of beef). We think that one of the issues with timeliness at this restaurant is the fact that it serves the tasting menu on busy weekend nights, which calls for chef creativity and thinking on-the-fly when the kitchen is already bombarded with orders. Because we could see the chefs in the kitchen, we could see no sense of urgency from them as they prepared food - they were happy to chat with staff and customers passing through their workspace, when their time might better have been served with producing food. (In their defense, the three chefs seemed very young.) Our server was very knowledgeable about the food and the ingredients, even though she, too, must have been surprised at the blind tasting options. (Another couple seated directly next to us also ordered the tasting menu, and they received a few different dishes than we did.)

Overall, we think that this restaurant has potential, but needs to speed up its service before we would return.

New York City (July 2013)

My spouse and I spent an enjoyable weekend in New York City in July of 2013. We stayed at the Hilton Fashion District. For lunch, we walked around the corner to the Westin, where we dined at the Westside Brewhouse. We wanted to eat a light lunch, because we had reservations for an early dinner at Blanca in Brooklyn. (This was one of the most difficult reservations that we have ever obtained!) We took a car service to and from Brooklyn, but even so, we got lost and had to walk through dangerous Bushwick on a very hot and humid summer day. To cool off, we stopped in at the Pine Box Rock Shop bar, before going to Blanca, which is accessed through Roberta's pizza. Because it was so early when we returned to the city, we walked around a bit, including spending some time in the pedestrian area near Macy's Herald Square. We stopped for dessert at Mustang Sally's on the way back to the hotel, narrowly missing a torrential downpour. The next morning, we ate at Momofuku Ssam Bar, which had been on our "to dine" list for a long time. Great weekend!

Hotel:

Hilton Fashion District Link to my review

Restaurants:

Momofuku Ssam Bar Link to my review

Blanca Link to my review

Pine Box Rock Shop Link to my review

Westside Brewhouse Link to my review

Mustang Sally's Link to my review

New York City: Momofuku Ssam Bar (July 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Ssam Bar for lunch in mid-July 2013. We have dined at several other of David Chang's restaurants, including Momofuku Ko and Ma Peche in NYC and Momofuku Seibo in Sydney. Ssam Bar had been on our "to do" list for a long time; however, the fact that they do not take reservations for small tables, and the fact that we were waiting to go with a group to order one of the large format meals held us back from visiting sooner.

We ordered five dishes to share, each of which was adequate for a party of two - the pork buns were amazing, as was the cold noodle salad, the sliced ham with black-eyed mustard sauce, the fried duck wontons, and the duck bologna sandwich, and we felt that our particular combination of menu items showed us a great variety of what the restaurant has to offer. We would still love to try one of the large format meals someday - the bo ssam or the whole duck, but it seems that you need at least a party of 4 or more to do them justice.

Service was terrific! Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the dishes, and offered suggestions on our choices to make sure that we tried a wide variety of menu items/categories.

The space is somewhat stark, with small wooden tables and wooden stools, as well as a really long bar with counter seating. Space is a little tight, but the food and service make it all worthwhile!

We look forward to trying David Chang's last NYC restaurant, Noodle Bar, before moving onto his new Toronto restaurants!

New York City: Blanca (July 2013)

My spouse and I dined at Blanca for dinner in mid-July 2013. We traveled to the restaurant from midtown New York, which cost approximately $30 each way by taxi. On the return from Bushwick, Brooklyn, the restaurant called a car/livery service for us, which charged a flat fee to Manhattan versus the metered ride we had on the way to the restaurant.

We made our reservation on the first of the month that we wished to dine using their new online reservation system called Seat Me. It worked fabulously, as opposed to the old method of telephoning on a particular day and time, because we had been unsuccessful ever to even get someone to answer the phone.

