My good pal Cheline is in town from Austin for business and I met up for a West Village /Chelsea adventure.  After all these years we still never run out of inanity to say to each to other. THAT, my friends is a relationship.   What a great day.

We brunched at Cafe Cluny on West 4th and had great coffee and food. Cheline even walked out with their homemade granola. (This time she paid for it.)

We walked on the Highline and dropped down into Chelsea to see the Andy Goldsworthy show at the
Gallerie Lelong.

It was a quick duck into the space age Comme des Garçons store on W. 22nd to apply unisex cologne before walking to The Frying Pan on the Hudson.  This is a GREAT place for drinks and burgers on a glorious day in NYC.  

We then had a wonderful lunch at The Park on 10th Avenue.  Another place I had never been to and suggested by an out of towner and I loved it.  Such a lovely setting and good prices. We even had wonderful service. The pancakes looked good, but I had the tuna niçoise instead!  Yay, me! But they do give you a complementary loaf of banana bread with butter. I had some.

Then a stroll through the Chelsea Market which I love more and more.   Now that I have stopped comparing it to the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco. (Nothing beats it.)


We passed by Frank Gehry's place and some other architectural wonderments.

Afterward, coffee at the Jane Hotel where the Titanic Survivors stayed...

We then met Sean and Skipper along the river walk and walked home. 

Another perfect day in New York City.  Gosh, I love it here...

High Line/Kick Line

My sis Eileen came to town and we are the two that love to do all sorts of things when we get together. The weather prevented us from a lot, but we still managed the Highline and then took a matinee in a the Joyce to see the Pacific Northwest Ballet.  



We got  "cheap and speedy" seats and delighted in being in this shared experience with each other and the audience.  It is always collective good fun to go to a public venue to see a performance I think. (I swear I saw Natalie Portman there. )



I think we are both dancers at heart and seeing these physically fit bodies whirling on stage was both depressing and suicide-inducing.  I mean both inspiring and exhilarating.

The Highline en Hiver

4 Scottish Lassies

My cousin Bren, well my mum's first cousin's ex-wife's sister, but I feel so much closer than that, came to New York with 3 other retired school teachers from Scotland. We got to spend the whole day together tripping around the Big Apple.

I lived in Scotland for 3 years and Bren's sister, my "aunt" Maureen, put me up and was SO good to me. I always felt really close to the family and it was great to have Bren come here. (Maureen will only get on a plane for my ordination, she tells me knowingly!)


I like this shot. So rural, yet urban! Love every second of the Highline!

Margarite, me, Margaret, Bren and Maureen after a screening of "Where the Wild Things Are."

The rooftop at the Metropolitan Museum. You simply must get there!

Amy and Clint on the Highline.

The Highline in Manhattan never ceases to bring me joy, day or night. And to share it with friends is even better. Urban gardens remind me at the very basic level that we are all trying to have some bit of happiness in this crazy world!


Okay from this angle it looks like Amy and Clint are sitting in front of weeds, but check out the website and you will see.

Now my neighbors take off for Delaware. It was SO great having your "just around the corner."

See you Monday...

The Highline Chanteuse - The Renegade Cabaret

Sue and I took a stroll on the Highline this evening - this amazingly repurposed stretch of out of use elevated railway converted into parkland and promenade. I love this place and it was an amazing evening. We ended (where the highline presently ends until extended) at 20th Street in front of the apartment building where the laundry hangs. This time the laundry looked staged to me like Caffe Venezia in Berkeley, CA where the laundry hangs with a New Orleans Square, Disneyland flair.

Sue explained to me that there is a singer who appears from this fire escape and sings to the strollers on the High Line. I imaged her appearance timed on the quarter hour and popping out on the fire escape and moving to the music like a figurine inside a German clock.


We saw a woman inside the apartment and coaxed her out to get her to sing for us. (Sue's idea) and it turns out she is the manager and the "lady in the green dress will be performing at 9pm." By this time a crowd had gathered at Sue's creation - a host of us were informed when to come back and what restaurant to eat at meanwhile. (La Lunchonette)

Turns out the New York Times has covered this. And there is a Facebook page. And, silly me, its own website. It is called The Renegade Cabaret.

With my interests in digital and social media I am very impressed by the use of new technology to promote this grassroots art project. For me it possesses a "why didn't think of that?" ring to the whole thing, but then I don't have a fire escape overlooking a converted elevated railway or a voice for that matter, but I am reminded that I live in New York City where stuff like this is born and I can have my own renegade moment once I come up with it OR is comes up to me.

Now that I have joined their Facebook page I will be notified when to come back to see her show.

Out on The Frying Pan

Jerry is just back from touring all over Australia. In a week's turnaround time he takes off to do volunteer work in Tanzania. Lisa wanted to have a drinks get together during his "New York window" and I suggested this place I had passed by on one of my "walkabouts" up the Hudson River walkway.

It is called "The Frying Pan" after the historic lightship this bar/restaurant occupies at the end of an old railroad loading dock. Like the Highline, it is an amazing 're-purpose" achievement that New York City seems to be so good at. And what a good place it turned out to be.

There are loads of places all over this bobbing barge to sit with friends and have a drink and a burger. It isn't a scene in a way that anyone would feel unwelcome. It just a nice way for the "po folk" who don't have a home in the Hamptons to enjoy some summer on the water!




Surprisingly there is a lot of square footage in this place and I had walked around looking for my party and finally had to call Jerry on his cell. In the meantime I crashed into my wonderful friend and fellow California ex-pat, Josie having beers with pals. Great to see her as always.



Aha! There we are. It was a great time hanging out and hearing Jerry's tales of Aussie life and about his plans for Africa. We worked together and as I scrape to find a new gig, he is in a different place and is taking this time off. He seems so entirely happy. And today it was infectious.

Ryan in this photo is an art director and I "hired" him for this group shot. He told me when the lighting was good. I was the producer of the shoot and booked the woman at the next table who was a photographer. She stood on a chair and took this photo of our maritime good time.

Jerry is really a good guy and I am so happy I met him in Utah and got to work with him in New York and that we have gotten to be friends. He is also an excellent Facebook chronicler of his travels which is always appreciated by those of us at home.

Jerry with my friend Jennifer, fellow UWS denizen and appreciated Manhatin reader! We had a good yak on the 1 subway back to the 80's after our boat ride today.