Out Gallivanting

Katja is not a fan of the winter months, which always seem to drag on for much too long. Still, she’s not one to let the cold weather (or anything else, for that matter) get in the way of her constant search for fun and new adventures. Or to keep her from looking anything less than glamorous while doing so.

And, on the rare occasion that the cold keeps her from venturing out, she stays nice and cozy in style. Because even at home one should be glamorous.

Although Katja hasn't been on a plane since her trip to Vienna (thankfully this will be remedied very soon, as she's off to London in a few days), she has, of course, been doing some traveling. In fact she's been quite a regular on the Amtrak to Boston. Not quite as glamorous as flying the friendly skies, but just as long as she's going places she's happy.

Not surprisingly a lot of her activities in Boston revolved around Boston Ballet. One of these was Glass After Class, an event for the Young Partners of the Boston Ballet, which consisted of a class and then drinks afterwards. This, of course, was a wonderful mix for Katja, as she loves ballet, and she loves her wine. Not together of course, although perhaps that would make her less terrified of turning.

Katja also made her way up to Boston for the Boston Ballet gala, Le Bal Epoque. She and her friends enjoyed a leisurely dinner at the Four Seasons' Bristol Restaurant before heading over to the Boston Castle, where the event was held, for drinks and dancing. She had a fabulous time, but then how can one not when there's an endless supply of bubbly. Katja was not, however, a fan of the venue. It felt too cavernous and had very little charm, and is also home to a steakhouse. What can she say, she can be a bit of a snob at times (and as a vegetarian does prefers to stay as far away from steakhouses as possible).

As much fun as the gala was, her favorite trip was to see Onegin, which is one of her favorite ballets. Although she can't say she thinks much of Onegin as a character (a self-involved jerk, really), she thinks it is such a beautiful and moving ballet, and that anybody who has the chance to go see it should do so. In fact she saw it twice.

She also got in a performance in New York, something that she surprisingly hadn't done in a while (too busy traveling and getting up to other things). Although she is generally not a fan of fairy tale ballets, she decided to check out Les Ballets de Monte Carlo's Cinderella, a modern version by Jean-Cristophe Maillot, at the City Center. It certainly didn't rank up there with Onegin (but then little does in her opinion), but she enjoyed the performance, and loved that Cinderella's feet were not shod in glass slippers, but instead dipped in gold.

While Katja is not a fan of fairy tale ballets, she does like fairy tales in other contexts, such as the Fairy Tale Fashion exhibition at the Museum at FIT. She thought the clothing was amazing, and loved the design of the exhibition. If only she could have taken some of the outfits home with her...

Of course the trip to the Museum at FIT was just one of her many museum visits, the cultured girl that she is. She especially loves when art is combined with bubbly (something she's probably mentioned once or twice before), and was thus happy to attend a member event at the Museum of Modern Art for the newly opened Marcel Broodthaers: A Retrospective. While she can't say that the show, dedicated to a Belgian poet who at age 40 turned to the visual arts, was her favorite, she did find some of his work amusing, and enjoyed perusing the exhibition.

More to her liking was Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist inRevolutionary France, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She loved the beautiful portraits, many of Marie Antoinette, but also of other glamorous ladies (much like herself, if she may say so). And while the queen may never have uttered the infamous line "let them eat cake," Katja thinks that it's always a good idea to do so.

On the subject of cake, and since Katja hasn't been able to travel abroad these past few months, she decided to attend an event that would make her feel like she was abroad (and which involved lots of sweet treats). She thus made her way down to DC for an Evening of Viennese Waltzing at the Organization of the American States, which, unlike the Boston Castle, is a venue very much to her liking. The evening, which took her back to her fabulous New Year's trip to Vienna, began with bubbly in the beautiful fountained courtyard, followed by dancing in the ballroom (the evening officially starts with the Grand March), and a decadent dessert buffet. Needless to say she had no qualms just diving right in and trying the many treats. You only live once, after all.

And there's always ballet to burn those calories...which don't count on the weekend anyway (or so she's been told and is more than happy to believe).

And I'm (Almost) Off

Katja is happy to report that in a few days she’ll finally be up in the skies again, heading somewhere further afield than the East Coast (Frankfurt, to be specific). Her passport is especially happy, as it’s been feeling rather neglected, not having been put to use since July.

In the meantime she’s been doing her usual research, museum (go see Fashion and Virtue, a small but very nice exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art), and ballet thing, as well as her regular trips to Boston. She did go slightly off the usual beaten path one weekend, when she made her way to Fawn Lake, Virginia, to help celebrate a family member's big birthday.

