For the superstitious Friday 13th is a day to cautious but for me this occasion its has proved a brilliant day, unlike two weeks ago when my car was hit in the rear corner by an accelerating bus.
I had planned to be up and away to Newcastle earlier than as happened although I had woken early and lingered awake in bed, as I thought. There was a cloudless blue sky. no wind and the temperature favourable for being out and about. I took the loan car to Heworth and should have taken a 2 hour ticket for £1.10 but with careless thinking put in the £1.80 for four hours at around 10.30 am.
The mission was to go to the Tyneside Film Theatre for the opening day of the sale of tickets for the remaining operas in the New York Metropolitan Live relay season in HD. Unlike the other cinemas in the chain the theatre had only sold tickets for the first three operas and then decided on its approach in the light of the demand which has been a great surprise and made them think their role in the cultural life of one of great cities of the world.
The lady in the queue before me was purchasing two of the advertised full rest fo season tickets, my Christmas present she said. The Lady with the other assistant was buying three single tickets for the next three operas for herself and was taking renewing her membership as was I about to do. She had not been before and clearly and been persuaded by word of mouth. The advantage of the Membership is two free tickets and £1 off seats in the Classic circle or 75p elsewhere plus 10% in the coffee room or one for the two bars. I bought tickets for Carmen in the Classic circle at the front and for Simon Boccanegra and Hamlet in the stalls. I then treated myself to a large coffee at the street level bar where I was joined at the next table by two young men each with laptops.
I then decided not to waste the paid for car parking and take a bus to the Quayside and visit the Baltic Contemporary art house walking through the shopping centre and Marks and Spencer’s along the way. I decided to check out the revised Green Market which used be a large areas of stalls but has now replaced where Argos used be. There is only room for six stall type outlets and only three of these are occupied with the available space used by the coffee bar. It is sometime since I have visited the Granger indoor market down street which has the traditional fruit and vegetables and other food stalls and various goods under a large roof area. Along the high level passage way there is a large stall selling very kind of calendar from pop stars to city views and the 365 day one good saying a day or picture.
There was one of the special buses at the terminus and I was the only passenger for half the short journey which nevertheless provides an excellent view of city centre. Newcastle is one of my favourite cities in the UK with Durham and York and along with Oxford and Chester and Brighton.
Newcastle is not pretty pretty, or quaint with dramatic vistas such as Durham or the colleges of Oxford or Cambridge, another I enjoyed a two week stay on a management course in the early seventies. It has a great river best viewed from the Baltic observations platforms or the Sage Concert Halls or the centre of High level Bridge. There is also the attractive 1830 neo classical facades of Granger and Dobson from the Monument of Earl Grey all the way down of the Tyne quayside voted the best looking street in England by BBC Radio 4 listeners
Newcastle has many faces and remains primarily the commercial centre for the whole of the Northeast of England. It had also become the a key part of Higher Education with 50000 university places within the city competing as a place to study and play with the collegiate Durham and the junior riverside developments of Sunderland and Gateshead.
It was always a place of culture and general entertainment with theatres and musical halls giving way to the cinema and the disco bar and nightclub and more recently the International standard concert halls. There are various major art galleries and museums and between 50 and 100 attractive Inns as well as a similar number of international restaurants, coffee and sandwich shops, tea rooms, and fast food takeaways. For general clothes and other shopping goods the Gateshead Metro is superior to Eldon Square unless you want expensive high class goods where there are specialist stores and of course Fenwicks.
I exited the bus at the Law Courts and had to scurry over the Millennium bridge as the warning bell sounded for the midday raising. This always attracts an audience for a process which takes a good ten minutes each way. As the visit was unplanned I had not checked the exhibitions but along the end of the former Flour Mill building full length banners declared a Damien Hirst showing of his Pharmacy alongside a work supporting the 175 year life of the Newcastle University Medical School. On the main length of the building there was a giant post saying vote for the Miners or a similar slogan.
I have been constantly disappointed by the building and the package of exhibitions until today. I am not saying that I did not experience WOW by individual displays on almost every visit. Today there was a more general WOW although I have already seen the Hirst at the former Saatchi and I decided against the Malcolm McLaren pay for show described as musical paintings restricted to over 16’s because of its nudity.
Instead I took the lift to the 5th level having never visited the restaurant at the sixth where a three course meal with coffee excluding wine will cost around £30 per head. From the 5th you look out across the raised Millennium Bridge to the other bridges across the Tyne and up the hill to where Newcastle St James‘s football stadium, one of the world‘s great stadiums, now dominates the skyline from all round the city.
