Two Tales of A City

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....
First line of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities

On Friday and Saturday, I went into New York City for various reasons and had bi-polar experiences. I must admit that since returning to NJ I've had little motivation to go into the city much. Getting there and back can be an ordeal. But on Friday, I took a workshop on Literary Archives given by SAA at the New York Public Library. I loved the workshop and the people I met and it confirmed that "yes, this is what I want to do with my life!" And of course the library building is wonderful -- I spent some time in the reading room on my lunch hour. To top it off, it's in my old neighborhood -- I worked within a few blocks of here for over 24 years. It was nice to see the renovated Bryant Park (behind the Library) being put to social use with ice skating and merchant booths.

But while commuting into the city that morning was not pleasant, commuting out during the evening rush hour was just a nightmare. Navigating through all the people, the crowded bus inching its way through the traffic -- it was nearly overwhelming. It took a lot of effort to keep my cool -- lots of mental imaging and breathing and talking to myself (not out loud, tho!). I used to be the consummate New Yorker, but there is no way I could do that on a day to day basis again -- nor would I want to! So that was, obviously, the "worst of times." It sounds trivial when I write about it, but truly it was pretty traumatizing at the time.

Then I went back again on Saturday to join some friends for the museum and dinner and a jazz concert. And it was one of those experiences that shows the city at its very best. First we went to see the "Americans in Paris, 1860-1900" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum. I walked the last twenty-five blocks to the museum (along Fifth Avenue which borders Central Park), and even with the dull overcast weather, the city is just so interesting: the architecture, the book stalls, the sculpture! I want to go back and rediscover it and get some pictures. The exhibit was wonderful. There must have been 10 rooms full of artworks by Sargent, Cassatt, Hassam, and numerous others. All benefits of digitization aside, there really is nothing like seeing original artwork in person.

We went to dinner at one of those typically New York Italian places with lousy acoustics and wonderful food at a moderate price. Calamari and baked branzino (sea bass) for me. This was followed by a splendid Jazz at Lincoln Center concert in their innovative new space, The Rose Theater in the new Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle (more pictures). Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and he himself is a phenomenal musician. For this particular concert, the jazz band collaborated with The American Composers Orchestra and presented an evening of Gershwin and other American composers. Patti Austin was a featured singer for three of the pieces. As if that wasn't enough, we were treated to the premiere of a wonderful new composition by Derek Bermel. And the piano player for the "Rhapsody in Blue" performance was out of this world.

It was a totally WOW day and I realized how much I had missed New York culture while I was in Honolulu. So where does that leave me? For sure, I don't want to work in NYC anymore, butI also need to be near enough to enjoy the richness of its cultural offerings!