How Monet’s Garden Grows (in the Bronx)

Last weekend’s NYC weather was glorious and we celebrated by heading up to the Bronx for opening day of The New York Botanical Garden’s “Monet’s Garden” exhibit. Faithful readers will recall that we visited the Garden a few years back for their floral homage to Emily Dickinson.  The Monet exhibit is less ambitious and is mostly confined to the conservatory, but still worth the trip.

We arrived late in the morning and we were pleasantly surprised to see that there were no lines at the entry. After a quick lunch at the cafe, we proceeded to the Seasonal Walk, which is embroidered with blooms chosen by High Line genius Piet Oudolf and Jacqueline van der Kloet.

A Japanese Maple anchors a profusion of poppies along the Seasonal Walk

I love these but cannot remember what they’re called…

The CE outside the conservatory; Monet awaits inside

The conservatory is the Garden’s stunning centerpiece and was saved from demolition by Enid A. Haupt, a sister of Walter Annenberg. Called “the greatest patron American horticulture has ever known” by the Garden’s president. Haupt, who died in 2005 at the age of 99 (proof that gardening is good for the soul!) is a reminder of why it’s handy to keep the 1% around – it must cost buckets of money to keep that enormous Victorian greenhouse going.

Enid Haupt enjoying the conservatory in 1992 (NYT photo)

I remember being dragged to flower shows as a child and loathing every interminable minute of the adults ooh-ing and ah-ing over this bloom and that, but having long since passed through the looking glass to oldster-land, touring the exhibit inside the conservatory was a delight.

Digitalis and Delphinium abound

Achillea makes a bold statement

I fell in love with all the poppies on display. Do they grow in Southern California?

We were at Giverny last fall and saw sunflowers instead of spring blooms, but even so, this exhibit was more a nod in Monet’s direction than a deja vu. You have to give them an E for Effort, however: they added the obligatory water lilies and koi to the Conservatory pond.

Claude would approve

And, of course, la plus chose importante - the Japanese Bridge:

The exhibit will continue until October 21. A note of caution: if you go, know that you will have to arrange your return transportation in advance. For reasons that remain mysterious to us (and which we had plenty of time to ponder during our hour-and-a-half wait for a car to pick us up), taxis are no longer available at the Garden exit…and it’s a looonnnggg walk back to Manhattan from the Bronx!

Columbia U. Graduation, Part One: Class Day

Milestone. Transition. Endings. Beginnings.

And lots of tears! I think they were all mine.

I foolishly told someone a few weeks ago that I didn’t think graduations were such a big deal. I was temporarily insane.

Because when your baby graduates from college, it’s a Big Deal. For him and for us.

Daniel arrived on the scene almost twenty-two years ago and has delighted and astounded us from the beginning. Big brown eyes, blonde curls and those trademark eyelashes that he and his brother share. Our Sweet Bookie was the family caboose; the candle on the cake. You never quite expect the baby of the family to grow up, I guess, but as of this week he is a graduate of Columbia University and heading out into the world.

Well, for the moment, at least, heading from Broadway and 114th to Columbus Circle, where he will hold court for a few weeks before a trip to Europe with friends Christian and Peter. In August, he will start working for an ad agency in the city where he interned during his senior year.

Hail, Columbia grad!

The tears started as soon as I saw him in his cap and gown at Class Day on Tuesday morning. I’m not normally a big crier, but as he strode toward us, two decades of memories rushed forth and the waterworks came on in a big way. I remembered Daniel as a baby, so yummy you just wanted to eat him up. Daniel as a toddler, alternately clinging to my skirt and chasing after his big brother. Daniel, the student, always willing himself to do his best yet always modest about his accomplishments. Daniel the soccer player, gymnast, swimmer; surrounded at every turn by friends and more friends. Daniel the pianist, practicing for hours, weeks and months to perfect a Beethoven concerto. And now, Daniel the graduate, who quietly shared that oh, by the way,  he earned straight A’s last semester and an A on his senior thesis.

