Hip Young Things

Anyone who’s ever begun to explore a career in fashion has discovered how much history is involved. The history of fashion demonstrates some of the more fascinating aspects of the history of cultures in the world. Trends change over time, and not over the whims of designers, at least not until very recently. They are reflections of the time, and are more related to class and status than they are to the particular palette of colors for the season.

Nowhere does this become more evident than in theatre, and the costumer designers here have to know as much about history as they do about fabric. Really effective theatre costumes will draw on the past as well as the present. Designers and costume shops will be meticulous about the details, so that the customs of their time are represented visually, but also so that the newest technologies are utilized to make them as comfortable as possible.

The hoop skirts of the 19th century were at the high end of the fashion for their time, but to custom craft a dress utilizing the same materials and manufacturing techniques wouldn’t be useful for the stage. It would be too weighty to move in, for one thing, and it would take an extra month of rehearsals to get the actor used to the costume. Designers for the theatre, then, have a challenging job, combining detail with practical applications.

New Orleans has been a thematic specific relevant city in the United States almost since it was first established. The historic French Quarters and Mardi Gras festivals have become incorporated into the national mythology and many people consider a trip to Mardi Gras a rite of passage. The city is also known for its amazing jazz and blues clubs and the great musicians that come from this city. Another aspect of New Orleans that is incorporated into the daily lives of residents and is noticed by all who visit this great American city, is its climate and weather. The city is known for high humidity and hot summers, but this won’t stop people from moving there or tourists from filling the historic hotels of New Orleans .

Of course it has made national news in some instances and with Hurricane Katrina , absolute tragedy struck the city and its population. And while its positioning along the Mississippi River and its geographic location in the United States places it at the continual threat of Hurricanes and server weather conditions, this does nothing to deter the resident’s love for their city and the rest of the nation’s fascination with it. Unfortunately, this cherished American city is also its most vulnerable to hurricane experience and damage. But the culture of New Orleans is much more than its weather and climate, it is the vital lifeblood of the community and the cultural heritage in this city will carry it through the harsh and sometimes damaging weather.

The overall climate of New Orleans is humid subtropic, which means that winters are typically mild and by the time Mardi Gras arrives, the days are typically pleasant. It also takes place before the hot humid summers set in. The average daily high temperature in the short winter season is about 62 degrees while the summer highs are typically rounded off at about 91 degrees. And while the actual temperature doesn’t reach the extremes of some of the nation’s desert regions, such as Arizona, the extreme humidity of New Orleans makes the heat that much more difficult to deal with and dangerous to weaker individuals.

Centuries ago, in marshland territory, Dutch and free African settlers in the 1700s, cleared the area and created a pasture, naming it Noortwyck.  The English arrived and conquered the settlement, now known as New Netherland in 1664, and after that became a hamlet distinct from New York City to the South.  It officially became a village in 1712, and then referred to the following year as Grin’wich, and so the famous site of Greenwich Village in New York became a reality  two hundred and ninety-seven years ago.  It grew in size, in 1822, when an epidemic of yellow fever hit New York and citizens fled to the better air of Greenwich Village.  Today, the Village serves as a landmark of Bohemian culture, and a central area for new ideas and movements of all kinds, including politics, art, and culture.  Once the 20th Century began, it was the home of experimental theater and art galleries and small presses.  Today, you’ll find one of the largest legacies in this small area, the Whitney Museum of American Art.

You’ll also find the Cherry Lane Theatre, begun in 1924.  This is the Big Apple’s oldest and continuously operating off-Broadway theater.  It was originally a farm silo in 1817, then a tobacco warehouse, and a box factory.  Then Edna St. Vincent Millay and members of the Provincetown Players transformed the structure in to the Cherry Lane with the play The Man Who Ate the Popomack.   This was a vital company in the 1950s, developing the Theatre of the Absurd and The Living Theater.  It became known as a place where aspiring playwrights could perform their work.

Currently, until March 14th of this year, you can see Extinction by Gabe McKinley, starring two TV stars, James Roday of Psych, and Michael Weston of House and Six Feet Under.  The play is a dark comedy about friendships and what happens when they’re about to become extinct. You may want to stay near these places, so look for these  small hotels in Greenwich Village and New York.  You’ll find these accommodations offer a great deal of charm and character and even architecture.  Stay close to the places you want to see, and do it with the comfort and service that fits you best.

Plymouth, Massachusetts doesn’t need to do anything other than exist to represent its major historical significance. It was founded in 1620 and stood as the original settlement for the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. It is one of the oldest municipalities in the entire country and is the oldest in New England. It also holds the distinction of the being the oldest continually inhabited English settlement that continues to exist in the modern day United States. All of this, or at least the original settlement status and association to the Mayflower is likely known and impeded in the symbolic history understanding of most Americans. Its legendary status is also one of the major reasons so many people visit it and stay in a hotel Plymouth.

It is also conveniently located, nice of the original settlers to consider the ease of tourists almost four hundred years later, near Boston, which makes it a perfect day trip for visitors to this great Massachusetts city. Also, knowing that it is about forty miles south of Boston makes it easy to locate and visual for people who are planning their trip from across the country.

One of the major historic and mythological associations to Plymouth that has not yet been mentioned her is its having been the location of the first Thanksgiving. This took place in 1621, a year after it was founded. The story is often told that Chief Massasoit had formed a peace treaty with the pilgrims and after a successful season of harvest he and many other members of the Wampanoag tribe joined the pilgrims for a tremendous feast and celebration. The memory of this event has been celebrated continually and in 1941 it was recognized as a federal holiday. It continues to be celebrated in Plymouth and every year there is a great parade and a reenactment of the initial feast. This event draws numerous visitors every year who feel that it brings them closer to the true meaning of the holiday.