New York Becoming a Reality

I have spent the last four hours fighting with my laptop trying to get speech recognition software to recognise the word Fuck, but I did get round to recording a proto instalment so I have actually done some work for a change. It did actually give me the impetus to get this done, I have had it in my head for the last four days. Even if I don’t get to transcribe it, making the recording solidifies the ideas in my head, listening back to them is a pure bonus.

I have been trying to round up my various New York connections to ask where I should be going when I get there. It suddenly became a tad more urgent when this week I booked my flight, going out on the 7th and coming back on the 17th of June, that and the end of term looming give me a slightly anxious outlook. So I got round to asking. I started in a quite gentle way asking two friends Jane from my course and Sam an exchange student actually from New York State. It was a very short conversation, they both were a little vague and gave loose answers about areas like St Marks Place and East Village. At least that's what I think they said, I did record it, but I think the real problem is that I really know so little about the city that anything I hear is almost just noise. I spoke to Irene Reed and the problem is the same, without a metaphorical grip on the city I can't take in the information. I could blame my sources, but it’s my trip at risk, it’s not their responsibility, if I don't know what questions to ask.

Thankfully, I have had some success this week because Mike, the man I used to jokingly call my other half be cause we job shared the same position in my day job, has just returned from one week in New York. In fact, it wasn't even a whole week, it was 3 nights in New York and 3 days in Boston. In his own words, he only had time to see the sights but it gave him a chance to get an idea of the city, a model to work with in his head. Weirdly, this man who is the same age as my dad, who has no real artistic slant gave me a starting foothold for my own preparations. He went having never been before so he had to learn about the absolute basics The Subway, The grid system of numbered Avenues and Street, the cab drivers, Central Park and all those other things that we've heard of, from the last forty years in which America particularly New York has come to dominate popular culture.

I was reminded of my experience of LA, three days doing just the Tourist things, and I have got to realise that that is all I can do in what will work out as one week of NY. I will however take a leaf out of my ex-fiancée’s book and plan the trip with in an inch of its life, without personal recommendations my trip will have to be a combination of the Lonely Planet meets the Art Update New York Map. I will be out there with a different ex the much-mentioned Isobel but while she will probably supply the social diary this is work so I have, for my own sanity, to plan the days (and maybe the some of the nights) it would be good if I can get myself to a private view or three.

I’m going to list here the Galleries I have found so far as much for my own information as anything, but if anyone is out there, any suggestions will be gratefully received