story and photos by Lindsay Neal –
I returned to New York City for the second time with something I never had on my side before: time. Or, at least I thought. In my previous trip, I crammed so much in that I don’t think I slept. It had me wondering: could you ever have enough time in the city that never sleeps? With the company of my partner and family, it was a query we felt up to investigating. We all had our lists: our “must sees,” our “I’m not leaving until I eat this’s,” our “we NEED to do this togethers,” and our “I don’t care if I do this one alone, I’m doing its.” The category that we all had in common? The arts. We all have a profound appreciation for the arts, and wanted to experience it all, together. The heart of New York City lies in its iconic arts scene. We perused the art museums and galleries such as the MoMA, the Guggenheim and to the Diane Arbus Exhibit. We saw unforgettable shows at The Comedy Cellar, a live taping of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Hadestown on Broadway, Ray LaMontagne in concert, and finally the Opera at The Met. Ready to devour the arts in every form New York City had to offer, we charged ahead as a team.
We toured over half of the Museum of Modern Art in one day, seeing some classics and some of the newer exhibitions. Some works were breathtaking to see in person: Henri Matisse’s “Dance (I),” Andy Warhol’s “Campbells Soup Cans,” Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night,” and Salvador Dalí’s 1931 painting “The Persistence of Memory.” We passed radically-designed furniture, and overlooked an exhibit by Barbara Kruger, featuring capitalized and bolded memorable quotes patterned from floor to ceiling. Other works were not for me, like the installation with all kinds of past-due bills plastered onto the wall. The Guggenheim’s magnificent architecture lead us in an upwards spiral, viewing the Alex Katz “Gather” exhibit, with striking paintings of stand-alone portraits, social scenes and bold colourful scenes of nature. The Diane Arbus Exhibit featured dark, chilling black and white photographs of people from all walks of life, in extraordinarily odd scenes designed by Arbus. Note: as a cautionary tale, I urge any art aficionados to do this one thing every few hours when promenading through exhibits such as these: go outside.
The Comedy Cellar is situated underneath The Olive Tree Cafe. Down the steps and into the cellar sits a snug room packed with a bar, full seats and a stage with a stained glass sign above it – recognizable to any comedy fan. Part of the thrill is waiting in line to get your name on “the list” and maybe getting lucky enough to get called back to see the evening’s show, which typically features New York’s on the rise stand-up comedians, and sometimes comedy’s most famous names that pop in for a set. Well, we got the call back. We were lucky enough to watch Godfrey’s unrivalled impressions and clever humour. Lightning struck twice in the same spot, when we won the “lottery” to see The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The cherry on top for me was one of the guests being one of my favourite actresses, Aubrey Plaza. Hadestown on Broadway blew us away; it told a story of an ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, King Hades and Persephone. Ray LaMontagne in concert had us all floored by his raw, unfiltered talent, in a perfectly intimately-sized venue. The Opera at the Met left my jaw on the floor, with its unparalleled vocals and emotional hold that it had on me by the end.
If you ask me, you can never have enough time in New York City. Regardless of our seemingly ample time, we raced the clock to cram in the fascinating galleries, unforgettable dramatic performances and comedic routines that left us in stitches. The arts allowed us to forget the clock for a moment, and immerse ourselves in timeless works. There will always be more to see and do in New York City, and I’m not mad about it. If the city isn’t sleeping, neither am I.
