The Divers

One of the reasons we went to New York on this particular weekend was to go to a concert.  Yes, our all time favourite piece of Raff, the Piano Quintet, was on the programme being performed by the Jupiter Players on Monday afternoon and we wanted to hear it very much indeed.

 

These divers – a photograph of which prompted Mary’s comment the other day – are an installation on the wall of Rosa Mexicana’s restaurant opposite the Lincoln Center, where we enjoyed margaritas after the concert.  Water is running down the tiled wall and the small (5” wide, approx) figures represent the cliff divers of wherever it is in Mexico that the young men dive.  Jordi alerted me to take a closer look at them, for though they appear to be identical on first glance, there are some individuals amongst them.

The light on the running water makes them especially interesting and they are a great talking point.

The margaritas are good, too!

Stories for telling

We had such a great time on Monday evening and got in so late, there was no chance of recounting every last detail of the day.  Well, really, I’m not sure you’d want to read all of that anyway…believe me, some aspects have already been told at least once too many!

For me, the day started in a less than optimal way.  On Sunday afternoon, we’d found ourselves in Michaels and even though I had nothing on my list, I managed to find one or two small things as usual.  The place was frustratingly full of people, mooching around and generally getting in our way, so by the time we reached the cash registers, Jordi and I had had quite enough.  (Meanwhile, my our hero was sitting at the store Managers desk, chatting and making himself quite at home)

We were chatting too – to each other about the MaryJane sweets we found by the registers and just had to buy for the wrappers alone, to the sales clerk about the things we’d bought and about the tiresome number of customers who were in the store on a sunny Sunday afternoon.  Hadn’t they got anything better to do?!  We picked up our bag of shopping and off we went.

Except, on Monday morning, when I opened the Michaels bag to examine my purchases, the two main things I’d bought weren’t there!  Oh no!

Perhaps they’d been put in Jordi’s bag by mistake?

Sadly not.  Jordi had already texted to say she’d eaten all her MaryJanes and would surely have said that she’d found unexpected items in her bag, in any case.  No, she hadn’t got anything extra in her bag.

I blamed myself.  After all, I ought to have been paying attention when I was paying for the things.  I should have carried my own bag and not left my hero to schlep my shopping around for me – because then, I might have spotted that the two main things weren’t there. Above all, I should stop talking and concentrate on what I am doing.

There.  Having given myself a good talking to, I decided to move on and forget about it.  No good crying over spilt milk.

But, I can’t let things go quite that easily and spotting the phone number on the receipt along with the two items I was missing as well (proving that yes, I’d paid for them) I decided to telephone the store.  I described what was not in my bag of shopping when I returned home and before I had finished, the person on the other end of the line said “They are in our lost property, here”.

We went straight out again and caught the bus up to the store on the Upper West Side to collect them.

This note was stapled to the bag.  I interpreted it as “not your fault, Gill”.

Now, I must do something with them!

to be continued

We’ve had another great day and have stories to tell, of course.  But it’s late and I’ll simply share a photograph of this great artwork from early this evening, when we met Jordi for drinks at Rosa Mexicana opposite the Lincoln Centre after the concert this afternoon.

Jordi had heard some scant information about the Boston Marathon on her way to meet us, but as we passed the front of the Times Warner Centre, a reporter from CNN stopped and asked if we had anything to say about the events.  We declined and moved right along, picking up what we could from the screens in the window.

So, right now, we’re back at our hotel and are catching up with the news, probably rather later than everyone else.  Come back and read about the concert, the missing package and tonight’s great dinner venue (pictured above) soon!

Fun day

We returned to the hotel this evening feeling absolutely stuffed and so weary that we wondered if we could stagger as far as the door to our room.

Yes, we’ve had a fun day!

Another lovely morning here, we’d decided to have a lighter breakfast and went straight out to run a couple of small errands before lunch.  We both remarked on how very much we enjoy just being here; walking the streets and taking in the views of familiar landmarks most of all.  Look, there’s the flatiron building down there to the left and the taller of the new buildings next to it is the new structure on the World Trade Centre site, nearing completion.

