Just got back from the AMC Empire 25 which is a huge movie complex two blocks from our apartment. LOVE IT!!! We saw a double header, True Grit and The King's Speech. Both very well done, the King's Speech is a deeper and more meaningful film we thought. Overall, we still thought Blue Valentine was the best of the three which is saying a lot because all three are likely to be nominated for various film awards and the acting was compelling in all of them. Next week we are hoping to see White Material and Biutiful. Neither are playing nearby so we will venture south to the West Village to see these two. The other thing that was rather fun this past week and totally upped my feelings of loyalty for our Times Square neighborhood was that I went post Christmas shopping at the Port Authority Bus Terminal just a block from our apartment. I picked up a $5 black pashmina that Kelly wanted, new heavier stocking caps for me and Bob (also $5 bucks each), and a new purse for me (a bit more than $5 but not much). Bob finally found a beautiful black leather bag at Hugo Boss (on sale!) when we were coming back from the Park Avenue Armory exhibit and stopping for a bite to eat at Columbus Circle on Tuesday night. The convenience of finding all these carts in one place at the Port Authority Bus Terminal was quite a nice discovery. For those who have not been to NYC, specialized carts for purses, stocking caps, and pashminas are RAMPANT in this city--it was just cool to have them all lined up in one place and just one block from our apartment. Obviously it doesn't take much to impress me ; >.
Interesting advantage of getting previous tenants' mail. Some previous tenant was mailed a gift certificate from Starbucks for a free coffee for her birthday. So for a brief few minutes today I was Becky while a Starbuck barista prepared a grande latte and called out "my" name. Bob and I were laughing because I almost blew it when they asked for my name to write on the cup for pick up. So Happy Birthday Becky wherever you may be and thanks for the latte! Next time make sure you set up a good forwarding address system.
It was supposed to snow a fair amount these last couple of days but nothing really happened. Supposedly substantial snow by Tuesday and up to four inches tonight. We shall see. West Coast family and friends have been really sweet in sharing their concerns about whether we are keeping warm enough with the weather here but really, though the temps are in the high 20's and low 30's, it doesn't really feel that cold to me. I think being in the midst of my "womanly change of life" (to put it delicately) has worked to my advantage. I am like a little heat generator unto myself. Not really flashes, just ongoing higher core body temp. Lucky for me it's good timing for the season. Okay enough posting in the TMI zone. Tomorrow Blue Hill at Stone Barn Farm. I hope if it does snow it doesn't stick so the roads are clear for our trip out to the farm.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Taking in the Arts in NYC
We had a chance to view two very unique exhibits this week, both in their last few days. We made it a point to squeeze them in given how unique they are. The first one was at the Park Avenue Armory, a huge building that is combination elegant mansion and airplane hangar. Just to give you a sense of the size of the hangar space, they had historical pictures of various events held there and one was of a sit down Christmas dinner for 10, 000 people (yes ten thousand) hosted by the Salvation army during the depression. The facade of the building you enter on Park Avenue is a stately old building, and the mansion is the first part you enter into. It's fallen into some disrepair but the intricately carved painted ceilings and walls certainly speak to a time when it must have been outrageously lavish. The building is well over 100 years old. The exhibit we went to see is Peter Greenaway's Vision of Leonardo's Last Supper (see these links for more details/pictures of the armory and the Peter Greenaway Leonardo's Last Supper Vision exhibit-- The Armory is a really cool exhibit and performance space: www.armoryonpark.org/index.php/ and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kisa-lala/peter-greenaway-spices-up_b_791593.html ) It was so breathtaking on such a large scale and with multimedia (video, audio (music and narration), sculpture, lighting, change of space, multiple screens changing at once and being surrounded on all sides by the exhibit. You were pretty much swallowed up into the experience . We had never experienced art in such an all encompassing manner. The visuals were so detailed, massive and fragile all at the very same time. The way he changed the focus of the lightening from the windows featured in the Last Supper painting was amazing--giving the impression of day turning to night. Greenaway also featured the Wedding at Canaan during this exhibit and gave a narrative and history of the painting and speculated on the interpretation of what historical event might have really been depicting (i.e., Christ's own wedding) given the configuration of those in the painting. I feel like I learned so much going to this one exhibit. If the show ever is exhibited where you can see it, definitely make it a point to experience it.
