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| 8:30 PM. Photo: JH. |
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| Thursday, July 31, 2014. Amazing. Another beautiful Summer day in New York with temperatures in the mid-70s, lots of sunshine, no humidity, and a wonderful day to be walking in New York. I went down to Michael’s for lunch. I was about ten minutes late because of the traffic going across down (and the fact that one of the blocks on East 63rd was closed suddenly)(typical of New York traffic now). I was relieved that my guest had not yet arrived. No problem; I don’t mind waiting for people since so many have waited for me. I talked to Michael, to Steve Millington the restaurant’s GM, to Mickey Ateyeh, the jewelry and accessories executive (Angela Cummings, Tiffany, etc.) and Betsy Perry, the writer, who was lunching with her.
At 1:30, I decided to order just in case. I tried calling my lunch date and couldn’t reach her. No problem. Hoping everything was all right on her end. 1:40, I knew I was going solo. Steve brought me a couple magazines to look at: The Hollywood Reporter and Hamptons. The latter, mainly real estate ads for large houses selling for what used to be considered a great personal fortune and is now considered a shrug. The former (HR) full of items about entertainment executives. Zzzzzz. You had to be there. I ordered two starters: Heirloom Tomatoes with Burrata and Arugula, a little balsamic vinegar, and Avocado. The avocado’s a side -- I got the idea from Mickey Ateyeh and I love avocado -- it’s my homage to LA where I had an avocado tree just outside my kitchen window. And Prosciutto and Melon with Arrug. Along with the Barbara Bush – iced tea and orange juice, and followed by a cappuccino. |
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1:45, a call from my “lunch guest.” She didn’t have it in her book. That’s happened to me. It’s one of those things I can get slightly freaked out about (standing someone up). In this case, as much as I would have like to have seen my guest, I was perfectly happy taking in the Michael’s scene, eating my light lunch and contemplating the scene.
It was a very pleasant day, like the weather outside, bright, sunny and quietly cooler. After lunch I walked up to Bergdorf’s to buy a moisturizer that I’ve been using since I went to a lunch promoting it about ten years ago – ReVive. I’d been invited to the lunch which was at the Tony Ingrao Gallery. I think I was the only man at table. It was clearly for cosmetic editors and their ilk which I’m definitely not. The guy who created this cream, a doctor from Louisville (I think – I could be off on that), explained that it had a certain ingredient that repaired the cells of aging. Okay. I’d never thought about that kind of thing although I have thought more than several times about the business of growing old and/or getting old. |
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| On leaving that day at the Ingrao Gallery, everyone got a goody bag with a jar of the stuff. I’ve never been much of a moisturizer or cosmetically inclined person, but I was fascinated by the “cell repair” ingredient. Not that I’d noticed any cells needing repair. But what really appealed was, the directions said to use very little, just a dot. So I did. I don’t know if it’s made a difference but every morning after I shave, I give the face a little daub of the ReVive and that’s become part of routine ever since. I don’t know if it’s made a difference but somehow I’ve come to the conclusion that it has. Am I kidding myself? Quite possibly. But maybe not. So I go over to Bergdorf’s where they sell it in the fragrance and cosmetic department on the subterranean floor. I’m not a shopper and I rarely buy anything but I like going into Bergdorf’s because it’s so classy and looks good, and smells good and the staff look like the staff you’d see in the old time department stores – people who know and often even like their merchandise, sophisticated to the needs and imagination of their customers. There’s style everywhere, and taste. And it’s not stupid or tacky. Now you know what I think. The whole cosmetics department is a trip to look at. Mainly women standing, talk with women who are clearly the experts. Women sitting on high chairs getting a touch of some mascara or makeup. There’s a feel in the entire space of Work-in-Progress. It’s kind of an “up” for a change. The ladies at the ReVive booth are friendly and they even gave me a little plastic bag with some samples in them for neck and eyes, etc. I give them to my doormen for their wives. Everybody’s happy. Leaving Bergdorf’s, I crossed the avenue over to the Apple Cube and the building’s plaza and took this pictures looking up and down the avenue. The plaza is now a traditional gathering place for tourists, shoppers taking a break, kids taking in the scene; hawkers selling bike rides. The Apple Cube brought that; it never was before in all the years it was the (first) GM Building and then the Trump Building. Kind of like a village square in days of old where neighbors congregated. Far from neighborly in that way, it’s still nice and on a bright sunny day like yesterday, getting a little New York fix. At 60th Street, I crossed over to Madison Avenue for a walk up Madison to look at the windows, thinking of you readers who’d like to see what’s fresh and what’s hot. That’ll be for another day, soon. |
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| Meanwhile many friends are out of town enjoying their summers by the beach or abroad. I got this photo two days ago from Duane Hampton who took it from her corner window in the Hotel Regina/Europa in Venezia. She added that she was “now at sea near the heel of Italian boot.” Which I took to mean she’s on someone’s boat, or more precisely, yacht. If I were an envying one, I’d be drooling now because I can’t think of a greater, more heavenly luxury than to be in the sunny Mediterranean (or Adriatic) while across the water we are surrounded by the ancient hills and shorelines, all reassuring us that Mother Nature knows more about heaven than any of us. But those are rare moments, if at all, in one’s life. In Duane’s life right now. Good. |
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| And ... if you’re in town, and if you’re an aficionado of the Dance, Jacob Jonas The Company is premiering its first full-length work, “In a Room On Broad St" at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater at 405 West 55th Street. Showtimes are August 5th through 7th (Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 10 p.m., and Thursday at 5:30 p.m.). Jacob Jonas The Company is a Los Angeles based creative company that specializes in dance, production, and arts education. To learn more visit www.jacobjonas.com |
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Contact DPC here. |