November 27, 2006 at 4:57 pm (Books, Brooklyn, Mexico)
Well, the time is getting close, and Barbara and I are excited. I‘ve taken your request for books to heart and you’ll get a bunch. You’ll have all of the ones I’ve been saving from my stash of recent readings, plus some of those you requested. I’m trying to complete my reading of a Karen Armstrong’s “Short History of Islam” and a history of “Greenwich Village from 1910 to 1960,” which is Hugh (600 pages) and interesting – John Reed, Mable Dodge, Gene O’Neill, the Provincetown Players, et al. I also went to the Strand twice and rummaged through their $1.00 book stacks, and got you a dozen more, a mixed bag of biographies, histories, etc. Susan on her recent Thanksgiving visit to New York contributed three of her cold war escapist trash, which she had read when she visited last, and I traded your paperback “D’Vinci Code” and “Angles and Demons” for three books from my building’s laundry room. There is also going to be an office used book sale to help defray the costs of the Christmas party with books running about $1.00, so I’ll see what I can pick up there. Thank goodness Barbara will be with me to help lug the stuff. Well have four suitcases, two of which will have your stuff on the way in, and all the loot we buy in Tonola on the way out.
We’re planning a day at Cosco for the coffee, cheese, ginger jam, lemon curd, and other sundries. So if you think of anything else, let me know. The early arrival is starting to worry Barbara, but I’m not concerned. She wanted to stay at the airport until the next day, but I don’t know that that’s feasible even. I just hope they have a regular taxi stand at the airport; it should be ok from there. The map I think is pretty easy to read. We should however have a backup plan in case I can’t find your house. Perhaps meet at a specific hotel lobby the next day if we don’t arrive as scheduled in the early morning hours on 12/23/06. I need to try that phone number of yours, which I will do this week. If anything comes up on the day of travel, I’ll email immediately, so keep checking it. Read the rest of this entry »
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November 19, 2006 at 4:54 pm (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Restaurants)
Great Weekend:
Had to do my workout T, W, Th and skip a day because we had Erica’s play on Friday: Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge.” Having just been to Red Hook the weekend before for my and Peter’s birthday dinner with a visit to the pier looking at the Statute of Liberty, Governor’s Island, Buttermilk Channel and the harbor, it was interesting to revisit the place theatrically.
I didn’t know it was all Sicilian in the 50s. Thought it would be much more Irish, but if you think about the Scottos and that longshoreman’s union you realize. I went with Maguy and Elizabeth; Audrey met us later for a drink, having seen it on Thursday and planning to take her father to Saturday’s matinee. Well, needless to say the kid was great, Brooklyn accent and all. So mature, but you know all of the kids were great, particularly the lead, an Italian kid from Staten Island.
Interesting observation: In the context of the stage, where their tiny, young bodies all dressed up in adult 40s and 50s clothes, where each could only be compared to the other, they looked like a cross section. Some imposing figures, strong, muscular, adult-like, others mature women and the smaller one’s kids. That disappeared however when they came out after the play in their street clothes. Short and childlike. What a transformation; couldn’t believe it. You would have loved it, with the whole political dimension: Kazan/Miller dilemma presented from Miller’s perspective, McCarthy, the rat, response to “On the Waterfront.” Just three words to describe it “Fab U Lous.” Read the rest of this entry »
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October 23, 2006 at 3:50 pm (Brooklyn)
I’ve looked at your detailed directions and compared it with the map:
piece of cake. An adventure; hopefully all will go easily. We’ll go via
Morales. Sorry about the late arrival, but it really was the only
sensible way.
I saw Barbara yesterday; we went to a funeral of a family friend. A
50-year old woman died from a diabetic coma. Blood sugar went so low
that she passed out. Too sad.
Afterwards we went out to eat. Audrey had mentioned a restaurant in Red
Hook to which Peter (of course) had introduced her. Red Hook is
becoming quite the place (not only projects you know). So we went
looking, but couldn’t find anything that looked like a fashionable
restaurant. A cell phone call to Audrey did no good – not home, we
thought. In any event, they have opened up a Fairways (a gourmet
grocery) at the end of the peninsula, so we thought we’d drive by that.
You know there’s an incredible vista of the Statute of Liberty from this
vantage. Have you ever seen it? She looks directly at this point of
Brooklyn.
When we passed the Fairway, we happened on an art show, which they
apparently do three times a year for local artist – only $4.00 to get
in. They were using those old civil war-like storage piers, which the
Hugh black iron shutters, so we spent the afternoon looking at art,
building up an appetite. Nice show, I would have bought something, but
I am saving my money for Zacatecas. I’d like to go back to the gallery
and get another piece there. Read the rest of this entry »
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