(This building is a great example of the perspective ‘vanishing point’)
As promised, here’s yesterday’s ride into New York as seen by Relive:
Last night before we went out for supper, Jacob showed me the wonderful rooftop terrace they have above their top-floor apartment.
Of course I was reminded of ‘that film’ again – in this scenario, I think that I have to be Felix (Jack Lemmon), the guest, and Jacob must be Oscar (Walter Matthau), the host, who can’t stand his friend’s company any more and is desperate to get Felix out of his apartment! (Only kidding Jacob)
Jacob was very taken with my old Shell map, and being the kind of person that notices things that others might miss, he spotted this. It’s a sign of just how much times have changed, as far as terminology is concerned. Heaven knows what life would have been like as an inmate there circa 1936.
I told Jacob B that our Jacob B once wrote my blog for me for one day when I was crossing Canada. He made up every part of it, from place names to stats, with photos taken from the internet, and quite a few people didn’t notice. It was called ‘Day 33 – Hopesack to Manatee Island’. Last night I set Jacob Brown the challenge of using chatGPT to do the same thing. He was on it like a flash.
I awoke very early and made myself some tea and toast.
With very few definite plans I set out from the apartment a little after Jacob left for work…
First job was to visit UPS to send back some sunglasses I borrowed from Richard in New London, after mine went missing (Amazon had delivered a new pair to Jacob’s, so I was good to go again.)
Then I took the M2 bus down 5th Ave to the Guggenheim, and found it didn’t open until 11am. So I made do with just enjoying the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece from the outside. I seem to remember having made the same mistake before.
So I walked down a bit further to the Metropolitan Museum, to find a MASSIVE queue…
So I walked a few blocks further to the Frick Madison, where I realised I now probably only had time for a coffee (and delicious pumpkin bread) downstairs in the cool clam* of The SisterYard cafe. The Frick is such a magnificent collection and I haven’t seen it in its current rehoused location on Madison Ave, so I pencilled in a plan to return there sometime around 4-6pm.
The reason I had to watch the time was that earlier this morning I booked a ticket for 12.30pm to visit One World Trade Centre and I didn’t want to miss my slot.
So by walking a few blocks and taking the subway I got to One World Trade Centre – tallest building in the US, tallest in the Western hemisphere, and 7th-tallest in the world. The elevator takes you on a high-speed journey through time, seeing the city grow, which was superbly done.
I particularly enjoyed being able to see where I’d just come from…
…and also where I’m heading next – south to New Jersey!
I grabbed some great Indian street food and then met up with Tess, who’s Susie’s niece from Sweden. She’s a ballet dancer and paying for her studies by working many hours a day at Joe’s Juice Bar.
Then my last plan of the day was to go back to the Frick to see two of my favourite paintings, both by Holbein, both of subjects called Thomas, both killed by Henry VIIIth. Sir Thomas More and his nemesis, Thomas Cromwell. No photography permitted so we’ll have to make do with two quite poor-quality postcards. I’m amazed they aren’t better, actually, since the Frick is such a fabulous collection. I’ve included one of the beautiful Vermeers, Officer and Laughing Girl, as well.
Supper was another pizza slice on the way home, but at a place that does insane pizza sizes. I’ve included a human being for scale:
Before we leave New York tomorrow morning, I thought I’d share a New York story, something that happened during a tour I did here in 1997.
It was the same tour that I mentioned the other day, and it was not a happy few weeks. The whole time we were in the US the quality of the hotels got progressively worse. Orchestras like the English Chamber Orchestra are used to staying at some fairly high-end hotels, so it certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Things hit rock bottom when we arrived in New York City for the very last concert of the tour. Instead of staying at the Mayflower or at least the Days Inn as we often did, we were dropped outside a very recently-renovated hotel that none of us had heard of. Two very different stories then unfolded: in the first, most of the orchestra went up to their rooms to discover all kinds of awfulness. Toilets overflowing, beds not made since the last guests, syringes in the bathrooms, it went on and on. There was a revolt and one by one the already-exhausted musicians came back to the lobby and told the management that they’d had enough, and were going to check in at the Mayflower instead, and would be sending the bill to the orchestra. The other story was mine and just a handful of others: our rooms were cleaned and ready, no awfulness to be seen, and we just collapsed exhausted into bed and fell asleep, unaware of what had gone on elsewhere in building.
In the morning, we discovered we were almost alone in the hotel apart from the management. Those who had stayed were very surprised to receive a gift from the orchestra, who clearly thought we’d done something loyal and decent in staying. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Anyway, the gift turned out to pretty spectacular. The famous film composer John Barry (of James Bond fame and countless other movies) had promised to be at our concert that evening, but had to cancel. He sent a special delivery to the management by way of an apology. We became the happy recipients of 6 bottles of vintage Bollinger champagne, which we drank every last drop of that night after the final concert, at the best, and most exclusive, room party of the whole trip.
Okay, New York, I think that’s a wrap. See you all tomorrow!