As Blanca requested via email and telephone, we arrived at 4:30 for our 4:45 reservation; however, we were made to sit in the small bar area of Roberta's and have a drink before they agreed to seat us, which was just a bit annoying. (If you arrive really early, just around the corner is a bar/lounge called the Pine Box Rock Shop where you can have a drink in a larger, more comfortable space.) We would have rather wandered in the outdoor (but fenced in) garden space to view the gardens for which the restaurant is famous.

The space for Roberta's is very casual and informal when compared with the space for Blanca. The entire restaurant complex occupies what must amount to a quarter of the block in Bushwick. Roberta's is on the immediate corner of Moore Street and Bogart Street, but is comprised of the main building, an atrium area, and an outdoor covered area that then leads to the gardens, which are both on the ground-level and raised. The Blanca building is at the back of the entire property and is super-modern and starkly furnished. Patrons (about 12 at one seating) sit at a bar (with comfortable bar stools) to watch the chefs work. Even the bathroom in Blanca is cool - nearly hidden in the wood and plant-covered wall. You are asked not to take photographs and to put your cell phone away.

Each of our 20+ courses was delicious, carefully conceived and presented. Service was excellent, and the wait staff is extremely knowledgeable about ingredients and preparations. We were disappointed that the restaurant does not provide a menu that you can take home - most other tasting restaurants give you that as a souvenir (even Brooklyn-competitor Brooklyn Fare provided us with a basic menu outline when we requested it).

We recommend this restaurant, however, the degree of difficulty in attaining a reservation, and then in reaching Brooklyn from Manhattan would probably deter us from dining here again.

New York City: Mustang Sally's (July 2013)

My spouse and I had drink and dessert on a Saturday evening in July 2013. Mustang Sally's is one of three horse-themed bars on a stretch of Seventh Avenue near Madison Square Garden. It draws a mix of sports fans and Penn Station commuters. Acres of polished blond wood give the interior a straight-out-of-Dublin look, with round streetlight-like lamps providing low lighting for a row of cozy booths. Open seating in the large back area offers views of a large-screen TV.

New York City: Westside Brewhouse (July 2013)

Westside Brewhouse, the hotel restaurant for the Four Points by Sheraton Chelsea is an All-American bar featuring 12 large flat screen televisions, an outdoor beer garden, and a rotating supply of 20 beers on tap! Kick back and enjoy delicious BBQ favorites, comfort food selections, and a local brew from our Points Best Brews program. When the weather is nice, enjoy our seasonal, outdoor patio and people watch or retreat indoors and enjoy natural light illuminating from our indoor skylight.

New York City (Brooklyn): Pine Box Rock Shop (July 2013)

Pine Box Rock Shop (PBRS) is owned and operated by bartenders and musicians. Jeff and Heather Rush have been performing in bands together since 1998. In 2003, that interest brought them from Seattle to Brooklyn. In that time, the couple has supported their musical and alcoholic addictions by slinging drinks at a handful of bars throughout the city. Along the way, they met Colin Peer, a New York native and fellow booze and music hound. The mutual interests of the three resulted in several years of planning and saving. The culmination of their efforts is Pine Box Rock Shop - a place the group has designed to be everything they feel a neighborhood bar and venue should be. Fans of music and drinking are sure to agree. The bar is also pet-friendly - bring Fido right inside!

New York City: Hilton Fashion District (July 2013)

My spouse and I stayed at the Hilton Fashion District for 1 night in mid-July 2013. We redeemed Hilton HHonors points for a free night's stay.

The hotel is located in the midtown area (in the Garment District), near Madison Square Garden/Penn Station, so it is a good location for Times Square sightseeing, and offers convenient access to various subway lines, bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops. The lobby area itself is not large, although it offers a few places for guests to sit and chat. The décor fits the theme of a Fashion District hotel, with spools of thread composing an interesting art piece behind the front desk, which has space for three agents to check guests in (one agent is reserved for Hhonors check-ins). A tiny concierge/tour desk is located adjacent to the front door. RARE Bar & Grill is located at one end of the lobby, where breakfast is served (complimentary for Hhonors Gold and Diamond members; however, we did not partake of breakfast). The hotel also features the RARE rooftop bar and lounge, although we did not visit that either. In the evenings, one elevator is dedicated to whisking patrons from the lobby to the 23rd floor rooftop. Two additional elevators access guestrooms on the 2nd to 22nd floors. The hotel offers valet and self-parking for an additional fee, and the garage is located just a few yards from the hotel entrance. Taxi cabs were plentiful in front of the hotel.

