Sunday, June 10, 2012

A Day in Chelsea: Flowers and Art


Great style at the farmer's market. (Click on photos to enlarge)
Gee, I've had some ideas for the blog but they didn't work out. (Did you see the Hemingway & Gellhorn movie on HBO? I was really looking forward to that but it wasn't so good.)
New York City came to the rescue: yesterday TD and I had a nice day in the neighborhood. It started at the Union Square Farmers Market which is now in full tilt. The woman pictured above was wearing a cotton coat and carrying bunches of flowers in her arm. Her coat was not new trendy fashion but instead a beautiful, timeless print which looked especially great combined with the flowers. That to me is real style.
Into our canvas shopping bag we crammed lilies, sunflowers and a baguette. What else do you need?

Bunches of peonies with a yellow eyelet dress

and waves of perennials.

Back at home a red sparrow visited the bird feeder

while Bell napped on the couch below.

Then it was off again to some art galleries in Chelsea. First stop, Gagosian Gallery for the murals and portraits of Richard Avedon. Between 1969 and 1971, Avedon created four huge murals which pictured Andy Warhol and the Factory, The Chicago Seven, military and government officials known as the Mission Council, and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and his family.

The murals are gigantic, and it was almost like watching a movie as they progressed along the walls.
Then it was on to Matthew Marks to see paintings by Brice Marden.

Most of the paintings here were oil on slabs of marble which Marden completed last year on the Greek island of Hydra. The thin paint on the white marble was serene and quiet.
Then we stopped into 192 Books on 10th Avenue which seems to be just about the last independent bookstore on the isle of Manhattan.

After this exploration, we required some refreshments so happily we found two empty stools at the bar at The Red Cat restaurant where we had a restorative glass of wine and some French fries. On our way home we vowed that our next foray would be up to the High Line which is now extended up to 30th Street.

7 comments:

Gail, northern California said...

Hemingway and Gellhorn was almost painful to watch.It was miscast. If they had played their roles seriously it might have worked. Instead there was a light comedic touch. I turned it off when he locked her in her hotel room.

Loved the lady with the beautiful cotton coat at the farmer's market and the display window at 192 Books.

Bart Boehlert said...

Hi Gail, I thought you would like that coat, like the woman in Old Lyme, Ct.
Best,
BB

Anne said...

New York City came to the rescue

....as it so often does!

Then we stopped into 192 Books on 10th Avenue which seems to be just about the last independent bookstore on the isle of Manhattan.

One can't really say they had a day of knocking about without a stop at independent bookstore somewhere between breakfast and the restorative french fries. How marvelous is that?

I do see some springing up now that we have gone though the big box store phase... the bookstores that do come about or stay open , will be from the earlier, small model. What was old is new again

Gail, northern California said...

Oh Bart, I hope Anne is right. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have small bookstores back? So far, the best our town can do is a second-hand bookstore but I think people are so hungry or nostalgic for a bookstore, this one is thriving. I'm very pleased.

Our Book Juggler even has a wonderful mascot, a friendly little terrier-type dog named Zeus. His marking makes him look as though he's wearing a mask. The owner said had he been a girl they would have named her Mascara.

Anne said...

A new( small) one has opened near us and is doing well and for reasons Gail pointed out, people are hungry for it. Books stores were always small( well expect The Stand of course)before the big box types.

What people also miss are book sellers and a collection crafted by individuals.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
read this