After a summer spent largely on the road and in the skies, Katja has been enjoying spending time in New York (there really is no place quite like it). She's been taking full advantage of all the city has to offer, although as usual her activities have largely revolved around art and dance, and have frequently been accompanied by a glass or two of champagne.
Katja recently spent a lovely evening at the Museum of Modern Art, at a member reception for the newly opened exhibitions Picasso Sculpture and Transmissions: Art in Eastern Europe and Latin America, 1960–1980. Although she began her evening with a glass of bubbly, Katja did manage to pry herself away from the open bar long enough to peruse the exhibitions, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Sadly the rainy weather kept her from hanging out in MoMA's lovely sculpture garden, so she had to sip her bubbly and gaze at Isa Genzken's 36-foot-tall Rose II sculpture from inside.
Katja also enjoyed a lovely evening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s a place she spends a fair amount of time, whether researching at the wonderful Watson Library, or perusing the museum's vast collections. She had, however, never attended a Met Friday. September's theme is ¡Noche en el Met!, and the Friday she attended was a celebration of Mexico.
As a lover of things Mexican she knew she couldn't miss this one, which began with visitors being welcomed by the Mariachi Real de Mexico. The evening included numerous lectures and activities; she particularly enjoyed making flower crowns a la Frida Kahlo,
and the performance by the Capulli Mexican Dance Company in the Egyptian Gallery's Temple of Dendir. Although her flower crown couldn't quite compete with the feathered headdresses of the dancers, she still thinks that she stole the show.
Dance and art also mixed at a reception she attended at the New Museum for Paul Taylor American Modern Dance. The evening, a celebration of the company's new commissions, included a discussion with Doug Elkins, who is currently creating a work for PTAMD. Because it was such a lovely late summer evening, Katja and her friends spent much of the reception on the museum's rooftop balcony, taking in the beautiful sunset and views of the city (with a glass of bubbly in hand, of course).
On the subject of dance, Katja is happy to be back to a more regular schedule of ballet classes – and even more happy that Ballet Academy East's weekend schedule has gone back to its later fall times. She’s not a morning person, especially on weekends, when she likes to enjoy a good lie-in (she does need her beauty sleep, after all).
Besides dance and museum related activities, Katja has also been spending a fair amount of time catching up with friends over dinner (and a few too many drinks) at New York's great restaurants and bars.
Despite the numerous options she often finds herself back at Cafe Katja, which is, without a doubt, her favorite restaurant in the city. Besides the restaurant's name, she loves the atmosphere and the friendly staff, and she really, really loves the Spätzle, as well as the tasty Topfentorte. She might have, in the past, mentioned her love of all things Topfen (more commonly called Quark in German, and túró in Hungarian) - she thinks it's just so delicious in both sweet and savory treats. And, of course, there's nothing quite like finishing a meal with a nice glass of Schnapps. While she normally goes for apricot she also recommends the hazelnut. So really, why not just try both (or any other flavor you might fancy).
Naturally September has not been completely free of travel; a gypsy at heart Katja can never go too long without heading somewhere. She has thus made her way up to Boston a few times for quick, but very pleasant trips. She finds the train rides up relaxing (well, when Amtrak cooperates), as the scenery is lovely,
and they give her time to read, which is always such a pleasure. She recently finished Mario Vargas Llosa's Notes on the Death of Culture, which she highly recommends, and has just started Joris-Karl Husymans' Against Nature (À Rebours). Katja's most recent trip to Boston was to attend a BB@home performance, Celebrating the Legacy of Leonid Yakobson: From Oppression to Honor. She loved the four pas de deux from Rodin, each beginning and ending with the dancers posing as Rodin sculptures. Katja particularly enjoyed Minotaur and the Nymph, and in fact had seen the sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during her most recent trip to LA.
The evening ended with her catching up with a friend over a few glasses of bubbly, because just as much as Katja loves her ballet (which she really does), she also loves her bubbly. Life is meant to be lived, after all...
