During my first visit to the US, instead of flying like a normal person, I took Amtrak's California Zephyr from the San Francisco Bay Area to Chicago. This was an incredible (and incredibly affordable) three-day trip across the North American continent. I saw scenic vistas of seven states, met a colourful array of fellow travellers, and even had breakfast one morning with an Amish family. Few people would call a long train ride a highlight of an American summer holiday, but I had a blast!
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Photos from my day trip to California’s famed Yosemite National Park, situated in the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains...
MoMA and the MET! Which one is better?The answer is obviously the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Compared to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), MoMA is easier to navigate, has nicer staff (the ones working at the Met struck me as obnoxiously rude at times), and with a higher superb-artwork-to-floorspace ratio. The Met also suffers from what I call 'Louvre Syndrome': its hoard of treasurers are too sprawling and exhausting to peruse in any effective way. That said, both are exceptional art museums, with influential pieces from the world over. The Museum of Modern Art MoMA boasts some truly marvellous pieces, including:
Thought of the day: O Edward Hopper, why are you so amazing?The Art Institute of Chicago was one of my must-see stops on my journey from the West Coast to East Coast of America, via the 'Windy City' of Chicago (probably named after its political climate and inter-city rivalries as opposed to its actual weather). What a home to both American and international masterpieces! Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte. A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. A Vincent van Gogh self-portrait and one of his Bedroom in Arles paintings. Jules Breton's The Song of the Lark. Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon. Ivan Albright's powerfully haunting That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door). And much, much more. As mentioned above, there are some well-known paintings by the American realist painter Edward Hopper which perfectly capture the beautiful solitude and sad loneliness of modern life. I love his paintings and none is more resonant of this theme (or heavily parodied) as his famous 1942 painting Nighthawks.
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AuthorMing is an economist, traveller, and creative writer from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a nebulous collection of particles on the lookout for a good corner to sit with a book and a cup of coffee. Archives
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