Fantasizing About Travel

Like everyone else this year, I’ve fantasized about travel.

First to loved ones near and far, but then more exotic places, too. A recent getaway wishlist quickly filled the back of an envelope: Austin, Bend, the San Juan Islands, Nova Scotia – all favorite destinations. Barbara added the best idea, “The kids would love a trip to New York.”

We lived in NYC for 10 years ending in 2004, about half-time most years as we had young school-age children. Our boys loved the city and hated the thought of leaving as their ability to navigate on their own was just around the corner, or so they thought. They had little to complain about as now they would be full-time in Newport Beach.

Back to that 2021 wishlist – I was wondering the fate of old haunts; Barbara helped to piece my memories together. It only took her a second to blurt out, “Barolo!” for a favorite SoHo restaurant. In Midtown? “Tratorria dell’Arte!” Like a game, we called out Jean Georges, Woo Lae Oak, Shun Lee – some closed for good.

One week or two? And Broadway! Let’s go to a show every night, however unlikely that might be in 2021. It helps frame my game plan for a fantasy return to New York.

Maybe instead museums will reopen first, like The Metropolitan Museum of Art, of course, or my favorite, the smaller, more digestible Photography Museum in Times Square.

It’s an adult playground – that’s how I used to describe New York City to my less well-traveled Orange County pals. The city hadn’t always been that way; visiting Times Square in the 80s would leave a distinctly different, shoddier and less friendly impression. Then a transformation occurred: crime dropped and kept dropping. In the 90s New York prospered and so did we. My brother Eric and I were writing Street – we were Plaid Brothers Software from California and growing rapidly.

We needed a New York office. It didn’t take long to find newly remodeled offices right across from the Stock Exchange; wired high-tech to attract the likes of us.

At the building’s grand opening party we were passing out Plaid t-shirts to Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Rudy Giuliani. A bit magical.

A new office needs staff, furniture, and artwork. I took on the artwork part, which turned out to be much bigger than I first imagined as once the office was decked out, well sure, the office in Irvine had to look the part, too, then the apartment on the Upper West Side. In no time paintings were heading off to the Newport Beach house. I had help – one day I received a letter from Lenore Scendo, a Lower Manhattan art consultant. I called her up and we would work together for years. She had a dream new client.

After earning this advanced degree in art acquisition, of course, I’m thinking I can fly solo once in awhile and that’s what I was doing one afternoon with my pal Sean, who was visiting from CA. We were window shopping uptown when we found a gallery featuring the works of Bruce McCall. Know him? You can quickly place his work – he’s designed many covers for The New Yorker magazine. Here was Easter Morning, on the promotional postcard, too, adding to my esteem. Why hadn’t anyone already scooped it up? I was buying a new painting on my own.

Of all our art Easter Morning is the most traveled.

A gallery in Rome was the first to come calling; they were hosting 75 Years of The New Yorker, would we lend Easter Morning? Since I’d no experience with lending, I started out skeptically and did my homework. Weeks later arriving for the opening the curator would tease, “Here to check on your baby?” Barbara arrived the was just the two of us having quite a good time together in The Eternal City.

Before the show wrapped up in Rome a German gallery wanted to host, then a second German exhibition happened. Why didn’t I attend all three? I couldn’t have been that busy, but whatever the reason, I stayed home – I won’t make that same mistake this time.

Sometime around noon today Barbara is reading aloud. It’s an email inquiry from the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library – they’re planning an April exhibition, Bruce McCall’s New York.

As the curator of this exhibition I feel very fortunate to be working closely with Mr. McCall’s family and office on this show. The exhibition, running through August 15, 2021, will feature more than three dozen of the artist’s zany, topical paintings, inviting visitors to ponder what the City is or could be. This show will certainly bring much needed smiles to New Yorkers of all ages. It would be incredible having this iconic McCall piece on view in New York’s oldest museum. I should mention the New-York Historical Society is right next door to the American Museum of Natural History depicted in Easter Morning. 

Looks like I’ve got a fantasy trip to New York City in my future.