Wednesday Dec 4 Miami

 Our day began with a lecture by 3 black Miami residents talking about Miami’s black history. They have started a nonprofit to research and share information about the role of blacks in Miami’s history.  They felt that people —both black and white —knew nothing about the role blacks played in the founding and development of Miami.I found it interesting.

We then went by bus to South Beach and had a local expert tell us about the art deco architecture of South Beach. It was fun for me to see South Beach for the first time. Definitely has a beach vibe. Merle and I walked down to the beach when we had a bit of free time. I’m glad we got to do that. The group had a nice lunch at a restaurant called Naked taco in South Beach.

In the afternoon we went to the Wolfsonian Museum which is connected to Florida Intl University. The main exhibit was  a stained glass work by Irishman Harry Clarke.  

After returning to our hotel, Merle and I went to the nearby food court for pasta ( ugh—what was I thinking?) & a sweet crêpe (yum).  

We knew this was a short tour but it’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day with the group! It has been a very pleasant group —of 30 people.  Although it is quite large, it didn’t feel burdensome. On Friday I will go back to Merle’s for two nights.

Miami is a nice place to visit, but I don’t think I want to spend much time here. Our tour guide also leads Road Scholar trips to Cuba. Merle and I discussed that possibility.

( I just got a copy of a picture of the two of us yesterday at the Wynwood walls).  

Tuesday Dec 3 Miami

 We started our day by walking down to the Bayside Marina to get on a boat. We crossed Biscayne Bay to the Miami river, which is only 5 1/2 miles long. A local expert gave us history of the Tequesta Indians, and local pioneers who helped establish the city of Miami. The number of high rises is unbelievable! They are currently building more and more skyscrapers and yet the city traffic is already terrible. The little river cruise was pleasant and a very nice alternative to sitting in a room, listening to a lecture. Going past these tall buildings reminded me of the river trip in Chicago.

In the afternoon, we went to the neighborhood called Wynwood, an area that used to suffer urban blight, but has become a popular artist destination. We visited Wynwood Walls, which was mostly an outdoor exhibit of murals and street art. Most of us in the group agreed it was an eye-opening experience and quite different from graffiti!  

I took lots of pictures today so I will attach some.

Dinner tonight was at a delicious Cuban restaurant Marabu.  The best meal since we got here.

There is a small free monorail called Metromover  which we took to go to dinner. However on our return, the train was running so late that we ended up walking back to the hotel.  And on the way walking, we crossed the river when suddenly the bridge guard rail came down and the bridge opened to let a boat pass under. In the morning we had been in one of those boats and now we were on top !  Quite laughable. All part of the adventure.

Mon Déc 2 Miami

Today we had a city overview via a coach tour.  Some places: Coral gables area had beautiful historic houses.  We heard about the early settlers & modern immigrants.  We just drove by the old Biltmore hotel which was used as a hospital in its history. But it was a very nice historic building. Coconut Grove area was lush with trees & more laid back than Coral gables area which was more classic. We visited the Barnacle house — now within a state park  built in late 1800s with many original fixtures & features  interesting.  The area was lush with trees, which aggravated my allergies!

Finally we had a long stay to explore Vizcaya estate & gardens which is a which is a national historic landmark built  in the early 1900s. Our guide first explained it as a Florida version of Hearst Castle and after visiting, I think that is a fair comparison. The owner collected furniture and fixtures from around the world, especially Europe. So the house and gardens were quite spectacular. I will attach a few pictures. I had trouble editing and posting using this Wi-Fi so I’m sorry the pictures aren’t perfect.

This region is experiencing a very unusual cold spell. Wouldn’t you know it?. So I bought a sweatshirt! Next week it will be back in the 80s  

Miami tour Dec. 1,2024

 This evening was the beginning of our Road Scholar tour of Miami. Yesterday I flew to Fort Lauderdale, where my dear travel friend Merle picked me up and took me to her home in Boynton Beach.  I got to meet her husband Greg  and little dog Cotton, and see her house for the first time. Her home is beautiful! Merle is an art collector and her home is really an exhibit of beautiful art. She will give me a more thorough docent tour when we return to her house on Friday. I will attach a few pictures now.  We went out to an Asian fusion restaurant nearby. 

Today we had a driver take us to our Miami hotel. We had a couple of hours free so we walked to a nearby street fair. Our group met at 5:00 for our orientation followed by dinner. Our tour guide is Jose who is a Cuban American. He’s a lovely man and we enjoyed learning from him already. Our group has 30 people! That’s pretty large, but they seem very congenial. We walked to a Peruvian restaurant nearby and had a delicious and unique dinner.

The tour focuses on the history, cultures, and cuisine of Miami. The itinerary looks interesting and varied. The tour is only five days after which I will return to Merle’s house for a couple nights. 

Attached are a few pictures of Merle’s house.  

Summary of 2024 Telluride films

 —“Conclave” starring Ralph Fiennes (who should get the Oscar) John Lithgow, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini.  About the drama inside the Vatican after a pope passes away. Excellent film and it will get a lot of attention.

—“Social Studies” an outstanding documentary that will be shown in five parts on FX 9/27.  About the effect that social media have had on the younger generations. Mandatory viewing for anyone with a child in their life!!

