October 3 – 6, 2013
New York City, NY
We made our now-annual trek to New York City this past
weekend to celebrate my Mum’s 83rd birthday and to show Luisa NYC during
her stay with us. As always, it was a busy, exciting time. The amount of things
we try to fit into four days is somewhat insane, but that’s New York. One
wouldn’t want to waste any time there.
We arrived late in the morning on Thursday with a lovely clear view
coming into LaGuardia airport, direct from Des Moines to meet my Mum’s flight
from Detroit a half hour later.
We all shared a taxi via the Midtown Tunnel because of traffic on the Triboro Bridge and suddenly were in downtown Manhattan. The scale is larger, the pace is faster, and the crowd of cars, taxis, buses and people is amazing.
We all shared a taxi via the Midtown Tunnel because of traffic on the Triboro Bridge and suddenly were in downtown Manhattan. The scale is larger, the pace is faster, and the crowd of cars, taxis, buses and people is amazing.
We checked into our hotel much earlier than we expected and
our rooms were not ready for us. We like to stay right on Central Park, near
the Plaza at 59th and 5th Avenue. It’s a splurge, but
worth it for the view and convenience. We left our luggage there and went in
search of lunch. In one of my worst ideas of the trip, I suggested the Carnegie
Deli, which was close by and a NYC legend for sandwiches and rude NY service. We
each ordered a sandwich and received a mile high pile of meat each. The deli meats
were great, but as a sandwich, it was just a pile of meat without anything else
with it.
Full after half a sandwich each, we made our way through Times Square (which was mind-boggling, as always) and over to the
MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art. They have an American Modern show there which
was very interesting. It is a mix of artists and medium from around the 1920s,
including very early O’Keefe, Stieglitz and his circle’s photos, Hopper
canvases, etc. The architecture of the MoMA building itself is an exhibit to
see, also.
We returned to our hotel and really checked into our rooms.
We had two adjoining rooms on the 22nd floor, our highest floor at
the Helmsley Park Lane yet and we had great views. Central Park stretched out
before us. Here's our view looking north.
We “freshened up” and changed and headed back out for our first night on the town. We traveled south again to Aurellos on 42nd Street near 7th. It is ranked as one of the best restaurants in NYC and we wanted to try it. I tried their pumpkin risotto and scallops with potato and leek, both of which were subtle and very good. Luisa announced that the first appetizer exploded with flavors in her mouth and all in all, everyone enjoyed their food.
We “freshened up” and changed and headed back out for our first night on the town. We traveled south again to Aurellos on 42nd Street near 7th. It is ranked as one of the best restaurants in NYC and we wanted to try it. I tried their pumpkin risotto and scallops with potato and leek, both of which were subtle and very good. Luisa announced that the first appetizer exploded with flavors in her mouth and all in all, everyone enjoyed their food.
From there, we walked to the Shubert Theater for Matilda,
the musical. Once there, Alle realized that the front of the Shubert is the one
used in the movie version of The Producers and that was a touchstone in the Theater
District for her. We all loved Matilda. It had a beautiful set, the songs were
fun and the child star was incredible. Very worthwhile. And, that was only our first day.
On Friday for breakfast, we enjoyed room service for as much as
a typical dinner for four might cost in any other city. We walked through
Central Park so that Luisa could see our hotel from the Park and the beautiful
lay-out of the lakes, paths and central promenade.
We exited at 72nd Street to the East and went to the Frick Collection. What a beautiful house and what amazing paintings. The Frick family acquired at least one of so many famous European painters from 1500 – 1900. Each room is more glorious than the next and it is difficult to imagine a family living amongst the treasures. There are Rembrandts and Vermeers, Holbeins and Hobbema, as well as Monet.
We exited at 72nd Street to the East and went to the Frick Collection. What a beautiful house and what amazing paintings. The Frick family acquired at least one of so many famous European painters from 1500 – 1900. Each room is more glorious than the next and it is difficult to imagine a family living amongst the treasures. There are Rembrandts and Vermeers, Holbeins and Hobbema, as well as Monet.
From the Frick, we traveled down 5th Avenue to
meet one of Mum’s friends from High School. They both attended Music and Art,
now LaGuardia High. He is an artist and a member of the Century Club. We met him
there and viewed some of the amazing art there, as well. Early members were
asked to contribute either $25 to join the club or a piece of art. Many, including
Winslow Homer, contributed a painting rather than paying the “hefty” fee. Now,
of course the paintings donated are worth thousands or millions of dollars each. We
enjoyed lunch there and then walked around 5th Avenue shops and to
Grand Central Station. Grand Central still feels central and important. My Mum
stated, “The most important thing Jackie Kennedy ever did was to restore Grand
Central Station”.
From Grand Central, Mum decided to return to our hotel and
rest. The girls and I decided to take a subway down to the southern tip of
Manhattan, Battery Park and see the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center
site. Battery Park is under construction, but we did see the Statue of Liberty from the shore.
We walked north to the World Trade Center site and even though we only had a
short time, we decided to try to see the new memorial. It was very worthwhile
to see it. I found walking up to the large fountain and seeing all of the names
and the water rushing down into an endless square stunning. I stood with my
mouth open looking at the cascading water, replicating the falling of the
towers and the loss of life. I was moved to tears, thinking about that day and
the scale of the destruction.
