We went down to New York last week for a few days holiday. We thought of going somewhere warm but thought New York would be more fun. We could visit galleries and walk around. So down we went, with nothing in particular on our agenda.
The first evening, we were heading out of our hotel when a man in the elevator struck up a conversation with my husband about the coat he was wearing. It’s the kind of coat that looks like he just stepped out of the Australian outback in the early twentieth century and everywhere we went people kept asking him about it! Once we got past the coat, our new friend told us that he and his wife were in New York for the same reasons we were—they were there to see art and get some inspiration before they headed back to Martha’s Vineyard. He gave us their tips—The High Line (the new park that extends from 18th Street up to 30th on the abandoned elevated railroad tracks) and the galleries in Chelsea. He didn’t specify which galleries through.
Off we headed to the High Line first— a brilliant oasis of peace in the center of one of the most hectic cities in the world. We loved the modernist bird houses. There was no one up there on this windy, cold day but us and the birds! But the Chelsea galleries we ventured into proved a bust. The art left us feeling detached—paintings of decapitated bodies, sculptures of dogs with latex gloves emerging from every orifice, and assemblages of old film stock arranged in colorful patterns. Nothing that made us want to see more.
So we headed back to The High Line and looked at the city from all sorts of angles. And here was this wonderful image. Life is art.
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Oh, my goodness I miss NYC streets so much. Constant art in motion. I’ve been dying to get there to visit High Line – maybe next year. Glad you got to go. Love!
Cat, nice pic. I’m glad you shared you adventure to NYC. At times, we talk about going to the city to catch some shows, I guess we don’t need to go right now. Perhaps another time.
Hey, K and C! Always fun to be there! And there are probably some good shows on. This was a totally spontaneous trip so we didn’t plan to see anything in particular. Then what we saw inspired us to just walk the streets instead of gallery prowl! Next time we’ll be more organized…maybe!