New York

Wednesday 24 January 2007

Snow in London (quite a bit at Gatwick and points south of London) meant that my flight was an hour late, but we arrived at Newark only 10 minutes late. A bus to the Port Authority for only $7 (senior discount) has to one of the great bargains of this journey. To my friend Jack’s for drinks then dinner at the Sapphire, his lovely local Indian restaurant. My good friend Sherwood (Woody) was visiting from Washington and the three of us had a great evening.

I was raving about the biography of Bayard Rustin which I finished just before coming on holiday and it turns out that Jack had met him at a Peace Workshop (Jack was a Conscientious Objector during the war and Rustin was too).

Thursday 25 January

I went to the newly refurbished Pierpoint Morgan Library (they seem to prefer to be called the Morgan Library these days). I did not care for the new link connecting existing buildings (designed by Renzo Piano). It seemed very industrial in character ; lots of steel trusses and a glass roof which seemed to be very effective in collecting leaves and other debris. The collection is impressive and in particular, an exhibition of Saul Steinberg (most famous for his New Yorker covers) was an eye opener. His collages were special ; but my favourites were bogus passports and legal documents in which he painted all the detail of visas, entry/exit stamps. There was a fun map of Manhattan with areas in different colours labeled Burgundy, Perrier, Grappa … indicating their favourite tipple.

This neighbourhood (Madison Avenue at 36th Street) still retains a lot of character .. an eclectic mix of shops, old fashioned coffee shops .. though I found no bar. Huge luxury condos are wiping out much of the character of the West Side (especially from the 50s to Columbus Circle).

Friday 26 January

The International Center for Photography had an exhibition on Cartier Brisson which I found disappointing .. working photos more of interest to the researcher than me. The unexpected treat here was a small exhibition on the German Weimar cinema which included a showing of Louise Brooks (from Wichita, Kansas) in Pandora’s Box (silent film made in 1929). I had heard of her but never show any of her movies. It is easy to see why she is so highly regarded ; while some of the actors were indulging in melodrama, she seemed totally credible.

Saturday

To the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Glitter and Doom exhibition of German artists form the Weimar Republic era. This included works by Dix, Grosz, Beckmann and some of the paintings were striking in their candour. No wonder Hitler wanted them burned.

There was also an exhibition (Americans in Paris) which I had planned to see, but there were too many people (4 and 5 deep in many rooms), so I gave that a miss and went instead to an exhibition of Luis Comfort Tiffany, the stained glass artist. This dealt primarily with the grand country home (Laurelton) which he designed. There were many striking things, but I was most impressed with panels called Magnolias, in which the support for the glass looked like branches of a tree and the magnolias were in very subtle colours.

Sunday 28 January

Museum of the City of New York (Upper 5th Avenue at 103rd Street) for (1) more Saul Steinberg … (2) black fashion from the 1920s to hip hop and (3) a very informative video on the development of New York. Synchronicity: I bought Jack the Bayard Rustin biography and what should I see in one display case but 5 walking canes which had belonged to Rustin – he apparently always fashionably dressed in a formal manner.

The museum also had a great painting by Childe Hassan, my favourite American Impressionist .. titled Union Square, it captures a late rainy early evening with people walking through the park.

Woody took us to O’Neals, an excellent restaurant near Jack’s apartment. I had London Broil .. a dish I never see on a London menu. There is a large striking mural on the end wall of the restaurant ; the subject is ballet dancers (there are said to be 33 of them, mostly from nearby Lincoln Center’s but it also includes the O'Neal family, the restaurant manager and the maitre d’). It was painted in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s when the place was known as ONeal’s Balloon.

Monday 29 January
Everyday matters .. the Internet, laundry, packing .. with an early night for my 4am departure for Newark Airport and Guadalajara (Not my choice .. the airline changed the time after I booked) .. the $70 taxi wiped out all my savings from the trip into Manhattan! The nice part is that I arrived in Guadalajara early afternoon and not 11pm as originally scheduled.

Practical details

Radio City Apartments on West 49th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, proved to be excellent value for money at $109 a night ($134 with tax) for a studio including a full kitchen. Street noise a slight problem (but this is common in Manhattan), but location and transport links excellent.

Morgan Library
225 Madison Avneue at 36th Street
http://www.themorgan.org/expansion/default.asp

O’Neals,
49 West 64th Street
tel: (2120 787 4663

International Center for Photography
1133 Avenue of the Americas, NYC
(6th Avenue at 43rd Street)

Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue
(5th Avenue at 103rd Street)