city

o I ran all the way down to GALLERY NAME on STREET after getting off bus to see what the advertised Judy Chicago Kitty City performance is about even though I may be late—am giddily surprised to find a gallery packed with her detailed story of their cats through pen-like watercolours done like huge pages in Book of Hours, bunch of gold paint, weird perspectives.—as in the Book of Hours. They were done over 4 yrs covered even the kitty poop in the kitty pans, their deaths, lots of silly things about cat behavior—cat alarm clocks, sitting on their heads because they want to be fed, all sitting on the bed before bedtime, how they got sick, the different ways they each ate. One had three legs. I’d thought J Chicago was a stern character! She even apparently has had a husband for some time. I wished I had asked my mom along. I’ll bet the gallery operators get tired of Kitties after a few days
o First thing that hit me was the stench & stink of the City.. sort of get used to it
o This trip was struck by how shallow life seemed here, so based on the dollar bill—not based on humanity or nature or the earth, not based on any interaction with those things; makes it seem empty & superficial values; this population lives like animals. They are cut off from the essence of life.
o All the lovely architecture—never noticed before—I’m getting older—always see different things The churches, all the older buildings, noticing how dif streets of buildings looked
o The elevator somewhere in one of the gallery buildings has a regular steel door w/ no windows you pull open at some point I wasn’t able to figure out. Some other gallery owners helped me get up but I gave up & took the stairs down afterwards.
o All the languages, all the costumes, turbans – its good to walk around & hear & feel the World bubbling out all around
o Bike courier/messengers delivery persons in ragged clothing—all of them, riding crazy
o All have bike locks consisting of a heavy linked chain they wear around chest or waist – no one using the kryptonite locks since it was revealed.. pen/..could break into themo Everyone on the phone – gives chance hear more conversation--- one lg black guy yelling at his old lady--- a trio of young people snickered with me
o Went pelting past famous B & H Photo – at least noticed it this time – and saw just as Rich B had said, there were all the Jewish workers in formal back & white & caps—the same guys I’d ordered over the phone from so often. Also saw the famous J R’s electronic World computer store.
o Earlier the cops & motorcycle traffic cops (in their funny-looking jodhpurs & boots) held up all the cross streets so a platoon of speeding black & frosted glass limousines & other cars could sail at high speed up 6th ave to Trump Hotel. It was good to see the native New Yorkers as openly curious, puzzled & gawky as any visitor about what was going on—and making guesses like anyone else. They all stop to stare at what might pass along. A crowd of probably visitors gathers across the street from the Trump Plaza hotel when I finally get up there; someone sez I just want to see their faceo The universal concierge --- in grand uniform, sometimes a woman… whistling for taxis & greeting its residents
o George Sorrels did many tiny paintings & possibly drawings from one or more trips to Big Bend. The paintings were oil & bland – probably some cerebral reasoning of his. $3000 price—I think. CHECK he put the Girl With a Pearl earring in one of the portrait ones WHY? –the ones w/ leaves rocks landscape & flesh part. The woman handling the gallery coolly thanked me for visiting. Perhaps because it was on the street level—well below street—one had to buzz to have the door opened. At the entrance was a book of a woman’s paintings look up her name … The Homer upstairs for $300,000 was gorgeous – 8 x 11 beach dune scene grass & women sun & wind.
o Ate yummy lemon yogurt granola bar & yummy grape juice I brought w/ me in between finding galleries. When I ‘d gotten through Sorrels at Peters way up by the Park on 78th I got a great hot pretzel – even turned out to be only a buck at the one I stopped at, & headed to the park to eat it w/ my orange & foil pack of tuna I’d brought – most excellent, eaten while watching people from a bench in the park—but cold!! Company of tame pigeons, sparrows, & squirrels. Lots of angelic, cherubic little children dressed to the nines in name brands & escorted by rather plain dressed dark-complected women – nannies. Not too many people. The zoo is popular, it has strangely sculptured toy trees—ala Lord of the Rings –it costs to go into the dif animal houses, or to pet goats & llamaso An English-accented couple had me take their photo on the bridge over the pond at the bottom of central park
o Near here was a signed area of the park that claimed to have been left untouched, as somebody wanted.o Leaving Central park through one of the curved stone underpasses there was someone sleeping in an army surplus sleeping bag with their belongings
o Stopped to take sinus allergy on bench in Pace Print galleryStumbled on a Rauschenberg on the floor in storage room there leaning against racks of artworks. 3 gorgeous colors of grey edition of 45 – with dancer photo maybe himself The gallery director curator (?) saw me & showed me another in her office, large Both 1999. In all the galleries the amount of canvases & other works stored in bins & racks in back rooms was daunting. In another the African one, gallery a black man was showing the female director his big portfolio and she sounded encouraging to him… but it just seemed so hard… so many artists, so much bad art, so many weary directors… so much trudging around, the expense. Artists have to pay lots of the expenses of any exhibit they might get—re: Vickie Tyndallo Show by poet stunk!! Find Description which sounded great in the description Big word or 2 on each wall huge maybe about flying
o I asked to take photos of Johns show---took pictures of entrance—what one could see from door looking down near streets—getting headache again man left woman to lock up metal folding chairs & tables focus on process – how tos Make your own camera kits for sale. I’d gotten down there with little more than an hour to spare.