In the coffee shop, we waited with our little “table tracker” until our drinks and breakfast rolls arrived.  Don’t know how it works but we were pleased it did!

It being Sunday, the shops were a little later opening this morning, but we managed a short stop in Toho beads and got a few bits and pieces in Staples.  Oh yes, I have my favourite haunts!

As we returned to the hotel to drop off our shopping, we spotted a parade assembling, but couldn’t work out the flag for a while.  Shortly afterwards, we worked out it was the Persian Parade and sure enough, there was a colourful and sometimes noisy group of people gathering on Madison, ready for the off.

The band were warming up outside the drugstore

and the drummers making quite a racket just around the corner from them.  We’d have happily stayed to see them move off, but we had lunchtime plans.

We had arranged to meet Jordi for lunch at somewhere we’ve been meaning to try for quite some time but for some reason, have never managed until now.

We walked along Fifth, passing swiftly through American Girl territory.  Oh yes, the small shoppers were out in force this morning, carrying their purchases in one hand and their dolls in the other.

The two youngsters in front of us as we walked through the Rockefeller Plaza were carrying their dolls in papooses with heart-shaped windows.

Our venue for lunch was a swanky hotel which took some finding – but find it we did, and met Jordi in this rather grand foyer.

We were going to a “secret” place behind the red curtain.  ooooh!

The only clue was the neon “burger” sign on the wall.  Oh, and the lengthy queue in the dark corridor just behind the curtain.

We had no idea what to expect, except the cardboard notices suggested this wasn’t going to be a grand place at all.  But we understood the food to be first class and anyway, we were rather curious by now.

In time, we got to turn the corner and saw into the burger joint – as far away as you could imagine from the grand hotel we’d just come through!  We ordered our food and found a table and joined everyone else.

Notices on cardboard everywhere, mostly requesting no writing on the walls

which was a mystery, because actually, every surface (including the lampshade) was covered in scribble.

The food itself was great, the burgers really were first class and we’d come here again for the entertainment anyway.  What a curious place!

During the afternoon, we explored the Upper West Side, dropping into this small gallery to take a look at some art

and spending a couple of hours at the New York Historical Society museum, which was fascinating.  Not that we learned a great deal about the history of New York but we loved the collection of tin plate railway models which were on show there and some of the art was terrific, too.  Actually, the history of the city was really well depicted in a film we enjoyed – almost as much as we enjoyed the chance to sit down in a comfy chair!

Late afternoon then, and definitely time to sit on a park bench and peruse Jordi’s beautiful artwork.  Whilst the younger, fitter New Yorkers cycled, skated and jogged through Central Park, the three of us oooohed and aaaahed at these gorgeous pages, so much better seen for real than in photos on her blog.

We discussed possibilities, potential and plans

and pointed out our favourite bits!

What better setting to sit and enjoy such things?

Isn’t it beautiful?

We weren’t the only ones to enjoy the Spring weather, the blossom and to feel thankful for such a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.  But it was starting to get chilly now and we were getting hungry!

Making our weary way over to Molyvos, a really great Greek restaurant on 7th Avenue, it was hard to recognise the three energetic and lively souls who’d stepped out early this morning.

We never want to lose any opportunity to make the most of our time here, but this evening, we are wondering if our feet will recover in time for tomorrow morning?   But oh, what fun we’ve had!

Walking the High Line

One favourite place in New York for us both is the High Line.  Since we’ve been coming here, this old, elevated railway track has been transformed into a fantastic linear urban park and we were excited to see the new extension which has been completed since our last visit.

It was a beautiful, fine morning and we woke bright eyed and bushy tailed – and hungry! 

Fifth Avenue was just waking up as we stepped out towards another favourite haunt – the Red Flame diner – for breakfast.  My hero had been looking forward to his traditional, no-nonsense corned beef hash and though we’re staying in a slightly different location this time, a short walk to 44th Street was in the schedule.

Feeling suitably fortified, it was an easy stroll to the new High Line access point at 30th and 9th, which is still very much under construction and not exactly pretty right now.  We’d thought of dropping into Macys, perhaps stopping by M & J Trimmings on the way or mooching in one or two of the bead shops along 6th Avenue, but we were too early (yes, once again, we could be classed as “twirlies”).  We’d arranged to meet Jordi outside Chelsea Market at noon, so had oodles of time.