Can this be the same little guy who said psoon for spoon and psider for spider? The same one who regaled family and friends with jokes like this one: Q: “Why did the cat climb the tree?” A: “Because he felt climb-y”. (You notice he hasn’t chosen a career in stand-up comedy…)

Daniel’s happy to be done with school; the CE is happy to be done with tuition!

Between my tears and the pouring rain, Tuesday’s Class Day was a soggy one. Luckily, we were mostly under tents: the graduates in one in front of the stage and the families relegated to the side tents where they watched the ceremony on screens. You’re there but you aren’t there, yet I did manage to get this digital record of Daniel getting his graduation handshake:

It’s official!

All 1,024 graduates’ names were called, all the speakers had their say, and everyone was completely soaked by the time we had wandered  in the rain to find our students. No one cared. These kids all worked incredibly hard to earn a place at Columbia and then they worked incredibly hard for the next four years for the privilege of wearing the blue caps and gowns with the crown insignia recalling Columbia’s origins as Kings College, founded in 1754.

Wet but worth it!

Devastatingly dynamic duo: Daniel and his roommate, Jeff

BFFS: Liza, Jake, Jeff and Daniel

We’re so proud of Daniel!

At Columbia U., one day of tears is not enough Next up: Commencement Day…

No more homework – ever!

May in NYC: In and around the Park

When we were last here in March, the trees were still bare.  But when we awoke and opened the drapes our first morning here this trip,  we were greeted by the lush, green canopy that is the spring/summer fashion in Central Park.

We were also greeted by the progress on the building across the way that towers over Central Park South. Well on its way toward its ultimate (and somewhat controversial) ninety stories of luxury residential space, One57  currently sticks out like a sore red thumb. Just in case you’re interested, word is that the One57 penthouse is available for a mere $110 million! (UPDATE: as this post went to press, the penthouse had apparently sold to a mystery buyer who paid somewhere between $90 -$100 million to live on the building’s 89th and 90th floor. I wonder if we could stop by to borrow a cup of sugar…)

One57 rises over leafy Central Park

We had some big fun in the Park on our first day in town when we walked over to watch grandson Thomas play baseball with his team, “The Slams”. Thomas is not quite seven, but it’s probably not too soon for the Yankees to start scouting him.

Take note, Mr. Girardi!

Look at that form!

Bumpkins that we are, we marveled at the luck of these kids who get to learn the game at the Central Park ball fields. No wonder Thomas says baseball is his favorite sport – if he keeps making those runs, maybe he can buy that penthouse at One57!

Jamesy in the ball field bleachers: already a ladies’ man at age four.

Celebrating the big win with a big bowl of vanilla ice cream.

A few days later, we celebrated Mothers Day with brunch at a restaurant overlooking the Park. It was a spectacularly beautiful day in NYC! We missed having Tina’s family and Taylor there to join us, but both sent gorgeous flowers – our apartment is like a garden this week!

Daniel and Mom

Brunch sculpture – not sure what they used for the fish – jicama maybe?

After brunch we took a walk in the Park – along with what appeared to be most everyone else in the city. New Yorkers know how to enjoy good weather!

Angie and her boys on Mothers Day

As always, loving our time in the city. Many thanks to Lori and family for holding down the fort back in CA!

The Hungry Games: Where to Eat in NYC, Columbus Circle/Lincoln Square edition

I’ve been cutting back the calories these past few weeks, which means I am constantly thinking about food. And as far as I can tell, NYC = food. You can’t go a hundred feet in that city without being tempted, and yes, I have been known to succumb to the cannoli at Central Park’s Merchant’s Gate kiosk; why do you think it’s all water and crackers this week?

One of the best on-the-street options in my neighborhood

Authentic? I dunno. But it's a great option if you haven't had breakfast or lunch!

With apologies to Adam Platt, I’ve come up with my own little amateur list of yays and nays in the nabe, and here it is in no particular order. Let the hungry games begin!

