Sunday, April 26, 2015

The Cafe Central in Vienna

One of my favorite restaurants in Vienna is the Cafe Central. In the late 19th Century, it was the meeting place for intellectuals and writers. I cannot say that it fell into disarray in the mid-to-late 20th century, but it needed a facelift. And it got one. It is now a place where people, tourists and natives alike, dine to savor the old empire. The decor is premier Viennese, the menu offers the best of Austrian light deli foods and pastries. A picture may help a bit:


I tried to capture a feeling for cafe patrons in my portrait of this woman in the Cafe Central. The diners reflect nothing of our fast food clientele. Of course America has elegant restaurants. But it's harder to find elegant restaurants in America with the same diners one sees in Europe. 




Saturday, April 11, 2015

The Words, the Damn Words

Mark Twain once said that finding the right word sometimes took him "two or three days." Two or three days of staring at the wall. Two or three days of watching the baby throwing mush around the room. Two or three days of staring at the wall. Two or three days of watching the dog pee on the neighbors' lawn. Two or three days of somnambulism. Words. Did Mark Twain really say finding the right word took him two or three days? That's what I heard. From somewhere. From Wikipedia. I'm sure of it. Yup. Pretty sure.