INCIDENTSᐧOFᐧTRAVEL 
Looks like someone Guggenheimed your camera… Loving the M.C. Escher photo! I’m also a big fan of that screen in the lift, as though I like going up very tall buildings I always find the lifts freak me out more than a little bit.
I think your NY story was the first thing I heard of the ECO lore after joining. I remember hearing it from you and John Anderson, he was among the ‘leavers’ to find their room in disgraceful shape. I think it took about 15 years for the band to go back to the US in any form after that!
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I’ve tried to get into the Guggenheim at least three or four times and never managed yet. Closed on Tuesdays, closed for renovations, no pushchairs allowed – they come up with a new reason every time I go. I think it’s some elaborate piece of performance art that I’m taking part in unwittingly.
Was that the Ameritania the ECO stayed in? I’ve tried to forget the time we stayed there with Guildhall Strings and the leaves coming out of my plughole turned out not to be leaves. Ugh!
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I love your ‘failure to launch’ theory about visiting the Guggenheim. I did once actually get in, but there was a special exhibition on that I hated!
Great memory Chris – it was actually the sister hotel to the Ameritania, called I think The Ellington. I found out later that they were both ex-drug dealer/pimp locations, well know locally, and ridiculed when then tried to reopen as ‘smart’. I had cockroaches at the Ameritania as you did. I smashed the living daylights out of one on the wall with the heel of my concert shoe, left it there for dead, and in the morning it had moved up to the ceiling. Time to leave.
You know, we could start a blog between us of just Guildhall Strings memories and invite everyone to chip in! It would be fascinating and libellous too probably.
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How lovely to see Jacob and Tess!! XOXOXOX
Wow, you packed a lot into that day! I loved the elevator video and found this on YouTube:
It shows the whole thing, three sides of the elevator. Amazing how high-rise NY was even in the mid 1800s. I wonder if that church from the 1700s is still there amongst the skyscrapers. And you can see the old World Trade Center appear and disappear, poignantly, right next to the current one.
Have a good day xoxoxoxoxoxox
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You’re so techie Suse!! (But everyone knows how you love nothing more than an afternoon spent sorting out some thorny computer problem) The only person who posts links in comments. Is it straightforward? I love them, esp this one. It’s 5.48am and I’m in Starbucks after cycling almost the length of 2nd avenue in the dark to get to my ferry before another thunderstorm. Xxx
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Hope you get there in the dry!!
It’s easy – just copy the link into the comment and up it comes with a big photo and everything!!
Lots of love xoxoxox
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Oh, Ben, it’s been so wonderful to follow your travels! And seeing you with Tess (proud mum) warmed the cockles of my heart (I’m actually in a tent on a quite rainy and cold but otherwise lovely camping trip in the north of Sweden, so cockle-warming is doubly welcome). As Susie mentioned (I think), I’m proud just to know you♥️ Sending lots of love!
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Really good to hear from you Joanna, and I had such a great time talking to your lovely daughter. She’s a great girl, and amazingly positive despite all of her challenges in NY. Esp her accommodation! It’s been so interesting to be seeing all of her generation this time, not ours. how fantastic that you’re camping too! I complain about the changeable weather but it’s ALWAYS warm, if not damn hot. Kudos to you – is it just you and Esse?? Loads of love to you both Bxxx
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Sounds like an amazing free day in NY! Although just watching the video of you in that lift sends me slightly crazy…🤯. It’s very high!! But what a fabulous view – so lucky to have a nice clear day for it!
Fingers crossed for continuing good weather 🤞🤞xx
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thanks Jane. It was insanely high but not at all vertiginous – I got more terrified climbing a lighthouse in Normandy last summer!
Weather is looking good for the weekend – yaay!
Bx
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Hi Ben, you were sating that going down in the elevator was like being in Willy Wonka’s great glass elevator – here it is! Amazing! Xoxoxox
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Did you find the one for the lift down as well? That was really weird and amazing. Bx
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Sounds like you made a great day of it! And nice to have a WhatsApp call with you at the top of the WTC. Amazing to see Jacob and Tess ‘all grown up’! Jacob really reminds me of someone – maybe Justin Trudeau??
Some friends and I watched Barbie last night! It listed all the orchestra players in the credits, so we were manically searching for your name as the credits rolled by but we couldn’t spot it in time. It’s got some nice music! I’d probably give the film 3/5 stars like Peter Bradshaw, some really funny bits but a bit too self-conscious and also its anti-consumerist messages can’t help but get a bit mangled by the fact the film was produced by Mattel and does feel a bit like one big advertisement for Barbie (and Ken) dolls. X
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Trudeau! What do you think, Enid? True though?
Glad you saw Barbie. I think! And of course it’s all one big marketing campaign, not a movie as such Dxx
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So nice you’ve met up with Jacob and Tess! Also I’m a big fan of those giant pizzas.
Ahhhh, Hopesack! What a place, I bet you miss it.
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The pizza was insane.
I think your freestyle version of the blog would be so much better than bloody chatGPT.
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Great captures! I love when the reflection of the sky on the surface of a building is in stark contrast to the sky behind the building! Magical moments!!
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