Last night we went to the Museum of Modern Art (very quickly becoming my most favorite museum in NYC) for a more whimsical art experience. We went to see (as quoted from the MOMA website) "the artists Jennifer Allora (b. 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971) present Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano (2008). For this piece, the artists carved a hole in the center of a grand piano, through which a pianist plays the famous Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, usually referred to as “Ode to Joy.” The performer leans over the keyboard and plays upside down and backwards, while moving with the piano across the vast atrium. The result is a structurally incomplete version of the ode—the hole in the piano renders two octaves inoperative—that fundamentally transforms both the player/instrument dynamic and the signature melody, underlining the contradictions and ambiguities of a song that has long been invoked as a symbol of humanist values and national pride."
The pianist was so focused despite the crowd of people surrounding him, taking pictures and just trying to following his piano playing from his perspective. It was such a fascinating performance to watch, it had everyone smiling and grinning widely. The kids really loved it because it was so non-traditional and experimental and they could get so close to the piano and had the most fun constantly backing up as the piano slowly came rolling towards them as the pianist inserted in the middle of the piano walked it around the huge atrium. Quite a performance on so many levels. Here is a picture of it but it doesn't show the crowd surrounding the pianist.
You can check out a video of it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuJdI8S01-k but again, it doesn't show the crowds' reaction to the piece and interaction with the piano and pianist which I feel is as much a part of the art exhibit as the performance itself. The video makes it seems like a bit of a sterile experience which was anything but sterile. It was joyful, whimsical, fascinating, and provocative. It was one of those experiences you had to be there to "get it."
While writing up this post I took a short detour and bought an annual membership to MOMA and their film series. I am excited now to have unlimited access to the museum. It's about a 15 minute walk from our apartment and has a really lovely outdoor fountain and reflective pool sitting area that will be a wonderful respite in the summer for sure. I am finding that I much prefer modern art to classical art. I love having so much more exposure to the arts in general to actually be able say what my preferences are in a more definite manner. I also get $5 guest tickets for up to 5 guest for each visit. Pretty good deal.
We are trying to catch up on our movie viewing before the Oscar nominations are announced. We went to see Blue Valentine last night with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Very sad but so humanly powerful movie. The depiction of the intimacy and love that marks their early relationship and the deteriorated state of their current relationship is really heartbreaking. The performances are so well done and so much chemistry between the two lead actors. If you get a chance to see it--go! Today we will see True Grit and the King's Speech............and YAY!!!! tomorrow we go to Blue Hill at Stone Barn Farms for our celebratory dinner of selling our house. My mouth is watering already!
Last night we went to the Museum of Modern Art (very quickly becoming my most favorite museum in NYC) for a more whimsical art experience. We went to see (as quoted from the MOMA website) "the artists Jennifer Allora (b. 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971) present Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano (2008). For this piece, the artists carved a hole in the center of a grand piano, through which a pianist plays the famous Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, usually referred to as “Ode to Joy.” The performer leans over the keyboard and plays upside down and backwards, while moving with the piano across the vast atrium. The result is a structurally incomplete version of the ode—the hole in the piano renders two octaves inoperative—that fundamentally transforms both the player/instrument dynamic and the signature melody, underlining the contradictions and ambiguities of a song that has long been invoked as a symbol of humanist values and national pride."
The pianist was so focused despite the crowd of people surrounding him, taking pictures and just trying to following his piano playing from his perspective. It was such a fascinating performance to watch, it had everyone smiling and grinning widely. The kids really loved it because it was so non-traditional and experimental and they could get so close to the piano and had the most fun constantly backing up as the piano slowly came rolling towards them as the pianist inserted in the middle of the piano walked it around the huge atrium. Quite a performance on so many levels. Here is a picture of it but it doesn't show the crowd surrounding the pianist.
You can check out a video of it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuJdI8S01-k but again, it doesn't show the crowds' reaction to the piece and interaction with the piano and pianist which I feel is as much a part of the art exhibit as the performance itself. The video makes it seems like a bit of a sterile experience which was anything but sterile. It was joyful, whimsical, fascinating, and provocative. It was one of those experiences you had to be there to "get it."
