Manhattan Moments: Music & Food

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A grand tree in Manhattan

SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES: LOOKING BACK AND FORWARD

Playing and Singing

One of the joys of being grandparents is hearing your granddaughters perform in school assemblies.  Last week, we attended the winter assemblies for both the lower school and middle school classes.  Our older granddaughter is the lone French horn in the middle school orchestra, and it was a pleasure to hear her in a complex piece called Christmas Troika (Sleigh Ride.) She and her classmates also sang carols and popular works such as “Masters in This Hall” and “Let It Snow.” 

The lower school assembly on the following day featured 3rd graders in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” a Hebrew song, and a hilarious rendition of “The Queen of the Night Gets a Cold.”  Adding to the fun is the participation of the Men’s Chorus, fathers of the Brearley girls, in both programs.  After one rehearsal on the day of the event, they join in on some pieces and produced a rollicking “When I’m 64.” 

After, as we awaited our family in the school lobby, we saw and heard Bill Clinton (his granddaughter is a student) getting ready to leave. I was a bit tempted to approach him, but he was already in conversation with someone else. His voice was a bit raspy, but otherwise he looked good.  (This was just before his short stay in the hospital with the flu.)

Girls and Women

The Chief Penguin and I continue to be impressed with the excellent education offered in this all-girls school.  I confess to being initially neutral to skeptical about single sex education in general.  In this environment, I see “our girls” being empowered to order their lives, challenge themselves, and lead with kindness. I almost want to return to school and wish that my school experience had been as stimulating as this one.

In reflecting on the professional roles women have carved out in the past 50 years, I keenly recall when the birth control pill became widely available and when abortion became legal.  And that day when I, well educated and working full time as an academic librarian, could finally get a credit card in my own name without my husband’s signature or financial backing.  Memorable! I promptly signed up for a Macy’s card that was just mine. 

I worry and am concerned that with the incoming administration, people like J.D. Vance and his cronies will try to send women back to the kitchen and the nursery.  I hope I’m proven wrong and that the current opportunities and progress made for women of all ages and interests will endure and be available to today’s girls as they become the women of tomorrow.

DINING AROUND

As usual, the Chief Penguin and I have dined at several of our favorite restaurants this visit including tasty upscale Italian fare at Barbaresco, Canyon Road with classic Margaritas and zippy guacamole, Wa Jeal for a bit of Sichuan cuisine, and consistently good, large portioned, red gravy plus at Tony’s Di Napoli.  We also tried two unfamiliar places and re-visited a lunch place for dinner.

Lungi (1st Avenue & 63rd St.)

The formerly named Imli, which we enjoyed in the past, has rebranded itself as Lungi, and the menu now focuses on South Indian and Sri Lankan dishes.  We and our son and family all had lunch here, and it was delicious.  We opted for a bunch of small plates which included paneer with peppers, tiger shrimp with black pepper, chunks of beef with coconut and spices, and crispy chicken with chili.  We followed those tasty dishes with some filled dosas and two kinds of biryani.  We had plenty to eat.  The Chief Penguin and I vowed to return to try the curries.

Monsieur Bistro (Lexington St., Upper East Side)

For many years, our first dinner upon arrival in New York was at Sel et Poivre.  It was cozy and welcoming, we knew some of the waitstaff, and we had favorites on the menu.  Unfortunately, the menu stagnated, and the restaurant began to feel tired. It closed earlier this year and, under new ownership and some spiffing up of the décor, is now Monsieur Bistro. 

We ate here twice this visit.  The first meal was mixed in terms of what we liked and what we did not care for.   A more recent dinner was particularly good; lamb parmentier for me which was comfort food for a chilly night and a Brussels sprouts salad with a side of smoked salmon for the CP.   We will dine here again on our next visit.

Serafina 79 (Madison Ave., Upper East Side)

Serafina is an extremely popular place and at lunch apt to be crowded with students and their families, especially on days off.  We had eaten here several times, but never for dinner.  The menu includes a wide selection of pizzas, salads, and pasta dishes.  We brought our granddaughters here one night when their parents went out. 

The girls shared a pepperoni pizza while I tried the chicken paillard with arugula, and the CP had porcini ravioli.  The ravioli are made there and were so wonderful he could not stop raving about them!  Serafina has multiple branches across Manhattan, and we’re sure to return for more ravioli.

The most unusual store facade I saw this year!

Note: Header photo of Rockefeller Center tree and other photos by JWFarrington.

Manhattan: Food, Art, & Drama

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SPLURGE-WORTHY DINING

The Modern

In a delayed celebration of our anniversary, we dined at The Modern, the restaurant next to the Museum of Modern Art.  With a table by the window, we looked out at MoMA’s sculpture garden and December’s bare trees. Lunch was a three-course prix fixe. Everything was beautifully plated and delicious.  I opted for the cold lobster salad with citrus and burrata followed by sea bass with some agnolotti and then a cheese course. 

Lobster salad
Roast chicken & sweet potato cake

The Chief Penguin had hamachi over basil to start and then roast chicken on a sweet potato cake followed an elegant lime parfait.  Service was impeccable, and we enjoyed chatting with our young waitress.  This is a wonderful venue for special occasions!

MATISSE AND MORE

Hanging Out at MoMA

The other morning, we walked down to W. 53rd Street and spent a most pleasant hour exploring several exhibits.  We headed first to the 3rd floor for a look at Matisse’s Cut-Outs: A Celebration, works from late in his career.  These paper cutouts are amazing.  His paper “stained glass” window, Christmas Eve (Nuit de Noel) has vibrant colors, but the glass version he had crafted is most impressive and so luminous. 