Despite the craziness that surrounded the festivities, Katja was able to enjoy some relaxing moments,

and, more importantly, treats at Dairy Queen, a place she loves. As tasty as the much trendier artisanal ice cream may be, Katja thinks there's noting quite as good as a Blizzard (or peanut butter sundae), and she thinks the seasonal Candy Cane Oreo Blizzard is most delicious.

But, being the city girl that she is, there's only so much peace and quiet she can take, so by Sunday afternoon she was more than ready to get back to the hustle and bustle of New York City (despite the gloomy weather it's been having recently).

Anyway, Katja would go into further detail about her exploits over the past few weeks, but she worries she's beginning to sound a bit like a broken record. Plus she needs to figure out which one of her new legwarmers to wear to ballet class.

Decisions, decisions... It's hard work being a fashionista.

It's Not That Time Yet

As much as Katja loves Christmas (and is counting the days until her trip to Germany for the Christmas markets), she was slightly disturbed to stumble upon a rather sizable display of Christmas trees and décor a few weeks ago. I mean, she hasn’t even figured out what she’s going to be for Halloween. On that subject, it most definitely is pumpkin season, as well as that time of year when the weather starts getting noticeably cooler.

While Katja has been happy to switch to her fall/winter wardrobe (as cute as they are, she was starting to get bored of her summer dresses), she’s really not a fan of the cold. She hasn’t, however, let the cooler temperatures keep her from trekking up to the Upper East Side for her ballet classes, and from getting out and about in the city. Because while she's definitely not a cold weather kind of girl, she's even less of a stay at home and just hang out kind of girl.

Besides Ballet Academy East (her home away from home), Katja has been spending a lot of time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She can often be found researching at the Watson Library (which she highly recommends to anybody with art historical research to do), as well as waddling through the museum's endless galleries. It is, after all, no fun to just read about art when there are so many wonderful things to see. Katja also recently attended a preview and reception for Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom.

She enjoyed checking out the exhibition, and then having drinks in the beautiful Carroll and Milton Petrie European Sculpture Court; she does, after all, love a glass of red wine along with her art. And even better to be able to sip that wine next to Antonio Canova's Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1804-6), which she thinks is pretty fabulous.

Katja had another opportunity to mix cocktails and culture at Choreographers and Cocktails, a benefit for the Joyce Theater, which is one of her favorite places to see dance. The event took place at the DANY Studios, where seven different companies - American Dance Machine for the 21st Century, Abraham.In.Motion, Dorrance Dance, KEIGWIN+COMPANY, MADBOOTS DANCE, Monica Bill Barnes & Company Productions, and Pam Tanowitz Dance - held open rehearsals. She very much enjoyed the evening, wandering from studio to studio, a glass of wine in hand, to watch the dancers rehearse. And afterwards, during the cocktail hour, she even got in a bit of dancing herself (she is, without question, a first on the dance floor kind of girl).

Of course she doesn't need wine to enjoy her culture, and could also be found at various performances over the past few weeks. She caught two Fall for Dance programs at the lovely New York City Center - the first one she saw featured Compagnie Hervé KOUBI (which she loved), Steven McRae, Project FFD: Pam Tanowitz, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and the second Nrityagram, San Francisco Ballet, Stephen Petronio Company, and Dorrance Dance.

And while Katja generally sticks to dance, she decided it was time to change things up a bit by seeing some plays. A big fan of the novels of Emile Zola, she was excited to see Thérèse Raquin at the Studio 54 Theatre. She thoroughly enjoyed the play, and was happy that it did Zola's novel justice. She also very much enjoyed seeing a friend in Letters To Sala at the Barrow Group Theatre. Of course she's biased, but she thinks she has amazingly talented friends.

Not surprisingly, Katja also managed to make her way up to Boston a few times over these past weeks. The nomadic type that she is, she can't go much more than a week without traveling somewhere, and as Boston has rather unexpectedly become something of a second home to her, she's happy for any excuse to go up there. And it's never too hard for her to find a good excuse, such as a cocktail making seminar that a friend organized at Ames Street Deli (she chooses her friends wisely). The theme of the evening was New Orleans cocktails, and the cocktail of choice was the Sazerac. Luckily the bartender let her make hers with cognac instead of whiskey, as she's not really a whiskey drinking kind of girl (cognac, on the other hand...). And not to boast, but she must say she was rather impressed with her cocktail making skills.

