M_ v. christo, NYC 2005

a guest post from jamie:

So, I took advantage of the long weekend to take a Papa and Child trip to NYC to see the Gates. It will only be up until the 27th -- and there was no way M_ was gonna miss it.

The trip part actually worked out great (note, no Mommy in sight; muy scary for me!). Definitely the most consecutive solo time I've spent with the little lady -- and the farthest she's EVER been from Mom. A playlist of her favorite songs in the car worked wonders (Elliot Smith, Shins, new Green Day -- then Norah Jones and Iron & Wine on the way back for sleepy time -- what can I say, she's a hip little mofo for her age) and getting there in great time helped, too.

Grabbed brunch with friends in an old NY-like place where she would only eat bananas but was amazingly well-behaved considering I'd left her color books back in Chelsea. And then off to the Gates, with my very good friend Raji -- NY native who would end up guiding me to the park, out of it, and to a subway -- as well as take a bunch of great pictures (and Video!) and generally be a second pair of eyes and potential search party for M_ (helped much with solo dad in the city anxieties!).

M_ loved it all, though I think it was much more loving the space to move around, all the people (and check out the video to see what she liked so much about the gates themselves)! She also got to see Strawberry Fields (indoctrinate the Beatles are _it_ little-lady /indoctrinate); the bandshell (which was gated off and she was upset that scaling the gates wasn't in her or my best interest); these really cool strange Japanese “breakdancers” that did this kinda slo-mo thing (1-part breakdancing; 1-part tai-chi; 1-part Kobuki theatre movement?) to what sounded like Japanese Dancehall and traditional Japanese music -- why didn't we get video or photos of that? it was fucking cool; and these guys that were doing really cool shit with a Frisbee. When we saw the roller-dancers (who weren't very good), I explained to M_ that it is always the 70s somewhere in NYC.

One of her big things now is roaring like a dinosaur, which I would get her to do as people approached her (it was crowded). She's awesome and will be my dependable partner-in-crime before long (your record is pretty much erased when you hit the age of majority, right?).

It's only up one more week -- don't sleep on it! The pics are great as a Dad, but the Gates are an experience that well, needs to be experienced. And as my friends noted -- its great to have a landmark-in-time that's all positive after the two most recent NY-based “where-were-you-whens" (9/11 and blackout).

Comments

[the other GP]

Hey who is this Jamie kid. He sounds really cool and is way hot!

[cheryl]

We went to see the Gates this weekend as well. Pictures *really* don't do it any justice--I thought the whole thing was just breathtaking. Glad you all had a great day!

[Pink]

These photos are wonderful, and I love your comment about The Gates being a landmark in time. I hear they're really uniting the community up there.

[MB]

Fantastic. Beautiful pictures -- both of the Gates and of a happy Papa and Baby.

[mike wolf]

so if it doesnt snow like crazy our plan is to do this on saturday... any suggestions on where in the park to start?