I feel like I am a little boy again every time I approach Manhattan after the long flight from Sydney. It is like Luna Park, Easter Show and New Year all rolled into one! Only this time I was sitting in first class for the first (and probably the last) time, upgraded due to travelling with United Airlines for the umpteenth time (I cannot afford Qantas any more). And first class is very nice ... but it is not all it is cracked up to be. Although United Airlines have looked after us well for 15 years or more, regarding first class, rather like real estate, it is location, location and location … as well as ‘lavatories’. There are two ‘washrooms’ for just twelve people (and they are exactly the same cramped style as elsewhere in this 20 year old 747 United jumbo jet). And I was told that there were no ‘seats’, but ‘suites’(!). In fact they are just like the old larger business class seats but with all places being on an aisle (and a narrow, tortuous aisle it is too).
The food was much the same quality as business class - perhaps one or two extra choices. The wines were pleasant but nothing special. There was no classic champagne. There was no caviar. There were no Godiva chocolates or truffles. Certainly nothing was cooked in the air. There is either no such thing as a first class airline chef or else such a person works on the ground. At least I can say I have done it … and on frequent flyer points rather than some of the others who may have paid up to twenty thousand dollars for the round trip first class (look it up on the web!) – while economy was just that ('economical') at fifteen hundred dollars return! [Australian dollars and American dollars are about equal at present]
This was my twentieth trip to the big apple – and probably the quickest as we were ensconced in the upper west side apartment by 8.30pm where it is sometimes close to midnight with delays in the various links, head winds and transfer delays in California. Those who travel on some cheaper tickets are obliged to take the overnight flight to arrive at sunrise. Poor devils!
The cab driver was Russian. On the freeway from JFK past La Guardia airport and the Tri-Borough Bridge our driver broke the speed limit by up to 20mph. I found it terrifying. But the rest of the traffic was doing similar speeds – it just seemed normal. But it was clear that there were no radar traps on this piece of road.
Our doorman greeted us at the building saying ‘Good evening doctor Byrne, how nice to see you again’. And the building we stay in is no particularly fancy building, just one of hundreds on the upper west side between Broadway and Central Park. My next stop was the supermarket to get some essential provisions. The thing one often finds in New York is the exotic … human, animal and vegetable. Even my first hour in the big apple had me finding yellow raspberries, blue eggs and 'horseradish' cheddar. While these may all be familiar to the reader they were novel to me. Unless the placebo effect is very strong, red raspberries win, bizarre and exotic the albino variety may look. Blue eggs actually taste much the same as white or brown ones … and as for the hot cheese my final judgement will have to wait until my taste buds have returned to equilibrium. The eggs, it turns out, come from blue hens from an exotic descendent of a Patagonian species cultivated by the original inhabitants of Chile. Small samples of a new soap made to smell like butterscoth caused havoc in the bathroom when I unconsciously almost put it in my mouth!
My first medical meeting was on pregnancy outcomes at the St Luke’s Hospital at 114th Street. Its previous CEO Dr Robert Newman insisted on showing me their beautiful chapel on the ground floor with its intricate stained glass. He also drew to my attention a bizarre study showing that methadone made rats uncooperative. Another colleague, Ed Salsitz said that the methadone actually gave the rodents such clarity of mind that they simply refused to cooperate with the pesky researchers and their silly toy games! http://www.healthcanal.com/public-health-safety/15407-Long-term-methadone-treatment-can-affect-the-brain.html
When I left the hospital there was a sudden spring snow storm as I hastened towards the subway. I had the good fortune to happen upon a local church in Amsterdam Avenue in which I took refuge. I looked around and realised that it was no ordinary kirk but possibly the largest church in the world, St John the Divine. Having been marooned by the weather I made the most of it by walking to the nave (which took about ten minutes!). The interior was positively enormous as I passed alternating marble columns, one as big in cross-section of a small house and the others about half that diameter. To my surprise, when I eventually reached the alter I noted a fine pair of stately gold Jewish menorahs (see photo). Were the Jews now taking over the churches or was this a move to inter-faith understanding and cooperation?
St John the Divine Cathedral
I eventually reached the subway, 110th Street and Broadway which is the 1,2 and 3 lines. It used to be the 1,2,3 and 9 lines but the World Trade Centre destruction eliminated the 9 line but of course nobody talks about it and almost every sign has now been covered up. The New York subway is a magnificent transportation system making the Sydney, London and even Parisian systems looks like toy train sets. Each line in Manhattan is four tracks, one 'local' and the other 'express'. The express goes through between 3 and 10 stations and rattles along close to 120 km/hr underground, often overtaking 2 or more of the 'local' trains. One can go from our local stop (72nd St) to Times Square (42nd) without stopping, in about 5 minutes. And this was built over 100 years ago, so it is old technology indeed. From 59th St to 125th on the B and C lines there is no stop! Each of these lines then goes out to the distant suburbs of Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. The cost is about $2.50 regardless of where you get on or off and a monthly ticket is $104 with tickets on entry, free exits (for a fast getaway). 
