In November, my daughter Leigh and I flew to NY to celebrate her 30th birthday and to see some astounding art exhibits — in particular, the Kandinskys at the Guggenheim and MoMA’s Bauhaus show. We had drenching rain for two days and then crisp, clear skies for three. But in my book Manhattan is a wonderland, rain or shine!
We stayed in a little hotel about eight or nine blocks south of MoMA and were able to walk almost everywhere we wanted to go… including a noisy little delicatessen over on Madison — the kind of pungent place you can identify long before you arrive, where you can drink coffee for hours and wash it down with corned beef (?!).
One wet evening, we started walking west towards Broadway and Times Square. But looking back while crossing a street not far from the hotel, I unexpectedly caught sight of the Chrysler Building looking even more ethereal than usual as it hovered over Grand Central. I thought I shot the picture. Leigh thought she did. But, as you can see, it doesn’t really matter: It’s the most iconic image from our trip, no matter who held the camera and who kept her eye on traffic!
The renovated MoMA is striking with so much natural light. And to the right is a Salvadore Dali sculpture from one of its many new rooms. (Now there was an artist with a sense of humor — yes, that’s a baguette on her head!) But, most importantly, the young woman smiling out from behind the piece is Leigh, my traveling companion!
One of Leigh’s college chums, Tami, now lives in Brooklyn. And while the two were off looking for local color (!), I spent an afternoon serenely wandering through the Frick — with the Vermeers, Fragonards, Watteaus, and all the other out-of-towners with wet, squeaky sneakers traipsing along with me. Later, I crossed 5th and into the Park where some street musicians were playing after the rain… When they laid their instruments up against the bench to take a short break, it looked to me as if they — the strings, I mean – were doing likewise. Kind of Disney-esque, don’t you think? Gazing back, I imagined the bass straightening itself up, stretching… and sauntering off for a hot salted pretzel.
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This is the first of many posts (assuming I can get the hang of this!), so please be patient. I haven’t figured out how to ‘play well’ with backgrounds, colors, and even most formats yet. I’m just getting my feet wet…much as I did on a certain soggy Saturday not long ago in NY!
