May 26, 2018 - Elisa's Day at The Nassau County Museum in Roslyn and Tanya Seeing Prague Sights Featuring The Charles Bridge and Český Krumlov

Elisa's Daily Scoop
Covering Long Island & NYC Boroughs
CURRENTLY IN: GARDEN CITY, NY
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Day at The Nassau County Museum, Roslyn, Long Island

Happy Saturday!!  Can you believe the GORgeous weather we have had over the past few days in New York!!!

Well, yesterday, I decided to be a bit spontaneous and after going for an early morning spot of tea with my friend Karla, I could not imagine doing boring errands all day or heaven forbid, sitting inside; Instead, I decided to take a drive over to the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn.

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What a great day I had!!!

Such perfect weather to walk around the grounds of what used to be the Frick-Clayton Estate, the present day Nassau County Museum of Art.

The Nassau County Museum of Art located in Roslyn, NY in the heart of Long Island's fabled Gold Coast (c) travelincousins.com

If you are not familiar with this museum, a Roslyn Landmark and the former home of some of Long Island's most prominent residents, here is a bit of history. 

According to the museum's literature, NCMA is ranked among the nations most important suburban art museums.  After visiting for the first time, I was quite impressed with the collections on permanent display as well as those that are temporarily on exhibit and understand how it has gained such an impressive ranking.

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The former Frick Estate, now property of the museum, consists of 145 acres, most of which originally belonged to poet, lawyer, conservationist, political activist and patron of the arts and preservationist William Cullen Bryant.  

First Owner:
Bryant settled in Roslyn in 1843 and actually lived across from what is currently Bryant Avenue, at the edge of Hempstead Harbor.

Second Owner:
In 1900, Lloyd Stephens Bryce purchased Bryant's "Upland Farm" and commissioned the architect Ogden Codman, Jr. to design Bryce House, a three-story Georgian mansion that typifies the Gold Coast architecture of the late 19th Century. It is the mansion that currently houses the NCMA.

Bryce, an attorney, had an illustrious career in both politics and literature, but is best known as editor and owner of The North American Review, had the mansion situated on an elevated site overlooking Hempstead Harbor. 

Lovely Grounds of the former Frick-Clayton Estate - currently The Nassau County Museum of Art (c) travelincousins.com

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Third Owner:
In 1919, Henry Clay Frick, co-founder of US Steel Corporation purchased Bryce House as a gift for his son, Childs Frick and his wife, Frances.

The couple hired British architect Sir Charles Carrick Allom to redesign the façade and the interior of the house, which they called Clayton.

Art Sculpture scattered around the grounds (c) travelincousins.com

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Childs, an avid sports enthusiast, made some other additions to the estate, which included two tennis courts (one grass and one clay), a polo field, two ponds, a swimming pool, bridle paths and a ski slope with its own snow-making machine!!

He also had over 400 conifer specimens from all the over world planted, 200 of which still survive today!

Today, the grounds are beautifully manicured, with a lovely and stately fountain area, four walking trails (less than a mile each) and a variety of sculptures all throughout the grounds, in the woods, ponds and formal gardens and fields.

The earliest sculpture piece dates back to 1913 and the most recent from 2006, encompassing a wide array of styles, materials and techniques.

There are close to 40 sculptures, many of which I did not get to see, due to limited time I had.  It is my incentive to come back to follow the outdoor sculpture map and walk the walking trails on my next visit!!

While at NCMA today, I had the opportunity to view both permanent exhibits as well as a few special visiting ones. 

I was most inspired to see the museum-wide exhibit, Anything Goes: The Jazz Age.

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Armed with two cameras, I snapped away at the various displays throughout the many rooms.  It was hard to forget that this is not only a museum that houses artistic treasures, but, also a mansion and former residence, which, of itself, is a piece of architectural art and history! This too, captivated me!

As I walked through the building, admiring the ornate crown molding, rounded hallways and marble accented fireplaces, I kept trying imagine what it must have been like to live there! Particularly, with access to the lush acreage and view of the harbor.

Posters of the 1920's (c) travelincousins.com

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The Jazz Age Great Musicians & Singers - photos of George Gershwin and Ella Fitzgerald and more lined the curved hallway walls (c) travelincousins.com

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A great deal was on display from the 1920's era,  including paintings, photography, line drawings and books and memorabilia.

Throughout one of the hallways, photographs lined the curved walls with great legends of jazz music that included Ella Fitzgerald and George Gershwin.

Artist Anna Wolinska, with whom I was not familiar prior to visiting the museum, was the focus of an entire room filled with her surrealist paintings including a self-portrait. She was very prolific during this period.