Macy's annual flower show. Yearly treat of a week's massive display of all variety of flowers in, between and above sales counters on the entire ground floor.
Would this sign be understood back home I wonder? 
Remnants of Winter's snows on a windless afternoon.
Lafayette Grill in Franklin Street held a Japanese tsunami benefit night of belly dancing and related artists.
These talented artists gave their services free in aid of the Japanese tsunami relief fund. One dancer was blind. Two performed part of Swan Lake using just their arms and hands. One troup of five did a moving tribute to life and death. Many others did traditional Turkish and Egyptian sexy belly dances - but nearly all had some connection wtih Japan. Mariyah and Tarik Sultan photographed.
Time-Warner towers at Columbus Circle.
More exotica: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee; black couscous; Serrano jamon sliced paper-thin; Jamison Midleton whiskey; Johnny Walker Gold Label whisky; mesquite flavoured chips; Russian beer; miniature NZ kiwifruit 'mange-tout'(!).
Branzino Atlantic fish at 'Asiate'. Asiate restaurant provided another exotic meal in the sky above Columbus Circle. Before even receiving the menu we were offered a plate of half a dozen dry savoury profiteroles of gruyere cheese and seaweed. These were a little heavy on the pepper, but delicious nonetheless (and FREE!). Celery root soup was one fine option on the prix fixe menu. Eight thin white fish slivers were served with an arugula salad. While it is a lovely concept, the restaurant needs to stop saying it is a ‘like sashimi but seared’ as this is an oxymoron in my book. Another bonus amuse-bouche was a morsel of lobster with salad on a Chinese spoon. Next came a main course of pan fried filet of Atlantic white fish ‘branzino’ on a bed of greens. Crispy chicken filet was another excellent alternative. At $34 for three courses this was good value, especially considering this is a truly elegantly decorated, relaxed venue with a one of New York’s best views.
Jean-Georges ‘Nougatine’ restaurant is doing serious competition on their ground floor venue just across the street, right on Central Park. With 3 courses for $28 the value is also very good and the standard of food of the highest order. Menus and even photos are available on the internet but for a personal view I can say it was a marvellous experience in a restaurant which has kept up the standard for many years. The best light-battered and fried calamari I have had in some time, tender and tasty skate with green purée. My friend ate hangar steak medium rare (and it WAS medium rare) with a pile of sawdust. Yes, sawdust! Which turned out to be a mixture of sesame seeds, ginger and lemon zest - exquisite! Desserts included a thick panacotta with citrus slices as well as a warm chocolate cake, dry outside, liquid inside.
Calamari and mousse aioli.
The opera in New York has predictably also been of the highest quality, starting with Romeo and Juliette PLUS Queen of Spades on the same Saturday. Both were marvellous and details are on my opera blog. There will also notes on the new spectacular Das Rheingold. However, I was unable to bring myself to write about Richard Strauss’s Capriccio which is not to my taste despite having some of the greatest singers (Renee Fleming, Peter Rose, Michael Devlin and Barry Banks, c. Andrew Davis).
For essential provisions make for Zabars food emporium on Broadway near 80th St. The entrance always has a magnificent display of world cheeses and free-tastings are encouraged. I bought some aged Ossau Iraty from the Pyrenees as well as some shredded Pecorino for pasta. It has some of the only edible breads in Manhattan while its pecan pie is unsurpassed.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has its wonderful permanent collections but at any one time they also have numerous special exhibitions. One was a Filipino Lippi (the son of Filipo) whose ‘Madonna and child’ has been cleaned of its varnish to reveal as spectacular painting of the most vivid colours imaginable: bright reds, green-sleeves, royal blue in a painting which also revealed traces of the original facial features which were pencilled in and were shown by modern imaging technology (X-rays or CT scans I presume this to mean). It is not the most impressive painting from the period but another marvellous example of early Italian art. Another exhibition claims to show the first “window” paintings dating from 1806 yet I found numerous examples in the Metropolitan galleries from the 16th and 17th centuries clearly showing foreground interiors and detailed background goings on.
Another special exhibit turned out to be rather disappointing physically. Pharaoh Horemheb was depicted as a strong military general under Tutankhamen and who subsequently became king himself. He is also represented as a seated scribe, being a man of letters. The exhibition does not point out that recent events in Egypt almost exactly mirror this ancient story as the army takes over from a very unpopular autocratic ruler, ensuring continued peace and prosperity for one of the most blessed of countries and its own particular ‘chosen people’.
The rest of the week was most productive with the new Met Ring ‘prologue’ opera Das Rheingold opera on Wednesday (see my opera blog for details). Then on the Friday there was an introduction to Die Walkure by director Robert LePage and the four main cast members.
I had an interview with a woman who is doing a documentary on the two tiered health system Americans deal with due to the avarice of the drug companies denying even cheap drugs to the public in a way that sees even wealthy Americans purchasing medications overseas. This is of little help to poor drug dependent citizens in American cities and suburbs who may be on long waiting lists for methadone clinics. She wants to put me on camera next week so I will have some preparation to do!
More anon …
