NORTH BY NORTHEAST
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A look at our trip
from Washington DC to New York City to see "I'm Nobody! Who Are You?" the Dickinson exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum 
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Like Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in Hitchcock's "North by Northwest," we traveled on Amtrak -- only we journeyed "North by Northeast," from DC's Union Station, through Washerst, PA (the birthplace of Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request), to New York City.
Check back in the coming days to learn more about our trip to New York!
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Highlights: Fine dining on Amtrak's Northeast Regional, a huge welcome in Times Square, comedy at the Gotham Comedy Club -- and meetings with Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfeld! |
We traveled like Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in Alfred Hitchcock's "North By Northwest" -- except that they went north by northwest, and we traveled north by northeast; they went to Chicago, and we journeyed to New York; they ate in the diner car, and we dined at our seats (and just FYI: fine dining on a train is a thing of the past).
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Pictured below: A HUGE crowd was waiting to greet us in Times Square.
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Pictured at the left: A statue of Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request) in Times Square. No person is more associated with Broadway than Dickinson. For information about Dickinson and Broadway, click HERE and HERE. Pictured at the right: New York is always ahead of the times, and we found this contraption near Times Square. We weren't sure what it was, and neither did most passers-by. We tried to make it work, but one had to deposit something called "coins" to make it work! |
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Gotham Comedy Club: We spent Sunday night at the Gotham Comedy Club, and in addition to the scheduled "All Stars," we were surprised with two special guests, Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfeld. Both had heard that I was in town, and both wanted to stop by our table for advice on new material, comedic timing, stage presence, and more! We had a great visits with both Jim and Jerry!
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Pictured right and below: While in New York, we stayed in the theatre district at the Hotel Edison on W. 47th Street -- just off Times Square. |
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Highlights: A visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art's Biennial 2017, a tour of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum, an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and the "School of Rock" at the Winter Garden Theatre. |
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We started our day at the Whitney Museum of Art. We hadn't visited the Whitney since its move to its new location, and first off I'll state that we LOVE the new building -- and we appreciate the fact that the architects paid homage to the Breuer Building (the Whitney's third home) by incorporating the form of the previous site of the Whitney into the structure of the new building.
Pictured at the left: The Breuer Building at Madison Avenue and 75th Street. Pictured at the right: The new Whitney. |
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Pictured at the right and below: Before we toured the Whitney, we presented a Life magazine from 1942 to the museum's archive. The magazine -- with a cover story on "slacks" and "slack crazy women" -- featured a five-page spread on the Whitney. |
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A Word About the Whitney: On my first visit to the Whitney (when it was at the Breuer Building), I remember stepping off the elevator and seeing Joseph Stella's painting of the Brooklyn Bridge (at the far right) -- one of my favorites! As a great fan of American art, I remember strolling through the museum and loving its wonderful collection.
On my second visit to the Whitney, I was disappointed to learn that the museum's collection was gone -- it was all packed up and ready for the move to the Whitney's new location. Instead, there was a Jeff Koons retrospective, and the museum was filled with balloon animals, piles of play doh, and a porcelain Michael Jackson -- and his monkey Bubbles! |
On my recent and third visit to the Whitney, the regular collection was once again off the walls. This time it was all replaced with contemporary art featured in the museum's Biennial 2017, "the seventy-eighth installment of the longest-running survey of American art."
I was disappointed that the museum didn't have ANY of its regular collection in ANY of its galleries, and the artwork featured in the Biennial was disappointing as well. I don't mind contemporary art, but a great part of the show was SOOO depressing, dark and disheartening. At least the past Koons show was cheerful. |
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I'm not sure if my disappointment stemmed more from the fact that I had hoped to see the works of Stella, Hopper, O'Keefe, Wesselmann, Estes, Warhol, and other favorite artists, or that the bulk of the Biennial was so pessimistic and gloomy. To be honest, many of the themes of the Biennial's featured artworks echoed prevalent themes of Emmett Lee Dickinson's poetry: hate speech, censorship, depression, death and decay, lopsided and unfair socio-economics, unfeeling technology and abandonment. Maybe that's why I was disappointed? Pictured at the right: Some of my favorites from the Whitney's Biennial. |
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Pictured below: I addressed the General Assembly at the United Nations on "Emmett Lee Dickinson's Continuing Influence on World Affairs."
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Pictured below: Photos in and around the UN the day of my speech. Sadly, my address was interrupted by the murder of a diplomat by the name of Lester Townsend.
