#they were being relocated from inside an event venue

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Frog stacks

[husheduphistory]

The Groundbreaking Brain of Phineas Gage

Those who knew Phineas well were astonished by his recent behavior. He was rude, outspoken, impatient, and unpredictable, traits that never would have described him only a few years earlier. What should have shocked them more was that he was even still around to exhibit these behaviors. The accident should have killed him in the blink of an eye.

In the fall of 1848 Phineas Gage was twenty-five years old and working as a blasting foreman tasked with preparing a railroad bed near Cavendish, Vermont. Gage had no formal schooling, but he developed an excellent reputation of being a savvy businessman armed with intelligence, precision, and a huge amount of energy. He was described as a very physically fit and healthy young man who almost never succumbed to any form of illness. When Gage went to work on September 13th of that year nothing seemed out of the ordinary despite the work being extremely dangerous. Setting up a bed for the new railroad required a large number of explosives and blasting away rock to make way for the new lines.  A large hole was bored into the rock and filled with explosive materials and a fuse. Once the explosives were in place inside the rock the rest of the hole was filled with sand or clay which was then tightly packed in with a long metal rod called a tamping iron in order to ensure the force of the blast was contained inside the rock. At approximately 4:30pm Gage was hard at work when a tamping rod clipped a rock that was armed with an explosive charge. The hit created a spark which ignited the explosives inside sending the metal tamping rod shooting through the air…and straight through Gage’s head.

Dr. Williams heard Gage’s claims that he had been shot through the head with an iron rod but he initially didn’t believe him. He was here, alive, speaking and joking, how could his story possibly be true? But, the horrifying tale was quickly proven accurate to Dr. Williams who recounted:

Gage hit the ground and probably had no idea what just happened to him. The tamping rod was1.25” in diameter, forty-three inches long, weighed thirteen pounds, and sailed clear through his left cheek, through his brain, and out the top of his skull landing eighty feet away from its victim. What was even more shocking than the accident was that Gage was not just alive, he was fully conscious and able to walk himself to an oxcart and request a ride into town to see a doctor. Once arriving at the practice of Dr. Edward H. Williams he even quipped, “Here is business enough for you.”

 “I first noticed the wound upon the head before I alighted from my carriage, the pulsations of the brain being very distinct. Mr. Gage, during the time I was examining this wound, was relating the manner in which he was injured to the bystanders. I did not believe Mr. Gage's statement at that time but thought he was deceived. Mr. Gage persisted in saying that the bar went through his head… Mr. G. got up and vomited; the effort of vomiting pressed out about half a teacupful of the brain, which fell upon the floor."

Later that evening the case of Phineas Gage was handed over to Dr. John Martyn Harlow who treated the wounds and continued to observe his new patient. According to Harlow’s later description, Gage remained fully conscious that night, was able to recount what happened, recalled the names of his coworkers, and even said he didn’t need to see any of his friends because he would be back to work in “a day or two.”

 Gage may have anticipated bouncing back to work in a matter of days, but his plans were derailed when he developed an infection. Laying in a semi-comatose state, the doctors believed Gage’s luck ran out and this was the long-delayed end of their patient. From September 23rd to October 3rd Gage languished but then he suddenly began to improve. On October 7th he took his first steps out of bed and by the 11th his intellect began to re-emerge. Gage could remember the accident, the day and time it happened, and his coworkers. But, he now had difficulty with other functions like understanding size and calculating sums of money. While there were some obvious changes, most did not question them. After all, the man just survived a metal spike being launched through his head. By the end of the month Gage left medical care and went to his parent’s home in New Hampshire to continue his recovery.

Illustrations of the injuries suffered by Gage.

Gage amazed those around him by continuing to physically heal and improve, but the changes in his personality became more and more concerning. Before the accident the foreman was hard working, intelligent, and highly respected by his employers who considered him “the most efficient and capable foreman in their employ.” However, as time moved on deep transformations revealed themselves. In later observations by Dr. Harlow he noted that Gage:

 “Remembers passing and past events correctly, as well before as since the injury. Intellectual manifestations feeble, being exceedingly capricious and childish, but with a will as indomitable as ever; is particularly obstinate; will not yield to restraint when it conflicts with his desires.”

 “He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not previously his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires.... A child in his intellectual capacity and manifestations, he has the animal passions of a strong man.”

 By the middle of 1849 Gage was eager to get back to work but there was a problem, his personality changes were so severe that his former employers refused to hire him back. They were not the only ones seeing the massive shift in the man. His friends put it bluntly. The man appeared the same, but he was “no longer Gage.”

 Unwelcome at his former job Gage was forced to find other ways to support himself and he took on a variety of new professions, one of which was to simply show up. He took work at a livery stable in New Hampshire, but Gage also made appearances throughout New England where he promoted himself and his impossible survival. His most high-profile venue was none other than the Barnum American Museum in New York City. In 1852 Gage was given the opportunity to travel to Chile and work as a stagecoach driver while caring for horses. He remained in Chile until approximately 1859 when his health declined. He left the country and made the journey to San Francisco where his mother and sister relocated to at the same approximate time that he moved to South America. According to his mother, the sight of her son was grim and he was “…in a feeble condition, having failed very much since he left New Hampshire…Had many ill turns while in Valparaiso, especially during the last year, and suffered much from hardship and exposure."

An advertisement for Phineas Gage appearance shortly before his move to Chile.

 Once Gage recovered in San Francisco he was again eager to get back to work and he found employment on a farm, but his time there did not last long. In 1860 Gage began having seizures that rapidly grew in severity. On May 16th 1860 Gage went into violent convulsions and never recovered, he died at the age of 36 years old.

 Dr. Harlow had not treated Gage for many years but when he heard of his death in California he requested that the family send him his former patient’s skull. They obliged and sent Harlow not only Gage’s skull, but also the thing that made it so desirable. The tamping iron that went through his skull was Gage’s near constant companion for some years, it was even inscribed with its story:

 “This is the bar that was shot through the head of Mr Phinehas[sic] P. Gage at Cavendish Vermont Sept 14,[sic] 1848. He fully recovered from the injury & deposited this bar in the Museum of the Medical College of Harvard University.

Phinehas P. Gage  •   Lebanon Grafton Cy N–H  •   Jan 6 1850”

Gage pictured with the tamping rod that went through his head.

After studying the skull and iron Dr. Harlow donated both pieces to Harvard Medical School’s Warren Anatomical Museum where it remains today. The rest of Gage was originally buried in San Francisco’s Lone Mountain Cemetery but in 1940 his remains were moved to Cypress Lawn Memorial Park located in Colma, California.

Throughout his treatment of Gage, Dr. Harlow had suspicions about why his patient’s personality changed so drastically after his accident but the connection between personality and brain injury were still years away from being recognized. It took another decade until the experimental work of David Ferrier came to light describing how damage to the frontal cortex of the brain resulted in “a very decided alteration in the animal’s character and behavior.” Gage, who sustained extreme damage to up to 4% of the cerebral cortex and 1% of the white matter in the frontal lobe, became one of the earliest examples in medical history that the frontal cortex was involved in personality and behavior.  

 September 13th 1848 was a life changing day for Gage in ways that he never could have expected. It was the day he almost died, the day he became a legend, and a day that changed the early days of neuroscience. To this day the skull of Phineas Gage is still being studied and still giving insight into the connection between brain and behavior, a horrific workplace accident still making medical history 171 years later.

The skull of Phineas Gage and the tamping rod from his accident.

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Merriweather Post Pavilion

Merriweather Post Pavilion is a fantastic outdoor concert venue for every type event

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We recognize the value of valuing an event with your good friends. That's why, unless otherwise defined, all tickets marketed by methods of this internet site are side-by-side. If you favor one of one of the most effective viable deal on cards as well as side-by-side vouchers with your friends, ensure you obtain your tickets with the help of our experts.

Whether preparing an office event or a sector efficiency, theater preserves the program along with style of its past, while carrying out a modern spin to its interior decoration. Its porch removals quickly, excellent foods along with lounges giving something for everybody. Inside, without the disruption of collections, the resting streams easily. Merriweather Post Pavilion absolutely outstanding interior recipe has in fact been updated in addition to updated to great deals of seat site visitors. For smaller sized events, the recipe might change to an included intimate configuration.

Designated areas are provided on the outdoors balcony. Please do not leave the centers as re-entry is limited. To obtain tickets for cinema upcoming occasions. Procurement VIP seats as well as get availability to the valued together with extremely comfortable VIP lounge. Merriweather Post Pavilion gives its site visitors with remarkable eating experiences. Outdoors food in addition to beverages, having water, containers, along with containers, are totally limited. Smoking cigarettes within the framework is a straight infraction of methods in addition to is developing for removal.

Theater is an exceptional location with an excellent align of occasions throughout the year. We comprehend the relevance of enjoying an event with your friends. That's why, unless or else defined, all tickets marketed with the web side-by-side. If you want one of the most trustworthy practical bargain on tickets and additionally side-by-side tickets with your pals, assure you get your tickets.

Movie theater definitely phenomenal interior dish has actually been boosted and updated to seat as high as countless site visitors. For smaller sized events, the recipe may transform to an extra intimate configuration. Whether holding an office event or an area performance, Merriweather Post Pavilion preserves the program in addition to design of its past, while achieving a modern spin to its interior design. Its balcony removals conveniently, remarkable foods and unwinds offering something for everyone. Inside, without the disturbance of collections, the seats relocates effortlessly.

Why go for Merriweather Amphitheater

> Easy ticket booking system 

> Amazing venue for an upcoming concert 

> Maximum audience can attend a concert 

If you are appreciating an event where standing is enabled, remember those around you. Depending upon top of chairs or frameworks is never ever before allowed in addition to would certainly be considered premises for elimination. For the security of all site visitors, Merriweather Amphitheater asks that you maintain the aisles cost-free and devoid of exclusive points. They motivate every person to whole lots naturally, as layer as well as bag checks are hard to get to and all private factors require to fit beneath your seat.

The Merriweather Amphitheater entrance hall frequently opens 1 human resources before drape, however, speakers might open up the amphitheater doors at their discernment. Nonetheless, all site visitors need to have a ticket in spite of age, and all children have to be seated with a grownup. The cinema books the right to do away with any individual disrupting an effectiveness or preventing the pleasure of an occasion for site visitors without reimbursement.

Choose for several live concert shows 

If you are valuing a celebration where standing is enabled, bear in mind those around you. Trusting top of chairs or structures is never ever allowed and would most definitely be taken into consideration centers for removal. For the security and likewise safety and safety and security of all visitors, theatre asks that you keep the aisles cost-free along with without private products. They encourage every person to whole lots carefully, as layer in addition to bag checks are not offered and all exclusive products must fit listed here your seat.

Among the considerable issues when arranging an event is the area at which you can hold your own event. When you're completed with your event objectives, objectives and what's established, you now must think about the best area to maintain it. Obviously, you want to think about the perfect area. When you stop from the region, make certain you meet with the handling of the Merriweather Amphitheater to make sure that you are able to go over all critical things with each other. Substantial points like what are the circumstances which you are in a placement to make, the facilities that they have and packages that they may provide you with.

The Merriweather Amphitheater tickets are offered for you. It's finest to get tickets for your concert before hand to ensure that you might appreciate on your own in various events and occasions. In the event you would love to attend musical performances or your preferred artist is carrying out, it's excellent that you find a front row tickets so that you can promptly turn into pure amusement from it.

Expert event supervisors can aid you to organize events in a well-ordered, natural way. Select Merriweather Amphitheater professionals that will undoubtedly take your full weight from sending out invites to the visitors right into setting up and organizing the entire event. An expert occasion organizer can make the procedure less complicated as they can prepare everything, right out of foods to decoration and generate your event unique.

In special celebrations we organize huge variety of celebrations such as events, household shows, and other unique occasions occur right here as well. Advertising occasions are coming to be a perfect device to reach visitors awareness. We can say that there is no product or business that can't obtain some advantage by developing and blowing up some kind of occasion. Several organisations been available in their advertising department a branch specifically committed to creating creative marketing occasions.

The Merriweather Amphitheater the very best and most suitable place to keep the celebration, prep for the occasion should commence the moment the event has actually been wrapped up. It's a whole lot much better to have couple days better instead of dread in the last minute. A whole lot of time, devotion and direction is needed in preparing an occasion. Furthermore event preparation is correlated with a great deal of job and exhaustion. This will certainly offer you the support of a variety of the absolute best professionals in business of occasion planning and don't fail to remember that everything is well coordinated.

Watch best perfomances with your family members

A tactical occasion resembles a superior phase manufacturing. It is actually everything about obtaining your act together with doing the ideal series for the ideal audience. So what is the things involved when preparing an occasion? Experts supply you some hints you need to adhere to so that you may have a successful occasion. When you allow us handle your occasions, you can look carefully at your visitors and fraternize them publicly without needing to trouble about executing specifics of your occasion.

The scale of the event does play an important part in relation to organizing and intending an occasion. However, big scale, challenging events were an entirely different ball-game completely. Having claimed that, contemporary time has actually presented a great deal of options such as the Merriweather Post Pavilion Amphitheater. This phase helps the event programs of all dimensions. Nevertheless, some fundamental guidelines will certainly need to be carried out to have the capacity to carry out that.

The idea of theatre established in the medieval period. The theatre additionally captivates you with stand-up funny, cabaret and other performance programs. The most effective aspect of a cinema is that it can take you to a great deal of amazing areas. Sometimes, you might even neglect that you are sitting in a theatre and viewing a play.

When we say magic, we are not talking about real magic such as seeing magicians on phase - despite the fact that this is likewise a good choice - yet we are instead discussing the magic individuals feel when they attend something that is online as well as dynamic. When you think about it from this perspective, would you instead buy a CD of your favorite vocalist or see them execute reside in performance? Would not you appreciate seeing your favored film untangle right there before your eyes on the stage? Well, this is that magic we are talking about. When you attend movie theater, you can really experience the story being informed to you in real-time and with genuine feelings occurring in front of you.

Merriweather Post Pavilion Amphitheater has been a center of cultural tasks and boasts a storied custom of theatrical home entertainment. The city is home to several top-notch venues and there are numerous specialist and amateur theater groups giving quality enjoyment to visitors and people who are living. Theater is an expert theater firm creating world-class productions of classic plays.

The theater has an unusual history. It was not originally meant to be a performance place, yet was made as a meeting facility for the black eyes. The lavish interior was suggested to resemble courtyard. The theater's ceiling was painted as a night skies, total with twinkling stars and moving clouds generated with the help of an unique projector. The lobby areas and lounges were loaded with ornate information. Also important architectural elements were cleverly camouflaged by decorative features.

Firstly, we have to understand that Merriweather Post Pavilion Amphitheater is something that most individuals perceive as out of the ordinary, and going to the theatre is most commonly considered to be a unique event. This is most likely why there is a lot of fuss about theatre rules. The majority of people have no concept what they should and what they shouldn't do when going to a play, as lots of people consider theater to be much like the films. On the other hand, there are also those people who recognize effectively that the theatre is nothing like the cinema.

Phase honors are distributed for excellence in theater and stage efficiencies throughout numerous groups. The awards system differs from classification to group e.g. stage shows, musicals, dramatization, operas and so forth. Some have shut elections kept track of by a committee or board while some have open selection and nomination processes. The standards for honors selection also differs throughout classifications.

Making sure that traditional theater efficiencies do not go vanished theater is a campaign which was birthed amongst a team of mothers that believed that their children were worthy of to experience the magic of a staged performance which is both educationally useful and motivating. With the objective of growing young artists and a satisfied audience that takes pleasure in premium quality theater, the theater experience is targeted at children that love the arts and those who want to add to its advancement.

Whether the choice is for realistic look or experimental movie theater, it is something which you will not wish to miss. Live efficiencies on stage are an improving type of enjoyment for people of any ages. The Merriweather Post Pavilion Amphitheater can become an eventful part of your way of life.

You can have theater field glasses that are as lovely as they are practical. Some are so trendy that they are even thought about to be a fashion device. If ease is essential to you, you can choose cinema binoculars which fold for easy transportation and storage space. They are small and gorgeous, as well as being practical.

Cinema seating has likewise been developed so as not to affect the acoustics of the theater. The audio impacts and the music are an extremely fundamental part of any program, so developers need to consider that particular product can soak up and mirror audio differently than others. All excellent seating which has been developed for use in theaters will certainly comprehend this and take procedures to make sure that the high quality of the performance will certainly not be damaged by these things.

