In New York At Last! A Day Involving Happy Reunions, Yet Another Doctor’s Appointment and a Grand Dinner with East African Safari Friends.

Friday, October 3, 2025

Fairfield, Connecticut

In New York At Last! A Day Involving Happy Reunions, Yet Another Doctor’s Appointment and a Grand Dinner with East African Safari Friends.

Finally, after a whole week of being in the New York area, we were able to spend the day in New York City. Hard to believe that having once spent almost every day of our working lives in the USA in Manhattan, we had only scheduled one day for a visit to this most vibrant of cities and that too because we had our appointments with our ophthalmologist scheduled today.

On the Train to New York City:

Accordingly, we left at the crack of dawn as I had scheduled a coffee-morning meeting at 9.30 am with my former NYU colleagues. As the journey takes almost two hours from door to door, we woke up to the setting of our alarms, dressed quietly and were out of Swapna’s home before the household had quite surfaced.

We drove to Fairfield railway station really early as we were not fully familiar with the Day Parking arrangements there and wanted to be well in time to obtain the parking permit before we booked our train tickets and boarded the train, Fortunately, while I held the fort at the car, Llew went off to find the machine that would provide the parking permit. It was all rather seamless actually, and while I awaited his return, I gobbled up the one piece of pizza remaining from our dinner at Vazzy’s last night. Hence, while we did pick up decaff coffees at the little tea stall on the station, it was only Llew who bought a pain au chocolat while I chose to wait to eat more at my meeting with my colleagues.

It was really super fun and super nostalgic to make the train journey into the city. Autumn is definitely in the air at this point and the warm range of colors (reds, yellows, rusts, oranges) were already tinging the trees as we passed through the bucolic settlements of New Canaan and Darien and over the bodies of pretty water that grace the landscape between Connecticut and New York. I had my eyes glued to the window as I took in these sights and did not even realize the passage of time as the train pulled into Harlem across the East River. At Grand Central Station, I parted company with Llew as he went out to try and meet his former colleagues. I hurried towards the subway platform and there a huge drama awaited me.

Trying to Board the New York City Subway:

They say the more things change, the more they stay the same. Well, yes and no. While the Metro-North and subway lines coalesce at the magnificent Grand Central Station (that I had always felt so privileged to use during almost three decades that I lived in New York City), a lot had changed. Yes, in the one year since I had last been into Manhattan, the entire ticketing system had been overhauled. The old Metro-Card that I still carried so proudly in my wallet had been phased out and a new card (the OMNY—One Metro New York) has been introduced. As seniors, both Llew and I are now entitled to the new cards, but to make one, I had to spend at least 45 minutes at the booth where the assistants did not even seem to know what they were doing and irritation began to mount in the queue that formed behind me. Eventually, when it came to the point where I had to pay for my new card, it was discovered that since Llew uses the same credit card to pay for his commuter card, I could not use it too. I had not been carrying another credit card with me on this trip with which to pay and so the entire operation was aborted and I was back to Square One. No doubt, I would also be late for my meeting with my colleagues and I felt mortified. However, they did manage to provide me with a temporary Seniors card (not sure for how long it will be valid) which would also give me the Seniors’ discount. Such an irritating way to begin my day in Manhattan! Meanwhile, as I waited, I had the opportunity to take in the spiffy new changes that have been wrought to a station that was under renovation for at least the last three years of my life as a working commuter into Manhattan. Eventually, I did get on to the train using the new card (nothing has changed in the trains or on the stations) and hurried along the Manhattan streets to get to the venue where we were to meet.

Coffee Morning with my Former Dean and Professor Colleague:

When they got to know that I would be making a visit to NYU, some of my colleagues put the word out that a coffee morning meeting with me would enable a whole bunch of them to see me. However, being that it is a Friday and none of us teach today and do not even come to campus (unless it is for a meeting), it was doubtful I would meet many. Imagine my delight then when my former Dean Julie Mostov invited me for coffee to her apartment in the NYU Faculty Housing—a coffee morning that would also include my former colleague, Prof. Peter Valenti.

Well, I hurried up to the appointed place and apologized for my tardiness and explained the debacle regarding the Metro-Card (now OMNY card), of course they understood. We spent the next hour and a half over delicious nibbles and steaming hot peppermint tea as the two of them brought me up to snuff on the many goings-on at Liberal Studies where I had once taught. There was indeed much to talk about and discuss and my colleagues were very keen for me to continue to be involved although far away. As an Emerita Professor, there is every reason to keep me in the loop and I was happy to absorb everything.