Landmarc at Time-Warner Center

10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor

(212) 823-6123

Landmarc at Time Warner Center (image from nyeater.com)

I begin here because here we begin every visit to the city. We have not arrived until we stow our bags at our apartment and walk over to Landmarc. Since our flight usually comes in around 8 or 9 pm, it can be late-ish by the time we are seated. No matter; Landmarc is always bustling and it’s a great fallback, default, when noplace-else-suits option for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Yays: steak frites and spaghetti carbonara. Nays: can be LOUD! Ambience: not really. The only restaurant I’ve been in that uses rebar as a design motif.  Does not take reservations except for larger parties. Standout: manages to have a bar scene and is kid-friendly. It’s worth borrowing a young’un just to get the free after-dinner cotton candy. Also: wine by the half-bottle or bottle only. Desserts are bite-sized, so you can indulge without (quite as much) guilt.

Nougatine at Jean-Georges

1 Central Park West (Trump International)

(212) 299-3900

This will all change soon from what we've heard. (image from the restaurantfairy.com)

Love, love, love Nougatine and not just for the proximity. Their three-course prix fixe lunch is now emulated all over the city. At $32 (the price recently went up a bit) it’s still a bargain. Service is usually excellent or beyond, although can sometimes be a bit slow.  We have not yet ventured into the adjacent fine-dining Jean-Georges, but if you want to go all white tablecloth it’s another option. Yays: views of the Park; the shrimp salad; molten chocolate cake. Nays: it can be hard to get a reservation. Ambience: casual chic. Minimalist decor and always a ginormous, breathtaking floral arrangement at the bar. Standout: their homemade sodas – I recommend the lemon ginger! Heads-up: a renovation has been announced at Nougatine, so there will be change. Oddly, I can’t get their web site to open on my computer, so can’t provide a link. For reservations, go to opentable.com or call – just be sure you tell them which side of the restaurant you’re reserving for.

 

Cafe Fiorello

1900 Broadway between 63rd and 64th

(212) 595-5330

Their antipasto and raw bar is pretty special. (image from insatiable-critic.com)

This was another go-to for us. Fun place to sit outside in warm weather if you don’t mind a bit of Broadway bus fumes with your meal. Inside, an energetic (read noisy) bustle of Lincoln Center concert-goers at dinner. I say “was”, because we noticed big changes at Fiorello’s this last trip. Their hang-over-the-plate pizzas have apparently gone through the dryer and shrunk, except for the price. Same with the Caesar salad, which used to be big enough to share.  Takes some of the fun out of the experience and, while it was never cheap, the ding to the wallet makes you think twice about going here, when there are so many other neighborhood options. Yays: lasagna like no place else; love their Sangria. Nays: halving the portions and doubling the prices has been noticed, you guys! Ambience: neighborhood casual, although there will be some theatre-going glam. Standout: the ultimate raw bar!  Heads-up: Unless they’ve shrunk this, too, they serve chocolate mousse that is brought to the table in a chilled champagne cooler, along with a giant side of whipped cream. You’ll want to share. Also: outside tables are very close together, which makes for great conversation with whomever sits next to you. Probably not a great place to argue or propose, though.

P. J. Clarke’s

44 W. 63rd (between Columbus Ave. and Broadway at Lincoln Center)

(212) 957-9700

PJ Clarke's at Lincoln Square (image from lifeasmrsh.com)

This is one link in a NYC/WDC/Las Vegas and Brazil (!) chain. Serviceable casual fare. Yays: Great for comfort food. Nays: Nice but not special. Ambience: neighborhood saloon-ish. Standouts: macaroni and cheese, yum! Also: cheerful vibe here. Could be anytown, USA. Good option for families.

Ed’s Chowder House

44 W. 63rd (between Columbus and Broadway)

(212) 956-1288

Just next door to P.J. Clarke’s in the Empire Hotel, we go here for the occasional Sunday night bowl of chowder. While you generally find the best of everything in NYC, our take is that the chowder is good, maybe very good, but not great. Still it’s a nice alternative when you’re Frenched and Italianed out. Yays: um, let me think. Nays: well, truthfully, it’s a bit meh by us. Neither the food nor the service are particularly inspired.  Ambience: casual, can be loud.

