Paul Varjak: And I always heard people in New York never get to know their neighbors.
Had Breakfast at Tiffany's beautiful hero, Paul Varjak, made it to Manhattan a mere 46 years later he would have seen that New Yorkers actually get to know their neighbors in a whole new way these days. The free, outdoor movie. My friend 'Neff has an incredible nose for sniffing out free stuff in Manhattan- whether its free latte day at Dunkin doughnuts or a knitting class at Bryant Park- 'Neff has the scoop. So when she asked me if I wanted to go to the movies I already had an idea it would be free ride with all the perks and it was.
I baked a dozen chocolate chip pecan cookies that morning (I had a batch of dough stashed in the refrigerator in case of an outbreak of guests or...just such an emergency) and headed into work. I thought about the great style of Holly Golightly
Truman Capote's fragile/fierce heroine. I lamented to myself the loss of her style and grace in these casual times but decided to set myself a 10 minute challenge- I stood on the corner of 7th Avenue and 34th Street- smack in front of Macy's with my camera and determine whether in black and white if Holly's style still lived.
OK- this lady was more Billy Holiday, than Holly Golightly...but fabulous deserves homage.
The movie started at 8 at a plaza on the East River near Water Street in a little park called the Elevated Acre- an amphitheater- type space with a central patch of astro-turf surrounded by cement seating. 'Neff's friend Natalie had staked out 2 bed sheets worth of space and sprawled across it to save our spot. I wandered around snapping more photos of the denizens of free culture- similar folks to the Shakespeare in the Park crowd but a bit more on the downtown hipster side- the type of folks that never go above 14th Street. Despite a lack of access to the loftier sections of Fifth Avenue, style was far from lacking.
I can't resist squinching my toes in grass- even plastic grass.
As I said- 'Neff knows all the best spots- and the fact that they give out free popcorn and bottled water.
As the sun set, the movie began and we settled in for what felt a great deal like a huge slumber party as people sprawled yawned and watched a really big movie on a very small but serene spot in the normally bustling city. No one talked- aside from a person or two who, from personal necessity left their own blankets to hop as best they could from one stranger's nest to the next ( Sorry, m 'scuse me, oops...) the movie played with less interruption than one would expect at the Cineplex with a $7 bucket of popcorn and an $11 ticket. And we got to know our neighbors a little. Bonus. :) X
No comments:
Post a Comment