We headed north again by subway and met up with my Mum at
our hotel. Friday night (our second night), we were dressier and made our way to 1 Central Park West
and Jean Georges restaurant, one of NYC's three star Michelin restaurants. This was a treat. Due to time, we chose the four
course prix fixed menu rather than some of their larger and longer tasting
menus. Every course, except for my entrée was exceptional. The real stand-out
was the service. We had impeccable service. Our waiter was incredibly knowledgeable
and helpful. Whatever we needed arrived before we had to ask for it. A real
stand-out in a city of fabulous restaurants.
From Jean Georges, we walked up to Lincoln Center for the NY
Philharmonic’s performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. We love
Lincoln Center with its three vibrant theaters looking out on Broadway and
Columbus streets and its fountain bubbling forth, forming a wonderful white backdrop
for the figures of people hanging out around it before performances. It’s a
beautiful space. Before Beethoven’s 9th, we had to listen to a new
modern tribute to it, composed by Turnage. Some people probably celebrate this piece,
but I found it an atonal replication of some of the gang fight songs of West
Side Story. Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, on the other hand, was a tribute to that work. The choral parts
filled Avery Fisher Hall and were glorious.
Saturday morning, we again tried a Room Service breakfast
and headed north on an A train as early as possible, which for us, was around 10 am . We took the subway all the way up to 181st Street, my Mum’s old
neighborhood. We walked around the old park, up Pinehurst Avenue and to Fort
Tryon Park. I have many happy memories of walking through that park as a child
with my grandparents and to my eye, it appeared unchanged.
We arrived at the Cloisters around 12N. The Cloisters with its many inner courtyards, medieval stone pillars and artwork, is a sanctuary.
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Cloisters being open to the public, they were playing the wonderful 40 part choral piece by Thomas Talis in one of the chapels. The 40 voices were separated and each part was playing out of a separate speaker. The result was to be part of what sounded like a live performance of a 15th Century choral work in a 12th Century chapel with wonderful acoustics. It was beautiful and everyone present stood with their eyes closed, in a trance.
We arrived at the Cloisters around 12N. The Cloisters with its many inner courtyards, medieval stone pillars and artwork, is a sanctuary.
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Cloisters being open to the public, they were playing the wonderful 40 part choral piece by Thomas Talis in one of the chapels. The 40 voices were separated and each part was playing out of a separate speaker. The result was to be part of what sounded like a live performance of a 15th Century choral work in a 12th Century chapel with wonderful acoustics. It was beautiful and everyone present stood with their eyes closed, in a trance.
We walked back to 190th Street and took the A
train back to Columbus Circle. We had more time to rest and get ready than
previous nights, but somehow suddenly, we were heading out again for dinner and
an evening event. We walked up to Café Fiorellos and the Metropolitan Opera at
Lincoln Center. At Fiorellos we dined on huge pizzas and an enormous “open-faced”
lasagna, but after the incredible service and experience at Jean Georges the
night before, it was hard to measure up. The food was good and it was
wonderfully close to Lincoln Center. We left with a half hour to spare, to enjoy
the lead-up to the Opera.
The people are always so interesting at the Opera. There you
see people in slacks and sweaters along with couples walking in black tie with
diamonds sparkling; Groups of students giggling standing along side season
ticket holders and couples who look like they might own major parts of New York. I
had splurged and bought tickets just a few rows up from the stage on the main floor. My Mum
was delighted with her close-in seat. We also love the translation screens of
the Opera text which are displayed on the seat backs in front of each attendee.
Your screen is only visible to you and it is so nice to follow along with the words
to the songs. Here's the view up to the ceiling from our seats.
We saw Cossi fan Tutti or something like “Women are always
like that”. It is a Mozart opera which is not very complimentary to either men
or women. But, it is a comedy of hidden identities, misrepresentations, and
people becoming trapped in their own schemes. The only challenge is its 3 and
half hour length. But, it was very grand to be there and each of us enjoyed the
setting, the environment, and the seemingly effortless singing. The Metropolitan Opera is always
excellent. I’m not a huge Opera fan (my Mum is), but the Met is always
worthwhile. Last year’s Marriage of Figaro there was one of the finest productions of
anything I have ever seen.
Luckily, NYC never sleeps and as we walked back at 12M, we
were surrounded by other theater goers and people out on the town.
On Sunday, our last day, we took a taxi to the upper East side to visit an
old friend of mine for breakfast. After a wonderful meal and seeing the East
River with him, we walked to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view their current
textile show and photography of Julia Margaret Cameron. Both were
excellent. Cameron’s portraits of family and friends of her time (mid-1800s) are glowing
with soft light and captivating.
We taxied back to our hotel and left for La Guardia airport. My Mum was feeling nervous about her flight, so we left with about three hours to spare. Last year at the end of October, our flight was one of the last out of LGA prior to the Hurricane Sandy hitting New York, so we were grateful for on-time departures and no storms this year. After sunny days in the 70s in NYC, we were shocked to return to Des Moines to find rain and 50 F. Four action packed days in NYC and now, thankfully, sleep.
We taxied back to our hotel and left for La Guardia airport. My Mum was feeling nervous about her flight, so we left with about three hours to spare. Last year at the end of October, our flight was one of the last out of LGA prior to the Hurricane Sandy hitting New York, so we were grateful for on-time departures and no storms this year. After sunny days in the 70s in NYC, we were shocked to return to Des Moines to find rain and 50 F. Four action packed days in NYC and now, thankfully, sleep.
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