Le Cirque Restaurant

I had lunch at the famous restaurant, Le Cirque yesterday; the patrons were dressed in their Sunday best even though it was a Thursday afternoon. Men wore jackets and women were dressed smartly in dresses and suits. I was in slacks, but not looking too shabby. I guessed I passed muster, because I was seated quickly and in the same room as the well-dressed patrons.

Notice the tent-style decor, the pretty china, the silver salt and pepper shakers, and fresh yellow flowers. The food was very good, and the waiter fell all over himself. Especially good was the bread platter of three small, warm, fresh croissants served tucked in white linen served with a pad of at least two tablespoons of butter. I had cod served over a puree of something green with three baby tomatoes topped with three roasted olives and seven tiny onion strips! (If you can count each separate item on your plate, apparently you're in a fancy restaurant. Ha ha!)

I loved the cheery framed wire sculptures of circus scenes that lined the back wall.

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The Happiest Guy in the World

That is what Collin Huggins calls himself in his website. This former ballet accompanist lugs his grand piano to Washington Square Park nearly every Saturday and Sunday, weather permitting, just to entertain park goers with his superbly played classical music. At least that is what he was playing the last two times I saw him there.

As people walk into the park and stop to listen, he occasionally looks up to hawk his $10 CDs saying they would "change your life."

You can read about him at his website and keep up with his comings and goings from his Facebook page. And here you can see a You Tube video.

Stripes in the City

Just for kicks one day, I decided to take only pictures of people wearing black and white stripes.

Visualize Being Towed

Summer in Bryant Park

No matter the time of day, Bryant Park on 42nd Street is a welcome distraction from the masses of New York concrete and steel. On my first day back from a month in Cincinnati, my husband and I had dinner on the rooftop restaurant overlooking the lawn. You can see folks gathered for a free concert in this photo. I find it surprising that there are plenty of seats. Bryant Park has chairs everywhere. I have never not found a place to take load off here. 

A Break from New York

 

I was in Cincinnati most of the month of July which is why I haven't been posting about New York. What a July it was! Things I can't do in New York: lunch with friends, visit my folks, volunteer with friends at a soup kitchen, sort hundreds of my old photos, go Sea Dooing with my bro. But, it's all good. Now let's get back to life in the big city.

The Metropoltan Museum of Art

 

I have visited this exciting museum in years past, so I knew I would have a hard time seeing all the galleries in one day. Instead I purchased an annual membership on this day with plans to return and take in the place more slowly later. If you're visiting for one day only, I suggest you look at a map online and pick five or six galleries to see and ignore the rest, or plan to walk through them knowing you won't have time to digest them all.

This is without doubt one of the best places to people-watch in New York City. The pigeons will come up close hoping for a crumb or two, and the view is great looking both north and south. There is always a stream of visitors walking by, and it's a common area for the city workers to take their lunch break.

Oh, I should advise you: do NOT feed a single pigeon unless you don't mind their friends and family bombarding you immediately afterwords.