In Ossining again – Shattemuc Yacht Club

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The Shattemuc Yacht Club describes itself as:

A family-oriented sail, boat, swim and social club located on the Hudson River. We feature a renowned sailing academy, outdoor pool, private beach and a clubhouse overlooking the scenic Hudson River.

With 125 boat slips and over 20 moorings, we accommodate boats of all sizes from kayaks to 40 foot cruisers. Our clubhouse on the Hudson is our crown jewel and our members use it year-round for social events, family picnics or just relaxing after a day of boating.

The well-known Boathouse Restaurant is located at the south end of our property and offers our members discounts to a delicious assortment of fine food.

A quite lengthy section on the history of the club begins:

Shattemuc Yacht Club’s roots can be traced to the old Sing Sing Yacht Club, which held its first regatta in 1858, over 156 years ago! Although that club became extinct, there was active canoe sailing in the late 1870’s and early 1880’s, and talk of organizing another club. What eventually became our club was first incorporated as the Sing Sing Yacht Club in 1888. Our history is rich with boat races dating back to the earliest days and continues even today.

For more on the club’s history see a brief history of the Shattemuc and Short Topics.

I often go to The Boathouse so the discount would be attractive. I also like the location. Although I don’t have a boat and don’t enjoy boating all that much, I might consider becoming a member.

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Taken with a Sony RX100 M7

In Ossining again – Overview

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The other day I had lunch at one of my favorite riverfront restaurants (See: Lunch at the Boathouse, Ossining, NY). I planned to go for a walk afterwards. Normally, I would turn right from the restaurant, continue to the metro-north station, cross of the train tracks and then go up main street. This time I decided to try something different. I would turn left from the restaurant, cross the tracks there, and then go up Snowden Ave., pass through Matilda Street, and then go up North Malcolm Street. When I got to North Highland Ave. (Route 9) I planned to turn right, walk along Route 9 until I got to Ellis Place where I would turn left, and then along Wolden to Holbrook Road where my house is.

I wasn’t very familiar with this area so, in addition to getting a good walk I hoped to find some new opportunities to take a few pictures.

Taken with a Sony RX100 M7

Seeing a Broadway Show – After show meal with my daughter

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After the show we stopped at a fairly new restaurant in Grand Central Terminal.

It’s called Grand Brasserie, and the New York Times described it as follows:

Rick Blatstein, having sold OTG, his airport restaurant company with hundreds of outlets, continues to think big. His new company, Vizz Group, has taken over the landmark Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, previously run by City Winery, and the adjacent dining room, formerly Cornelius. Grand Brasserie is an airy 400-seat restaurant and bar, open during the terminal’s hours. The Rockwell Group’s design with Art Deco and Beaux Arts accents and splashes of scarlet on tabletops and seats reflect the style of many Parisian brasseries and railway terminals.

About three weeks ago I’d had lunch there with her husband who was there on business

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Taken with a Sony RX100 M7

Seeing a Broadway Show – Finally at the show

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I met my daughter outside the theater, and we were, finally, ready to see the show.

Did I enjoy it? Well, first a little history. I saw the movie many years ago (and loved it). When the show first came out in 1993 it opened first in London. Since I was in New York I wasn’t able to see the show, so I bought the original cast recording instead. I loved that too. Eventually I saw the show in London. I’ve seen a lot of shows in New York and for some of them I didn’t care for the production. But I’ve never seen a poor performance. The depth of talent in New York City is incredible. When I saw the show in London the production was good, but the performances (particularly of the female lead) were less so. I was a bit disappointed, but I hoped to see it again sometime.

Fast forward to the present day. The performances were wonderful, especially those of the male and female leads. Nicole Scherzinger was particularly impressive despite the fact that she was rather too young, and perhaps too attractive to play the part. But what a fantastic voice.

Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about the production. There were no sets. The earlier production I saw had realistic period (1940s) sets and costumes. This one had neither: just a pretty much empty stage and uniform black/grey costumes. It was a bit dreary, and at times could potentially cause problems. Near the end some asks something like “Who’s Norma Desmond?”. In the earlier production the walls were covered with pictures of her (showing how narcissistic she was). The male lead answers by pointing at pictures in turn and saying “That’s Norma Desmond! That’s Norma Desmond! That’s Norma Desmond!”. Of course, in this production there are no pictures to point at. Seemed a little strange. I could give other examples. I also thought the giant screen, although effective at times, was used too much. Finally, I find Norma to be a very sad person. Although the original production had a certain amount of humor, I felt this one poked too much fun at Norma’s expense. It was a bit like kicking a homeless man.

Still, I shouldn’t be so critical. You can’t always repeat the same production over and over again. It was a valiant attempt, which I felt didn’t quite work. Just the same I enjoyed it immensely!

Taken with a Sony RX100 MVII