Visit To The Website for getting more information related to Merriweather Post Pavilion.

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The Hollywood Bowl

Countless Individuals purchase The Hollywood Bowl tickets to watch their favorite bands

  Among the significant matters when arranging an event is the location at which you can hold your occasion. When you're completed with your event purposes, goals and what's set, you currently need to take into consideration the perfect place to maintain it. Undoubtedly, you would like to take into account the best location. When you quit from the area, make sure you meet with the handling of the The Hollywood Bowl so that you can review all vital things with each other. Substantial stuff like what are the scenarios which you remain in a position to gain, the facilities that they have and bundles that they may offer you with.

The The Hollywood Bowl tickets are readily available for you. It's ideal to get tickets for your performance beforehand to make sure that you may enjoy on your own in various events and events. In the game, you want to participate in musical shows, or your favorite musician is doing, it's exceptional that you discover a front row tickets to make sure that you can promptly become pure amusement from it.

Specialist event managers can assist you to arrange events in a well-ordered, hassle-free fashion. Select The Hollywood Bowl professionals that will undoubtedly take your total weight from sending out invites to the visitors into arranging and arranging the whole occasion. A specialist occasion coordinator can make the procedure more comfortable as they might organize everything, right out of foods to design and produce your event unique.

In unique events we organize an enormous variety of activities such as festivals, household programs, and other special occasions happen below too. Advertising occasions are becoming a perfect device to get to viewers awareness. We can claim that there is nothing or a company that can not get some advantage by creating and blowing up some occasion. Several businesses come in their advertising department a branch specifically dedicated to developing creative advertising celebrations.

The The Hollywood Bowl Boston the most excellent and most suitable location to preserve the occasion, prep for the event need to commence the minute the game has been wrapped up. It's a great deal better to have a couple of days further instead of dread in the last minute. A lot of time, dedication and direction are needed in preparing an occasion. Furthermore, occasion preparation is associated with a great deal of job and exhaustion. This will undoubtedly provide you with the assistance of a series of the best professionals in the business of occasion planning and don't neglect that everything is well worked with.

A tactical event is like an outstanding phase manufacturing. It is all about getting your act with each other in addition to doing the excellent collection for the first audience. So what are the things entailed when intending an event? Professionals supply you some hints you need to follow to make sure that you might have an auspicious occasion. When you allow us to handle your celebrations, you can look carefully at your guests and socialize with them openly without needing to bother concerning applying specifics of your event.

The range of the occasion does play an essential part in regards to arranging and intending an incident. But, huge variety, challenging events were a completely different ball-game entirely. Having claimed that, the modern time had introduced a lot of alternatives such as the The Hollywood Bowl this phase aids the occasion programs of all dimensions. Nevertheless, some fundamental guidelines will require to be applied to have the ability to perform that.

If you are enjoying an occasion where standing is allowed, be mindful of those around you. Basing on top of chairs or structures is never permitted along with would certainly be considered grounds for removal. For the safety of all visitors, Hollywood Bowl asks that you keep the aisles cost-free and likewise clear of private things. They urge every person to lots delicately, as coat and bag checks are inaccessible and all personal stuff ought to fit underneath your seat.

Movie theater truly impressive indoor dish has actually been boosted and additionally upgraded to seat as long as many guests. For smaller sized events, the bowl could change to an additional intimate configuration. Whether holding an office occasion or a field performance, Hollywood Bowl maintains the course and additionally style of its past, while performing a contemporary spin to its interior design. Its balcony removals conveniently, remarkable foods and likewise lounges offering something for everyone. Inside, without the disturbance of collections, the seats relocate perfectly.

If you are valuing a celebration where standing is allowed, bear in mind those around you. Depending on top of chairs or structures is never enabled and also would be considered premises for elimination. For the security and security of all visitors, theatre asks that you keep the aisles cost-free along with free from individual items. They encourage every person to great deals lightly, as a layer in addition to bag checks are not readily available and all personal products ought to fit below your seat.

Whether organizing an office event or an arena efficiency, theater keeps the training course along with the design of its past, while implementing a contemporary spin to its interior decoration. Its porch eliminations easily, excellent foods along with lounges supplying something for every person. Inside, without the disturbance of suites, the resting streams effortlessly. Hollywood Bowl events impressive interior bowl has been updated in addition to upgraded to lots of seat guests. For smaller sized events, the recipe might convert to an added special arrangement.

The Hollywood Bowl events entrance hall typically opens up 1 hr before drape, yet, speakers may open the amphitheater doors at their discretion. Nevertheless, all guests should have a ticket no matter age, and all kids have to be seated with an adult. The theater books the right to get rid of anyone interrupting performance or hindering the satisfaction of an event for visitors without reimbursement.

Designated places are provided on the outdoor balcony. Please do not leave the centers as re-entry is limited. To obtain tickets for a movie theater on future occasions. Purchase VIP seats and additionally acquire availability to the respected along with highly comfy VIP lounge. Hollywood Bowl events offers its site visitors with fantastic eating experiences. Outdoors food along with drinks, including water, containers, in addition to bottles, are strictly prohibited. Smoking cigarettes within the building is a straight infraction of strategies and additionally is home for removal.

Hollywood Bowl events is an excellent area with a beautiful align of celebrations throughout the year. We understand the importance of indulging in a party with your buddies. That's why, unless or else defined, all tickets marketed through the net side-by-side. If you want one of the most effective possible deal on tickets and side-by-side tickets with your close friends, ensure you obtain your tickets.

The Hollywood Bowl events efficiencies additionally showed their creative thinking and also taught their remarkable society and history. The concept of theatre developed in the medieval duration. The theatre also amuses you with stand-up funny, cabaret and various other efficiency programs. The most useful thing about a movie theater is that it can take you to a lot of critical areas. At times, you may also fail to remember that you are being in a theater and viewing a play.

When we claim magic, we are not discussing actual magic such as seeing illusionists on stage - although this is additionally a great alternative - we are instead discussing the magic people feel when they go to something that is life as well as lively. When you think about it from this perspective, would you instead acquire a CD of your favorite singer or see them perform reside in the show? Would not you enjoy seeing your favorite movie untangle right there before your eyes on the phase? Well, this is that magic we are discussing. When you attend movie theater, you can experience the tale being told to you in real-time and with genuine feelings happening before you.

Hollywood Bowl events has been a center of social activities and flaunts a fabled tradition of staged entertainment. The city is house to numerous top-notch places, and there are many specialists and amateur theater teams giving high-quality amusement to site visitors and individuals who are living. The theatre is a professional theater firm generating world-class manufacturers of traditional plays.

The theater has an unusual history. It was not originally meant to be a performance venue but was designed as a conference facility for the black eyes. The luxurious inside was suggested to resemble yard. The theater's ceiling was repainted as an evening sky, complete with twinkling stars and moving clouds created with the help of a particular projector. The lobby locations and lounges were full of rich details. Also, necessary architectural components were intelligently camouflaged by attractive functions.

  First of all, we need to recognize that performing arts facility is something that most people regard as uncommon, and participating in theatre is most generally considered to be a unique Hollywood Bowl events. This is most likely why there is so much hassle regarding theatre etiquette. Most people have no suggestion what they ought to and what they should not do when participating in a play, as many people think about theater to be just like the films. On the various another hand, there are also those people that know very well that the theater is nothing like the movie theater.

Phase honors are handed out for quality in theatre and phase performances across various groups. The honors system differs from category to classification, e.g., performance, musicals, dramatization, operas and so on. Some have closed nominations kept an eye on by a committee or board while some have an open choice and election processes. The standards for awards option additionally varies throughout classifications.

Making sure that conventional theatre efficiencies do not go vanished theater is an initiative which was birthed amongst a group of moms who believed that their children were worthy of to experience the magic of a staged performance which is both educationally advantageous and inspiring. With the goal of cultivating young musicians and a pleased target market that takes pleasure in excellent quality theater, the theater experience is aimed at kids who love the arts and those that want to add to its advancement.

Whether the choice is for realism or experimental cinema, it is something which you will not intend to miss. Live performances on phase are an improving form of amusement for people of all ages. The Hollywood Bowl events can come to be an active component of your lifestyle. You can have movie theater field glasses that are as beautiful as they are sensible. Some are so stylish that they are even considered to be a fashion device. If convenience is essential to you, you can select movie theater field glasses which fold up for easy carrying and storage space. They are portable and lovely, along with being useful.

Movie theater seating has likewise been developed so as not to impact the acoustics of the theatre. The sound impacts and the songs are an integral part of any show, so designers need to consider that certain products can absorb and show audio in a different way than others. All great seating which has been made for usage in Hollywood Bowl events organizer will undoubtedly recognize this and take actions to ensure that the top quality of the efficiency will certainly not be damaged by these points.

Visit To The Website for getting more information related to The Hollywood Bowl.

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Saratoga Amphitheater

Saratoga Performing Arts Center tickets for your favorite show will be going on sale

Saratoga Amphitheater Concerts

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center efficiencies also revealed their imagination and additionally showed their beautiful culture and background. The idea of theater created in the middle ages period. The theater moreover amuses you with stand-up comedy, cabaret and various other efficiency programs. The most useful feature of a theater is that it can take you to a lot of remarkable locations. At times, you may also forget that you are sitting in a theater and enjoying a play.

When we say magic, we are not talking about genuine magic such as seeing magicians on phase - even though this is also a great alternative - yet we are instead talking about the magic people feel when they participate in something that is online as well as dynamic. When you consider it from this point of view, would certainly you instead acquire a CD of your favorite singer or see them carry out reside in concert? Would not you appreciate seeing your favored movie unravel right there before your eyes on the phase? Well, this is that magic we are talking about. When you participate in a movie theater, you can experience the story being told to you in real-time and with actual emotions occurring in front of you.

Saratoga Amphitheater Events

Saratoga Performing Arts Centerl has been a hub of social activities and flaunts a storied tradition of theatrical enjoyment. The city is house to some premium venues, and there are many expert and amateur theatre teams supplying quality enjoyment to site visitors and individuals that are living. The theater is a professional theater business creating world-class manufacturers of timeless plays.

Independent guide linking to ticket resale marketplace

Saratoga Performing Arts Center Seating Chart

The theater has an unusual background. It was not originally intended to be an efficiency location but was developed as a meeting center for the shiners. The luxurious interior was indicated to appear like a yard. The theatre's ceiling was painted as an evening sky, full with sparkling celebrities and relocating clouds created with the assistance of a particular projector. The lobby areas and lounges were filled with elaborate information. Also, crucial architectural components were skillfully camouflaged by decorative functions.

Firstly, we have to recognize that the Saratoga Performing Arts Center is something that lots of people regard as off the beaten track, and attending theater is most frequently considered to be a unique event. This is possibly why there is a lot hassle regarding theatre etiquette. Lots of people have no concept what they ought to and what they shouldn't do when going to a play, as many people consider theatre to be similar to the movies. On the other hand, there are also those individuals who know conclusively that the theatre is nothing like the movie theater.

The price you see, is the price you pay!

CHEAPER TICKETS

HUGE TICKET SELECTION

Stage awards are given away for excellence in theater and phase performances throughout various classifications. The honors system differs from category to classification, e.g., performance, musicals, dramatization, operas and more. Some have shut elections checked by a board or board while some have the open choice and nomination procedures. The criteria for awards option also varies across groups.

Making sure that traditional theater efficiencies do not go extinct theatre is a campaign which was birthed amongst a group of mommies that thought that their kids deserved to experience the magic of a theatrical performance which is both educationally beneficial and motivating. With the mission of growing young artists and an appreciative audience that takes pleasure in top quality theatre, the theater experience is focused on kids who love the arts and those that want to contribute to its growth.

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center offers many seating options for guests

​

Saratoga Amphitheater Tickets

Whether the choice is for a realistic look or speculative movie theater, it is something which you will not wish to miss out on. Live efficiencies on phase are an enriching kind of amusement for people of every age. The Saratoga Performing Arts Center can become an active part of your way of life.

You can have theater field glasses that are as beautiful as they are practical. Some are so fashionable that they are also thought about to be a style device. If a benefit is essential to you, you can pick theater field glasses which fold for simple carrying and storage. They are small and attractive, as well as being practical.

Our listings use the most reputable online ticket marketplace to sell and distribute tickets

Movie theater seating has likewise been designed so as not to affect the acoustics of the theatre. The sound results and the songs are an essential part of any program, so developers have to consider that specific material can take in and show audio in different ways than others. All great seating which has been created for use in theaters will certainly comprehend this and take measures to ensure that the top quality of the performance will certainly not be damaged by these points.

Saratoga Amphitheater is an excellent place with a remarkable align of events throughout the year. We recognize the significance of appreciating an occasion with your friends. That's why, unless otherwise specified, all tickets sold using this website are side-by-side. If you want one of the most efficient possible bargains on tickets and side-by-side tickets with your friends, assure you get your tickets with the assistance of our professionals.

If you are enjoying an occasion where standing is allowed, bear in mind those around you. Basing on top of chairs or structures is never allowed along with would indeed be thought about premises for removal. For the security of all site visitors, Saratoga Amphitheater asks that you maintain the aisles cost-free and also clear of specific points. They urge everybody to load carefully, as coat and bag checks are unattainable and all personal things should fit below your seat.

Cinema truly superior indoor dish has been boosted and likewise updated to seat as high as several guests. For smaller sized events, the recipe can transform into an extra intimate setup. Whether holding an office occasion or a field efficiency, Saratoga Amphitheater keeps the course and additionally style of its past, while accomplishing a contemporary twist to its interior decoration. Its balcony removals conveniently, remarkable foods and also lounges offering something for everyone. Inside, without the disruption of suites, the seats move correctly.

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Saratoga Amphitheater

If you appreciate an event where standing is permitted, bear in mind those around you. Relying upon the top of chairs or structures is never enabled and also would be taken into account facilities for removal. For the security and safety and security of all visitors, theatre asks that you maintain the aisles cost-free as well as free from personal products. They encourage everyone to great deals lightly, as a layer along with bag checks are not available, and all private items must fit below your seat.

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The Saratoga Amphitheater commonly opens 1 hr before drape, but, speakers might open up the auditorium doors at their discernment. However, all guests need to have a ticket regardless of age, and all kids need to be seated with an adult. The theater gets the right to eliminate any person disrupting an efficiency or inhibiting the enjoyment of an occasion for guests without reimbursement.

Designated areas are provided on the outdoor terrace. Please do not leave the facilities as re-entry is limited. To get tickets for upcoming theater occasions. Purchase VIP seats and additionally obtain accessibility to the valued along with highly comfortable VIP lounge. Saratoga Amphitheater provides its site visitors with impressive eating experiences. Outdoors food in addition to drinks, having water, containers, in addition to bottles, is strictly prohibited. Smoking cigarettes within the structure is a straight violation of plans and also is the property for elimination.

Saratoga Amphitheater is an excellent area with a beautiful align of events throughout the year. We recognize the relevance of delighting in a celebration with your buddies. That's why, unless or else defined, all tickets marketed through the web side-by-side. If you desire one of the most effective feasible offers on tickets and side-by-side tickets with your buddies, guarantee you obtain your tickets.

The theatrical performances also revealed their imagination and likewise depicted their marvelous culture and background. The principle of theater developed in the medieval duration. The theatre similarly delights you with stand-up comedy, cabaret and various other performance programs. The best feature of a Saratoga Amphitheater is that it can take you to a lot of amazing areas. At times, you could also fail to remember that you are sitting in a theater and enjoying a play.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center Tickets

Stage awards are given away for excellence in Saratoga Amphitheater and stage performances across various categories. The honors system varies from classification to type, e.g., performance, musicals, dramatization, operas and so forth. Some have shut elections kept track of by a board or board while some have the open option and election procedures. The standards for awards choice also differs across groups.

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Whether the choice is for a realistic look or speculative cinema, it is something which you will not want to miss. Live efficiencies on stage are an enhancing form of amusement for people of all ages. The Saratoga Amphitheater can come to be an active component of your way of life. You can have theater field glasses that are as beautiful as they are sensible. Some are so trendy that they are even considered to be a style accessory. If ease is essential to you, you can choose movie theater field glasses which fold up for simple carrying and storage. They are small and lovely, as well as being functional.

