catko

Lazy Sunday with Peet's coffee and the SNYT. What a life, the best of both coasts.

Headed out around 4 pm for our first real "planned" event--John's "house concert" on Beekman Place up above the UN Building. On the way, walked through a street fair on Madison, where they were selling PASHMINAS FIVE for $20! Bought some (more).

Per John's suggestion, stopped at the Waldorf Astoria. Nice ladies room, and had a very civilized snack at Peacock Alley, which is built where the actual alley was that connected the old Waldorf to the old Astoria. Lori had a Manhattan; fitting.

The Beekman Place apartment hosting the concert had a doorman outside and an elevator guy, who had a fan going in there. The concert was just John and his Bill (aka the Manhattan Valley Ramblers), playing fiddle, banjo, guitar, and mandolin and chatting about the songs and their history playing together. Apparently at a previous house concert Oliver Sacks, who works witih John (a pediatrician at Columbia Med) was amazed at the digital instrument tuners, as was I.

It's so amazing to see people who love music, play music. Bluegrass is real human-level stuff, too. Took the 6 back downtown, crowded and very New York-ish. So was the whole day, in fact. Though the lounging around in the sun, drinking coffee and reading the paper, did remind me of home, too.

Pashminas! The count is up to 15!