We had a corner room on the 22nd floor with a great view of the Empire State Building. The room was average size for New York City, with a king-size bed abutted by two nightstands, a desk/dresser/bureau combination, small ottoman/seat that could be moved around, and a shelving unit that housed the glass-fronted minibar (do not move anything or you will be charged) and coffee-making supplies, and a small closet that contained an electronic safe, iron, and ironing board. The room décor was modern and appealing, and the fashion theme (or sewing theme) carried through on some of the artwork. The bathroom was a decent size, with a combination tub/shower unit and large countertop vanity with a single sink. The light fixture is super modern and just a little dangerous, in our opinion. It is a long thin tube light that projects just a little too far from the wall for our comfort because it can be confused for a pipe. Peter Thomas Roth toiletries were provided - two kinds of soap, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and mouthwash, as well as Q-tips and cotton balls. Three sets of towels were provided, despite the fact that the room could really only sleep two guests. (We have found only two sets of towels in most Hilton properties that we have recently stayed, so the third set was a welcome site.) The hotel does not offer turndown service, nor does it offer vending or ice machines; however, we called down to the front desk several times to request ice delivery, and it was done quickly, complimentarily, and with a smile.

We would not hesitate to stay here again, although there are three other Hilton properties within a few blocks of this one (Doubletree, Hampton Inn, and Hilton Garden Inn), so those are valid options as well if you are loyal to Hilton.

Austin and San Antonio TX (July 2013)

My spouse and I travelled to Austin and San Antonio over the Independence Day Holiday in July 2013.

We flew into Austin, where we stayed for a quick overnight at the airport because we arrived so late at night after working all day.

Early the next morning, we rented a car and drove immediately to San Antonio (after stopping at the Circle K to load up on supplies!). We checked into the Hilton Palacio del Rio, located on the Riverfront, which was the "place to be" that weekend. Although we did not receive a riverview room, our balcony overlooked the park where the fireworks were held in the evening. And not only were there fireworks, but a huge street party as well, and we were able to view it from above and the privacy and comfort of our hotel room. On our first day in San Antonio, we ate lunch at Oro at the Emily Morgan, before walking along the Riverwalk. We enjoyed drinks at the Menger Bar, followed by afternoon drinks at Dirty Nelly's, and dinner at Las Ramblas at the Contessa Hotel. We watched the fireworks, and wandered around the "old town" area, where we ate some interesting shucked corn served in a cup, mixed with mayonnaise and spices.

The next morning, we took a San Antonio River cruise, followed by a trip to the Alamo. We enjoyed lunch along the Riverwalk at the busy County Line Barbecue, where while we waited for our table at the bar, the bartender encouraged us to try the most amazing whipped cream topping ever (tasted like Cool Whip to us!) We ate dinner that night at Iron Cactus.

The next morning, we set out bright and early for Austin, stopping along the way for two different kinds of barbecue at the Kreuz Market (the pit room was amazing!) and Black's (where one of the items we ate was an enormous "bronotsaurus" rib). In Austin, it was tremendously hot! (Amazing how cool the Riverwalk made San Antonio seem!) We visited Texas A&M before enjoying drinks at the Driskill Grill. We had dinner that evening at Uchi, which was terrific! (We had hoped to eat at Qui, but it had only opened the week before, too late to obtain a reservation. The next morning, we walked around to sample the food truck cuisine, but did not realize that the time for food trucks is in the late evening/early morning hours when the bars let out. It was a great first trip to two famous Texas cities!

Hotels: