Earlier this month, I spent a RAINY DAY IN NYC with my friends Laura and Lydia. We met at the Museum of Modern Art and spent the day walking through the galleries and talking about all the things we did after college and after that. It was a lot to talk about. And we all had to take turns.
Interspersed, we talked about the main show we viewed, Jack Whitten’s The Messenger. What an amazing body of work! I love large abstract paintings and appreciated how much thought, technique, and meaning when into his work. It was so much to take in. My favorite works were created by dragging a flat wooden rake across enormous canvases, adding multiple layers, resulting in so much texture and color. Abstract, but resembling landscapes, or waterscapes, or whatever your psyche imagines.
The MoMA also has numerous famous works of art, and it was great seeing the Picassos, Van Goghs, Matisses, but I especially enjoyed seeing the many Jacob Laurence paintings they had collected, small but powerful.
After we left the museum, we found a cafe to eat and chat in. Le Pain Quotidien, which I remember being good, but this one was just okay. I guess I have high expectations of restaurants when I’m in the City, because, well, New York City. But it was a good place to sit and talk. I really wanted to learn about Lydia’s life. We all talked about our meandering career paths, about the effect of the pandemic, and about our kids, who are all roughly college-age now.
I took a lot of videos for some reason. I was really enjoying capturing the feel of the day. I love being in New York. Watching people, seeing what they’re wearing, picking out the tourists from the locals. I like orienting myself and figuring our how to get through the streets and avenues. I adore the architecture. And I especially love all the window displays. There’s so much ‘art’ to see outside of the museums. It’s a visual feast. So enjoyable, I almost didn’t mind the rain.
Tickets are $30 (unless your friend has a membership, then they’re $5) Membership are $110/year.