But maybe it was a good thing to be early; to be here before the crowds, because if it was going to be a fine and sunny Saturday morning, this was likely to be a popular place to visit today.  We decided to get on up there and see what’s what.

Well, one good thing about the High Line is the management.  It’s maintained beautifully for everyone’s benefit and the signage and information is well presented right the way along.

Our first encounter was with a couple of young staff members, chatting as they strolled along, keeping the peace and applying the “no cycling” rule a little harshly we thought, as they told a young mother that her small boy couldn’t ride his little scooter alongside his family.  Oh my.  The peace and quiet of the morning was shattered as he expressed his dismay in the only way a two or three year old can – and his mother was left to carry the bloomin’ thing!

Rules is rules, it seems.

We lingered around this new stretch, looking over to where the next, final stage of the park is being developed.  There’s still a fair bit of work to be done, clearly.

The plain wood and stainless steel style looks good and the planting has been continued in the same manner throughout, though of course, this newer stretch has yet to grow into the space.  We love the fact that there’s plenty of space to sit, to linger and to look around.

And here, on an adjacent building, a team of young men were working in gondolas, firstly whitewashing and preparing the side of a building for a piece of artwork and then, this pair were transferring the outline to one part of the wall ready for painting.  We watched for some time, trying to see what they were doing and what exactly it was going to look like.

This was our only clue…he appeared to be holding an advertising image for the Metropolitan Museum. 

We’ll have to take a look next time we are here!

Actually, there is quite a bit of art along the way, here.  On this corner, there was a recording of an actor naming a variety of animals, which was a curious sound in a relatively quiet spot.

 

There is, of course, the usual urban graffiti – how many places does this cat appear?!

There are colourful wall paintings at street level, too

and some residents in buildings overlooking the park have a sense of humour!

The planting right the way along the park has been very cleverly designed and everything was bursting into growth, giving a fresh, Springlike feel the whole way.

I loved the way this blossom looked against the brick wall.

Since we had plenty of time, we enjoyed stopping at these little platforms, to stand and stare at the streetscape beneath us.  This platform, high above 23rd Street ( I think) had high backed benches to sit on; so comfortable, we might have brought our books and sat there for a couple of hours!

We could see almost as far as the East River.

But a little further on was our favourite wall of the whole park.  This was a relatively recent installation and is here for just a few months, so we felt lucky to see it.  It’s a little confusing to look at in reality, so even harder in a photograph.

One side of a building has been clad in a combination of mirror and rusty metal.

The surface is uneven and the textures are terrific.  The overall effect is stunning and it was attracting the attention of everyone who passed by.

The details were posted alongside so we could learn a little about what we were seeing.  There’s more information here.

Now, we were in the older, more established part of the park and enjoying some of the familiar features like this viewing platform above 9th Avenue.  More people were joining us up here too, joggers and tourists just like ourselves taking photographs and enjoying the fresh air.

Turning the corner, my hero looked out towards the south and spotted a landmark.

Would you have spotted her there?  (I didn’t)

By now, we were in the old, original part of the park, in this very chilly covered stretch.  It was becoming yet more crowded and we were glad we’d not only started early but that we’d begun at the “new” end too.

This tour group of Norwegians were taking things very slowly indeed and we were glad to think we weren’t following them!

The last stretch of the park appeared, beneath the Standard Hotel, where a new piece of sculpture was being installed.  Yes, we too thought it was one of those “live standing figures”.  But no, it isn’t!

The last, original part of the park, with the beautiful arrangement of rails, sleepers and trees could perhaps be our favourite.

Here at the end of the park, we’ve usually turned around and retraced our steps back to Chelsea Market, but on this occasion we decided to walk at street level to take a different view.  There was a major operation taking place in the street alongside, where a vast crane was being put into position.

The structure there at the end will be the new location for the Whitney Art Museum, bring yet more energy to this regenerated area and giving us another reason to come here – as if we needed one.

We’ve not yet been here 24 hours and already, we are buzzing!