But soon, it was time for me to leave. I realized when I tried to enter one of the NYU buildings that I have an ID card that expired, two years ago. The Security Officer told me to visit the NYU ID Office to have it renewed. Hence, as soon as I left Julie’s place, I made my way there and, within ten minutes, I was the proud recipient of a brand-new ID card which will now magically open all doors for me (at least at NYU!).

Using my new ID, I was then able to go back up to my office at 726 Broadway and, as expected, did not find too many people around. However, I was really delighted to see Billy Helton, a very old friend and administrative colleague who had always been exceptionally helpful to me, over the years that I had worked closely with him. We had a really wonderful visit of about 15 minutes before I had to say goodbye to him and return to my next appointment. With this done, I raced off to my next appointment for the day.

A Long-Pending Visit to the Frick Museum:

The Frick Museum is one of my favorite places in Manhattan and I was delighted to know that after being shut for a very lengthy period (owing to a complete overhaul of the premises), it had re-opened to the public. It was very difficult to get tickets (which are issued strictly by appointment on a timed basis), but I hoped that my Metropolitan Museum ID card would get Llew and me entry into it. Accordingly, we had made plans to meet at the main door of the Museum at 11.30 am and Llew happened to be there already when I arrived. And yes, there was a line snaking along the block, so I did feel a bit embarrassed to go up to the guard and present my credentials as a Docent at the Met (together with my ID card).

Llew and I were granted instant access to the main doors and within seconds we were inside, going through Security and then obtaining our (free) tickets to the venue. For the next hour and a half, we lost ourselves completely in the world of Henry Clay Frick and his monumental collection. Of course, both of us had seen this collection several times before, but one never tires of it. Going back to it repeatedly is like going to say Hullo to old friends. Yes, we were impressed by the newness of the spaces but the general curation of the art works (paintings, sculpture, decorative arts) remains the same. It is such a thrill to walk through the rooms and living spaces of the wealthy and privileged—it takes me back always to another, long-lost era. To be in the same vicinity as the art-loving, affluent New Yorkers of more than a century ago, is a unique experience. And then to dwell on the works themselves is always a deep joy. Yes, the place was mobbed—no doubt about that. But it did not detract from my pleasure in the works.

The best part of this visit for me, however, was the current special, temporary exhibition which is a collection of commissioned porcelain flowers by Ukrainian artist, Vladimir Kanevsky (born 1951) whose works, scattered throughout the rooms, were meant to evoke the floral ambience of the Museum when it first opened to the public in 1935. I have to tell you that I actually had to discreetly touch one of the first exhibits I saw as I simply could not tell whether or not they were real or man-made. What a shock I received when I found them to be made of clay! Last year, I had made a special visit to Boston to see the Glass Flower Gallery, permanently on display at the Harvard Peabody Museum of Natural History. There too I had been blown away by the craftsmanship of the artists, a Polish father-son team. And this year, I was here, viewing this incredible collection of porcelain flowers at the Frick. Truly, it blew my socks away. The flowers are life-size and in the exact colors of their real-life models. There were roses, peonies, lily or the valley, hydrangeas, etc. etc. etc., I mean every possible flower that you could think of was represented in this collection. I simply loved it. I have to say also that the flowers were beautifully arranged, strategically, among the sculptural works themselves. It enhanced the art works so amazingly. Indeed, it was really hard for me to tear myself away from the sculptures but, in the end, we had our eye on the clock and had to leave the Museum. We did manage to see it all but we could not linger. Next year, I think I will return—the crowds will have decreased and I shall allot more time to really admire this exhilarating space.

Lunch with Llew’s colleague at Milu:

Yes, we were in time to see Llew’s former colleague, Amy, at Park Ave South and 24th Street at a pan-Asian place called Milu. It was quite a nondescript place but the food turned out to be quite delicious. You choose a starch, a protein and a vegetable side from a large variety of items on the menu board—very casual. Amy was already there when we arrived and it was delightful to see her and reconnect with her as she is the sweetest person. We chose the crispy chicken over brown rice with broccoli and cauliflower and it was all very healthy and very good indeed. Of course, we chatted non-stop with lovely Amy who gave Llew a lot of news about former colleagues with whom they had both worked as well as about herself, her family members and her own current position. It was a lovey reunion and we enjoyed it thoroughly but then it was time for us to hurry along to our next appointment on the Upper East Side.

