Gotham Gal

Auctions

Last night we went to the school auction. In general, I am not a big fan of auctions because I figure if I really wanted something, I'd probably just pick it up. But, on the other hand, the packages they put together are great and you are generally supporting a good cause.

So, my Mom was my date and we headed to the school auction. It was at the Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th street which is a great location for events like this. The owner's kid goes to our school, so needless to say, that is an added bonus for us. There were a variety of of packages from dinners to theater to kids stuff to photographs to sporting events, etc. After one drink, I started to write my bidding number in a few locations. That is probably the beauty of an action. Open bar starts the bidding off right.

The live auction is always the best part. They get a real auctioneer every year which is a treat to watch. People get very serious about their bidding. We got a group together again this year, to go for the Mario Batali dinner party. Couldn't resist.

I am thrilled to say that we won the dinner party again this year. It will probably be this fall again, during white truffle season. Yum...that is the part I do like about auctions because something like this, you can only buy at auction.

Sebastian Blanck

Sebastian Blanck is an artist that we were fortunate to meet about a year ago. Not only is he a smart, nice and hip guy...he is also a fantastic artist (and happens to play in a rock band). We went up to his studio and checked out his work.

Generally, I like to go back a few times to see new work and assess where the artist is going or are they truly prolific and able to continue to create new work 10 or 15 years down the line. He is the only artist, except for another talented guy, Eric Freeman where we have bought something before we left. Sebastian's wife, Isca Greenfield-Sanders happens to be another incredible talent which we were not so lucky to scoop up the first time we saw her work. I am still working on that one. Long story.

Sebastian is currently showing at Michael Steinberg Fine Art in Chelsea. I was there yesterday. I went with a friend who happens to be a big collector and helps other people collect as well and I trust her eye. She really liked his work and compared him to a mixture of Alex Katz and Eric Fischl. Good comparison and a good audience to be in. Sebastian is young and talented. I highly recommend checking out his work before his show ends. You will be hearing about Sebastian for many years to come.

We also stopped by Cheim & Read who are showing the first solo exhibition of the British artist, Paul Morrison. I've always been a fan of paintings directly on the wall. These are very cool. Black and white graphic type landscapes. There are also a few small pieces that you could hang somewhere. Small show. Worth walking through if you are in the area which is basically how I ended up there.

The other show which I really wanted to go see was at Ziehersmith Gallery. I have written about this gallery before. I could have bought 3-4 pieces that they had yesterday. Not all part of this show but pieces in the back. The artist who I really liked yesterday was Andrew Pretorius. I like figurines and it appealed to my sense of humor. These oil paintings are staged realities with a twist. Very intricate. This artist has studied the masters so he has obviously taken that to a different level. The 2004 version.

That was enough for yesterday. Over to the best food in the area, Bottino.

Choice for Women

We rented Mona Lisa Smiles the other night. Not a great movie but not a bad movie either. I did come away with some thoughts.

It is certainly a chick flick. The premise of the movie is that Julia Roberts, an art teacher, comes to Wellesley College to teach art. She believes that she will be teaching the best and the brightest women in the country who will make an impact on the world today. The world is 1953. She discovers that these women, who are obviously smart, are really just attending school for their MRS, in essence, finishing school for women. She is dumbfounded and attempts to make these women think differently.

The movie is probably a bit unrealistic about what it really was like in 1953 but nevertheless interesting. During the film there is one character who applies to Yale Law School through the prodding of Julia Roberts characters. She does get in but chooses to get married and follow her husband to University of Pennsylvania while he attends law school so she can keep a house, have a family etc. There is an argument that occurs through this character and her teacher, Julia Roberts over why she can't do both? She claims that she is happy to be a housewife and there is nothing wrong with that choice. So, my son leans over to me and says "mom, are you a housewife"? Yikes. I answered "I guess so, at least for the moment but perhaps I should go back to work". His reply, "No, Dad works really hard and you stay home with us so that is perfect.". Perfect for who?

