Marie Javins's Blog, page 8

Ghent and Brussels

I neglected to post photos from Ghent and Brussels, so making up for that now. 

 I'm back in Burbank, with 16 new boxes of comics and and piles of Belgian chocolate everywhere.

It's Been Months Now

Traveling with a hurt paw. A tennis ball, strap, and a night splint. Yay me.

Not Actually In Belgium for the Singing Potatoes

What am I doing in Belgium in the first place? 

I'm here for work! 

Checking Out Some Art

I was perusing listings of the various exhibits at museums in Brussels when I spotted this—a Daniel Johnston piece on display!

I rushed over to MIMA—after first taking the wrong tram—but that exhibit had come down recently. The gift shop clerk showed me the exhibit book, the best he could do.

On to Brussels

I went in a Tintin store and note it’s mostly sanitized. That said, nothing they could sell is as startling as the Tintin carvings I bought from actual Congolese artists in Congo. 

I was completely confused by the morality of that which we consider racist but the carver just considered a carving based on a book. 

Twelve years later, I still don’t know what to think.

Last Century

I went by the old Frying Pan today.

What a glorious 30th birthday that was! It was a few years ago. Just a couple.

Uneasy Alliance

 Good morning. 

Doe A Deer

Working noon-9 pm Eastern time (9-6 Pacific time) gets pretty rough the last couple hours of every weekday, but the mornings are brilliant. I can go to physical therapy for my foot, or do menial tasks, play with the yard beasts, or swim or ride a Citibike.

This morning I wanted to go swimming, but the August morning was a little colder than I'd expected, so I went for a bike ride to Liberty State Park instead. My plan was to visit Caven Point, a migratory bird habitat currently under siege from a golf course developer. (shakes fist.)

And look who I saw on the way to Caven Point! This explains a lot about how a deer got into my backyard a few years ago. (Caven Point itself was closed for bird nesting, but I'll go back later in the year.)

That's Italian!

“Did you know espresso is Italian?”

I stared blankly at my inquisitor. I was a captive audience, waiting in line for coffee beans on Bleecker Street. Before I could muster up a response, he continued.

“Cappuccino is Italian too. And you see that?” He pointed at the shelf behind me.

“You know what Bialetti is?”

“Yes, Bialetti is Italian,” I finally got a word in.

“It’s Italian! And you know Japan is our ally now, but we hit them with the atom bomb.”

He wandered off, then. Thankfully. I was able to get my coffee and depart, but he’d wandered to the back of the shop—I heard him talking baseball to a British grandma as I headed out to the PATH.

Morning Tourist

I was hating myself last night for planning to go up the Empire State Building for sunrise today. I'd have to get on a Citibike at 4:30 am to be sure to get to the Grove Street PATH in plenty of time for the 4:49 train to 33rd Street. My instructions were to be in line outside the 34th Street entrance no later than 5:30.

I showered last night and steeled myself for no food or coffee until at least 7. Nothing would be open before sunrise this time of year, and I didn't want to get up early enough to make coffee at home. I scoured Google Maps for options--indeed there were none save Duane Reade and 7-11. Herald Square isn't known for its 24-hour diners.

Riding a Citibike so early was fine. There was no traffic and the Jersey City bike lanes are well lit. And while the trains only run every 20-30 minutes that early, they are fast once they get started.

At 33rd Street, there were two food carts, so I was wrong about no food options--one was a halal cart should I have a craving for rice or chicken (I didn't), and another a breakfast cart where a man sold me a two-dollar croissant, which I consumed while standing in line at the Empire State Building. Herald Square also featured an enormous bouncy castle, its security guard pacing back and forth by the front entrance.

Gotta keep that bouncy castle safe.

The Empire State Building felt like it had nearly as many staff at 5:30 am as it did tourists, and I overheard one of them talking about how well paid they are for doing the sunrise shift.

Up we went and...the morning was overcast, the 86th floor featuring a lot of chilly wind on this August morning. For a while, all us visitors were disappointed. But then the sun came out and artfully lit the cityscape below, dabbing pale yellow across the gray morning, highlighting the sea of skyscrapers below.

What a glorious morning.

And finally, the sun was up and the drama was behind us. We headed out through the gallery, and it was too early still for restaurants, so I got a latte and spent an hour in that little triangle park where you go into the PATH train at night.

Finally, I headed up to the Cloisters for its 10 am opening. I'd only been once, dropping off a friend in...1989? Maybe 1990 at the latest. I was here to see the unicorn tapestries.

They too were glorious.