Bet-ZZZ Blog

Fabrics and Home!

2011-07-20T00:15:00.000-07:00

We began the day by going downstair to bid Myrn and Cynthia goodbye. Myrn was going to Connecticut to visit her daughter and Cynthia was going to New Hampshire to see her 3 sibs and her mom. We said our goodbyes and agreed it had been a wonderful trip. Then we went upstairs to pack and get ready for the day. We checked out and stored our bags in the church office next door. Then we made our way to the Fashion District - primarily 39th Street, where we found oodles of fabric stores. Pat bought ONE piece and I, as usual, bought several - PLUS the serger thread I need to finish my current project. Wish we'd had a whole day and a cooler one - to make our way carefully through all the stores. We also went into another trim store - and the notions place where I bought serger thread had at least eight shades of purple! It's a whole 'nother world.

Reluctantly, we left the Fashion District to go back to the residence to catch a cab to the airport. I bought a Fashion District tee shirt and a pumpernickel bagel enroute. Then we picked up our stuff and caught a cab to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time for our 2:30 flight and got our passes through the airport system. BUT we didn't get on that flight - were bumped in order by United employees. Then we were given a pass for a 5:30 PM flight, but we didn't get on that one either. SO we received a pass for a 6:45 PM flight - and we thought we were n't going to make it. They filled up economy and then business - but there were seats left in first class. SO we were boarded in first! It was really nice. We had filet mignon for dinner, and got a personal DVD player and the seats were such that we could put our feet up. It was fun - and felt like a reward after all that waiting. I called Ben from the plane = Pat called Jerry - and we got our bags easily. Then we went out to stand by the curb. Surprisingly, Ben and Brendan got there before Jerry! It was GREAT to see them. I didn't realize how much I had missed them. I really had a wonderful - and satisfying- trip to New York.

Curious George Would Be Proud

2011-07-18T19:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the day to do those things that were on our lists but we didn't have time to do. We all would have wanted to go to the Folk Art Museum, but it was closed today. There were several other museums - like the Cloisters - that were closed as well. I had an easy time making my decision. I went to the American Museum of Natural History - and it was wonderful!

I started out on the wrong subway train, and caught my mistake before I went too far. That meant I got out and walked west to Columbus Circle - one more place to see - and then walked up to the Broadway train stop, where I got on the correct train and got out close to the museum. I started out seeing mammals of North America, and then found the Inca Trail special exhibit - spectacular photos of Peru and other countries nearby that have joined together to make the series of Inca roads a world "wonder" or something like that. Exciting! Seeing the photos brought back a lot of memories of Peru. Then I went up and looked at the anthropological exhibits of Africa, Mexico and Central America, South America, including a lot on the people of the Amazon region. There was a movie about various aspects of those tribes that talked about the tuber, manioc, and how it is processed and cooked, and blow pipe hunting with poison darts, and a number of other things - fascinating! Then I discovered that it was 4:15 or so so I decided to hurry up to the fourth floor to see the dinosaurs - and said hello to them from both Pat and Curious George. Then I made my way down to the Margaret Mead/South Pacific area, where I finished my time at the museum. I could have spent a whole lot more time there; I really just began to see that part of the museum. I hadn't realized that Margaret Mead had worked for the museum for much of her career. I'll have to go back and read about Mead again. It's been a long time since I've done much thinking about her. Oh, and I went to a DNA exhibit, which I enjoyed very much - but it left me with a question about Y chromosomes and mitochondria - Y passed on by men and mitochondria by women - so I don't really understand how that works. It would appear that the opposite-sex child misses out on genes from that parent. Anyway, I didn't see the Native American exhibits; I would have liked to see the one about the brain, and I didn't get very far in the people of the South Pacific exhibit. I could have used AT LEAST another day. I took lots of pictures, and I was reminded of the day I spent at the anthropology museum in Mexico City, where I took a sketch pad. Much of my needlepoint came out of the sketches from that day.l This time I have the photos. I kept taking photos of design after design. I can see myself using it in needlepoint or gourds.

The others went to the Lower East Side tenement museum, and then to St. Patrick's Cathedral, and to an Apple store that is open 24 hours a day! They really enjoyed both the museum and the church. I would have liked to go to both, but I'm delighted with the choice I made, especially since they said it was too hot to take a longer tour of the museum.

