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Looking north towards the Chrysler Building through the gate of Gramercy Park. 6:30 PM. Photo: JH. |
Hello Friday, Hello! Thank God it’s not Thursday. Yesterday was a doozy in the world and a doozy in New York. The weather was brilliant – 62 and Sunny, just right warm, perfect L.A. weather. It was also Yom Kippur and many of the city’s denizens were in synagogue and places of worship, so it had some of the peacefulness of holiday quiet.
Traffic up on East End was non-existent with the two schools (Chapin and Brearley) out for the holiday. Midtown it was much lighter and down at Michael’s there were many of the usual suspects but many also absent. Down on Wall Street more mayhem. Irony.
Outside Abercrombie and Fitch on 56th and Fifth, the same cloying and fetid “fragrance” of a snarky cologne was wafting out onto the crowd (of presumably tourists) lolling on the sidewalk and everyone passing. There’s always a crowd outside this emporium of sex and the sandbox and casual fashion (and cheap cologne).
History. That particular corner of 56th and Fifth (southwest) has always been a good location. Eighty years ago when the avenue had been overtaken by commercial (rather than private) establishments, Duveen Brothers had their atelier/salon there. The tycoons and magnates called on Lord Duveen by appointment of course, and Great Art and Great Furniture was picked up for a price never less than princely. Thirty years ago, Hallmark, the greatest name in Greeting Cards, had their flagship store there. Now the art is tee shirts. And cologne. Onward.
On today’s NYSD Peter Evans has written a Guest Diary on the debut of Aristo at the Chichester Festival of the Arts of the dramatized version of his best-selling “Nemesis, the True Story; Aristotle Onassis, Jackie O, and the Love Triangle That Brought Down the Kennedys.”
What? You never read “Nemesis”? These enormous characters of 20th century history and pop culture, these larger than life characters/real people. It’s a page turner as I’ve written here several times before. People always ask me if I think it’s true. Do I think people behave this way? Are they greedy? Are they venal? Does money play a part? You need me to tell you?
However. Certain things are self-evident about people’s lives. Other things are concealed and even forever. No one knows what really goes on inside your head. And they never will. Even if you try to tell them.
Looking at the famous photograph on the cover of the book “Nemesis” of the wedding ceremony of Mrs. Kennedy and Mr. Onassis I could only wonder about this beautiful woman, thirty-nine years old -- a widow of the most terrible circumstances, marrying this wildly charming, clever, not-very-pretty and craven man in the matrimonial deal of the decade (or four) – I could only wonder how it came to this. Or: what this was? Did she even know? Maybe not; you’d be surprised how little insight we (they/anyone) have about ourselves, especially when the band is playing ka-ching-ka-ching.
Anyway, “Nemesis” has been turned into a play (Aristo) that opened at Chichester and the author recalls for us how it all came about forty years ago when he was summoned to a meeting of the minds with Mr. Onassis himself. My only criticism of Mr. Evans’ Diary – as I told him – is that I wished it had gone on longer, a lot longer. “OPM” (“other people’s money”) was the byword of the Greek tycoon. OPL is mine (other people’s lives.)
Meanwhile, also on today’s: Lourdes Castro has written a piece on the business of Michelin and the restaurant stars. Chefs have been known to kill themselves over the lack of the Michelin star approval. There are only three Three Star Michelin restaurants in New York, you know. You didn’t know that? Well, there are 18,000 restaurants and these are the ONLY three. Don’t worry, most of us have never been to a three-star restaurant and yet we have our private culinary devotions and like ‘em. |
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