New York City, July 6, 1995
The day after we arrived in Morristown, we went into New York City. Friends of Lynne's from Brown University live in Dumont, NJ, just across the George Washington Bridge from Manhatten. We had called ahead and arranged to spend the day in "The City" with them. They gracefully offered to pick us up in Morristown (out of their way) and drive into New York and we immediately accepted their offer.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the east side of Central Park, is always a favorite. We were there an hour and a half; we could have spent weeks and not seen all there was to see. The highlight for us was the Annenberg Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces, through November 26. It is an annual event, this year with 53 paintings in four rooms.
Dick stood about one foot from Rembrant in this self-portrait from the museum's permanent collection. The image is compelling. This is why we go to museums - the electronic media cannot convey the experience of being with the masterpiece, the effect of light, lighting, the subtle textures of the paint, and mastery of the artist's brush.
The museum's policy on photography is "Still photography for personal, non-commercial use only without flash and without tripod is permitted in the permanent collections." Under those conditions, it is surprising this photo came out at all. The postcards in the museum shop are much better images; I'd show you one of this painting, but it is copyrighted.
We walked about four blocks from the Metropolitan to Le Refuge, which Dick's mother recommended from a previous visit to NYC. We had a pleasant lunch at a table near the front window.
On the way out we picked up complementary menus advertising their Bastille Day dinner. Including half a bottle of champagne, Bastille Day dinner comes to $47.50.
We finished lunch just as we ran out of quarters for the parking meter. We then split forces - the women went (shudder) shopping, the men went (as you might expect) to see the dinosaurs.
The American Museum of Natural History is celebrating its 150th anniversary. The dinosaur exhibits had just been completely redone, including a remount of the Tyranosaurus with its tail off the ground, in a running pose.
Across from the American Museum of Natural History, in fact, all along the west border of Cental Park, and all over Manhatten, these signs warn motorists of street cleaning. Note the juxtaposition of the broom and international no-parking symbol.
After the Museum and shopping, our group reunited, and we went to Lincoln Center to hang out for an hour or so before dinner. Midsummer Night Swing was in full force. From July 21 to July 22, Wednesday thru Saturday, 8:15 - 11:00 PM, there is dancing at the Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza. We saw and heard the dance lessons, 6:30 - 7:30 PM Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Even with the expanded dance floor, it was pretty crowded. We wandered around, looking at the sights. Dick enjoyed the banners announcing the upcoming cultural events of the summer season. Folks wandered around the plaza, and most looked to be in a light-hearted, summer evening, festive mood.
After retreiving our car, we went on to Becco, at 355 West 46 St, in the theater district, on a street crowded with restaurants. Becco specializes in pasta, and we had the three-pasta special. A man at a table near ours burst into music with his drum twice while we were there; the other eight people at his table, as well as the rest of the restaurant, enjoyed the interlude.
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