A little chowder with your cream?(image from newyork.cbslocal.com)

Boulud Sud

20 W. 64th Street between Broadway and Central Park West

212-595-1313

Clean lines and calm: the interior at Boulud Sud (image from urbanspoon.com)

A favorite new find! Daniel Boulud is Mr. Ubiquitous, with no fewer than five NYC restaurants. The only real misstep we’ve experienced is DB Bistro Moderne in the theatre district, which was more or less atrocious. But Boulud Sud more than makes up for that disappointment. The menu is billed as “vibrant Mediterranean” and it’s a fresh, spacious new option for Lincoln Center concert-goers.  Yays: I loved the hummus appetizer and the service was outstanding. Nays: you can get lost on your way to the subterranean restrooms, which are shared with the adjacent Bar Boulud. Ambience: streamlined chic.  Interesting: the dinner menu is arranged by provenance: de la Mer, du Jardin, de la Ferme. Also: Good option for a pre-theatre dinner date – the tables are spaced far enough apart that you can actually carry on a conversation.

Shun-Lee

43 W. 65th Street (between Broadway and Central Park West)

(212) 595-8895

Memorable interior! (image from nyjournal.squarespace.com)

I don’t know about you, but I’m always iffy about trying a new place for Chinese. Angie introduced us to Shun-Lee and it’s a great find. Very popular, very busy, very good. Yays: Clever zodiac light fixtures on the ceiling. Nays: only been there once and had a great experience. Ambience: casual, lots of families.

Picholine

35 West 64th Street (between Broadway and Central Park West)

(212) 724-8585

Applause for the interior at Picholine

Gentlemen, get out your wallets! This is, by my lights, a special-occasion restaurant. It is no-holds-barred French, so you will find menu items like Liquid Foie Gras and Sweetbreads Saltimbocca, so depending on how evolved your palate may be, you can go here or take the safe option of a burger at P.J. Clarke’s. We’ve only been to Picholine once, so I’m not really qualified to give you a review, but it may be your most elegant option close to Lincoln Center (aside from budget-busting Per Se) and you will definitely want to dress up a bit here.

There’s more, lots more, but I’m out of time and, truthfully, starving now. I’ll update this from time to time so check back if you’re looking for dining options in the Columbus Circle/Lincoln Square area.

NYC memory: David McCullough at the Met

We’re back in California, where I’ve spent the last few days sifting through memories of this latest sojourn to NYC. While each trip is a bit different, we’re settling, inch by inch, into patterns that define “living” there from being the greenest of tourists. One accomplishment this visit was discovering our “express route” through the park – a few blocks up CPW to 67th and it’s almost a straight-through to 72nd Street on the East side. Then it’s just another ten blocks up Fifth Avenue on the East side and you’re at that wonder of wonders, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Met

Since we visit the Met at least once or twice per trip, we decided to join the museum, which allows us to skip the ticket line and also makes us privy to announcements of upcoming events. And that is how I heard that David McCullough would be speaking there about some of the “American masters” he included in his recent book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.

(image from bloomberg.com)

I called to make reservations for the lecture as soon as I received the notice and the event was already almost sold out. And no wonder; in addition to being one of our country’s foremost chroniclers of history, McCullough is a most dignified and genial fellow and an impressive speaker. And a sweetheart, to boot – he began his speech with a loving introduction of his wife, who was in the audience. He called her his “North Star”. How dear is that?

David McCullough (image from achievement.org)

In addition to writing, McCullough paints, and this most recent book is a love letter to some of the 19th century American artists who went to Paris to further their careers. He spoke of Samuel F.B. Morse, who spent decades as a painter before he invented the telegraph, and he discussed expatriate painters John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt, as well as the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Before reading the book and hearing the lecture, I’d heard of these people and seen some of their work, but McCullough has the gift of making them come alive. So much so that I was inspired to walk endless blocks in the wind and cold one day to see Saint-Gauden’s statue of Admiral Farragut at Madison Square Park.