I blogged about the topic recently, "What do you do"? This is a never ending push and pull in the lives of women today. It is literally impossible to have it all. But on the other hand, what type of lessons am I teaching my children by staying home and managing their lives? I do think it is probably a short term career. Women can have the option of many careers vs. men who mostly start on a slow steady climb upward.

Then, how about the women who work because they have to. Society changed when women had the opportunity to become lawyers, doctors or anything they wanted for that matter vs. only nurses and teachers. The cost of living has gone up. People now have different expectations. 2 working parents trying to make ends meet to keep the lifestyle they have chosen - pay for the mortgage, make sure the kids are in the programs they want, etc. The weekends consist of running errands and going to their kids sporting events. Is that what these women bargained for?

Today in the New York Times there is an article on Tiny Film Buffs. Movie houses that are showing first-run films for parents with babies. Parents? Take a look at the audience picture. Women with their kids. Are these educated women from Harvard, Wellesley or Yale choosing to stay home? Who wins here - the kids, the mothers or the fathers?

I don't think the answer is black and white but what will be most interesting is seeing how the next generation of women answer to their calling. Will they start having kids at 22 and not have careers first and children later? Will they graduate and then just stay home to raise the kids while will make it harder for them to enter the work place later. Will more women make a choice - career vs. family - end of story.

I am certainly happy where I am and my choice for now but when my son asks me if I am a housewife, I admit, it makes me freeze. Perhaps I should answer him with the explanation my friend gives her family....I am a domestic goddess.

New Orleans Jazzfest, Day 3

We've decided to take it easier today. Not much playing that we want to see until about 3ish. We got up slowly walked around the French Corner and then had some breakfast. We went to the Coffee Kettle for breakfast. There were some serious omelettes being eaten. Oysters Rockefeller omelette with a shot of tequila on the side. Now that is the way to start the day off. We stuck with the basics. Eggs, coffee and bisuits. The biscuits are top in New Orleans. Then we wandered into our favorite photography place that carries lots of rocker photos, A Gallery.

Next, we grabbed a cab and headed over to Magazine Street. I found that the city is cleaner and appears to be growing this year. There are a variety of new retail stores. You can feel that the city is in a growth time. Magazine Street goes on forever. We just strolled through some of the antique stores, clothing stores, art galleries and such. But, time was of the essence. It was time to grab a cab and head out to the festival.

We got to the festival around 2:30. First stop, the ribs booth. Smothered ribs, smoked all day long slopped with a rich gooey barbecue sauce topped on the side with a sweet, crunchy, mustardy cole slaw. Yum! Then, we rambled over to my new favorite. Barbecued oyster po-boy. Oh my! I will have to try and reproduce this one at home. Barbecued spicy oysters over shredded lettuce topped with blue cheese and spicy hot sauce on a white bun. It was unbelievable. Of course, had to get the strawberry lemonade to wash that down.

Now, it was time for the music. First stop, Rebecca Malope, the Gospel Queen of South Africa at the Congo Tent. She was ok. We did not love her so we kept on moving. We were lucky enough to push our way into seats (shock!) at the Bellsouth Jazz Tent to see Branford Marsalis. His raw talent and his band's talent is truly a sight to see. I am not a huge fan of the music, but to watch them all play is truly incredible. Also, the history of the Marsalis family. I'd love to read a book about their roots. His father was a musician and so is his entire family. His brother and father were playing on Sunday, Jason Marsalis and Ellis Marsalis. Branford must have been staying in our hotel because when we listened to our itunes in the hotel, you were connected to everyone in the hotel who was using itunes. Branford Marsalis was using it too. Unfortunately he had a password so we could not see what type of music he was listening to. Would have been interesting.

Time to leave Brandford. We talked over to Rockin' Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters. These guys were awesome. They'd be a great band to have at an outdoor summer party. Tons of fun. Next, we went over to see Macy Gray. Her first album was so good. The next 2 had a few hits here and there. I love her voice but wish she'd do a a bit more on the pop blues. She lost me half way through. So, we decided enough is enough.

