Hello readers - I hate to tell you this but today was our last day together in the Big Apple. Don't worry, I took care of things and stayed plenty busy wishing the entire time that I had another week to take it all in. I'm not sure if I really went too much into detail about this - but I used to live here. I used to walk up and down Broadway on a near daily basis, scowling at the tourists, screaming at rogue taxi drivers and generally just assimilating into a very bah-humbug lifestyle. Now, I'm not sure if it's the 6 years that have passed or if the city has changed, but now when I return there is most certainly a change in the wind. Sure, the woman behind the counter will still say "thank you for coming... have a nice day" and sound more annoyed that genuine but whatever - that's New York. That is going to happen. But, smile once in a while here and you might be surprised at how frequently someone smiles back. Of course there's an increased likelihood that the party smiling back is teetering on mentally insane - but hey... a smile is a smile is a smile. Take it and enjoy life.
Today I woke up and began my day around noon. While I'd been to several galleries all over Manhattan the last few days, Friday's time was allotted more for food - a general necessity if I wanted to keep the order in my home and workplace upon my return. But before I got to the shopping, I wanted to meet up with weekend New Yorker, Ben Freeman. Ben, as you might remember if you came to our show on the 18th of September, is an artist that we've represented for over two years now and who just finished several new pieces now on our walls in Carmel. During the week Ben lives and works in Boston - but people being people and rituals of life being as they are - Ben has been weekending in New York for decades now and honestly, who can blame him? A quick trip on a train and you're in the city that never sleeps with enough inspiration to last an artist a lifetime... or two. Aside from our love of the island, Ben and I share a similar palette when it comes to food. Both pescetrians and both lovers of all things Parisian, we tend to find ourselves meeting up at a wonderful French restaurant called Pastis. Located in the meat packing district with a charming french motif, the food and wine and general buzz of people talking lends itself to a great meal - and a great meal was had by us both. His fish was Cod... mine was something else that I cannot remember - but both were amazing and accompanied some great discussion about his plans for the future - his work as an artist and the direction that life seems to be taking for both of us. Often times we offer lectures in our gallery and let me tell you this - if you have a chance to sit down and talk with the artists - to learn about them or to listen to how they've come so far in their life - it really does make their work that much better. To hear Ben talk about his experiences in the world of fine art help to magnify this general understanding of technique and even, yes... politics in his work. Maybe that's why I love his collections so much - because I know him and I see a piece of him in the work at hand. If you have a chance to meet with any of our artists I would suggest that you do so. Art speaks much louder when it has a sense of humanity behind it.
After lunch with Ben I raced to the North West side for some shopping. And here's where I have to apologize to the readers - if I could I would bring you all something but as you might understand... that's not possible. However, I am under orders to bring back bagels, Herring, bread, pizza, etc. to those I am close to on a daily basis. So... up to 106th I went (or so) to a place whose name I still don't know - but who has the best bagels I've ever tasted. H&H??? No. You don't hold a candle to this place and I'm tired of people claiming that you do - marketing and branding in this city only gets you so far... you have to back it up and I'm sorry,... H&H doesn't back up anything anymore. So, I found myself at a small no-name bagel place run by men and women who spoke enough English to take orders and left with 48 bagels in two very large blue bags. Thus began the acquisition of New York cuisine. Bagels, check. Herring in creme sauce, check. Hummus and Tahini from "The Hummus Place", check. Armenian string cheese, check. Lox spread, check. $4 chocolate chip cookie from Food Channel favorites, check. Tomorrow - 5 pizzas from Big Nicks and maybe... maybe... some garlic knots.... we'll see. But regardless - that should do it... well, until I get to Pennslyvania where I get a few cases of Yuengling...... oh Lord... I have turned into my mother. Such is life. Food wins... food wins.
Well, speaking of food - dinner is here .... Sushi delivered to the apartment. I'm going to miss New York City but for those of my readers who might see me at the gym - I'll be there quite a bit in the next few weeks... working off this "work week" on the treadmill.
Have a great night.
- Katherine
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