UMTravels

Another full day.

After wondering around Penn Station looking for a) information booth, or b) M4 bus stop — finally read the directions (again) to the Cloisters and decide to just take the train. Turns out there is an express, and it’s only a 10 minute walk at the other end to get to the place.

Even with the tons of school groups there is a wonderful calming quality to the place. The suggested donation is $20 — and it is suggested. They asked me when I handed my Visa card over if I was OK with the price (or wanted to pay less). I went for the $20 figuring I’d also hit the Metropolitan�Museum later in the day.

Spent an hour wandering the halls of The Cloisters then headed back into town on the M4 to the Met. Wow, an hour to get back half the way that the express train took 30 minutes to do. Found the nice restaurant and had the Sicilian Calamari Salad and a glass of Bordeaux for lunch.

Spent an hour wandering around photographing pretty boys, both in marble and flesh. Not time to take in much of the whole collection as a 5pm date at the Chester Apartment bar looms.

My 5pm is with Andy — a college roommate that I haven’t seen in 30 years (well, almost). He’s now VP of Corporate Communications for Pfizer — which is pretty amazing considering we went to Evergreen — of course I could say they same thing about me with my time at Microsoft, or Davey for his teaching career and Randy and his 300 acre entertainment destination farm, or Glenn and his options trading career prior to moving into teaching, Paul and his computer programming business, or Dan’s government and arts career before his death. Who would have thought.

Drinks with Andy are at The Campbell Apartment which is in Union Station. Talk about a time warp. Thank god I got there a half an hour early cause the place was filling up quick — and them shutting the back half for a private party didn’t help.

Manhattan’s were great. I had several, Andy had one, followed by a beer — before he had to head to the train for an hour ride to Connecticut and wife and child.

I tried to get into the Oyster Bar (also in Grand Central) but the line was too long. He’d back to the hotel to grab food and chill out for the rest of the evening. Too much, too fast, in the last couple of days. Wonder what tomorrow will bring.