It is also possible to look into the 4th level exhibition area, a space in full darkness except for four large cinema size screens on each of the side walls. Korean Kim Sooja has filmed crowds in eight cities approaching the motionless figures of a Seamstress, in London, New York, Mexico City Delhi, Lagos, Cairo, Tokyo and Shanghai. In most of the cities people go by without giving the woman attention or look bemused except in Lagos where everyone looks and speculates. What struck me was that London faces have become more cosmopolitan than New York. The film was on when I arrived and sat to watch a complete showing and was then repeated again so I moved on missing the showing of a Laundry Woman Yamun river India. The seamstress stands Performance art on its heads with the artist motionless while everyone else is moving.
I then enjoyed the two floor exhibition of the work of Martin Parr and quickly came to conclusion that we have similar artistic souls. The vast spaces of the second floor are covered wall upon wall with his photographs and montages of post cards and other memorabilia and there are tables of his art books gathered with care from around the world. Probably the most interesting for the casual visitor are his collections of souvenirs from Thatcher and Bush years, the macabre 9.11 and Saddam Hussein mementos and collection of commemorative plates from long since defunct coal pits about their defiance and role in the Miner’s strike.
On the ground floor there are his latest collection of glossy colour photographs of those engaged in luxury living ranging from contemporary Bright Young Things, looking and behaving just as silly as their predecessors and bosomy matrons in ill fitting couture frocks including the Northumbrian Plate, the Pitman’s derby here in the North East, the Dubai Art Fair, the Beijing Motor Show and the Millionaires Fair in Moscow. No recession evident for these people.
One of joys as far as art shops go in art galleries and show houses is that at the Baltic. In addition tot eh usual collection of books I would love to own and look at least once there art designed goods and games and plenty of stuff for young people. There appeared to be a problem with the bus to Newcastle from this of the river so I took the one to Gateshead Interchange and eventually found my way to Wilkinson where I picked up some black albums for creative work and their own indigestion tables for a third of the usual price. At Tesco there was fruit and vegetables fresh and in tins and more of the three packs of meat for £10 deal, some Chinese style chicken things and piece of unsmoked gammon. I remembered the toilet rolls, the Milk and the biscuit crackers but then forgot the fruit and nut cereal so I called in at Lidl’s where I bought some inexpensive salami to go with the rolls bought at Tesco.
It was mid afternoon on return and waiting for me was the World’s Great voices five disk set originally issued by the Readers Digest but now available at a fraction of the price from EBay and Amazon. I could not wait to listen, abandon the writing and game playing for the rest of the day into the early following with the exception of the third episode of Spooks which if anything exceeds the dramatic brilliance of previous seasons. Alas when after midnight the result of the first new style Euro Lottery ticket draw announced I had just one star number and one other on one of the three tickets. For once I was not that disappointed as I had in my possession one of the priceless greatest gifts, the musical voice.
I had planned to be up and away to Newcastle earlier than as happened although I had woken early and lingered awake in bed, as I thought. There was a cloudless blue sky. no wind and the temperature favourable for being out and about. I took the loan car to Heworth and should have taken a 2 hour ticket for £1.10 but with careless thinking put in the £1.80 for four hours at around 10.30 am.
The mission was to go to the Tyneside Film Theatre for the opening day of the sale of tickets for the remaining operas in the New York Metropolitan Live relay season in HD. Unlike the other cinemas in the chain the theatre had only sold tickets for the first three operas and then decided on its approach in the light of the demand which has been a great surprise and made them think their role in the cultural life of one of great cities of the world.
The lady in the queue before me was purchasing two of the advertised full rest fo season tickets, my Christmas present she said. The Lady with the other assistant was buying three single tickets for the next three operas for herself and was taking renewing her membership as was I about to do. She had not been before and clearly and been persuaded by word of mouth. The advantage of the Membership is two free tickets and £1 off seats in the Classic circle or 75p elsewhere plus 10% in the coffee room or one for the two bars. I bought tickets for Carmen in the Classic circle at the front and for Simon Boccanegra and Hamlet in the stalls. I then treated myself to a large coffee at the street level bar where I was joined at the next table by two young men each with laptops.
I then decided not to waste the paid for car parking and take a bus to the Quayside and visit the Baltic Contemporary art house walking through the shopping centre and Marks and Spencer’s along the way. I decided to check out the revised Green Market which used be a large areas of stalls but has now replaced where Argos used be. There is only room for six stall type outlets and only three of these are occupied with the available space used by the coffee bar. It is sometime since I have visited the Granger indoor market down street which has the traditional fruit and vegetables and other food stalls and various goods under a large roof area. Along the high level passage way there is a large stall selling very kind of calendar from pop stars to city views and the 365 day one good saying a day or picture.
There was one of the special buses at the terminus and I was the only passenger for half the short journey which nevertheless provides an excellent view of city centre. Newcastle is one of my favourite cities in the UK with Durham and York and along with Oxford and Chester and Brighton.
