Weekend roundup

I had no plans this weekend. It was hot and humid and everyone seemed busy. Saturday I went to Queens to the Museum of the Moving Image. I'd never been and I was curious. I took the N almost to the end of the line and walked the few blocks, past Greek restaurants and cafes, to the museum. I had also gone to see Zhang Ke Jia's new film, The World. The museum was fun, though goofing off might have been more fun with someone else. The displays were entertaining. I dubbed Audrey Hepburn's voice in My Fair Lady, and I tried my hand at panning and scanning West Side Story for broadcast on TV.

On the ground floor I played Katamari Damacy for the first time and failed badly at a version of Dance Dance Revolution with which I was unfamiliar. At four I watched Zhang Ke Jia's new film, The World. Set in a Beijing theme park (not unlike Epcot center's world pavillion), it traces the lives of various characters who have come from small villages to find work at the park. At times, he pulls back to comment on the action by showing the large stage shows put on for visitors. Brilliantly lit and costumed, and set to music by Lim Giong, the scenes recall the video work of Sarah Morris' work. In the end, it's a depressing look at the the disillusioned lives of people who are still trapped in smaller worlds even as they appear to travel easily between countries.

Afterwards, I ate at a Greek restaurant and waited out a thunder storm. I ordered shark and potatoes and left just as the rain was letting up. The storm was over by the time I emerged from the subway back in SoHo. That night I watched Amelie.

Sunday I left the house and walked north. I had no destination in mind; I just didn't want to sit in my apartment as the day got gotter. I walked up Sixth avenue to 8th street and looked for shoes. I kept walking, stopping at Old Navy and Bed Bath and Beyond. Soon i was passing Macy's and branched off onto Broadway. I walked back through Times Square and to Colubmus Circle. I walked into the mall and checked to see who was performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center. I walked up to Lincoln Center and wandered through an arts and crafts fair that had taken over the pavillions. I kept walking and ran into Simone and David at 72nd street. They were sitting in a small park by the subway station, between Broadway and Amsterdam. We sat in the shade and tried to cool off. I asked if they wanted to play pool. David thought it was too early. I said it was air-conditioned. We decided to eat.

When we reached Zabars we decided to sample some cheese. As we bought cheese we decided to picnic in Riverside Park. We bought more cheese and grapes and bread and then walked to the river. We walked in through the boat basin and then found a bench looking out over the Hudson. We ate the grapes, the bread, and two blocks of cheese. The sun came out from behind the clouds and our bench became too hot. We walked further north and stopped by the dog park to sit in the shade for a while before I walked them home to 96th street. On the corner at Broadway, we got Italian ice. David recommended the cocnonut, but they were out of it. He said I'd have to come back. Maybe next weekend I'll try visiting Riverside Church and Grant's tomb.
Posted by eku at June 13, 2005 10:30 AM