Cartier-Bresson On View

Many people consider him the finest photographer of all time.
He is certainly the father of modern photojournalism.
He was a photographic pioneer; someone who seemed to possess the natural ability to capture a moment - what the called the "decisive moment" - with an astonishing eye for even the smallest detail.
Though his photographs are spontaneous, they seem perfect. Each one tells a story.
In fact, these seemingly precise black-and-white images could not be improved upon even if they were posed and calibrated to the last detail.
He was an artist with a camera, a genius behind the lens.
He was Henri Cartier-Bresson and 49 of his classic photographs are on view through May 2 at the Edwynn Houk Gallery in Manhattan.
To see these prints is to thrill at the power of the still camera.
The show consists entirely of vintage and early prints. It includes work from France, Mexico, Spain and Italy taken in the 1930s, from China and India in the 1940s, and from the U.S. in the 1960s.
Cartier-Bresson is regarded as one of the art world's most unassuming personalities. He disliked publicity and exhibited a ferocious shyness since his days in hiding from the Nazis during World War II. Although he took many famous portraits, his own face was little known to the world at large (which presumably had the advantage of allowing him to work on the street in peace). He dismissed others' applications of the term "art" to his photographs, which he thought were merely his gut reactions to moments in time that he had happened upon.
Here's what The Master, himself said about photography:
"The simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression... . In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotif."

Macy's 'Dream In Color!'

On Thursday we took the train to Manhattan to see Macy's spectacular Flower Show at Macy's flagship store on Herald Square in New York.
It was a beautiful spring day in Manhattan - sunny and in the mid 60s.
Macy's was overflowing with shoppers and gawkers, all to enjoy vivid spring colors in total harmony. The show is free and runs through April 19. You will be amazed at the colors and varieties of flowers on Macy's main floor. And, you can do a free, 20-minute guided tour of the show. The tours meet every half-hour at Macy's 35th & Broadway entrance, just inside the door.
Plus, don;t miss the table settings with live floral pieces on the 8th floor, the children's garden on the 7th floor and the Williamsburg garden in Macy's cellar.
On top of all this, Herald Square itself is festooned with tons of tulips and daffodils.
Macy's show this year is built around the theme, Dream in Color and includes the following memorable gardens:
The Paradise Garden transports you to a tropical paradise. The garden features over 300 different species of tropical plants, from green palms to exotic flowers. Since the tropics are known for their array of fruit trees, Macy's brought in a Coconut Tree, a Papaya Tree and an Ensete Red Banana Tree, plus a favorite from last year's show, the Chocolate Tree.
The Woodland Garden celebrates nature's beauty with annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. In a color palette inspired by the season, the Woodland Garden features such flowers as tulips, daffodils, primula, ranunculus, forsythia and begonias. This garden also showcases some handcrafted birdhouses.
The Community Garden reflects and honors the efforts of the several hundred community gardens that are scattered throughout the five boroughs of NYC. These neighborhood scale gardens are enjoyed by all of those who come into contact with them and they have multiple uses. Whether they produce flowers or vegetables, they are a favorite of all New Yorkers.
The Living Garden is Macy's salute to the Plastic Lawn Flamingo and its impact on American gardens. These flamingos were handcrafted by the artisans at the Macy's Parade Studio, and were hand planted with hundreds of pink kalanchoe by Macy's landscape partner, Ireland Gannon Associates.
The Pink Garden features several new plant additions to the Macy's Flower Show. The first is the Prunus Persica, which is an ornamental Peach Tree that does not bear fruit. This particular tree is called the Corinthian Pink, which has medium purple foliage and lots of small pink double flowers.

Broadway As Walkway

From David Seifman at the New York Post:

The Great White Way will turn into a great walkway.
In a stunning Midtown makeover, Mayor Bloomberg announced today that traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd to 47th streets and from 33rd to 35th streets will be torn up starting Memorial Day and transformed into pedestrian plazas until at least the end of the year.
PHOTOS: Broadway as a Pedestrian Mall
"By making targeted adjustments at Broadway's two main pinch points, we believe we can ease traffic congestion throughout the Midtown grid," Bloomberg said. "We are going to closely monitor the results to determine if this pilot works and should be extended beyond its trial period."
The $1.5 million pilot program will discontinue vehicular traffic from 47th Street to 42nd Street and from 35th Street to 33rd Street - connecting Seventh Avenue through Times Square, where it is currently bisected by Broadway, and improve traffic flow on Sixth Avenue through Herald Square.
Bloomberg said the result will be simplified traffic patterns, longer green lights and reduced travel times across Midtown.
All car traffic going east and west through Times and Herald Squares will not be impacted and travel times are expected to improve on some of those streets, Bloomberg added.
In addition, the plan is expected to improve bus times on the avenues for the more than 75,000 daily passengers.

We love Broadway and we are frequent visitors toTimes Square and Herald Square (Macy's). We hope the new configurations works out but we don't want to see the hustle and bustle of Broadway disappear. The day that Broadway becomes a calm, languid oasis (or anything approaching same) is the day Broadway dies.

Pal Joey Still Charms

Over the weekend we took a quick trip to Manhattan to catch the Roundabout Theatre Company's wonderful new production of the Rogers and Hart classic Pal Joey.

Set in Chicago in the late 1930s, Pal Joey is the story of Joey Evans, a brash, scheming song and dance man with dreams of owning his own nightclub. Joey abandons his wholesome girlfriend Linda English, to charm a rich, married older woman, Vera Simpson, in the hope that she’ll set him up in business.

The original tale of Joey was written by the great American novelist John O'Hara. For this production the book has been re-written and updated by Richard Greenberg. But the basic story of the cad who is Joey is still here.

If you're thinking that the Broadway show is like the old movie musical of the same name starring Frank Sinatra, think again. The show is darker, more cynical and, in many ways much more current. Pal Joey was way ahead of its time.

In fact, if there hadn't been a musical named Pal Joey there probably never would have been musicals named Chicago or Cabaret. Pal Joey is of the same genre but it arrived on Broadway decades before the others. It set the pace.

Stockard Channing is wonderful as the older woman who "befriends" Joey. Channing channels Lauren Bacall to produce a Vera Simpson who is every bit as smoky, sophisticated and wry as Mrs. Robinson. Martha Plimpton as Gladys is funny, bawdy, rowdy and irresistible. And, Matthew Risch as Joey is a clever charmer who never stops focusing on Number One.

The Rogers and Hart songs are great and it is a joy to see conductor Paul Gemignani leading the orchestra.

Still, if you want to see this fine new production of an American musical classic you'll have to hurry. The Roundabout production at Studio 54 must close on March 1.

Hurry, hurry!

Power Tables

In its weekly feature "Power Tables" The Wall Street Journal details where the business elite are eating.
This week the Journal looks at the chic Cafe Boulud in Manhattan where Barbara Walters, Mike Nichols, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Cosby are frequent guests. The most coveted tables at this pricey cafe owned by chef Daniel Boulud are along the windows: tables 10, 20, 30 and 40.
And guess who prefers (and is usally seated at) table 10, 20 or 30? Why it's Joisey Governor Jon Corzine, the same guy who professes to care so deeply about those who are just getting by economically. When he stops by Cafe Boulud this jovial man of the people enjoys Italian wines such as Brunello.
No domestic wines for this guy. And forget those de classe Joisey restaurants as well. For him, it's strictly the upper east side of Manhattan all the way.