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I need to write about Tuesday before I forget! I was gonna throw in Wednesday for free, but that'll come later on.
I woke up Tuesday morning still feeling a little stiff and sore. I was slow getting up, and did a little research before I left for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sure enough I was able to find a bus that would dump me just a couple of blocks away. That was assuming I didn't miss the stop, but it was only a couple of blocks more when I did. It was sunny, but with all the tall buildings and the low winter Sun, that doesn't guarantee any light actually hitting you. It was also windy as all get-out, so I was frozen by the time I got there- and hungry, because I was in a hurry to leave and had no breakfast. But they had guys with carts, and I was able to fulfill my other requirement for a NYC visit, to eat a hot dog from a cart vendor. It wasn't all that good, but I was happy to have the experience nevertheless. I took a picture of it and the Met too.
I went in and decided after some thought to check my coat, which was a damn good thing. Sometimes it's not the cold so much as the changing from one extreme to the other that's kind of a bitch. The wing I started out next to happened to be the Egyptian, which was a stroke of luck- because that's my favorite. And they had an amazing amount of stuff too; some of it was just trays and trays of little amulets and scarabs. Then huge reconstructed temples. Statues and columns 20 feet tall, and wee little amazingly detailed carvings the size of a couple of peppercorns. But my fatigue from the former day caught up with me, and I had to take increasingly more frequent breaks. I wandered through European paintings and sculptures, and through Greek and Roman art. I actually like what the Europeans did with Greek and Roman mythology subjects a lot better than what the Greeks and Romans did. All the Greek and Roman stuff seemed to be "a standing naked guy with a beard" or slight variations. The European stuff was much more organic and sensual. There were some quite erotic pieces featuring Leda and the swan. Oh my!
That was pretty much all the energy I had to spend so I tried to find my way out. Exhaustion made me stupid, and I wandered around lost until I thought to ask someone for directions. I took a detour through modern art, which I guess I don't like very much at all, because there were only one or two pieces that did anything for me. In European art, I was amazed to have seem so many sculptures and paintings that I recognized. I took over 50 pictures, both of stuff that I thought other people might be interested in, and of stuff that moved me whether I'd seen it before or not. I stopped at the gift store on the way out and picked up a couple of books, a William the Egyptian hippo magnet, and a poster of a Japanese painting I hadn't gotten a chance to see- dark purple and blue irises on a gold background.
I wanted to try my luck at the Daily Show, but I wasn't sure I could bus/sub it over easily so I just took a cab. It was a bit after 3, and there were already people in line. I did not have a ticket for that show, but I thought I could possibly get in on my charm. There was a stand-by line way across the street, and I sat down and tried to recover some energy. The Sun was behind the buildings though and the ground was really cold. I don't know how those bums do it all day. I got up and trudged to a convenience store, bought a banana, some juice, and some Aleve and they were even kind enough to let me use their bathroom. I hear that's a rarity in NYC; Brö said I must've looked pretty pathetic. It was close to 4 and the line had wound around the front of the building 3 times; I was despairing of getting in on stand-by. An employee came out and started policing the line; I approached him and told him my sob story. He said he would talk to someone and see what he could do, but it wasn't looking good. I was about to trudge back when a woman approached me. She said she had gotten 4 tickets, but only one of her friends was able to make it, and she would let me in line with her and I could get in on her extra ticket. She was the first person in line in general admission!
I was suddenly very energized and thrilled and didn't mind standing out in the cold for another 45 minutes or so. We chatted; this lady was a performance artist and filmed stuff and she was extremely friendly and pleasant. She and I and her friend, and the folks behind us who were from Alabama, all chattered away while they let the VIP folks in. Finally we were let in. The studio was amazingly small- maybe 3-4 times the size of my living room. The part where they actually have the cameras and the set was probably the same size as my living room. I was on the end of a row of three seats to Jon's left. A warm-up guy came out to get us all pumped up. At one point he pointed at me and with a thick NY accent said "You! I like your energy!" I gave a "who me?" look, and he said "yeah, you with the crazy hair! You're my cheerleader!" So periodically he referred to me as Crazy Hair. He got on a lot of other people's asses and made fun of them. Very stereotypical mean NYer comedian. Still, I was psyched, and though we were told absolutely no electronic anything on, I snuck a couple of pictures, making sure I had the flash off and just holding the camera in my lap. So they're going to be all fucked up and not centered and such, but still- proof that I was there!
Jon came on and chatted with the crowd. He talked a little to the audience, and about his wife having the baby. He said "you know, I used to think 'I believe the children are our future' was a really trite song- but I know now that it's not. It's a warning!" He said he was exhausted and only got an hour of sleep the night before. But he looked great (if short) and did a great show. We were directed to cheer wildly at the start and at the commercial breaks, which we did. It was over all too soon, I gave the woman who gave me her ticket copious thanks (if only I remembered her name! I'm so bad with names!) and I was able to ride the adrenaline high long enough to stand outside and wait for a bus for 20 minutes without feeling the cold at all. I called Brö to squee, and got home in time for Gordon to take me to a nearby Chinese place.
It was very pleasant, though the food wasn't spectacular. But they did give us a wee little shotglass of lemon sorbet between the appetizer and the main meal, and hot towels that smelled like baby powder after. I still don't think that justified the $100+ tab, but Gordon was magnanimous. In fact, he bought me every dinner the whole time I was there. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I owe him big.
