2002-04-06 - 6:07 p.m. supernaut Know how I can tell I�m exhausted? I can�t muster up the energy to go downstairs and hop into a cab and go to Rosa Mexicano for a pomegranate margarita before meeting up with my coworkers for dinner. And I *love* pomegranates. This is a sad day indeed. This trip has been non-stop trekking, schmoozing, drinking and eating. After lunch yesterday, I set out for MOMA with coworkers. Pleasantly, they agreed to split up and meet back up. I enjoy spending time with these people, but when experiencing art in a new museum, I like to go at my own pace � to feel free to stand in front of a painting for 5 minutes if the impulse to do so grabs me. The Richter show was at MOMA (why did I think it was at the Whitney?), so I got to see it after all. I�m most partial to the black and white paintings that have the feel of vintage out-of-focus photographs. So lovely. The motorboat piece was probably my favorite, though the impact of the room full of paintings of the three prisoners who were said to have committed suicide had the most impact (I am also partial to those pieces due to their familiarity � I have spent much time looking at them in SF MOMA�s galleries.) Bummer that the sculpture garden is closed/gone�at least they had some of the permanent collection still on view. Seeing Les Demoiselles D�Avignon in person was amazing. Seeing slides and reproductions of it doesn�t prepare you to be confronted by their stares. Starry night was also magical in person. I spent the most time with the Jackson Pollock (One?) on display�the color and the lines on this piece give an amazing feeling of movement you don�t see in anyone else�s paintings. Amazing. The amount of photography on display was limited to a small exhibit on life in NYC. It included a room with a video monitor displaying images from "here is new york", a post 9/11 photography project comprised of photos submitted by photographers (professional and amateur) that relate to the world trade center tragedy. As people entered this room, and affixed their eyes on this screen, and all the photos tacked up to the walls, and read about what they were viewing, they fell silent (all except the one gratuitous bore of a woman on her cell phone making dinner plans.) The impact of the silence, and the emotion on the faces of the patrons was more than I could take, so I left this room quickly. Some days I can take the raw emotions of loss and sadness better than others. This whole trip, to the City I�d always planned to visit with the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with, going to all the places we�d wanted to share with each other, has rubbed my nerves raw. One coworker dropped out half way through MOMA to go take a nap. But not me. I am always super motivated and turbo charged when in a new City, even after long days without enough sleep. As a reward for my hardiness, my remaining coworker bought me an ice cream Sunday and a cup of coffee from a diner/caf� on Madison Avenue. This fortified me enough to get me through all the floors of Barney�s (I tried on lots of hats there), and through several shops on the way to the Frick. Seeing all the beautiful paintings in such a grand house was lovely. So many people were there and queued up for the Bill Viola exhibit that the galleries were almost empty. This left us to view the Van Dycks, El Grecos, etc., in relative peace and quiet. This lovely day was capped off with a dinner of champagne (Mo�t & Chandon Brut Imperial), terrine de foie gras, spring rolls, and chocolates (caramel butter mousse cloaked in dark chocolate) imported from France at flute, a champagne bar around the corner from David Letterman�s theater. My travel companions were kind enough to indulge me in this destination despite my being the only true champagne buff of the bunch. I was amazed that one of the couples left there to actually go eat dinner. Rather than setting out on the town, I went back to the hotel and settled into a nice deep, long sleep� any comments? (0 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09