Culture
Park51
I’m trying not to get caught up in the political debate about the Islamic Center, Park51 Community Center, proposed near the World Trade Center site, but it is very controversial, particularly here in DC and I have my own firm views. Regardless of the political debate, I was taken aback by the official conceptual designs on Park51’s website, which I hadn’t seen until recently, described here by Philip Kennicott as an architectural review in The Washington Post. These are preliminary concepts by Soma Architects. Well, imagine my surprise as I tried to find their website, which surprisingly was hard to do, http://www.soma-architects.com/ and I discovered that they are literally right…
- Artists, Business, Celebrations & Events, Culture, Family, Food & Drink, illustration, Kick-Start the Weekend, Sculpture
Effen
That’s Effen for Effen Vodka, which in Dutch means: 1) smooth, 2) even, 3) balanced and cleverly is “a five letter word.” It certainly is but there’s a story to go with it. I will start here with giving them high credit for their branding, which is some of the best I’ve seen. I love the clean, sleek look of their design and the play on words. I even like Effen vodka and it’s now our “house” brand. Kettle One still takes the cake for straight flavor taste — if you like vodka. Since I’m running behind this week, the lounge music on their site, btw, is the music for…
- Celebrations & Events, Culture, Everyday, Family, Food & Drink, Inspiration, Kick-Start the Weekend, Music, New Orleans, Performance, Uncategorized
Thursdays at Twilight
Alright, it’s Friday, but when my mother told me about her latest Thursday at Twilight venture at the New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park, I just had to write about it. This is an ongoing concert series that she and many other New Orleanians of all backgrounds attend. It’s a beautiful spot too. Last Thursday was Motown. It was sold out. She and her friends (all @ 70+ and many have lost their husbands) got up to dance. There were whites, blacks, old and young, wealthy and middle class people there all enjoying a good time. All dancing and sharing mint juleps. I asked her, “Where were the reporters?”…
