A New York Minute

This is where the junk was piled up on the street.
The other night I was walking home down West 15th Street in Chelsea. As I got near our building I saw that in front of the building across the street where Susan Sarandon lives was a big pile of junk out on the curb for garbage pick-up. There was furniture and books and bags heaped up on the sidewalk. My heart leapt a beat. Who knew what treasures awaited? There were already a woman and a man on the scene and they had a station wagon car which they were filling up together. I approached the mass of junk and immediately I spied in the middle a shelf stand made of bamboo with three wooden shelves. I love old bamboo things which look antique and Asian at the same time; they remind me of 611. The woman was going through stuff but she didn't seem interested in or hadn't noticed the bamboo stand. In black Prada monk straps I stepped carefully and quickly through the bags of junk and plucked the bamboo stand out of the middle and slipped it under my arm. The woman looked up. "That's nice," she said. "Isn't it?" I said.
I ran across the street to get home with my find. A taxi cab pulled over on the side and the man in the back of the cab yelled at me, "Be careful! Do you want to get hit by a car!" I looked over and it was my friend Mario Buatta in the back of the cab paying his fare. I was surprised to see Mario there, in front of my building, because he lives on the Upper East Side, but he gets all over town. He got out of the cab and we had big hellos. I hadn't seen him for a while and he looked good. He said he was going to a party for the Lycée Françias or some such thing in a building a few doors down on 15th. "What is that you've got there?" he said and I explained. He nodded approvingly. "Put it next to a chair with books and magazines on it," he suggested. "You'd pay some money for that in a shop on the Upper East Side," he said, "You did good." The ultimate compliment from a great American decorator.

When I got home I washed it off with soap and water. Here it is in the apartment. We don't really have room for it anywhere, but we'll figure it out. Or move! It looks like someone tried to paint the bottom of it green, but with a pile of magazines or books on the shelf, no one will see that. When TD came home he said he loved it.

I love the price.

Head First

Victoria Baran wearing a fascinator made by her sister Vanessa.

Through the post came a photo of a hat that my friend Vanessa Baran, who is a stylist, made for her sister Victoria to wear to a wedding in Pennsylvania. I would love to see someone wear that at a summer wedding. Well, it's not a hat actually, it's a fascinator which is a term we here in the United States became familiar with during the wedding of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. A fascinator is like an old-fashioned cocktail hat. It doesn't sit on the head like a regular hat but instead is attached with bobby pins or a strap. Decorative and amusing, it's meant to complement an outfit at a dressy occasion.

Vanessa explained to me that she and Victoria had gone hat shopping in Soho, but everything was quite expensive. "We're not going to do this," Vanessa said to Victoria, who is a senior associate at Robert A. M. Stern Architects. "I will make you a something."

Vanessa started with a small form shaped like a yarmulke. "I paraded all through those notion shops on 38th Street," she said. "I knew what I wanted but it was hard to find. I was thinking of a garden with three different kinds of flowers but then I found the pink feathers which matched the peony."

"I didn't have a wig form so I made it right on Victoria's head with a glue gun. We were supposed to leave the house at 1:00 so I sat her down at noon to proceed along with our project. It was really touch and go but it gave me great inspiration." Vanessa attached the fascinator with an elastic strap and since has added a pretty ribbon. She plans to make more under the name Fascinators by Baraness, and can be found at vanessabaran.com.

When I met Vanessa many years ago she was working at Vogue, in the research/fact-checking department I think. We went one Christmas to a party at her apartment on the upper west side which had a long terrace facing the Hudson River. She had decorated a big Christmas tree with birds of paradise flowers and small clear plastic bags filled with water and gold fish which sparkled as they swam among the white Christmas tree lights. It was a jaw-dropping sight, I'll tell you that. Now Vanessa works as a floral and props designer:

I love a girl who can create a hat one hour before the big event; she is doing her part to make the world more beautiful.

The Farmer's Market in July

Straw hat
I just love this time of year. I wish it was summer year 'round. Do you think we should move to Florida? The Union Square Farmer's Market is now in full swing and we are just back from our Saturday morning trip to stock up on vegetables and flowers.

