DJ Trava

Archive for April, 2010

Without question, New York City can be a strain on the wallet for travelers. If you search around a little, you’ll find a way to lighten your economic burden. Some museums, for instance, are free each day, such as the National Museum of the American Indian . Because it’s a member of the Smithsonian Institution, entrance is always free, and the place is a fascinating look at Native American life. The purpose of the museum, in coordination with Native peoples is to offer a place to exhibit and study, but more importantly, preserve the art and history of Native Americans. You’ll find it a small distance from the Staten Island Ferry, in lower Manhattan, over on Bowling Green.

The Goethe House also offers its exhibits free to the public. Here, you can learn about German life and culture inside the Goethe Institute by taking a walk through its gallery. Performances and lectures and exhibits are constantly changing, so check in ahead of time. You’ll find the exhibits and lectures free, but musical performances will require reservations. If you arrive on a Monday, you’ll find the library closed; however, you can come back as often as you want for a year’s membership of ten dollars (five dollars, if you’re a student).

There are free exhibits at the Forbes Magazine Galleries, too. Here, you’ll find exhibits that feature toys, fine art, presidential manuscripts, and even Faberge Easter eggs. The galleries are available from ten in the morning to four in the afternoon, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

You may also discover that some museums that normally charge are free on certain days of the week, such as the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum , which is the only museum in the United States that focuses solely on contemporary and historic design. It’s free on Tuesdays, from five in the afternoon to nine in the evening. It’s normally open daily, too, except for Mondays.

To save even more money, go to this site , where you’ll find comfortable places to stay that are also affordable and even close to the free museums.

There’s a pretty well-developed music scene in Nashville, as is pretty well known in most corners of the earth. The mainstay here is country, where the acts that came through here, from here, and recording here, helped to define the sound in its early days, as well as in each subsequent wave. These days, it’s still just as exciting as it ever was, and sometimes seems to be even better, because the competition is a lot higher than it used to be.

In some ways it’s easier for young musicians these days. There are plenty of new software tools to make recording music possible on a very small budget, and with the internet it’s easier to get the songs out there. However, because it’s easier to get access to the tools, it’s much harder to get attention, with so many groups playing as loud and hard as the previous generation. This time around there’s more business savvy, too, and all of these things go into the equation. However, it’s still a game that’s won by those who can deliver talent and skill with heart. Heart is what happens in live performance, and it really can’t be faked.

It’s still he early years for Brother Trouble the duo who moved here in 2002. They’ve had some remarkable successes, and are still local enough that it’s possible to hear them play in small spaces at times. It shouldn’t be too long, however, before all the nice hotels are booked when they’re in town, but for now it’s nice to come and visit Nashville while they’re still playing intimate spaces. Brother Trouble do play large houses, too, and have shared the billing with some big country acts, and play steadily in places like Las Vegas , but there are plenty of local shows the are worth the time, and definitely worth the trouble.

This music is contemporary country with a very strong pulse that comes from rock. It’s smart and fun, and it moves the crowds in all the right directions at just the right time. But there’s also a very strong traditional strain in this, speaking to a heartbeat that is as real as it gets.

Last year, when I had an unexpected stay-over in Columbia, Maryland, due to an freak snow storm, I was treated to a gallery opening at The Columbia Art Center. That night’s exhibit honored the work of Myung Sook Kim, an outstanding Korean artist and dancer. Being Korean myself, this was an unexpected pleasure. Myung Sook Kim’s watercolors were stunning and non-traditional, which I really appreciated.

So, here I am again, one year later, and back in Columbia, not because of an unexpected snow storm, but because I fell in love with this community. I found Columbia’s residence to be diverse and very friendly. I’m here staying at a great local hotel and I’m hoping to see if moving here is a possibility. I plan to stay here for two weeks, I figured this will give me a better feel for the place than just one night like last year. Ever since that fateful night, I couldn’t get Columbia out of my mind. I did some research on the Internet about this town and found out that Columbia is a ‘planned’ community and its all about promoting the best life possible for all kinds of people.

I found this to be true this time around. My first stop was to go back to Columbia Art Center , to see what was going on, and right now they are exhibiting their teachers and students artwork. I did a little inquiring about Myung Sook Kim, and was told she is a residence of Maryland, but they didn’t know exactly where, but if I like to send her a note, they would forward it to her art manager. How nice! I took them up on their offer and in my note, I let her know just how much I liked her artwork and that I was considering living here in Columbia.

Later, I found this great vegetarian restaurant for lunch, called ‘David’s Natural Market+http://www.davidsnaturalmarket.com/retailer/store_templates/shell_id_1.asp?storeID=CF1D83C59A914DEEB1F49F78C9BE5747 . I had a phenomenal soup, Kidney Bean soup, and the special of the day: vegetarian Chili with pinto beans and corn. Very interesting and the place was casual, which made it easy for me to strike up conversations with the people at the tables next to me. I asked how they liked living here, what they do for fun, etc. Everyone was eager to tell me all about how wonderful Columbia is to live. They all said I should move here, that I won’t regret it, and that there would be no problem about finding a job. Afterwards, I couldn’t help but feel welcomed here, like I already belonged.