Uptown Girl

After a quick breakfast at Eisenberg’s, the deli Holly introduced me to last year, I walked up to the New York Public Library, where I worked for a few hours before the air-conditioning got the better of me. Next to the Museum of Modern Art up on 53rd Street is the Museum of American Folk Art. I saw they were having an exhibition on Henry Darger, whose work I first came across at the Art Brut museum in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2001. There’s an amazing story surrounding him and his work. This museum now has a Henry Darger Study Centre, and his reputation seems to be getting bigger all the time. I had lunch (vegie burger) in the café there. Walked up to 59th Street where I took the subway up to 96th Street, the stop nearest the apartment that I stayed in last year and where I’m staying again from September. I called in to see the new Whole Foods place that opened one block from me just after I left. It’s two huge floors of health foods, organic produce and every conceivable gourmet food item. I bought a good Australian red wine for Fran, who is the owner of the apartment. I thought I’d be too late to catch Eugene, one of the doormen I got to know and like last year. Amazingly, he was just leaving as I walked in and I got a huge hug and a kiss. The girls I run with have heard all about Eugene. No one else has ever made “Good morning, Robyn” sound quite the way Eugene does. I wasn’t at all surprised when Fran told me some months ago that he was voted Best Doorman on the Upper West Side last year. We talked, I gave him my card, and he gave me another hug and kiss. It was excellent to meet Fran finally. She and her husband live in New York during the winter and in Lausanne the rest of the year. We had coffee and she showed me how to user the dishwasher without flooding the kitchen, which is what happened the only time I used it last year. If I get a chance I’ll take some things back to the apartment to store in the closet for later in the year. And maybe I’ll see Eugene again ☺. I took the subway back downtown and went over to the Chelsea Market for some gelato, then walked back up 8th Avenue through the Saturday street market. Early to bed tonight.

Photo by Andrew Prokos Photography: http://andrewprokos.com/photo/nyc-public-library-reading-room/