I took the subway down to 42nd Street and walked through Bryant Park enroute to the Library. They were setting up for a free, outdoor movie on Thursday night - and people were already at the park for the 9:00 PM movie. Bryant Park was charming - and I learned later from Cynthia that it has a carousel, which I missed. I went around to the front of the library on Fifth Avenue and saw the lions. I took pictures of them - and of myself in front of them. It reminded me not only of Curious George but of my mother, who read me something else about the lions in front of the library - and who played such a big role in my voracious reading of children's books. This being in front of the library with the lions feels like a sort of "completion" to me. Satisfying.

I came back at about the same time the others did, and we rested awhile before going out for dinner. We found a delightful, Middle Eastern (?) or something restaurant where we had an excellent dinner - and got into the restaurant just before it rained! I felt sorry for the people watching the movie in Bryant Park. We all leave tomorrow, so we're making plans for the morning.

Hot and Tired

2011-07-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

We slept in this morning after our late night last night. I slept until 9:00 AM. So much for leaving by that time. I went out about 10:15 AM and headed for the Guggenheim. The building IS fabulous, but I was disappointed not to see a lot of the permanent collection. There was one room of Kandinsky and one room of 19th and 20th century paintings. They were all well worth seeing. But the bulk of the exhibition space was taken up with a Korean/Japanese contemporary artist whose work was mostly rocks, steel plates, and brush strokes on canvas until the paint ran out. I learned a lot from reading and listening to the (free) audio, but it wasn't what I had hoped to see.

The others went to church rather than head off to the museum. I calculated that I would need a whole lot more time at the Guggenheim, so I skipped church to go. They said they really liked the service - found the speaker thought provoking and the music inspired. They were about to comment on how nice it was to have some comment for a change when they discovered that the minister knew Vail. Ooops! Then they went to a street fair before heading over to the Guggenheim. After hearing my response, they explored a few places nearby and walked around Central Park.

I went over to the Jewish Museum after checking out the Central Park lake named after Jackie Kennedy. I'm glad I went. I was able to see the culture-and-civilization part of the museum - two floors - before heading downstairs. I glanced at an exhibit devoted to an illustrator of children's books before finding the Cone (?) sisters' collection of 19th and 20th century art on the ground floor. By that point, it was closing time so I only saw a tad. But I really enjoyed the museum - glad I made it there. I learned a lot from the C & C part of the museum.

I made it back to the guest house by subway, and learned about the others' day. I was able to rest a bit before leaving for dinner with the others. We went over to Third Avenue and found a place, good for salads,before we had frozen yogurt, which really hit the spot on a day like today.

I'm tired. It's bedtime.

From the WTC to Broadway and Times Square

2011-07-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

First thing on our agenda was going to the World Trade Center site. We made our way via subway to City Hall, and then to Vesey Street, which is the street leading to the site. It's just a big hole in the ground now, with a LOT of construction going on. But as we were making our way there, we saw a lovely, old church called St. Paul's, and went inside to discover that Washington had a pew in the church - it was that old - and that it was the church that cared for all the rescue workers at the WTC. They fed and clothed and provided cots for the workers. It was a group and volunteer effort. The church - and all the messages and mementos inside were extremely moving. That was clearly the highlight of the visit to the WTC site. We then sat in the graveyard, within yards of the WTC, and pondered the site. And then we went into a building called the preview of the WTC memorial, which will be dedicated this year on the 10th anniversary, and then will open to the public on 9/12. Really interesting - and again more memorials and mementos.

From there. we went down John Street to the Wall Street district office that sells tickets for Broadway plays. We were able to get four tickets for ":Billy Elliott" for this evening. Then we went on to the Washington Square area, with the intent of doing a walking tour of Greenwich Village. We had lunch and then went back outside. We walked as far as the square/park and took pictures of the arch, listened to the guy plaiting the grand piano under the arch, and watched a guy doing some chalk artwork close by. The others weren't terribly enthusiastic about the tour of Greenwich Village. They walked with me for a block or two, and then decided to go back to the park. I went on the tour by myself. GV was really different from how I pictured it. What I saw reminds me a lot of the Lincoln Park area of Chicago - well kept, old buildings and nice looking residential areas. I had pictured street vendors and an artsy atmosphere. But I enjoyed walking around, seeing where Eleanor Roosevelt and Edna St. Vincent Millay had lived, seeing Stonewall and the George Segal statues dedicated to the Gay Liberation Movement, and learning more about the area. I got about two/thirds of the way through the walking tour - to the theater Millay had started and her narrow house, next to the oldest house in the village, when I decided I had to go back in time to be ready to go to see Billy Elliot. With regret, I left the Village just as I was getting to an area that looked more as I had imagined it.