That night, we went to the Pelican Club for drinks. We were lucky enough to get a table outside and had dinner. What a find. The restaurant is in the Quarter down Exchange Alley. I felt like I was eating in Rome. It was lovely. Before dinner, we actually stopped into a art gallery opening of an artist named James Michalopoulos. Interesting pieces but once you take them out of the context of New Orleans, I am not sure they work. After dinner, we cruised over to the House of Blues to see the Neville Brothers.. We had a connection, so we literally were able to see down in the balcony, front and center. They crooned. When Aaron Neville sang Amazing Grace, tears literally came to my eyes. We left and strolled over to Cafe Du Monde for some tasty beignets.

New Orleans is my second favorite city in the States, New York, of course being my first. There is a vibe there that does not exist anywhere else. The food is unique. The architecture is incredible. You really feel as if you are in a different place. There is music available nightly. The town rocks until late at night. There are a variety of local artists and artisans. There is a true culture of New Orleans where as other towns have become almost all the same. You could close your eyes and be anywhere. Not in New Orleans. You can close your eyes all you want but your senses will tell you that you are somewhere like no where else.

New Orleans Jazzfest, day 2

As always, a great experience. The one thing I noticed differently this year was how much older the audience is. Although the place was jammed packed, the audience seemed to be older. Maybe it was the music of the first weekend, who knows. But, it was a definite older audience. The place was packed.

I consider the entire festival one big nosh. You can nosh on food, nosh on music, nosh on crafts. It's a beautiful thing. You don't have to commit to anything for too long. There are 10 stages of music playing all the time.

Friday, we got out to the festival by noon. We started out with Theresa Andersson at the Acurra Stage She has the rock chick thing going but is a bit all over the map in terms of style. Could be of use with a good manager and producer. Next, we saw John Clearly & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, at the Sprint Stage. These guys clearly rock and our talented. In between we checked out Corey Harris at the Popeyes Blues Tent. He was incredible. Sometimes we just step into the blues tent or gospel tent for 10-15 minute en route to somewhere else. The beautiful thing about noshing through the festival. But, we stayed for Corey Harris. He was fantastic. We also caught a true gospel group, I felt that I was at a revival. Check out Lee Williams and the Spiritual QCs. We actually bought the CD of these guys. I love it, their cd was recorded at their gospel church in Birmingham, Alabama. We passed the way of Emmylou Harris but she did not wow us, so we left. Our last performance of the day was Bonnie Raitt. Thank god we know to work a crowd from college. We literally got up to the 3rd row from the stage. She is such a rocker. Her voice is incredible, she still moves and grooves to the music. You gotta love her. Really glad that we got to see her.

The food is another important part here. It was pretty hot and it takes awhile to get used to the heat but we managed to eat regardless. We started with a fried softshell poboy, smothered with pickles and hot sauce in a big white roll. It's a must. We get one every year. Our next was my favorite from the Red Fish Grill booth. I actually think their booth is the best booth there. I'd definitely going to get over there for dinner outside the festival next year. They serve fried oysters, a bit of hot sauce over small pieces of spinach, red onions and blue cheese dressing. It is incredible. The other items we did this year was the artichoke/spinach casserole. Good but really heavy. We each took a few bites and then tossed it. Just too much. We also through backsome spicy popcorn shrimp. Our last, another big favorite, was the Cochon de Lait sandwich. Pulled pork with spicy sauce over large chunky sweet coleslaw in a big white hero sandwich. It is truly incredible. I want the recipe. I'd also like to double the amount of pulled pork inside the sandwich. We kept washing these all back with the homemade Strawberry Lemonade. Another festival favorite.