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Pictured below: After my address to the United Nations, we visited the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum. It was a very moving experience.
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Pictured below: "No day shall erase you from the memory of time." On the sheets of paper surrounding Virgil's quote, relatives of those who died on 9/11 were invited to depict the color of the sky on that morning.
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Pictured below: The New York skyline at 8:30 a.m. on September 11, 2001
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Below: The new One World Trade Center. I love how the architects incorporated the visual effect of two buildings joined in one.
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Below left: We ate lunch at the Bluestone Lane Collective Cafe -- and the homemade tomato/basil soup and the avocado mash toast was DELICIOUS; we also had a coffee break at Bean & Bean near Wall Street; and we enjoyed a late night dinner at Sombrero (sorry for the blurry picture). Below center: After the 9/11 Museum and before School of Rock, I appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss all things Emmett Lee Dickinson (sorry for the bad pic -- I got cut out); Below right: For a late night treat, we enjoyed bite-sized cupcakes from Baked By Melissa (directly across from our hotel).
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Below: After our time at the 9/11 Museum, we strolled around the Wall Street Area.
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Below: We laughed, we cried, we rocked at the Winter Garden Theatre's production of "School of Rock."
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Highlights: Our visit to the Morgan Library and Museum to see "I'm Nobody! Who Are You? The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson," a stroll through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "The Play that Goes Wrong" at the Lyceum Theatre -- and late night drinks wit Bette Midler! |
We had never visited the Morgan Library/Museum before, and we visited on this day to see the exhibit on Emily Dickinson -- and WOW, what a place!
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Below left to right: Music at the Morgan: Rachmaninoff (Symphony 2 in E Minor), Ravel (Sonatine), and Chopin (Nocturne in C Minor)
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Below left to right: Music at the Morgan: Mozart (Symphony 29), Debussy (La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin), and Mendelsohn (Hebrides Overture)
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My main reason for travel to New York was to conduct research at the Morgan on the relationship between Emily Dickinson and Emmett Lee Dickinson (Emily's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request).
Below: Notice in the painting of the three Dickinson siblings that Emily is holding a book. It is an early collection of poems by Emmett Lee Dickinson entitled "The Poem that Goes Wrong." |
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After Emily Dickinson's death, Mabel Loomis Todd began typewriting transcriptions of her poems using the newly invented typewriter (what Emmett Lee Dickinson called the "inked letter thumper").
Pictured at the left: Emily's "It was not Death for I stood up" and Todd's typed transscription. Pictured at the right: Ms. Todd also transcribed Dickinson's letters. This one is from the night in 1850 when Emily Dickinson invented the recipe for Cajun nachos. Click the images to enlarge. |
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Below left: One of 500 copies of "Poems" by Emily Dickinson published in 1890. All 500 copies were sold in a day. The book was reissued eleven times within the year. Below center: Mabel Loomis Todd sent this painting of Indian Pipes to Emily Dickinson in 1882. A likeness of this piece was used to decorate the cover of all of the early editions of Dickinson's poetry. Below right: A first edition of Emmett Lee Dickinson's collection of poetry entitled "The Poem that Goes Wrong." The cover includes a rendition of his sister Qwerty Anne's painting of poison ivy.
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Below far left: A lock of Emily Dickinson's hair -- cut by her third cousin Emmett Lee Dickinson. Below left: Emmett Lee Dickinson's hair cutting tools -- which Pierpont Morgan called "one of my most prized possessions." Below right: The daguerreotype of Emily Dickinson taken by her third cousin Emmett Lee Dickinson. Below far right: A newly discovered daguerreotype of two women -- Kate Turner and a woman thought to be Emily Dickinson.
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Ten of Emily Dickinson's poems were published in her lifetime -- all published anonymously. Below on the right: Two poems published in newspapers of the time.
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Pictured at the right:
By Emily Dickinson: A Route of Evanescence With a revolving Wheel – A Resonance of Emerald – A Rush of Cochineal – And every Blossom on the Bush Adjusts its tumbled Head – The mail from Tunis, probably, An easy Morning's Ride – |
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Emily Dickinson was inspired to pen her poem "A Route of Evanescence" after reading Emmett Lee Dickinson's poem "A Rite of Adolescence" (below).
