PJ's Studio: September 2024

Sunday, September 15, 2024

San Gennaro 2024

This year is the 98^th annual Feast of San Gennaro.

It began on September 12^th and runs through September 22^nd, so there’s still time to check it out.

I visited on Saturday when it was way too hot. But that didn’t seem to stop anyone from eating their way down Mulberry Street.

I did hear a greeter at a restaurant shouting “The Godfather was shot here. We have inside seating with air conditioning.” Something for everyone. 😊

The festival is larger than it was the last time I attended in 2013. I guess that’s what happens if you only visit once a decade. It now extends north through Soho all the way to Houston Street.

And instead of just one, now three cross town streets have gotten in on the action.

This year’s big thing was Cacio e Pepe – made with flair of course.

I stayed around long enough to watch the bands warming up for the Grand Procession

and see Anne Burrell, from the Food Network, who was this year’s grand marshal.

I’m still trying to figure out how the floats even fit on that crowded street.

Here are the blogs from my visit in 2013…

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2013/09/feast-of-san-gennaro.html

https://pj-studio.blogspot.com/2014/09/feast-of-san-gennaro-2.html

Cheers!

Sunday, September 8, 2024

Elizabeth Street Garden

The Elizabeth Street Garden is a one-acre community sculpture garden in Nolita on Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring Streets.

It’s an area of Manhattan sadly lacking green spaces so I could immediately see the garden’s appeal.

It is mostly shaded – welcome on the 90-degree days that are becoming more common thanks to global warming.

And it is filled with chairs and tables far enough from each other to offer privacy for a lunch with friends or remote work.

The space was born in 1990 when it was leased to Allan Reiver owner of the Elizabeth Street Gallery.

He cleared it of garbage, planted trees and flowers, added paths, and statues from his own collection. In 2005, he opened it to the public

Plans to destroy the garden began in September 2012 when City Council Member Margaret Chin worked with the Bloomberg Administration to get the land – owned by the Board of Education – transferred to the NYC Housing Authority with no public review or record.

In June 2013 members of the community became aware of the plans to destroy the garden and organized. Chin maintains her stance calling the garden a “vacant lot.”

As you can see from these photos it is clearly anything but.

Sadly, de Blasio and now Adams also support demolishing the garden. Plans were filed in 2019 to use the lot for affordable housing. Shortly thereafter ESG (Elizabeth Street Garden, Inc.) filed a lawsuit to prevent building.

A few weeks ago, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Patti Smith added their efforts to the “Save the Garden” cause.

But, with demolition scheduled to begin on September 10^th, I figured I had better visit immediately if I wanted to see it. I am glad that I did. I would have hated to miss it.

https://www.elizabethstreetgarden.com/

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell : 1970

Ciao

Sunday, September 1, 2024

Boston 5

Edward and I took a short trip to Boston to have lunch with a friend and visit the Isabella Gardner Museum.

It’s been 16 years since we last visited, and 43 years since I wrapped up my MBA at Northeastern. Unbelievable!

When we visited the Isabella Gardner Museum in 2008, I enjoyed it so much that I bought a book on the way out.

When I looked at it, I realized that I had managed to miss several of the museum highlights – most notably this Michelangelo. (It was even hung low enough that I could look at it squarely!!! )

Needless to say, I was eager to try again.

Isabella was a passionate and knowledgeable collector. She was particularly fond of John Singer Sargent and bought about 60 of his paintings. He also painted her portrait twice. Here’s the watercolor he did in 1922.

It’s no surprise that she wanted this piece which she acquired at auction in 1919, since anyone who visits The Met in NYC will recognize the profile of the subject as none other than the infamous “Madame X.”

But I think my favorite story is about “El Jaleo.” Her cousin by marriage owned it. But he had it hung in his home with lighting from the top. Oh no! What a Philistine.

So, she created a special room specifically for it in Fenway Court – with exquisite framing and appropriate lighting. When he saw what she had done, her cousin-in-law, Thomas Jefferson Coolidge - decided to give the painting to her. How could he not? And when Sargent saw it in situ, he was so pleased that he gifted her with a sketchbook of his studies for the painting. 😊