I woke up Tuesday morning still feeling a little stiff and sore. I was slow getting up, and did a little research before I left for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sure enough I was able to find a bus that would dump me just a couple of blocks away. That was assuming I didn't miss the stop, but it was only a couple of blocks more when I did. It was sunny, but with all the tall buildings and the low winter Sun, that doesn't guarantee any light actually hitting you. It was also windy as all get-out, so I was frozen by the time I got there- and hungry, because I was in a hurry to leave and had no breakfast. But they had guys with carts, and I was able to fulfill my other requirement for a NYC visit, to eat a hot dog from a cart vendor. It wasn't all that good, but I was happy to have the experience nevertheless. I took a picture of it and the Met too.
I went in and decided after some thought to check my coat, which was a damn good thing. Sometimes it's not the cold so much as the changing from one extreme to the other that's kind of a bitch. The wing I started out next to happened to be the Egyptian, which was a stroke of luck- because that's my favorite. And they had an amazing amount of stuff too; some of it was just trays and trays of little amulets and scarabs. Then huge reconstructed temples. Statues and columns 20 feet tall, and wee little amazingly detailed carvings the size of a couple of peppercorns. But my fatigue from the former day caught up with me, and I had to take increasingly more frequent breaks. I wandered through European paintings and sculptures, and through Greek and Roman art. I actually like what the Europeans did with Greek and Roman mythology subjects a lot better than what the Greeks and Romans did. All the Greek and Roman stuff seemed to be "a standing naked guy with a beard" or slight variations. The European stuff was much more organic and sensual. There were some quite erotic pieces featuring Leda and the swan. Oh my!
That was pretty much all the energy I had to spend so I tried to find my way out. Exhaustion made me stupid, and I wandered around lost until I thought to ask someone for directions. I took a detour through modern art, which I guess I don't like very much at all, because there were only one or two pieces that did anything for me. In European art, I was amazed to have seem so many sculptures and paintings that I recognized. I took over 50 pictures, both of stuff that I thought other people might be interested in, and of stuff that moved me whether I'd seen it before or not. I stopped at the gift store on the way out and picked up a couple of books, a William the Egyptian hippo magnet, and a poster of a Japanese painting I hadn't gotten a chance to see- dark purple and blue irises on a gold background.
I wanted to try my luck at the Daily Show, but I wasn't sure I could bus/sub it over easily so I just took a cab. It was a bit after 3, and there were already people in line. I did not have a ticket for that show, but I thought I could possibly get in on my charm. There was a stand-by line way across the street, and I sat down and tried to recover some energy. The Sun was behind the buildings though and the ground was really cold. I don't know how those bums do it all day. I got up and trudged to a convenience store, bought a banana, some juice, and some Aleve and they were even kind enough to let me use their bathroom. I hear that's a rarity in NYC; Brö said I must've looked pretty pathetic. It was close to 4 and the line had wound around the front of the building 3 times; I was despairing of getting in on stand-by. An employee came out and started policing the line; I approached him and told him my sob story. He said he would talk to someone and see what he could do, but it wasn't looking good. I was about to trudge back when a woman approached me. She said she had gotten 4 tickets, but only one of her friends was able to make it, and she would let me in line with her and I could get in on her extra ticket. She was the first person in line in general admission!
I was suddenly very energized and thrilled and didn't mind standing out in the cold for another 45 minutes or so. We chatted; this lady was a performance artist and filmed stuff and she was extremely friendly and pleasant. She and I and her friend, and the folks behind us who were from Alabama, all chattered away while they let the VIP folks in. Finally we were let in. The studio was amazingly small- maybe 3-4 times the size of my living room. The part where they actually have the cameras and the set was probably the same size as my living room. I was on the end of a row of three seats to Jon's left. A warm-up guy came out to get us all pumped up. At one point he pointed at me and with a thick NY accent said "You! I like your energy!" I gave a "who me?" look, and he said "yeah, you with the crazy hair! You're my cheerleader!" So periodically he referred to me as Crazy Hair. He got on a lot of other people's asses and made fun of them. Very stereotypical mean NYer comedian. Still, I was psyched, and though we were told absolutely no electronic anything on, I snuck a couple of pictures, making sure I had the flash off and just holding the camera in my lap. So they're going to be all fucked up and not centered and such, but still- proof that I was there!
Jon came on and chatted with the crowd. He talked a little to the audience, and about his wife having the baby. He said "you know, I used to think 'I believe the children are our future' was a really trite song- but I know now that it's not. It's a warning!" He said he was exhausted and only got an hour of sleep the night before. But he looked great (if short) and did a great show. We were directed to cheer wildly at the start and at the commercial breaks, which we did. It was over all too soon, I gave the woman who gave me her ticket copious thanks (if only I remembered her name! I'm so bad with names!) and I was able to ride the adrenaline high long enough to stand outside and wait for a bus for 20 minutes without feeling the cold at all. I called Brö to squee, and got home in time for Gordon to take me to a nearby Chinese place.
It was very pleasant, though the food wasn't spectacular. But they did give us a wee little shotglass of lemon sorbet between the appetizer and the main meal, and hot towels that smelled like baby powder after. I still don't think that justified the $100+ tab, but Gordon was magnanimous. In fact, he bought me every dinner the whole time I was there. This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and I owe him big.
