Trip to New York

About a month ago, I got an invitation to attend a friend’s 90th birthday in New York. I live in Los Angeles, and had just done a butt load of travel (yes, that’s a technical term) to Europe, then Illinois, then Tahoe, then Quebec. So it just seemed like I should keep in the flow and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to endorse/celebrate this friend and our friendship. The whole trip came together like an unexpectedly lucky poker hand. I’d take the red-eye to NY and train up to the bucolic lakeside house of my friend, Bob. Coincidentally, our classmate and dear friend Caroline was going to be in NY for work on the following Monday, so we planned to have an overnight all together before I headed into the city for the Sunday birthday party. Also, there was a solo concert at the Beacon Town Crier, a terrific jazz club/restaurant in nearby Beacon by Stanley Jordan. If you don’t know Stanley’s work, you need to. Aside from being a year ahead of Bob, Caroline and me at the private university we attended in New Jersey, Stanley is a phenomenal guitarist, whose bio will describe far better than I can his ability to play with both hands independently on the frets of his guitar, allowing him to compose elegant, melodic and sharply distinct melodies as he covers all different types of music from the Beatles to Mozart.

After a beautiful dinner of veggies (beets, eggplant, delicato squash and peppers) Bob had very thoughtfully gotten tickets for us to go on the one night Stanley was playing within range of our little spontaneous reunion. It was magical and the small but enthusiastic audience was totally mesmerized. I found myself choking up. I had spent the summer after my junior year living in our eating club while I worked on campus. My friend Bonnie and I lived right across the hall from Stanley and Ken, whom I ended up dating my senior year. Bonnie and I decided we were going to do nothing but see horror films all summer which may not have been the most productive way to spend our time. Perhaps it explains my lack of appetite for them now. But we had the privilege of listening to Stanley practice that summer and it was sweet elastic time travel to hear how those early and very special talents on the guitar have flourished over the years. After Stanley finished his generous set (an hour and a half) where he played both his guitar and the baby grand piano on stage, shifting effortlessly between his hands on the guitar and the keyboard, we went up to say hi. I remain a total fangirl for his amazing abilities and sensitivities as a musician. I’m so grateful to Bob for arranging this special evening. We didn’t ask for a photo with Stanley because he was rushing to be ready for his car. You can see other tour dates if you’d like to catch his work elsewhere.

We came home satisfied and retired to our respective beds. I was sleeping on the fold out couch down in the living room. Bob’s friend Dan’s dog, Blue, accompanied me there. Bob later came across this cartoon which kind of sums up our night together. Blue is a sweetheart and I am a croissant.

Sunday morning, under the leadership of Caroline, we helped with the deaccessioning process that Bob began two years ago when he downsized to one abode. Caroline is really good at this — maybe better than Marie Kondo. Maybe I need to have her come to my house. Hmmm….But we had a few laughs and cleaned out a closet before Bob drove me to Cold Spring to catch the train to New York. We sat for a few minutes by the pier in Cold Springs. I really love the Hudson Valley. It’s my kind of terrain.

The train was just a brief hour plus trip to the 125th St. Harlem Station and then a quick cab to my friends the Edgars’ apartment on the fringe of Central Park. Honestly at this point, I have foisted myself on their good graces four times this year and they would have been well within their rights to slam the door of their apartment in my face. But no, they welcomed me in with open arms, Bob made me a cup of tea, and we visited for about an hour before I headed off to the primary engagement of the weekend, Jackie’s 90th Birthday.

Jackie has been a close friend of mine for the past 20 or so years, and was an even closer friend of my husband and his second wife. She’s one of the folks I see whenever I get to New York, and was delighted to be invited to this very special celebration, at a restaurant on the upper west side, about three blocks from where I had lived as a newlywed in 1984 and 1985 before life’s events took us to Los Angeles. I was thrilled to meet Jackie’s friends and family, and to also see my friend and Jimmie’s stepson, Frank. The afternoon and evening were filled with delicious food and drink and stories and toasts. It was spectacular. Note to self – throw yourself a big party on banner year birthdays. It’s a great habit to get into. Here are just a few photos from the party.

Initially when I had arrived on the train earlier in the day, I had nerves about getting around NY by subway and bus, but by the time I left two days later, it was old hat. The New York transit system is amazing. Taking the M104 up Broadway was like going back in time. In a good way.