Surrealist artist, Anna Wolinska's Self portrait (c) travelincousins.com

Artwork of Anna Wolinska (c) travelincousins.com

Artwork of Anna Wolinska (c) travelincousins.com

The entire exhibit was a tribute to all forms of art from the jazz age which happens to be one of my favorite historical eras. 

A film produced for the BBC, which ran about 50 minutes long, revealed a great deal of history about the 1920s, focused on the creative movement that was taking place in Paris.

The City of Lights was one of the most influential places for the development of the surrealist movement, in all art categories including music, artwork, writing and film.  The year before the stock market crash, 1928, saw a profound proliferation of creative works in all areas, but were brought to a halt with The Great Depression.  

Writers like Ernest Hemingway, painters such as Salvador Dali and songwriters like George Gershwin and Cole Porter found great Inspiration in Paris during this time because of the freedom it allowed for artistic expression. 

Sports Memorabilia on display featuring a seat from Yankee Stadium's 50th Anniversary (1923-1973) (c) travelincousins.com

A room filled with a collection of sports memorabilia caught my eye as I was headed for the elevator to exit the museum.  On display were photographs, historic artifacts and most interestingly, an original stadium seat from Yankee Stadium with a gold plaque that read "Yankee Stadium's 50th Anniversary (1923-1973)" .

As I was walking the grounds making my way back to the parking lot, I met the museum grounds keeper.

A Long Island  native from Glen Cove, John Yaniak, as I soon learned, has a huge sports memorabilia collection and several of the items on display in the sports exhibit, belong to his collection.

We spoke for about 25 minutes about how he started his collection as a young boy and then went on to collect more items through the years. He also delighted me with his stories of his personal encounters with many sports figures throughout his life. 

Other exhibits included a permanent Showcase of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s artwork, which I wasn’t aware even existed, believing he solely created stained glass lamps and decor. This was a big surprise to me being a big fan. (Click here for a look at the Tiffany display at the Queens Museum).

I recommend visiting the NCMA to see Anything Goes: Age Of Jazz while on exhibition through July 6, 2018.

What a Day!!! 

Today, sadly, I've decided not to attend The Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach. Being that we have been there before, and the kids were not really in the mood to go (UGH) - we will do something else -- a visit to Clark Botanic Gardens in Albertson.

I'll fill ya in on all the details tomorrow, with info, pics and even some video clips!

Enjoy your Saturday!!
-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop​​
Covering the West Coast & the World
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague Sights: Featuring the Charles Bridge and Český Krumlov

Hi All!  Wow - what a way to begin Memorial Day weekend  - viewing all of Tanya's Prague Videos and photos!!  Check them all out below. 

I love the evening video she took on the Charles Bridge, which crosses the Vltava River in Prague.

This morning, Tanya was on the Charles Bridge again and then headed to Český Krumlov - Old Town.

The core of the old town is within a horseshoe bend of the river, with the old Latrán neighborhood and castle on the other side of the Vltava.

Its historic centre, centred around the Český Krumlov Castle, is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992 and was given this status along with the historic Prague castle district.
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Most of the architecture of the old town and castle dates from the 14th through 17th centuries; the town's structures are mostly in Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles.
 
​Enjoy! - E

Tanya walking through Mala Strana, Prague (c) travelincousinsn.com

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On the Charles Bridge (c) travelincousins.com

The Dancing House, Prague (c) travelincousins.com

On the road - driving to Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

On the road - driving to Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

On the road - driving to Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

This morning - Tanya on the Charles Bridge yet again!!!

 Český Krumlov

Český Krumlov - (c) travelincousins.com

Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

Lunch at LaiBoN in Český Krumlov 

LaiBoN Restaurant in Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

LaiBoN Restaurant in Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

LaiBoN Restaurant in Český Krumlov (c) travelincousins.com

Just a quick Hello - Ahoj! / Čau! / Nazdar! 
I do hope that you've been enjoying the new video clips - we've been getting some very nice feedback for doing so. Now you get to see firs hand just how silly I can be! LOL

Anyhow, I finally made it to Cesky Krumlov!!!
This UNESCO site was suggested by my friend Carlos back when Elisa and I visited in 2015. But alas, none of us had a car and the trip here is about a 2.5 hour drive.

Take a looksie at some additional pictures from my day and I'll add some more on here soon!

​From Prague to Cesky Krumlov - A Photo Album of my Day

Lovely stay (c)travelincousin.com

Cesky Krumlov is quite lovely as I'm sure you can tell. 

I'll be back before you know it,
-Travelin' Tanya