New York, New York

I do love New York!

When I found out that the Metropolitan Opera was going to do Moussorsky's Khovanschina, and that it was not going to be simulcast in HD, I knew I had to go.  And this, my dears, is why I am  continuing to work - I have very expensive habits!  When I mentioned it to colleague Lesley, she decided to join me.

So, on Wednesday, February 29, off we went, driving down to Seattle (Jet Blue is much cheaper than Air Canada out of Vancouver, trust me, and well worth the drive) to have dinner with Mariah (always a treat), and off on the Red Eye to New York.  I must say, I thought I was way too old to be taking the red-eye, but much to my surprise, was quite functional on Thursday.

We stayed at the Affinia Hotel, at 31st and 7th, right across from Madison Square Garden, a hotel I highly recommend, for its rooms, its prices, and its location.

We of course couldn't get into our rooms at 6:30 in the morning, so opted for leaving our bags, having breakfast, and heading uptown to 53rd and 5th Avenue to MOMA (the Museum  of Modern Art), where membership indeed has its priviledges and we could get in early.  Going back to this museum  is like visiting old friends, so it was a wonderful first stop.

By this time, even I was tired, so we returned to the hotel for a nap, to prepare us for the opera evening ahead.  And a great evening it was.  We headed uptown on the subway (more on the subway later), and ate in the restaurant in Lincoln Center.  I tell you, everything in New York is like home to me, but nothing more so than Lincoln Center.  Going into the opera house again was a real thrill.  My mother and I used to do standing room  here, many many moons ago.  Noone did pathetic better than my mother, so we always ended up with seats, after spending only the $5.00 price for standing room.  A little different these days - we plumped for $140 seats in the orchestra.  Khovanschina was wonderful, very Russian and therefore sad (the only opera I know of that ends with the self-immolation of the crowd).  I was thrilled to be there - nothing warms the cockles of my heart like a standing ovation at the Met - and Lesley was game, as she always is.  In short, a great night was had by all.

We topped it off, by walking the 35 blocks home, passing through Times Square on the way.....

...as well as the garment district....

...where only the street art remained to remind one of its history.  It is a very personal history for me.  When my father and grandfather came over from  Poland, my father worked in the "shmatta" trade, until being blackballed by the union for voicing discontent with its practices. (see, I come by my mouth honestly!).

By Friday morning, both Lesley and I were no longer sleep deprived, and pumped by the energy which is New York.  Lesley had been to New York before, but was still more of a tourist than I, so she did what any friend would do; she dragged my kicking and screaming to do things I wouldn't ordinarily have done.  To start, we headed off to Harlem, for brunch at the Red Rooster, a new foodie place recommended by friends Andrew and Elaine, our arbiters for all things trendy.  As always, their recommendation did not disappoint - great atmosphere and great sould food.  I'll pass on the recommendation.

Then, off to  Brooklyn, where we went to the TKTS booth (for the unitiated, the place for cheap theater tickets - there is a booth in Times Square and the Financial District as well, but this fit into our plans).  We did score tickets, both for Friday night (Rock of Ages for Lesley, and Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymore Hoffman for me), and for the Saturday matinee (Venus in Furs for both).

 And then, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge back into Manhattan.  What a thrill!  I had never done it before, and I highly recommend it!  (and while I am  making recommendations, David McCullough's book on the building of the Brooklyn Bridge is fabulous, as is Rutherford's book about the history of New York)

Dinner on Saturday night was at Ruby Tuesday's, fine, but no particular recommendation except it was handy and on the way to the theater.

Friend Lesley at Ruby Tuesdays (I do love the name!)

Nora, drinking as usual!



The theater was fabulous.  It is not as if  I hadn't ever seen Death of a Salesman before (and even recently), but Philip Seymore Hoffman just mailed it, as did all the rest of the cast.  It is the kind of evening I live for! Lesley enjoyed her play as well.

Saturday,  Lesley and I went for different museums.  She opted for the Cloisters, uptown, for a dose of tranquility and medieval art.  I had to pay my obligatory visit to the Metropolitan Museum  of Ast.  Again, lots of old friends, but two new galleries as well, the Islamic Art gallery new in the last few years, and the rennovated American Art wing, both well worth the visit.

Rodin's Burghers of Callais

We opted for the matinee, and Venus in Furs was - well, different would be putting it mildly.  It was extremely well staged and well acted, and comes recommended, but not for the faint of heart! 

Now normally, I would have done another play in the evening, but I desparately wanted to go to dinner at Sammy's Famous Rumanian Restaurant, a place where I had eaten 26 years ago, when I was doing bond closings in New York for the Bamk of America.  And it hasn't changed a whit.  It is still a dive (albeit a very expensive one), in a basement, with about 20 tables, and the best Jewish food in New York.  Examples:  not only pickles, but pickled tomatoes.  The best rye bread you have ever put into your mouth, accompanied by - wait for it - chicken fat, served in syrup containers on the tables.  The drink of choice, is frozen vodka, served in its bottle, in a block of ice.  The main course is meat - if you want anything else, it is an optional extra (I have a veal chop to die for, Lesley a 16 ounce steak, with potato latkes and fried onions, and yes, you might have noticed that the only green thing I have mentioned was the pickles.)

 

It was Saturday night, so the entertainment included not only the cute little Jewish boys who were the waiters but a Jewish singer/comedian and dancing - Jewish and otherwise - by the patrons (including yours truly, but not including Lesley).  Both of us enjoyed it tremendously, and went to bed with smiles on our lips).

And, the trip was concluded on Sunday morning by a trip to the infamous Carnegie Deli, for blintzed   (me) and Challah french toast (Lesley, who took a piece of cheesecake to go).

Some miscellaneous notes.  New York is still the city that never sleeps, with an energy that no other city (not even London) can match.  The people are still loud and friendly and wonderful.  The city is surprisingly clean, and  I saw no beggars - quite a change from Vancouver.  The subways were clean, bright, well marked, and frequent.  I did notice that while in the past, everyone would have been reading the newspaper, with the infamous New York fold to accommodate the crowds, now no-one does, which to me seems a great loss.

And so, off  the airport, for the long trip home (although Jet Blue is also something I would recommend - the pilots made two of the best landings I have ever experienced, and the staff are effeciant and friendly - and it's cheap).  It does seem a long way home, but you must admit, we squeezed quite a lot into just a few days. 

And today, another first.  As some of you know, I have been hired on contract with another adjudicative agency, the Mental Health Review Board.  Today was my first hearing, and so the adrenalin rush continued!  I think I acquitted myself  reasonably well, and am  happy to add another source of income for my increasingly expensive pursuits.

It looks to be a busy week, both work and pleasure, so off to bed.  Good night.