Yet Another Medical Appointment—with our Ophthalmologist:

Thank goodness for the NY Subway which got us very easily to our next port of call after we’d thanked Amy for insisting on treating us to lunch and for the really lovely time we’d spent in her company. Within a half hour, we were on the Upper East Side making our way to the basement clinic of our ophthalmologist, Dr. Daniel Rossberger, who is simply the best in his field.

Both Llew and I have been under his care—Llew much longer than me—and have great confidence in his expertise. Yes, we went through the paces of getting our eyes tested through the Reading board, then getting them dilated, the going through the scanners, etc. so that all the readings were taken for both of us. Finally, the doctor himself showed up and did an independent examination before he gave us his assessment of the state of our eyes. Both of us got a fairly clean bill of health and with no further action necessary (at least for the moment), he instructed us to make an appointment to see him next year. And with that, the last of our doctors’ appointments was done and we were free to enjoy the rest of our time in the New York Tristate area. But, for the immediate present, we had a dinner party to attend on Long Island.

Meeting our Friend John at Grand Central Station:

Our dinner party was on Long Island and since we were actually already in Manhattan, it made good sense of us to take the Long Island Rail Road from Grand Central Station itself to get to Syosset where our friends, Doreen and John, are based. It was to their home that we were invited for dinner. But since John happens to be working nearby, we decided to meet him at the station and ride on the train with him. This would give us personal and private time with him and also enable us to get a ride in his car, which was parked at Syosset station, to his home.

Accordingly, Llew and I walked past the hurrying Manhattan crowds at the end of a long work week and arrived at the newly-created LIRR Branch at Grand Central Station that eliminated the need for us to get to Penn Station to take our train. Both Llew and I were thoroughly impressed by the brilliant new maze of walkways and passages and tunnels that have been created along 42nd Street to enable commuters to get to New York from Grand Central Station. There are wide, beautifully lit walkways with clear signage and indications to provide directions. We saw the ticket kiosks and got our tickets--sadly, there are no seats or any place to enable weary commuters to rest—as they have been deliberately removed to discourage the homeless from occupying them. I did find a little quiet spot where I could sit down and in about ten minutes, John joined us.

The train ride to Long Island (my very first, I believe) was quite exciting as we passed by places like Jamaica which have changed enormously since I was familiar with the area more than thirty years ago. In many other respects, it was very similar to our ride into Connecticut on Metro-North trains. In about an hour, we were at Syosset and jumping into John’s car at the station, Within ten minutes then, we were at his home.

Dinner with the Bellomos:

Doreen was all set and ready to welcome us when we walked into her beautiful home after our long day in Manhattan. First of all, it was an absolute joy to see her after we had parted company at Nairobi airport at the end of our East African Safari in August. Her appetizers were set out already on the table and drinks were being fixed by John. Since we did not expect the rest to troop in for at least another hour or two, we savored the private time we had with them as we chatted about their forthcoming travels in India in November. Lauren, their daughter, also joined us and we had a lovely conversation together.

Soon, the rest of the party turned up—Ralph, his wife Lynne and daughter Sacha, following their long drive from Connecticut. For the rest of the evening, we had the best time as chatter flowed easily and we fully relaxed at the beginning of the weekend. When we adjourned to the dining table, we enjoyed Doreen’s vast spread that included Shrimp with Pilaf, Chicken, Pork, Brussels Sprouts and Tiramisu with ice-cream for dessert. Indeed, we feasted like kings and there was not a dull moment around the table as we fully enjoyed ourselves.

But, as all good things must come to an end, Ralph and family dropped us off to Fairfield Station (I must admit I dozed off a bit in the car on the long drive home) where we had parked own car and within fifteen minutes, we were finally home at Swapna’s ready to call it a night.

What an amazing day it had been! Certainly the most eventful since our arrival in the New York Tristate area. But we were knackered and it was with gratitude that we sank back in our beds and switched off the lights.

Until tomorrow, see ya’...

A Day Spent with an Ophthalmologist in New York

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

New York City

A Day Spent with an Ophthalmologist in New York

Today was a most unusual sort of day and one that left me a bit saddened by its outcome.

