Two Major Backtracks–New York and Porgy and Bess Plus Grotto of the Redemption in Iowa (2012)

While looking for the blog post describing my 2012 trip to New York City to see the musical adaptation of Porgy and Bess before it left Broadway, I discovered that I hadn’t actually written a post. Then, I realized that I was also missing a post for the visit my dearly departed Momma and I made to the Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend, Iowa.

At this point–nearly thirteen years later–my recollection is incomplete, but I’ll try as best as I can to explain what led to the pictures I captured. Unfortunately, the camera I used for the photos did not record GPS locations, so I found general GPS locations and added that information so that maps could be generated on my Piwigo pages.

The Grotto of the Redemption, June 30

My mother, Cora Jones, flew out to Iowa for her second visit in June of 2012. I don’t recall the why of the timing, but it was 2 1/2  years after my father, Charlie, had passed (secretly, I know she was worried about me being out there alone–nearly four years at that point–and wanted to check on me).

I had asked several colleagues for suggestions of things she might like to do–besides visiting the nearby casinos. One suggestion that she agreed would be of interest was the Grotto of the Redemption. The drive was less than three hours each way, which could be done leisurely within a day. Since I was told that it tended to be more crowded in the afternoons, we got an early start and arrived around the Grotto’s opening time.

Although Momma was using a walker at that time, she was still able to stroll through the Grotto and rest whenever she wanted. The Kodak Easyshare camera I used didn’t offer me the freedom of unlimited shooting, but I still managed to get quite a few photos. Some of them are below:

The rest of the pictures I took from this trip are available at: http://singin1.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/grotto-of-the-redemption-west-bend-ia-2012. The featured one of us standing by the Grotto’s sign was taken by a staff member using, I believe, Momma’s camera since it’s not in my “roll” of pictures. It one of my favorites of us together, and I’m glad to be able share.

There is an online description that will more accurately describe the pictures of the Grotto’s displays at: https://www.westbendgrotto.com/visit/virtual-tour/.

Although this was Momma’s last trip to Iowa, she and I had two other road trips together: the 2013 REAP Conference in Denver–with additional stops in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Dallas and more, and our 2017 drive down the North Carolina Outer Banks.

Porgy and Bess on Broadway, Times Square and African Burial Ground National Monument, August 17-18

A Broadway revival of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess had opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in January, 2012. I have attached both the Playbill contents and a New York Times review here, FYI. A Facebook friend offered me the opportunity to visit backstage and meet the cast after a performance, if I had the chance to attend a performance. That chance came, allowing me to catch the August 17th evening performance.

I actually drove the Red Barron (my beloved and derecho-destroyed Ford 500) the nearly 1,100 miles from Grinnell to Brooklyn, then parked RB in the garage of house where I stayed until my return trip. Even then, I knew that using New York’s public transit was the far better option than trying to drive and park.

I walked through Times Square and met a friend, Damon Evans, for dinner at a restaurant near the theater. After we parted company near the theater entrance, I found my seat and wondered whether I would enjoy the performance. The reviews were mixed, mostly depending upon whether the reviewer liked the adaptations made to Gershwin’s “folk opera.” My preference has always been for the operatic versions with more singing over more dialogue. However, I was so pulled into the performances of the cast, with Audra McDonald’s Bess, Norm Lewis as Porgy and David Alan Grier as Sportin’ Life, I was completely captured. The one who really got me, however, was Phillip Boykin as Crown. The Act II confrontation between Crown and Bess, “What You Want With Bess,” was simply overwhelming. I was so glad to be able, also, to go backstage and meet some of the cast.

Afterwards, I wandered back through Times Square, now emblazon in its nighttime lighting, and caught the subway to Brooklyn.

The pictures from that evening are below,

The rest from the entire trip to New York City are available at: http://singin1.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/porgy-bess-broadway-newyork-august-2012.

The next day, I seem to remember visiting Central Park, but I am uncertain whether I did so on this trip or another. In my wanderings, I captured a picture of this building. Other than finding it eye-catching, I can only share the following information I found on Wikipedia: “8 Spruce, previously known as the Beekman Tower and New York by Gehry, is a residential skyscraper on Spruce Street in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by architect Frank Gehry + Gehry Partners LLP and developed by Forest City Ratner, the building rises 870 feet with 76 stories….”

I finally ended up at the African Burial Ground National Monument. The National Park Service site describes the site as “the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. It protects the historic role slavery played in building New York.” I must have been running low in available shots, because that’s the only reason I can imagine for the few number of pictures on hand. Perhaps another visit opportunity will present itself someday.

These photos, including a couple of views of the Brooklyn Bridge I got as I was heading back to Iowa in RB, are below:

Two short trips, but the pictures bring back good memories.