The crafts this year did not wow me. My 2 favorites were not there. One guy, who is pal's with Dr. Bob, who hand makes paper mache characters. I saw him at Dr. Bob's so I'll probably buy something direct from him. The other woman is from South Africa and she sells hand made dolls. I usually buy one a year so I am going to have to contact her because I was really bummed not to go home with my doll this year. She might be slated for the 2nd week. That sometimes happens.

The festival was celebrating the 10th anniversary of the South Africa's freedom from Apartheid so there was a variety of music, crafts displayed with that in mind.

That night, we went over to Restaurant August behind our hotel for drinks and appetizers. So good. I love the vibe there. We then ventured out to some music. We saw Ben Kweller and Death Cab for Cutie. Weird name but great music. It was fun to see some young alternative rockers vs. all the other types of music we saw during the day. The club was packed and the stage was small. Who would have thought that I would have left New Orleans with both those artists playing over and over again on my play list.

New Orleans Jazz Festival

Yesterday I got up at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. in order to get to our annual outing to Jazz Fest in New Orleans. If you have never been to New Orleans, the trip is well worth it. This city is completely different than any other place in the U.S. The food is incredible with the influences from the cajuns and french. Music is everywhere at all times. Local art is abundant. But the real treat is this town is the walking party. To experience that first time you go into a bar and order a drink and they ask "is that to stay or to go?" has got to give anyone a chuckle.

Yesterday we went through the same ritual that we go through every year. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, we go directly to Uglesich's. A serious hole in the wall. People stand outside waiting for a table with drinks in hand. Once you enter the "shack" you give your order to Anthony, the owner. Pay cash only and then make your way to table they'll set up for you. The tables are plastic outdoor furniture with the plastic chairs to match. But, the food is amazing. I believe some of the best food and most authentic in New Orleans.

We started with oysters on the half shell with a hot spicy sauce. Yesterday, they chose the meal for us which has never happened before but was well worth it. We then had fried green tomatoes with a remoulade sauce and small shrimp, deep fried soft shell crabs, "ecstasy shrimp" which is shrimp served over a bed of lettuce with a spicy vinegarette and blue cheese dressing on the side. This was only the appetizers. Main courses were deep fried catfish, "voodoo shrimp" which is spicy shrimp and vegetables served over a very thin pasta, also "shrimp uzzie" which is shrimps sauted with a spicy red sauce and vegetables (this one I actually have the recipe at home which was in Savuer years ago) and then my all time favorite which is barbecued shrimp and oysters. Wow! After 2 bloody mary's and all the food it was time to walk.

We did not walk too far. We took a cab over to our favorite local artist, Dr. Bob. We have all purchased his art for ourselves, friends and family. He's a hoot. He was getting ready for the festival so we wandered over to the French Quarter into the stalls.

After napping and relaxing, we went out to dinner. We generally bag dinner after all the eating at the festival but we do go once a year to Jacques Imo's. The people we were with are all friendly with Jacque so we always get great service and have fun talking with him. I have to say, I do not think the food is as good as it has been in the past. I am not sure that I will be going next year. Yet, the place is awesome with Dr. Bob pics everywhere, music blasting, people hanging outside waiting for tables. A great scene regardless of the food.

Back to the hotel to crash. Tomorrow is another day.

Madame Bovary

I admit, I have not read as many classics as I would have liked. I do read voraciously but mostly newer novels, young authors and of course, many magazines. As much as I like to read, you would have thought that someone would have given me some direction in college like "hey, you should really take some English literature classes" but unfortunately, noone did. Although, I did take one English literature class when I was abroad for one semester just because I thought that I should sort of let loose that one semester. Mostly in college I was hard core business. I was more focused on graduating and making sure that I was gainfully employed on the track to success.

So, as I sat with my book club the other night, discussing the classics, I realized how I wish I would have read more. This summer, I am committing to reading at least 3. I believe our book club will be providing the direction on one of them.

We decided as a group to read Madame Bovary last month. I believe we were discussing the Soprano's and thought we'd take Carmella's lead.

