...so you don't have to!! I trust that Bonny heeded my warning and had a smoother beginning to her travels today!

Thursday morning, Rusty sits straight up in bed next to me and declares, "SHIT! IT'S 5:15!!"

Here's the scenario:

• My flight departed Green Bay at 5:55
• My alarm was set for 3:30
• It's a 30-minute drive
• I needed to shower
• And finish (most of) my packing
• Obviously, I made the rookiest of rookie mistakes and didn't verify that the alarm was set for AM instead of PM!

"WE CAN MAKE IT!!" he says.

Um. Suurrrrrre... even if I skipped brushing my teeth and jumped in the car wearing my PJs, we'd maybe see the plane fly over our heads at best!

A bit less starry-eyed, I grabbed my phone, sat down at my computer, and called United. It was slightly maddening to listen to the very calm voice while navigating the menu, and I was relieved when it didn't take too long to speak with a real person. And they were SO helpful, rebooking me on later flights -- at no charge (just this one time...) -- essentially, I was on about a 3-hour delay. Instead of arriving NYC at noon, I arrived around 3:30. Kate had commitments at that time and wasn't able to pick me up, we weren't able to have lunch, and I wasn't able to a couple of things on my list (visit the botanical garden and/or Museum of Food and Drink)... but OMG, it could have been so much worse!

I took a taxi over to Brooklyn to the warehouse where Kate would be installing her show. The actual space (on the 2nd floor) wasn't available yet, so everything was being stored in a studio space on the 4th floor.

It was hot. Somewhat drippy. Sticky. No AC. No elevator. Ugh.

Prior to my arrival, Kate had been staying in Brooklyn, but we'd booked a hotel in Manhattan for the rest of the time -- until my departure on Sunday, and hers on Monday. She kept her car in Brooklyn, though (free, on-street parking wherever it could be found) and we mostly took the subway back and forth.

Luckily, the weather improved -- at least in terms of drippiness.

On Friday, Kate was able to get into the venue space in Brooklyn to set up and hang the show. I hopped in the car and drove over to Jersey to visit with Cara! We had a wonderful afternoon, talking about knitting (that AMAZING brioche shawl that she's designing/making), family & friends. We had lunch, made a stop at Yarnia, and picked up C from school (M had after-school activities). The school year is drawing to a close, so things are starting to trickle home... I had a delightful private viewing of all of C's 2nd-grade artwork!

I drove back to Brooklyn, arriving just in time to watch Kate hang the last pieces. The room had this great floor-to-ceiling window that looked out on some backyards. If you look, you can see a couple on the right hanging out and trying to catch a breeze... I didn't realize until later, when I saw the guy go back into the house, that he'd been standing there in his underwear! Haha. Whatever it takes... Lucky for Kate, the venue had AC!!

On Saturday, I had a lovely (if sweltering) morning walk through Central Park (which, despite a few visits to NYC, I'd never set foot in before!) on my way to meet MDK Kay for a breakfast date! She brought some of her Alabama Chanin Flag Quilt to show off -- utterly amazing -- and it was so cool to see my Wisconsin Blingfish nestled and sewn into its stripe. The quilt's been shining on Kay's IG feed lately, though Shakerag (the top)/Shakerag (the workshop) will soon be taking over, no doubt. After breakfast and show & tell, Kay walked me over to her LYS, Knitty City.

I walked through the park on the way back, too, and found Balto (along with some kids & their parents)!

I cooled off at the hotel for a while before heading over to Brooklyn again, where I sat with Kate at the show (always cooling off). Then I walked over to Brooklyn Craft Company, and from there I grabbed a Lyft to Brooklyn General Store -- two shops on my list. They were pretty different -- BCC is newer and smaller, BGS a bit larger and with much more inventory, and also happened to be celebrating their 16-year anniversary on that very day. I found out later that I narrowly missed a run-in with Kirsten Kapur there! (New TTL Mystery Shawl set to drop in a couple of weeks... I'm desperate for my arm to feel better!!)

With all these shop stops, I came home with much more yarn than I needed (pfffft), but also some fabric to share with Ali and this adorable Merchant & Mills girl's dress pattern (BGS had a sample and I couldn't resist!)!

Kate was in Brooklyn 'til late on Saturday, celebrating art & artists & CONVEYOR's huge success, so I had a lovely dinner on my own at our hotel. I spent the evening in, finally casting on my first WATER hat (current donation total = $6000 + counting)!

We had some great meals in NYC, including dinners at Fig & Olive and Empellon (photo above, view to the upper level from our table) -- both excellent and close to our hotel!

