My Photography Wanderlust

A Visit to the Lakota Sioux Tribe Reservation at the Badlands National Park

I recently came across an article about the Lakota Sioux tribe and immediately experienced a flashback of a group project that took us to a reservation in the Badlands National Park near Rapid City, South Dakota in 2019. Driving through the Badlands was a photographer’s dream, especially for an urban dweller. Meeting and learning so much from this American Native tribe was a phenomenal experience and one I would love to repeat.  Here’s why….

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My Photography Wanderlust

Visiting Cuba: Is Now a Good Time?

Good news for Cuba, President Joe Biden on June 1 of this year has finally gotten around to revoking a series of restrictions on flights to Cuba that were imposed by Donald Trump allowing US airlines to fly to all of Cuba’s airports. Unfortunately, this falls short of fully reinstating the Obama administration policies towards Cuba.  A bit disappointing for folks who would like to travel freely to the island. I was fortunate to visit Havana, Cuba in 2017 when President Obama had lifted US restrictions, allowing travelers to independently travel to Cuba without being part of an authorized travel program….

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Art Destinations My Photography Travel Tips Wanderlust

Spending a “Memorial” Weekend in New York City

  Nothing beats spending a weekend holiday in Manhattan followed by pleasant weather and a long list of things to do over two days. The crowds were intense, although the same could be said of most beaches during the Memorial weekend.  Best part was not having to get into your car or hop on the train to get back home after a long day of visiting the Met, watching a musical, dining and drinking.   If you are looking to plan a short weekend getaway here is what we managed to do….

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Art Destinations Arts/Culture My Photography

The Artist Abraham Cruzvillegas and his Latest Exhibition at the Bass Museum

In recent trip to Miami for a business meeting held at the Bass Museum I came across a rather unique exhibition from the Mexican Artist Abraham Cruzvillegas that provoked in me a desire to know more about this artist and the concept of “auto construcción”comprising of 80 pieces of recycled everyday painted objects practically floating in the air. This exhibition is part of a series of installations by Cruzvillegas on the  concept of “AutoConstruccion” that reflect the conditions of his modest upbringing  in Mexico and how it defines human nature and its impact on the environment. 

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My Photography Travel Tips Wanderlust

Spending the 4th of July Weekend in New York City

 With a forecast of a rainy weekend, my sister and I skipped the beach and decided to hangout in Manhattan. It was nice to see New York swing back to it’s Pre-Covid days.   We were able to book a hotel at a decent price within the Broadway district, in part because the theaters are mostly closed until the fall. We made plans to visit the Musuem of Moderan Art, Hudson Yards, the High Line and the Chelsea neighborhood to both shop and eat……

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My Photography Wanderlust

The Top Eight Most Fabulous Cities to Visit in Portugal

Are you itching to get on a plane and go international soon? Maybe this summer, now that many countries have opened their borders. May I suggest Portugal? Whether you go for a week, two or three it will still not be enough to fully appreciate this magnificent country full of vintage castles, beautiful coastlines, daunting vineyards, and sooo much history. Whether you get there through the Lisbon, Porto or Faro Airport, all three offer a variety of ground transportation to get you to your destinations. Here are my favorite picks and why….

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Art Destinations Arts/Culture My Photography

Banksy Expo: Genius or Vandal Exhibition… A Worthy Investment

In the last year, Bansky has been consistently in the news starting with the loss of a two-year court fight in September 2020 over the trademark rights of one of his iconic artworks known as the “Flower Thrower”. In October 2020, amid the pandemic, his “Show me the Monet” painting sold for 10 million. In March 2021 he auctioned “Game Changer” that sold for 22 million donating all the proceeds to a health care charity in response to the COVID crisis. This summer Banksy is back in the news with plenty of ads about an immersive exhibition on his life and art coming to major cities in the US slated for NYC from June- November 2021.

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Art Destinations Arts/Culture My Photography

Art Fairs are Slowly Making a Comeback Starting with Frieze

During the first week of May, the annual Frieze Art Fair was back in New York City with a lot less pomp than usual. The Frieze Art Fair in NYC happens to be one of my favorite shows. They also sponsor a show in Los Angeles, London and now Seoul. The Frieze Art Fair features an extensive list of local and international contemporary art galleries, and commissioned artists’ projects, as well as variety of art education forums and a magazine .  This year it was not held  at Randall’s Island since the number of galleries was down to about 1/3 and mostly US based. International galleries were missing and clearly the difference was apparent as much of the art work was not as diverse or excitingly. Restrictions to get in were…..

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Arts/Culture My Photography

Memories of My Mother’s Clotheslines

In my travels to Portugal and Cuba I was struck by the use of clotheslines hanging from apartment dwellings that immediately took me back to when I was a child living both in the US and in Puerto Rico seeing my mom hang our washed clothes and linen on clotheslines in the backyard. The first time I had this reaction was when I was in Cuba and immediately compelled me to take photos. To my surprise, when arriving in Portugal this practice was in abundance in cities such as Lisbon and Porto where hanging your clothes on your balcony or window for all the tourists to see was just priceless……

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