Christmas Eve, Matisse, in glass

Also of note are the figures he did for his swimming pool.  Rather than add a swimming pool to his home, he created blue leggy figures and adhered them to a band of paper around the perimeter of his dining room.  The overall effect was feeling like being in the water.

The Swimming Pool, Matisse, 1962
Rothko, No. 16, 1958 (Black, Red, Brown)

Leaving Matisse behind, we looked at some works from the permanent collection from around the world.  I was struck by the muted intensity of Mark Rothko’s No. 16 (Red, Brown, and Black) and by the mysterious figures underlying Blue Composition, c.1966-68, by Ethiopian artist Alexander “Skunder” Boghossian.  There appears to be both a horse and the snout of an alligator or crocodile. 

Detail, Blue Composition
Detail, No Shade but His Shade

And No Shade but His Shade by Sudanese artist Ibrahim El-Salahi is a compelling work all in browns including a man’s head with a bird perched on his scalp.

LIVE DRAMA

Left on Tenth (James Earl Jones Theatre)

I read Delia Ephron’s memoir, Left on Tenth, when it came out and was pleased when I saw that she was writing a script and working with Good Wife TV star Julianna Margulies.  The Chief Penguin and I went to the play and enjoyed it immensely.  The cast is small, just four people; Margulies and Peter Gallagher as the leads, two others who play cameo parts, and two dogs.  It is a story of newfound love, but it’s also about serious illness, specifically leukemia.  (A variety of that same disease took the life of Delia’s sister Nora.)

While one might expect this to be a depressing drama, it is not.  Yes, there are sad and tense moments, but there is joy and lightness.  The staging consists of a simple set, minor costume changes, and creative lighting and projection to change the mood or the season.  Margulies carries the work, projecting a full range of emotions, while Peter Francis James in brief roles as a friend, a gruff doctor, and a waiter adds a bit of humor and dance. 

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo of trees for sale along 3rd Avenue.

Chilly Manhattan: Diversions

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BEARING THE COLD

Our first several days here in the Big Apple have been cold, cold with highs of just over 30 degrees and the occasional gust of wind.  Not days for long walks, so we tend to hibernate and catch up on reading or watch promising new films or the latest seasons of favorite drama series. Here are my thoughts on a new film and a nonfiction tome about the brain.

NEW MOVIE:  POMP AND POLITICS VATICAN STYLE

Conclave (Apple TV+)

Based on a novel by Robert Harris (author of Pompeii), Conclave is the story of choosing a new pope.  It is a deliberate, secretive process, often rife with tension, competing priorities, and wildly divergent candidates.  As dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence manages the selection process.  As played by Ralph Fiennes, Lawrence is thoughtful, concerned with doing it the right way, and sometimes conflicted about his role and his own desires. 

His closest colleague and friend is Aldo Bellini, wonderfully played by Stanley Tucci.  Bellini receives some votes on the early ballots, but not as many as far-right outlier Tedesco or the disgraced Cardinal Tremblay (John Lithgow).  As the voting drags on, secrets and intrigue simmer in the background.

The initial pacing is slow with strong visuals of the cardinals all in red—-assembling, robing, or just listening to the dean.  A scene where they all carry white umbrellas is especially striking.  The viewer may think she has it all figured out, but there is an unexpected twist at the end.  We found it fascinating viewing.  Recommended!

Note: You can rent or buy this film without being an Apple TV subscriber for about the price of two movie tickets.

WHAT I’M READING

Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery by Theodore H. Schwartz

A talented and creative neurosurgeon, Theodore Schwartz has spent most of his career at Cornell’s medical school and hospital in New York.  His book, Gray Matters, takes up a daunting, but fascinating topic for the lay reader.  It’s a text on the anatomy of the brain; accounts of the injuries and brain surgeries of famous individuals from Abraham Lincoln to Natasha Richardson, Robert F. Kennedy, and JFK; a discussion of sports injuries and CTE; and a thorough explanation of those deadly glioblastomas. Along the way, he provides personal history of how he got from aspiring to be a musician to becoming a brain surgeon.

His writing is both accessible and engaging, and he uses good analogies to help his readers picture the distinct parts of the brain.   While not everyone will be interested in this level of detail about brain injuries, it is comprehensive and informative.  Reading it, I hope never to hit my head hard on anything—pavement or other!  Recommended!  (~JWFarrington)

HOLIDAY CHEER

Since we haven’t yet been down to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, here are two trees from the streets of downtown Cary. Plus penguins!

Racing flag tree
Sugar candy tree up close
Christmas penguins

Note: All photos by JWFarrington (some rights reserved.). Header photo is Santa’s reindeer in Cary, NC.

Carolina Visions: Christmas Cheer

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‘Tis the Season

Thanksgiving Day was very late this year, so it seems like Christmas follows hard on its heels. And is almost here! Decorations abound from wreaths to trees to garlands. Here in our small community, there is a proliferation of beautifully decorated Christmas trees. These are all indoors.

They range from traditional with many colored lights to thematic with pickle ball rackets and bicycle ornaments on the fitness center tree.

Fitness Center Tree
In the Pink!
Gold-themed tree

There are also artistic trees, bare branch trees, and snowy trees. Some of these are decorations done by the residents on each floor.

Artsy tree
Simple tree
Snowy tree

And some trees have a mate.

The Chief Penguin and I have yet to find a tree. It appears we left behind our two little blinking light trees when we moved, and no store so far has had a replacement.

We won’t give up the hunt, but in the meantime, my favorite tree is the one above, “Ho, Ho, Ho!” May you enjoy the seasonal good cheer in your neighborhood. It brightens the world on these short dark days.

Note: Thanks to all the neighbors and others who provided these beautiful decorations. All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)