From the moment we boarded the train in Philadelphia for our return to New York on Monday evening, Christine coughed.  She coughed all the way home and spent Tuesday and Wednesday in bed.  Cherrie got out and about a bit, wandering around our old stamping ground where we stayed on our last extended holiday in NY, in Chelsea.

 

Fortunately, Christine was well enough by Wednesday evening to return to Carnegie Hall to see the great jazz singer Dianne Reeves in concert.  We first became aware of Reeves when she provided the vocals to George Clooney’s film Good Night and Good Luck, and subsequently saw her at the grand old opry house with the Sydney Symphony.  Wow, what a voice and what a superb band at this concert comprising piano, guitar, bass and drums.  Really fine musicians all of them, making really great music.  Reeves is a great raconteur and was very amusing.  She even asked if anyone could get her tickets to the hottest show in town, Hamilton, to please meet her at stage door afterwards!  Made us feel better that we can’t get tickets to the only show we want to see, when we hear that even the lauded stars can’t get them.

Before the concert, we dine at the iconic restaurant The Russian Tea Room.  We have only one course and one glass of wine each, since we hope to eek out our retirement funds for a little time yet.  But, neither of us has been here before and we figured, what the heck.  Great décor and matching history.  It was founded in 1927 by former members of the Russian Imperial Ballet as a meeting place for expatriate Russians.  This is where Madonna worked as a coat check chick before she found fame, or did fame find her?  It’s been used a lot as a film set, most notably for one of Dustin Hoffman’s scenes in Tootsie, as well as Woody Allen’s Manhattan.

If we ever worry about over eating, and our continued walking not countering it, we turn to this blackboard for inspiration.

We had heard about the cruise that circumnavigates the island of Manhattan and so we find it and take it from Pier 83 on 42^nd Street and Riverside Drive.  We cruise down the Hudson River, into the harbour and up the East River, back into the Hudson.  It’s a great perspective on this dense city and its fabulous skyline

 

You will note that the skyline is now dominated by the new Freedom Tower, built on the site of the World Trade Centre Tower One

 

It’s the tallest building in these photos and if you look carefully see air space next to it.  This is where Tower Two stood and that air space will be preserved in memory

 We get up close and personal to Liberty

 

 we cruise under the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges

Past the power station

Old piers (as opposed to old peers, many of whom are now also old sticks)

 

Buildings of rental apartments, many of which are owned by corporations and are strictly for rental

 the United Nations building, with the security council building in the front

 past Gracie Mansion, the home of the NY Mayor,  which is every bit as impressive (from the outside at least) as Kirribilli or Admiralty Houses

And we  even went past  a golf driving range!

All in all, it was a terrific 2½ hours.

 

We go to the Theater for the New City in the East Village to see Charles Busch’s Cleopatra.  Being two farm girls from Berry, we have never heard of Charles Busch, but he is apparently a terribly famous drag queen of immense talent with a huge following in both the straight and gay communities.  We specifically go to this show because Tony Sheldon, an old friend (and son of Toni Lamond), is in it and we want to see him.  We are surprised how much we enjoy the show.  It’s very funny and very irreverent.  Charles Busch plays Cleopatra (of course) and Sheldon plays Caesar and Lepidus but his piece de resistance is his Calpurnia.  It’s wonderful.  We have coffee with Tony post show (yes folks, coffee only) and get the subway home.  Sheldon is looking wonderful and is very happy in New York, he’s been here 5 years now and says NY is home.

New York’s weather this week is like a yo-yo.  Two (relatively) sizzling days of 23◦C with another two down to 6◦, one with a fierce wind making it even colder.  Plus we’ve had some rain.  Our plans for the walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and the Highline are blown out the window, as it were.

Instead, we head to the new Whitney Museum.  But we inadvertently catch the wrong subway train (as we have done previously, although unreported in this blog for fear of ridicule until we realise that this is a common mistake made even by the most seasoned locals) which has us on the other side of town.  So, we wander through the lower east side, through Little Italy and Chinatown and through Washington Square with its charming gardens

And we visit the Tenement Museum, which we had booked a week ago so popular is it.

Based in an actual tenement building in the lower east side, on Orchard Street, the museum preserves the history of immigration through the personal experiences of the generations of newcomers who settled in, and built lives, in this part of New York over the end of the 19^th and the first half of the 20^th Century.

 

 It’s  a great experience although the “Museum” word was a bit scary to Christine, as she recognised first hand almost everything in the “museum” kitchen…..soap in little metal cages to whisk in the sink water to wash dishes in, Bay Rum hair oil, Borax, Maxwell House Coffee in screw top tins, Chicory in bottles…… oh the list goes on.  Where did those years go?

A little weary after the museum, we consider a movie and decide to walk a mere 29 blocks to Union Square to see Helen Mirren’s new film Eye in the Sky.  En route, down Lafayette Street, we are diverted to the sidewalk on the other side of the road because of filming on this side.  We note the snow on the pavements, and the cameras and cranes and other filming paraphernalia set up, and we see the two actors being filmed as they stroll down the street, apparently chatting.

 Hang on, who is that?  Is that?  No, it can’t be.

But it is.  Dame Helen Mirren.  Filming right in front of us.  Just as we’re going to see her other film!!  I wanted to tell her of the coincidence, but modesty prevented me.  Only in New York….

Eye in the Sky is a terrific film.  An interesting study in morals, ethics, politics and strategy.  One for you, Tim.

We meet up with our friend Marsha at the Lincoln Centre for lunch.  It’s so lovely catching up with old friends, although we are concerned for Marsha as she looks so tired and drawn.  Her partner is battling the late stages of cancer and things are not looking good.  Marsha has very few opportunities to get out and have any time to herself, so we are grateful for these couple of hours.  Marsha asks if we have been to the Gay Bars.  Christine, as is her want, immediately responds before Cherrie is given the opportunity with “Oh no, that’s not our scene”.  “What do you mean?” asks Marsha “It’s great”.  “No no, nowe don’t do those gay bars” says the deaf one.  “Not gay bars – Zabar’s.  It’s an absolutely wonderful gourmet deli on Broadway which you will adore”.

And we did.

Saturday night brings drinks at Susan and Jefferson’s gorgeous upper west side apartment, near Columbia University, and the lovely surprise guest in Judy Morris.  Judy is one of Australia’s leading actresses, who in recent years has branched out into directing and writing for cinema, very successfully.  She spends much time in the UK working and time in the US visiting family.  Her daughter, brother and sister all live and work here.  We then all go out to S&J’s local for a delightful meal.

Sunday we have brunch at Ronnie’s apartment, which is owned by one of the corporations referred to earlier. Ronnie is on a 12 month lease and subject to rental market increases.  Her apartment has been recently renovated by the landlord and is very comfortable.  Ronnie tells us that some tenants in the building have been there for 40 years or more and are subject to rent control, whereby the rent is fixed until they vacate.  To qualify for rent control a tenant must have been continuously in their apartment since 1 July 1971. Subsequently some of these people are living in almost squalor, as their apartment have not been renovated or restored in any way by the landlord since they moved in.

We then retire ‘home’ for a restful day.  The wind is too fierce to be out and about.

But this week, despite sick time off, we have walked many kilometres, as it is so easy to do in this big, bustling, exciting city. There is so much to see, so many weirdos to observe and sometimes avoid, and never a chance of boredom.