What amazed me most about Madame Bovary was the time it was written. The book has held up over time. What a trashy romance novel. I hated everyone of the characters. Despicable people yet they gave you some clue into what life was like then. Not so different from today, truth is. Emma Bovary was the absolute romantic fool. A true ladder climber driven by the perfect life with the perfect romance. She destroys everything around her. We all probably know someone like that.

The women in my club are incredibly well read and knowledgeable. I did not realize that this particular book (others as well) were sold chapter by chapter each month to their readers. So, in essence, it is very much like a trashy magazine or a tv show that says "stay tuned until next week when....". You wonder if some of the story line was put in there just to grab the reader for that particular month.

This book, like many classics, have been translated by so many different people that you could read one and get a bit of a different take than another one. If you could read this book in French, or read Tolstoy in Russian, it would be perfect but alas, English is my first and only language.

Would I recommend Madame Bovary? I am not sure because I have never been a big fan of trashy romance novels but it is a page turner and certainly a peek into what it must have been like living in France during the Victorian age.

The Apollo Theater

I've never been to the Apollo. Have wanted to go but never did. Today was my lucky day.

My 8 year old son is studying Harlem. The trip today was to the Apollo Theater. What a great place.

First of all, the history there is quite amazing. Mr. Mitchell gave us a full on tour. He started out there as a usher. He was fantastic. He had a great voice and told us stories that made you envision what it must have been like 30 years ago. Ella Fitzgerald started out there doing Amateur Night when she was 17 years old. They still have Amateur Night every Tuesday night, 70 years later. I am absolutely taking my family up there one night to check it out.

There is a montage of faces on the wall when you walk in of every R&B, Jazz, Motown player or group that played there during the heydey.

The theater is in major need of renovations. The seating on the top tier literally has no leg room. I am not sure what you do. Maybe sit indian style. The seats in front of the stage are sunken so it is hard to see what is happening on stage. The ceiling is peeling. But, the good news is that they have raised $43 million out of $50 to renovate the entire theater. The Apollo is landmarked so they will bring the theater back to the original state - although new chairs and leg room. Now the theater has 1480 seats and will have 1300 when the renovation is through.

Now is certainly the time to renovate. The renewal of Harlem is fantastic. 125th Street is paved with retail shops and bustling activity compared to 10 years ago when many stores were closed. The Theater is involved in the community too. Every Tuesday they show movies that are in the theaters to kids and their families that can not afford to go to the movies. Really great reach out program.

This is the Apollo's 70th Anniversary. It will be very interesting to see how the Apollo makes it's mark on the next 70 years.

Missy Elliot, Alicia Keys and Beyonce

What a concert. The young divas. I went to the Garden last night to see Missy Elliot, Alicia Keys and Beyonce. Wow!

I liked the entire concept because you get to see 3 hot performers at one concert and noone plays for over an hour. It's perfect. You hear all your favorite songs and when you've had enough, they are done.

Missy Elliot came out first. What a production. Her set alone must range in the $1 - 2 million range. She is a male rapper in a females body. She was my least favorite of the performers. She yelled so loud into the microphone, I wasn't really sure what she was singing/saying. My daughter, who's 13, knows her music and couldn't make much out either. The thing that struck me about her performance is that it is more like watching a Broadway show. She had about 12 performers who danced and strutted themselves during each song, 6 men and 6 women. They were acting out her lyrics, which I couldn't hear. The outfits were mixed. Some were beyond skimpy and others were serious street clothes and very athletic looking. Some of the performers got down right raunchy. One song, the guys had their pants unzipped, down around their hips and appeared to be holding them with some belt in one hand while jutting their hips and jacking off ( not in reality but acting). The women were wearing little bikinis and writhing on stage. Not really necessary. Lucky, Missy Elliot only played for about 35 minutes. That was all we could take.