While writing up this post I took a short detour and bought an annual membership to MOMA and their film series. I am excited now to have unlimited access to the museum. It's about a 15 minute walk from our apartment and has a really lovely outdoor fountain and reflective pool sitting area that will be a wonderful respite in the summer for sure. I am finding that I much prefer modern art to classical art. I love having so much more exposure to the arts in general to actually be able say what my preferences are in a more definite manner. I also get $5 guest tickets for up to 5 guest for each visit. Pretty good deal.
We are trying to catch up on our movie viewing before the Oscar nominations are announced. We went to see Blue Valentine last night with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Very sad but so humanly powerful movie. The depiction of the intimacy and love that marks their early relationship and the deteriorated state of their current relationship is really heartbreaking. The performances are so well done and so much chemistry between the two lead actors. If you get a chance to see it--go! Today we will see True Grit and the King's Speech............and YAY!!!! tomorrow we go to Blue Hill at Stone Barn Farms for our celebratory dinner of selling our house. My mouth is watering already!
Monday, January 3, 2011
While we were away......
Pretty exciting times going on in NYC during our absence and while we missed the BLIZZARD that happened around the Christmas Holiday, we certainly didn't miss out on being two of the THOUSANDS of East Coasters stranded on the West Coast. We were scheduled to leave on Tuesday the 28th but didn't make it out of San Francisco til late afternoon on Saturday, January 1st--arriving back in NYC in the wee early hours of January 2nd. Driving through Times Square was weirdly quiet at 2:30am. What a way to close out one year and start the next. We were greeted at our apartment building curb by garbage piles 6 feet high, no kidding, no exaggeration. A bad byproduct of the weather and New Year's Eve partying. Guess we will have to witness the biggest (1,000,000 attendees) public New Year's Eve party next year. Our time in California was a very good time spent with both our families. The delay/diversion of an extra four days in San Fransisco turned out to be a very good thing (as Martha might say). Luckily we could afford it and make it fun, many others stranded were not so fortunate. We wound up checking into the Westin St. Francis hotel on Union Square. It's so weird how things turn out. When I was a college student at UC Berkeley in the late 70's, friends and I would go into SF and always thought the St. Francis was one of the most beautiful hotels. I had always wanted to stay there but never did given the student budget I was living on then. Now here it is almost 33 years later and the dream has come true. I told Bob he makes my dreams come true. While it didn't exactly match up to my college fantasy, it was a very nice hotel and we enjoyed our stay in SF. Though again our newly cultivated NYC snobbery kicked in pretty fast and we started to immediately find SF a rather small town--can you believe that?? We've only been New Yorkers for a few months....I now SO BETTER UNDERSTAND New Yorkers and how ATTITUDE just happens. The location was really the best part of staying there. We poked around in pretty much every store on Union Square looking for a satchel for Bob--didn't find one in our price range but knew we wouldn't given the luxury brand stores we were looking in. We had a wonderful foodie day on Thursday there. It's started with a standard diner breakfast because it would have taken too long to get into the place we wanted to go but then went to exponential heights after that. As were making our way to the Mission District, we got a mocha and latte at Blue Bottle, an uber hip place to get coffee (recommended by my nephew-in-law). They subscribe that 90 seconds is the maximum time to let any ground coffee sit before brewing it, otherwise it's past its peak. They have a siphoning method for making coffee that looks very futuristic. For all the uberness, the coffee was really great. It's not just hype. Even after a full meal, it had an amazing kick of caffeine (practically made my knees buckle and my head was swooning). It was so smooth with absolutely no bitterness. There is a Blue Bottle in Brooklyn but not Manhattan (bummer for me). Then after walking thru the BEAUTIFUL Civic Center Plaza and wading thru all the homeless people (some absolutely blotted out of their minds crawling on the sidewalk--so many many street people in SF--lots with obvious addictions) we made our way thru Hayes Valley (we could definitely live there) and then to the Mission District. Bob had some rather negative impression of it from past visits and I hadn't explored it much when living in the Bay Area but wanted to this time and we were both very thankful we did. Eighteenth Street between Dolores and Valencia is so great. We picked up fabulous baked goods at Tartine Bakery, marveled and craved everything at the Bi-Rite Grocery store (specializing in organic, local farm fare), and had a really great Italian dinner at Delfina. We also did some tasting at the Bi-Rite Creamery across the street. We could definitely live on 18th Street. Saturday morning before leaving SF we checked out the Ferry Building at the end of Market Street. It was on a recommendation of my niece and her husband. Great recommendation, while most of the shops and restaurants were closed, enough were open to give us a really good sense of how much fun it would be to eat our way through that place. Organic and gourmet sets the tone there. (Sidenote: On this excursion, Bob and I more and more came to terms with the FACT that we are YUPPIES--others probably have known this about us for a long time but we held our NERD selves more closely, I suppose we are YUPPIE NERDS). One thing we noticed most when in SF is just how incredibly easy it is to find really great organic and vegetarian food while it still is a bit of search for us in NYC, at least in Mid-town. I do believe it is easier the more downtown you go in NYC. Lest one think all we did was eat and shop while in SF, we did also visit with my two nieces (so nice to have a bit more quiet focused time with both of them), toured the St. Dolores mission, walked a lot, saw a couple of movies, and had a really wonderful and spiritually fulfilling New Year's Eve Satsang celebration at Amma's San Ramon Ashram. It was such a lovely gathering, a perfect combination of meditative and festive. We so enjoyed it that it is likely we will try to arrange our travel schedule in future years to accommodate attendance to this gathering.
