Salynne ©2009
The exhibition itself included over 100 pieces of Jane's work including manuscripts, personal letters and related materials. Jane's letters to her sister Cassandra were very revealing about her personality, their lives and the social mores of society during that period of time. The dispatch to her neice was cleverly written backwards and challenging to read but it showed her humour and her relationship to her family. Rare editions of Jane's books as well as illustrations of various characters from her novels made for a well-rounded look at one of our favorite author's lives.
Playing in a walled off enclosure in one corner of the exhibition a short film about Jane featured various artists and actors. It was here in this small place that I had opportunity to pay close attention to the other women and one man who were there at the exhibition. In fact I had to sit through the film several times because I kept missing parts and getting distracted by the interesting personalities that came in and out of the viewing area. When it came to fashion my jeans and top were the only non-designer and un-pressed, not perfect, outfit in the room. I tried to tuck the ragged hem of my jeans under the stool I was on. At some point an older jewish woman with a 5 or 6 carat diamond ring on her finger and sporting a hand-carved cane sat down beside me. Several actors answered the question, "If you could have Jane Austen for dinner, who else from history would you invite?". The answers ranged from the pope to Freud. In a very cultured New York accent my neighbour turned to me and whispered, "My god, Jane would just be turning over in her grave if she heard such foolishness". Of course I gave her my most sophisticated head nod and agreed, after all one doesn't argure with a Madison Avenue queen bee brandishing a cane.
Spending time at the museum was one of those unexpected but very pleasureable events that somehow just seem to drop into your lap. I'm so glad we took the opportunity to attend even though it was not on our planned itinerary. Jane would have approved,
On Monday we traveled to Brooklyn in the morning and afternoon to visit friends and the headquarters of our spiritual heritage. Since our feet were so sore we then went back to the apartment in the late afternoon for several hours and just sat there with our feet up.
We laughed and enjoyed our conversation along with taking delight in the very, very interesting night life. I think Keeley will always be scarred after her photo with a giant red TickleMe Elmo who squeezed her a little too tight and for a little too long. He asked in a creepy, suggestive voice, "Do you have something for Elmo?" She disengaged herself, begrudgingly gave him a tip and ran back to our group. Other Entertainment was provided by a caped Batman who ran through the crowds, John from John & Kate + 8 was being interviewed on some live TV show, a young woman singing for a CMT video came by with her camera entourage and a very, very large six foot plus, black male Marilyn Monroe, complete with a leopard print dress, high heels, full makeup and a blonde wig blew bless kisses to us and waved hello.
Times Square is an overwhelming feast for the senses; lights, color, and constant action. As I stood there in the centre of New York, in the middle at the huge screens and advertisements, I had the surreal feeling that before me was the representation of the pinnacle of human achievement. There were the financial markets, the commercial elements and ads with models in all of their full-color scantily clad glory, technology, culture and even religious components. In my minds eye I saw myself standing there alone in the middle of everything and I realized how small I was in comparison to the buildings, the city, the state, the country, the continent and finally the earth. My thoughts turned to how different my every-day is from what I saw before me. It made me thankful to have my life in my own little corner of the world with my Starbucks, my local grocery store, my favorite tea shop and my family and friends. I knew then that I was ready to go home. 
Salynne ©2009
have not been introduced to the 2007 Movie of the same name it is list of things that you want to do before you "kick the bucket". Keeley's list surpassed the suggested 100 and she seemed to have a really good time creating her list of life goals. Since I'm a confirmed list maker/lover I decided that it was something that I wanted to do too. Always the over-achiever, I ended up with 230 items recorded and more than likely that will continue to grow. This trip allowed both of us to accomplish a number of items on our lists.
Skating on the ice rink provided Keeley a chance to knock off one of her items, skating on an outdoor rink at night. It's on my list too but I decided not to skate; we figured out that we had walked over sixty blocks so in deference to my weak and wobbly feeling legs I decided that I'd wait to fulfill that dream at another place & time. The last thing I figured I needed was to injure myself on the ice and end up with a huge medical bill! Keeley, Son and DIL had a great time using their younger legs to skate around the famous venue all the while enjoying the interesting "characters" on the ice. BFF and I had a blast watching them all. (Photos by SC)
We had awesome experiences visiting New York but I have to say that both of us have an added sense of accomplishment in that what we did made it possible to cross off some of our life goals. As for me, four objectives down, only 226 to go.
