It's not just for those of the gay persuasion anymore. For her birthday on Saturday, I took Mrs. BD down for dinner at Gradisca and then the last night of the ODC show at the Joyce (her picks, being her birthday).
The gentrification of the meat-packing district (high fashion, now), and the diversification (less gay-dominant) of the West Village and Chelsea (families, hetero couples and jolly groups of young blond gals with cute summer dresses everywhere) was fun to see. And people in the park, forgetting their troubles and woes...
We walked quite a bit - Hudson St., Jane St., Greenwich St., 13th St., etc., where the streets are confusing.
One thing is clear to me: The "fashionable upper East Side" is a dead zone. No fun at all. Stodgy, without vitality. These neighborhoods are not like that:
That's W. 13th. More NYC pics below the fold -
How was Gradisca? Great, real Italian. Give it a try. We were the first ones there because we needed to dine before the dance concert. People began filtering in later: people eat late in NYC on Saturday night. We shared the Tuna Carpaccio, the Potato balls with Fava Bean puree, the Gorgonzola Gnocchi and the Pork with Balsamic sauce and White Bean Puree. Then a quick caffe before running down the road to the Joyce. Carpe diem.
How was the ODC? Mrs. BD loved them. Muscular, athletic dancers but Mrs. BD informed me that they were technically flawless. No skinnies. I've been patiently seeing dance constantly since I met Mrs. BD in NY. Actually, before that. My Dad is a big ballet fan.
ODC was sold out every night of their NYC visit.
