A couple of projects at work came together over the last few weeks that needed looking after in New York City, so I went for a few days last week. I had a chance to screen Showman with one of the film’s directors, Al Maysles, and also worked on packing up an animation collection. In my free time, I had a couple of nice runs in Central Park and along the High Line, and caught a few movies as well. I do the same things every time I’m there, which included dinner with Brian L. and a trip to MoMA. I also went for my annual visit to Grey Dog for breakfast, but found out on my way down to Carmine Street that it had closed since the time I visited last year. I’d been visiting for more than ten years, so that was a little sad. I headed to their new location, just a mile or so away, but a world away, in Little Italy. Not quite the same, but they tried. It’s always nice to get a little New York City recharge every year, and I look forward to coming back with Grace one day. I’m pretty sure she’ll love it.
I also had a change to visit the National September 11 Memorial, which was open to the public but not yet completed. It was a sobering experience, quite beautifully put together and suitably awe-inspiring.
I hadn’t been to Film Forum in awhile, and was even more happy to go with a generous freebie from the theater’s director, whom I met at a screening earlier in the day. Free admission, concessions, and head of the line privileges… I could get use to that.
I also had time to find some sculptures done by my great-uncle, H.P. Camden, on the exterior of what used to be the Family Court Building of the Domestic Relations Court, now part of Baruch College.