We dressed up a bit and took a cab to the theater. The musical was fabulous! This young boy who plays the lead appears to be a gifted dancer and the play was wonderful - quite different from how I had remembered the story in the movie - but excellent in the abstract and minimalist way that theater presents things. I really enjoyed it, as did the others. Then we went to Sardi's - one street away - for dessert afterwards - and walked back to our place via Broadway and Times Square. The neon was amazing and there were huge numbers of people out at midnight, in sleeveless attire, on a hot summer night. It was great fun!

My Feet Hurt!

2011-07-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

What a day! While Myrn visited the United Nations, Cynthia, Pat and I headed for the garment district. We made it to Mood Fabrics, and each bought something before they kicked us out for an hour-long taping of Project Runway. On the way out of the building, we ran into the host of the show. Cynthia recognized him and he noticed our Mood Fabric bags. We had our pictures taken with him. What a New York moment! Then Pat and I went to M & J Trim and prowled while Cynthia met with her former boss. We all met back again at Mood Fabric, where I finished looking, and bought black silk charmeuse and lace for a nightgown for Sonia - and rust silk charmeuse and beige lace for a nightgown for me! Then we went on to the MOMA. Cynthia had a cramp enroute so we took a taxi. We met Myrn and had lunch in the cafeteria.Then we split up and checked out the museum. I loved the Picasso and other early 20th century artists - saw SO MANY big names - and a lot of new ones. I fell in love with Jacob Lawrence's set of pictures about the African American migration to the northern cities. I want to read more about him and see more of his pictures.

I saw Andy Warhol and Frieda Kahlo and so many others. I met Pat, Cynthia and Myrn at 4:30 for coffee. They were ready to leave and I was just in the middle of the fourth floor (having started on five). So I stayed at the museum until 800 PM - until the Friday closing. I saw photos by Diane Arbus and Steichen and Dorethea Lange and Richard Avedon and Ansel Adams - and more. And there was a video of Marlon Riggs (along the lines of Tongues Untied) and other AIDS art. There was work from South Africa and other protest art and social criticism. I finally made it to the sculpture garden just before the museum closed at 8:00 PM. Then I went across the street to the design store associated with the museum and browsed a bit. I was too late to meet the others for dinner - they called and I suggested they go ahead because at that time, I had just arrived at the sculpture garden. So I picked up a pastrami and swiss on pumpernickel sandwich and coleslaw at a deli near our place and came back to nurse my feet. By that time, I'd been on them much of 14 hours.

I got called downstairs to make plans for tomorrow. It was almost more than I could do to go down the stairs! Bur now I'm ready to crash to prepare for tomorrow.

The Metropolitan Museum - Whoopie!

2011-07-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

We began the day at the Met - what a treat! After getting tickets, we headed up to the Alexander McQueen exhibit - and had to wait over an hour to get in. I thought the exhibit was fabulous - not pretty,but fascinating in that he is using the human form as a palette and doing more performance art than clothing design. If you think of it that way, it's really thought provoking. For example, his last season explored what would happen if global warming destroyed the world as we know it, and people had to go back to nature. Another year's clothing explored his native Scotland and built upon the McQueen tartan. The "fashions" were extreme and uncomfortable - but they were really objets d'art. Pat REALLY didn't like it and wanted to get out of there. Myrn wasn't much interested - and Cynthia wanted to get through faster than I did. Then we had lunch in the cafeteria on the ground floor - GOOD food and healthy! (And I had a cannoli w/ chocolate chips!) Then I stayed in the museum until closing time, seeing the American period rooms and the Tiffany. the European 19th & 20th century, and the special exhibit of night photography. It was nice to see my special pals, Greco, Goya & Velasquez, as well as all the French guys - and Picasso and van Gogh. I missed seeing any Mary Cassatt. She usually belongs in that group. There was a painting of a peasant woman from Breton that reminded me of my favorite painting from the Chicago museum. And it was wonderful to reconnect with the Spanish school of the 17th (?) century. I hadn't realized what a draw they have on my psyche, and how much I've missed looking at them.