—“ Will & Harper “ starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele— be shown on Netflix9/27.  The Times on Sunday had an article about it. Outstanding documentary about the friendship between these two Saturday Night Live alums (she was the head writer ) after Harper transitions to being a woman. Poignant and funny.

—“ Emilia Perez” directed by Jacques Audiard who was the Director honored at the festival. About a drug cartel who decides to become a trans woman. ( yes, there were some themes at this festival!) This film was honored at Cannes and I am certain will get attention at the Academy Awards.

—“September 5” about the 1972 Munich Olympics and the terrorism inflicted on the Israeli athletes. An interesting reflection on the role that media play in reporting and shaping the actions that occur. 

—“ piano lesson” an adaptation of the August Wilson play. It involved at least four or five of the Denzel Washington family although he was not acting in it. I had mixed feelings about this one, but it might partly be because I was exhausted the day I saw it. 

—“ The Outrun” starts Saoirse Ronan as a recovering alcoholic. Very much a character study. She was outstanding. She was the actor who was honored at the festival and was delightful to see interviewed.

—“ Saturday night” about the chaotic hours leading up to the airing of the very first SNL show. I did not score this as highly as the other films, but it was amusing and worth seeing. 

 

—“ Better man” is about the British pop entertainer Robbie Williams.  A  very unusual production which I found enjoyable, but would not put it at the top of the list.

—-“Real Pain” Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin- something to watch but didn’t grab me. 

 

Monday Sept 2 Telluride

 Labor Day.  The last day. 

We skipped the first movie “Separated” because it was about the Trump policy on the border to separate children and parents and the effect it had  on families for years to come. Evidently it was well done, but I find that policy to be absolutely horrible and I didn’t need to see it.

“Conclave” was the second film to come to our venue.  It’s the film that I saw early and really liked so I decided to see it again! Everyone liked it, of course. I know it will get some Academy Award nominations.

Finally we saw “The piano lesson”— an adaptation of the August Wilson play.  It was very much a family project, with Denzel Washington’s son as the Director and co-writer and another son as the key actor. There were also two other smaller female parts played by people whose last names were Washington so I think they’re probably all involved. 

(Starring John David Washington & Director & co- author Malcom Washington ).

I thought the film was a little uneven, and I’m not sure it will be accessible to a very wide audience. I noticed it will be released soon, and it has a listing on IMDb. But  the film version could do things that the play could not do, e.g. locations and special effects.

We did not go to the last night show as we needed to get back to pack and prepare to leave in the morning. It was a good festival, but I did not see nearly as many as I usually do. But that’s OK. I really enjoyed the ones I did see.

Some of the films that were at the festival were not available to us, such as “Maria”—about Maria Callas and starring Angelina Jolie. I noticed in the Hollywood Reporter that it was extremely well received in Venice this week and I’m sure it will get wide distribution. Actually, I think that will be on Netflix,  so I will look for that. I’m not a big fan of her, but someone who saw it already said it was excellent —as was Jolie.

When I have a chance, I will make a summary list of all that I saw and my ratings.  

Au revoir Telluride!  

Sun Sept 1 Telluride

 Our day began with a tribute to Saoirse Ronan —-an actor I really appreciate.  She was present for the tribute and to introduce the film. We saw a selection of clips from many of her films e.g. “ Lady bird”, “Little Women”  “ Brooklyn”( my favorite).  She was then interviewed by an excellent interviewer and talked about the process of  preparing and creating a role.  Most interesting.

Following the tribute & interview we saw her new film, “The Outrun”.  It is based on a book which I think many people would very much enjoy.   She plays a young woman battling alcoholism. We follow her journey of self discovery and her family relationships. It was not depressing as it might sound. It was an interesting character study and her acting was superb. 

The next film at our theatre was “ the Apprentice “ about guess -who & his descent into corruption.  -I decided I  not need to spend a minute of my festival time hearing about this horrible excuse for a person so I skipped it. Rumor has it that Trump is trying to get it banned which actually speaks highly of the film. I just don’t need him in my life anymore than I’ve had to put up with so far.. So Pat and I went to lunch! The others who saw the film said it actually was quite good, but I have no regrets.

The next film we saw was called “Will & Harper”.  It follows Will Farrell & comedy writer Harper Steele on a road trip from New York to California. Harper has recently transitioned & wanted to visit places from his past, but was nervous doing so alone. The two of them got to know each other on Saturday Night Live & I have maintained a close friendship for 30 years. It was  Humorous, poignant & very worthwhile to see — I highly recommended.  

And the final film that I saw today was called « Saturday night »— a reenactment of the 3 hours leading up to the airing of the very first Saturday Night Live episode. The casting was incredible. That night had been absolutely chaotic and it was a miracle that it came off at all. But we all know how it turns out. The film actually ended at the very beginning of that program with the words, “welcome to New York at Saturday night.”

I have seen fewer films this year than ever. That is because I have chosen not to go to films that are quite disturbing. I gave myself permission to skip ones that I thought would be upsetting. And it seems there were more this year. Probably a reflection of the times we are living in.

But for the most part, I have really enjoyed every one I have seen! 

As always, please forgive typos, as I often am writing on the fly. And for some reason when I dictate it in inadvertently capitalizes at inappropriate places.