Saratoga Amphitheater seating has also been made so as not to influence the acoustics of the theater. The audio impacts and the music are a very integral part of any program, so developers have to consider that certain materials can take in and show audio in a different way than others. All great seating which has been created for use in theaters will comprehend this and take actions to guarantee that these things will not harm the top quality of the performance.

To start with, we have to comprehend that theater is something that many people view as uncommon, and participating in theatre is most commonly thought about to be a unique event. This is possibly why there is so much difficulty regarding theatre decorum. Most individuals have no suggestion what they must and what they shouldn't do when going to a play, as lots of people think about theatre to be similar to the flicks. On the various another hand, there are additionally those people that understand very well that the Saratoga Amphitheater is absolutely nothing like the movie theater.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Ensuring that traditional cinema efficiencies don't go extinct Saratoga Amphitheater is an initiative that was born among a team of moms that believed that their youngsters should have to go through the magic of a theatrical performance that is both educationally important and inspirational. Together with the assignment of improving young musicians in addition to an appreciative target market that loves top exceptional movie theater, the theatre experience is routed at children that enjoy the arts and people that desire to contribute to the development.

Phase honors are given away for quality in theater and stage efficiencies across different groups. The honors system differs from group to classification, e.g., stage shows, musicals, dramatization, operas and so forth. Some have shut nominations monitored by a board or board while some have an open choice and election procedures. The standards for awards selection likewise varies across categories.

Cinema seating has likewise been designed so as not to affect the acoustics of the theatre. The sound impacts and the music are an integral part of any show, so designers have to think about that particular materials can soak up and mirror audio in a different way than others. All great seats which have been made for use in theatres will comprehend this, and take measures to ensure that the top quality of the performance will certainly not be harmed by these things.

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[transmissionbox]

Maybe It’s The Only Way

Sometime in April, 1988, a friend of mine knocks on my bedroom window. He's got a huge grin on his face and he's giddily showing me a cassette tape. Once inside, he excitedly explains how he'd just been listening to, and recorded on said tape, a special radio preview of an upcoming release from Prince.

As I'm putting the tape in the player, I notice it's not a blank tape, but rather some kind of inspirational encouragement tape that he's used to record the preview over; this still makes me chuckle, a bit, when I recount this story.

The recording was awful, as he'd recorded material over the same tape several times. Doing this repeatedly would often cause the sound to be warbled and uneven when played back. He and I were all smiles while the DJ explained that the upcoming record, Lovesexy, would be released in the following weeks, and that this was a special preview only select radio stations would broadcast.

Once he was finished with the promotional material, the DJ played the opening twenty or so seconds of Alphabet St. My friend and I were smiling ear-to-ear, carefully listening to every second: this was obviously a different kind of style, but it was unmistakably Prince. I was awestruck. We must have re-played that little chunk of mastery a dozen times before my friend got concerned for the tape's integrity.

In the next few months, I would relocate to Minnesota to get closer to my paternal family. My cousin, a fellow Prince fan, called one afternoon to tell me that Prince would be kicking off the Lovesexy tour in September - IN Minneapolis - and that we should buy tickets early. I was VERY happy I spent that money.

The concert was totally epic. Not only were we seeing the first show of the Lovesexy tour in America, but we were seeing it in Prince's home state. I'd not a seen a Prince show before, and I haven't seen five better performances of ANY kind, since. Though The Revolution as a band weren't present, Dr. Fink was there, sporting his monogramed scrubs; he and Sheila E. actually shot some hoops on stage.

My favorite memory from the event was when a huge, pink, neon "something” was being lowered from the top of the venue. At first, one could only see the very bottom part. But, I knew exactly what it was. I turned to my cousin and practically screamed, "That says Yes!" She couldn't hear me, so I repeated, "THAT SAYS YES!" And, sure enough, what was being lowered was a huge, neon-pink heart with the word "Yes" inside of it - just like on the album.

I felt, right then, and have ever since, that I was able to kind of tap into that illusive Prince vibe, even for just those several, fleeting moments. Some of my most cherished memories of seeing live music come from that concert. In the years since, I've been able to collect a couple pieces of event shwag that I didn't have the money to purchase, back then.

Prince was the ultimate showman, even driving a white Thunderbird around the stage during the Alphabet St. rap. Hard to believe that show was thirty years ago, today. I sure miss him. And his millions of dedicated fans do, too. This is quite fitting, in my opinion.

Among his many artistic talents, Prince had a real knack for putting the right letters together… and making a better day.

lsl:091418

[madi2112]

A piece of the past moves forward

About a million years ago (plus a lifetime) I was a musician.

Yep, little 'ol me.

Even harder to believe was the fact I was a drummer to boot.

I was in various bands starting late in my teens and at one point was in a cover band that played shows all over the Western U.S.

Through a series of unexpected events I am now playing again.

And writing again.

One of a few influences in my drumming style (and more) has been Neil Peart of Rush. While I do not have the skill level that he does, learning some of the patterns he plays helped me to obtain an ok level of proficiency.

He also made it acceptable to be more then someone who "hits stuff with sticks".

I am also a lyricist. Just like he is.

Both of those passions were seemingly dead.

The last (and most successful) band I was in had just broken up and I did not want to start all over again. Finding other people to make music with is difficult. You need to share a certain chemistry as well as have similar skill levels, be similar in ages, experience and attitudes.

Then IF you can find others like that there is lots of rehearsal time.

Those were things I was not interested in having to do, yet again, to start (or join) a new band.

Plus this little thing called transition was looming.

So I packed up all the equipment and closed that chapter in my life. Or so I thought.

A childhood friend and I had a band for many years that was based on original music. He wrote the music, I wrote the lyrics, we both worked on the arrangements and came up with dozens of catchy songs (We think anyways). We played about every single club/bar/venue in the San Diego area with limited success.

Our biggest challenge was finding a third person to complete the trio. It was always him and I and a rotation of people filling that third spot. None of which ever had the right balance of skill, chemistry and dedication to make it completely work.

So when we both relocted to Utah we ended up doing covers. It was fun and all, and we played steadily enough, but there was a lack of satisfaction in just doing other peoples songs.

We considered ourselves songwriters above all and missed that immensely.

When the last cover band we were in togther split we each went our separate ways. He moved back to California and I found a new coverband. Plus that transition thing again.

Even though my friend and I had been in bands together off and on for nearly 30 years I never shared my gender issues with him. It was my dark secert. Of corse. for those same 30 years I didn't share my gender issues with anyone at all.

Once I did share them disaster struck because of it.

Besides, a big part of the reason I played music was that it served as an enjoyable distraction from my underlying issue. Like other hobbies I had in my life.

Fast forward 8 years...

I get an email out of the blue with a short 7 word message in it. No greeting, no sign off, no hints of who it is.

But that note was an inside joke we had between us. I instantly knew who it was.

I responded with another phrase we once kicked around and after exchanging a few more like that the inevitable question of "What are you up to now?" Was asked of me.

"If you only knew" I thought to myself.

But after being silent the entire time I have known him (now pushing closer to 40 years) I knew it was time.

I was finally living my life as myself and there was no way I was (or am) ever going to back to what I never really was.

He had to be told.

So I dusted off the old "I have something to tell you, but once I do I can never untell you" speech and finaly let the truth be know.

He was shocked, confused, puzzled and curious at first and a bit hurt too as I had never come out before now.

I answered what ever questions he had and like others have done once I told them, he looked back and now realized the clues were there. That some of the things I did, I said and the way I acted suddenly now made sense.

In a big moment of relief, he accepted me and things between us have never been better.

I then got him caught up on all the 'other' events in my life that have occurred since we last kept in touch.

Cancer, Chemotherapy, relocation, spliting with my wife, estrangement from my son, losing about everything, a new girlfriend, new job etc. all were discussed openly, honestly and with a depth we had never had before.

He commented that he never understood why in all the years we had know each other our friendship was a bit superficial. We may have shared music, songwriting, sports and more togather but we never got in deep conversions about anything more personal or emotional.

Obviously he now knew the reasons why I kept that at bay.

When the subject of my Cancer and upcoming surgery came up he was taken aback by even the possibility of it being fatal.

In an effort to lift my spirits he suggested one day maybe we could write some new songs together again. Half seriously and half using that as motivation for me to get well soon and have something to look forward to.

But as we continued to communicate the real possibility of doing just that became a reality.

All I had to do was survive surgery (step one completed) then recover enough to get back on my feet (step two completed) go back to work and get some equipment (I left all my music gear back in Utah when I fled from there) so I could play again (step three completed) learn to play the drums to a reasonable degree (still very much a work in progress on that part).

He also requested I shoot him some new lyrics.

So I opened up the long dormant section of my life that does that and crafted some new lyrics. It had been about 10 years since I was in that mode.

It was painful at first and my lyric writing skills were certainly rusty.

I decided to focus on making my lyrics more personal and reflective. The last four years have been a strange journey (to put it nicely). Once I did that the words came quickly and it flowed easily.

Using my new lyrics and recafting older ones I had wtitten (still can't believe he saved those!) Seven new songs are in various degress of the development stages!

So the decision was made to rename the band , find a site to host our music and slowly record and release new songs as we complete them.

To get things started we found two songs in our catalog of older material that were recorded well enough to present.

The band (or more accurately, this recording project) is now called "Coast 2 Coast" and the link to hear those songs is at:

Have a listen if you want, if not that's ok too. We are doing this project because we enjoy it. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Like my love of cooking, I enjoy the creativity, the skill and the presentation of both music and food. Putting them in front of people and having them enjoy what you did is rewarding in itself.

However like food, music is subjective and one of personal taste. There is no right or wrong, just things you like and things you take a pass on. If it's not for you then keep going and realize there may be others who do enjoy it.

Just the same as almost everything else in life.

~Madison

HRT574

[btssavedmylifeblr]

Do you have any advice on traveling to Korea alone? Like how hard it was to get around, I can read hangul but don’t understand a lot just yet, and I am still learning to speak it decently. Did you have trouble finding places to go and traveling? I can’t believe you went alone that is so brave and I’m honestly inspired. I think it’s very cool. Any advice and also explaining your experience would be wonderful~

Oh my gosh, I am so excited about this ask!!! Thank you! I probably got a little carried away in my answer. 

I had such a wonderful time in Korea. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. The people are super nice, the country is very safe, and they have a great transportation system.  

Best Kpop things I did while there: went to a DAY6 concert, went to a taping of M!Countdown, and met MIN YOONGI’S OLDER BROTHER!

This post got crazy long, so I am placing a cut here.

On Traveling Alone

If one is going to travel alone, I think Korea is probably one of the very best places to do so. Everyone is very friendly and the country is incredibly safe. There is almost no crime. It actually took some adjustment on the part of my paranoid American self to calm down about things. For instance, people have way less personal space in general, so they would stand really close to you on the subway or follow you really closely when walking, even at night. In a major US city, this would be a sign that someone was trying to rob or assault you, but it is just normal behavior in Korea. People also would routinely take my phone when checking tickets or giving me directions and then just hand it back. I even had a man happily carry my suitcase up two flights of stairs in the subway and  then not run away with it. And this wasn’t just me being a naive tourist. I routinely saw people leave laptops unattended in cafes for hours and leave purses on bookshelves at the front of cafes while they sat and had coffee. Nothing ever got stolen. 

The only places that seemed dodgy were some of the clubs in Hongdae where men would try to get women to come into the clubs, often by physically grabbing them or blocking their path. I wouldn’t recommend doing the bar/club scene in Seoul by yourself, but that is probably good advice for being a woman anywhere in the world. Everywhere else was very safe. 

The only other thing that was hard about traveling alone was finding places to eat by yourself. While it can also be awkward to eat by yourself in the US, at least food is served in single portions. But most formal sit-down restaurants in Korea only serve things family style, so you really can’t go by yourself. I mostly stuck to cafes, street food, convenience store ramen, and lunch places that catered to students/single working people. I would usually wander around until I found a place where there were Koreans eating alone and then would go there.  More advice about that down in Practical Tips.

Ease of travel-wise, Korea has the best subway system I have ever seen. It was clean, air-conditioned and incredibly easy to use. You could always get from anywhere in Seoul to anywhere else in Seoul in less than an hour. There was also a high speed train to and from both airports. More advice about that in Practical Tips. 

On the Language Barrier

It was really easy to get around Seoul, despite speaking very little Korean. I actually remember being disappointed that everyone’s English was so much better than my Korean, because they would just speak in English to me and I didn’t get a chance to practice much Korean. People were always happy for my attempts to speak Korean though, so don’t go expecting to only ever speak English. Also, being able to read hangul is really important. The subway system translates everything into English, Japanese and Chinese, but maps and street signs are often only in hangul. It is also much easier to order off of menus if you can sound it out in Korean. Saying “I would like an orange juice.” does not work as well as saying “I would like an orenji juiseu.” I highly recommend this video series for learning hangul. It’s only an hour and a half. It does a really nice job explaining how the letters relate to mouth shape in a way that makes it much easier to remember which letter is which sound. 

Also, when I ventured outside of Seoul, to Busan, Gwangju, Daegu and Jeju, there were fewer people who spoke English. But I had been in Korea for three weeks at that point, so I could get by on the little Korean I knew and gesturing. 

Don’t be a jerk - On a related point, Korea is very ethnically homogenous. Even Seoul, which is by far the most cosmopolitan of the cities in Korea, is still 97% Korean. Almost everywhere I went, especially outside of Seoul, I was the only Westerner there. On more than one occasion, I had school children run up and ask to take pictures with me. In a weird way, you are kind of representing your whole country. Being angry that people don’t speak English or being picky about your food or assuming that Korean people should adhere to the cultural norms of where you come from, are all incredibly rude and give all foreigners a bad name. Be friendly, be accepting of differences, be adventurous, and try to speak as much Korean as you can. 

Best Kpop things I did

DAY6 Concert - I went to the DAY6 concert in Seoul at the end of July. I had purchased my tickets in advance before coming to Korea. The tickets cost around $90 USD. It was a really nice venue, large enough to have space for a great show, but still intimate enough to hear everything well and see the boys clearly. It was a phenomenal show. Confetti and fireworks. Lights and video. The live music was great and they all played and sang really well. Each member had at least one solo part and they frequently paused to chat with fans. Obviously, this was all in Korean and there are no subtitles on live events, so I was only able to follow some of it. And of course, the show ended with a video montage and heartfelt speeches about how much they love their fans. The Korean Kpop fans are awesome. They know all the fan chants perfectly and are very friendly. 

M!Countdown - Through this tour, I was able to go to the August 9th live taping of M!Countdown. I was able to see EXO, the JJ Project, Girls Generation, and the debut performance of Wanna One, along with several others. I am somewhere in the screaming audience of all those videos. I got to be incredibly close to the stage and got to see a huge variety of groups, so it was a ton of fun. The only thing that is tricky with this tour is that you have to sign up a couple months in advance, but they don’t know which groups will be performing until a couple of weeks before the show, so it is a gamble about who you will get to see. If you really want to only see one specific group, you are probably better off trying to get tickets through that particular fandom, but then you will only see that group’s performance.

Yoongi’s Family Cafe in Daegu - For the last two weeks of my trip, I met up with a fellow BTS fan that I met here on Tumblr and we went on a BTS-pilgrimage to Gwangju, Busan and Daegu. One of the highlights of this pilgrimage was our trip to the cafe owned by Suga’s family in Daegu. Sadly, this cafe is no longer owned by Yoongi’s family. They have relocated to Seoul. 

We went to the cafe on a Wednesday around lunch time. As my friend and I were taking pictures of the outside, a young man was watching us from inside the restaurant and came out to open the door for us. He was really cute and gave us a big smile when he saw us. As soon as I walked over to him, he asked in English where we were from and if we were BTS fans. I nodded enthusiastically. He smiled and nodded, like “I figured.“ I told him we went to their concert in Newark and how fabulous it was and that’s when he volunteered “I’m Suga’s brother”. At first, I was worried that we would seem like crazy stalker people for having found this cafe, but the cafe was definitely not hiding its BTS connection. The walls were covered in BTS merchandise and a giant picture of BTS with Suga’s mom. They also only played BTS music the whole time we were there, which made it really hard to contain the fangirling, especially when Cypher Pt. 3 came on. 

We both got the soup, which was boiling when it arrived. I was too excited and accidentally stuck a whole piece of boiling blood sausage in my mouth and then didn’t dare spit it back out out of fear of offending Min Yoongi’s whole family. Instead, I coughed and chugged a bunch of water. Later, when we were paying, Yoongi’s brother teased me about how I had started to eat the sausage while it was still burning. “You ate so passionately,” he said. “It was hot and you had to drink the water!” And then he laughed a lot. He was very amused that two western girls would like blood sausage so much. 

