Journal July 29th. Naomi and Sam in New York City. Museums and burgers.

Before I drove across country, I thought, and told everyone, that this house in New Jersey would basically be my New York City residence.

It has been a complete surprise that I have been here for so long (over two months) and barely ventured into the city.

Of course most residents of Sussex County rarely drive the 50 miles to Manhattan. They might go to a baseball game, but they don't hear the beckoning strains of the city that has been calling to me since my family moved to Jersey City when I was five years old.

But two months here, and I was reading the calendars of events in the New Yorker and the NYTimes as if I were still in Venice, California. No siren calls there.

But praise be, I was indeed in heaven in New York City today.

Began with most elegant and delicious breakfast of brioche French toast with bacon at Balthazar's with Jackie. Almost completely ignored (though not enough to avoid mentioning) how very expensive everything was--and truth be told, 'tho the bacon was done to a perfect turn and the maple syrup was genuine, the french toast itself while fine, was not Balthazar spectacular.

And any illusions of sophistication I might like to harbor were dashed when getting a call from Sam to plan the rest of our city day, I got up to talk outside (not sure of their cell phone rules, but I do have my own) and in the process of squeezing between tables managed to knock over and break a fine little balthazar pitcher (luckily I'd eaten every drop of maple syrup, so the mess wasn't major, and as it was cleaned up before I returned and I am nearing the age of perpetually failing memory, I could barely recall the incident by the end of our meal.

I'd mapped out a day of many museums and Sam and I had arranged to meet in the lobby of MOMA to see the Matisse.

planned to meet Sam at modern--but he popped right into my car on the number 6 train at the port authority.

We zoomed to MOMA, where we went through the Matisse show a bit too quickly (it's all about process--demanding a certain kind of attention that we didn't quite have--though enjoyable on the zipping through level as well).  The permanent collection dazzling as always.  Sam was wary of my ambitious itinerary-but he was willing to go along with it on the assumption that we were travelers in a strange land who would have to cram in as much as possible in a short time.

Sarah had been raving about the hamburgers at the Burger Joint in the Parker Meridian.  I'd never known about it...how could that be? as Sam had been there before (now that he's begun meeting meat after 20 years as a vegetarian--he hasn't met a burger he doesn't love), was ready to pass it up on sighting the line.  But we couldn't figure out another mid-town spot--and it had begun to rain buckets, so we got on the line.

First burger of day--focus on lettuce (oy)

I was ready to embark on prodigious research (big surprise--I'm happier reading obsessive debates about burgers than about siding), but have forced myself to stop before learning how this funky place exists in this four star hotel on 57th street.   In any case, the line moved quickly, the burgers were fine--I will not weigh in on their relative greatness--but it all felt like a perfect nyc experience.

By the time we left, the rains had ceased, and we walked through Central Park to the Frick where Sam had never been  (I have a memory, perhaps false, of taking him there when he was quite little, only to learn that he was too young to be admitted).

Being from another century--one that probably preceded the art at MOMA, he was completely happy there.  And then--because I can be a glutton--we continued uptown to the Whitney.  I'd wanted to see the Charles Burchfield show--I'd missed it at the Hammer--had not a clue as to what it might be.  Sam was more than ready to head towards New Jersey, but he humored me--and in fact we both thought it was pretty great.

Dave mowing in sepia, not moonlight

Then--back on the subway to Soho. I'd promised Sam a stop at Uniqlo where he stocked up on shirts and underwear, and I got a shirt as well--then back over the GW bridge.  We made a quick visit to Trader Joe's in Paramus, got lost a bit trying to turn ourselves around on Route 17, stopped for replenishment at the Tom Sawyer Diner.  Although the menu, full of  wraps and salads was not quite the classic diner fare we'd been craving, the food was surprisingly good.  Sam had his second burger of the day--and thought it held up well to the classic at the Burger Joint.  
Arrived home close to 11pm, and in the moonlight could just about see that Engineer Dave had done some significant mowing.