Art part two

Yesterday, Sonia O. called to ask me what I was doing. It was noon. I told her I was on my way to PS1. She asked me how close I was. "I'm at home," I said. "But I'm about to put my socks on."

We agreed to meet inside. She said she would be late. By 2.30 I was finished. The museum was mobbed. It was the public opening of Greater New York 2005, a showcase of new work by artists from the area. Media and artists mingled. I sat in the courtyard and waited. Sonia arrived around three. She apologized, saying that her sister had called and then her mother had called again and she had been on the phone. I asked if she wanted to see the museum and she said she didn't mind.

We looked for something to do. I told her I had planned to meet a friend in Flushing later, and she said that was fine. Walking to the subway we passed the Bus Obscura and boarded. Small holes drilled in the darkened windows projected images on the inside. We drove to a small sculpture museum, the world reflected upside down on the windows.

In the sculpture gallery we wandered to the basement. One piece of art invited us to climb through a padded house. Of all the items on display, Sonia said she would buy that one. Returning to the ground floor we saw a woman sitting in the opening of the piece. "You can climb all the way through," we told her. "You can!" she exclaimed, giddy with delight.

We took the 7 to the end of the line. I called Pamela and she said we should meet at Sago. Sonia and I made our way to the tea shop and waited. I had fried chicken.

I hadn't seen Pamela in over a year. We caught up and chatted. She gave me investment advice. I asked about babies; she asked about girlfriends. Neither seem to be in the picture at the moment.

After we finished our tea, she took us to the Flushing Mall. It was much bigger than I had remembered. She said they had expaneded. We walked through a 99 cent store and then made our way to the food court. We ordered dumplings and yo tiau and oyster omlettes and boiled spinach. Pamela brought shaved ice to the table. We ate and talked and then it was time to go. Pamela walked us to the subway. I asked about the Chinatown shuttle bus. She said that it was two dollars from Chinatown, but only a dollar to go.

We bid our adieus and Sonia and I descended to the subway. We rode together for a while and then we transferred to different lines, each tunnelling home. Posted by eku at March 14, 2005 10:07 AM