Salynne ©2009
. Plaid shirted young Homo-sapians exposing their bronzed six-packs and underwear along with surprisingly modestly dressed young women bid you warm welcome at the front door. It's a good thing because it provides a distraction so you don't realize until you've been sucked into the Abercrombie vortex that sales are NOT part of the observance at the store. You get to stand beside these stunning looking people in front of a backdrop that features the ripped torso's of more scantily clad models while a store appointed photographer takes a Polaroid shot. This feature seemed to be the highlight for anyone of the female sex although my cynical daughter murmured to me a moment before we took our turn, "he's probably gay but I'm going to close my eyes and dream." The store itself was badly lighted, the throbbing club-like music was extremely loud, aisles were cramped and crowded and if you are one of those people allergic to perfume it would be a deathtrap. I think they have their signature scent diffused somehow throughout the entire store. BFF and I found a chair and parked ourselves while everyone else wandered off; thankfully, we were not there long but it did give our tender tootsies a rest. Considering it is such a shrine to fashion it would have been nice if like at temples centuries ago some of their staff could have bathed and perfumed our feet.
As you can probably tell from my little rant I'm pretty cynical when it comes to the world of brand names and marketing and surprisingly it is to my mother I must be grateful for these wary eyes and my circumspect view. My great lesson occurred in the late 1970's when I was a nagging 13 year old, begging my parents for the coolest designer jeans of the time, dark blue Sergio Valentes'. "Everyone is wearing them." I cried. Well, that wasn't quite true of my group but all the cool kids were wearing the $40.00 expensive breeches. "If I don't get them everyone will think I'm a nerd." I wailed and cried for effect.
I was stupefied into silence. My mom looked at me and said, "I'm sorry but I want you to understand that a label is just that, a label. The Sergio Velente company more than likely buys the same no-name jeans and just puts their label on it. One is not better than the other but because "someone" says those jeans are cool they can charge three or four more times for them." It was a profound and life-changing moment. I learned a very important lesson and I do have to admit that there were a couple of times during my later teenage years that I did something similar because I wanted to impress my friends. No one was ever the wiser and everyone thought my family must have been well-off in order to afford some of the items I wore.
a few of them but they were not flying off the shelves. Watching beanie faddism I determined that if I too signed my bears, made them a numbered series and created a cute name they would sell better. That is exactly what I did and they started to sell better because they had become "collectibles". The realization however, was that they were the same old bears and had only become so desirable because I said they were and marketed them as such. So all in all I've considered brand names nice and if I have opportunity to buy them at a price that is similar or equal to a product of similar quality, I will do so but the trappings of a brand name are just that, trappings.
passion definitely comes from good advertising and marketing; the elegance of Audrey Hepburn, my love of the opening moments of Breakfast at Tiffany's and the scene where her and George Peppard's character try to find something in the store at a reasonable cost have all tugged at my heart and brand consciousness. Sweet Home Alabama didn't help my cause as the fairy-tale private proposal at the store somehow got stuck in the synapses of my brain on repeat.
omething. One of my first real and long-lasting regrets happened around twenty years ago when we were visiting my hometown and my husband and I were in a local thrift shop. Sitting in one of the back rooms was a stunning antique oak Arts & Crafts Mission style chair with a leather back and seat. The price was a whole $5.00. The chair which had a unusual adjustable back reminded me of one that my Grandparents had when I was a child; I got that warm, fuzzy feeling when I looked at it. Unfortunately, after humming and hawing, I let my husband talk me out of it. The excuses were myriad; we didn't have enough room in the car to get it back home so it would have to be stored at my parents, the leather seat and back needed recovering and that would be a lot of work, money, etc, etc. Several months later I was looking in a decorating magazine and saw the almost exact same chair. It was made by Stickley, a name reknowned in Arts & Crafts design circles and also very, very expensive. That chair was something I will always regret not buying; not only because of the value but because I was not true to myself. I did not follow my heart and although I have other pieces of furniture that look like very much like that original piece they will never have the meaning that particular chair would have had.
nday by walking through the Park. Again, it was a beautiful sunny, sweater weather day and the leaves crunched beneath our shoes as we wandered the paths. The view from Belevedere Castle presented stunning vistas of the city and since my son and DIL had not spent any time in this beautiful natural landmark yet the five of us started walking back down towards the Mall. Just before we got to the lake I heard the strains of a song that sounded like it was from the 1920's and I knew immediately that my previous regret was going to have a pretty good chance of redemption.
We stayed, danced and enjoyed the music until the end of their set after which I went up and told one of the band members my story. He was very gracious and seemed delighted that we "Canadians" should be interested in their music and that their reputation had spread so far. I signed up to receive band email alerts; there is no doubt that we will at some point return to New York so I want to make sure that I keep up to date and know where these talented musicians will be playing.
Listening and dancing to Tin Pan's lighthearted, nostalgic music on this bright sunny day in the middle of Central Park is something I will always remember and now I have their CD's to take me back there any time I want. As far as that original non-event is concerned I got my second chance and I did not hesitate to jump in head first. With a great sense of satisfaction and glee I can, from my heart, say that now I have one less regret in my life!
