I started taking photos of the long New York City lines way back in 2018 and first posted about it in 2019. SNL finally made a sketch about it for their latest episode. My main complaint: the line does not look like it was filmed in NYC. I guess shooting in Soho–which is queue central–would have been overly complicated: too many people waiting in line!
Lafayette Inn, Clinton IA
The historic Lafayette Inn, long abandoned, is being renovated to create affordable housing in rural eastern Iowa. Part of the funding will come from Power Forward Communities, which received a major grant as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. This funding has come under attack as an example of “fraud” and “waste”, when in fact investing in more efficient infrastructure is precisely the opposite. Replacing inefficient furnaces, water heaters, appliances etc. will clearly save money as well as benefit the environment. Ironically, it is red states that have the most to lose from these cuts. Let’s hope common sense prevails, and projects like the new “Lafayette Lofts” can continue.
MOMA on Sunday
Two Sundays ago there were two very long lines extending down the steps and sidewalk before The Met Museum; once inside, another long line to buy tickets. On the positive side, the lines moved fairly fast, and the Caspar David Friedrich exhibit was well worth it.
Today, MOMA had a surprisingly short line and was not too crowded. Walking the galleries, it is sometimes shocking how many iconic modern paintings they own. In part, this is thanks to Lily P. Bliss, one of the museum’s founders. Highlights of her collection are assembled into an exhibit, including postcard bestseller: Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
At the other end of the value spectrum were Flat-Bottomed Paper Bags, displayed as part of Pirouette: Turning Points in Design.
After the museum, we stopped by K. Minamoto where edible art is displayed like jewelry behind glass cases. The white peach jelly Tosenka I found especially luscious.
Ho Tam at Carriage Trade
Yesterday I saw Ho Tam‘s exhibit “Haircut 100” at Carriage Trade on Grand Street. The exhibit is based on his 2015 book (Ho Tam #7) and focuses on the barbershops of NYC Chinatown, which in his map extends roughly from Delancey to Madison and Baxter to Essex. This makes the gallery location ideal for access to current community members (with approximately 100,000, it is likely the largest concentration of Chinese outside of East Asia), and Tam has usefully posted an exhibit description in Chinese on the door.
Brooklyn Commons Frozen Dog
On January 21, after Sunday snow storm, Tony Matelli’s Stray Dog became an ice sculpture.
Paul Mason Fotsch 