The Frick

88. Go to the Frick

Yesterday was going to be a two-part 101 day; my friend Kate and I were going to try and get tickets for Shakespeare in the Park and then go to the Frick in the afternoon.  The Shakespeare tickets were a no-go, though.  We had a string of things delay us that morning (Kate's car wouldn't start, we missed the bus by a minute, got on the wrong subway - which I *NEVER* do!! - chose the wrong path in Central Park - the list goes on an on), but none of it mattered in the end because when we got to the end of the verrrrrry long line for the tickets, we were told that there was no way we'd get any because the last people to get any are the folks who got in line at 6:45am.  Ooookay, that was just when we were both getting up, so it would have never worked.  Next year we have to do the whole "get up at 3am" plan if we want to see the show. It's craziness.

However, we had a lovely day in the city, none-the-less, and had a great time chatting.  It's not often that I get to sit and just talk with a longtime friend - you know, that friend who really knows you, knows all your references, who you don't have to explain anything to, knows your family, and so on.  It was really great.  We spent the whole day together, from about 8:30am to 4:30pm and I don't think we stopped talking the whole time. After failing to get tickets, we stuck with our plan to get lunch and go to the Frick. 

The Frick Collection is housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick, on 5th Avenue and 70th Street in NYC.  The residence was built in 1913-1914 (Frick only lived until 1919 so he didn't live there long).  After Frick died, he bequeathed the residence and his art collection to a Board of Trustees, who opened the residence to the public in 1935 (after some alterations and extensions were made to the building).  Some additional areas were completed in 1977. The building is amazing.  Walking through it, Kate and I just kept talking (well, whispering) about what it would be like to live there.  It is really just such a beautiful building and it allows for such an intimate experience with the art because very little is behind ropes or glass or protected in any way (which is probably why the museum does not allow children under 10 years old).  You can get up close to the chairs and vases and paintings - so much so that it's really hard not to touch them sometimes, but there are guards everywhere. It's a beautiful place. 

Museums in NYC have gotten more expensive than they used to be (at $15 this is a cheaper one) so plan ahead, but it's a great place to visit; all in all, it would take you about two hours to go through in its entirety.

one view from the Central Park reservoir

another great view

the best running path in NYC

garden outside The Frick

The Frick main entrance

frog fountain

Note: You are not allowed to take pictures anywhere in the Frick.  However, in this water garden area, we saw people taking pictures together in front of the fountain so we figured it must be okay just in that one room.  Yeah, no.  The guard came over and told us it wasn't allowed.  So those people could take pictures of each other but we can't photograph this frog?  Hrmph.  I understand no photos in museums, though - it's fine by me.  I just really wanted the frog.

Macarons, BBQ, and Hare Krishnas, oh my!

Delightfully Sweet* has been on a hunt for authentic macarons (the French kind, not the coconut macaroon kind) so yesterday we headed into NYC to the Madeleine Patisserie**.  The window display was totally mouth-watering:

I opted for a lemon one, an orange one, a pistachio one, a pear tart, a mini lemon tart, and an iced coffee:

Well, let me correct that.  I had half of the macarons, some of Delightfully Sweet's and a bite of her chocolate croissant... and that was enough sugar for me so I got the pear tart wrapped up for home.  I'm still looking forward to eating it (hm, dessert tonight?).

After the patisserie, we decided to walk around and ran into 101.9 and Snapple's Big Apple BBQ.  Free Snapple, Snapple Sno-Cones, and lots of cheap beer, apple cider, and BBQ.  We just partook of the Snapple ice and went along our way - right into a Hare Krishna parade!  (What?)

And, of course, we had the chance to walk past and take some time to admire my absolutely two favorite buildings in all of NYC:

We stumbled upon a little historic church, a three-level store of Japanese items (manga, dolls, etc), and took some time to admire Bryant Park before hiking it back to Port Authority and onto the bus. I love NYC and could spend every day there.   I can't wait to go back to Madeleine's and can't wait for my next city adventure.  For now, I'm going to have my little pear tart and enjoy the little French piece of NYC I brought home.

*See Delightfully Sweet's page for better photos and more description.

**Madeleine Patisserie
128 W. 23rd Street
New York City

What was downtown is now uptown... namely me.

Yesterday I went to Teachers College (Columbia University) for some admitted students activities.  It ended up being a mixed day.  As someone who has already completed a graduate degree, the ins and outs of grad school are old hat to me by now.  However, it was great to meet some current students, hear an alumna speak, and spend some time on campus.

I had my camera with me but, unfortunately, since it was raining, the campus tours were canceled and there wasn't much of a point to walking around and taking pictures.  There's a full orientation day in September and I was told the campus tours will be done then.  One of them was a tour of Columbia's historic cultural sites; I am super excited for that one! (There's a statue of Alexander Hamilton that I haven't yet had a chance to go see!)

What struck me early in the day, though, was how this represents a shift and continuum in my life.  I used to take public transportation into the city and head downtown to NYU.  Instinctively, I almost headed for the downtown trains but caught myself and made sure I was going uptown (similarly, when heading home, I had to remind myself that Port Authority was now downtown of me, not uptown).  But NYU used to have a Morningside Heights campus and Teachers College had classroom space in the Village, so it really is like my NYC schooling is linked and circular.  (I'll add that I started kindergarten in the Bronx, so this really is like a move towards my past and a move to the future at the same time.)

The highlight of yesterday, though, was getting to meet the woman who helped create Blue's Clues and who has also worked on Oswald and Little Bill.  (She's a TC alum.)  All that history and talk of registration and student loans and nitty gritty and it comes down to a bunch of Noggin shows, which is fine by me.  Someday my nephew will be impressed that I met her.  For now I'm just happy to be a student again and on the road to what should be the last stretch of my formal education.