Katja also went up for a season kick-off party for the Young Partners of the Boston Ballet. She enjoyed catching up with friends and having a few too many glasses of red wine, but mostly she's looking forward to the start of the season, and seeing John Neumeier's Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler.

Of course Katja does more in Boston than just go to parties (not that it would be bad thing if that's all she did), and thus made her way to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a place she hadn’t been in ages. She thinks the museum, in a building designed to evoke a 15th century Venetian palace, is ever so lovely. She's a big fan of the themed rooms, the Tapestry Room and the Gothic Room probably being her two favorites (although they're all rather wonderful, so she can't say for certain). And, as the dance lover that she is, she's partial to John Singer Sargent's painting El Jaleo (1882).

So, basically Katja's just been hanging out with friends

and doing her usual art-dance-adult beverage thing. It's a rather nice routine to have, don't you think?

I Love NY

After a summer spent largely on the road and in the skies, Katja has been enjoying spending time in New York (there really is no place quite like it). She's been taking full advantage of all the city has to offer, although as usual her activities have largely revolved around art and dance, and have frequently been accompanied by a glass or two of champagne.

Katja recently spent a lovely evening at the Museum of Modern Art, at a member reception for the newly opened exhibitions Picasso Sculpture and Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe and Latin America, 1960–1980. Although she began her evening with a glass of bubbly, Katja did manage to pry herself away from the open bar long enough to peruse the exhibitions, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly the rainy weather kept her from hanging out in MoMA's lovely sculpture garden, so she had to sip her bubbly and gaze at Isa Genzken's 36-foot-tall Rose II sculpture from inside.

Katja also enjoyed a lovely evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s a place she spends a fair amount of time, whether researching at the wonderful Watson Library, or perusing the museum's vast collections. She had, however, never attended a Met Friday. September's theme is ¡Noche en el Met!, and the Friday she attended was a celebration of Mexico.

As a lover of things Mexican she knew she couldn't miss this one, which began with visitors being welcomed by the Mariachi Real de Mexico. The evening included numerous lectures and activities; she particularly enjoyed making flower crowns a la Frida Kahlo,

and the performance by the Capulli Mexican Dance Company in the Egyptian Gallery's Temple of Dendir. Although her flower crown couldn't quite compete with the feathered headdresses of the dancers, she still thinks that she stole the show.

Dance and art also mixed at a reception she attended at the New Museum for Paul Taylor American Modern Dance. The evening, a celebration of the company's new commissions, included a discussion with Doug Elkins, who is currently creating a work for PTAMD. Because it was such a lovely late summer evening, Katja and her friends spent much of the reception on the museum's rooftop balcony, taking in the beautiful sunset and views of the city (with a glass of bubbly in hand, of course).

On the subject of dance, Katja is happy to be back to a more regular schedule of ballet classes – and even more happy that Ballet Academy East's weekend schedule has gone back to its later fall times. She’s not a morning person, especially on weekends, when she likes to enjoy a good lie-in (she does need her beauty sleep, after all).

Besides dance and museum related activities, Katja has also been spending a fair amount of time catching up with friends over dinner (and a few too many drinks) at New York's great restaurants and bars.

Despite the numerous options she often finds herself back at Cafe Katja, which is, without a doubt, her favorite restaurant in the city. Besides the restaurant's name, she loves the atmosphere and the friendly staff, and she really, really loves the Spätzle, as well as the tasty Topfentorte. She might have, in the past, mentioned her love of all things Topfen (more commonly called Quark in German, and túró in Hungarian) - she thinks it's just so delicious in both sweet and savory treats. And, of course, there's nothing quite like finishing a meal with a nice glass of Schnapps. While she normally goes for apricot she also recommends the hazelnut. So really, why not just try both (or any other flavor you might fancy).

Naturally September has not been completely free of travel; a gypsy at heart Katja can never go too long without heading somewhere. She has thus made her way up to Boston a few times for quick, but very pleasant trips. She finds the train rides up relaxing (well, when Amtrak cooperates), as the scenery is lovely,

and they give her time to read, which is always such a pleasure. She recently finished Mario Vargas Llosa's Notes on the Death of Culture, which she highly recommends, and has just started Joris-Karl Husymans' Against Nature (À Rebours). Katja's most recent trip to Boston was to attend a BB@home performance, Celebrating the Legacy of Leonid Yakobson: From Oppression to Honor. She loved the four pas de deux from Rodin, each beginning and ending with the dancers posing as Rodin sculptures. Katja particularly enjoyed Minotaur and the Nymph, and in fact had seen the sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during her most recent trip to LA.

