It's Raining Art

It's raining again in New York. Not a Seattle rain that might prevent you from keeping your windows open, but a rain that keeps you from even going outside. You get wet. Real wet. I will need to invest in a rain jacket -- I bought my last one in the fall of 1991... and it's still like new.

That said, what an awesome day altogether though...

The day basically started (at 3PM) with another breakfast at The New Amity -- an awesome Greek restaurant and coffee shop on Madison (between 84th & 85th) that slides folks into its charmingly tight booths and serves coffee you want just to keep coming. Gary introduced me last weekend; he, Michele and I went again this morning. The best part about breakfast this morning was Michele's joy at still getting home-style potatoes with her eggs and our discovery of their means of recycled placemats... under the glass!!

The New Amity's creative table decor: recyclable placemats!

Being a breakfast junkie, I'm already loving the cafes throughout the city and in my neighorhood -- they tend to be quick with strong coffee and serve breakfast all day long. After all, Who *doesn't* love french toast?! Let's get some!

After eating, Michele and I headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to enjoy our membership and of having such an amazing museum so close to home. She ventured into the Asian wing, while I headed toward Modern Art. Picasso after Picasso! Dali! Lichtenstein! Matisse! HEAVEN!

Roy Lichtenstein, American (1923-1997)
Stretcher Frame with Crossbars III -- 1968 -- Oil and Magna on Canvas
(Didn't note the name of the installation on the other wall -- apologies!)

There will not be a better way to spend a rainy Saturday than enjoying such an amazing place. The Egyptian Temple of Dendur is a spectacle; I could have stood in the Sackler Wing forever taking that in and just imagining that being a "normal" part of daily life -- yes, Jesse, I was standing in the midst of this awesome temple when I returned your call... how cool! It rekindled my desire to get to Egypt before my days are done. I also strolled quickly through Medieval Art, the Robert Lehman Collection, the European Sculpture Court, and the Greek and Roman Art/Artifacts area. Mind you, I strolled through... the reality is, I get to -- and will -- go back with frequency so I can really take in whatever I happen to want to. What an amazing place altogether... and better still? It's my back yard!!

Detail from Italian Renaissance altar pieces in the Robert Lehman Collection

After enjoying Round I, Michele and I met up in the Great Hall (below), enjoyed martinis, listened to a live string quartet as day turned to dusk, and had an awesome conversation -- a DC Bomb, if you will. I'm nothing short of THRILLED to have such strong friends so close while I make this transition. I hope I can be to them what they already have been to me in times like these.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art -- The Great Hall

I'm now home, enjoying another low-key evening. I wasn't able to make it to Jen's dinner party tonight (I'll spare you the details), so instead am rewinding the day, reliving the art in my mind, and reveling in the fact that this is real. I was just able to connect with my friend Charles; so great to hear his voice and to catch up. It's the very conversation I need to have to normalize such a radical transition: daily details, mental images of a world I know so well, realizations that healthy and healthful relationships usurp time and space.

PEACE to you, dear friends!