Side note--Can not believe the SF area subway system (BART) has ulpholstered seats and carpet, that wouldn't last long in NYC just because so many more people use the subway system here than there.
Once back we had a great time opening all the Christmas cards and accompanying pictures that had accumulated during our absence. That's one advantage to living away now, we get more Christmas cards and pictures! I have great admiration for people who send out Christmas cards. We love getting them. I need to get better at doing that...I am still hoping to get a letter out to friends and family. (My apologies to those who read this blog and will get a letter as there will likely be major overlap). Of course I also now have a major stack of newspapers and magazines staring me down again. We had tickets for the Broadway play, A Little Night Music on Sunday so felt like we were immediately reimmersed into NYC living. Bernadette Peters is the main headliner now for that play (but leaving soon in a week or two). It was Catherine Zeta Jones previously--she won a Tony for her performance. BP was fabulous and overall I would say the play was really an excellent whole, despite some unevenness here and there. We both really enjoyed it. Shortly thereafter, Bob noticed that an additional show for Prince at Madison Square Garden had been added for January 18th. He was performing in the NYC area (MSG and the IZOD center in New Jersey) before Christmas and the dates just didn't work for us to see him plus ticket prices were astronomical. But with the new added date, we got tickets---all seats that were left were in the nosebleed section but at least we are not paying an unconscionable price for them. We will take binoculars and soak up the energy. Should be pretty fun. Every account I've ever read or heard says he puts on a great show. He truely is a musical genius and I am willing to pay some homage to his talent.
I start a very part time job this month that will go on for the next 2 to 3 years. I will be interviewing teens and parents as part of a research study. Luckily I don't have to be licensed to do these interviews. My licensing situation is really a mess and I will likely need to take THREE graduate level classes to meet the requirements. So frustrating and humbling (who cares if you are an Assc Prof at a nationally recognized university, former Clinical Director of two speciality programs, an Attending Psychologist, or blah blah blah..... you need to take these classes or forget it). Could be a quite a while to finally get licensed here. At least with this position I will be working with some very excellent people and making some most needed professional contacts such that when I finally do get my license they will be very good contacts to have. I wonder if I will get invited to any Frat parties when I return to school?? Could be a whole new world of friendship opportunities is on the horizon!!!
In closing this post, I hope that 2011 is a most excellent year for everyone and the start of a much better decade than the last one.
Side note--Can not believe the SF area subway system (BART) has ulpholstered seats and carpet, that wouldn't last long in NYC just because so many more people use the subway system here than there.
