Meeting at Neue Galerie New York

February 14, 2008 | Filed Under Artists, Bloggers, East Side, Fifth Avenue, Gustav Klimt, Marrakech Destination Guide, Merisi's Vienna blog, Museums/Galleries, My Marrakesh blog, National Geographic Traveler, Neue Galerie, The House in Marrakesh blog | 13 Comments

Neue Galerie New York

I had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth of The House in Marrakesh, in person, during her visit to the city. By the way, her blog and Maryam’s have been mentioned in the March 2008 of National Geographic Traveler (Marrakech Destination Guide). Congratulations, ladies!

We decided to go to the Neue Galerie, a museum that features early twentieth-century Austrian and German art and design.

Near the museum entrance, I walked up to a lady who seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Elizabeth?" I questioned the woman tentatively.

She looked at me with a hint of recognition. "Yes."

"Hi! It’s Paz!" I leaned forward and gave her a hug.

She hugged me back.

When I pulled away from her, I said, "It’s great to meet you!"

"It’s… great… to see you, too." Hesitation censured her voice and a look of slight confusion colored her face. Wait a minute, something was wrong. I could feel it.

"Are you Elizabeth?" I could feel my brows furrow in consternation. I think the look my face mirrored the look on hers. "Are you Elizabeth … ?" I asked again. This time, I mentioned Elizabeth’s last name.

"My name is Elizabeth but that’s not my last name. You asked me if I was Elizabeth and I said yes. Also, you looked familiar. I was trying to place your face."

We both laughed at the mistake and I wished her a good day. Only in New York, can you go hugging strangers and then laugh about it. She got a free hug from me.

Minutes later the ‘right’ Elizabeth showed up. "Paz!" She rushed over and gave me a big hug.

First we stopped at one of the museum’s two cafés — Café Sabarsky. They serve authentic Viennese specialities and traditional Austrian dishes. We talked over hot chocolate and a light meal of ham with mustard spread, on country bread with crispy crusts. Delicious! Relaxing in the café reminded us of Merisi’s Vienna for Beginners. It made us feel as if we were really in Vienna.

Then we set out to see the Gustav Klimt exhibit, which is mesmerizing. The art pieces and drawings are housed in a large renovated Louis XIII-style Beaux-Arts building on Fifth Avenue. With the exception of the lobby, bookstore and design shop, unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to take photographs in the Galerie.

We’d planned to go to nearby Central Park, afterwards, to take photos in the park, but the weather was extremely cold that day. Actually, it was one of the coldest days in the city. So, we cancelled those plans. All in all, we had a good time together.

You can find Elizabeth’s New York photos here.

Paz