Photos by Keeley
To check out The Tin Pan Blues Band and their music follow this link:
http://tinpanbluesband.com/wordpress/
We turned to look at the natural grandeur of the park vista before us and descended down a large flight of stone steps into the deep valley with its soring side wall of mica schist rock. A park bench beckoned and we sat down to eat our morning comestibles and watched the local colour. I'm sure Keeley would tell you the highlight of her time there was watching a group of young men playing soccer on the field, especially the curly-haired soccer player who was showing off his fancy leg work. I'm not sure if the thing I was entertained most by was the guy who jogged around the running track carrying his ipod with speakers instead of ear buds or the 30-something Napolean Dynamite look-alike, complete with headband, who seemed to be trying to show off and make an impression. We're just not sure who he was trying to impress!
After a stop at an organic market for the rest of our planned evening meal we headed back to the apartment and then out for our day. We took the bus down to Columbus Circle, crossed the street and entered one of the most famous gateways into Central Park. We first happened across a mini marathon for children that was sponsored by the New York Firefighters Association and then we promenaded past the dairy house, the carousel, and one of the park's many ponds. The Mall, of course, is our favorite spot because it provides the quintessential view of New York. As we listened to the melodic strains of a local saxaphonist we each took turns cavorting in the fallen leaves and tried to capture on camera the enchantment and captivating spell that Central Park seems to cast on its visitors.
Although reluctant to forsake such beauty we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where we spent the following three to four hours. Sadly, some of the things we had wanted to see such as the textile and musical instrument sections were closed but we did enjoy Egyptian antiquities and the painting galleries which contained work from the impressionists. Seeing a large number of Van Gogh's and Monet's masterpieces was again almost overwhelming but I revelled in the majesty and movement of their plein air works.
My BFF was overcome with emotion when we entered one particular gallery. Hanging on the wall, with light coming from behind, stood one of Louis Comfort Tiffany's most famous pieces of art glass, Autumn Landscape. The piece was luminous, with a glass stream that looked like it was tumbling down a rock river and the sun lit the sky aglow as if taking its final bow before sunset. We spent a fair amount of time then sitting on a bench watching passerby, resting and massaging our over worked tootsies.
After we arrived home that sense of peace that comes from my delight in taking the time to prepare good food came over me and I set about preparing our gourmet fete. The menu consisted of dijon mustard roasted chicken breast; baby greens salad with balsamic and olive dressing; a crispy on the outside, moist on the inside baguette; oven roasted yellow carrots with their tops on and sauteed baby turnips with garlic. Son and DIL expended a large amount of energy during their shopping day trying to find the best Tiramisu in the city. Encased in ladyfingers our "cake" first tasted of espresso and finished with silky top notes of mascarponi cheese and whipped cream.
Sitting around the dining table allowed us to talk about our day, what each person had enjoyed the most and savour all of the delights that make up this vibrant and complex city.
Salynne ©2009
It was a beautiful warm evening but I think I would be remiss if I didn't say that we all "rolled" rather than strolled up the block toward home.
Salynne ©2009
Jewish bubby, "Oy vey. You schmuck dis is New York!" Yellow and black Taxi's were everywhere at all hours and times. Then there was my worry about my hailing technique. I've never hailed a taxi in my entire life so I was a little concerned about whether or not I would have the necessary skill. I paid a lot of attention the previous day to anyone who was stepping off the curb for a cab and I learned there is certainly is a personal art to it.
photos of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. It also didn't hurt that the price of the apartment was $48.00 per person per night--you cannot beat that price when you're staying in the heart of a major city! The charm of our brick building, circa early 1900’s, with the small balcony off of my bedroom and a decorative fire escape off the kitchen is absolutely amazing. When I look out my bedroom window I can see into someone else’s apartment across the street and I’ve decided I'm going to affectionately call it my Breakfast at Tiffany’s “Moonriver” view!
We laughed as we wandered through the rooms with the works of Picasso and Andy Warhol. In our opinion the most absurd things that we saw which are considered “modern” art was the purple string that was attached to the wall and floor in a rectangle shape and the totally black canvas in a black frame; a five year old could absolutely do those and I'm not sure I would consider those pieces Art.
I think the most interesting thing was the number of fathers and their young school age children who popped in for breakfast. Because we live in the suburbs we’re used to seeing children and mothers walking to school up the tree lined streets instead of walking through bumper to bumper taxi lined streets or having breakfast in local restaurants. In this area known as Manhattan Valley there are a lot of children dressed in private school outfits, no doubt a reflection that this is an up and coming trendy area.
Things are a somewhat different from my home Starbucks; the biggest contrast is that no one chats to anyone else. You’ve got business people reading the newspaper, several university students doing homework or studying and a young Asian woman reading a New York Day to Day guidebook-she's obviously not local. Another middle-aged couple make an interesting pair; His day timer sits beside him and is obviously working on his laptop or at least checking his emails. She's dressed for business but reading the paper, and they've nary said a word to each other. Another business man sits working on something as he is writing notes on index cards and shuffling through them, obviously working up a presentation of some kind. 
