I went into Manhattan yesterday to see art and visit friends. To my surprise, it was St. Patrick’s Day in the City. Lots of people dressed in green—green hats, green hair, green paint on their faces—and a big parade up Fifth Avenue from morning to evening.
I maneuvered through the crowds, to go first to the Museum of Modern Art—closed: Tuesday. So I went to some galleries along 57th Street. Not much too exciting there. A fairly decent Robert Mangold exhibit at the Pace. Mostly work on paper and not as appealing to me as his canvases. Then I met my friend Zoe at the Art Students’ League where she is currently enrolled. It was a fascinating place, students of all ages, mostly older, coming and going. People who at a certain age realized what they really wanted to do was make art and so they are.
Then Zoe and I went for lunch at a great noodle restaurant, a little hole-in-the-wall place with fantastic food. From there we walked to the Whitney Museum to see the Jenny Holzer exhibit—the museum was closed: Tuesday. We walked from there to the Metropolitan Museum and did get in.
After parting with Zoe, I went down to Soho to spend the evening with my friends Leah and Pedro who live in the loft building where I used to live. It was great to catch up. Pedro had spent three months in Venice this winter, Leah with him for one of them. Lots of stories to tell, to hear, talked till my jaw hurt.
Back home now with Tamar and Damian enjoying the quiet. Manhattan is a country of its own—loud, fast, exciting and tiring. As much as I love New York, being here, seeing all the art and culture and my friends and family, I appreciate my life in Nova Scotia.