I also did a bunch of cool, non-kpop things like visiting museums and language cafes, going for a bike ride on the Han river, and taking some Korean cooking classes, but this post is too long already. 

Practical Tips

Airbnb - I booked my accommodations for my whole trip through Airbnb. It was  half the cost of staying in Western-style hotels and put me in touch with locals who made sure I arrived in one piece to wherever I was supposed to be staying. This turned out to be really important when I accidentally took the wrong train in my attempt to get from Seoul to Gwangju.  I also purposefully booked a room with a host for the first week, so I would have someone to help me as I figured out the basics of getting around. I also highly recommend the Airbnb experiences. They are designed to assemble groups of people traveling by themselves to do different activities as a group, like get Korean BBQ or learn how to make bibimbap. I met so many awesome people and had such a great time. Both the hosts and the other travelers were a ton of fun. 

Subway App - This is the greatest subway app that exists on the face of the planet. Even if you never plan on going to Korea, you should download it to admire the amazing feat of technological prowess and efficiency that it is. It has maps for every major city in Korea and is available in English. It knows exactly when every train is coming, exactly how long it takes to walk between connecting trains, and even which car of the train to stand in to maximize the efficiency of your transfers. It made the subway system infinitely easier to deal with. Older people on the subway would often ask me where I was going, out of fear that I would get myself lost, and I could just hold out my phone and show them. 

Google Maps vs. KakaoMap - People in Korea claim that Google maps doesn’t work at all and one person even told me that it was a vast conspiracy by the American government to hide the location of military bases from North Korea. Based on my experience, I think it is much more likely that Google just hasn’t bothered to invest the time to make Google Maps work very well in Korea because Korea already has the excellent KakaoMap which works really well. That being said, KakaoMap is not available in English. My strategy ending up being that I would search for a place (like a cafe or SM town or Bonguensa Temple) in Google Maps and find the address, then copy and paste the Korean address into KakaoMap and follow its directions. 

Go in Spring or Autumn - Koreans are not messing around when they say that Korea has four seasons. I went in July and August and it was incredibly humid and incredibly hot (and I am from the American South, so I have experience with hot and humid). Everywhere I went, I instantly became a sweaty disgusting mess and ended up showering like twice a day. Winter also gets incredibly cold. I don’t have a lot of flexibility over when I can travel due to my work, but if you can go at anytime, I suspect fall and spring are the nicest times to go. 

Hope that was helpful! Thanks for asking!

[wineanddinosaur]

Next Round: Leaving NYC for a Small Town With Restaurateur Adam Dunn

On this episode of the “Next Round” host Adam Teeter chats with Adam Dunn, owner of The Pheasant on Cape Cod, Mass. The Pheasant is a coastal farm-to-table restaurant set inside a historic farmhouse. Dunn details his life before he became a restaurateur — working in the music industry and then for Greenpoint Fish and Lobster. The latter project served as the catalyst for his eventual relocation to Cape Cod.

Dunn explains how relocating to a small town from a big city certainly has its pros and cons. Tune in to hear Dunn explain how he continues to navigate that journey — especially during the ongoing pandemic.

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Or Check out the Conversation Here

Adam Teeter: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter, and this is a “VinePair Podcast” conversation. We’re bringing you these conversations as additions to our regular special podcast to give you a better idea of what’s going on in the industry during the Covid-19 crisis. This week I’m really lucky to be talking to Adam Dunn, owner of The Pheasant in Cape Cod. Adam, what’s going on?

Adam Dunn: Not much. Enjoying a beautifully sunny day here on Cape Cod.

A: Lovely. I don’t think I’ve interviewed another Adam before, so this is going to be fun. Tell me about The Pheasant and your background, because I know you as the owner of a really amazing restaurant in Brooklyn. Can you take me through your career so we can get a chance to know who you are and then a little bit about The Pheasant?

D: Sure. My background was in the music industry and entertainment originally. Interestingly enough, I was in college and was booking bands, which I knew that’s all I wanted to do. I moved to New York, started working at a bunch of music venues and live music. I thought that was going to be my career for a very long time. Late mornings, late nights. Go to work at 1 p.m., get home at 5 a.m. That kind of thing.

A: You were at Brooklyn Bowl, right?

D: Yeah, I did Pianos out of college. Then, I moved from there to Brooklyn Bowl for a number of years. On the side, I got really interested in food and where my food comes from, sustainability. I didn’t eat meat for 13 years in high school and college. Then, I started playing sports in college, and I was eating a ton of seafood. I knew nothing about where my fish comes from. It seems hypocritical to be very concerned about meat and know nothing about seafood, so I started learning about seafood. Growing up, I came to Cape Cod every summer as a kid and was used to being around seafood. I was living in Williamsburg at the time and there was nowhere to get local seafood or any quality seafood for that matter. This is before Whole Foods and before everything else came in. I had to go to Chelsea Market to get high-quality fish. That is a three-hour round trip, at least. This is crazy. Williamsburg being the food mecca as it is or was, it just seemed crazy. There was a local Italian market that was OK, but you go in, ask the guy where’s that piece of fish from? He’d look at a tag and say it’s imported. That’s all he could tell you. I knew there’s got to be something more to this, somebody’s got to do something. I had this idea that there should be a place where you can get local fish and know where it comes from, and there’s a little counter of chowder or lobster rolls, fish sandwiches. I knew nothing about fish or where to get fish or how to source it. In my music industry days, I had worked with a guy who had mentioned at some point during our conversations that his family had a seafood business. Fast-forward many years later, I know one person who mentioned knowing something about seafood. I bumped into him at a holiday party and said, “we got to talk. I got this crazy idea.” He said his family was one of the largest and oldest seafood wholesalers in New England. They’ve been around for about 130 years in Boston wholesale. This wasn’t a little seafood thing, this is a big-time major seafood distributor. He said you have a concept, I can source us probably the best fish in New York, if not the best fish in the country. We said, “let’s see where this goes.” We started on the side. We’d rent out the backyard of a bar out in Greenpoint or Williamsburg. We throw a party and promote it like a concert. We make fliers, make Instagram accounts, and Facebook events. We branded the hell out of it. Got a friend who designed a really fantastic brand and sold merchandise, hats, shirts, oyster knives, koozies, you name it. We started building some traction, and it started taking over. It climaxed when we took out one of those New York Harbor boats, and a buddy of mine ran concerts on those boats and gave me a deal on a boat. We put 300 people on the boat, open bar, lobster rolls, oysters, ceviche, and we had a DJ named Jonathan Toubin.

A: I love Jonathan Toubin. He did a party of mine because I was in the music industry, too. I think we crossed paths.

D: Oh man, there’s so much here especially to make connections with you.

A: Yeah, I used to do A&R for J Dub.

D: OK, so we definitely crossed.

A: We used to throw parties at Brooklyn Bowl. I think you booked one of my bands there.

D: It gets so fuzzy between the two.

A: It’s crazy — I’m going on a tangent here — but were you there at the same time? Now I just blanked on his name, but the guy who was involved in signing MGMT and stuff.

D: Oh, Will Griggs.

A: Yes, Will Griggs! Were you there at the same time?

D: Yeah, I took over when Will left. Will was there the first two years, I think, of Brooklyn Bowl. Then, he was focusing on his label and various other projects. Then, a buyer and I were involved in Brooklyn Bowl as a consulting partner for booking. I met those guys early on in my Pianos days. I started hanging out with them. When the time came, they said hey, you’ve got this 800 to 1,000-capacity venue in Brooklyn, and he’s a booker. I’ll do that.

A: That’s amazing.

D: Yeah, Jonathan Toubin is where we left off. Jonathan Toubin actually DJ’d my wedding here on Cape Cod. He was our first ask and he said “yeah, I’ll come up and do it.”

A: Very cool. You’re trying to source great seafood, throwing parties.

D: We were throwing parties and we said to each other, “let’s see how far this goes.” At some point, we expected to stop. There’s going to be some barrier and we can’t go any further and let’s see where that is. It never stopped. We just kept going. We kept finding ways around these barriers and managed to put some investors together because we had built a brand. We wanted to show that we had some traction and engagement. We managed to get some friends, family, private investors, random folks that we had come across that were interested. Before we opened up on June 30, 2018, we opened up this little brick-and-mortar fish market counter and raw bar. We did that for a number of years, expanding into wholesale. My partner Vinnie Milburn was the business brains behind the whole thing and grew and built this wholesale machine. That’s really the direction the business started going, it was wholesale. We realized we weren’t going to add more restaurant locations. The amount of debt you incur to open a new brick and mortar in New York was one step forward, two steps back. We were like, “How are we ever going to get out of this?” We decided wholesale was a lot easier to scale. You have to deal with customers and there are some benefits for certain types of personalities. We started going in that direction. Then I hit a point where I really like the customer-facing side. I really like creating experiences. I’m a promoter at heart. Back when I was booking bands, I was trying to find obscure bands and introduce them to people and grow them. I love that feeling of showing somebody something they haven’t seen before and then people are like “holy shit, that was awesome. Where do I get more?” That’s my drive. The wholesale thing, as awesome as it was to be knee-deep in razor clams at 4 in the morning and lugging 80-pound halibut around before dawn in New York City, it was exciting, but it was brutal hours and it wasn’t where my passion was. I was looking for opportunities and my wife and I were looking to start a family. We’re trying to forecast our life in New York. Then, we thought there might be an opportunity somewhere else. We fantasize, like everybody does who lives in New York, about where you would go. Upstate New York, Vermont, Maine. Then, I realized my family has a house in Cape Cod in South Dennis. I knew the Cape really well. I came here for 25 years with my family, so we asked, “What about Cape Cod?” What’s going on up there? We were looking for businesses for sale. We saw that this famous restaurant called the Red Pheasant Inn was for sale. My parents rented a house every summer from across the street from this restaurant.

A: Oh, wow.

D: I don’t know, for 11 or 12 years. That was where every summer my parents and friends of theirs would go out for an anniversary or a birthday and would leave the kids at home. It was a fancy restaurant on Cape Cod, and it had a massive wine list, white tablecloths. However, it was stuffy and dated, and we never wanted to go to the Red Pheasant. I don’t think they let people in under the age of 16.

A: It was supposed to be an adult place.

D: Exactly. We saw it was for sale and was like, “Oh, that’s interesting.” I think we had just come the summer before and we had walked into the restaurant to have a nice adult dinner. We couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing the floors were. It’s a 250-year-old farmhouse, original wood floors, original post-and-beam. It oozes New England farmhouse vibes. It’s got two working fireplaces. It’s just years, years, and years of firewood into the walls. It’s stunning. It’s a dream place. I remember saying, “Somebody could really do a number with this place.” Anyway, it came up for sale and we couldn’t believe that place was for sale. We kept reading and it said there’s a four-bedroom house attached to it. It’s on an acre and a half. Oh, it’s on a lake. It’s a 10-minute walk to the beach. I know the neighborhood. My parents have a house in the area. This seems like a no-brainer. Let me tell you, money goes a lot further when you leave New York City, as I think everybody knows. It depends on where you go, but we got a lot of bang for the buck.

A: Before we kick it off more, ’cause then I want I to hear about the process — that’s how you wound up on this podcast, right? You actually listened to our Monday podcast episode about restaurateurs and beverage specialists moving to smaller towns, smaller cities to open places, and you reached out. Turns out we had these crazy mutual connections and you got to come on the podcast and talk about it. This is something people are doing. I’d love to use you as a way to show other people who might be thinking about it, what you did, and how you figured it out. The one thing that I wanted to ask you is, did you know other people who had already done this? Who had been restaurateurs in New York City? For example, Prairie Whale in the Berkshires, the way you describe your spot sounds very similar to what it’s like in a very old home. Did you go check out places like that? Did you know people who had done this? What was the thought? What happened when you decided to do this. Did you start doing research, or what research did you do?

D: We probably didn’t do as much research as we should have. We found the building, the property, and the deal was right. We could live there. We could sustain. I think the easiest thing when people do these moves is finding a business and a residence together. It might not sound awesome to be living where you work, but it makes it affordable. If we were just buying the restaurant, it would have been too expensive to buy the restaurant. If you were just buying a house, it would have been too expensive to just buy the house. When you get them together, it’s an incredible deal. The business fee pays for the house, and it’s a self-sustaining system. You can keep the doors open and cover the mortgage or the lease. I think the best thing is to buy in these types of situations because you’re going all-in on this. I’ve seen in other places, what’s worked typically is when you can find that work-live situation. Otherwise, you’d be buying a restaurant and you need quite a bit of cash to do that. Then, you’ve got to figure out where you’re going to live. Sure, sometimes where you are, you can find cheaper housing. What’s tough about the Cape is the housing market is really expensive here. The Cape is such a weird place, because it’s so seasonal and in the off-season has a somewhat rural vibe to it. It’s really quiet and deserted, but the housing prices are crazy because they get such huge money in the summer. The Cape is actually very difficult, unless you’re coming from gobs of money — and good for you if you can make that happen. You need to find this live-work situation. It’s prohibitively expensive to find a business to buy and then to find a house to buy. That’s been the hardest thing. Affordable housing is such a big issue on the Cape because of the weird dynamics of seasonal vacation waterfront homes. Prairie Whale is in Great Barrington, which was definitely an inspiration for sure. I read articles. I read everything I could about people who have done this stuff. None of it accurately describes what it’s going to be like but it’s exciting. It’s romantic. We were reading about Mark. He was involved in Marlow and Sons in the Andrew Tarlow empire in the beginning. Then, they split and went up there to start a farm and then the restaurant. I was like, “This all sounds incredible.” I’m sure the housing market there is not too dissimilar, but I’m sure there are also pockets of much more affordable housing. There’s just a larger space because the Cape is such a limited, narrow strip of land. There’s only one way on, one way off. There isn’t that much inventory. It’s hard to live 40 minutes away.

A: It makes me think of someone who would think about doing this in the Hamptons.

D: Yeah, it’s not nearly that same over-the-top wealth in the same way that the Hamptons can be. However, it definitely has that same one long road all the way to the end. A two-lane highway kind of thing.

A: You’re not going to live 30 minutes away, 40 minutes away. If you need to get to the restaurant, then all of a sudden there’s a traffic jam, basically.

D: Yeah, that’s an issue but there just aren’t that many houses because it’s not 30 miles in every direction. It’s 30 miles north or south, east or west. It just limits how much housing is available in the immediate area.

A: OK, so you buy the place. What was going through your head? Did you know what you wanted to do? Were you going to buy it and take it over? What were the people selling it expecting to happen?

D: The people who sold it to us had owned the restaurant for 40 years. The father ran it for a number of years and the son took over and ran it. It was an institution, a real icon on Cape Cod. I told my parents we’re buying it, they were like “The Red Pheasant?” They couldn’t fathom that we were buying this iconic restaurant. It means a lot to people, a lot of anniversaries, birthdays, special occasions. It was a special-occasion place where people dressed up. It was a nice dinner out in this area, Cape Cod. They were looking to hand this off. I think they were just grateful to get rid of it. Honestly, we felt that toward the end of the business we saw they were 70, and just getting tired. The customers ran the place at the end. They had a regular clientele. I remember I told the chef-owner that we’re going to put this awesome gourmet burger on the menu. He’s like, “Oh, I always wanted to put a burger on the menu and couldn’t.” I never understood what he meant. “Why couldn’t you put a burger on the menu? It’s your restaurant.” Not to get ahead of myself in this conversation, but we had somebody come in when we had first opened and this older gentleman who was wearing a jacket pulled me aside to say, “Are you the owner?” I said “Yeah.” He said, “This is a nice restaurant, you can’t have hamburgers on the menu.” I had this whiplash, this aha moment. I realized that these customers had been with him for 30, 40 years and they had everything dialed in exactly how they wanted it.

A: He wasn’t going to mess with them because they were super-loyal customers.

