On our recent Holland America cruise sponsored by Scientific American we made friends with an outstanding couple from Boulder Colorado, John and Carole Gustavson. After an amazing and eventful visit with the Gustavsons in Colorado late summer, we decided to have them visit us in NJ. They are highly sophisticated world travelers who have visited New York many, many times before, so therefore we decided to show them was the bohemian side of NY/NJ, the haunts and entertainments that we ourselves enjoy year-round. The climax was of course a performance of “La Boheme” itself at The Metropolitan Opera the night before their departure back to their homestate.
We took a stroll through Greenwich Village
John prudently stopped to purchase a hat at a sidewalk haberdasher
Then a quick coffee and piece of pie at the famous and ancient West Village coffee house Caffe Dante
A viewing of an independent, foreign film at Film Forum
The ineluctable dinner at Yaffa Cafe. The Gustavsons were thrilled that I had participated in painting Yaffa’s outside mural in 1992 as an assistant to professional artist Federico Castelluccio
The garish decor of Yaffa
A stroll on historic Boulevard East
The famous Duel Grounds where Alexander Hamilton lost to Aaron Burr
A visit to the hospitality at Dennis and Marianne’s museum-like mansion on Boulevard East
The famous Blue Delft kitchen, where John Gustavson was quick to spot a Danish plate among the predominantly Dutch pieces
Marianne’s elegant parlor
Dining area
The famous Steinway on the left and a spectacularly decorated Christmas tree to the right of the ladies
Enjoying the hospitality
Then how about Paterson’s Great Falls?
And a walk on the bridge crossing those falls
Yes we were there too!
A trip Lena’s Gallery got us a private performance of a doo-wop group of artists whose works were on exhibition there
Here’s a scene from the Franco Zefirelli stage set of Puccini’s “La Boheme”
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