Coffee-drinking, art-loving, word-smithing & SNOWBOUND
Have you ever been so distracted by the pursuit of coffee
that you lost track of time---and then found out that all the while you were
coffee-klatching, a potential disaster was unfolding? That was me on Thursday,
November 15---the day of the nor’easter that we all underreacted to until we
were stuck in Penn Station, and our children were stuck on buses, while thousands
of people were stuck in gridlock that lasted up to 12 to 14 hours, forcing them
to deal with their biologic needs the best they could.
Newsbar @ 13th & University |
After a full morning of working alone, I met up with two of my colleagues (2 amazing
women-editors), at News Bar Café near Union
Square, to work on a project and drink endless cups of coffee, while enjoying
various soups, breads and sweets. News Bar has a traditional wooden exterior,
and a café-pub-like feel, with large plate glass windows at the front of the
café.
Teresa, Jess and Nicole drinnking coffee @ Newsbar |
The best way to describe the feeling of being in News Bar at
midday as the snow innocently swirled around outside is ‘fika’---a Scandinavian
term meaning ‘cozy happiness,’ which usually includes drinking hot drinks in
warm settings, against the backdrop of cold, often wintry weather, outdoors.
We accomplished what we came to accomplish, and determined that we had worked so hard and so long that it was time for a break.
We accomplished what we came to accomplish, and determined that we had worked so hard and so long that it was time for a break.
Picasso’s
unintentional ode to coffee
Like almost everyone else in NYC and New Jersey, we were
clueless about the magnitude of the growing storm. So we went to MOMA (the
Museum of Modern Art) in midtown. We ubered, and it took 45 minutes to get from
13th Street to 53rd Street---on the east side (a long time for a non-rush-hour trip, even in NYC). Still, we
ambled forward like art-hungry foragers looking for soup cans, green helicopters,
a starry night, and screaming aliens. Although we found out that Warhol’s soup
cans were loaned out, and Munch’s Scream was no longer there (it had actually been loaned
in from a private collector for years, but was now gone), each of us found
something to get really excited about— works by Kandinsky (Teresa), Rousseau
(Jess), and Picasso (Picasso’s Repose, from spring 1908, was my favorite that
day).
Repose by Picasso (@MOMA) |
When I walked into the room where Repose hangs, I saw it and
immediately felt a sense of calmness and well-being. My friend/colleague, Jess,
suggested that the reason I love it so much is because its palette is so
coffee-esque. Looking at Repose is the visual equivalent of walking into a
coffee shop where many different types of coffee are brewing at the same time.
Repose is a lady-in-waiting, waiting on a cup of coffee. She sits dreaming of
hazelnut-, mocha-, Sumatra-, and Kona-infused coffees.
Snow globe magic
meets nor’easter reality
After seeing this painting, we decided to head to the café
on the second floor to actually drink coffee---one of my favorite things to do
at MOMA. The staff was characteristically polite, and the coffee and espresso
drinks were hot, bold, and well-brewed. Best of all was sitting and looking
down out of the café’s large window facing 53rd Street. The snow
swirled around like a scene from a snow globe. It was all magical and
festive---until I got the call from my oldest daughter that my youngest
daughter (aged 7), had been stuck on her school bus for more than 2 hours.
Of course, I totally freaked out, and decided to go straight
to Penn to try to get home and manage the situation from there. But when we
walked out of MOMA, it was clear to me that this was not a ‘manageable’
situation. The snow that looked magical had suddenly become menacing (at least
in terms of transportation), and the streets of NYC were absolute chaos, though
of course, as I approached Times Square on foot (heading to Penn with Teresa),
much gaiety ensued (e.g., fully grown adults in Santa hats scaring small
children).
Watching the snow & drinking amazing cofee |
After many phone calls, and trains that were stuck in tunnels or packed to the gills at Penn Station, I made it onto a train and finally home, where I discovered two daughters---one who had been stuck on a bus for 4 hours and another who had waited for her outside almost 3 hours. All told, it was challenging, but they are none the worse for the wear.
Penn Station 11-15-18 |
Giving thanks ahead
of Thanksgiving
In the spirit of gratitude, I was blissed out that we all
made it home, though I was up late (drinking home-brewed Dunkin’ Donuts
hazelnut coffee) following the various pilgrimages of friends trekking home
from all over the tristate area. Eventually, everyone made it home---but some
people ended up not getting there until the wee hours of the next day---just in
time to go to bed for a few hours, wake up, drink lots of coffee, and do it all
over again.
Frolicking in snow showers |
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