D: Correct. There are some people that he had met. Oh, man, there’s so much here. Every December, all the towns around the holidays do holiday strolls and people walk through town, restaurants give things away, stores give things away. It’s a meet-and-greet kind of thing. Once we knew we were likely to buy it, we made an offer and it was accepted. I came up to do the stroll because he wanted to introduce me to all the regulars. He wanted to introduce me as the new owner so I came up and met all these people and everybody wanted to meet me and were sizing me up. I remember some people were just terrible. He was like, “Yeah, you don’t want those people. I’m so glad to be getting rid of them.” Oh, thanks, appreciate that. They expected to hand off the restaurant to let us run it. They told us to keep some of the menu items, some of the staples on the menu. Then, maybe you can slowly change them out. Frankly, we had no interest in the old menu. The old menu hadn’t changed in 30, 40 years. It was dated, like French-American, but slowly getting further away from being French. It became a weird menu of wasabi mashed potatoes next to seared duck and just got all over the place.

A: Right. Trendy food items here from the ’90s, mixed with trendy food items here from the ’80s. I know what you’re talking about.

D: We were looking to get rid of that entirely. He said to just be careful. We had learned that two of their items made up about 40 or 50 percent of the menu sales. There was a sole meunière and a seared duck. That was it. That’s all they sold. You can’t run a business like this. If that’s your business, then just open a shack and just sell one item. Don’t open a full-service restaurant with a full menu if you’re only selling two dishes. The logistics and economics of it made no sense. We have to get rid of that, and we have to have a menu that every item is balanced in terms of sales to some degree, at least less than how skewed it is with this current menu. We brought in a chef. We managed to find a chef locally who was really talented, and he wanted nothing to do with the old menu. He was not coming to cook somebody else’s food. We’re like, great, we’re on the same page there. We opened up. The other wrinkle in this whole thing was that Erika, my wife, is pregnant with our first baby. We were told that the due date was July 4th, which, if you know vacation towns in New England, July 4th is a very busy weekend. Easily the busiest weekend of the summer, which therefore is the busiest week of the year. It was also a brand-new restaurant for us. We ended up opening the restaurant on June 1. We had four weeks under us. Then Erika went into labor on July 4th. The baby was born on July 5th. It was insane. I was a zombie the entire year. It was probably the most intense thing we’ve ever done. We were renovating the house and the restaurant. We moved into the rest of the house on May 15, opened the restaurant on June 1, the baby came on July 5th. I don’t recommend it.

A: You’ve re-done the entire place, right?

D: No, it just needed new paint. It was really dark and drab. Everything was mauve, like red. It was just dark and dated. There are lots of tchotchkes everywhere, people bring them gifts I guess. Old Victorian lighting fixtures were hanging from a low ceiling so the whole place had this cavernous feel, but not a good way. It was stuffy so we brightened the whole place up. We added some new tables. We re-did the whole bar area. The bar needed a lot of work. The bones of the place were incredible but it just needed some love. Frankly, a slightly more contemporary approach to the style of a farmhouse, but modernized it a little bit. I think if you were to walk in, you would get what’s going on in here.

A: You basically re-do the place in terms of the menu, etc. What style of cuisine were you going for?

D: The stuff that we had loved in Brooklyn, new American comfort. Our favorite restaurants are these cozy new American spots in Brooklyn with a fantastic wine list and great cocktails. Again, like the Andrew Tarlow empire, Jeffery’s Grocery, this style of rustic, new American, but with great technique and a certain level of casualness at the same time. That was a weird thing for Cape Cod that people didn’t understand that you can have a nice restaurant that’s not fancy. They didn’t get that. People were very upset that we got rid of white tablecloths. We changed out all the glassware. We change out these giant Martini glasses for coupes. People lost their minds. They’re like, “What is this? Where’s my Martini glass?”

A: They’re angry, though.

D: Yeah, they were mad. I’ll tell you, we had people who walked out because we didn’t have a certain type of vodka. That’s all they drank is this one type of vodka and we didn’t have it. They got up and left. Then, they asked us for Limoncello and I didn’t have Limoncello so they left. Cape Cod is a weird place. I love it here, but there’s a weird culture where people overpay for food and underpay for booze. In New York City, there are certain benchmarks, standards for how you price things, and it was inverted on Cape Cod. People are giving away booze and charging stupid money for poor-quality frozen ingredients.

A: Whereas you’re taking the margin where you’re supposed to get it, which is from alcohol.

D: We are serving better-quality food at the same prices as everybody else. Anyway, our drink prices were not quite New York City prices by any means, but were priced according to the ingredients in the drink. There were quality ingredients and cheap cocktails, 12, 13, 14 bucks, but they were measured. They weren’t free-poured. People were really upset that they weren’t getting these giant pours of wine and giant, 6-ounce Martinis. People were angry, and they called us out for being from New York. We had people writing us letters, angry letters, saying they are never coming to our restaurant. For the check presenters, in the beginning, we’re using postcards. We had somebody write us a letter, a really nasty negative letter on one of our postcards with no return address. We were like, “Cool, thanks. I appreciate that.” It was wild. It was hard. The bar food on Cape Cod is very low. It’s been stuck in this ‘80s, ‘90s thing with seafood shacks with low-quality ingredients. It’s touristy, right? It’s getting your money when you can from people you’re never going to see more than once. Everything was stuck in that. Erika and I, coming from New York, we‘re going to be on Cape Cod. We want to create a place that we would eat on a regular basis, not just a special occasion, but a place that you want to go and see your friends. You want to go post up at the bar. You never know who’s going to walk in and be a neighborhood community spot. We thought we were bringing something that was very much needed to the Cape. It was needed. On the other side of this, people who don’t like change. You get older people, especially on Cape Cod there’s a lot of retirees. You get people who think they know everything, and they like it because nothing changes. As soon as you come in and you’re from a place in New York City, they get very upset.

A: It seems as though you thought that you were going to come in and people would say, “Thank you so much, we’ve been waiting for a Brooklyn-style restaurant on Cape Cod.” And they were like “get the fuck out.”

D: That was exactly it. There are so many emotions flying, between the move, the baby, going all-in on every penny. Then, to have somebody essentially spit in your face and not care about any of that. It’s the people who wouldn’t even try it, the people who wouldn’t even sit down and taste it would say, “I can’t read any of these ingredients. I don’t know what any of this is.” They were getting offended because they felt radicchio is a novel concept. You don’t want to make people feel small. They want to know and understand, they don’t want to have to ask questions. We were trying to do something where we were introducing people to new things. That’s the fun of it, right? For my wife and I, that’s why we like dining out, to go to new places and try different things and be excited when the menu changes every time we’re there because there’s something new to try. It’s an experience for us, and we’re dealing with a lot of people who just want the same thing every time. They wanted to count on certain things. On top of that, we throw in a seasonal menu, which changes four times a year and their heads really spin. They would say “Oh, I love that dish, where did it go?” We try to do something different that’s not in season anymore. We burned a lot of these old regulars from this restaurant, hard. Honestly, it was probably the best thing that ever happened.

A: There’s a silver lining here, Adam. Right now, it sounds all doom and gloom. You go to another place and you open the thing. We’ve got to get there.

D: Yeah, we’re going to get there. I’m just trying to say it is hard. It was a roller coaster of emotions. Everybody who’s considering doing this should be prepared for how this can happen.

A: Yeah, you don’t just walk in as a conquering hero.

D: Yeah, exactly. It took us a minute to recover. That first year, we closed for the first winter. We closed for three months because we were so fried emotionally. We asked, “What are we doing?” We stuck it out. That first year we had to go through that fire because the customers that came out the second year were so much more pleasant. They were people who didn’t go initially because they were nervous about this new restaurant. Then they started coming out and the previous restaurant customers, most of them, had left. It was great. All of a sudden, people are commenting on how much younger the guests in the restaurant were. It was a place where we heard that older and younger people used to call The Red Pheasant “The Dead Pheasant” because it was just so stuffy and old. It’s been taking a long time, but people now are like, Oh, it’s not The Red Pheasant anymore. It’s not like that, it’s not stuffy. It’s new owners, it’s young, it’s exciting. Those people had started coming out after these, for lack of a better term, crotchety, angry, disgruntled older customers stopped coming because they felt like this is a cool place to be. Every year since then has gotten better and better. People are more receptive to our menus and ingredient choices, style, and drink menus. The second year, we did a CBD cocktail with a weed leaf garnish dropped on top of the rocks, and people were so excited. People came out. We ran that for 4/20 as a special, and people went nuts. This is clearly a new thing here. Then, fast-forward, we got to Covid, and we were panicking. We were closed for six weeks. We were on vacation in Jamaica when the news started coming out in February about this looming pandemic. I was freaking out and having a hard time settling in on vacation. Then, we came back and it was full-blown. We were supposed to open on March 18 for the season. The governor shut everything down on the 16th, I think it was. It all changed. Then, we decided to push everything outside. We just did picnic tables. I’m really proud of how we set it up. There was all counter-service. We ran food out to you. The menu was much faster, and it was really easy for the kitchen to execute. It was a really fun and high-quality menu. It was casual. Everything’s in takeout containers. High-quality, compostable biodegradable containers, but still takeout containers nonetheless. We also had compostable forks and knives. The wine was all in plastic. It was all cans and bottles. We didn’t do anything by the glass, but it worked really, really well. We had a lot of people who were blown away by the experience. We had families coming out, which is great. The restaurant during normal times is probably not a great place for little kids. Their parents are absolutely our regular customers, and we can introduce them. Also, get people in during the summer that will hopefully continue to come. When things get back to normal, they’ll get babysitters and now they discover this restaurant. We had people who would be on vacation for five days and they were coming three or four nights of their trip because they were so excited about being outside and being safe. Everything was really spacious. We started selling all this natural wine that we were struggling to sell previously. I’ve got old ladies drinking Broc Cellars Love Red cans by the case. It was incredible. The casualness that was forced upon everybody really worked in our favor. It really took the pressure off, because we are still known to a lot of people as this special-occasion restaurant, which is a tag label we’ve been trying to shed. It really changed people. I’ve had customers say “I actually really liked your outdoor vibe better than what the restaurant was previously inside.”

A: I wonder about that. A bunch of people I know, we’re talking about now doing two different things when things go back to normal. For example, we brought on James who owns Popina in Brooklyn. I don’t know if Popina existed before you left.

D: I don’t think so but I’ve been keeping tabs on things.

A: He basically went to counter service and the question now becomes, does he become counter service in one part of his restaurant, or is that a during-the-day thing where he’s counter service and then he converts to sit down at night? There are now customers who love that. They love that they could come at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, get a bottle of wine, eat some of your food, sit out in the backyard and play bocce. Also, it’s going to allow him to come back more easily. We talk about this a lot on the podcast, too. What is it going to look like in terms of service and how many people are going to add to your staff and that kind of stuff? I wonder, have you thought about that, too? Would The Pheasant be casual during the day? Then you go to the traditional sit-down at night but outdoors. It’s still the same kind of counter service, etc. you guys were doing?

D: The problem with space is that we realize it’s not good to do indoor and outdoor at the same time. It’s one or the other. This past summer, while we were doing all the outdoor seating and everything, we were like, “Let’s do lunch. Let’s try lunch because we’re set up. It’s beautiful out. It’s Cape Cod.” We’ve never done lunch before and we were proven right. We don’t do lunch because on Cape Cod, on a sunny day, no one’s eating lunch. They’re all at the beach. Everyone’s at the beach. If you don’t have a waterfront view, you’re not going to get lunch business. There are a couple of places maybe, but most of them have views. Most of them have some connection with the beach or you can walk on from the beach. We tried for the first two months of June and July, offering lunch. It just didn’t happen. You would get a couple of tables. It’s also hard to change people’s perceptions. On the Cape, the biggest issue we have is marketing and communicating to customers, because so many people are tourists. They come out on the weekends, and there’s no way to connect to them. We hit people on Facebook and Instagram with ads or promote ads in Boston, because we want to get them before they come out here because once they’re out here, they’ve already made their plans. They know where they’re going. They’re going to go to all the favorites. You have to get them talking and thinking about it before they even get out here, get it on their radar. It’s hard to suddenly convince people like, “Oh, by the way, the restaurant is now doing lunch.” They’ve never done lunch in the 40 years they’ve been a business. We didn’t see it. The plan for us, and I’m knocking on wood right now, but we’re less than a mile from our local beach, which is a fantastic beach, very family friendly corporation beach. It’s a 10-minute walk, and they have a killer snack bar there. Well, the operator right now is not awesome. It’s pretty generic, mozzarella sticks and a bad burger. It’s just generic, but the space and layout are awesome. There are all these picnic tables on a cliff above the dunes, looking over the beach. It’s a really great setting, and it comes up for bid every two years. We’re going to put in for it for next summer and try to kill that program. That’s how we’ll do lunch. It’s off-site, but it’s less than a mile away. It’s a different style of food. You get people that way and then transition them, “Hey, come off the beach, bring this flyer and come get a cocktail with us at 5 o’clock or 4 o’clock.”

A: That’s awesome.

D: That is what we’re thinking is the transition and the next move is to get lunch because you have a captive audience at the beach.

A: You guys are closed now because this is the worst time to be open in Covid. What are your plans for when you reopen?

D: We were debating for a long time. I was really stressing out about if we’re going to be inside, outside, or if we’re going to do both. I was really concerned that a lot of people are going to want this sense of normalcy and they’re going to want to go back inside. We had a comfortable bar. A lot of regulars and people tell us, “We can’t wait to go back to the bar.” I was thinking, if we don’t go inside, we are going to have a lot of disappointed people, and people want normal. The more we thought about it, there’s just no flow. The building wasn’t designed to do that. The server who is going out with food would have to be sharing the entrance with people coming in. It’s a really long haul from the kitchen. We were talking about putting in new doors and this historic farmhouse cut doors into the side to access outside. It was just getting more and more complicated. We were thinking, all right, we already have all this infrastructure for doing outdoor dining. It’s summer on Cape Cod. Most people are probably going to eat outside. Last summer, everybody had outdoor dining setups, but they were janky. There were a lot of crappy rental tents with cement barricades. Those places are not going to do that again. They’re all going to go back inside because it’s easier for them. We’re set back from the road and we have these lush gardens and it’s very private. There are string lights, and you feel like you’re somewhere else. We’re thinking, “Let’s just stick with outside, we have the model down. We can build upon it and let’s take a chance on being the only game in town doing extensive outdoor seating. We’ve got 20 tables. We can put 120 people outside. It’s substantial. Let’s try that again and own it.” Massachusetts is operating differently than New York, from what I can tell. There’s a reopening, and they lifted the capacity limits in Massachusetts. The only restrictions for indoor dining are six feet apart, but nobody can get vaccines. The governor is saying, “We know the vaccines are taking a long time, everyone needs to be patient. We’re racing against the variants to get everybody vaccinated but we’re excited to reopen restaurants and businesses.” We’ve gone this far, why don’t we wait until more people are vaccinated or restaurant workers are vaccinated? Going inside is somewhat contingent on hope and a prayer that it seems it’s trending in that direction, but I don’t know. What do we know for sure? Outside, it’s safe. It’s Cape Cod in the summer, people like sitting outside, we know we can execute it. Let’s just do it. And we have this rare opportunity where other towns are giving waivers to restaurants to do extensive outdoor dining in areas that they normally wouldn’t let you do outdoor dining. You have to have patios. You have to have all kinds of infrastructure to do it “properly.” They’ve allowed waivers last summer, and I just checked again and they are going to do it again this year. Let’s run with it. Why complicate it? Everybody can feel comfortable. We can continue doing the kid thing. That all being said, we know that transition back inside in the fall next year is going to be rough, because we have to completely reinvent the restaurant. We’re going to close for a couple of weeks and go back inside because it’s just too cold out here, as it is in New York. I’m not looking forward to that, but I think that’s going to be the play. That’s where we’re at right now. We’re on a break right now, but every day all we’re doing is trying to run through scenarios. If we’re not doing anything inside, we have to do outdoor bathrooms. Are people going to respond to that? Are they going to get angry? How do we do this? How is the flow going to work? It’s a lot of what-ifs and unknowns. It’s stressful, but it’s almost easier now that we decide we’re just going to be outside, as opposed to trying to think about half in, half out. That’s the play. I’ve had fun listening to all the podcasts about your predictions and trends. I was listening to the lemonade one. I’m like, “Huh, I should probably look into lemonade.” We’re doing a lot of research and trying to see, trying to glean as much information as we can to try to have the most efficient and best summer we can. On Cape Cod, summer is it. You make 80 percent of your revenue for the year in three months.

A: It’s crazy.