From the west side, we cut through Union Square to get to the Durr's flower truck on the east side. Pale, poetic variegated hydrangeas are now blooming in Union Square; you know I'm a fan of hydrangeas.

The Durrs now have rows and rows of flowers from which to choose.

Another stand offered these Denver daisies. I like the name of that.

This stand sells lovely lilies. We get a small bouquet pictured in the front and put the single flowers around the house – they smell heavenly when you pass by.

Sunflowers – $2 each, 3 for $5.

Piles of carrots and big radishes in vivid hues.

I'm waiting for the tomatoes to come!
Have a great summer weekend.

Natural Southampton

Perfect beach day (click on photos to enlarge)
Last weekend TD and I went to Southampton to visit my brother Thom and his family. Boy, is that a beautiful corner of the world. The long lanes down to the beach are lined by tall green hedges that reveal peeks of grand old houses. In the village of Southampton, the houses are covered with grey weathered shingles and trimmed in white. Everything is pristine and preserved, picturesque and perfect.
One day I took a bike ride into town. These flower boxes decorate the village streets – I love the combination of the red, white and blue flowers for the Fourth of July.

There were clouds of hydrangeas everywhere.

These are hydrangeas outside of Thom's house. I just love hydrangeas – they are romantically old-fashioned. I think there were hydrangeas at 611.

We took a long bike ride along Meadow Lane which runs along the ocean beach. This is Shinnecock Bay. The landscape reminded me of Martha's Vineyard. It's great that this extremely valuable real estate has not been developed.

A family walked along the little beach there and played with their dog.

Meadow Lane is strung with mansions – Calvin Klein is building a big house there which is right now only a construction site. But this was my favorite house – it looked like an old English stone country cottage smothered with overgrowth.

Further on down Meadow Lane we passed Saint Andrew's Dune Church which is built right on the dunes with the ocean on the other side. It has that similar, charming, English vernacular country architecture. Pretty place to get married.

Later in the day we went to the beach. Spectacular weather.

On Sunday it was a little overcast so we took a car ride through East Hampton to Montauk where we had delicious lobster rolls at a cute and popular restaurant called Lunch. Then we had a quick walk through East Hampton. Here at the Ralph Lauren store, a rainbow of lavender, blue and white hydrangeas welcomed shoppers.

Flowers plus art: White impatiens mixed with modern sculpture at Gallery Valentine.

It was a pretty dreamy weekend, quiet and relaxing. Many thanks to our hosts.
Hope you had a great holiday weekend too.

Liberty in New York State

TD and I marching down Fifth Avenue in the Pride Parade with Judson Memorial Church.
Last Friday night TD and I were sitting on the couch watching live on tv the New York State Senate vote count in Albany on the bill to legalize same-sex marriage, and were elated when it passed. Thanks to our friend Senator Tom Duane who has been working on the legislation for many years and to our great governor Andrew Cuomo who was committed to getting the bill passed, same sex couples can now be legally married in New York, the third largest state in the nation – hooray! I have to say that above and beyond the marriage issue it feels like a validation in terms of equality that I never thought that I would see in my lifetime. It feels great.
On Saturday TD and I walked over to the Stonewall Bar where the gay rights movement began in 1969 with the Stonewall riots when the patrons there fought back against the harassing police. When we walked up to the bar I noticed a tv truck with a satellite dish across the street. TD and I had our picture taken out front by our friend Sherry and we went inside for a beer. I had never been inside Stonewall before – tiny little place with a low ceiling and a long bar. Unlikely spot for the launch of a civil rights movement. By the time we were walking home I was getting emails and phone calls – we were on the NBC Nightly News. You can see us in the background having our picture taken on the clip at about 33 seconds.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

On Sunday we marched down Fifth Avenue in the Pride Parade with Judson Memorial Church. We had to wait a long time to start so I watched some other groups go by. Here is Frontrunners – the gay running group. TD and I were both members, and that's how we met – 26 years ago – so I have a sentimental spot for the Frontrunners group.