The statue of Admiral Farragut made Saint-Gaudens reputation as a sculptor. He spent months perfecting the admiral's right leg and the flap of the coat. (Polloplayer photo)

Saint-Gaudens' statue, "Diana" is prominently displayed in the American Wing at the Met (polloplayer photo)

I don’t know how many times I’ve walked past the Sherman Memorial at the Fifth Avenue and 59th street entrance to Central Park, but I must confess I never really looked at it until McCullough talked about it. He shared that an ironic aspect of the Civil War monument is the fact that the model for Victory was actually an African-American woman.

A fact of fame: pigeons will perch on your head even if you're General Sherman

McCullough went into great detail about Morse’s painting Gallery of the Louvre, in which he “hung” onto the gallery walls his favorite paintings from the museum. McCullough shared that Morse steadfastly completed his painting while the cholera epidemic of 1832 raged through Paris. The painting now hangs in the National Gallery of Art, so when the CE visited Taylor in WDC the following weekend, they went to see it.

Gallery of the Louvre painted by Samuel F.B. Morse

McCullough also went into great detail about the “scandal” that arose over John Singer Sargent’s Madame X portrait.  Even though museum-goers were quite used to ambling through galleries filled with paintings of nudes by Titian and Rubens, somehow the portrait of socialite Virginie Amélie Gautreau, with its stark contrast between her black dress and powdered arms, shocked Parisian society. The furor over the painting eventually led Sargent to depart Paris for London.

In the original painting, the strap of Madame X's dress was shown slipped alluringly from her shoulder. Sargent repainted the portrait subsequent to the furor that arose.

The painting as it hangs today at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC

After the lecture, we walked a few blocks for dinner at Cafe Boulud at Madison and 76th Street. Daniel Boulud’s restaurants span the West and East side, but this one is definitely worth a walk across the park. The menu was inspired and the service was impeccable. We can’t wait to go back.

Cafe Boulud: An East side gem

After dinner, we walked down Madison Avenue, where boutique windows displayed their finery and East side denizens took their dogs for an evening walk. Then we turned to head toward Central Park South and up to our Columbus Circle neighborhood. The evening was cold but clear and we couldn’t imagine being anywhere at that moment but NYC.

It's almost spring in the city: daffodils in Central Park

Happy to be in NYC

Two weeks in New York are like six months anyplace else. Things move fast here! Especially the temperature – one day it’s squalling wind and in the low 20′s and the next day it’s a balmy 60 degrees. Leave it to NYC to have its own form of March Madness.

Baby, it's cold outside! Brrrr!

As always, this visit has been a magical melding of family, friends, feasts and fun. We’re probably bruised from pinching ourselves so often – can we really be so lucky as to live here part time?

We leap-yeared right in this trip with tix to see Venus in Fur, with its breakthrough role that set dynamo actress Nina Arianda on a collision course with Broadway. The synopsis I read promised “an intellectual adventure and an often funny encounter between an actress and a playwright”.

(image from thetheatresource.com)

The synopsis conveniently forgot to mention that the leggy star spends most of her time on stage wearing a  garter belt and thigh high boots or that a passive-aggressive Hugh Dancy finds himself in emotional and physical bondage to this alpha Aphrodite.

Oops. No one told us!(image from meetsobsession.com)

It may not have been what we expected, but it was most definitely memorable, and playwright David Ives navigates the terrain of relational power shifts at a dizzying speed.

A few evenings later, we toned things down a bit and saw Death of a Salesman with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield.

Andrew Garfield and Philip Seymour Hoffman play Biff and Willy Loman (image from justjared.com)

Still in previews, this production is not quite yet on steady ground. Both actors seem perfect on paper for their roles yet, to me, seem strangely miscast on the stage. But guess who shines? Arthur Miller! The play may leave you in despair; there’s misery a-plenty for anyone who has been a parent or a child, so that covers pretty much everyone, but “attention must be paid” as this is a timeless work.

