NYC: Adorned & Adored

I expected NYC to be adorned in glitter and classy decor thanks to all of the fun movies that have been filmed there during the holidays.  I wasn't disappointed!   

It's so easy to delight in the ambiance of the city, especially on a pretty and mild winter night.  Candy canes hang on eaves, wreaths adorn windows, snowflake lights glow above busy streets. O Come All Ye Faithful rings from a saxophone in Central Park.  Silver angels line the path to Rockefeller Plaza, ice skaters glide around merrily, and the sheer hugeness of the Christmas tree - green and unadorned at that point - brings an earthiness to the glitter.  The window displays on 5th Avenue are sheer glamour: each window its own fanciful little kingdom that I can admire from the sidewalk but never enter (and never comprehend).  Who am I to grasp NY fashion?  I have fun trying, though.  

'Teacher's Pet' window at Bergdorf Goodman. (credit: Ricky Zehavi/Bergdorf Goodman)

 That's all I have to say on NYC adorned.  As for adored, let me mention the cuisine. To begin with, there were two trips to Levain Bakery.  Please imagine the best chocolate chip cookie in the world, still warm, gooey but not too gooey, oh my goodness!  Worth the walk to 74th Street many times over.  

 At Josh M's recommendation, we dined on Japanese ramen at Totto on 52nd Street.  Getting a table took a little effort, as our first attempt was thwarted by a crowd that snaked down the sidewalk.  Next day we still waited a bit, but boy was it worth it, especially seeing the satisfied look in Josh D's eyes as he devoured the ramen with practiced skill.  And as we were eating, Ann Marie exclaimed that baby Jack was squirming around happily in her tummy. "He likes the food of his ancestors."

Another reason I adore NYC is the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  One evening Laureen and I walked across the park to the glorious glowing Met.  I adore this outing because with every visit I either see something new or I see a familiar artifact in a different way.  This time, it was the Joan of Arc painting by Jules Bastien-Lepage.  It hangs in a prominent place on the second floor hallway, and Joan looks real enough to walk right out of her vision and into the hall.  Perhaps it's lifelike art like this that inspired the writers of Night at the Museum.  


This doesn't do it justice - the colors are too dull here and her eyes don't look haunted enough - but you get the idea.

 A final highlight was attending an exquisite performance of the Messiah at the Lincoln Center. This was a treat that I especially adored because my dear friend Tim sang in the chorus!  It was a glorious ending to Thanksgiving weekend in NYC.