Once back we had a great time opening all the Christmas cards and accompanying pictures that had accumulated during our absence. That's one advantage to living away now, we get more Christmas cards and pictures! I have great admiration for people who send out Christmas cards. We love getting them. I need to get better at doing that...I am still hoping to get a letter out to friends and family. (My apologies to those who read this blog and will get a letter as there will likely be major overlap). Of course I also now have a major stack of newspapers and magazines staring me down again. We had tickets for the Broadway play, A Little Night Music on Sunday so felt like we were immediately reimmersed into NYC living. Bernadette Peters is the main headliner now for that play (but leaving soon in a week or two). It was Catherine Zeta Jones previously--she won a Tony for her performance. BP was fabulous and overall I would say the play was really an excellent whole, despite some unevenness here and there. We both really enjoyed it. Shortly thereafter, Bob noticed that an additional show for Prince at Madison Square Garden had been added for January 18th. He was performing in the NYC area (MSG and the IZOD center in New Jersey) before Christmas and the dates just didn't work for us to see him plus ticket prices were astronomical. But with the new added date, we got tickets---all seats that were left were in the nosebleed section but at least we are not paying an unconscionable price for them. We will take binoculars and soak up the energy. Should be pretty fun. Every account I've ever read or heard says he puts on a great show. He truely is a musical genius and I am willing to pay some homage to his talent.
I start a very part time job this month that will go on for the next 2 to 3 years. I will be interviewing teens and parents as part of a research study. Luckily I don't have to be licensed to do these interviews. My licensing situation is really a mess and I will likely need to take THREE graduate level classes to meet the requirements. So frustrating and humbling (who cares if you are an Assc Prof at a nationally recognized university, former Clinical Director of two speciality programs, an Attending Psychologist, or blah blah blah..... you need to take these classes or forget it). Could be a quite a while to finally get licensed here. At least with this position I will be working with some very excellent people and making some most needed professional contacts such that when I finally do get my license they will be very good contacts to have. I wonder if I will get invited to any Frat parties when I return to school?? Could be a whole new world of friendship opportunities is on the horizon!!!
In closing this post, I hope that 2011 is a most excellent year for everyone and the start of a much better decade than the last one.
Friday, December 17, 2010
blogging from my blackberry at the airport!
this is so cool! I'm on my way to CA for the holidays. Last minute Xmas shopping was crazy....but I want to bring a little of NYC to all 23 members of my extended family. I did reasonably well but not perfect. The last minute shopping meant missing the free admission day to the Frick museum (it was their 75th anniversary) and that pained me a twinge as I love free admissions but before leaving town I had a chance to see the play Lombardi with Dan Luria and Judith Light. I was able to get a complimentary ticket. It was very well done. The audience seemed to made up of Greenbay Packer fans on vacation in NYC. I took the Super Shuttle to the airport and wound up getting a great tour of the city at night since he had to pick up several people after me. It was great and a nice send off. This city really doesn't sleep. Lots of people out at 4am and clubs still going strong. I had to wait for about 30 minutes in my apt lobby til the shuttle got there and wound up talking with the night concierge. He had some great stories about the building being haunted and people being dead in their apts for days before being found due to the stench of decaying flesh, couples found naked having sex on the pool table in the shared rec room, people coming in drunk in the wee hours and being loud, obnoxious and aggressive or destructive! I saw two drunk couples coming in at 3am as I waited! it was quite a conversation! All this going on as slumber on the 39th floor. i gave the staff their gift cards yesterday and they seem pleased so guess we did okay with the amounts we gave. Whew!!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Nerd Alert!!!
So today I did a most wonderful thing. I got my New York Public Library card at the Main Library. I feel like it is one of my most prized possessions now. The main branch of the NYPL is so incredibly beautiful. I LOVE libraries and the main branch of the NYPL is the MOTHER of all libraries. When I asked about applying for a card, the man asked me what I would do with it. I told him I just moved to NYC, lived nearby, and left a job as an Associate Professor at the University of Washington. He then said, "Oh yes, you can apply for one." Not sure what he would have said if I had said anything otherwise. I would hate to have been denied a library card. I almost peed in my pants walking around the library it's so magnificent. I was pretty much in ecstacy while walking around there. Here are a few pics to share .....The Lions names are Patience and Fortitude.
Isn't it truely inspiring? I look forward to visiting it often and spending time in the reading room. If you too LOVE libraries, check out this link for more info on it....http://www.nypl.org/
I then went on to see some of the holiday store windows and Christmas lights along 5th Avenue, Park Avenue and Madison Avenue.........BTW, did you know that the despite there being a Duane Reade or Rite Aid drugstore pretty much on every other corner of Manhattan, there is not one to be found on the tony Avenues of 5th, Park, or Madison. Guess Cartier, Barney's, Tiffany, Saks, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Prada, Fendi, Dior, etc can't be rubbing elbows with the likes of Duane Reade and Rite Aid. Interesting.