Lee J. Cobb, George C. Scott, Dustin Hoffman and Brian Dennehy have also played Willy Loman on Broadway.

I hope the two current stars will find their footing and that the powers-that-be will tighten up Act II. Our review: it was “liked, but not well-liked”.

We were especially excited to see our favorite “off-Broadway” stars, namely friends and family. Angie and Bobby had us over for a scrumptious lunch of chicken and dumplings. It was a perfect meal to help us acclimate to wintry weather.

Angie was kind enough to share the recipe, so I have it if anyone wants it.

Thomas, Grandpa and James

And we’ve hit the jackpot with multiple Daniel sightings:

Daniel!

Daniel and friends Liza and Chris after brunch at Artisanal

We enjoyed a lunch with bibliophiles Sunday and Josh, and got to meet their adorable little Shih-Tzu, Marlowe. And I was thrilled to have dinner with friend and recent NYC transplant Teri – we were so busy catching up that I forgot to get a photo, but I can tell you that the city agrees with her. She looked absolutely stunning and she’s enjoying her new life and job here in the city.

The CE rode the Acela down to WDC to visit Taylor for a weekend to complete our East Coast family circle:

Tay Tay!

And that was just the first week!  More to come…

Thank-full!

Close to the top of my long list of things to be thankful for this weekend is snark site Gawker which kindly took the sting out of turkey guilt by publishing this: http://gawker.com/5862530/the-10-best-videos-of-turkeys-on-the-attack/gallery/1

Bottom line: it's them or us, so pass the dark meat, please...(image from archelaus-cards.com)

At the tippy-top of the Thankfulness list, however, was getting to spend turkey time with our East coast family contingent. Angie and Bobby heroically hosted dinner with one shoulder tied behind the back this year.

Good thing the CE isn't touching the shoulder with the nine-inch incision!

I was hoping for a more "posed" photo here, but you get what you get with squirmy little boys.

As usual, we ended up more stuffed than the turkey. Great meal!

The pre-dinner table was lovely, and, as insiders can see, the three-layer jello salad was a success again this year

Taylor and Ang, taking a break from dinner prep

Like all great accomplishments, TGiving dinner came together via smoke and mirrors...mostly smoke in this case...

Nicole and Daniel: Nicole was Angie's secret weapon in the kitchen this year.

Tina and family dropped by to visit PG on the West Coast so we got a photo greeting from them – looks like CA weather is sunny this week:

PG, Evie, Viv and Tina

Ashleigh sent a photo of these two turkeys having a great holiday weekend

Coast to coast, it’s been a happy Thanksgiving for our family and I hope equally so for all of you.

Door decor at Ang and Bobby's apartment

NYC November Diary: Caution, Bad Shoulder Ahead!

Polloplayer is gobbling twice today – here’s a second post to catch you up with our visit to the city.

We arrived ten days ago with an ambitious list of to-do’s: museums, performances, restaurants and whatever else the Apple might be offering up.

Fall color in Central Park

First up was a rousing performance at Avery Fisher Hall by the Vienna Symphony: young French pianist Lisa de la Salle played Rachmaninoff’s yummy crowd-pleasing Second Piano Concerto and then the orchestra played a lush Beethoven Symphony No. 7.

Just 23 years old, La Salle made her debut in Avignon, France at age 13. (image from yca.org)

The reviews of the performance were on the tepid side, but the crowd was more easily pleased – there were multiple standing ovations. We were off to a great start sampling the wares of our favorite city.

And then everything changed!

The next morning, son-in-law Bobby was riding his bicycle to work and took a spill. Big, big ouch! Shoulder broken in three places!

We are especially grateful this Thanksgiving  that we just happened to be here when it happened so we could fill in a bit when needed. Man down + two active boys = one very harried mom! Poor Angie and Bobby!

