Heron-Cam Manhattan Report: The Rest of the Story

Uh oh -- my clients, Mr. Jake and Mr. Just Harry, will be home shortly and I still have Days Five, Six, and Seven to catch up on or they may not compensate me properly for all my efforts. (Admittedly I did get to gorge on a variety of fish and see awesome sights -- but I have to put something away for the down times.)

So, there my charges were on Day Five -- still wondering how anything could top their visit with Ms. Asta and her family -- but they decided to buck up and trudge on anyhow. Off they went on foot, experiencing all the New York City ambiance - the crowds, the vehicles, the mini-events, the noises, the smells.

As they walked along, they passed by the Hello Deli -- famous for skits from the Dave Letterman show. It's a tiny tiny place, with three or four miniature tables and stools -- but the coffee and bagels were delicious (who needs Starbucks anyway?)
On the same street, TV crews were getting ready to shoot a Survivor reunion -- and it was fun to watch all the set-up -- with very very expensive equipment and lots of scurrying around.
Continuing their walk, they found a set of statues in front of a huge office complex, giving a new interpretation to the concept of "green." (These two are matched by a single statue on the other side of the complex.)And then they spent several hours inside the Museum of Modern Art, which was renovated extensively a few years ago and is now able to exhibit works of art that had been in storage for a lack of capacity. Picasso, Matisse, Gaugin, Cezanne, Leger, De Chirico, Braque, Gris, Dali, Arp, Orozco, Rivera, Kahlo -- the museum is filled with old friends from the first generation of contemporary artists as well as those that followed like Rauschenberg and de Konig and Warhol -- etc., etc., etc. In a setting like this, the art just seems to enter through your pores as well as through your eyes (or your feathers). If Mr. Jake and Mr. Just Harry had been there, they would have had just one word to say:



W

In addition to all the thrilling paintings inside the museum, the windows reveal rooftop curiosities:

And from a lovely sculpture garden, even more architectural combinations can be seen: But then, back on the streets -- captured in this early image from the museum and brought to life in real time:

Manhattan is also filled with amazing reflections, whether from store windows... Or from one set of buildings reflected in the glass of another set across the street.

And then: the Plaza Hotel on the south side of Central Park. The Plaza was recently transformed into a residence as well as a hotel. But one thing was left intact: The famous Oak Room -- which is one of my charges' traditional stops for -- yep!! The Classic (and ridiculously expensive) Martini.


Through the window of the Oak Room, with its views of Central Park, they saw this curious combination of transportation modes: private auto, taxi, pedi-cab, horse-drawn carriage, and tour bus:As they walked back to their hotel, they made a quick stop at another New York institution -- the Russian Tea Room. It too has recently reopened.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant on Restaurant Row -- more linguini with white clam sauce -- just to make a seafood-loving bird go berserk!! And then, a very very unusual play: Exit the King, written by Ionesco and rarely staged. The 400-year -old King, who is scheduled to die at the end of the program, was played by Geoffrey Rush, who was absolutely incredible.
Day Six began with a taxi to Greenwich Village for brunch with friends, followed by more strolling through neighborhood streets. And then another taxi back to Fifth Avenue for a leisurely walk through Central Park. As I said earlier, Manhattan has so many moods. The park on a Saturday afternoon is filled with local families, with their children and their dogs, as well as with visitors from all over the world.
A lake in the middle of the park with sail boats for rent is reminiscent of the Tuileries in Paris. And then, and then -- THE SQUIRRELS!!!!! Oh my, if only Mr. Jake and Mr. Just Harry had been with us!!! These two were so laid back and unafraid -- two terriers could have had a ball!!
Next destination: the Guggenheim Museum -- celebrating its 5oth anniversary with an exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. Actually, most of the museum was given over to his work, so only a comparatively tiny space was devoted to some of the Museum's other collection. But it was fun to see his original drawings on vellum -- and to see which of his works were built and which were never built.
Last stop for the day: uptown for dinner with friends who live in South Florida, but had just arrived in Connecticut for the summer. My charges thought it would be fun to meet fellow Floridians in Manhattan and their friends found it perfectlty natural to take the train into Grand Central for the evening (something we here in South Florida cannot do.) And of course, just to tempt me -- three of the four had soft shell crabs for dinner. Is there no end to their baiting me and my patience and good manners???

Across the street, they spotted this interesting message, which I do believe Mr. Jake will interpret once he gets home from camp!!!

And so, we reach Day Seven -- and another amazing flight that left LaGuardia Airport on time and arrived back in Fort Lauderdale on time. How bizarre. Could it be because they knew they were competing with one of the finest -- and most beautiful -- of birds?

Just for the record, Days Eight and Nine were a road trip back to Orlando for a business meeting - so I stayed to keep a bird's eye on the house and get it ready for today -- Day Ten - and the return of my clients, Mr. Jake and Just Harry!!!!!

Over and out for now,

HC-Bird