foxy

The new Frank Gehry building is pretty spectacular. Unfortunately I will miss the big Mark Rothko retrospective opening in a few days. I especially liked the cascade fountain thinking how much fun it would be to play in on a hot day. IMG_4760.mov

The military cemetery, Omaha Beach and the museum. A difficult and important day.

Despite its name it’s not actually a tapestry but an embroidered piece of cloth 230 feet long and dates back to the 11th century. It tells the story of William, Duke of Normandy who became King of England after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It contains 58 scenes, 626 characters and 202 horses. It is, in one word, magnificent. You see it in one piece, dimly lit with a recording that explains it scene by scene, the original can not be photographed as the light would damage it. These photos are of a reproduction and from a 16 minute film. The town of Bayeux is worth a visit. It was not bombed during the war so many of its old buildings are intact.

Today I visited Monet’s garden. To see the water lilies is almost a religious experience.

So I guess some might consider this too much jewelry

I live fairly close to the Cloisters, go often and have been a member of the Met for many years. I go to the Cloisters when I want the feeling of being in Europe but don’t want to get on a plane. I love the Cloisters. In a few weeks I’ll be in Angers and look forward to seeing the Apocalypse Tapestries again. They are spectacular.

I wear an 18kt gold snake chain. It’s very subtle. On it is an 18kt gold pendant, about the size of a dime that contains the ashes of my late husband. So he’s always with me.

Housing one of the world's finest collections of French medieval art, the highlight for me is the gorgeous Lady and Unicorn tapestries.

I didn’t know that. Thanks. if anyone is interested the movie is available for free on Max. On Amazon Prime you can rent it for $3.99. Certainly a lot cheaper than my $149 theater seat.

Why was the Florida production infamous?

Seymour was played by Lee Wilkof in the first production I saw. Rick Moranis played Seymour in the movie which I’m sure I’ve seen but but haven’t for a long time. They made changes in the movie. Ellen Greene was Audrey again. I have to look for the movie and have another look.

Have you ever decided it was too hot to cook and just ordered a pizza? Have you ever thought about the person making that pizza in a hot kitchen? Have you ever thought about how much sweat was dripped onto that pizza? I suppose the hot ovens cooked it all off. But still….. Sometimes it’s best not to think about what goes on in kitchens, at home or in restaurants.

This was Hunter Foster in 2003 when I saw him in the show. At the time, after the performance Hunter was posing for photos with Kerry Butler who was Audrey For a $20 donation for Broadway Cares you could be in the photo with them. So I did it. I’ve cut myself out of the photo but just before the picture was taken I slipped my hand around Hunter’s back. That was worth $20.

This afternoon I saw Little Shop of Horrors. It’s a show I really like. I saw the first production in the East Village in 1982 with the great Ellen Greene playing Audrey. After that I saw it in 2003 with Hunter Foster. Unfortunately I missed the Encores production with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2015 but saw Jonathan Groff in 2019. Today was Jeremy Jordan playing Seymour. Interesting all these handsome guys playing a nebbish. It’s a small theater and I was in second row orchestra center with no one in front of me. I was about 8 feet from the edge of the stage. At the end when the plant Audrey leaps forward into the audience I almost got eaten.

Check your politics at the door, put on your disco shoes and a pair of ear plugs. Now you’re ready for the David Byrne, Fatboy Slim production of Here Lies Love. It’s the musical about the life of Imelda Marcos all done to a disco beat. It has the distinction of being the first Broadway show with an all Filipino cast. Lots of talent in this show.

I’ve never been a fan of candid camera type shows. I’ve always thought them sort of cruel taking advantage of people’s gullibility. But this show now streaming on Amazon turned out to be very different. The premise was that it was supposed to be a documentary being filmed about the behind the scenes of an actual jury process in a real trial but it was actually all fake with actors except for one unsuspecting person. That person turned out to be one Ronald Gladden who turns out to a “hero”. He’s sweet and charming and really quite attractive and his interactions with all the characters shows what a nice guy he turns out to be. Also fun that the very attractive James Marsden plays himself as an over the top version of himself. I watched all episodes in one evening as I wanted to see how it played out. I liked it a lot. James Marsden on the left, Ronald Gladden on the right James Marsden in his bathing suit which has nothing to do with the show . I just like the way he looks.

I’m totally in agreement in adding National Parks to the Museum forum. I’m also a big fan, have visited several and plan to go to more in the future. I also have a lifetime pass which is a major bargain.

The new science wing at the American Museum of Natural History is quite impressive. Like walking around the huge set of a science fiction movie. Many exhibits to keep you interested and entertained for days.

A comic genius. So very sad.

I didn’t make it to any gay bars in Nice but I did see Chagall’s grave in St Paul de Vence.

I liked both of these shows and I’m sad they are closing. I can’t understand why they didn’t find an audience.

I’ve been sailing around the Mediterranean for the last few weeks. Yesterday my little ship docked in Nice. It’s been quite hot and sunny so I decided to spend the afternoon at the Matisse and Chagall Museums which are close to each other and air conditioned. Both were worth a visit and highly recommended.

Several days ago I was walking up Fifth Avenue and found myself in front of Tiffany’s. On a whim I thought I’d have a look at the new design. I just barely got inside and a young woman all smiles welcomed me to the store. She asked if there was anything she could help me with and I said I just came in to look around. She stepped aside and wished me a good day. I continued walking through the store, took the elevator up to the 5th floor and looked around each floor taking the stairs down to the first floor. Every employee I passed smiled, welcomed me and let me know they were there if I wanted any assistance. Not pushy at all, just extremely pleasant. This continued the whole time I was in the store until I left with big smiles from the doorman. It was like they were all on some kind of happy drug. It was kind of funny. Like every employee was given a mandate to treat every potential customer like they were some billionaire. I have to admit it was rather nice.

How I remember the beach

Having read through all these posts, the thing that I don’t believe anyone has mentioned is the beach. Perhaps I’m prejudiced but Long Island has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Fire island is car free except for police and emergency vehicles. Over the years I’ve walked all of Fire Island. Once passed the communities you often find deserted beaches even in high season. You might occasionally see a jogger but often have the beach to yourself. As for the drug fueled orgies, I suppose that’s true but that doesn’t mean you have to take part. It’s been several years but I’d rent a house with a few good friends and have a great relaxing vacation. My pattern was to be up at dawn with a cup of coffee and go for a walk. My friends and I were often in bed before midnight after cooking a great meal at home. No clubs or overpriced restaurants. No drugs, no orgies, no real interest in the boys except to look. We were all couples so sex with our husbands was all we wanted. Most days spent sitting on the deck of the house with a book and maybe a cocktail. It was quite blissful.