Finally our group stepped off into the parade. It is always a thrill to walk down the center of Fifth Avenue and see all the way down to Washington Square in the Village. How often can you walk down the middle of Fifth Avenue?

At 29th Street the members of Marble Collegiate Church handed out cups of cold water and a message:

It was a great weekend in New York City. There was the feeling that justice had been done. I applaud the Republican lawmakers who crossed party lines to give all New Yorkers who love one another the freedom to marry.
Have a happy Fourth of July weekend!

The Joy of June, In Three Parts

Brother Thom, aunt Ellen, uncle Bob in Latham, New York.
The month of June is often time for family celebrations and this year TD and I had a full dance card.
1.
The first weekend of June we winged up to Rochester, New York, on JetBlue for the wedding party of my cousin Peter's daughter Dottie.

Here is Dottie arriving at the party with her husband Bryce behind and mother Lorie. Earlier in May the couple had already been married in Italy in Tuscany, and this was a celebratory cocktail reception held at the Twin Beeches Estate in Pittsford, New York. Dottie looking beautiful arrived in a horse drawn carriage and then guests passed through the mansion to a posh reception on the tented terrace. This is my father's side of the family, and it was great fun to see aunts and cousins and their children. My mother was not feeling up to the trip but my father did drive from Connecticut, and here we are:

At the reception, photographer Cythnia Fay took this picture of yours truly, which was posted on Fine and Dandy.com.

My cousin Bryan and his wife Sherry happily invited us to stay at their house which was most comfortable. Big congrats and best wishes to Dottie and Bryce as they begin their married life together; their party was a wonderful beginning.
2.
The second weekend of June we headed down to Ocean City, New Jersey, for TD's mother's surprise 90th birthday party.
TD spent the weekend there with his mother Edna and I took a Greyhound bus on Sunday morning out of the Port Authority at 9am. The party was held at the Ocean City Yacht Club which has a big sunny room that is situated right on the scenic Great Egg Harbor Bay.
A colorful June table

And another table. The Dawsons are a riot.

At last the birthday girl did arrive and she was indeed surprised.
Here is Edna surrounded by family and friends as we all sang Happy Birthday.

We settled down to a buffet lunch and delicious birthday cake. When it was time to leave Edna insisted on driving us to the train station. She goes to the gym three times a week – a true inspiration. God bless.
3.
The third weekend of June we rented a car and raced up the New York State Thruway to Latham, New York, near Albany, for the engagement party of my cousin Lindsay. The party was held at the home of the parents of her fiancé Mark. Here is Lindsay second from left greeting guests.

This is my mother's side of the family, the Mumfords. These aunts, uncles, cousins and their children are always a joy to see.


The big pretty house and garden were the perfect setting for a party. A buffet dinner was served under a tent and we sat down at long tables. Then TD and I drove back to New York to return the car at Hertz. People at the party said, "You didn't get a Zip Car?" Next time!
I loved it all. In three weeks I got to see the three branches of my family. How often does that happen? That is the joy of June.

L'Amour Fou of Yves Saint Laurent

I went last week to see the documentary movie L'Amour Fou about Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, and tucked myself into a tiny IFC theater on Sixth Avenue. You know that the great Saint Laurent died in 2008 and that Bergé was his partner in life and business. This documentary is largely about the auction that Bergé and Christie's held at the Grand Palais in Paris in 2009 to sell off all of the art and antiques and possessions which he and Saint Laurent had bought over the years.

For they had amassed an extraordinary collection including works by Picasso, Braque, Matisse and Mondrian.

The couple had houses in Paris, Morocco, and Normandy, all filled with art and antiques. The house in Morocco (pictured below, the Paris house is pictured above) was dreamily decorated by Jacques Grange in the Edwardian style of Marcel Proust.

This collecting is the L'Amour Fou, the mad love, of the movie's title. After Saint Laurent died, Bergé wanted to unload it all, or most of it. By the movie's end, the auction is over, having made $483 million, almost a half billion dollars, though the movie does not note the figure. Bergé said that some of the proceeds would go to AIDS research.