Myrn, Pat and Cynthia had sore feet so they went back to our place and I stayed in the museum until closing time. Then I walked across Central Park - what a treat - to the Upper West Side. It was fabulous to see the views in Central Park - all the shots I've seen from TV and movies. And I went to Zabars and picked up bagels as well as a few treats and a mug and decaf espresso to take home. Then I made my way back on the Broadway subway, which let me out at Madison Garden, from where I walked back to our lodging. We went to a Mediterranean restaurant for dinner - focused on hummus - and the food was great! I could eat that way all the time! Probably it's really healthy. I went back to see if I could locate a meeting at the nearby Mustard Seed, while the others walked around for awhile. Then we decided on our plans for tomorrow. Great day! I'm concerned that my infatuation with museums - want to see 'em to the last possible detail -- is a drag on the others - but that's what I came to NYC to do. This is really the realization of a dream. That doesn't mean I should be inconsiderate of others, but I'm trying to express my need to spend a LOT of time at museums.

NYC Here We Come!

2011-07-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to spend a week in New York City, doing the museum scene, for as long as I can remember. I said this to the folks in my women's group at our January retreat - and they jumped on the idea. Sally Reed made reservations at a UU guest house in Midtown Manhattan and she arranged to get two of us companion passes on United. This really made the trip affordable, so five of us decided to go.
Then Sally had a stroke - in June - and it didn't look as if we'd get to go. But then she decided she could make it, so we went ahead and made our plans. At the last minute, Sally canceled because her heart was beating too fast - but the rest of us went on ahead. We flew into NYC yesterday. Myrn - on a spousal pass from Vern, her husband - was seated in first class. Pat and I were in coach Cynthia traveled separately as she had spent the weekend in Bozeman, Montana, with another friend, and was going on to New Hampshire to visit relatives after the New York stay.

We had a funny incident with the flight attendant on our flight. She first noticed that we were traveling on United passes, and asked how long we had been employees. (It appears that Sally's date is prior to hers.) Then when Pat and I went back to the bathroom, she offered me wine. I declined, and she asked me if my "partner" wanted wine. We had a good laugh about that.

Getting into the city from the airport was a breeze - $20 apiece in a taxi - and that included the tip! We saw Cynthia right away, and got into our place - two "apartments" that haven't been modernized much - two floors apart. It's really fun to be in the upper one, with its high ceilings and built ins - and the ability to look out and see 35th Street - a walkable neighborhood! We walked to dinner and to buy bagels for breakfast - a walk of only a few blocks.

The day began with coffee and bagels - pumpernickel, my fave! Then we took the subway from 34th and 6th Ave to Battery Park to take the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. It was a real thrill to actually see the monument up close and to read about its history. I really loved seeing - and hearing - the people of all different nationalities a/o ethnicities at the monument. A family of kids sang the "Star Spangled Banner" in front of the statue - great harmony - and we all clapped! It was all, quite simply, a thrill!

Then we went on to Ellis Island. It was FASCINATING! Lots of history and much of it not covered up. The nativism was alive and well, particularly right around WW I. And the mental testing was obnoxious - and hardly objective. It looks as if our country began its (bad) habit of testing early on, and kept it up into the Obama administration.. Also, it was really clear that the folks who came through Ellis Island were from steerage. In other words, the first and second class passengers received a comparatively minor league inspection while still on the boats, and then were let off in Manhattan before the steamers went on to Ellis Island, where they began to do the serious checking for mental "disorders" and illnesses. It sounds as if the people were crammed into the boat like sardines - perhaps not as horribly so as on slave ships - but the conditions didn't sound real good. One THIRD of the people who passed through Ellis Island - a HUGE number, which really explains NYC and its metropolitan area. And there was quite a lot of information about people going to other places - including a special exhibit on people who passed through Galveston! And there was mention of Angel Island and the "paper sons." I was really impressed with the museum - moved by ever so many things, and angered all again at issues that have bothered me for years. Also it was interesting to see patterns that have repeated themselves with different groups of immigrants. I didn't realize that some Europeans came in as temporary workers and then went back - much like the Mexican braceros. And children acting as go-betweens for their parents. And numerous other parallels. The push for assimilation was evident, too, both from the immigrants and, more forcefully, from the more established nativists.

We saw a group of street performers in Battery Park before heading back on the subway. We got caught in a rainstorm while walking back to the residence, so we stopped for dinner at a Latino restaurant - Leña. Yum! Then Cynthia and I went out to hunt down bagels before we came back to plan tomorrow. We're experiencing a difference in energy levels. Myrn gets tired - and Pat and I just realized that she is 78! But we hope there are more places to SIT tomorrow at the museum so we can take it more at our own pace.