I awoke, as usual, rather early, and sent out Thank you notes to my Book Club friends (whom I had met last night) for a lovely and lively evening. There was not too much time left after my breakfast (muesli with yogurt and milk and decaff coffee) to do much. Hence, I got dressed and ready for my appointment in the city with a new physician I would be seeing and with whom I had set up an appointment.

Leslie dropped me off at Westport station for my train, I bought my ticket from the machine and off I went. It was a lovely day, thankfully, but because I knew that my pupils would be dilated after my appointment, I did not make plans to meet anyone else after it ended.

Strolling in Manhattan:

My appointment was on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (perhaps the ritziest part of the city) and as I strolled along from the Hunter College stop on the 6 line from Lexington Avenue toward Park and Madison (my clinic is on 72nd Street), I did a spot of window shopping. I also realized that I was feeling peckish and since my appointment was at 1.45 and would probably go until at least 2.45, I decided to try to find some lunch before I saw the doctor.

Sadly, there are not too many casual places in which one can find a bite in this snazzy part of town. When I spotted Eli Zabar’s Bakery, about two blocks away from the clinic. I went in for quick snack. I ended up buying an almond croissant ($5, if you can believe it!) and enjoyed it outside in the little street-side chairs and tables that he has set up (as there is no place to sit inside). Then, I hurried forth to my appointment.

Seeing the Ophthalmologist:

Llew has been seeing Dr. Rosberger for at least 20 years now at his clinic on Park Avenue called Maculacare. He is recognized as one of the finest retina-specialists in the USA and Llew was keen that I should see him for a second opinion. It turns out that, about two months ago, I had begun to notice a peculiarity in my right eye that causes distortion of the image particularly when I am reading (not so much while watching TV, unless I cover my left eye). I had seen one of the leading ophthalmologists in Bombay, Dr. Borse, who had been treating my Dad for decades, and he had diagnosed my condition as age-related pulling away of the retina from the eye wall which had resulted in a gap or hole. This hole was causing the distortion, he said. He further opined that it would possibly get better with time until I would not notice the condition at all. He even gave me some medication (powder to be dissolved in water) which, he said, might hasten the automatic repair of the condition.

After my eyes were examined by someone called Sonam (Dr. Rosberger’s assistant) and my eyesight found to be 20/20 (or so he said) with my current glasses, I was sat in another room after my pupils were dilated. Along came Dr. Rosberger who remembered Llew well and told me to give him regards. He then began his careful examination of my eyes using the scanners, bright lights, etc. I was then sent into another room for more scans. It was not long before Dr. Rosberger pronounced his verdict and gave me the dreaded diagnosis. Yes, he said, my macula has degenerated just a little bit. I have caught it at the earliest stages and it is restricted, right now, only to one eye. This condition, he said, is age-related and myopia-related (I have been short-sighted or near-sighted and have worn glasses since the age of 13 and contact lenses since the age of 18). There is also an epiretinal membrane that has formed on my retina (which, as the doctor described it, has a crumbled appearance instead of lying down flat on the retina). This crumbling is causing the distortion of vision.

Furthermore, the doctor said, that there is little possibility that this could get better on its own. Could it get worse? Yes, it could. Is there any treatment for it? Apart from surgery, no. And in the case of surgery (particularly at this early stage), risks outweigh benefits and are, therefore, not recommended. He told me that from my now, my eyes will need to be monitored carefully every six months. He set up an appointment for me, six months from now—in the heart of a frigid New York winter (frankly, wild horses will not bring me back to North America in this season!). So I shall see Dr Borse in Bombay. Of course, he cautioned me seriously, if there is any change of any kind, I would need to see him immediately, he said.

Wow! You can just imagine how hard I was hit by this news! I now join the line of folks I know who are living with this condition: my Dad, of course, who is now legally blind, has had it since his 60s; Llew who has battled all sorts of serious eye conditions including two detached retinas (due to acute myopia) 45 years ago, has severe macular degeneration; my friend Jane Dean (whom I shall be seeing next week for breakfast), who is almost 90 and who tells me that she has great difficulty reading my monthly newsletters which she loves; my friend Liz Virkar in Bombay who is currently undergoing some kind of eye treatment that involves periodic shots in her eye for the same condition. Of course, there are severity of stages in this condition and each person’s eyes react differently. But, overall, it is not a diagnosis one would like to receive. Fortunately, I have profoundly inspiring men in my life (my Dad, my husband) who live with this condition daily and have never let it affect their quality of life or their enjoyment of it. So, I propose to soldier on bravely, resorting as always to prayer and leaving myself and my eyesight in the hands of the Lord and His Blessed Mother. May it be done according to their will.

