I got an email a few weeks ago from my lovely friend Sarah who I went to college with. She told me the band she tours with (as lighting designer) was stopping in Vienna, and of course I decided to make the three-hour trip to see her. Michael, Kevin and I hopped an afternoon Train Monday. We got some snacks and drinks and found a place to sit. The train wasn't crowded. I was ready to relax, listen to my iPod and drift into daydreams. Unfortunately, the train sat in Budapest's Keleti station for almost an hour after its scheduled departure. As it streamed west, it started to rain. Somewhere in western Hungary, the train stopped at a deserted platform for another hour. The cabin got hot and stuffy. I went to the dining car and bought Michael and I sandwiches and Serbian beer (the train originated in Belgrade). I fidgeted and smoked. I walked to the back of the train, did a few forward bends, stretched my aching back and stared into the darkness of the countryside. The delay meant I wouldn't get as much time to spend with Sarah, which was really annoying.

We arrived in Vienna around 9:30 p.m. and Michael and I walked the few blocks to our hostel. Kevin stayed with his friend Simone (pronounced Simona) who met him at the train station. Michael and I vowed never to stay in a hostel dorm room again after our overnight in Salzburg in September. We checked into a private double room. The hostel was really clean and modern, and the cheapest place to stay in Vienna at 21 euros per person.

We took Vienna's underground to Flex where Brand New was playing. The venue was right on the Danube River. Sarah put us on the guest list, which got us in for free and the door guy gave us backstage passes. The dance floor was packed with fans. I spotted Sarah above the crowd in the lighting cage. I got as close as I could and called her name. She blew me a kiss. It was so nice to see a familiar face. Michael and I watched the last 20 minutes of the show. It was the first time I'd been to a rock concert and knew the lighting person, so I focused mainly on the interaction between the lighting and the music. My old friend did a splendid job.

Sarah climbed down after the show and took us to the tour bus. She was in the midst of a nearly month-long Europe tour and the bus was leaving at midnight for Zurich, Switzerland. She showed us the lounge area on the bottom floor and took us upstairs where there was a long hallway of bunk beds to the left and another lounge to the right. She has a top bunk all the way at the front of the bus, which gives her a birdseye view of the road. You can read more about her travels here. We bought a round of drinks at Flex and spent the next hour or so catching up. We talked about New York, where she lives when she's not touring, and our mutual friends from college. I gave her a big hug good-bye.

Michael and I struggled to wake up in time for the 10 a.m. checkout Tuesday. We found a coffee shop and smoked over cappuccinos. We called Kevin and walked over to Simone's apartment. Kevin and his friend William met Simone in Vienna earlier this month. She was incredibly hospitable and sweet, and offered Michael and I a place to stay that night.

Kevin, Michael and I ventured out for food and to see the Raymond Pettibon exhibit at the Kunsthalle Wien, a contemporary art museum in Vienna's Museum Quarter. We spent a few hours taking in the hundreds of Pettibon drawings. We also saw the "Americans" exhibit, a collection of American photography from 1940 to the present. I was blown away by Helen Levitt's work — a series of black-and-white photographs of 1940s New York City. I also liked Bruce Davidson's photos of East 100th Street, New York in 1966, and Larry Clark's 1983 "Tulsa" series.

It was dark when we left the museum and we were exhausted. We decided to spend another night in Vienna. Simone invited a few friends over. We drank beers, listened to music and Simone and Dani (short for Daniella) taught us some German. We learned "Rat haus," a stop on Vienna's underground that made us giggle, means town hall.

We left on the 11:52 a.m. train Wednesday. The train was virtually empty and it was a sunny day. It flew through the countryside and we were back in Budapest three hours later.

http://www.youtube.com/v/V6H8VPdPSrM


Sarah's lighting





Violet Volkstheater



Michael and I, Maria-Theresien-Platz


(photo: KW)

MUMOK, Museums-quartier



Me and Kevin, Kunsthalle Wien


(photo: MW)

Raymond Pettibon exhibit, Kunsthalle Wien


(photo: MW)