D: We’re hoping that this year will start earlier. Last year, it didn’t really take off until August, because everyone was locked down and they weren’t allowing rentals on the Cape until July. It sputtered along until August, and then took off. This year, as soon as the weather turns, it’s going to be on like a firehose. There are no rental properties on Cape Cod. You can’t find a place to stay. It’s wild. They just announced part of the reopening so now you can have outdoor gatherings of 150 people. And so, all the weddings are back on. All the resorts are booked. It’s going to be bananas. You want to be in the right position to receive all that. There’s not a whole lot of room for error, at least for us. We take it really seriously. We take every review seriously. If somebody doesn’t leave telling us how amazing a time they had, we feel like we failed.

A: It means you’re a good restaurateur.

D: We’re trying to have it all dialed in for this quick hit, and then we’ll cross the next bridge when we get to it.

A: Well, Adam, this has been an amazing conversation. I feel like I’ve definitely learned a lot about what you’ve been through, which is awesome. Hopefully, everyone who has listened has as well. I think if you are thinking about moving from a city into a smaller town, much of what you say is encouraging to people. I think you’re also a realist, which is great. It’s not going to be easy. You’re not going to go somewhere and be welcomed with open arms. I think your story is a really, really cool one. I really appreciate you sharing it with me.

D: My pleasure. The best takeaway is that the quality of life is incredible. That’s the biggest thing. At the end of the day, on any given day, our son goes to the lake in the morning and goes to the beach in the afternoon, maybe we go fishing. It’s this incredible, magic childhood. We love being here in the winter because it’s so quiet and beautiful. We have so much space, but nothing comes easy. That was our ultimate goal. We will figure out the other part of it. Don’t give up the fight, but just know that it’s definitely not easy.

A: Well, Adam, thanks so much again, I really appreciate it. I wish you the best. I can’t wait to come to The Pheasant sometime. I’ve actually never been to Cape Cod, so I’m going to have to go. People talk about how amazing it is.

D: Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure.

Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. If you love this show as much as we love making it, then please leave a rating on review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever it is you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show.

Now for the credits, VinePair is produced and recorded in New York City in Seattle, Wash., by myself and Zach Geballe, who does all the editing and loves to get the credit Also, I would love to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder, Josh Malin, for helping make all this possible, and also to Keith Beavers, VinePair’s tasting director, who is additionally a producer on the show. I also want to, of course, thank every other member of the VinePair team who is instrumental in all of the ideas that go into making the show every week. Thanks so much for listening, and we’ll see you again.

The article Next Round: Leaving NYC for a Small Town With Restaurateur Adam Dunn appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-adam-dunn-the-pheasant/

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Next Round: Leaving NYC for a Small Town With Restaurateur Adam Dunn

On this episode of the “Next Round” host Adam Teeter chats with Adam Dunn, owner of The Pheasant on Cape Cod, Mass. The Pheasant is a coastal farm-to-table restaurant set inside a historic farmhouse. Dunn details his life before he became a restaurateur — working in the music industry and then for Greenpoint Fish and Lobster. The latter project served as the catalyst for his eventual relocation to Cape Cod.

Dunn explains how relocating to a small town from a big city certainly has its pros and cons. Tune in to hear Dunn explain how he continues to navigate that journey — especially during the ongoing pandemic.

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Adam Teeter: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter, and this is a “VinePair Podcast” conversation. We’re bringing you these conversations as additions to our regular special podcast to give you a better idea of what’s going on in the industry during the Covid-19 crisis. This week I’m really lucky to be talking to Adam Dunn, owner of The Pheasant in Cape Cod. Adam, what’s going on?

Adam Dunn: Not much. Enjoying a beautifully sunny day here on Cape Cod.

A: Lovely. I don’t think I’ve interviewed another Adam before, so this is going to be fun. Tell me about The Pheasant and your background, because I know you as the owner of a really amazing restaurant in Brooklyn. Can you take me through your career so we can get a chance to know who you are and then a little bit about The Pheasant?

D: Sure. My background was in the music industry and entertainment originally. Interestingly enough, I was in college and was booking bands, which I knew that’s all I wanted to do. I moved to New York, started working at a bunch of music venues and live music. I thought that was going to be my career for a very long time. Late mornings, late nights. Go to work at 1 p.m., get home at 5 a.m. That kind of thing.

A: You were at Brooklyn Bowl, right?

D: Yeah, I did Pianos out of college. Then, I moved from there to Brooklyn Bowl for a number of years. On the side, I got really interested in food and where my food comes from, sustainability. I didn’t eat meat for 13 years in high school and college. Then, I started playing sports in college, and I was eating a ton of seafood. I knew nothing about where my fish comes from. It seems hypocritical to be very concerned about meat and know nothing about seafood, so I started learning about seafood. Growing up, I came to Cape Cod every summer as a kid and was used to being around seafood. I was living in Williamsburg at the time and there was nowhere to get local seafood or any quality seafood for that matter. This is before Whole Foods and before everything else came in. I had to go to Chelsea Market to get high-quality fish. That is a three-hour round trip, at least. This is crazy. Williamsburg being the food mecca as it is or was, it just seemed crazy. There was a local Italian market that was OK, but you go in, ask the guy where’s that piece of fish from? He’d look at a tag and say it’s imported. That’s all he could tell you. I knew there’s got to be something more to this, somebody’s got to do something. I had this idea that there should be a place where you can get local fish and know where it comes from, and there’s a little counter of chowder or lobster rolls, fish sandwiches. I knew nothing about fish or where to get fish or how to source it. In my music industry days, I had worked with a guy who had mentioned at some point during our conversations that his family had a seafood business. Fast-forward many years later, I know one person who mentioned knowing something about seafood. I bumped into him at a holiday party and said, “we got to talk. I got this crazy idea.” He said his family was one of the largest and oldest seafood wholesalers in New England. They’ve been around for about 130 years in Boston wholesale. This wasn’t a little seafood thing, this is a big-time major seafood distributor. He said you have a concept, I can source us probably the best fish in New York, if not the best fish in the country. We said, “let’s see where this goes.” We started on the side. We’d rent out the backyard of a bar out in Greenpoint or Williamsburg. We throw a party and promote it like a concert. We make fliers, make Instagram accounts, and Facebook events. We branded the hell out of it. Got a friend who designed a really fantastic brand and sold merchandise, hats, shirts, oyster knives, koozies, you name it. We started building some traction, and it started taking over. It climaxed when we took out one of those New York Harbor boats, and a buddy of mine ran concerts on those boats and gave me a deal on a boat. We put 300 people on the boat, open bar, lobster rolls, oysters, ceviche, and we had a DJ named Jonathan Toubin.

A: I love Jonathan Toubin. He did a party of mine because I was in the music industry, too. I think we crossed paths.

D: Oh man, there’s so much here especially to make connections with you.

A: Yeah, I used to do A&R for J Dub.

D: OK, so we definitely crossed.

A: We used to throw parties at Brooklyn Bowl. I think you booked one of my bands there.

D: It gets so fuzzy between the two.

A: It’s crazy — I’m going on a tangent here — but were you there at the same time? Now I just blanked on his name, but the guy who was involved in signing MGMT and stuff.

D: Oh, Will Griggs.

A: Yes, Will Griggs! Were you there at the same time?

D: Yeah, I took over when Will left. Will was there the first two years, I think, of Brooklyn Bowl. Then, he was focusing on his label and various other projects. Then, a buyer and I were involved in Brooklyn Bowl as a consulting partner for booking. I met those guys early on in my Pianos days. I started hanging out with them. When the time came, they said hey, you’ve got this 800 to 1,000-capacity venue in Brooklyn, and he’s a booker. I’ll do that.

A: That’s amazing.

D: Yeah, Jonathan Toubin is where we left off. Jonathan Toubin actually DJ’d my wedding here on Cape Cod. He was our first ask and he said “yeah, I’ll come up and do it.”

A: Very cool. You’re trying to source great seafood, throwing parties.

D: We were throwing parties and we said to each other, “let’s see how far this goes.” At some point, we expected to stop. There’s going to be some barrier and we can’t go any further and let’s see where that is. It never stopped. We just kept going. We kept finding ways around these barriers and managed to put some investors together because we had built a brand. We wanted to show that we had some traction and engagement. We managed to get some friends, family, private investors, random folks that we had come across that were interested. Before we opened up on June 30, 2018, we opened up this little brick-and-mortar fish market counter and raw bar. We did that for a number of years, expanding into wholesale. My partner Vinnie Milburn was the business brains behind the whole thing and grew and built this wholesale machine. That’s really the direction the business started going, it was wholesale. We realized we weren’t going to add more restaurant locations. The amount of debt you incur to open a new brick and mortar in New York was one step forward, two steps back. We were like, “How are we ever going to get out of this?” We decided wholesale was a lot easier to scale. You have to deal with customers and there are some benefits for certain types of personalities. We started going in that direction. Then I hit a point where I really like the customer-facing side. I really like creating experiences. I’m a promoter at heart. Back when I was booking bands, I was trying to find obscure bands and introduce them to people and grow them. I love that feeling of showing somebody something they haven’t seen before and then people are like “holy shit, that was awesome. Where do I get more?” That’s my drive. The wholesale thing, as awesome as it was to be knee-deep in razor clams at 4 in the morning and lugging 80-pound halibut around before dawn in New York City, it was exciting, but it was brutal hours and it wasn’t where my passion was. I was looking for opportunities and my wife and I were looking to start a family. We’re trying to forecast our life in New York. Then, we thought there might be an opportunity somewhere else. We fantasize, like everybody does who lives in New York, about where you would go. Upstate New York, Vermont, Maine. Then, I realized my family has a house in Cape Cod in South Dennis. I knew the Cape really well. I came here for 25 years with my family, so we asked, “What about Cape Cod?” What’s going on up there? We were looking for businesses for sale. We saw that this famous restaurant called the Red Pheasant Inn was for sale. My parents rented a house every summer from across the street from this restaurant.

A: Oh, wow.

D: I don’t know, for 11 or 12 years. That was where every summer my parents and friends of theirs would go out for an anniversary or a birthday and would leave the kids at home. It was a fancy restaurant on Cape Cod, and it had a massive wine list, white tablecloths. However, it was stuffy and dated, and we never wanted to go to the Red Pheasant. I don’t think they let people in under the age of 16.

A: It was supposed to be an adult place.

D: Exactly. We saw it was for sale and was like, “Oh, that’s interesting.” I think we had just come the summer before and we had walked into the restaurant to have a nice adult dinner. We couldn’t stop thinking about how amazing the floors were. It’s a 250-year-old farmhouse, original wood floors, original post-and-beam. It oozes New England farmhouse vibes. It’s got two working fireplaces. It’s just years, years, and years of firewood into the walls. It’s stunning. It’s a dream place. I remember saying, “Somebody could really do a number with this place.” Anyway, it came up for sale and we couldn’t believe that place was for sale. We kept reading and it said there’s a four-bedroom house attached to it. It’s on an acre and a half. Oh, it’s on a lake. It’s a 10-minute walk to the beach. I know the neighborhood. My parents have a house in the area. This seems like a no-brainer. Let me tell you, money goes a lot further when you leave New York City, as I think everybody knows. It depends on where you go, but we got a lot of bang for the buck.

A: Before we kick it off more, ’cause then I want I to hear about the process — that’s how you wound up on this podcast, right? You actually listened to our Monday podcast episode about restaurateurs and beverage specialists moving to smaller towns, smaller cities to open places, and you reached out. Turns out we had these crazy mutual connections and you got to come on the podcast and talk about it. This is something people are doing. I’d love to use you as a way to show other people who might be thinking about it, what you did, and how you figured it out. The one thing that I wanted to ask you is, did you know other people who had already done this? Who had been restaurateurs in New York City? For example, Prairie Whale in the Berkshires, the way you describe your spot sounds very similar to what it’s like in a very old home. Did you go check out places like that? Did you know people who had done this? What was the thought? What happened when you decided to do this. Did you start doing research, or what research did you do?

D: We probably didn’t do as much research as we should have. We found the building, the property, and the deal was right. We could live there. We could sustain. I think the easiest thing when people do these moves is finding a business and a residence together. It might not sound awesome to be living where you work, but it makes it affordable. If we were just buying the restaurant, it would have been too expensive to buy the restaurant. If you were just buying a house, it would have been too expensive to just buy the house. When you get them together, it’s an incredible deal. The business fee pays for the house, and it’s a self-sustaining system. You can keep the doors open and cover the mortgage or the lease. I think the best thing is to buy in these types of situations because you’re going all-in on this. I’ve seen in other places, what’s worked typically is when you can find that work-live situation. Otherwise, you’d be buying a restaurant and you need quite a bit of cash to do that. Then, you’ve got to figure out where you’re going to live. Sure, sometimes where you are, you can find cheaper housing. What’s tough about the Cape is the housing market is really expensive here. The Cape is such a weird place, because it’s so seasonal and in the off-season has a somewhat rural vibe to it. It’s really quiet and deserted, but the housing prices are crazy because they get such huge money in the summer. The Cape is actually very difficult, unless you’re coming from gobs of money — and good for you if you can make that happen. You need to find this live-work situation. It’s prohibitively expensive to find a business to buy and then to find a house to buy. That’s been the hardest thing. Affordable housing is such a big issue on the Cape because of the weird dynamics of seasonal vacation waterfront homes. Prairie Whale is in Great Barrington, which was definitely an inspiration for sure. I read articles. I read everything I could about people who have done this stuff. None of it accurately describes what it’s going to be like but it’s exciting. It’s romantic. We were reading about Mark. He was involved in Marlow and Sons in the Andrew Tarlow empire in the beginning. Then, they split and went up there to start a farm and then the restaurant. I was like, “This all sounds incredible.” I’m sure the housing market there is not too dissimilar, but I’m sure there are also pockets of much more affordable housing. There’s just a larger space because the Cape is such a limited, narrow strip of land. There’s only one way on, one way off. There isn’t that much inventory. It’s hard to live 40 minutes away.

A: It makes me think of someone who would think about doing this in the Hamptons.

D: Yeah, it’s not nearly that same over-the-top wealth in the same way that the Hamptons can be. However, it definitely has that same one long road all the way to the end. A two-lane highway kind of thing.

A: You’re not going to live 30 minutes away, 40 minutes away. If you need to get to the restaurant, then all of a sudden there’s a traffic jam, basically.

D: Yeah, that’s an issue but there just aren’t that many houses because it’s not 30 miles in every direction. It’s 30 miles north or south, east or west. It just limits how much housing is available in the immediate area.

A: OK, so you buy the place. What was going through your head? Did you know what you wanted to do? Were you going to buy it and take it over? What were the people selling it expecting to happen?

D: The people who sold it to us had owned the restaurant for 40 years. The father ran it for a number of years and the son took over and ran it. It was an institution, a real icon on Cape Cod. I told my parents we’re buying it, they were like “The Red Pheasant?” They couldn’t fathom that we were buying this iconic restaurant. It means a lot to people, a lot of anniversaries, birthdays, special occasions. It was a special-occasion place where people dressed up. It was a nice dinner out in this area, Cape Cod. They were looking to hand this off. I think they were just grateful to get rid of it. Honestly, we felt that toward the end of the business we saw they were 70, and just getting tired. The customers ran the place at the end. They had a regular clientele. I remember I told the chef-owner that we’re going to put this awesome gourmet burger on the menu. He’s like, “Oh, I always wanted to put a burger on the menu and couldn’t.” I never understood what he meant. “Why couldn’t you put a burger on the menu? It’s your restaurant.” Not to get ahead of myself in this conversation, but we had somebody come in when we had first opened and this older gentleman who was wearing a jacket pulled me aside to say, “Are you the owner?” I said “Yeah.” He said, “This is a nice restaurant, you can’t have hamburgers on the menu.” I had this whiplash, this aha moment. I realized that these customers had been with him for 30, 40 years and they had everything dialed in exactly how they wanted it.

A: He wasn’t going to mess with them because they were super-loyal customers.

D: Correct. There are some people that he had met. Oh, man, there’s so much here. Every December, all the towns around the holidays do holiday strolls and people walk through town, restaurants give things away, stores give things away. It’s a meet-and-greet kind of thing. Once we knew we were likely to buy it, we made an offer and it was accepted. I came up to do the stroll because he wanted to introduce me to all the regulars. He wanted to introduce me as the new owner so I came up and met all these people and everybody wanted to meet me and were sizing me up. I remember some people were just terrible. He was like, “Yeah, you don’t want those people. I’m so glad to be getting rid of them.” Oh, thanks, appreciate that. They expected to hand off the restaurant to let us run it. They told us to keep some of the menu items, some of the staples on the menu. Then, maybe you can slowly change them out. Frankly, we had no interest in the old menu. The old menu hadn’t changed in 30, 40 years. It was dated, like French-American, but slowly getting further away from being French. It became a weird menu of wasabi mashed potatoes next to seared duck and just got all over the place.

