UN-derneath the Glamour

Well just another weekend in New York:

• Gala at the UN.
  
  
• Drinks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (drinking in a museum always a good thing)
  
  
• Birthday party
  
  
• And Dinner with a good friend.
  
  The Gala and Everything Afta
  
  So to get ready for my gala event on Sat. this gala had to take her very formal black (of course) dress to the tailor. I found one near the day spa I go for maintenance and on some days the works. They tailor was sweet and assured me that my dress straps would be mended by the next day. Relieved that now I could attend the event without fear of causing a international scene. I went home, got in bed and watched law and order. My friend was celebrating her 26th birthday that night. So at about 11:00 I got dressed and headed downtown. After having one of the best mojitos I’ve ever had and salsa dancing with my very happy happy birthday girl I went home. Went to bed and woke up refreshed, at 12:30pm. Whoops. It was still plenty of time to get to my tailor and pick up my gown for the evening. After running errands I came home, took a nice relaxing shower and listened to La Traviata with Pavarotti. Ever since his death (just shy of a week ago) the opera that makes me cry normally has been playing through my mind in a constant stream. I put the dress on. Perfect. I looked stunning. I put on the new Chanel lip gloss that I bought for the event at Saks the day before and I walked out of my brownstone in Harlem, hailed a cab and headed downtown.
  
  Since it was the UN I didn’t feel that I could go UN-escorted. I imported from PA a friend that has been sweet enough to accompany me to by now tons of events. It’s a go thing he likes free dinners and drinks. I was meeting him at a friend of a friends apt. As I was about to pay the driver I reached into my purse and “pop” my strap broke. The brand new strap that the oh so nice tailor replaced broke right there in the car. Nothing was exposed but the cab driver started freaking out. “Oh no miss, oh no”. I calmed him down assured him I would be ok, gave him his fare and a nice tip. Just then I noticed we happened to stop in front of a dry cleaners/Tailors that was open. I hopped out of the car (not to aggressively of course) walked in and approached a man diligently working at sewing machine. “Is there anyway you can help me. I was just in a cab and my strap broke. Is there any way you can fix it”. He looked at me. I was completely put together, not a hair of mine was out of place, in a dress that looked tailored with the execption of one spaghetti strap hanging off my shoulder. Without a word he turned back to his machine, took a needle and some black thread turned back to me and said “don’t move”. I assured him that I wouldn’t move let alone breath and in five minutes and five dollars later I was reinforced and back on the street.
  
  The gala was gorgeous. My date and I got there just before sunset and could see the lights of the city slowly emerge around us from the balcony of the UN. After many drinks, a dinner, speakers and mingling we were out of the UN and on our way home. We decided to stop at a bar that I had wanted to go to. “Top of the Tower” located next door to the UN. We took the elevator up to the 26th floor, the doors open and again my breath was taken away by the scene. There was a grand piano being played by a gentleman in a tuxedo. The keys were creating the great tunes of Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Large open windows that gave a panoramic view of midtown at night were the backdrop to small tables and soft leather couches. After a dirty martini and by no means dry conversation we headed home.
  
  A beautiful evening.
  
  The next day we had brunch at my favorite café in Harlem where the cappuccino tastes like it came from Italy and the staff takes as long as it would to bring it to you from there. I brought my friend back downtown around the corner from my new favorite tailors to his friends house.
  
  After we said goodbye I decided to walk, walk the streets of my city. I walked all the way from the Mid 30’s to the Mid 60’s. I called friends and relived the details of the night before. I found a spot in Central Park at center of an intersection of a few of the paths. I sat down and enjoyed the shade and the nice weather.
  
  After people and pigeon watching I continued my walk north and ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. If you can recall it is one of the 7 wonders (according to my new york experts) in New York. After finding out the Impressionist exhibit I wanted to see was closed, and the fashion exhibit under construction I decided to check out the American wing which I hadn’t seen before. It was then I noticed on my map that there was a Modern collection that I hadn’t been to. I saw a name listed, “Bonnard”. Piere Bonnard is my favorite artist. He was a French and post impressionist painter. The first time I saw his art it was like seeing my dreams in paint. I love every piece. He isn’t nearly as popular as Monet, or Picasso and does not have nearly as many pieces but every piece I get the opportunity to see is a treasure. I anxiously made my way to the Modern Art gallery. I walked into the vast room and looked around at the different pieces. I saw it right away. Across the room there where three pieces that had to be his. Like a school girl seeing her latest crush I felt overcome with giddiness. His art makes me happy. “After Morning bath”, I love the titles. All of his pieces are as if you happened to open a door and walk into a room. The Met had 5 of his pieces. There was no way my day could get any better. I walked past the roman sculptures to the elevator and went up to the rooftop garden café. The vast patio looks over Central Park. It is just breathtaking. The weekend thus far had been a vision landscapes. After the annoying couple that took 5 hours or so to order a cookie, bottle of water and an ice cream cone I got my fruit and Pelligrino and sat down. The only seats that were left were snatched up by the couple who cut in line and then created one by taking so long. Then I noticed an older gentleman sitting by himself smoking. I thought he was the same gentleman that I took the elevator up with, who was celebrating his birthday in the Trustees dining room. I asked him if I could sit down. We started talking. I found out he also had a love for both New York and Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1955 from a college in one of my favorite towns, a town I was planning on going to the following weekend. After a long chat I said “Happy Birthday” again and went home. I walked the remaining 20 blocks back to my Upper Upper west side stoop.
  I stopped by the grocer near my house. Picked up a few items and went home. My good friend Dre was coming over. I made us a simple chicken dinner and we watched tv.
  
  Between Pavarotti, Gershwin, Dueling Tailors, the United Nations and my friends (old and new) I would say this weekend was not bad. Well really that’s an UN-derstatement.
  
  Cheers,
  
  Lucky