Dr. Rosberger also wanted to take some photographs of my eye—as he explained, it was not an MRI or an X-ray—just pictures. But he also wanted to test the condition of my optic nerve and to find out if there was any bleeding or inflammation in my eye (he rather doubted this, but he wanted to be certain). Hence, I was sent to another room where an assistant named Thairides (yes, that’s her name!) gave me a shot in a vein on my right hand. This put an orange dye into my veins. This dye would spread, through my heart, all over my body and would enter my eyes and the veins in my eye. Pictures were then taken of my right eye and on studying them, Dr. Rosberger confirmed that there was no bleeding or inflammation—all of which are positive signs. All this done, he made his notes and told me to make an appointment to see him after six months (which I did).As he did not tell me to alter my normal lifestyle in any way, I guess I can continue in this vein for as long as possible. Naturally, because I love reading and watching TV so much, I hope this will not affect my enjoyment of these activities (especially now that I am retired and have so much more time to indulge in them).

Journey Home to Westport:

Whew! That done, I left the clinic (which is on the lower level) and emerged out on to the street between Madison and Park Avenues and found my eyesight deeply affected by the pupil dilation. All I could do was think of getting on a bus and riding uptown to 125th Street so that I could take the first train going out to Westport. And that was exactly what I intended to do.

Introduction to a New Parfumerie:

But, before I got there, I found that I passed what was the former showroom of Jo Malone (opposite the Met-Brauer Museum—which is now permanently closed but which houses the collection of the Frick Museum temporarily). I found that Jo Malone closed their showroom too (it is now an optician) but I did pass by a parfumerie called Fueguia 1833 (an Argentinian parfumerie that was founded in 1833 in Patagonia and is based on the concept of botanical extracts). I really loved the showroom which was set up around the concept of dozens of beautiful crystal flacons each of which had a glass globe over it. To experience the scent, the assistant sprayed the inside of the glass globe to allow you to sniff it—what a novel concept. Of course, this offers no indication of how the perfume will react with the warmth of your skin…but you get the idea. I love the fragrance of fig and I was naturally drawn to it. The assistant was kind enough to make me a small sample sized bottle of it and I left the store feeling delighted that I had the essence of Fig in my purse. Jo Malone used to make a Fig fragrance which I used to love but which they discontinued (much to my annoyance). I hate it when cosmetics companies discontinue their products. Anyway, I was delighted with my little treasure.

Reaching Home:

A few steps ahead, I found the bus stop and in a few minutes, along came the M1. I hopped into it all the way up Madison Avenue till 125th Street which I reached with just five minutes to spare before my train arrived. I was grateful for my sunglasses which kept the unpleasantness of the sun out of my dilated eyes as I walked really fast for my train.

Five minutes later, I was in my train and headed to Westport. I got off at Southport station and waited for a few minutes until, right after 6pm, Leslie picked me up (at the conclusion of her work). We reached home and I reached for a cuppa and some cookies as I was really ravenous (having eaten only my croissant for lunch).

I then had an uneventful evening as my eyes were quite badly dilated. Sunil, who was nursing a cold, was upstairs, fast asleep. This left Leslie and me to rustle up some dinner. She chose to make an Israeli couscous dish with chicken stock and spinach and some roasted brocolli, but I had my leftovers from our dinner at Sakura (noodles, vegetables and steak) and since I had eaten a light lunch, I took a healthy helping—but still left some for tomorrow (there was so much!).

Basically, that was my day! Apart from seeing the eye doctor, I did not do too much.

Until tomorrow..cheerio!

Hello Again USA! It’s (Somewhat) Good to be ‘Home’!

Westport, Connecticut

Friday, August 4, 2023

Hello Again USA! It’s good to be ‘Home’!

As expected, I was jetlagged when I awoke in my friend Leslie’s place in Westport, Connecticut, on my first day back ‘home’ in the USA. Everyone asked me how it felt to be back. And frankly, I had no real feelings. I arrived in the US in the dead of night, faced much anxiety at Kennedy airport with no internet connectivity, wondered how I could possibly find my way to Connecticut from New York and then when I was finally in an Uber, I could barely keep my eyes open. So no, I’m sorry. I simply did not feel the same excitement when entering the US that I do when entering the UK! Yes, this was once home, but it is not home anymore. Now I feel like a visitor, like a tourist, as I have no house here and no car. It is an extremely strange feeling and one that is difficult to describe. I guess it would be clearest to say that when I moved to India, I got the US right out of my system. I know! It really is inexplicable, but that’s exactly how I now feel.