By Emmett Lee Dickinson: A Rite of Adolescence Resolving to take the Wheel – A Petition for the Keys – A Purposeful Appeal – And every Parent of a Teen Adjusts his worried Head – Then hands the Keys reluctantly An anxious Morning’s Ride – |
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Pictured at the right: Three poems by Emily Dickinson in her handwriting: "The sun kept stooping -- stooping -- low" "Two -- were immortal -- twice --" "Distance -- is not the Realm of Fox" Click the picture to enlarge. |
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There are many mysteries surrounding both branches of the Dickinson Family. For example... 1. Why did Eugene O'Neill name a play after Emery Dickinson, Emmett Lee Dickinson's father, who worked as an iceman? 2. Why, after reading Emmett Lee Dickinson's now-classic poem "A stirring thing -- it was -- I bid" (which includes the line, "Clouds -- from Horizons -- in my coffee"), did Carly Simon write "You're So Vain" about the Today Show weatherman Al Roker? 3. Why did distant relative Dora Belle Dickinson found Avon? And why was Emily Dickinson nicknamed "the Belle of Amherst" instead of Dora? 4. Why was Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request? 5. Who was the "Master," the addressee of three letters in Emily's handwriting which were found in her room after her death? Pictured at the left: One of the "Master" letters (ca. spring 1858) found in Emily Dickinson's room after her death. Current research and thinking surrounding the "Master" letters indicates that the "Master" is most likely Emmett Lee Dickinson. |
After visiting the Morgan Library and Museum and lunch at Chop't, we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We stayed a couple of hours at the museum, and we spent most of our time in the American Wing and the Modern & Contemporary Art galleries. Of course, there was so much more to see throughout the museum -- ancient artifacts and art, the European paintings by the old masters, Asian art, and more -- so we'll go back on a future visit. From what we did see and experience, though, here is my "top ten" list:
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Tres Leches Macaroons:
We took a coffee break in the American Wing Cafe, and the tres leches macaroons were DELICIOUS! Alas, the picture at the left includes only the coffee and another confection. I wolfed down the macaroons before I snapped the pic! : ) |
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Alexander Hamilton:
Broadway's "Hamilton" was sold out, so we'll have to see that on some future trip; however, we strolled by Alexander Hamilton hanging on the wall at the Met -- and no one was even paying any attention to him! |
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George Washington:
Not only was "Washington Crossing the Delaware" impressive, but it was great to see all of the various paintings of Washington hanging on the walls as we approached the massive work. A few of the paintings of Washington are pictured at the left. |
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Appalachian Spring:
As we walked through a display in the American Wing of simple Shaker furniture, there projected on the wall was Martha Graham's ballet "Appalachian Spring," set to the music of Aaron Copland.
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Antique Bottles and Glassware:
I am a collector of antique bottles and glass, so I loved seeing the collection of glassware and bottles in the Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art in the American Art wing of the museum. |
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Dancer and Gazelles:
I love sculptures by Paul Manship, so it was great to see "Dancer and Gazelles," even if it was behind glass in the Luce Center. 
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Georgia O'Keeffee:
My wife and I love Georgia O'Keeffe, so it was great to see her red, white and blue skull and her view of "East River from the Shelton Hotel." |
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Paintings by Edward Hopper:
My favorite painter is Edward Hopper, so I had a three-Hopper day at the Met. Of course, my favorite painting of Hopper's is "Nitghthawks" at the Art Institute of Chicago; however, whenever I'm at a museum, I always check to see if there is a Hopper hanging around! : ) |
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Below: Other sites from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Pictured at the left: After our day at the Morgan and the Met, we enjoyed an evening of slapstick and physical comedy in "The Play that Goes Wrong" at the Lyceum Theatre.
Below: Following the show, we had drinks with Bette Midler at the Rainbow Room at Rock Center. 
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One last shot of Times Square (and the statue of Emmett Lee Dickinson) before heading home in the morning.
Breakfast with Lin-Manuel Miranda: Before we departed on Wednesday morning, we had breakfast with Lin-Manuel Miranda to discuss possible tweaks to "Hamilton" -- Miranda wanted my advice. As a teen, Miranda attended the Emmett Lee Dickinson School for Boys in Washington Heights, and Dickinson's poem "I wish I know that poet's name" was one of his inspirations for the "Hamilton." Read my plog (poetry blog) post about that HERE.
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More pictures and stories of our trip coming soon!
CHECK OUT THE NEWS STORIES SURROUNDING OUR TRIP BELOW (Click the images to enlarge):
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