I took a few snaps of the decorations to share with you all.......Lord and Taylor had some revolving Christmas scenes in their windows and Barney's was doing a satire on Celebrity Chefs and Holiday Foodie celebrations. The street scenes are just a VERY SMALL sampling of all the lights and decorations that are all over the city.
I then went on to see some of the holiday store windows and Christmas lights along 5th Avenue, Park Avenue and Madison Avenue.........BTW, did you know that the despite there being a Duane Reade or Rite Aid drugstore pretty much on every other corner of Manhattan, there is not one to be found on the tony Avenues of 5th, Park, or Madison. Guess Cartier, Barney's, Tiffany, Saks, Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Prada, Fendi, Dior, etc can't be rubbing elbows with the likes of Duane Reade and Rite Aid. Interesting.
I took a few snaps of the decorations to share with you all.......Lord and Taylor had some revolving Christmas scenes in their windows and Barney's was doing a satire on Celebrity Chefs and Holiday Foodie celebrations. The street scenes are just a VERY SMALL sampling of all the lights and decorations that are all over the city.
Happy Holidays!
So far loving the winter here
I have to say that I am really enjoying the winter here so far. It's been relatively mild, in the 30's and 40's, no snow yet, some rain but nothing like the PNW that is getting drenched with the Pineapple Express front. When the rain and the wind do whip it together, it's really fantastic to view from our highrise windows. There are so many more sunny clear days here in NYC than Seattle. What a luxury that is. I expect it may get really cold and miserable in the next couple of months, but even then, if the sun is shining it will make the biggest difference. I really love all the hats, coats, ear muffs, scarves, gloves, and boots people don for the winter weather. It so marks the winter season in a way I've not really experienced before. Just had to put that out there. Off to see the Holiday themed windows.....
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Time to get back on track!!
Okay, so it was a great visit with my niece, her husband and their baby. Some details to follow. First a few interesting new observations and doings related to being a New Yorker. We just put together our Christmas gift cards to our apartment building staff--all 17 of them!! This is new to us to as first time apartment dwellers with an apartment manager, 4 concierges, 3 doormen, 3 handymen, and 6 porters. We aren't even sure who these porters are and what they do! I mean really WHO ARE THEY AND WTF? (Pardon my language) It doesn't come cheap to live in a high rise that's for sure. We got some good advice from Bob's colleagues and we hope we gave the right amounts to each. Guess if we get snubbed in the new year by the apartment staff we will know that perhaps we didn't give what is considered standard. It's really hard to know how much to give these people.
Second, Bob and I now realize we have a whole range of emotions as reactions to the numbers on the elevator panel. Because we live on the 39th floor, it's a bit of ride to get up to our place and down to the lobby. We are clearly excited and happy when we want to go down and see that there is an elevator situated above our floor poised to go down, bummed when there isn't. And truely bummed when on occasion the elevator goes past our floor without stopping for some strange reason or we just miss an elevator going up from the lobby. We are so easily conditioned. Okay so we aren't as devastated or overjoyed as I may have indicated above but clearly we are not neutral for sure.
With my famly visiting, we took a really great boat cruise around the mid to lower Manhattan Island from West Midtown to to East Midtown. We went under 3 bridges and very close to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was by NYWaterway Tours and our guide was hugely informative throughout the 90 minute boat tour. I would highly recommend this to natives and visitors alike. I expect it will be on my activity list for those who come to visit us. One of the more interesting tidbits shared by our guide is the empty Pier 54 at the end of 14th street on the Hudson River. It is left empty as a tribute to those who died on the Titantic. It was the pier that the Titanic was to dock in after crossing the Atlantic. We all know what happened with that story. There is a memorial there to those who died in the sinking. That story was very touching to me as it says a lot about New York City. Space, especially in that part of town is at a premium. Yet, they've kept it empty for almost 100 years (centennial anniversary in April 14, 2012). It gave me goosebumps to hear the story. Our guide also informed us that when visiting the United Nations Headquarters and grounds, you leave the US and enter international borders. That seems kind of cool. It's on my list of places to see for sure, just haven't gotten there yet.