He looks pretty good for a guy who had a five-hour surgery and three nights in the hospital. Hang in there, Bobby!

Lovely home decor accessory: the torture chair for rehab

The CE went from herding chickens to wrangling grandkids – his managerial skills are eminently versatile!

Thomas, Grandpa and James

Jamesy!

Thomas pummeled the CE at memory game

A rare break in the action for Ang: why is this woman smiling?

We’ve managed to squeeze in a few sightings of Daniel and friends when we’re not playing with the small fry. We met up with them all for dinner at Cafe Fiorello and then went to see Immortals, or, as I would have called it, Blood with a Side of Blood + Extra Blood. A must see for severed-head fans and anyone who wants to see Freida Pinto in a diaphonous red gown.

So good to see the Boookie!

Daniel's friends Mary and Jeff. I hear they're big fans of Polloplayer:-)

And we also fit in a visit to the Frick Collection’s current must-see exhibit: Picasso’s Drawings, 1890–1921: Reinventing Tradition, now through January 8.

Picasso Self-Portrait, 1901 (image from frick.org)

Last weekend we made a quick drop-by to the Met to see the newly unveiled Islamic Art galleries there. The CE was in Oriental carpet heaven!

image from metmuseum.org

Fifth Avenue near the museum was clogged that day with a scruffy OWS group bent on a drum-circle annoyance mission near Mayor Bloomberg’s Upper East Side residence. The drummers were not especially talented and seemed to be outnumbered by journalists and cameramen. I’d give them a ho-hum C- at best. Of course, Hizzonor was not even nearby – he was busy that day arresting a would-be terrorist. This guy seemed more popular than the OWS group:

He's got something to say. (polloplayer photo)

Yesterday we battled the pre-holiday traffic to go downtown for a super-fun lunch at Balthazar with Daniel, Chris and Victoria, who is visiting a friend in the city for the holiday.

Daniel, Victoria and Chris

We haven’t made it over to Barney’s yet, but this balloon next to our building is a reminder to go visit the Lady Gaga-designed holiday windows there.

As always, Lady Gaga is larger than life!

And last night, Taylor arrived. He impressed us all by downing an ENTIRE pizza at Cafe Fiorello.

Yay! Tay Tay is here!

And he came hungry!

It’s been kind of a different visit so far, but, as always, a great one. We’ll take our bite of the Apple however it gets served up!

This full-size elephant at Columbus Circle is part of a whimsical installation of pieces by sculptor Peter Woytuk all along Broadway.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We’re here in NYC with a front-row seat to the parade. The CE was up bright and early to collect Thomas and James for their annual parade date.

7:30 am and counting!

8 am: wrestling in Grandpa and Nana's apartment

8:30 am: trying, unsuccessfully, to topple Uncle Taylor

9:15 am: looks like the parade will be here soon! (polloplayer image)

Here it comes! (polloplayer image)

It's officially Thanksgiving! (polloplayer image)

Jamesy has the best seat in the house

Cee Lo Green is a crowd favorite (polloplayer image)

Thomas is lucky Uncle Daniel is so strong!

The Aflac duck (polloplayer image)

We know we’re in good company because Mark Wahlberg is in our lobby this morning watching the parade with his family. But even he is not as famous as this guy:

Buzz! (polloplayer image)

Hope you’re having a great day!

Hot Time: Summer in the City

We’re back on the Left Coast after our yet again not-long-enough stay in NYC. The highlight of every trip, of course,  is seeing all the kids and grandkids. Seeing them in 100-plus-degree heat is something else entirely…something for me to think about the next time I whine and carry on about the bone-chilling temps here in So Cal.

Daniel, cool as ever despite the NYC heat

Angie brought the boys all the way in from the Hamptons so we could see them for an evening, and of course I forgot my camera but did get a few phone snaps. They’re both so big! And Thomas is now a six-year-old!

Jamesy and Grandpa

Happy birthday, Thomas!

