Tuesday, February 20, 2007

bryant park

i got my wish.
new york is amazingly warm today. almost 50 and it felt so good to wander around the city slowly rather than in an insane hurry to get to anyplace warm.
i even wore my lovely blue autumn long coat. it's always a special day when i get to wear that.

i started experimenting with a bag i designed.
i wanted something on the larger side, like a tote, that i could carry books, knitting, documents, with ease, but over my body like a messenger bag.
the design needs a bit of work, but i'm happy with the bag i finished today. it's definitely usable for me.
and i used my favorite fabric. my parents brought it back for my birthday the first year they went to Paris together [for their 25th anniversary]. found at a flea market [that i hope to visit myself one day].

i've been so reluctant to use it. i cherish it. it is precious. but now i can carry it with me wherever i go.

..

the play goes on. a production meeting tonight brought me to Manhattan. to Bryant Park. one of the small beauties. right behind the Public Library [think Ghostbusters], filled with gorgeous Sycamore trees [think Paris]. the best part: they flood it every winter for ice skating. a friend of mine works right across the street [where the meeting was tonight], and he skates there every day. what a dream. here is the back of the library, framed by the Sycamores.

this is the same park where i saw "M.A.S.H." this past summer, during the HBO outdoor film festival of sorts. a giant screen was set up at the front of the park, and hundreds of New Yorkers flocked to the park, lining the sides until the lawn opened, to run and retrieve the best spot with their blankets. this was quite a sight to be seen.

flooded park. with city backdrop. the red restaurant behind the library.

my favorite part of this park are the chess tables placed around the perimeter. New York has a lot of chess players. apparently.

14 comments:

Ruth said...

Oh! I love that fabric! You know how they say giving is better than receiving? Snatching up vintage fabrics for you in that brilliant shop was one of the happiest moments in memory. I hope you'll take a pic of the bag sometime.

Mmm, blue Audrey Hepburn coat.

That park is wonderful. The second photo is awesome! I love picturing the chess tables. Is the ice still frozen? Have you heard about the Marshall Chess Club on W. 10th St? It's a cool looking place I've seen in photos. The way you described the pre-movie scramble sounds like the Michigan Festival! Those were the days, eh?

I love this post.

Ruth said...

Oh, and I know what you mean about the warmer weather. I felt that way yesterday, and it was in the 40s here. Such a relief. Spring is coming!

Ruth said...

I set the fabric photo as my desktop background.

Ruth said...

Is that fabric called seersucker?

Mystic Rose said...

those pics are absolutely magical!

youve captured them just right looks like:)

warm..yeah its been nice..back to cold tomorrow i hear :)
stay warm!

Ginnie Hart said...

I'm having as much fun with Ruth's comments as with you, Lesley! You have such a lovely Mother-Daughter relationship. :) But you already know that.

I love the things you show and tell!

Belle said...

hello my love!

I have found you! and I love your New York ramblings. But I wish you were near me...for just a day..or I could do a couple hours even!! It would be sooooo good to play.

Misses yous like crazy

How many years is it now?

Unknown said...

mommy! you did such a fantastic job picking out all that lovely fabric. i cherish all of it. you know how i adore the florals. mmmm.
i knew you'd love Bryant Park! i must take you and papa there when you come. i wonder if this chess club is the same they show in all the movies....it WAS like the Mich. Fest! what a great time that was. such great memories. 'BEST FRIENDS!' :D
i don't think it's seersucker, but it does have a very interesting woven texture, doesn't it!! almost like it's pixelated.

Unknown said...

thank you mystic rose! it's so easy taking photos of such a photogenic place, isn't it?
hope you stay warm too!! it feels as tho the temperature is dropping here. so odd, it was raining today, with snow all over. so strange when i witness that.

Unknown said...

thank you aunt boots! i am so happy you're enjoying it. i am loving this.
we are so fortunate to have a woman like my mother and your sister in our lives, aren't we!

Unknown said...

MASHELLE!!!!!!!
i'm so glad you found me! my mom said that you left her a comment, and i was thinking....did i send her a link to my blog??
i miss you so much. i was just talking with my friend tonight about moving out west. just think! if i lived in Seattle i'd only be a few hours from you!!!!
how phenomenal would that be?
when did i last see you? definitely before you moved.....so at least a year. it must have been when you were in michigan at your mom's...right?

mmm. i love you.

rauf said...

I was born in a forest Lesley and right from my childhood its been nature nature nature and had no respect for man made things. Though I appreciated music art and literature. I loved spending time in the Himalayas, forests of south. Now i am taking a second look at cars, buildings and I tried to understand some finacial news on TV too, I tried but still don't understand. I know some words like investment. Money was some thing to be spent. Never saved any. Now I look at buildings which have been an eye sore for me all these years. I loved the building in Detroit which mom posted in East Lansing blog.

Lovely picture of a building here Lesley. i have seen same textured bags here but with plain colours yours is lovely. No wonder you did not want to use it. Mom and dad would be lot happier if you use it.

rauf said...

is there any remake of M.A.S.H ? oh yes i loved movies too.

Unknown said...

yes yes thank you Rauf. you're right, there is no substitute for a forest. some like to call this city the "Urban Jungle". but i cannot let these buildings replace beloved trees. i must say, living here has helped me to appreciate forests and the country much more than i already did.
i did see the original M.A.S.H! i think the only 'remake' is the tv show that they spun off of the film.