Captions: Irony. Where would you find the most peeling paint in all of Brooklyn? Why, at the painting facility where they store the paint. Guess who has a new camera? What a horse (and look who’s riding in the background). Fantastic detailed restoration. The Manhattan Bridge.
One of the jobs that were sandwiched in between Arizona and New York was for the Arts Business Education Consortium. Joyce Robinson, one of the founding members and head of the Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation after an earlier career in art education is the point source for the program that Malcolm McCollum and I put together for the annual luncheon, the only visible production of the ABE. The Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation supports young artists and is based in Colorado Springs and New York City. Their main office was in Trebeca before 9/11, but has now moved into new digs in DUMBO which stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. DUMBO was a decaying warehouse district in Brooklyn before the artists moved in. Like lots of other places, DUMBO is now very trendy and ‘the place to be’.
While working on the ABE Program, Joyce and I talked about DUMBO, and she persuaded us to visit the carousel. She described how the wife of a VERY wealthy couple in New York found this old beat up carousel in Ohio, was going to buy a couple of horses but ended buying the whole shebang, bringing it to Brooklyn, building a spit of land out into the East River and restoring this gorgeous piece of history inside a glass box the size of a small Safeway. http://janescarousel.com/
It is beautiful; it is significant. Go to DUMBO and check it out for yourself.
After our morning at the carousel, we tried to eat at Bubbies, but the waiting list was too long, so we went to Miso’s across the street for some great sushi and tempura followed by some great coffee at Starbucks to wash the taste of tea out of one of our mouths.
All of DUMBO seemed to be part of a movie set today. Everywhere we walked, we were halted or redirected over lighting equipment and scenic displays. We learned this is not all that unusual. Wonder what movie they were shooting?
In the late afternoon we made it to Meredith’s jeweler to see the sketches and partial design of her new wedding ring. We loved the place and the jeweler, Bill, in SoHo and the newly adopted dog, A.J. named for Annie and Joe. Bill showed us his tramp art frames collected from all over the world and the repurposed art throughout the shop.
By the time we were finished with the jeweler, one of us was in serious need of a bathroom break and after too much walking we found a Bloomingdales that fit the need perfectly. I thought I might pick up a few shirts while I was there owing to my good fortune at Macy’s. Yikes!! A crummy used looking T-shirt was $300!!! We beat a hasty retreat and thanked them for the use of the facilities.
We walked and cabbed to El Toro, the home of the best burritos in New York. We picked up four to go and headed for the PATH (along with about a million other folks).
We ate with Richard about 10 p.m. which has become the norm. We are adjusting. Normal is normal.