Gallivanting Grandma

February 2, 2013

Gotham Shrugged was a comment in a film I saw this week about the history of New York City. The words were an expression of the city’s response to hardships and difficult times. When I heard the words, I imagined a huge collective sigh of, “Whatever….” It was an image of stoic New Yorkers who had been there, saw it all and were moving on without concern. I have been thinking about the idea of a city-wide shrug.

Wheel of Chance

To shrug, according to the dictionary, is the act of contracting one’s shoulders to express aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty. Aloofness? Yes, I think the city exudes an air of “aloofness”. The general mood in New York City and other big cities is one of spatial boundaries and distance, with a minimum of eye-contact. People who live in large cities appear aloof. Uncertainty? I think not. There is no uncertainty or lack of confidence in the New York psyche. Potential vulnerability, perhaps. Uncertainty, definitely not. What about indifference? Here is the grand, who cares? Not my problem.

Immigration Art Installation

I was born in Manhattan just after WWII and grew up during a time of incomparable construction. I witnessed tremendous changes in the city. During my youth, New York City was a collection of ethnic neighborhoods. Many people were recent immigrants or children of immigrants who worked for the common goal of a better life. New York was safe for a child to walk the streets, ride the buses, or take a subway to an outer borough. It seemed there was little crime or we simply did not hear about it.

Historical Markers

The film I saw was an historical overview of the city presented by the recently renovated New York Historical Society. It was an interesting film and the idea of a shrugging city stayed with me as I toured the NYHS. Just off the elevator there was a display of artifacts from the first synagogue in North America founded in 1654 in lower Manhattan. The congregation “set the stage for religious and ethnic diversity in the United States,” according to the printed information. Further along, I was captivated by a charming exhibit of model toys and trains made in Marklin, Germany from the 1850s.

Keith Haring Ceiling

The Historical Society has greatly expanded their exhibition space and opened the building to display many more items from their huge collections. There were exhibits which ranged from landscape paintings of the Hudson River School to the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.  There were of photographs of NYC landmark buildings, Audubon’s watercolors of American birds, World War II artifacts, Keith Haring’s amazing illustrations, and an interactive children’s history center.  Exhibits covered NYC history through mass immigration, prejudice, wars, riots, depression, attacks, continual growth and change.  

Sign in a Subway Car

After a few hours, I left the Historical Society and walked out into a light drizzle and a darkening sky. People walked quickly along the sidewalks. The lights of the city were burning brightly. Gotham Shrugged? I thought.  During its 400 year old history, Gotham might have shrugged. However, after seeing the exhibitions, the shrug was not with indifference, or uncertainty, or arrogance.  New York City shrugs with an air of  “OK, we can do this. Let’s all pull together.  We will endure.”  

Saturday – January 19, 2013

The City starts slower on Saturday mornings. Fewer people are out. No one is rushing to get anywhere. The weather forecasters predicted a mild day so I had arranged to visit my son who lives in midtown Manhattan. CeeGee is working on a photography project so he wanted to visit several sites in New York to take photos. I’m always game to tag along on his obscure photographic adventures.

Spring in New York

The smell of curry filled the air when I climbed out of the subway station on East 28^th Street. The neighborhood is now known as “Little India.” Off duty taxi cabs were parked along Lexington Avenue where Indian restaurants line both sides of the street.

New Exhibit at The New Museum

We strolled down the center of the new pedestrian walkway on 25^th Street. CeeGee commented that the NYC commissioner of roads hates cars and has created many areas closed to vehicular traffic. “I love it!” he commented. “There are more bike lanes and pedestrian-only spaces in the city.”

Ceci Cela

We continued east on 25^th Street almost to the river. Several hospitals in the area are still closed after they were flooded during Hurricane Sandy. CeeGee snapped his photos and we walked back to take a 2^nd Avenue bus downtown.

Spectators

We got off the bus in the Lower East Side. This area has weathered many changes over the years and is currently becoming gentrified with new apartment buildings, brownstone renovations, and boutique hotels. As we passed one the these new hotels, we asked, “Who would have stayed at a hotel on Orchard Street just ten years ago?”

Marble Bag

CeeGee’s photographic destination was the Bowery Mission, which happens to be right next door to his favorite musuem: The New Museum. We ran into the museum for a quick peek at the work of the contemporary artist, Rosemarie Trockel. Three floors of the artist’s works demonstrated a wide variety of materials and phases of her expressive life.

Marble Styrofoam

CeeGee continued to take pictures of buildings and places we passed. We had a nice lunch in Ceci Cela, the French Patisserie on Spring Street. This tiny bakery has been praised for many years as having the best croissants in the entire city.

Retro Statue

Well fortified, we continued to Houston Street. We had to make a stop at Russ & Daughters to pick up a few delicacies, like white-fish salad, nova lox, and cream herring. Then we continued to our favorite Il Laboratorio del Gelato, for a refreshing taste of the best gelato in NYC.  

Live Your Dream

I love “The City”.  So much to do.  So much to see.  So much to photograph. So much to love!

Sunday – January 13, 2013

We enjoy hopping into the car early on Sunday mornings to drive to the Metropolitan Museum of Art before the tourists arrive later in the day.  It’s a short pleasant ride into the city without much traffic.

Egyptian Obelisk in the Park

There were several exhibits we wanted to see this winter before they ended. Check the Museum’s website for additional information. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted in the temporary exhibit rooms, so my photos were taken in the main galleries of the imposing building.

The New Roman Wing

We first went to the exhibit entitled, Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop. Here on display were photographs taken and manipulated in dark rooms by dozens of very patient and talented photographers during the last century. It was a fun exhibit and we chuckled at the photos. The exhibit across the hall entitled, After Photoshop: Manipulated Photography in the Digital Age was less than thrilling for me.

Between the Wings

The Henri Matisse exhibit was well advertised and called “the blockbuster of the season”. I had read that it included only 48 of the French artist’s works and was curated to show Matisse’s range of experimentation and creativity. I love the bright colors and vivid patterns in the paintings. I enjoy revisiting Matisse’s works because they are always fresh and surprising.

The Charles Engelhard Court

Then we found the Sau-Wing Lam Collection of Rare Italian Stringed Instruments exhibit. It’s always exciting to see rare and beautiful instruments and marvel at the craftsmanship of the pieces. They are incredible works of art. It would be nice to hear the instruments played as well.

Arms and Armor

The eye-opening exhibit for us was the Extravagant Inventions: Princely Furniture of the Roentgens. We had never heard of Abraham Roentgen and his son David who, we learned, were Europe’s premier cabinetmakers from 1742 to the early 1800s. Their clients included Marie Antoinette and the kings of France, Catherine the Great of Russia, and other royals and wealthy people in Europe at the time. The pieces of unbelievably gorgeous furniture were accompanied by videos which demonstrated how the pieces unfolded with panels, secret drawers, ledges, and drawers. Each piece of furniture was a complicated mechanical device with internal moving parts. Most of the furniture were from private collections or European museums and never before seen in the U.S. I highly recommend viewing any piece of Roentgen furniture any where possible.

Plaster Cast of Canova’s Cupid & Psyche

The Metropolitan Museum of Art continues to improve their website to include detailed descriptions and photographs of their collections and their special exhibitions.  It is a wonderful place to spend a few hours on a Sunday morning without the crowds.