A: Right. Trendy food items here from the ’90s, mixed with trendy food items here from the ’80s. I know what you’re talking about.

D: We were looking to get rid of that entirely. He said to just be careful. We had learned that two of their items made up about 40 or 50 percent of the menu sales. There was a sole meunière and a seared duck. That was it. That’s all they sold. You can’t run a business like this. If that’s your business, then just open a shack and just sell one item. Don’t open a full-service restaurant with a full menu if you’re only selling two dishes. The logistics and economics of it made no sense. We have to get rid of that, and we have to have a menu that every item is balanced in terms of sales to some degree, at least less than how skewed it is with this current menu. We brought in a chef. We managed to find a chef locally who was really talented, and he wanted nothing to do with the old menu. He was not coming to cook somebody else’s food. We’re like, great, we’re on the same page there. We opened up. The other wrinkle in this whole thing was that Erika, my wife, is pregnant with our first baby. We were told that the due date was July 4th, which, if you know vacation towns in New England, July 4th is a very busy weekend. Easily the busiest weekend of the summer, which therefore is the busiest week of the year. It was also a brand-new restaurant for us. We ended up opening the restaurant on June 1. We had four weeks under us. Then Erika went into labor on July 4th. The baby was born on July 5th. It was insane. I was a zombie the entire year. It was probably the most intense thing we’ve ever done. We were renovating the house and the restaurant. We moved into the rest of the house on May 15, opened the restaurant on June 1, the baby came on July 5th. I don’t recommend it.

A: You’ve re-done the entire place, right?

D: No, it just needed new paint. It was really dark and drab. Everything was mauve, like red. It was just dark and dated. There are lots of tchotchkes everywhere, people bring them gifts I guess. Old Victorian lighting fixtures were hanging from a low ceiling so the whole place had this cavernous feel, but not a good way. It was stuffy so we brightened the whole place up. We added some new tables. We re-did the whole bar area. The bar needed a lot of work. The bones of the place were incredible but it just needed some love. Frankly, a slightly more contemporary approach to the style of a farmhouse, but modernized it a little bit. I think if you were to walk in, you would get what’s going on in here.

A: You basically re-do the place in terms of the menu, etc. What style of cuisine were you going for?

D: The stuff that we had loved in Brooklyn, new American comfort. Our favorite restaurants are these cozy new American spots in Brooklyn with a fantastic wine list and great cocktails. Again, like the Andrew Tarlow empire, Jeffery’s Grocery, this style of rustic, new American, but with great technique and a certain level of casualness at the same time. That was a weird thing for Cape Cod that people didn’t understand that you can have a nice restaurant that’s not fancy. They didn’t get that. People were very upset that we got rid of white tablecloths. We changed out all the glassware. We change out these giant Martini glasses for coupes. People lost their minds. They’re like, “What is this? Where’s my Martini glass?”

A: They’re angry, though.

D: Yeah, they were mad. I’ll tell you, we had people who walked out because we didn’t have a certain type of vodka. That’s all they drank is this one type of vodka and we didn’t have it. They got up and left. Then, they asked us for Limoncello and I didn’t have Limoncello so they left. Cape Cod is a weird place. I love it here, but there’s a weird culture where people overpay for food and underpay for booze. In New York City, there are certain benchmarks, standards for how you price things, and it was inverted on Cape Cod. People are giving away booze and charging stupid money for poor-quality frozen ingredients.

A: Whereas you’re taking the margin where you’re supposed to get it, which is from alcohol.

D: We are serving better-quality food at the same prices as everybody else. Anyway, our drink prices were not quite New York City prices by any means, but were priced according to the ingredients in the drink. There were quality ingredients and cheap cocktails, 12, 13, 14 bucks, but they were measured. They weren’t free-poured. People were really upset that they weren’t getting these giant pours of wine and giant, 6-ounce Martinis. People were angry, and they called us out for being from New York. We had people writing us letters, angry letters, saying they are never coming to our restaurant. For the check presenters, in the beginning, we’re using postcards. We had somebody write us a letter, a really nasty negative letter on one of our postcards with no return address. We were like, “Cool, thanks. I appreciate that.” It was wild. It was hard. The bar food on Cape Cod is very low. It’s been stuck in this ‘80s, ‘90s thing with seafood shacks with low-quality ingredients. It’s touristy, right? It’s getting your money when you can from people you’re never going to see more than once. Everything was stuck in that. Erika and I, coming from New York, we‘re going to be on Cape Cod. We want to create a place that we would eat on a regular basis, not just a special occasion, but a place that you want to go and see your friends. You want to go post up at the bar. You never know who’s going to walk in and be a neighborhood community spot. We thought we were bringing something that was very much needed to the Cape. It was needed. On the other side of this, people who don’t like change. You get older people, especially on Cape Cod there’s a lot of retirees. You get people who think they know everything, and they like it because nothing changes. As soon as you come in and you’re from a place in New York City, they get very upset.

A: It seems as though you thought that you were going to come in and people would say, “Thank you so much, we’ve been waiting for a Brooklyn-style restaurant on Cape Cod.” And they were like “get the fuck out.”

D: That was exactly it. There are so many emotions flying, between the move, the baby, going all-in on every penny. Then, to have somebody essentially spit in your face and not care about any of that. It’s the people who wouldn’t even try it, the people who wouldn’t even sit down and taste it would say, “I can’t read any of these ingredients. I don’t know what any of this is.” They were getting offended because they felt radicchio is a novel concept. You don’t want to make people feel small. They want to know and understand, they don’t want to have to ask questions. We were trying to do something where we were introducing people to new things. That’s the fun of it, right? For my wife and I, that’s why we like dining out, to go to new places and try different things and be excited when the menu changes every time we’re there because there’s something new to try. It’s an experience for us, and we’re dealing with a lot of people who just want the same thing every time. They wanted to count on certain things. On top of that, we throw in a seasonal menu, which changes four times a year and their heads really spin. They would say “Oh, I love that dish, where did it go?” We try to do something different that’s not in season anymore. We burned a lot of these old regulars from this restaurant, hard. Honestly, it was probably the best thing that ever happened.

A: There’s a silver lining here, Adam. Right now, it sounds all doom and gloom. You go to another place and you open the thing. We’ve got to get there.

D: Yeah, we’re going to get there. I’m just trying to say it is hard. It was a roller coaster of emotions. Everybody who’s considering doing this should be prepared for how this can happen.

A: Yeah, you don’t just walk in as a conquering hero.

D: Yeah, exactly. It took us a minute to recover. That first year, we closed for the first winter. We closed for three months because we were so fried emotionally. We asked, “What are we doing?” We stuck it out. That first year we had to go through that fire because the customers that came out the second year were so much more pleasant. They were people who didn’t go initially because they were nervous about this new restaurant. Then they started coming out and the previous restaurant customers, most of them, had left. It was great. All of a sudden, people are commenting on how much younger the guests in the restaurant were. It was a place where we heard that older and younger people used to call The Red Pheasant “The Dead Pheasant” because it was just so stuffy and old. It’s been taking a long time, but people now are like, Oh, it’s not The Red Pheasant anymore. It’s not like that, it’s not stuffy. It’s new owners, it’s young, it’s exciting. Those people had started coming out after these, for lack of a better term, crotchety, angry, disgruntled older customers stopped coming because they felt like this is a cool place to be. Every year since then has gotten better and better. People are more receptive to our menus and ingredient choices, style, and drink menus. The second year, we did a CBD cocktail with a weed leaf garnish dropped on top of the rocks, and people were so excited. People came out. We ran that for 4/20 as a special, and people went nuts. This is clearly a new thing here. Then, fast-forward, we got to Covid, and we were panicking. We were closed for six weeks. We were on vacation in Jamaica when the news started coming out in February about this looming pandemic. I was freaking out and having a hard time settling in on vacation. Then, we came back and it was full-blown. We were supposed to open on March 18 for the season. The governor shut everything down on the 16th, I think it was. It all changed. Then, we decided to push everything outside. We just did picnic tables. I’m really proud of how we set it up. There was all counter-service. We ran food out to you. The menu was much faster, and it was really easy for the kitchen to execute. It was a really fun and high-quality menu. It was casual. Everything’s in takeout containers. High-quality, compostable biodegradable containers, but still takeout containers nonetheless. We also had compostable forks and knives. The wine was all in plastic. It was all cans and bottles. We didn’t do anything by the glass, but it worked really, really well. We had a lot of people who were blown away by the experience. We had families coming out, which is great. The restaurant during normal times is probably not a great place for little kids. Their parents are absolutely our regular customers, and we can introduce them. Also, get people in during the summer that will hopefully continue to come. When things get back to normal, they’ll get babysitters and now they discover this restaurant. We had people who would be on vacation for five days and they were coming three or four nights of their trip because they were so excited about being outside and being safe. Everything was really spacious. We started selling all this natural wine that we were struggling to sell previously. I’ve got old ladies drinking Broc Cellars Love Red cans by the case. It was incredible. The casualness that was forced upon everybody really worked in our favor. It really took the pressure off, because we are still known to a lot of people as this special-occasion restaurant, which is a tag label we’ve been trying to shed. It really changed people. I’ve had customers say “I actually really liked your outdoor vibe better than what the restaurant was previously inside.”

A: I wonder about that. A bunch of people I know, we’re talking about now doing two different things when things go back to normal. For example, we brought on James who owns Popina in Brooklyn. I don’t know if Popina existed before you left.

D: I don’t think so but I’ve been keeping tabs on things.

A: He basically went to counter service and the question now becomes, does he become counter service in one part of his restaurant, or is that a during-the-day thing where he’s counter service and then he converts to sit down at night? There are now customers who love that. They love that they could come at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, get a bottle of wine, eat some of your food, sit out in the backyard and play bocce. Also, it’s going to allow him to come back more easily. We talk about this a lot on the podcast, too. What is it going to look like in terms of service and how many people are going to add to your staff and that kind of stuff? I wonder, have you thought about that, too? Would The Pheasant be casual during the day? Then you go to the traditional sit-down at night but outdoors. It’s still the same kind of counter service, etc. you guys were doing?

D: The problem with space is that we realize it’s not good to do indoor and outdoor at the same time. It’s one or the other. This past summer, while we were doing all the outdoor seating and everything, we were like, “Let’s do lunch. Let’s try lunch because we’re set up. It’s beautiful out. It’s Cape Cod.” We’ve never done lunch before and we were proven right. We don’t do lunch because on Cape Cod, on a sunny day, no one’s eating lunch. They’re all at the beach. Everyone’s at the beach. If you don’t have a waterfront view, you’re not going to get lunch business. There are a couple of places maybe, but most of them have views. Most of them have some connection with the beach or you can walk on from the beach. We tried for the first two months of June and July, offering lunch. It just didn’t happen. You would get a couple of tables. It’s also hard to change people’s perceptions. On the Cape, the biggest issue we have is marketing and communicating to customers, because so many people are tourists. They come out on the weekends, and there’s no way to connect to them. We hit people on Facebook and Instagram with ads or promote ads in Boston, because we want to get them before they come out here because once they’re out here, they’ve already made their plans. They know where they’re going. They’re going to go to all the favorites. You have to get them talking and thinking about it before they even get out here, get it on their radar. It’s hard to suddenly convince people like, “Oh, by the way, the restaurant is now doing lunch.” They’ve never done lunch in the 40 years they’ve been a business. We didn’t see it. The plan for us, and I’m knocking on wood right now, but we’re less than a mile from our local beach, which is a fantastic beach, very family friendly corporation beach. It’s a 10-minute walk, and they have a killer snack bar there. Well, the operator right now is not awesome. It’s pretty generic, mozzarella sticks and a bad burger. It’s just generic, but the space and layout are awesome. There are all these picnic tables on a cliff above the dunes, looking over the beach. It’s a really great setting, and it comes up for bid every two years. We’re going to put in for it for next summer and try to kill that program. That’s how we’ll do lunch. It’s off-site, but it’s less than a mile away. It’s a different style of food. You get people that way and then transition them, “Hey, come off the beach, bring this flyer and come get a cocktail with us at 5 o’clock or 4 o’clock.”

A: That’s awesome.

D: That is what we’re thinking is the transition and the next move is to get lunch because you have a captive audience at the beach.

A: You guys are closed now because this is the worst time to be open in Covid. What are your plans for when you reopen?

D: We were debating for a long time. I was really stressing out about if we’re going to be inside, outside, or if we’re going to do both. I was really concerned that a lot of people are going to want this sense of normalcy and they’re going to want to go back inside. We had a comfortable bar. A lot of regulars and people tell us, “We can’t wait to go back to the bar.” I was thinking, if we don’t go inside, we are going to have a lot of disappointed people, and people want normal. The more we thought about it, there’s just no flow. The building wasn’t designed to do that. The server who is going out with food would have to be sharing the entrance with people coming in. It’s a really long haul from the kitchen. We were talking about putting in new doors and this historic farmhouse cut doors into the side to access outside. It was just getting more and more complicated. We were thinking, all right, we already have all this infrastructure for doing outdoor dining. It’s summer on Cape Cod. Most people are probably going to eat outside. Last summer, everybody had outdoor dining setups, but they were janky. There were a lot of crappy rental tents with cement barricades. Those places are not going to do that again. They’re all going to go back inside because it’s easier for them. We’re set back from the road and we have these lush gardens and it’s very private. There are string lights, and you feel like you’re somewhere else. We’re thinking, “Let’s just stick with outside, we have the model down. We can build upon it and let’s take a chance on being the only game in town doing extensive outdoor seating. We’ve got 20 tables. We can put 120 people outside. It’s substantial. Let’s try that again and own it.” Massachusetts is operating differently than New York, from what I can tell. There’s a reopening, and they lifted the capacity limits in Massachusetts. The only restrictions for indoor dining are six feet apart, but nobody can get vaccines. The governor is saying, “We know the vaccines are taking a long time, everyone needs to be patient. We’re racing against the variants to get everybody vaccinated but we’re excited to reopen restaurants and businesses.” We’ve gone this far, why don’t we wait until more people are vaccinated or restaurant workers are vaccinated? Going inside is somewhat contingent on hope and a prayer that it seems it’s trending in that direction, but I don’t know. What do we know for sure? Outside, it’s safe. It’s Cape Cod in the summer, people like sitting outside, we know we can execute it. Let’s just do it. And we have this rare opportunity where other towns are giving waivers to restaurants to do extensive outdoor dining in areas that they normally wouldn’t let you do outdoor dining. You have to have patios. You have to have all kinds of infrastructure to do it “properly.” They’ve allowed waivers last summer, and I just checked again and they are going to do it again this year. Let’s run with it. Why complicate it? Everybody can feel comfortable. We can continue doing the kid thing. That all being said, we know that transition back inside in the fall next year is going to be rough, because we have to completely reinvent the restaurant. We’re going to close for a couple of weeks and go back inside because it’s just too cold out here, as it is in New York. I’m not looking forward to that, but I think that’s going to be the play. That’s where we’re at right now. We’re on a break right now, but every day all we’re doing is trying to run through scenarios. If we’re not doing anything inside, we have to do outdoor bathrooms. Are people going to respond to that? Are they going to get angry? How do we do this? How is the flow going to work? It’s a lot of what-ifs and unknowns. It’s stressful, but it’s almost easier now that we decide we’re just going to be outside, as opposed to trying to think about half in, half out. That’s the play. I’ve had fun listening to all the podcasts about your predictions and trends. I was listening to the lemonade one. I’m like, “Huh, I should probably look into lemonade.” We’re doing a lot of research and trying to see, trying to glean as much information as we can to try to have the most efficient and best summer we can. On Cape Cod, summer is it. You make 80 percent of your revenue for the year in three months.

A: It’s crazy.