Getting Set for my First Appointment:

Leslie, my friend, is the consummate hostess. It is amazing how she has thought of everything, absolutely everything, to make me comfortable. She has purchased a bunch of groceries that she thinks I will use and like (regular milk, for instance, instead of the almond milk she uses). She opened every kitchen cabinet and pantry so that I could know where things are kept and can help myself to anything. Same with the bathroom. She is just the sweetest person. I told her that I would have some cereal for breakfast with some milk and that would tide me over through my first appointment which was first thing today: My annual physical with my internist, Dr. Nirmala Monteiro was at 9.00 am (I thought), but when Leslie dropped me off there, I discovered it was, in fact, at 10.20 am!

Now my friend Bonnie was supposed to arrive there at 10.00am to hand over the keys to my friend Mary-Lauren’s apartment in Manhattan where I intended to go after my doctor’s appointment. So I simply called Bonnie and asked her to come and pick me up a bit earlier—which she did. She took me to her home and there, over a coffee, we caught up on so many things that we are looking forward towards, including the wedding of her daughter Halle, later this month, which I shall be attending. Then, at 10.10, she dropped me off to my doctor’s clinic once again and I was all set for my appointment. Mind you, I was carrying a large suitcase with me—a suitcase I intended to fill with items from my office at NYU which I would be clearing out in the next three days.

As always, my physical with Nirmala (who is also a family friend) involves a lot of chatter, but the job always gets done. I had an EKG (which was normal), and all the other tests carried out, plus I received referrals to all the other physicians I see annually for routine check-ups. It all went well and, in an hour, I was out. I have another physical scheduled for next September.

Off to Get a New SIM Card:

Bonnie was waiting for me to pick me up so that we could go off to the next place: a visit to my phone provider service at Bridgeport as my US phone SIM card was simply not working. We googled the location of my phone service (Cricket) in Bridgeport and in about ten minutes we were there. I discovered, to my horror, that although we have been paying a monthly phone bill (deducted directly from our bank account), our number was cancelled a long time ago. Apparently, if you do not use a number for more than 60 days, it lapses!

Left with no choice, I had to buy a new plan for a month with a new phone number. So purchasing that plan took almost an hour but eventually, I left the shop with a functional phone and the ability to access the web. It is amazing how dependent we have grown on our phones and how insecure we feel if we do not have a working phone in our pockets.

Bonnie then drove me straight to Fairfield Railway station where I bought my ticket and got straight on the train to the City with one big suitcase and a backpack in tow.

Lunch at Grand Central Terminal:

By the tme the 1.05pm train reached Grand Central Station, it was 2.15 pm and I was starving. Of course, I had to get some lunch before I got on the subway to go downtown to NYU to Astor Place. Getting a burger at Shake Shack was a no-brainer and so down into the basement I went. I ordered my Shack Stack burger and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have to say that it really hit the spot. Fueled by my meal, I took the subway to NYU and found myself in my office in no time at all.

Beginning the Clearing Out of my Office:

When I first entered my office the thought of clearing it all away seemed really daunting, but I was surprised that once I set my mind to it, it went really fast. I started off by meeting Billy Helton, Associate Dean, who had a lovely reunion with me. He told me that boxes and tape had been left for me in case I wish to take any personal belongings away from my office. I told him that the majority of the stuff in my office were books. He instructed me to place these on a shelf outside so that anyone could help themselves to my library when they returned to teach in September. Much of the stuff needed to be junked. It was basically photocopied material from the many courses I have taught over the years. Some of the paperwork for courses I have taught in the past were sent directly to the recycle bin. I went systematically through one book shelf and one set of bookcases after the other—but after two hours, my back did start to ache and I was happy to stop, having made quite a sizeable dent in my endeavors.

Meeting Amy at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

I had made plans to spend the evening with my friend Amy Tobin whom I was supposed to meet at 5.00 pm. But having begun ‘Operation NYU Exit’ at 3.00 pm, I felt I could go on for at least another hour. Hence, I requested Amy to meet me at 6.00 pm—which was fine with her.

