Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Working weekend

Tragically, Pretty Lady was not able to leave town over Memorial Day weekend. She had to perform her stint as a volunteer security guard at the Pier Art Show.


During the latter part of the afternoon, she was stationed at the very end of the pier, ostensibly preventing tourists from climbing the barricades and falling into the bay. This was such a strenuous task that she had to fortify herself with a couple of Red Hook ESBs from the bar.


Her partner in this arduous job was a fascinating woman who kept us entertained with stories about how to finance the purchase of a multi-unit apartment building with no income (call a bank in California, say you want a 'cash-income mortgage' and send them postcards and reviews of your art exhibits, claiming you are selling for thousands); her ex-boyfriend who owned a fleet of yachts, but who left her suddenly because she would not marry him and move to New Jersey; her current husband, who becomes abusive when he goes off his meds, but who is basically a wonderful man. Pretty Lady felt a deep kinship with this woman.


That is, in fact, the Statue of Liberty.


How one must suffer for one's art.

5 comments:

Pretty Lady said...

Yes, it is an old stone shipping warehouse, with walls about two feet thick, and those incredible arched windows with heavy shutters to be closed against incoming storms.

If you look in the top right hand corner of the second photo, the one with the Manhattan skyline in the background, you will see the apartment/condo that Pretty Lady has been coveting, every since she learned that the warehouse was slated for development. The one she wants is the top floor corner, the one with the arched window views toward both the Bay and Manhattan.

They've also just opened a high-end, reasonably-priced grocery store on the ground floor of this building, which increases convenience and desireability considerably.

Obviously, this is considerably out of Pretty Lady's price range, but I am a firm believer in Knowing One's Wishes, so that when Opportunity Knocks, one can seize it.

Anonymous said...

icky.... I have no idea why someone would want to live in NYC.

If I can't live near mountians, Then I will just have to go find some!

Cool pictures though

Anonymous said...

NY City is the ONLY big city that I'd deliberately move to. It never feels too big or too fast or too urban; and it's all those things & more. It is so marvelous in so many ways that even a person such as myself - who loves personal contact with other humans (in small doses), roaming around green forests and hills, and small private restaurants can easily enjoy it. Alas, NYC is far too expensive for my budget, but if I win the lottery (without buying a ticket it will be hard) it is one of the places where I'd like to have an extra abode.

Meanwhile, Pretty Lady, if you ever want to relocate,may I recommend Lawrence Kansas? A gem and jewel, it lacks the panache and reputation of a NYC or Berkley, but in part because those who live here are deliberately keeping all its many pleasures a secret from the hoardes.

Pretty Lady said...

The great thing about NYC is that it's not a big city at all--it's a lot of small towns all smushed together.

Interesting--my paternal grandfather hailed from Holton, Kansas. Is that near Lawrence? I've never been there, but Dad says it's beautiful. I will consider it, when I can no longer stomach the industrial pollution and the density of radio waves.

Anonymous said...

Actually, Holton is pretty close to Lawrence - 59 miles the map people say. It's pretty indeed, but you are talking a REAL small town, complete with a lot of red-necks.

Lawrence is not like most of Kansas. It has been compared (by those who have lived in both places) to a small Berkley. University town, so lots of young people and professor types. There is a lot of music, lots of flora and some fauna, hills, friendly ex-hippy folks, good eating, and a ton of diversity. We have no ghetto. None. New residents have a hard time believing that, until they go looking for a soul food restaurant in "that" part of town. Check it out at http://www.visitlawrence.com/

As for tiring of pollution etc.... My husband hails from CA. He thought he'd died and gone to hell with the military stationed him in Kansas in 1986. However, he'd now live no other place. While we don't have oceans and all the urban life available on both coasts, we also have a higher standard of living for less money. E.g. Check out house prices in Lawrence (which, by the way, are considered HIGH compared to the rest of the state).

But you are right about NYC - it is a bunch of small towns all smushed up together. When my husband and I visited last (alas, 5 years ago) we felt right at home and very welcomed as we wondered around neighborhoods. Of course, in Lawrence one doesn't have subways and/or need to avoid certain places after dark....