We went Saturday to see PeeWee Herman on Broadway. It was SO FUN!! Definitely recommend it as a wonderful diversion to the seriousness of our current times. What a great comeback for Paul Reubens, the audience just poured out the love to him and he was very grateful for everyone's enthusiasm and joy for what he gives with his creativity and mirth. We also went to see the movie Black Swan with Natalie Portman. Wild and confusing and absorbing and beautiful. Go see it!
Here's a picture of my grandniece, you can see why I was so distracted and failed to make any entries.
Second, Bob and I now realize we have a whole range of emotions as reactions to the numbers on the elevator panel. Because we live on the 39th floor, it's a bit of ride to get up to our place and down to the lobby. We are clearly excited and happy when we want to go down and see that there is an elevator situated above our floor poised to go down, bummed when there isn't. And truely bummed when on occasion the elevator goes past our floor without stopping for some strange reason or we just miss an elevator going up from the lobby. We are so easily conditioned. Okay so we aren't as devastated or overjoyed as I may have indicated above but clearly we are not neutral for sure.
With my famly visiting, we took a really great boat cruise around the mid to lower Manhattan Island from West Midtown to to East Midtown. We went under 3 bridges and very close to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It was by NYWaterway Tours and our guide was hugely informative throughout the 90 minute boat tour. I would highly recommend this to natives and visitors alike. I expect it will be on my activity list for those who come to visit us. One of the more interesting tidbits shared by our guide is the empty Pier 54 at the end of 14th street on the Hudson River. It is left empty as a tribute to those who died on the Titantic. It was the pier that the Titanic was to dock in after crossing the Atlantic. We all know what happened with that story. There is a memorial there to those who died in the sinking. That story was very touching to me as it says a lot about New York City. Space, especially in that part of town is at a premium. Yet, they've kept it empty for almost 100 years (centennial anniversary in April 14, 2012). It gave me goosebumps to hear the story. Our guide also informed us that when visiting the United Nations Headquarters and grounds, you leave the US and enter international borders. That seems kind of cool. It's on my list of places to see for sure, just haven't gotten there yet.
We went Saturday to see PeeWee Herman on Broadway. It was SO FUN!! Definitely recommend it as a wonderful diversion to the seriousness of our current times. What a great comeback for Paul Reubens, the audience just poured out the love to him and he was very grateful for everyone's enthusiasm and joy for what he gives with his creativity and mirth. We also went to see the movie Black Swan with Natalie Portman. Wild and confusing and absorbing and beautiful. Go see it!
Here's a picture of my grandniece, you can see why I was so distracted and failed to make any entries.
It was so lovely to have my family visit. Despite the weather being in the 30's and being on an infant's schedule, we got around quite a bit and saw alot in the 6 days they were here. There were lots of firsts for Claire (plane, boat, subway, taxi, ferris wheel, picture with Santa, shuttle bus). She took it all well, even her first picture with Santa. Which brings me to Macy's picture with Santa set up. It's amazing and a must see if you are in NYC. If going through that display doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, nothing will! The effort and detail that went into that display is unparalleled to anything I've see before. It starts with a "ride" on the magic train that takes you to the North Pole and then the line zig zags for quite a while before getting to Santa. There are so many displays and visual stimulation to keep the kids busy and happy for the long line to Santa. It was very fun and Santa was great with Claire.
Chelsea Market was a festive stop and Eataly was pretty outrageous with the hundreds of choices for pastas of all shapes and sizes, fresh and packaged, same for meats, cheeses, oils, and all things Italy. Here are few pics though they don't really do either Chelsea Market or Eataly justice--both are so much more, bigger, better than what can be captured with my new little point and shoot camera. I will try to get better with the camera as time goes on.
I've got a lot of places to go this week before I leave town Friday morning. I still want to see the store windows at Saks, Barney's, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylors and need to do some Christmas shopping though it will be crazy in the stores no doubt. When I get back from CA after Christmas, Bob and I are going to see the Last Supper exhibition at the Park Avenue Armory. Check out this link, it sounds pretty fantastic. We didn't get to Milan when we were in Italy in 2000 so this will be a wonderful treat. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/arts/design/03greenaway.html
We also have tickets to A Little Night Music with Bernadette Peters for the New Year weekend. We are hoping to see the ball drop in NY Times Square from the vantage of a window up in the Morgan Stanley building. Bob is going to investigate the possibility. If not from there, we may venture into the actual mob craziness. We will see. Enough for tonight. Ciao!
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