Monday, May 23, 2011

500 acres of Art. It's like an Art marathon.

After years of threatening to do so, I made the 1.5 hour trek north of New York City to visit Storm King, the massive sculpture park.  And I wasn't disappointed.  This is like no other Art-world experience I've ever had.  In fact, I'm pretty sure you can't have an experience like this anywhere else on the planet.  It's like you've landed on some strange planet that looks like earth but is peopled by giants who've created strange and wondrous objects. Sometimes, the experience feels surrealist, like Salvador Dali is messing with your mind.

There was so much to see and do, that I'm dedicating several posts over the coming days to my experiences at Storm King.  I'm calling this new Art Lobster series, "What I Learned at Storm King."  But to get things started, I thought I'd give you a few pointers for visiting Storm King.  

With a little advance planning, getting to Storm King is relatively easy.  You can purchase tickets for a Short Line Bus that leaves from Port Authority here.  I'd never taken a bus from Port Authority, so you can imagine my excitement as the bus quickly filled with other anxious Art enthusiasts, many speaking exotic foreign languages, eager for a day of inspiring sculpture.  I later learned that one of the largest outlet malls in the state of New York is on the way to Storm King.  There are a lot more eager bargain hunters than there are sculpture fans. Just three of us got off at Storm King.  And I think one of the three was there to interview for a job.

You may feel abandoned as you exit the bus.  The driver just opens the door and you're left in a field with a few imposing sculptures in the distance.  Someone will give you a map and little other advice.  We chose to walk to the Museum Building.  Don't. Turn to the right, walk a few feet, and rent bicycles.  This will save you a lot of walking.  And bike rentals will make the day more fun.

Stay tuned for more coll views from Storm King.

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