I went out for coffee on Sunday morning and found the street closed in front of our hotel, along with a couple of others, and police everywhere. The Celebrate Israel Parade was happening that morning on Fifth Avenue, and security was high -- including bomb-sniffing dogs and sharpshooters. There hadn't been any specific threats... I can't imagine if there had been! I left a little earlier than usual to get to the airport.

I had enough time in Chicago (especially since the flight arrived :30 ahead of schedule) to finally use one of my (unexpired) passes to United Club Lounge. Oh, hell yeah. 

It never gets old!

We had pretty great flyover on the approach into GRB... couldn't help thinking that Randall Cobb 🏈 on board had an influence on the pilot! 😉 RC was actually on the other side of the plane so wouldn't have even seen this amazing view. That's Mecca of the NFL... er, Lambeau Field on the left and the new Titletown development extending to the right (there is much more to come).

Despite the heat, it was such a fun trip!! It was so great to visit new places (Brooklyn, Central Park) and long-time friends.

The view from the 86th floor was spectacular!

We walked a couple of miles from our hotel to The Empire State Building on Saturday morning. They let you off on the 80th floor to see exhibits, take in the view, and queue up again for the elevator. There was about a :20 wait in that line, so we climbed the stairs for the last six floors (which was actually more like eight)!

And we strolled over to the Chrysler Building, only to find the lobby closed that day (BOO!).

On Sunday, we walked back up to Times Square where the Spring/Break show was located, through Washington Square Park, Union Square, past the Flatiron Building... so thankful for relatively nice weather!

I definitely earned those oysters and, especially, the beer that went with them! Yummy.

Food wasn't a huge focus of this trip, but girls gotta eat! We enjoyed a late lunch on Friday at The Cupping Room; a delicious cheese plate on Friday and breakfast on Sunday at our hotel; lunch at Heartland Brewery; a little snack & beverage at Kenn's Broome Street Bar; oysters at The John Dory Oyster Bar; Tribeca Bagels; and one very fine splurge at The Mercer Kitchen.

We never made it to the Whitney, Tenement (suggested by Carole) or MoMA museums, nor to the High Line or Central Park. We'd talked about going to Club Cumming (Alan Cumming's club!) for Sunday night Drink & Draw, but didn't make it. We were pooped by the end of the day -- everyday!!

The thing about NYC is that you'll NEVER do it all, and there will ALWAYS be something (many things*) for the next time!! And I love that. I can't wait to go back.

*Knit Night on Tuesdays at Club Cumming, for one!!!

This caught my eye, of course.

 And then I got closer and started to laugh!

Bureaucratinc Paintings (Red), from the series "Bureaucratinc Abstractions 2017,"
Marcius Galan, set of 12, acrylic paint on paper

They're all receipts from the dry cleaner, a book store, etc. I didn't have to deal with any bureaucratic stuff in Brazil, but I was witness to some of what Ann & Brian went through, and I quickly learned to always have a Plan B... crazy stuff, crazy life and this is perfect commentary!

I wish I could tell you whose painting this is (gah!).
Does anyone else see a squishy knit blanket?

In replying to comments yesterday from Kym & Carole, I remarked that it really is interesting to walk around an art show (or four) just to see WHAT people are using and HOW. The color, texture, and SCALE of things... even if you don't "get" the art, something is bound to resonate at some point!

I married an artist and I gave birth to & raised three very artistic women, so I've been around art for a long time... I'm "creative" but not particularly knowledgeable about "art," so I've found different ways to let it speak to me.

And with that, we had a lovely few hours at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday!

There was a secret thrill in getting into a cab and saying, "To The Met!"

Here are a few things that caught my eye.

Fighting Cows by Franz Marc, oil on canvas

Wisconsin Landscape by John Steuart Curry, oil on canvas

He captured so wonderfully that beautiful light through broody clouds on checkerboard fields.

The Café Terrace by Diego Rivera, oil on canvas

Concord, Barnett Newman, oil and masking tape on canvas

No. 21, Mark Rothko, oil and acrylic with powdered pigments on canvas

Flying Dutchman, Man Ray, oil on board

Clothesline, Fairfield Porter, oil on canvas

Mäda Primavesi, Gustav Klimt, oil on canvas

This was simply glorious; that straightforward gaze, those beautiful colors - bold & soft at the same time!

In addition to the textiles at The Armory Show, Volta NY, NADA New York Show, and Spring/Break, I was also struck by textures!

(And blue!) Unfortunately, I neglected to record the details of this piece (The Armory Show).

This amazing work is "cut out paper" from the series "Arquitexturas de sendas futuras y recorridas (A/T/02)," by Argentinian artist Gustavo Díaz.
The piece stands almost 3.5 inches tall, and approx. 31 x 17.

Such a Master, Zhu Jinshi, oil on canvas -- and we sure could smell it!

