in which we travel to New Yawk city...

Me and the wife went to New York city Saturday. We were on a mission to see THE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS for Curious George. I know, you would too. We got off our bus by the New York Public library on 42nd and went to get the subway at Grand Central.
The only thing difficult about going to New York city, 200 some miles from us, is on the bus? The LOUDEST most boring person you have ever listened to. You really wanted to turn around and SMACK her after the 20 minute story about the coleslaw her friend had Friday night...blahblahblah..the other difficult thing about New York is driving through crappy New Jersey. But we were on a bus, so ofor us it was easy peasy.
Both of our families are from New York city and me and the missus have both lived there and 2 of her sisters still do. We are nearly natives.
Compared to when we were younger? NY is this safe and fun playground now, full of young hipsters in their summer fashions pushing little baby strollers down the street and walking tiny little dogs.

I had wanted to eat at Pommes Frites for years and finally got there. East Village: ONLY serving handmade fries. We sat out front and watched the hipsters and their dogs and babies.

The wife likes this rare and expensive lipstick from Chantecaille. I know, who is Chantecaille? We bought some fab plum colored stuff in Soho.
I know very little about Judaism, but Saturday is their Sabbath, and the Jewish museum IS open Saturday BUT the excellent store is closed....and the museum is FREE. 12 bucks each usually. We had traveled all this way NOT JUST FOR FRIES but mostly to see the original drawings and paintings of Curious George (and other Rey books) at the Jewish Museum at 92nd st. I felt like I HAD DIED AND GONE to heaven I love George so much, and here were the notes, the sketches, the whole thing.....
I had read about a new vegan bakery called Babycakes NY city. No dairy, no eggs, holy CATS rich and delish----it is in Nolita. If you know New York, you are realizing we covered a LOT of ground Saturday---even taking the subway, we walked (according to our pedometers) 11 and a half miles.
I would walk 11 and a half miles again for this cookie and icing sandwich.....a darling place....
The wife's sister Emily lives upper east side not far from the George exhibit. Every time we visit we go to her corner bar, Ship of Fools, which is just as filthy and friendly as it ever was....


My grandparents and father grew up in NY city. My grandpa Rith met my grandmother in this library on East 79th st, a couple of blocks from where they all lived for decades. AT THE EXACT same time and 5 blocks north on Park Ave, my wife's grandparents were raising my wife's mother and aunt. My father and my mother-in-law grew up a few blocks from each other and went to some of the same stores, schools and parks growing up in the 30s and 40s, but did not meet until we got married in the 90s. Small world eh? Both of my wife's sisters, having grown up in Kansas City, have lived in this same neighborhood since college.

Botero cat sculpture. It is so cute, in front of these apartments...
We also wanted to visit Greenwich House pottery in the west village. I had not been before. Omigod, it is a TEMPLE of handmade pottery I loved it so much....they have a group exhibit going on.....YES, the wife is in the mirror :)
In 1985 I had a job in NY and lived and worked at 101 Wooster St in Soho. Then it really WAS all artists and galleries. Soho is now, in parts, a fancy mall with a few galleries. I had looked it up before we left, and we wanted to visit Patagonia, which has taken over the ground floor of 101 Wooster! Wild coincidence, eh? I was on the 7th floor, worked on the 4th floor.

groovy sidewalk drawing copied from Picasso, near the Carlyle Hotel
Babycakes!

Ever hear of the movie CROSSING DELANCEY? The wife snapped my pic as we crossed Delancey.

Sunday my best pals Kerry and Brett came over for beers and pottery with Georges Le Soq and using the plate and bowl for chip and dip made by my pal Becky Jo.