New York, New York
Hi All,
Had a marvelous three days in the Big Apple visiting my friend Sima Kotecha. I met Sima when we taught at the Caledonian School in Prague and we have stayed in touch since. She currently works for BBC Radio 1 and is stationed in New York City. Recently, she told me that she now has a large apartment (by New York standards) and invited me to visit. I couldn’t resist and decided to stop in New York on my way back to Prague. I arrived Monday, the 13th. That night we went out to dinner and caught up, talking about what we had been doing and asking “do you remember …” Sima does have a nice apartment including a small soundproof room from which she can broadcast. She does most of her work from home so I was free to do whatever I wanted during the day.
On Tuesday, I went to the Frick Museum and the Metropolitan Museum. Colleen and I decided a long time ago to try to see all the paintings by Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch painter. There are only 34 or 35 depending on whether or not one is accurately attributed to him. It is not a totally unreasonable goal and gives us an incentive to travel. Prior to this visit to New York, I had seen 19, Colleen a few less. She had seen some I have not and vice verse. Well, there are 8 in New York and I wanted to see them all.
My first stop was the Frick Museum which has three. The Frick was once a private home with a marvelous collection of art. It was given to the city at the owner’s death. The Vermeers housed there are “Girl Interrupted in Her Music”, “Officer and Laughing Girl”, and “Mistress and Maid”. All are beautiful and good representations of his work. The collection at the Frick is varied and impressive but rather small so I was able to head to the Metropolitan shortly after noon.
The Metropolitan is a huge museum with an outstanding collection of everything that can be considered art, beginning with Egyptian art and artifacts and coming up to modern masters. Paintings, statuary of bronze and marble, tapestries, photography, a little of everything. I immediately searched out the Vermeers; “A Maid Asleep”, “Young Woman with Water Pitcher”, “Woman with a Lute”, :Study of a Young Woman”, and “Allegory of the Catholic Faith.” The first three are readily recognized as the work of Vermeer while the last two fall outside his the range of his normal composition and subject matter.
With a haul of 8 Vermeers in one day, I only have 7 to go. This means trips to London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Boston, and Braunschweig, Germany. Unfortunately, the museum in Germany is closed for the next two years for renovations. This is something we found out after we arrived in Braunschweig hoping to see their sole Vermeer.
After accomplishing my major goal, I wandered through the museum enjoying the work of many artists. The Met should be visited at leisure. There is too much to be taken in in a single day, probably not in several if done properly. It is the predominant museum in the US and rivals most great museums around the world. It is a treat and should be on the itinerary of any trip to New York.
Tuesday night, Sima and I went to see “La Cages aux Folles”, a musical starring Kelsey Grammar. “La Cage” was set in France and follows the story of the original French film. The French film was subsequently remade in America as “The Birdcage” starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane and set in Miami Beach. The show was fun but there were no outstanding melodies. Sima and I agreed that Kelsey Grammar (“Frazier”) was not a good choice for the part. Others in the cast seemed better suited to their roles and were better performers. As you know, the story is about a gay, male couple, one of whose son is getting married and the complications that ensue. As we went into the theater, a tall, good looking guy in drag was greeting people outside, welcoming them to the show, and being very flamboyant. He had the best pair of legs I saw all evening.
Wednesday started slowly, a bagel and coffee for breakfast followed by leisurely reading. This week is Fashion Week in New York and Sima had to cover a Fashion Show for Plus Size Women, the full figured girls. This is the first time there had ever been a fashion show of the larger ladies during Fashion Week. Sima asked if I would like to go and I agreed. I posed as her producer, my duties being to carry her bag, serve as her gofer and take still photos of the event. We arrived at 12:30 at the building looking over Columbus Square at the corner of Central Park. We met her cameraman outside and went upstairs. Although Sima works for BBC Radio 1, she also conducts TV interviews when necessary. We went up to the fourth floor and when the doors opened, we were greeted with a flurry of activity, people talking excitedly, others greeting each other, some scurrying about trying to find someone or to make sure that everything was in order. To the side, there was an area where people (models or important representatives of the fashion world) were being photographed in front of a backdrop featuring the logo of the sponsor of the event. We checked in at the reception desk and were surprised to learn that, as representatives of the BBC, we had front row seats. We went into the main room where champagne in tall flutes was being served on silver trays by a bevy of uniformed helpers.