Next on, Alicia Keys. One incredibly talented woman. I loved her first album. Her second album, I did not like as much. Her managers/label had obviously pushed her into a different direction, which is good, but she is doing more singing and dancing than showing us her musical talents. She came out dancing up a storm. She had on white jeans, thigh high black books, a white/black bustier with a white jacket. She looked great. When she sat down to the keyboards was the best. She is amazing. Her voice could break glass. Also, she is quite a performer. She was very into this audience. She has the full package. At one point, she actually stood up and conducted her small orchestra which was pretty cool because you know she wrote the music. At the end, we were ready for the next. Although I love the piano gig, it gets boring after awhile. I guess that is why she was pushed into a different direction. Although, she'll be around for a very long time.

Last but certainly not least, Beyonce. She rocks! Each song was a different outfit. One better than the next. She struts her stuff. I believe her mother makes these costumes for her and her dancers. Her mom was a costume designer. The stage was simple. Black floor with stairs that came in an out based on the song and drop screens which were live steams of her performance. The screens were really done well. She told us that she started with Destiny's Child when she was 9. At 15, their songs were the top of the charts. Pretty impressive. The other 2 members of Destiny's Child actually came out and sang with her at one point. Jay Z came out and sang with her at the end when she sang "Crazy" which was fantastic. The crowd went wild. Beyonce sings, dances, shakes her bod and knows how to get an audience going. Impressive performance. She was having a great time and so were we.

The one thing I am sorry that they do not do in this concert, is bring back all 3 divas to perform together. They all have such different talents, it would be really fun to see what they could come up with to do together. Maybe next time.

What do you do?

I read my friend, Jerry's post this morning and felt I had to write about my experiences on the same topic.

I have always been a worker. A true multi-tasker. Proud to say that what most people take hours accomplishing, I can get done in 1/4 of the time.

A few years ago, I made a conscious decision to stop working. At this point, I was Chairing a non-profit organization (Mouse.org), sitting on a couple of other boards (profit and non-profit), raising a family, working on a gut renovation and decoration of a house, helping our kid's school by being the co-chair of the Development committee and also a variety of other things.

One afternoon, I asked our oldest daughter if she was interested in taking some class. Her response was, "I can't, I am too busy". I was floored by her response. She wasn't too busy, I was too busy. Although everything appeared to be running smoothly, I gathered through her eyes, life was a tad too crazy. Right then, I made the decision to cut back on work. It took me awhile but I now am only involved with the kids school.

Granted, I do a variety of other things. I plan our vacations, I make dinner most nights, I manage the day to day to our lives, I still meet with people who are interested in my advice from my experiences and I am always getting asked "what are you going to do next?"?

I admit, I do think about and fantastize about my next career move but it has taken me sometime to feel comfortable with what I am doing now. I never thought that I'd be an "at home" mom. Sure, there are days when I am absolutely bored out of my mind, but there are other days when I am beyond busy and can't imagine how I could get everything done if I was getting paid to work. I miss the career part of my life because in truth, it was great ego gratification. I am glad that our daughters saw me as having a career that I enjoyed and got a lot of satisfaction out of but at the end of the day, they are probably thrilled that I am home. Our son who is fascinated with my past career has offered to pay me to stay home for the time being. Unfortunately, he can't afford me but fortunately, our successes has allowed me to stay home.

What struck me about Jerry's blog was the question of "what do you do?" I has taken me some time to not cringe when someone would ask me what I do. I'd start off rambling about everything that I have done, and that I was searching for my next thing. I actually wanted to say, "I swear, I am smart, accomplished, have an opinion, can carry on an intelligent conversation etc.".

This past week, I had to take out a considerable amount of cash at the bank for our daughter's upcoming Bat Mitzvah. There was paperwork to fill out for the Government (which pissed me off to no end) and they asked what my profession was. I thought about it and said "housewife". It has such a horrendous stigma. Maybe we should come up with a different name. Family Manager?

Although now, when people ask me "what do you do?", I reply, "not much" until someone really wants to probe past that, and I am actually ok with it because I know my "not much" is one of the best things that I could be doing right now.