o Went to bottom to find WTC – verfoodled by river of people from ? office going to or from some subway? They climb vigorously as if nothing stairs & platforms all around the Site. Muddled around went back found platform--- still sticking things flowers in chain link fence---few confused people wandering around—a display sign w/ brochures forgot to take--- just construction like many other areas of the city.. a large ramp into it—surrounded by platform things, like train stationso A Dozen cop cars in a row went flying cross-town --- surprising how little even the natives know what is going on & how their blasé façade drops so easily--- they are curious, confused, worried, concerned, trying to figure out what’s going on
o Late afternoon in downtown crowd a man shouts at someone for us all to hear that he wanted that cardboard that someone was carrying away because they sure didn’t need it, they didn’t have to sleep outdoors.
o Later I find out Neil Young was around NYC being treated a t a hospital for an aneurysm & when I get home I find an old Rolling Stone with a big U2 article & on the table of contents a smiling Bono is gleefully brandishing a hot slice of pizza on the streets of Nyc. They had played up & down the streets in November.
o So many same-sex partners cuddling around the streetso In early evening a walking prayer vigil went buy—or rather the crowds came to a standstill to allow this endless river of alter boys pass by – I think it was for the pope. At the end was a couple monks priest with 4 people holding the cloth canopy over him & then the cloth on a stick of I thinks the church’s saint. The cop cars were flying around again in their noisy packs probably holding up traffic somewhere so this block or 2 length procession could cross the streets safely in their circuit. They say there’s a parade everyday due to all the ethnic groups & cultures & politics there
o Got deli salad late other confused tourist girls in there 2 groups store split in 2 Peas, asparagus, tofu, feta hot & cold together – another required expenditure per trip. Ate salad in one of tiny triangle parks, I think McDougal crossed—had 5 roads together- near East Broadway>? 2 old men talking on another bench.. the store keep tidying up his fruits.. walking around talking to regular customers.. photo of biker movingo In a crowd was a couple, the man had 2 cats balancing precariously on his shoulder – he seemed familiar.
o A pair of pigeons lie as if placed like sleeping in a corner of a façade, where the sidewalk meets the building.
o I have to try to walk by obliviously as 2 theatre-going touristy guys pee into corners of facades
o Both the carriage drivers & the bike couriers drive/ride while also smoking & using their cell phones
o Hispanic or dark complexted bored police on horse assigned to let tourists pet his horse, public relations, in the theatre districto There are lots of bicycle rickshaws, which strike me as odd. It also seems like it would be really hard. Rickshaw bikes all over; lined up in rows at theatres. One driven by girlo PARTY –BIKES – red, swerving, laughing delightful About 5 people sit facing a center like spokes on a wheel & the 6th is the guy (owner) who steers somehow- I don’t remember seeing handlebars—and everyone has their own set of peddles & they’re all hooked up to drive the main chaino Everyone is holding up their cell phones to take pictures & video to stream (the next nite I got to hear Garrison Keillor doing his spiel parodying Nyorkers including the phone thing—he talked about walking lots of blocks the same night I was prowling aroundo Walked 20 blocks down, 58 back up, 80 or 90 back down, then 50 back up, then circled back & forth & around & around just absorbing sights & scenes from 9 – midnite or 1 am. I got a huge watery blister on my heel & couldn’t walk right for a few days. And taking lots of photos by resting my camera on various street things & snapping away. I had emptied the card totally for once beforehand. It got cold & I had to put on the red fleece ear band I’d brought just in case. But there was an apparent unspoken rule that once it was April none was allowed to wear a hat. O well.
o Church of Scientology—man saying hello – could hear people asking questions—across from theatre—all golden metallic glitter insideo Inside a entrance of PABT late in evening a couple cops or security guards stood chatting & behind them a homeless man or drunk swayed as if performing, caught himself and as I walked by fell over like a tree toppling and the cops or guards exclaimed (as if cared) whoa buddy & went to his assistance. I think later I saw him outside the doors doing ambiguous magic hand tricks to himselfo A girl horse police person w/ long blonde hair
o There were a bunch of costumed Star Wars fans milling about a certain theatre—lots of those white plasticized soldier outfits, some robed peopleo An Asian woman with a huge yellow cloth shoulder bag half her size, hanging almost to the floor.
o $1.00 hot soft pretzel (at least 1 required per visit)$5.35 mixed deli bar platter – all those luscious tofus & fetas & eggplant & artichoke & asparagus things. $1.08 coffee got at McDonalds so I could use their locked & mirror-guarded buzz bathroom1.00 Friday NYTimes (also required)-------$7.43 total – a good thing since I only left with $8.00 cash+42.00 round trip bus ticket (VISA) + 2.75 spent to test a new ATM card at a non-bank in Elysburg