In the main room, everything was white. A long white carpet served as the runway. Three rows of white chairs lined the runway on each side. Each seat had a white bag of goodies, mostly feminine beauty products. The spectators, by contrast, were dressed almost entirely in black, obviously the ultimate choice in fashion. I had on blue jeans and a blue button down shirt. Sima had told me that as a “worker” I needn’t dress up. I don’t think she expected us to have front row seats. The photographers were stationed at the end of the runway. As the spectators came in they greeted each other, hugs and kisses, walking across the runway to say hello to that special person, probably an important contact. The lady sitting next to me, an attractive lady named Jane, admired the shoes of a lady sitting directly across the runway. She knew the brand name and exclaimed to the wearer that they alone were a fashion statement. There was quite and animated conversation as she got he details on where she could get a pair, the store that bore that brand name but in Dallas, Texas. She insisted that she would call the next day to order a pair and thanked the proud owner of the shoes for the information. Well, let me describe the shoes. Black patten leather with a medium heel and a bow on the tow extending the width of the shoe. But the Piece de Resistance was that the entire shoe was cover in stubby, silver spikes, the kind that motor cycle riders have on their leather jackets or those who love Gothic dress have on their belts. Really ugly shoes. Really ugly. No one should wear shoes like that. I actually turned slightly away from the lady next to me for fear that she would ask me what I thought of the shoes. I would have been hard pressed to come up with anything that could in any way be considered a compliment.
Before the models made their entrance, the photographers insisted that everyone on the front row uncross their legs. They said it looked better on film. Then a crew came out and removed a thin layer of plastic which had covered the runway when everyone was walking on it. The music started and the models came out. It was just like a scene from any fashion show you’ve seen on TV or in the movies. Like the scene from the movie Sex and the City. And I had a front row seat. My assignment was to take still pictures of the models and I was so occupied that I had little chance to actually look at the models and their dresses. They came out, one by one, walked the length of the runway, struck a pose in front of the photographers, and walked back up the runway as another model made her way down. I’m not sure how many models there were but they modeled 36 outfits, all very attractive on the plus size frames. The models were beautiful though they seemed to have on too much makeup, maybe necessary to look good in photographs. The common factor was that most of them carried their weight from the waist to the knees. At the end, all the models paraded one more time to tumultuous applause. The designers stepped out to the top of the runway and waved and received a standing ovation and cheers. The whole thing was over in about twenty minutes. All the preparation, all the planning, the dresses, the models, the makeup, the hairdos, the photos, the press, all for twenty minutes of spotlight.
After the show, we went backstage to interview Lizzie Miller, one of the models. The models had changed into their street clothes, jeans or stretch pants and t-shirts, some with slogans across the front. They looked like very normal people except for the makeup and hairdo. The glamor was gone. All the effort was for that twenty minutes in the spotlight. Sima did an interview for TV and one for radio. She did a great job. I was very impressed as I stood by and held her bag. I took pictures and then had my picture made with Lizzie, a beautiful woman at five feet eleven inches. Sima and her cameraman worked well together discussing what shots they should get and whom they should talk to. They got comments from members of the audience to add to their report. The final products, both radio and TV, were seamless and very well done, very professional.
After the show, Sima headed home to put together and edit the pieces of tape and footage she had made. I wandered down Broadway til I got to Times Square. There is now a large pedestrian area in the Square. I found a seat and watched the world go by for a couple of hours. Fascinating. A perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Sima lives in a huge housing project on the lower East side. Several buildings surround a large wooded area in the center. Squirrels run free. Children play in the park. A great place to live. That night we got pizza and joined the crowd in the clearing in the center of the complex. People lay on blankets in front of a large portable movie screen and we watched a movie in the open air, “Breakfast at Tiffanys” with a stunningly beautiful Audrey Hepburn and a very handsome George Peppard. Hadn’t seen the movie in years and enjoyed it very much.
The next day, my last in the Big Apple was spent packing and calling family. Left Sima’s apartment at 11:30 for a 4:30 flight. Had to take a taxi to the pickup spot for the shuttle to Newark. Got to the airport about 1:30. Had lunch and boarded the plane at 4:00. We pulled away from the gate on time and then they announced that we could not take off due to bad weather. We sat in the plane for TWO hours, which resulted in my missing my flight in Dusseldorf, Germany, etc, etc, etc. It seems I always have trouble flying to Europe.
All in all, I had a wonderful time in New York and Sima was a wonderful hostess.
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