I went to NYC today to see The Gates. Me and the folks took the train into Penn Station and walked up to Central Park (loooong walk, people). And if you know my family, you know this is rare; we never, and I mean never, are spontaneous. But this past Friday, I came home and said "Mom, I wanna go to Central Park and see the Gates before they are gone." and she said ok. So we went and saw them. It was amazing.
The Gates was unlike anything I've ever seen before in my life. The way Christo and Jeanne-Claude took Central Park and transformed it was astounding; the park was alive, festive, whimsical, and profound like never before, and in the dead of winter too. It was so surreal, and every step you took, the artwork showed itself in a new light. There were countless variables which made this artwork unique; as you walked, the art changed. The different changes in degree and direction of wind, the angle and brightness of the sun, and vantage point all created an infinite amount of beautiful moments, all collected and constructed in Central Park. The artwork was constantly changing, yet still remained, quintessentially, the same Gates. To be a part of that was amazing. Thank you Christo and Jeanne-Claude; you changed Manhattan, and me, forever.
Whilst me and the family were in NYC, we, of course, needed to eat something. Being the annoying vegan I am, I requested we eat somewhere where I could actually eat something more substantial than a bowl of lettuce. So we searched and searched; there were tons of pure vegan places, but unfortunately the sister and mother are not too keen about eating grilled tofu sandwiches...so we eventually found this place, Josie's, which was an organic place with vegan options. As we looked into it, we realized that the owner, Louis Lanza, was one of my dad's best friends when he was growing up, and a really close family friend, who they hadn't seen in nealry 20 years. Unfortunately, he wasn't there today, but we did recover the book he signed and gave to my dad 20 years ago..."Totally Dairy-Free Cooking." =D The food at Josie's was astounding, and the ambiance was insane. It definitely provoked me to seriously consider my dream of opening a vegan joint in upper-end Manhattan.
Oh, and by the way, why is it that when you want a good cup of coffee, the only thing around is Starbucks? I counted over one dozen Starbucks while I walked down just 8th Avenue. There are over 169 within any 5-mile radius within New York City. That. is. disgusting. Oh, and how 'bout that new drink of theirs, Chantico? You know, the chocolate confection-drink that has more calories in a 6 oz. glass than you can shake a stick at, whatever that means. And how about that dumb advertisement?
