Lost in the MET Again

Just in case you take my warnings about getting lost in the MET lightly, on a recent visit, I found myself trapped between what appeared to be a crawl space. I turned down a stairway and found myself surrounded by two brick interior walls, like you find in a crawl space in old buildings. Oh, well, they had art on these brick walls and I eventually found my way back in the main hall. The question is, could I ever find those brick walls or stairs again? Or was I actually in a forbidden space filled with dark secrets of stolen art and haunted artists. Sounds like a good plot for a movie.

Carnegie Hall and Reading Room

There are certain places in New York City which have been so celebrated on stage, screen (both large and small) and in print that they become part of your history and it is those places which cause you to gasp when you see them. Carnegie Hall is one such place. How many concerts did I watch on PBS or sometimes on Network TV, Live from Carnegie Hall. It is one of the places I wanted to visit in New York, so at Christmas, when it became the venue for HANDEL'S MESSAIH, I talked Christopher into going with me. We, of course, got cheap seats, and though it made no difference in the acoustics, it made considerable difference in comfort. Not in the seats, they were cozy, but in the height of the ceiling. There were places Christopher could not stand without bumping his head. Regardless, Carnegie Hall is gorgeous. The elegance of the surrounding house is worth the trip, as is the history of artists who have made it to the height of entertainment and "played Carnegie Hall."

I was a little disappointed that people do not dress for Carnegie Hall, just as they do not dress for the theater. I long for the days featured in the old movies when everyone was decked out, as much a part of the show as the performers. Oh you do see glitter, jewels and mink. But you see more khaki and denim. Never the less, I dressed. Chris didn't but it did not matter, we both fit in perfectly.

Music, in order to be enjoyed by the laity, must be familiar. I am certainly familiar with Handel's Messiah. Since childhood I heard that famous piece and know the story of why everyone stands during the "Alleluia Chorus." I am as familiar with that chorus as with my name and anticipated no problem with Christopher or I being engaged with the music. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with all of Handel's Messiah. Neither was Christopher. The one I dragged to the concert with me. The 'Alleluia Chorus' comes about half way through the performance leaving a lot of music left for listening and it got a little tedious. But, never fear. Christopher is never bored. There, in his trusty backpack, were his most current book selections. There was just enough light (being at the top level the house lights were right behind us), to read. Luckily, we were so high in the auditorium few could see what he was doing.

Apparently, Christopher and I, were not the only ones not familiar with the last movement of Handel's Messiah. Following the stirring "Alleluia Chorus," many patrons began to exit the hall. This really angered the ushers. I needed to "powder my nose" at this time. On my way back, the usher accosted me and rudely informed me that the performance was not over. In my most officious teacher voice, I told him that I knew that and I was returning to my seat. Once there, I took out my read, a mystery, which I carry everywhere with me, and joined Christopher in reading to the accompaniment of the final notes of Handel's masterpiece.

An Odorous Broadway Play

Chris, my son, and I planned to attend a Broadway Play. Earlier in the day, we visited Greenwich Village and Murray's Cheese Shop on Bleeker Street. Murray's is the place to find the best cheese in New York. It is also one of the places I have seen a famous person. This famous person is an actor who was on the COSBY SHOW and was in the movie, THE PRINCESS BRIDE. Chris got all excited and tried to remember a line from the movie, THE PRINCESS BRIDE to repeat to this guy. He even tried to call his brother Doug, who remembers every line from every movie. I swear, Doug and Chris have entire conversations made up only of lines from movies. Anyway, Doug was not available and it was just as well since the poor actor probably just wanted to get home with his cheese, without somebody noticing him. It is without a doubt the world's best cheese shop. Chris and I bought some treats for after the theater including a bleu cheese for me, a Camembert for Chris and a brie to share. We also bought a small baguette from Amy's Bread, a bakery down the street also on Bleeker. Anyway, after that we went to the theater. This play was a dark comedy, set in Ireland. We had really inexpensive seats and believe me there is no reason to get any other kind in a Broadway Theater because all of the theaters are small and the acoustics are wonderful. You might pay $75 more to get closer to the actors and you might see them better, but you will not hear any better. Any way, in this play, the characters spoke with heavy Irish brogues. It took a while to get used to listening to the brogue so that you could understand what the actors were saying but you could eventually understand them. There was a lot of drinking going on in this play, after all it was about the Irish and it was very entertaining. There were people sitting on either side of us and those on one side were Russian. Now, I have to tell you about Christopher. Ever since he reached adolescence, he has had a problem with foot odor. I believe he has a handle on washing his feet, but sometimes his shoes smell. On this particular occasion I determined that Chris's shoes were smelling. I didn't say anything, not wanting to distract him from enjoying himself at the Broadway play. Chris is an English major and Dramatic Productions are the height of entertainment for him.

