My second day in Manhattan, I walked over to Columbus Circle and caught the A Train, to go up to the Cloisters. My first visit to Manhattan, back in 1999, I had looked at the subway maps, and thought, “Why get off at the stop they indicate, where there’s a stop after that that’s much closer to the museum?” Ha. There’s a reason the area is called “Washington Heights“. The recommended stop at 190th has an elevator that takes you up to the level of the park, while the other stop is at the bottom of a very steep hill. Oh, you can walk up it, there are walkways — as I learned in 1999. But it really is a climb.
The grounds of the Fort Tryon park are very lovely. I got bunches of pictures as I walked the distance to the museum. But then came the museum.
The Cloisters
If you don’t know, the museum contains much of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of medieval works. Since I am a medievalist, that’s why this museum is so special for me.
The Cloisters
The building is constructed of parts of genuine structures imported from Europe, so even the architecture is part of the exhibit. Some might think it a very odd way of proceeding, but to my thinking, it’s entirely appropriate for a museum of the medieval. People of the Middle Ages collected things that appealed to them, and they didn’t particularly care if it was “in fashion”. The ecclecticism is just right.
I wandered through the building, taking pleasure in the atmosphere. One of the cloister gardens also serves as the museum restaurant, so I got a sandwich and beverage and sat enjoying the sunlight falling into the garden. There was a population of small birds – sparrows, I think – in the garden, who would perch on a column in the center of the square, over the little fountain that played there. Periodically, they would swoop to the ledge of the cloister arcade on one side or another, waiting for a patron to get up and leave the table. The birds would then hop to the floor and pick at any crumbs that had fallen. And if no one sat down promptly, they would hop up to the table itself. Then in a swoosh, they would be back to the center column. I enjoyed watching them for some time after I’d finished my sandwich. (Besides, my feet were a bit tired, and they didn’t mind the least that I was sitting and not moving.)
For me, the highlight of a visit to the Cloisters (yes, after only two visits, I have my little rituals), is in the Treasury, to view the (as it is now called) Cloisters Cross. Carved from walrus (I believe) ivory, the intricate work on the cross is fascinating to me. When you think about it, it is an amazing work, for it is not a tiny cross. There is a detailed book (coffee table sized) on the cross and its history, which I bought on my first visit. I recommend that to those who don’t know of the cross.
The Cloisters Cross
In the gift shop, I picked up a book on the museum’s collection. I hadn’t figured out how to turn off the flash on my camera, and they won’t let you take flash pictures in the museum. Besides, the professional photographers would have gotten better pictures of the interiors and objects than I could hope for. However, the time came to head back, since I had a dinner date that evening, and I wanted to shower before then.
My dinner date was with Dennis O’Neil and his wife Marifran. Denny is a noted comic book writer and editor, now mostly retired. I have long admired his work, as it had a powerful impact on me (way back when) about what actually could be done with storytelling in comic book form. Then in the late 1990s I prepared my paper on Green Arrow and Robin Hood by writing and asking Denny some questions about his work on the comic book character. He very graciously answered them. A few years later, when Jeopardy! first visited New York, it turned out Denny and his wife were fans of the show. So I got them tickets to the taping – and we’ve been friends since.
They are a delightful couple, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with them over dinner (at an Indian restaurant – I hadn’t eaten Indian food in quite a while, but it was delicious!). We talked about writing and storytelling generally. Denny teaches one course on comic book writing. Marifran is also a teacher, so I enjoyed listening to them talk about what the students respond to these days. I so enjoyed the evening, that I almost forgot to take a picture of them. But I remembered at the last minute, and got this delightful photo.
Denny & Marifran O’Neil
To my regret, Denny beat me to the check (I’d wanted to treat). That was sweet of him. So, instead, I told him that my book on mythic motifs, The Scribbler’s Guide to the Land of Myth (which had been inspired by a conversation we’d had about myth back in 1999), was dedicated to him. He was very touched by that news. I had so much wanted to be able to hand him his copy in person, but the BookSurge process has taken longer than I anticipated. So I at least got to tell him that much in person.
1700 Broadway
The next day, I visited the offices of DC Comics at 1700 Broadway, and had a couple of nice chats with two of the editors, Bob Schreck (who works on the Vertigo imprint) and Matt Idelson. I like talking with them at conventions, but it was really nice to have a conversation that isn’t suffering from the distractions of a con going on around us. I really appreciated the time they gave me, too, since it was a real work day for them, and they each gave me about a half hour out of their time. I would dearly love to be in a position to be writing for them (and they know that full well), but I wasn’t going to make a pest of myself begging for a writing gig. (Well, I did ask Matt about opportunities, but accepted that there was nothing at hand right now).
After that, I took the subway down to the Village, since friends had recommended the Strand Bookstore and its 18 miles of shelves. Oooooo, a bookstore! Unfortunately for me, my feet were getting a bit tired of all this walking (remember, not only the trudging I’d been doing in Manhattan and Philly, but also recently at ComicCon). Plus, it was very, very humid inside the Strand – and I was getting a bit dehydrated. Even so, I did some prowling. What a fascinating place, and I know should I get back to Manhattan again, the bookstore will be placed on the agenda. I ended up buying four books there.
By the time I left the Strand, I realized it was still too early to go back to the hotel (must give housekeeping time to do their magic). I’d vaguely wondered what to do with my tired self as I walked back toward Union Square. The answer presented itself in a cineplex — so I saw The Mummy sequel there! That was a fun two hours or so.
Back to the hotel to shower and change, because I had gotten a ticket to see the stage show Legally Blonde. A few weeks before, listening to a show tunes channel, I’d heard the “Blood in the Water” number from the show, and got intrigued. It’s a light, fluffy show, but enjoyable. The cast was very high energy, and the audience very responsive. Afterward, I walked the distance back up Seventh Avenue to the Wellington. And “up” is the operative word. Not only was it in the “uptown” direction, it was also a bit uphill. I was pleased to get back to the hotel.
The next day, I departed Manhattan, catching the Amtrak train to Hartford, Connecticut for Mythcon in New Britain, at the Central Connecticut State University. But that would be yet another post.
