What a blast! Really. And seeing my old pals was sublime.
Thanks to Jim Moore for posting his photos on Facebook That's John on the left, and Fred at the center (Michael, who I don't know at the right). I had a pocket full of bumper stickers, which I handed out:
That was Saturday night.
Sunday, brother Tim and I went to Governors Island.
The ferry was free, it was a beautiful day, and there was lots of free entertainment and art. After narrowly avoiding one "art piece" posing as an archaeological dig (which they were charging $5 to enter!!), we wandered from exhibit to exhibit with no real agenda. It's nice to have the time to do just that. Sunday evening we went to see a clown show with my old pals. Unfortunately, it was a mess and we didn't like it very much.
By Monday morning I was exhausted and lingered in bed. We'd planned to visit The High Line, but postponed that to Tuesday, as we had a date to meet our cousin Mary at 2 p.m. By the time Timothy and I got to the Upper East Side, it was 12:30, and we headed toward the Metropolitan Museum for a little cultcha. Good thing we stumbled upon the Neue Galerie because the Met is closed Monday. Neue Galerie is a little jewel, just around the corner from the Met. We saw the Kokoschka exhibit, but were really wowed by the Shiele and Klimt. After meeting Mary, we three strolled through the Conservatory Garden.
It's another jewel I'd never seen. Our visit with Mary was brief, but packed with mutual familial downloading. It surely is a pleasure to get to know her better.
We bid Mary farewell so she could catch a train. Then we walked from 105th Street to Times Square to meet Tim's friend Carol. You'll notice there's a theme to this NY, NY trip. Walking, strolling, wandering. There was a lot of that. There usually is.
Tim and Carol had theater tickets. I had a date for sushi on the Upper West Side with one of the Girlie's friends. My feet were tired. I wasn't about to walk to 107th and Amsterdam. Thank goodness for the subway. I LOVE the subway.
Tuesday morning, we were determined to make it to The High Line. What a unique view of the city! And another opportunity to stroll. Totally recommended. I know I'll go back. Then we hoofed it over to Whole Foods to pick up lunch, ate our sandwiches at Union Square, and headed up to the Met to see the Milkmaid exhibition. I have a very nice print of The Milkmaid hanging in my dining room. I love Vermeer. Love, love, love. And I got to see six on Tuesday, along with a very well put together exhibition. Wandering through the galleries of the Met is like visiting old friends. So many great paintings and photos!
So that's it. Exactly three days in New York. Three days is more than enough. I know I've been telling you about all the cool things I had the opportunity to do, but the real reason I go to New York is to see people. There were plenty of hugs and great conversations. I got to catch up with people I haven't seen for decades and I got to spend time with family and friends that I see more often. So, I'll take any opportunity and use any excuse I can afford to visit New York, no matter how brief. The people are priceless, all the other stuff is a bonus.
