This past weekend, Gabe and I spent a bit of time testing out the "absence makes the heart grow fonder" theory.
As you know if you spend any time visiting this blog, I am obsessed with a big fan of family time. Family dinners, family outings, family vacations are all high on my list of life's greatest pleasures.
But sometimes a bit of adult time is needed, too. When our friend Tamara invited us to New York for the long weekend, we were thrilled. We were five couples in all and our children were elsewhere. Actually, all of our children being cared for by other family members, mostly grandparents. We were doubly blessed: an invitation for a weekend away along with the family support to make it happen. Thank you, Eva!
We did lots of typical New York things, walked in Central Park, ordered in Chinese food, and drank great coffee. We saw Other Desert Cities and, although I was very disappointed that Rachael Griffiths did not perform the day we were there, her understudy, Liz Wisan, was excellent, and the play overall was exceptional.
We also took a long walk down to the High Line, and from one end to the other. For those of you who haven't been there, the High Line is an elevated public park built on the tracks of a former railroad line on the lower west side of Manhattan. It feels like an old fashioned promenade, a boardwalk of sorts, high above street level.
The day we went it was packed with other amblers, but even in winter, the native plantings were beautiful, and there were even a few hints of spring.
Our cultural ambassadors, Monica and Tom, had planned the outing along with a trip down from the high line to visit some of the dozens of galleries that line the streets of Chelsea. There were many more galleries than we had time or energy to visit, but it was fascinating to see what some of today's artists are creating. Among the more memorable exhibits were Will Ryman's Everyman at Paul Kasmin Gallery, a huge sculpture made of 30,000 bottle caps. I was also intrigued by Holly Andres's Fall of Spring Hill at Robert Mann Gallery, a story of motherhood and retribution told in photographs. All 12 prints in the collection can be viewed here if you'd like to page through it.
Naturally, we did lots of eating and drinking, too, including an excellent dinner at Dovetail (I have to figure out a way to get back there on a Monday so we can try their Monday night vegetarian menu), exceptionally flaky croissant from Epicerie Bouloud, and more than one visit to the ubiquitious-but-still-delicious Pain Quotidien.
The best part of all, though, was the time that we spent sitting around reminiscing about the past, and laughing about the quirks of life. That laughter felt very, very good.
Amen sista!!!! Great photos of a great weekend.
Posted by: Tamara | February 22, 2012 at 11:20 AM
But I didn't get any of the couch time! Although, really, I'm not sure I want anyone to see that!
Posted by: Margy | February 22, 2012 at 02:59 PM
Gorgeous coverage of an ideal weekend!!
Posted by: Sarah O'Herron | February 23, 2012 at 04:06 PM
Margy, I finally took some time to read through your blog! It's gorgeous -- really, really well done. Was really great seeing you and Gabe, and being part of the NYC weekend.
Posted by: Melinda Bradley | March 12, 2012 at 03:29 PM
Awwwww, thank you, Melinda!
Posted by: Margy | March 15, 2012 at 11:16 AM