Almost immediately on arrival we went out for a walk, looking for a quiet bistro for a glass of wine before I headed off to the theater to see Memphis. We had a quick drink and then I grabbed an empanada from a food stand as I walked the rest of the way to the theater. Memphis was spectacular. Lots of good music and dancing, and even a compelling story line. The empanada was so good, I looked for the same stand on my way back to the condo. They were open, so I had another - done just the way I like them, with lots of juicy filling fried in a thin pastry shell.
On Saturday, Andy, Teri, Chris, and Tara walked up to the Park and I headed downtown to the NY Public Library. I had never been inside, and it is an architectural gem that I felt I had to see. After that I walked over to Bryant Park, where I had spent a lot of time when living in NYC. It was all set up for Fashion Week. I took a few pictures of the park and the subway station, showing the "F" train that goes to Brooklyn.
After Bryant Park, I made my way over to Grand Central. I caught this view of the stately Chrysler building from Lexington avenue.
In Grand Central, I just walked through the building and looked at the carts of unusual, often handmade, gifts. In case you haven't guessed, this was a journey of nostalgia for me. I loved every minute of the 7+ years I lived in New York, and it was delightful to be back. The shot below is of the clock at the information desk, a well-known place to wait for someone you are meeting, to arrive.
I walked slowly over to meet Tara and Chris for lunch. On the way, who should I run into, but---
And it wouldn't be New York without a break dance performance on the street. These guys were amazing. I'm going to show some of their moves to my yoga teacher, to see if she would like the class to try them!
We met for lunch at Ellen's Stardust Diner, a touristy but fun 50's style diner, where the wait staff are all on their way to Broadway. Most have already had minor roles and are waiting for the next one. They constantly break into song, performing show tunes and rock & roll hits of the 50's and 60's. Sometimes they walk around and serenade the tables. Our waitress had just gotten a role in the new revival of "Evita"and sang "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina".
After lunch, Tara and Chris went off to an African dance class (surprise!), and I went back to the hotel to join Andy & Teri. The 3 of us went to see "The Artist", which was playing at a theater only 3 blocks away. We all agreed that it definitely was Oscar material. Glad it won.
Think that was a full day? But wait! There's more! The 5 of us reconvened after the movie and class to be treated by Andy & Teri to a delightful dinner at one of New York's hippest and finest restaurants, Tao.
I had eaten lunch there once and could vouch for the food. But the lunch atmosphere certainly lacked all the glitz and glam that the dinner crowd brought. As the name implies, the cuisine is Asian fusion and the 2-level dining room features a 50 foot buddha and niches with boddhisattvas. Teri decided that Tara should dance around the base of the buddha. This photo was as close as she got to doing that!
Since it was New York City, at 9:30 the evening was still young. So Tara, Chris, and I headed over to Alegrias, my favorite little flamenco dive. It's very small and very informal, but has the best flamenco performers - those who live in the US and those who visit from Spain. I was thrilled to see one of my old teachers there as well as one of the best dancers I have ever seen. She was visiting from Spain and at 71, no longer dances. Pity. The last time I saw her perform she was already 65, and still had it goin' on.
The performance that evening didn't disappoint, more even for the music than for the dancers this time. There was a guitarist whom I hadn't seen before, and he was exceptional, as you will see from the clips below.
When they announced that they were going to include a sax that evening, I was quite skeptical, even though he had played for the Stones. But after he started, and made the sound fit the genre, I was a skeptic no more. The sax rocked!
Though not heavy on footwork, the main dancer had a lot of energy.
The whole ensemble came together for an electrifying performance.
After that, the only thing left to do was have champagne to celebrate the day. Tara & Chris declined and Teri was already asleep, so it fell to Andy and me to complete the task. And we were just the 2 for the job!
The next morning Teri, Tara, and Chris accompanied me to the Abyssinian Baptist Church, my favorite. We managed to get inside and be seated right in front as locals, skirting the throngs of tourists (easily a couple hundred that Sunday)who are always seated in the balcony. The church has become a tourist attraction partly because it is the oldest Black church in New York state, founded in 1808 by people who broke off from the White Baptist church in Manhattan because they recognized the irony and injustice of being restricted to the back of what they considered to be "God's" house.
The current building was completed in 1922. But Abyssinian also gets its renown from the fact that both Adam Clayton Powell Sr. & Jr. were ministers there. They established a tradition of political and civil activism and under their leadership, Abyssinian and its members were at the forefront of the civil rights movement and actions leading up to it. Here is Teri in front of the building.
Following the service, Andy met us and we went for a delicious soul food lunch at Miss Maude's "And Spoonbread, Too" restaurant, not far from the church. Steve and I went there often and especially enjoyed the collards. They were greta this time, too. I just wish Miss Maude would add chittlins to her menu!
From there we went with Tara to buy African cloth for her dance troupe. Then she and Chris took off for their return to the Cape. I had toyed with going to a play in the evening, but opted instead for the tele in the condo with Andy while Teri worked on her blog.
On my last day I made a pilgrimage to the old hood in Brooklyn. The house looked pretty much the same...
But there is now a Trader Joe's on the corner of Court St. and Atlantic Ave.
I'm sure Key Foods is hurting because of it. Court Books is still there and has even expanded. And the piece de resistance, Bar Tabac, was holding forth like the grande dame she is.
The lunch crowd seemed especially lively, probably because it was a holiday and folks had the day off.
I had the scrumptious "mussels frites" specialty, with a Stella, then headed back to the subway for the return trip to Manhattan.
There was just enough time to grab my bag and get back on the subway for the short ride down to 42nd street. In the tunnel between the subway and Port Authority Bus Terminal, I came across the ad below - nothing more than an icon and a date - painted on an entire panel of the wall. Striking in its simplicity. You will probably recognize it. Great artistic jolt as an exclamation point for the ending of a beautiful weekend in Noo Yawk. Thanks again, Steve, Andy, & Teri!
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