A pleasure to start my day somewhere other than the 3 blocks between house & office. My sister & her 12-year-old are in town, she for work, he on spring break to go to an architecture camp. They are staying nearby & we walked to LaGuardia & 3rd to where the American Institute of Architects has a gallery and work rooms, & where Henry is going to learn architecture-by-computer (I can't do better than that).
We went by the Chaim Gross Foundation, also on LaGuardia Place, & I remembered waiting for an elevator somewhere in Soho a few years ago & falling into conversation with this wonderful kooky woman who turned out to be his daughter & Red Grooms' ex-wife, Mimi Gross, & have been intending for ages to go see his art there.
Last night two guys at the next table at Mogador were speaking a Germanic-Scandinavian language that we correctly guessed was Danish, even though I've never heard Danish spoken (as far as I know); the AIA has an exhibit of Danish green building techniques & my sister speculated that the two guys were here for that; she might be right as the opening was just a couple of days ago.
I walked back to the East Village along 4th St & remembered my very first stop in New York, Café Dante, & my first apartment, on Thompson St (for 6 weeks). You never think anything is for the last time. I didn't ever think: this is the last time I'll ever hitchhike or see this friend, & after a while, you read those affectionate letters & can't recall who that person is. Maybe I'll go west again.