D: We’re hoping that this year will start earlier. Last year, it didn’t really take off until August, because everyone was locked down and they weren’t allowing rentals on the Cape until July. It sputtered along until August, and then took off. This year, as soon as the weather turns, it’s going to be on like a firehose. There are no rental properties on Cape Cod. You can’t find a place to stay. It’s wild. They just announced part of the reopening so now you can have outdoor gatherings of 150 people. And so, all the weddings are back on. All the resorts are booked. It’s going to be bananas. You want to be in the right position to receive all that. There’s not a whole lot of room for error, at least for us. We take it really seriously. We take every review seriously. If somebody doesn’t leave telling us how amazing a time they had, we feel like we failed.

A: It means you’re a good restaurateur.

D: We’re trying to have it all dialed in for this quick hit, and then we’ll cross the next bridge when we get to it.

A: Well, Adam, this has been an amazing conversation. I feel like I’ve definitely learned a lot about what you’ve been through, which is awesome. Hopefully, everyone who has listened has as well. I think if you are thinking about moving from a city into a smaller town, much of what you say is encouraging to people. I think you’re also a realist, which is great. It’s not going to be easy. You’re not going to go somewhere and be welcomed with open arms. I think your story is a really, really cool one. I really appreciate you sharing it with me.

D: My pleasure. The best takeaway is that the quality of life is incredible. That’s the biggest thing. At the end of the day, on any given day, our son goes to the lake in the morning and goes to the beach in the afternoon, maybe we go fishing. It’s this incredible, magic childhood. We love being here in the winter because it’s so quiet and beautiful. We have so much space, but nothing comes easy. That was our ultimate goal. We will figure out the other part of it. Don’t give up the fight, but just know that it’s definitely not easy.

A: Well, Adam, thanks so much again, I really appreciate it. I wish you the best. I can’t wait to come to The Pheasant sometime. I’ve actually never been to Cape Cod, so I’m going to have to go. People talk about how amazing it is.

D: Thanks for having me. It’s a pleasure.

Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. If you love this show as much as we love making it, then please leave a rating on review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever it is you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show.

Now for the credits, VinePair is produced and recorded in New York City in Seattle, Wash., by myself and Zach Geballe, who does all the editing and loves to get the credit Also, I would love to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder, Josh Malin, for helping make all this possible, and also to Keith Beavers, VinePair’s tasting director, who is additionally a producer on the show. I also want to, of course, thank every other member of the VinePair team who is instrumental in all of the ideas that go into making the show every week. Thanks so much for listening, and we’ll see you again.

The article Next Round: Leaving NYC for a Small Town With Restaurateur Adam Dunn appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-adam-dunn-the-pheasant/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/next-round-leaving-nyc-for-a-small-town-with-restaurateur-adam-dunn

[theseaeaglelives]

Round 1

THE SEA EAGLE

MAKING RUGBY LEAGUE GREAT AGAIN!!!

Round 1

Manly Sea Eagles   4

Defeated by

Filthy Wrestling Cheating Melbourne Storm            18

Played in sloppy conditions at Brookvale Oval, but nonetheless still in front of a “crowd” the stats confronting Manly in this opening fixture were not favourable. Manly have not won a Round 1 game since 2013 and the Filthy Wrestlers have not lost one since 2003.

Notwithstanding the high intensity displayed by both teams the opening stanza was a fairly uninspiring affair with the only score coming via a Storm penalty goal. Two late penalty goals to sharp-shooter Ruben Garrick and Manly held a well deserved 4-2 lead at the break. The Sea Eagle has long advocated taking the 2 points when on offer and thankfully at Manly this simple but effective concept seems to be getting some traction.

The second half dished up much the same as the first. It was a mistake riddled wrestlathon and when it comes to wrestling no one does it better than the Filthy Cheaters. Not unlike COVID 19, the Filthy Cheating Wrestlers are a blight on society and should be eradicated.

At the 60-minute mark the Storm crossed for the first try and minutes later a second and in the blink of an eye Manly found themselves on the wrong end of 14-4 deficit. In the end despite a whole-hearted defensive effort (with all Storm tries coming from kicks), Manly lost 18-4.

Thus, continues Manly’s long run of losses in Round 1 a sequence that now dates back to 2013. If this is as good as it gets this year the Sea Eagle would not begrudge the NRL pulling stumps on the season – in fact he would encourage it.

Next week Manly are scheduled to take on the Roosters, but only God knows if this game will proceed. Whilst the competition continues the Sea Eagle will front up each week. Otherwise the only option will be self-isolation watching endless replays of the 2008 GF.

  An Act of God

https://wwos.nine.com.au/nrl/nrl-stars-could-lose-millions-act-of-god-clause/06d8d804-fd8e-492d-aff0-2117b5d3a671

With sporting events world-wide being spudded en masse, the NRL has made the call to play all games from Round 2 onwards “behind closed doors” without any public attendance.  Those that have attended games at Homebush Stadium in recent years, or to a lesser extent Brookvale Oval during the ill-feted Trent Barrett era would be well-aware of this phenomenon so for many teams it is simply business as usual.

That said in the Sea Eagles opinion this initiative by the NRL whilst commendable is only delaying the inevitable, and it is only a matter of time before season 2020 is consigned the same way as most other sporting competitions.

  It has been suggested in various media circles that the NRL is referring to the Coronavirus as an Act of God prompting the Sea Eagle to ponder the proficies of poor old Izzy Folau. Could it be that Izzy’s rants did carry some credence and that those who have failed to repent are now truly being punished. Let’s face it no other code does drunkenness, fornicating, lying and idolation etc. like the NRL does and perhaps this is truly Izzy’s revenge and the ultimate moment of reckoning for the NRL and the past discretions of its many delinquents.

Of a more concerning nature is what will happen if in fact the season is suspended and/or cancelled. This could be construed in effect as an “off-season” and without the structure of regular games to pacify the players, all hell could break loose. Let’s face it an idle NRL player is a dangerous commodity and in the interest of public safety no doubt NRL management will be doing everything within its powers to ensure that season 2020 goes ahead without any interruption.

Other Off-Season Drama – Blame it on Climate Change

Apart from the usual and expected incidents of off-field misbehaviour perpetrated by NRL players (many of them highlighted in the Sea Eagles last report), this off-season was marred by bushfires that ravaged much of the east coast. Thankfully there is no known evidence linking any NRL player, past or present to any acts which contributed to this catastrophe.

Whilst many have been quick to blame the fires on climate change there is however one man who has borne the brunt of blame for this disaster, none other than the Shark loving premier league clown, our prime mincer SCOMO. How this card-carrying F#&kwit and world class gibberer (personal opinion) thought it was a good idea to whip off to the Sandwich Islands for a xmas soiree at the height of the fires defies all rational comprehension. That said, little more can be expected when one openly supports and embraces the team from the Shire. Its fair to say in this crisis SCOMO well and truly jumped the Shark.

Thankfully and not unexpectedly, during this period, others did stand up to be counted when the going got tough and its pleasing to see where their allegiances lie.

  Corona League/Corona Town

Much has been said of late of the debacle that is Corona Virus aka Covid-19. Thankfully, if you are one of the lucky ones who bought 360 rolls of toilet paper in recent times, you will be safe in knowing you will not catch this dreaded disease. At least that is the only logical reason why anyone would be dumb enough to buy 360 rolls of Shi)9t wipes in the first place. Anyway, if that is not true, and 360 rolls of sh(t wipes is not a true preventive measure for coronavirus, then at least those who stocked up to the detriment of the rest of society will die knowing they had clean asses.

Both Australia and NZ have now imposed bizarre bans whereby anyone entering these respective countries from overseas are required to self-isolate. Anyone who has taken the time to examine the self isolation protocol will of course immediately recognise how flawed this plan actually is. Firstly, 95% of the world’s population are card carrying idiots. Any cursory read of social media will confirm that. They could not hope to follow these quite complex protocols no matter how well intentioned they were. Then of course there is the abject human flaw of wanting to cheat the system (no matter what) to contend with. If NRL salary cap rorting is any statistical guide as to how society is likely to behave in a self-isolation scenario, then this self isolation concept has about as much chance of success as Kevin Rudd’s Roof Batts debacle.

The NZ Warriors saw the stupidity of the NZ banning of all entrants to the self isolation ward for 14 days,  and quickly made arrangements within NRL to relocate to the Goldy for the foreseeable future. Unsurprisingly, they elected not to stay is some Sh9*t hole like Moree, Mt Druitt or Ipswich. Clearly they made the wisest of wise choices of relocating to the Goldy.

How great is that. The Titans and the Warriors, the two remaining teams in the competition never to have won a premiership, both playing out of the Goldy (in the case of the Warriors, every week). Pure marketing genius that.

And of course, it appears Rd 2 will be played before empty stadiums. It brings the concept of the sign “Warning NRL event Inside Enter at Own Risk” to new heights.

https://youtu.be/FwrUTsN_mJE

Which leaves the Sea Eagle to ponder the merit of another looney suggestion, whereby the entire NRL (that is 16 teams and coaching and support staff) relocate to a far-away North Queensland town, in order to play rugby league.

Bringing 16 teams together in close proximity, plus double headers Thursday through Sunday week in week out, in such a remote location is nothing short of a masterstroke. What could go wrong? As long as the town has less than 500 people, it would skirt the Coronavirus health waning of no non-essential gathering of 500 mor more people. In fact these games could be played to a full house of 498 people week in week out.

It would of course need to be called the Corona League, and the new town to be called simply Corona Town, and no doubt beer giant Corona would be all over it as a main sponsor (given the unfortunate correlation between their beer brand and the nickname of Covid-19 in recent times, it needs all the help it can muster).

Still think of the benefits. NRL players would be taken away from mainstream society. That has to be a good thing. This has been the goal of many a shock jock or the left leaning socialists/communists working in the ABC  for yonks. It would also give the term going back to the grass roots of country footy, a whole new meaning.

Accommodation would be a problem, it would most likely require all and sundry to sleep in tents, and drink pi*ss every evening with nothing else to occupy their time. What could go wrong there?

As long as the selected venue was nowhere near a co ed school or all-girls school, and there were no dogs at risk of unwanted advances from drunken NRL players, the other collateral damage could most likely be contained with good management.

As the man on the fat aka Sam Kekovich has always said, you know it makes sense. 

THE SEA EAGLE

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: A Floating Noise and Drag Club Celebrates San Francisco’s Lost Underground

La Sucias performing aboard the Noise Club (all images courtesy of Robert Divers Herrick)

SAN FRANCISCO  — As a huddle of adventurous art-seekers stood at the edge of the San Francisco Bay under the first full moon of 2017, a glimpse of purple neon appeared in the darkness ahead. A small white yacht twinkling with lights — the Noise Club — came into focus, and a booming voice called out from the water: “Come aboard!” We shuffled across a bridge of floating platforms, adjusting to the soft swells of the sea as we unmoored ourselves from the comforts and constraints of the city. We were about to embark on Attention! We’ve moved., a night of noise music and drag performance on the ocean concocted by Oakland artist Constance Hockaday and San Francisco experimental art space The Lab, in conjunction with — and conceived as a subtle resistance to — the first Untitled art fair in San Francisco.

Once aboard The Empress of Sausalito, attendees sipped complimentary cocktails and sat on leather couches circling a carpeted dance floor lit up by a rainbow disco ball. A MacBook glowed atop a short Corinthian pillar playing dancehall. The atmosphere was a bit campy, not unlike that of a high school dance or a wedding reception, which seemed to increase our distance from the shore.

A view of the Bay Bridge from aboard the Noise Club

The night would prove delightfully surreal throughout, featuring the explosive feminist noise reggaeton of La Sucias, the eerie percussive summonings of Voicehandler, the kitschy electro-drag of Kevin Blechdom, and a sculptural synth ritual from MSHR. But first, host Dynasty Handbag (the drag persona of artist Jibz Cameron) took the stage in an awkwardly draped leotard, blazer, and wide-brimmed hat. “We’re gonna have some noise bands, which just means garbage music by failed artists probably from Portland,” she began, grotesquely rubbing her belly. “I know you’re wondering: Am I gonna make some gentrification jokes? No, because it’s all over. Nothing matters.”

Dynasty Handbag (Jibz Cameron) hosting a night aboard the Noise Club

With that, the boat set sail.

Meanwhile, at Pier 70 in San Francisco’s long-industrial Dogpatch neighborhood, art collectors milled through a maze of white walls erected inside an ancient warehouse to celebrate the VIP opening night of UNTITLED. The fair is the latest development that contributed to the New York Times deeming the Dogpatch “America’s Next Great Art Neighborhood” earlier this month. The piece mentions many galleries housed inside the newish art complex Minnesota Street Projects but pays no tribute to the rowdy history of underground performance and artmaking that took place in the Dogpatch long before the area became desirable. Warehouses there were the testing grounds where storied mechanical performance-art pioneers Survival Research Labs reverse-engineered robots to blow each other up; unsanctioned venues such as Tire Beach hosted punk bands, costumed noisemakers, and the like; while vagrants formed floating shantytowns on the water.

Neon purple lights setting the mood aboard the Noise Club

All that character has gradually disappeared, along with much of San Francisco’s legendary underground, as the city continues its metamorphosis into a playground for the wealthy. And many in the local art scene who align with a DIY ethos see the new outpost of the Miami Art Basel art fair staple as yet another symptom of that change.

That’s why, when asked to contribute a booth to the fair, The Lab director Dena Beard said she would do so only if she could invoke echoes of San Francisco’s underground while paying artists who wouldn’t otherwise be invited. “I said, ‘Instead of a booth, can we have a boat?’” Beard told me. “‘And on that boat, can we have everything that’s cool and wonderful that has been exiled from San Francisco because of gentrification and the transformation of the city because of the market?’”

Hockaday was a clear choice for the project, being the local captain of everything “nautically naughty,” as Beard put it. The artist’s past work includes All These Darlings and Now Us (2014), a peepshow aboard sailboats in the bay featuring performers from shuttered San Francisco worker-owned strip club Lusty Lady and famous Latino gay bar Esta Noche. The idea: If there’s no space left for queers and sex workers on land, let’s take to the water.

Kevin Blechdom (Kristin Erickson) performing aboard the Noise Club

For Attention! We’ve moved., Hockaday curated a lineup meant to ensure that the spirit of Pier 70’s past endures — with a queer and feminist spin. Most of the performers were people who once lived in the Bay Area but have since relocated, and nearly all of them recently lost friends in the tragic Ghost Ship fire in Oakland. On the VIP night I attended — for which tickets were $160 — there was also an unspoken promise that two disparate ends of the art world would converge in uncharted waters at a time when the question of whose art is valued by patrons feels especially relevant.

To some degree, that ploy worked.

MSHR was first to play, masterfully manipulating analog synthesizers to produce light audio feedback by wielding colored bulbs and laser-cut Plexiglas sculptures that resembled circuit boards. It sounded — and felt — like a spaceship exploding amid a relentless barrage of laser attacks.

MSHR performing aboard the Noise Club

Afterward, I met a group of blazer-clad men standing by the bar. One, a venture-capitalist, told me that his friend had misinformed him about the event. “All he told me was that it was part of the art fair and that it was on a yacht,” he said, swiping a message on his Apple Watch. “This was not what I expected, but that was actually really cool.”

Ultimately, Hockaday’s intentions are not to trick her audience, but to instill a new sense of possibility. Framed as a form of resistance to gentrification and the UNTITLED art fair, the project is imperfect. But Hockaday’s inventions can be more accurately thought of as experiential forms of philosophical inquiry. For her, escaping the limits of land helps us imagine how we might also transcend the social structures that confine us.

Voicehandler

In a conversation with Interview Magazine about the project, Hockaday said, “I’m finding that in urban areas, urban infrastructure informs what we can and can’t do with our bodies. In the same ways noise clubs or industrial wilderness existed in the city as spaces [where] we took risks, the water can be that place now.”

Through Attention! We’ve moved., Hockaday imagined a future for the Bay Area’s underground that wasn’t bogged down by the limits of infrastructure. And during the non-VIP cruises ($35) that took place throughout the weekend, the boat was filled with art-scene devotees joyously dancing at a time when many are still reeling from loss. The momentary island seemed to draw out hope for survival by carving a sense of place for those left behind by the “progress” in San Francisco.

Aboard the Noise Club, at least, the denizens of DIY and the underground were the unlikely stars of the art fair.

A neon embellishment installed by Constance Hockaday on the yacht she chose for her Noise Club

Attention! We’ve moved. took place January 12–14 as part of the first edition of Untitled art fair in San Francisco (Pier 70, 420 22nd Street).

The post A Floating Noise and Drag Club Celebrates San Francisco’s Lost Underground appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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