Walked around the morning after (on New Year Day). Cold and no one around! Guided by article on visiting New-York in December (Condé Nast Traveler magazine, December 2013 issue): Washington Square to see the big Xmas tree under the Arch, at the bottom of 5th Avenue; Meatpacking district; could not get a table down there as everything was closed (tried Torrisi and Carbone, even at Parm for a sandwich). Went back up mid-town; had delicious ramen at the bar of Sapporo on 49th, before walking to the Rockefeller Center to see the huge decorated Xmas tree. Walked back to the hotel and stayed in! On January second, driven to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) to see a few exhibitions (and renewed annual supporting memberships!) : Silla: Korea’s Golden Kingdom, featuring artifacts (gold and Jade) excavated from the various tombs around the then capital (now the city of Gyeongju), dating back to about 400 to 800 A.D. and kept in Korea’s National Museums in that modern city and in Seoul (including a marvelous gilt bronze “Bodhisattva in a pensive mode”, dating also from the Middle period: late 6th century - early 7th; it is lent by the National Museum of Korea); Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800, a story told from a global perspective from the golden age of the European navigation when textile was often used as a currency to acquire spices and other desired goods – with textile works (dresses; tapestry; etc.) from the Met collection and loans from other museums; and finally a short visit to see Balthus’ early paintings (a French artist of the 20th century). Early lunch at the familiar Petrie Court Café at the Museum , before going to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 47th Street to see “Betrayal”, a play by Harold Pinter, directed by Mike Nichols (more familiar with his films…) and played by Daniel “James Bond” Craig, and Rachel Weisz – not good!
Dinner that night (as the severe winter storm was gathering strength outside!) at Josephine, an idea from Dominique who is love with Josephine Baker and who knows her grand-son runs the restaurant! Dropped her at the Lincoln Center (she was going to some Jazz show!) as the taxi driver made his way back to the Hotel, fighting the blizzard!
Breakfast at the hotel on the 3rd, getting a cab and leaving for the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal – out of Manhattan, on the other side of the Hudson river – to board the Queen Mary 2. It was sunny; the storm had stopped but had left a good 8 inches of snow on the ground, which made some of the “uncleared” streets very icy! The drive along the FDR and through the Battery tunnel was OK but it was a very, very slow drive once we reached the Terminal and a real pandemonium to get our luggage out on the quai, and to embark on the ship!