But of course the most fascinating part of the movie was Saint Laurent himself, the genius who defined the world of fashion in the last half of the twentieth century with his fantastic couture confections, strong pant suits, and tuxedos for women. The movie portrayed his quick rise when he found himself at age 21 named head designer at Christian Dior after Dior died. Soon after that he and Bergé founded the house of Yves Saint Laurent and he held the fashion world enthralled for the next thirty years. In the seventies though the designer suffered from depression and the effects of alcohol and drugs. That is when he launched his new fragrance called Opium.
And then the movie stopped.
I don't think I've ever experienced that in a theater before. A manager ran in to inspect. I was waiting for the film to melt in the lense but of course movies aren't made on film anymore. The manager said, "Sorry about these mechanical issues which are being caused by the intense lightening story outside." We – there was a handful of us in the theater – looked at each other; what lightening storm? He said, "You can have a complementary pop corn or drink." The pop corn turned out to be organic and topped by natural butter – very tasty indeed.
The picture went on again, and it portrayed a sad descent for Yves Saint Laurent into serious depression. Bergé said that Saint Laurent was happy only two times a year, at the fashion shows. The somber movie offered a lot of Bergé talking but I wished that it showed more of Yves Saint Laurent's clothes which were so spectacular. I still remember from the seventies his collections including his Russian collection


and his Chinese collection. He changed the way women dressed with his fantastic colors and exoticism. You see glimpses of it in this movie and I would loved to have seen more. But I did enjoy the movie and visiting the beautiful if somewhat melancholy world of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. Even when Saint Laurent was seriously crippled he was an extraordinary artist.
Blog bonus – the movie trailer:

A Bike Ride Through Riverside Park

Roses at sunset (click on photos to enlarge)
The other night I went uptown to meet my friend Elliott who was laid up at home after a little surgery. Elliott lives on the Upper West Side which is not a neighborhood I get to often and we had decided to have something to eat in Riverside Park so I rode the blue Schwinn up the bike path which runs along the edge of the Hudson River. Usually on the weekends, the bike path is terribly crowded and I actually avoid it because it can be dangerous but at 6:00 on a weeknight it was pleasantly free of traffic. The path is flat and I love whizzing up it right next to the river and past the boat marina at 79th Street. Further on I crossed the West Side Highway and got into the wooded, hilly part of Riverside Park, which stretches from 72nd Street to 158th Street. Elliott lives on West 90th Street and I couldn't tell where I was exactly so I rode for a bit. I love parks that offer trees and grass and flowers in New York. Although I am a city boy, I also am a country boy. Parks offer the simplicity and pleasure of nature in the middle of a very sophisticated city.
Elevated over the river is a wide promenade which is perfect for strolling.

At the top of the promenade is a wonderful flower garden bursting with plants. A sign says that it is maintained by volunteers called the Garden People. Looking it up, I see that this garden provided the setting for a scene in the 1998 movie You've Got Mail.

Roses and flowers run the length of the promenade.

As the sun grew lower over the Hudson River, the shadows grew longer.

I found my way up to 90th Street. The elegant buildings that line Riverside Drive curve gracefully to follow the street.

I picked up Elliott and we headed back down to Riverside Park to catch up and eat some sandwiches and salads. Bikers and runners and walkers passed by. This building rose above us. Elliott said it was the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Monument built during the Civil War to commemorate those who served.

The sun slipped down behind the crest of New Jersey.

When it was dark we said good bye and I rode my bike home. There were even fewer people on the path and it was a delight to zip along the river towards 15th Street. Lights sparkled on the black river and there was a moon overhear. Something about being on a bike at night, like our ride in Amsterdam, takes me back to my childhood in the most joyous way.

Here is a little video I made while riding along the promenade. Enjoy the sounds of the birds and the musicians. The only thing you don't get here is the rich fragrant smell of the trees and the grass.

A Ride Through Riverside Park from Bart Boehlert on Vimeo.