Tina brought her girls in from Connecticut for one last city visit before they make their big cross-country move to re-locate down the coast from us in CA.  Their timing was impeccable: someone thoughtfully  set up a twenty-foot Smurf across the street from our apartment that day expressly for the girls’ entertainment.

Evie enjoys her day in the city

Smurfs!

A NYC tradition: swimming with Grandpa

Viv bundles up after her swim

A late-afternoon cloudburst cooled things off a bit

Princess Tina and her girls enjoying apres-swim cotton candy at Landmarc

Speaking of impeccable timing, the CE took the train down to WDC to visit Taylor during the weekend that temps there reached 116 degrees. Proof, perhaps, that our nation’s capital has devolved into an anteroom of Hell. Our guys wisely took shelter in air-conditioned museums and restaurants.

If this pic looks familiar, scroll back to the San Diego post of cousin Nick photographing his beloved steak. It must be genetic!

At the National Gallery of Art

While Taylor and the CE cooked in WDC, I took Daniel and some of his friends to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 on the IMAX screen in New York City. We all loved it! Great movie!

Daniel and his friends Cristina, Mary and Peter stopped by our apartment to say hi

The temperatures cooled a bit toward the end of our stay (into the high 90′s) and we ventured downtown a few times, once to visit the High Line, which has been significantly extended since our last jaunt there. We got a kick out of the birdhouses they’ve installed, which look remarkably like scaled-down versions of human city living.

High-rent birdhouses on the High Line (image from moderndestiny.com)

We were working on calorie containment after our weekend of culinary abandon in Chicago, but we couldn’t resist visiting two of our favorite downtown restaurants, Pastis and Balthazar.

I wanted steak frites at Balthazar but decided the bouillabaisse was a healthier choice...except they serve it in a vat big enough for four!

Our in-the-know friends, Marjorie and Ellery, introduced us to a new favorite in Midtown: Ma Peche, a satellite of famed chef David Chang’s Momofuku dynasty. We had the best spring rolls I’ve ever tasted and enjoyed the chance to drink a sake toast to M&E, who were heading off to Paris later that day. When (if) I grow up, I want their life!

Ma Peche on 56th between 5th and 6th (image from offthepresses.blogspot.com)

We finished off our East Coast visit with two wonderful jolts of culture. It was our last chance to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met, since it closes August 7. The event title is Savage Beauty, but it was more about Savage Crowds. The line to get in was two-and-a-half-hours long, even though they’ve extended museum hours to midnight to accommodate the demand. Luckily, we had decided to purchase a membership to the Met during our last visit, which allowed us to skip the queue.

McQueen was fond of using dyed duck feathers in his pieces (image from style.com)

This was one of my favorites! (image from style.com)

Despite the crush of visitors (the exhibit is projected to rank in the top 20 of the museum’s all-time most popular offerings by the time it closes) and a few decidedly testy Met guards (down, Girl, down!), we were so glad we went. By my lights, McQueen’s talent truly transcended fashion as costume and into the realm of art.

Thanks to a recommendation from Marjorie and Ellery, we spent our last evening in the city with Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis at a performance of Freud’s Last Session. Poignant and thought-provoking: 80 minutes went by much faster than you might expect. Off-Broadway in an airy theatre on W. 64th.

Mark H. Dold, the immensely appealing and captivating actor who plays C.S. Lewis in "Freud's Last Session" (image from contactmusic.com)

The upside of bi-coastal living is having the best of both worlds. The downside is always feeling like you’re missing out on something on the other side. It’s a conundrum, but a lovely one to suffer. One of our most prized experiences in the city is the 9:15 am Worship at Redeemer Presbyterian on the UWS. These last two Sundays we heard about that imperfect,  devious and grasping fellow, Jacob, and how he wrestled with God. Ah, don’t we all? I just found that you can download podcasts by Redeemer Presbyterian Pastor Tim Keller on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/timothy-keller-podcast/id352660924

Happy to be back in CA. Can’t wait to return to NYC!