Barely Sleeping in NYC

Street outside our hotel

There is so much that I will miss about New York City. I love the ability to get most places just by walking and the subway. I will miss the beautiful smell of the Plaza lobby - this light floral scent that is so fresh and unidentifiable - the coolness and aroma  that hit you as you come in from the hot humid streets. The beautiful mosaic floors everywhere. And the feeling of familiarity. It is a bit of a paradox, coming from such an unpopulated country, but NYC feels like Canada. My friend Rick who spends much time here, articulated it well: for Canadians  NYC feels like home. I was confused because I thought that it was just the homogenization of cultures that is occurring because of media and technology; but Rick is right - of all the american cities I've been to, this is closest to a Canadian feel, even Spokane feels more different.

Me at the Frick

My friend Valeria works at the Frick, an old mansion just off 5th avenue that houses a beautiful art collection. Mr. Frick a rich industrialist, had the mansion built with the idea that post-humous, it would be an art museum, show casing his collection. Valeria hosted Kyr and I on a tour of the amazing mansion and gave us many delightful inside stories of the art and the building. It was very interesting and manageable - meaning I didn't feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of the exhibits. "Flaming June" is currently on loan there. She is quite beautiful. I fell in love with a statue of Diana the huntress and thought of my niece Pip and her love of archery. Kyr and I also aspired to turning parts of our back yard into a pebble scape- where we will take small rocks and cement them into a mosaic; the Frick's perimeter is surrounded by such a marvel. Kyr and I also discovered that we were quite entranced by 2 of Whistler's portraits. They were very dream-like.

Awaiting the Blue Men Show

Blue Men show

The show, a gift from my friend Leo, was very entertaining. Kyr and I were initially quite nervous because several rows of people were shrouded in clear plastic ponchos - doesn't give quite the comforting feeling. Despite being in the Mezzanine - at one point one of the Blue Men clamoured up the balcony and walked through the audience balancing delicately on the hand rests. 

Fountain outside our hotel

We walked down Madison Avenue on our way to the Met. Both Kyr and I sang happily "Right before Your Eyes". In fact the song accompanied us even through our tour of the Met. Luckily Melissa had given us advice on how to approach the overwhelming choices. On her advice we started with the American wing. The room arrangements were exceptionally lovely and interesting. After foritfying ourselves with a drink in the 2nd floor lounge we then diverged - Kyr took in the Asian exhibit while I lingered in the early 20th cent European art. Sadly my camera battery died just as I was happily finding new artists that I adored. Kyr came to the rescue.

We capped off the visit with an evening cocktail at the roof top bar. - Us and a huge portion of New York  - though barely any english was heard.

Kyr at the Met

Ancient girl in modern pose

Kyr's photo from the Roof top bar at the Met

Kyr living it up at the Met roof top Martini bar

 We met my friend Leo at Westbank Cafe on  49th for more festivities that morphed into walking through Times Square in the wee hours. I couldn't believe how like daylight it was. I said to Leo that it is like being up north in the land of the midnight sun - you have so much energy. He loved that. Since we had forgotten to eat supper we ended up eating at McDonalds at 3AM - quite the experience - very lively with young people parading around carefully pulling down their pants to expose just the right amount of underwear. Because apparently McD's is a place to see and be seen. Who knew?
We hot footed it all the way back to the Plaza - still engaged in fierce political debates with Leo, and collectively trying to help ameliorate the impending doom feeling - that somehow all societies are careening wildly to demise.

Frolic in Times Square

Midday light at 3 AM in Time Square

Crowds at 3AM

Back at the Plaza

We said a tearful farewell to our dear friend Leo at the doors to the Plaza. Happy to retire briefly before our morning attempt to cram in the Chelsea flea markets before our flight. I found it interesting that even 5 floors up you can hear the hum of the subway below - like a distant thunder. Eventually I found it comforting.

Opulence at the Plaza

The Weariness of exploring NYC

Plaza elevator

Post Chelsea Flea Market

I will miss my morning jaunt to Starbucks for morning teas, becoming quite a forceful pedestrian and even crossing against the light like native New Yorkers ( though admittedly only after stopping and checking a million times), and then getting back to the hotel room and trying desperately to motivate Kyr to get going....we must begin our day!