Beautiful Day in the Lower East Side

Sunday, February 7
I met Leena at her apartment and we walked south along the East River. Lots of cyclists, joggers, stretchers....but not us. We just talked and looked and enjoyed the sun.

From South Street Seaport there is a lovely view of Lower Manhattan. We people watched and then headed into Chinatown in search of lunch.

Here's the Eldridge Street Synagogue - once in the midst of the Jewish Lower East Side and now smack in the density of Chinatown.

We ended up back on Grand Street at our usual Vietnamese restaurant for a shared bowl of pho and summer rolls.

And a highlight of the morning was a straggely urban crocus (you can tell by the cigarette butt next to it) - a harbinger of a spring

that can't come any too fast

.

Metropolitan Museum on a winter's day

With Mitch in the hospital again, and a few days of nothing but snow, I was ready for a break. So I met Leena at the Metropolitan Museum for a mini-vacation. Bunches of forsythia greeted us in the grand entrance hall.

Our exhibit goals were two and I'd better mention them now because there are no pictures. The first was a series of Romare Bearden collages picturing a street in Harlem. The museum's web site offers a high-tech educational feature about Bearden and the collage series which is great. The actual works are hidden in the middle of the contemporary art galleries and not near as flashy as the web offering. The second exhibit we wanted to see was a charming exhibit of Victorian photocollage.

And to get to our destination exhibits we first travelled through classical Greece and Rome

Then a journey into Papua New Guinea

With a quick stop for a view of some elephant tusks carved in Africa -

That's the lovely thing about this giant museum - In your travels you pass the most beautiful scenery. Wonderful design and art and color and beauty from so many cultures. And so many time periods.

And of course we had to wander through the Impressionists, where one could spend a day or two. And we climbed around the contemporary galleries

looking at art and people And searching for a view of snowy

Central Park below.

What a wonderful mini-vacation with my best friend.

And back at the hospital by mid-afternoon!

The Silk Road at the American Museum of Natural History

I've been wanting to see the Silk Road exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History so I seized the opportunity to drive in Sunday morning. I found great parking on 78th Street a block from the museum. In fact I found parking so easily that I was at the museum 20 minutes before it opened at 10:00 a.m.

As the museum is across the street from Central Park I took a little walk through the park. On Sunday morning there are lots of runners, walkers and bicyclists - nothing like the number there would have been if the weather had been sunny and a bit warm. But I walked briskly, wishing I'd worn my long underwear (then I would have been overheated in the museum), and admired a cardinal, squirrels, runners and tourists. The water in the Lake was frozen, and I'm sure there were skaters on Wollman Rink, but I didn't walk that far.

Then back to the Museum for the Silk Road. I was surprised that there was an additional charge for the exhibit - guess I've gotten used to the Metropolitan with no extra charge. I though $24 was a bit steep, but hey I can afford that. Supposedly admission to the museum is pay what you will, but the cashier wasn't having any of that for the Silk Road.

The exhibit is well done - polished and slick and draws a good crowd of adults and kids to admire the lifesized camel models and silkworms (live), and artifacts. The layout follows a Silk Road journey from Xi'An in China to Baghdad with stops at Turfan and Samarkand. Each visitor gets a passport and all children and adults stamped them religiously at each city. It's an engaging exhibit. However the traffic flow suffers bottlenecks and backs up very easily. You can take the journey yourself on the American Museum of Natural History website without the crowd. Try it.

As a special event for the exhibit there was a concert of Japanese gagaku music at noon. Gagaku ("elegant music") was originally brought to Japan in the eighth century from the Tang Dynasty Court in China. It is the oldest traditional orchestral music with roots in the Silk Road period. I went for a while. It is paired with dance, but this performance was just music. Want to hear it? Check out this youtube clip.

I think it must be an acquired taste . Then out into the rain and back home.

Christmas 2009

Mitch and I had a lovely Christmas at Laina and Ish's with Nardi and Mary. Beautiful decorations, wonderful food, good company and lots of presents!

Thanksgiving at Camila and Paul's

Thanksgiving 2009 was a foodie extravaganza. We were invited with all the Chaparro/Cichellos to Camila & Paul's new house on the outskirts of Washington, DC. In case you hadn't noticed the Chaparros are entranced with food of all cultures, and lots of it. But then that's what a feast is about - too much food for anyone to eat.

Here we see Camila with her lovely 25 lb turkey. And, yes, it fit in the oven with plenty of room to spare

.

Thanksgiving morning Mitch and I found the ideal time to visit the Smithsonian museums as they are open every day except Christmas (aren't these employees unionized?). We Metro'd to the Museum of American Art for "1934: a New Deal for Artists" with paintings in a range of styles done by WPA artists. Small and very approachable, the exhibit provides a window into Depression times.

Then back to the C&C house for a mammoth Thanksgiving. The 25 pounds of turkey was overshadowed by mac and cheese, parsnips and pears, stuffing, vegetable/cheese bread pudding, green beans, artichoke cheese casserole, etc. etc . and then lots and lots of pies. All delicious and even after we all ate tons the leftovers overwhelmed the refrigerator and all available storage containers.

On Friday we sent an expedition force of 10 to the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, one of the (deservedly) most popular museums.

As if organizing our group wasn't bad enough, the museum was hosting a maise festival with lots of activities for kids so it was so busy that we couldn't have lunch at the cafeteria with its samplings of food from lots of Indian tribes. And we were so looking forward to that fry bread

But we did see a wonderful comtemporary art exhibit by Brian Jungen using modern day materials such as golf bags, and lawn chairs and baseballs to create art in a somewhat Indian tradition

That evening was Korean night for dinner with Juan and Mandy creating bi bim bop, a vegetable dish with rice and fried egg, with marinated short ribs on the side. Watch out for that red sauce...it's tasty but very hot.

Did you think we would have given up eating by Saturday???? No way. Mitch & I visited Aunt Harriet and Uncle Charlie and then the Kurlantzick tribe for Sabbath brisket before returning to the lively C&C homestead for ITALIAN night. In case you haven't figured it out from the name Cichello, Paul is Italian...and can his family cook! Sister Mary and her husband and two kids with brother Michael as well as various other friends rounded out the usual guests. Sausage lasagna and two kinds of ravioli and sausage and pasta and salad and more pie...Stop, stop. Oh, forgot to mention all the wine...that and the great company kept us laughing and happy all evening.

Unfortunately real life entervened the following day and we had to drive back to NJ and real life. Needless to say we haven't had to eat since.

Greetings from Mother

Here is a pretty good picture of Mother, although I'm sure she'd disagree.

Southern California in November

Here I am in Fillmore for a laid-back week with Mother. The weather is beautiful, but then the East has had warm days as well.All right ....it's not London, but here are some photos for a flavor of another lifestyle
Not too much happens in Fillmore...

but you might catch a glimpse of a Peregine Falcon.

And there are still roses in bloom.....

And you might find a wonderful momento of your childhood in the neighbor's trash. ..an Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!! Good thing someone came by and retrieved it or I would have been tempted to take it home.

How much would Continental charge for the extra baggage?