3.22.10: A beautiful first of Spring weekend here in New York

A beautiful first of Spring weekend here in New York

Looking north along Broadway from Spring Street. 3:45 PM. Photo: JH.

March 22, 2010. It was a beautiful first of Spring weekend here in New York with temperatures touching the low 70s and the first signs of buds on the trees. As well as the first colors of Mother Nature rhapsodizing. And like JH’s top of the Diary picture the streets and promenades and parks were mobbed with New Yorkers (and a lot of out-of-towners).

His photo immediately brought two things to mind. The first was a remark once made by a college friend who lived in the Midwest and had come for an overnight visit on his way to Europe – “There are so many people everywhere!” It confounded him, “and they’re all on the streets!” At first I didn’t know what he was talking about, having lived here.

In another part of town, JH spotted Riverside Park's first flowers. Friday, 3:00 PM.

The second thought was SoHo. In the early 70s I knew a struggling artist fresh out of art school who had a loft in SoHo. In those days, on the weekends, there were NO people on the sidewalks. Nor cars. During the week there were people around, mainly workers or business owners. It was a dying former industrial neighborhood. In those days that area south of the Village and north of Wall Street was all known as “South of Houston,” the Lower East Side and Little Italy. The artists went to SoHo because it had been a defunct manufacturing neighborhood and there were many buildings with large spaces.

The artists rented those former industrial lofts – often illegally since they weren’t zoned for residential – for what were uptown apartment equivalent rents.
The man I knew had a 3,500 square foot loft on Canal and Broadway and paid what was then considered a high price: $325 a month.

Sunset over the Hudson River. 6:30 PM.

Nighttime, all of those streets were silent. The place was dark except for the street lamps, a kind of a no-man’s-land, empty of traffic and pedestrians. There were no parked cars left overnight anywhere. That was forty years ago. Somewhere around that time, as it was gaining popularity as an artist's haven, someone dubbed the area SoHo and so it became. The artists flourished and made it hip and then aspirational. Some prospered (my struggling artist acquaintance gave up the struggle and gave up the city for a better quality life in the country). The artists’ prosperity brought uptown people, especially those who worked on nearby Wall Street. By the mid-70s SoHo was a destination and a very cool residential choice for affluent Upper East Siders. Now of course many of those former artists’ lofts are selling in the millions as private residences.

Which, speaking of artists and New Yorkers out and about, on today’s NYSD Jill Krementz has a fascinating and comprehensive photojournal on the hot new exhibition at MoMA: Marina Abramovic; The Artist is Present, which opened last week and runs through May 31st.

It’s the first large-scale retrospective of the artist’s pioneering work – 50 works spanning four decades including five performances of her pieces. The exhibition has been organized by Klaus Biesenbach, MoMA’s Chief Curator, Department of Media and Performance Art.

Jill takes you on her tour of it in this entry, and, as she says “You will not be bored.” I wouldn’t wait if you’re interested because it’s already a very popular exhibition.

Also tours: Today’s Washington Social Diary columnist Carol Joynt is in New Orleans attending some kind of French Heritage celebration. However she traveled there via auto train to Florida and then drove to New Orleans, taking us on a semi-autobiographical tour On The Road. Because I’m a fan of Carol’s Washington reports, I must admit I didn’t expect to be interested in a drive through Northern Florida. Or the story of an auto train. However, never say never; I started reading to edit and ended up wishing I could do the same trip – to a place I’ve never had the slightest interest in seeing.

More people, more places in little ole Manhattan. The nights have been as beautiful as the days; and people were out on the town. Last Thursday night at Bergdorf’s Akris designer Albert Kriemler hosted an evening of cocktails to celebrate the opening of an exhibition featuring works from the designer’s 15-year collaboration with photographer Steven Klein, including campaign images from 30 seasons. There is the first campaign with Stella Tennant to campaigns with Trish Goff, Aurelie, Bridget Hall, Anouck Lepere, Maria Clara, Michele Alves, Lisa Cant, Bruna Tenerio, and Alana Zimmer, to the current campaign with the Infinite “It” Girl, Daphne Guinness.

Guests mingling on the fourth floor of Begdorfs at the opening of an exhibition featuring works from Albert Kriemler's 15-year collaboration with photographer Steven Klein.

The exhibition will be on display through March 29th in Berdgorf Goodman’s Fifth Avenue windows and fourth floor.

Akris doesn’t need any introduction to fashionable women but the man behind it, Albert Kriemler, is also making his presence known to the New York philanthropic world right now, making strategic contributions right now to City Harvest, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and New Yorkers for Children. His choices – all crucial organizations to the health and well-being of all New Yorkers and especially those of us who need a hand right now – are to be recognized and praised for their sensitivity to our neighbors who are in need.

Jim Gold, Daphne Guinness, and Linda Fargo

Alexis Bryan Morgan, Jim Gold, and Alina Cho

Albert Kriemler and Stefano Tonchi

Marilya Butra and Pricilla Zoullas

Joey Jalleo and Magdalena Wrobel

Alina Cho and Emilie Rubinfeld

Anisha Lakhani

Alex Long

Korey Lartigue and Natalie Marche

Andrew Saffir, Joey Jalleo, Magdalena Wrobel, and Daniel Benedict

The Mishapes, Geordon Nicol, Leigh Lezark, and Greg Krelenstein

Beth Coleman, Melissa Beste, and Betsy Rodgers

Siri Tollerod and Taryn Davidson

Cannon Hodge, Sarah Conley,and Eileen Gautrurich

Dalia Oberlander

Fabiola Beracasa

Lydia Fenet

Lottie Oakley

Beth Melillo and James Aguiar

Joe Lupo and Jesse Garza

David Stuckey and Susan Plagerman

Melissa Beste

Pamela Fiori

Tanya Kolesnik

Tia Walker

Freddie Fackelmayer and Jenny Friedman

Albert Kriemler and Daphne Guinness

Mark Halderman and James Aguiar

Kim Cho, Alina Cho, and Jai Cho

Suzanne Diaz and Ramona Sidwell

Marilya Butra, Alina Goncalves, and Pricilla Zoullas

Mary Hood and Laiea Smith

Jill Rudnick and Claudia Silver

Paul Stieger and Olivia Boli

Also, more New Yorkers out on the town last Thursday night, over at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, the New York City Opera celebrated their annual Spring Gala of its 2010 Spring Season with a performance of Emmanuuel Chabrier’s L’Étoile, a lively opéra bouffe about disguises and mistaken identities.

City Opera Director Mark Lamos created a witty, stylish production inspired by Toulouse Lautrec and featuring the great French tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt and the debuts of bourgeoning artists Julie Boulianne, Liza Forrester, and Dominic Armstrong. The revival is also notable for the return of the internationally renowned French conductor Emmanuel Plasson.

New York City Opera's Spring Gala Waltz.

On the promenade of the David H. Koch Theater.

After the performance there was a dinner and waltzing to music performed by the New York City Opera Orchestra on the Promenade. This glamorous evening dress was formal attire -- opera gloves and white-tie. They honored City Opera’s devoted Chairman Susan L. Baker for her outstanding dedication to the company in this role, for her strong leadership through challenging times, and for her great friendship to the Opera as both ardent advocate and generous supporter. Ms. Baker joined the City Opera Board in December 1999 and has served as Chairman of the Board since 2004.

Gemma Arnold and Kamil Nieroda (Waltz Performance) ...

All proceeds from the Spring Gala support City Opera’s mission to create innovative productions of new and classic work, reach a wide audience with affordable ticket prices, and bring music into the lives of thousands of students each year through its acclaimed education programs in New York City public schools.