Newcastle is not pretty pretty, or quaint with dramatic vistas such as Durham or the colleges of Oxford or Cambridge, another I enjoyed a two week stay on a management course in the early seventies. It has a great river best viewed from the Baltic observations platforms or the Sage Concert Halls or the centre of High level Bridge. There is also the attractive 1830 neo classical facades of Granger and Dobson from the Monument of Earl Grey all the way down of the Tyne quayside voted the best looking street in England by BBC Radio 4 listeners
Newcastle has many faces and remains primarily the commercial centre for the whole of the Northeast of England. It had also become the a key part of Higher Education with 50000 university places within the city competing as a place to study and play with the collegiate Durham and the junior riverside developments of Sunderland and Gateshead.
It was always a place of culture and general entertainment with theatres and musical halls giving way to the cinema and the disco bar and nightclub and more recently the International standard concert halls. There are various major art galleries and museums and between 50 and 100 attractive Inns as well as a similar number of international restaurants, coffee and sandwich shops, tea rooms, and fast food takeaways. For general clothes and other shopping goods the Gateshead Metro is superior to Eldon Square unless you want expensive high class goods where there are specialist stores and of course Fenwicks.
I exited the bus at the Law Courts and had to scurry over the Millennium bridge as the warning bell sounded for the midday raising. This always attracts an audience for a process which takes a good ten minutes each way. As the visit was unplanned I had not checked the exhibitions but along the end of the former Flour Mill building full length banners declared a Damien Hirst showing of his Pharmacy alongside a work supporting the 175 year life of the Newcastle University Medical School. On the main length of the building there was a giant post saying vote for the Miners or a similar slogan.
I have been constantly disappointed by the building and the package of exhibitions until today. I am not saying that I did not experience WOW by individual displays on almost every visit. Today there was a more general WOW although I have already seen the Hirst at the former Saatchi and I decided against the Malcolm McLaren pay for show described as musical paintings restricted to over 16’s because of its nudity.
Instead I took the lift to the 5th level having never visited the restaurant at the sixth where a three course meal with coffee excluding wine will cost around £30 per head. From the 5th you look out across the raised Millennium Bridge to the other bridges across the Tyne and up the hill to where Newcastle St James‘s football stadium, one of the world‘s great stadiums, now dominates the skyline from all round the city.
It is also possible to look into the 4th level exhibition area, a space in full darkness except for four large cinema size screens on each of the side walls. Korean Kim Sooja has filmed crowds in eight cities approaching the motionless figures of a Seamstress, in London, New York, Mexico City Delhi, Lagos, Cairo, Tokyo and Shanghai. In most of the cities people go by without giving the woman attention or look bemused except in Lagos where everyone looks and speculates. What struck me was that London faces have become more cosmopolitan than New York. The film was on when I arrived and sat to watch a complete showing and was then repeated again so I moved on missing the showing of a Laundry Woman Yamun river India. The seamstress stands Performance art on its heads with the artist motionless while everyone else is moving.
I then enjoyed the two floor exhibition of the work of Martin Parr and quickly came to conclusion that we have similar artistic souls. The vast spaces of the second floor are covered wall upon wall with his photographs and montages of post cards and other memorabilia and there are tables of his art books gathered with care from around the world. Probably the most interesting for the casual visitor are his collections of souvenirs from Thatcher and Bush years, the macabre 9.11 and Saddam Hussein mementos and collection of commemorative plates from long since defunct coal pits about their defiance and role in the Miner’s strike.
On the ground floor there are his latest collection of glossy colour photographs of those engaged in luxury living ranging from contemporary Bright Young Things, looking and behaving just as silly as their predecessors and bosomy matrons in ill fitting couture frocks including the Northumbrian Plate, the Pitman’s derby here in the North East, the Dubai Art Fair, the Beijing Motor Show and the Millionaires Fair in Moscow. No recession evident for these people.
One of joys as far as art shops go in art galleries and show houses is that at the Baltic. In addition tot eh usual collection of books I would love to own and look at least once there art designed goods and games and plenty of stuff for young people. There appeared to be a problem with the bus to Newcastle from this of the river so I took the one to Gateshead Interchange and eventually found my way to Wilkinson where I picked up some black albums for creative work and their own indigestion tables for a third of the usual price. At Tesco there was fruit and vegetables fresh and in tins and more of the three packs of meat for £10 deal, some Chinese style chicken things and piece of unsmoked gammon. I remembered the toilet rolls, the Milk and the biscuit crackers but then forgot the fruit and nut cereal so I called in at Lidl’s where I bought some inexpensive salami to go with the rolls bought at Tesco.
It was mid afternoon on return and waiting for me was the World’s Great voices five disk set originally issued by the Readers Digest but now available at a fraction of the price from EBay and Amazon. I could not wait to listen, abandon the writing and game playing for the rest of the day into the early following with the exception of the third episode of Spooks which if anything exceeds the dramatic brilliance of previous seasons. Alas when after midnight the result of the first new style Euro Lottery ticket draw announced I had just one star number and one other on one of the three tickets. For once I was not that disappointed as I had in my possession one of the priceless greatest gifts, the musical voice.
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