Unfortunately, once again, I neglected to record the details (Spring/Break).

A Study of Identity, Ryoichi Nakamura, oil & photo emulsion on aluminum.

These aren't really "textural," but sharing here anyway.

I love how these works by four different artists were displayed.

The Flower Lover, Aubrey Levinthal, oil on panel.

I have two more NYC posts in mind...

I'm distracted by taxes and, even more, thoughts & everything BABY (no news yet!)!!

In case you missed it, the main reason for the spontaneous trip to NYC was Art Fairs -- The Armory Show, Volta NY, NADA New York Show, and Spring/Break.

Kate's been sharing her favorites at (the newly redesigned/spiffy) yngspc, if you're interested in what caught her eye.

I was visiting these shows with a much less critical artistic viewpoint/aesthetic, and with no real expectation except that it would be all contemporary work and some of it edgy. I immediately honed in on the textile-related pieces and, for some reason, was surprised at their number.

Chromatic affinities X, José Patrício, 2013,
buttons on canvas on wood

Igshaan Adams

State of Being (Children's dress), Chiharu Shiota,
metal frame, children's dress, thread

And then I was dumbfounded...

Ode a L'Oubli, Louise Bourgeois,
deluxe fabric book; 35 detachable compositions with collage, embroidery, applique and lithography

Matter, Sanford Biggers,
antique quilts, oil stick, spray paint, fabrics, acrylic, tar, glitter, and silkscreen

also Sanford Biggers (I didn't get the titles)

Quilt Painting, Giordanne Salley,
oil and paper on canvas

I neglected to get any information at all about this piece (NADA Show)

or this one (Spring/Break)

I believe there was an "antique quilt" at all four shows -- and I was surprised! Oh, that fabric book tho...

Stay tuned, I have more to share!

_ _ _ _ _

This weekend, I'm looking forward to some sunshine and a thermometer reading 50°F at some point. Also, I'm beginning to feel on pins & needles about the baby! What's ahead for your weekend?

Well, that was a crazy-fun trip. Kate & I drove to Chicago in the wee hours of the morning to catch our 9 a.m. flight. It's about a 3.5-hour drive and we like to be early, so you can do the calculations (yep, it was very early). The great thing, though, was that it was an early non-stop flight (also a great fare) so we had time to actually do stuff when we arrived! We also bought advance tickets for almost everything, and that really helped to maximize "doing" time. The Soho Grand Hotel was fantastic (thank you, hotwire!), but not really in the best area for all the shows; we got around by taxi on Friday afternoon & Saturday morning, then on foot after that. We lucked out in the weather department, and it felt great to be outside!

On Friday afternoon, we hit The Armory Show and Volta NY -- they were in very close proximity, so that worked out great!

On Saturday, we visited the Empire State Building and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the NADA New York Show.

On Sunday, Spring/Break and Purl Soho.

Window shopping near our hotel... the CUTEST, but $150 for a pair of kiddo jeans. Um, nope.

On Monday, Tribeca Bagels and return flight!

We never made it, as hoped, to the High Line, Central Park (proper), the Whitney Museum of American Art or MoMA -- we were in visiting distance of each, though. There's only so much time (and energy) in a day!!

Trust me, there are tiny green buds on those trees!

There may have been 8" of snow a couple of days before we arrived, but spring is springing in NYC! I'll be back with more now that I've sort of figured out how...

Meanwhile, I found this #throwbackthursday playlist on Spotify this morning and had to share:

SISTERS ARE SINGIN' IT!

1 -- Saturday morning, a text from Kate:

2 -- There is almost nothing I love more than a spontaneous trip -- near or far! It doesn't always work out that I can be this spontaneous, with less than a week to departure -- previous commitments, getting time off at work, prohibitive cost are the usual culprits -- but this time, it worked out wonderfully! Yahoo!!

3 -- NYC?? I've flown in/thru/out once or twice in recent years, but it's been almost 10 years since I actually set foot on a New York City street. I'm so excited! I think I was a New Yorker in a previous life... or I'm gathering steam and will be in another.

3 -- Saturday evening: airfare confirmation (at a great price)!

4 -- Sunday afternoon: hotel booked.

5 -- Monday: Tripit itinerary filled in.

6 -- The Armory Show, Volta NY, Spring/Break, and the Whitney Museum of American Art are on the short list.

7 -- The High Line, Central Park, and MoMA are on the longer list.

8 -- Also a visit to Purl Soho (on my list, anyway), and within walking distance from our hotel! And bagels.

9 -- We're going to hit the ground running on Friday afternoon and GO-GO-GO until, exhausted, we board the plane for home on Monday afternoon.

10 -- NYC, here we come!! (All suggestions are welcome!)