At intermission we took our separate breaks and returned to the theater to find ourselves sitting alone. The Russians had left. Chris said, that he could understand the Russian people leaving since they probably could not understand the Irish brogue. It was a little strange though when the couple sitting next to me never returned from intermission either. Before the play began Chris asked, "Mom, do you smell something?" I said that I did and that I thought it was his feet. I smelled his shoes but they smelled fine. We then commenced to smell our clothes and could not find anything smelly on either of our persons. Christopher carries around a backpack which is good for storing everything including the books he travels with so that he is never bored, always having something to read. When we were sniffing each other in search of the bad smell, Chris noticed that the smell was actually coming from the backpack. We opened it up and low and behold, realized the source of the smell was non other than the Camembert. At the same time, we realized that the reason our neighbors had left was the odor coming from Christopher's backpack. How can something that tastes so heavenly smell so rank? When it costs $20 per pound. Well, since we knew that neither of us was the source of the odor, we went back to enjoying a fine Irish Tale, with plenty of room to spread out. And when we got home, we feasted on that delicious stinky cheese.

Big Broadway Musical Productions are outrageously expensive. But great theater can be had for under $50. Even better bargains are available for Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway. By the way, whether or not a theater is Off Broadway or Off Off Broadway has nothing to do with where it is located but rather the number of seats in the theater. The larger theaters are considered Broadway.

During the summer there are great theater productions all over the city for free. Hey, its New York

Let's Take a break

With 8 million people visiting the Big Apple you might ask yourself, "Where do all those people go to attend to personal needs (use the restroom)?" Well, most public places in New York will tell you , "NOT HERE." This presents a problem to women of a certain age and I suppose men of a certain age as well. Here are some tips about places which will allow you use of their facilities. Any fast food restaurant such as McDonald's will be glad for you to use the facilities so long as you buy a drink or something small. Subways is the exception since they do not have public restrooms. Starbucks will share its facilities though you should expect a line. So will the large bookstores, Borders and Barnes and Noble. Hotels usually welcome guests though I have found one hotel near Times Square which requires a room key to use the restroom in the lobby. Woe be unto you should you take a long trip and then try to use the restroom before you check in.

If you think about it, you really can 't blame the public places for not sharing restrooms. How would you like to clean the toilet after 8 million people?

Other parks

There are several other parks which I enjoy. One is Prospect Park in Brooklyn, It is next to Park Slope, one of Brooklyn's elite neighborhoods. It is near an arch dedicated to Civil War Soldiers. The interesting thing is that it is dedicated to Yankee soldiers. Imagine that.

Another favorite park is called the River Park located along the West Coast of Manhattan, accessible from 59th street, around Lincoln Center. This is a favorite of mine. Willow trees abound here along with tall ornamental grasses. The view of the Hudson River soothes the soul. The ruins of a once busy railroad track and bridge remain in the river as a reminder of times past. Along a wooden deck visitors can take free yoga lessons and in the summer, free classic movies are presented at the end of the pier.

New Yorkers will turn anything into a park as evidenced by High Line Park. A freight train, which ran about 20 feet above street level, operated in the mid 20th Century. The abandoned track is now a park, with grass, trees, walkways and benches. It is very interesting to walk along this park with the city traffic drumming and honking underneath. The High Line Park is accessible from 14th and 20th street around 12th Avenue.

A Cemetary that was Once a Park

Greenwood Cemetery is located in Brooklyn and is one of the oldest in the country. I include it here because, it was the inspiration for the public parks. During the 19th Century, New Yorkers would hang out at the Cemetery on Sundays to take advantage of the trees and grass. Because so many were doing this, it was decided to provide open spaces without the graveyard.

Greenwood Cemetery is historic and also provides an great view of the Manhattan Skyline. I have not spent much time there but have been told it is the home of parrots.

What is it with New York Parks and Cemetaries

Bryant Park is next to the New York City Public Library, at 42nd and 6th Avenue. It is beautifully landscaped and probably haunted as it was once a cemetery. As with Washington Square Park, the graves were not moved when the land was transformed into a park. I believe that they were moved when the library, which could not expand beyond Fifth Avenue, expanded under Bryant Park.

The Park is the site of various entertainment venues, including the Summer Broadway Series. On Thursday's at noon, casts from several Broadway Shows perform musical numbers from the shows. This event is free of charge.