The evening ended with her catching up with a friend over a few glasses of bubbly, because just as much as Katja loves her ballet (which she really does), she also loves her bubbly. Life is meant to be lived, after all...

What Happened to August?

Katja has been on the road or in the skies every week this past month, which a few mornings caused her to ask herself, “where am I today?” She has, however, at least been certain that whatever city she happened to be waking up in would have a good museum (it’s important to have priorities when traveling). Sadly none of this travel required Katja to use her passport, as she does love to escape to foreign lands, but she can’t complain as the cities she went to - Boston (a few times), Washington, DC, and LA – are all lovely places to visit. And while her on the go schedule has left her with that I have no idea where the month has gone feeling, she knows it only means that she’s been up to lots of good things. She is, after all, the kind of girl who believes in taking the time to smell the roses (as well as this beautiful flower she stumbled upon in a lovely garden in Boston).

Katja had very much missed seeing her friends in Boston, as she hadn’t been there since May. She thus had a very packed social schedule during her trips to the city, catching up with friends over coffee, dinner, and a cocktail making lesson at Study Restaurant. The cocktail being discussed that particular evening was a classic, the gin martini (stirred, not shaken - apparently James Bond does not know what he's talking about). She should have been responsible and ended the evening after her rather large concoction, but what can she say, she doesn't always chose the most responsible option, so instead the evening ended a few unnecessary cocktails later. And not that she needs an excuse, but she does remember reading something wise recently about one never looking back and remembering the nights one got a lot of sleep...

Luckily Katja has lots of energy, so despite being in less than top form the following day was able to make it to the Museum of Fine Arts to see Tropical Mythologies, an exhibition of the works of Gustavo Fuenmayor.

His work, which addresses Latin America’s colonial past and its legacy, includes the most beautiful charcoals. The exhibition ends soon, so if you’re in Boston go see it (or look for his work elsewhere)! Katja also stopped by the Boston Ballet to see various people. She can't wait for the new season to start, and has already planned various trips in the next few months for Boston Ballet related activities.

The trip to DC was quick and there wasn’t quite as much fun to be had, but Katja was able to stop by the National Gallery of Art, which she thinks is one of the most beautiful galleries out there, both for its great collection and for the gallery itself (just look at the lovely fountain).

As she's on the topic of museums Katja figures she'd mention the China Through the Looking Glass exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which she was able to catch one of the August days that she actually was in New York. She loved the show, but then again it's only natural that all of the beautiful clothing would appeal to her fashionista self. The exhibition ends in just over a week, and it's definitely worth fighting the crowds to go see it.

While in New York, besides getting to that thing called work, she naturally got in as many ballet classes as possible at what seems to have become her second home, Ballet Academy East.

She also spent time with friends and made it to a few shows of the Joyce Theater's Ballet Festival; she particularly liked the performance by Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. Katja also stopped by the post-performance receptions, as she does love some bubbly (and cheese straws) with her ballet.

Katja was very happy to get to go back to LA so soon after her last trip, just as she was very happy that she was upgraded on the flight over. She does fancy herself a first class kind of girl, and it certainly made the trip much comfier (despite the rather grumpy looking man next to her). She even got a decent meal that included a salad with proper greens, as well as raspberry sorbet for dessert. But the pre-meal warm nuts and the later in the flight warm cookie were definitely the highlights.

This time Katja stayed in downtown LA, so she was able to try many of the yummy restaurants near her hotel, including Bäco Mercat (delicious ricotta fritters and lace battered squash blossoms), Faith and Flower (a delicious summer squash salad and fresh burrata pizza, not to mention the cocktails), Bier Beisel Imbiss (an absolutely divine poppy seed pastry…she does love her poppy seed), and Guisados (tasty tacos). Because she hadn't stayed downtown for a while she really enjoyed wandering around the streets,

checking out the street art and stopping by local landmarks such as the Grand Central Market.

Of course it wouldn't be a proper trip if there wasn't at least one museum outing (or performance), so she spent a very lovely afternoon at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She checked out the 50 for 50 exhibition, and wandered through the permanent collection, which she hadn't done for some time. She was particularly fond of a little 14th century work by Paolo Veneziano that she stumbled upon.

Like all her trips to LA (well her trips in general), it went by much too quickly. But this time Katja was actually looking forward to a rare travel free week filled with lots of ballet classes, so she didn't feel too too sad when she had to say goodbye to LA and make her way to the airport. And besides, as the jet setting penguin that she is, she knows she'll be back before she knows it.