The next day, Sally and I went to the Metropolitan Museum to see the Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Company exhibit which was gorgeous. Talk about overkill on some of those floral schooners and these, my favorite little candlesticks. It was interesting/funny to read how many of the celebratory cups and things were instantly donated to the Met. Hard to have something that big at home. Correction: at my home. But the influences from the travel that Moore did were evident in all the work. The exhibit was successful in drawing those connections with his travels and things he had collected. Recommend this stop at the Met as well as the exhibit of Cycladic Art, which featured so many fascinating fertility figures. They were startlingly modern looking. Here’s an interesting article about their original purpose and origin. Both at the Met and the next day at MOMA, I’m a bit rusty on my art history, but so grateful to have had a chance to pop in to see some old friends like Starry Night, Les Demoiselles D’Avignon, and others in the MOMA collection. Curators seem to take great care to place works contiguously such as in the placement of works by El Greco near those of Picasso. Such choices remind us of the continuous dialogue across time between artists and their predecessors.

Monday night, Sally and Bob had invited our mutual friend, Will and his partner David over for dinner expressly for the purpose of my meeting David. The dinner was delicious, blackened catfish with lemon sauce, rice and asparagus and a lemon meringue for dessert. The company was spectacular, too.

Tuesday morning, Bob and Sally and I went to the Conservatory Gardens for a quick walk and then Sally and I went on to MOMA. The Gardens are beautifully manicured, and there were dozens of senior citizen volunteers doing the work of weeding and sweeping the walkways. I tried not to capture them in these pictures. What a lovely city New York is! Sally and I had a yummy lunch after the museum at Le Pain Quotidien.

Back at their apartment, I bade Bob and Sally goodbye, and made my way down to Jackie’s apartment where I would be staying overnight.

We had planned to go to the theatre that night and so we went to the TKTS office across from Lincoln Center, which was a heck of a lot less overwhelming than the one in Times Square. I know I’m a theatre person and all, but that midtown is really a scene. No less because the UN was in session with President Biden coming to speak. Jackie and I scored 3rd row center seats for Water for Elephants and then went back to her apartment for a rest and a bite to eat. I was having trouble keeping up with Jackie, who is a force of nature at 90. Couldn’t resist a selfie at Lincoln Center.

We took the subway down to the show and couldn’t believe our good fortune with the half-priced tickets we had scored. The show was thrilling. The gorgeous scenic design by Takeshi Kata begins with the circus wrapped proscenium draped with a royal blue house curtain. The front of the pit separating us from the musicians sports the vibrant colors of the Benzini Circus and what looks like miles of wear from travel and scuffed at the base by “kinkers or rubes.” The lighting design by Bradley King is dazzling.

Last November, I had come to New York and had sat in tech with Tak for about 20 minutes before going to dinner nearby at Joe Allens with Jackie and Frank. At that time, I was impressed with the huge spread of tech tables and the hive of creativity I’d stumbled into.

I didn’t have any idea of the scope of the design until seeing it on Tuesday. I’m so glad we went. The show is beautiful to look at, and the actors are stunning in their performances as well. Several times during the show all the designers worked together to create a magical environment that seems to gloriously materialize before our eyes within seconds. The direction, by Jessica Stone, is whimsical and dynamic, occasionally delivering an emotional gut punch. The genius of the scenic design with it’s spare aesthetic leaves plenty of room for the audience’s imagination. The props and puppetry, by Ray Wetmore, Jr Goodman and Camille Labarre are brilliant. Being close to the action was thrilling but I imagine even those in the mezzanine felt considered, with height frequently used to bring the characters forward. There was an understudy on the night we were there, Taylor Colleton in the role of Barbara and she seemed so at ease that you wouldn’t have known she was not the original cast member. The audience was totally along for the ride.

Back at the apartment after the show, Jackie and I ate scrambled eggs and toast and compared notes on our favorite things about the show and shared stories about how we’d met our husbands. I felt blessed to be in New York taking all the culture in with good friends.

Wednesday morning, Jackie set me on my way to the easiest bus trip to LaGuardia – the M104 to 106th street and the M60 to LaGuardia. Right to the airport for $2.90. Doesn’t get any better than that. What a great trip. I’m so grateful for all the folks who made this trip so special.