At about 5.30 pm, I left NYU, took the Subway Uptown to 86th street and then the 86 crosstown bus to arrive at the Met just a little after 6.00 pm. Amy was already at the Main Information Desk when I arrived there and we had a really affectionate reunion as she is one of my dearest American friends. We decided to spend the evening taking in the special exhibitions that are currently on instead of going to see our special favorites (I shall do that the next time I am in the Met with my friend Liz).

Accordingly, we began by heading straight to the Roof Top Deck. The Met, by the way, has late evening opening on Fridays and Saturdays—when the doors only close at 9.00 pm. This is a brilliant way to bring young folks into the Met. They make a bee line for the Roof Top Deck, as we discovered, where beer and wine flows, nibbles are munched and dozens of people take their pictures against the changing New York City skyline. I say ‘changing; because the horizon seemed studded with cranes and construction activity is rampant. Straight, tall buildings with (in my opinion) no design or character are reaching out for the skies as the city is growing ever vertical. Of course, Amy and I took pictures too.

We also stopped to admire the installation of Lauren Halsey who has used Greek and Roman classical architecture and juxtaposed it against her own background growing up in Watts in Los Angeles. Hence, African faces topped tall pedestals, four sphinxes flanked four sides, etc. It was all very interesting indeed. Next, we made our way to the ‘Buddhist Sculpture From India’ exhibition which was very unusual. Every item is a fragment from one of the Buddhist stupas in India. And finally (saving the best for last), we went to the see the Big Daddy of them all, ‘Van Gogh’s Cypresses’ which was a treatise on his use of cypress tress throughout his life but mainly towards the end once he went to live in Arles and St. Remy where he finally died. Two major works by Van Gogh were on display there: ‘Wheat Fields with Cypresses’ and ‘Starry Night’. Of course, there were a host of other canvasses, all of which features cypress tress as their main motif and I found it quite riveting indeed.

Pizza Dinner with Amy:

It was almost 9.00 pm when we finished seeing them all and decided to go out and get some dinner. As I would be making my way to my friend Mary-Lauren’s apartment at the end of the evening, we left the Met and walked towards 86th Street. There we found a pizzeria called Pizza Famiilgia and, as we were both hungry, we decided to get a slice of pizza each (Amy had the white pizza with ricotta cheese, I had the one with spinach and mushrooms). I paid $6.00 for a single slice! I rmember when you could get an entire pie for $6! I have to say that I am getting sticker shock at all prices in Manhattan. They seem to have skyrocketed since the last time I was here.

Off to my Lodgings in Tudor City for the Next Few Days:

Dinner done, we stepped out on the street. I saw a bus that was going downtown and decided to take it (instead of the Subway) as my left knee had started to hurt so badly that I was actually limping. Amy was quite alarmed by it and told me she did not think it was good. I had no choice, however, except to rest my knee as much as possible. It was clearly a result of overuse. I had been on my feet for more than a week and my knees are simply not able to endure that kind of use. When I arrived at 42nedStreet, I hopped off the bus and since I had to walk about four blocks East to Tudor City where my friend Mary-Lauren’s apartment is based, I decided to take a cab. I was just not capable of taking another step as the pain was quite intense. It reminded me very much of the hobbling I had done, 14 year ago, in London, when I had contracted plantar fasciitis.

A cab was stopped at the traffic light when I decided to hail it and in another ten minutes, I was at the entrance to my friend’s building at 45 Tudor City Place. It is not an area with which I am at all familiar and it was almost 10.00 pm when I got there. Hence, I felt a bit disoriented, but decided to just get to the apartment and go straight off to bed.

The doorman, Franklin, was expecting my arrival as Mary-Lauren had told him I would be there late-ish. He saw me to the elevator in the lovely Tudor-style lobby—indeed I felt as if I were living in an Elizabethan mansion. Once upstairs on the 15th floor, I gasped at the view from the window. The Chrysler Building was staring right at me, lit up like a Christmas tree! It was just spectacular. All around me, the skyscrapers of New York City, in varied architectural styles, looked me straight in the eye. I had never seen the city from this height before and I was enchanted.

However, I did not spend too much time dilly-dallying as my knee was really painful. I brushed and flossed my teeth and got straight to bed, just pausing to thank God for an incredible day and for the amazing opportunity of having this grand apartment at my disposal for the next three nights. Everybody should be so blessed!

Until tomorrow, cheerio!