Sapphie's Grand NYC and Boston Adventure
Two weeks ago Sapphie arrived in my mailbox to join a weekend adventure to NYC. To make sure she didn't accidentally get left behind I placed the envelope she traveled thru the mail in straight into my backpack.
Wake up call to begin our adventure was 5:30 AM, and shortly thereafter, Sapphie joined me on the way to catch the first bus out of Boston to New York, New York.
SAPPHIE FINDS HER PLACE AT THE TABLE
Our first stop was Brooklyn, where Sapphie went to a diner! The diner was established in the 1920s, and had such NY classics as egg cream:
Sapphie, with the help of a friend, enjoys a chocolate egg cream. Fun fact: there are no eggs in egg cream, and the only cream is the whipped cream on top!
A satisfying lunch ensued, spent engaged in wonderful catching up with an old college friend. (I owe this friend so much more than a toaster, she is one of the people who has listened to me angst, and in the last couple of years gush, about girls. Look, girls are pretty, and tough to understand- do I want to hug a girl? Or "hug" her? If your whole world outlook is just "confused" it makes for many long nights - and days - of drinking, sighing, and reminding yourself that it's very okay to text your close friends with the revelation "WOW Wynnona Earp is HOT in those tight leather pants".)
Next stop: the Brooklyn Museum!
While I've been to Brooklyn many times until this recent trip I had never been to the Brooklyn Museum. The museum's exhibition featuring Georgia O'Keefe was closing two days later, so that was the priority. (Because the gallery was so packed Sapphie did not get a photo with any of the artists' works.) While the O'Keefe may have been the primary reason for checking out the museum, there were other fascinating exhibitions, including an exploration of the significance of the color blue in the museum's collections, and new research on why some Egyptian tombs (what is the plural of sarcophagus? is it sarcophagi?) were painted with male adornments while housing female bodies. (Hint - not a mistake as previously thought!)
Sapphie's biggest find at the museum was in The Dinner Party exhibit where a triangular table was set with names of 39 influential female figures.
Place setting at The Dinner Table for Sappho. No idea why it's upside down. Enjoy the view of the plate! And notice how there are other names written on the floor.
The museum was a wonderful place to spend many hours exploring, but after about 2.5 I was feeling tired from the trip, so back to my friend's, with a stop for happy hour. Let it be known that Boston does not have happy hour, so it's always a pleasure to be in a city where for two hours the drinks are slightly less costly than usual.
After happy hour was down time to rest, clean up, and off to dinner with family! Sapphie stayed in my friend's apartment and enjoyed the resident cat's company.
Saturday was a busy day! Coffee and playground time with a cousin and her 18 month old and then an afternoon of walking and touring.
A bike rack in front of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Also a convenient book rack.
Sapphie "rides" a vintage NYC train at the Transit Museum
The New York Transit Museum is a fascinating place, situated in an old subway station (I looked around for cameras to smile to The Machine in Root's honor, but didn't see any). It began with a history of how the subway was built (sadly much of the hardest/most dangerous physical labor was divided by race), and included a timeline of transit in the city. Well worth the visit, and great for kids too! it was great to look at the city's history through the lens of transportation, and to be reminded of just how much work went into the creation of the underground subway system that exists today.
After the museum was a stop for lunch, and then the walk back to my friend's. (Hint: long walks are great with podcasts, especially podcasts on Buffy the Vampire Slayer hosted by a wlw couple.
Saturday evening was a rainy outdoor concert at Prospect Park in which Sapphie stayed in the bag and enjoyed music without getting rained on. When we were sufficiently soaked (by the rain) there was a retreat back to the apartment (Sapphie became very well acquainted with my friend's apartment) and ORPHAN BLACK. Let me tell you - on the one hand, I am so glad I am always late to the game because it means less waiting. On the other hand AHHH WHY DID I WAIT? This show is awesome. The end.
Except, not the end, because there was Sunday and Sunday afternoon was the primary reason for the trip. Broadway! And not just any Broadway show, but:
Playbill for "Indecent" a new show written about an old show that was censored in the US for a kiss in the rain between two women.
Friends of mine had originally seen Indecent off Broadway, and they recommended it when it made its way to the great white way. Sadly even though the show took home a prize at the Tony awards, they were set to close shortly thereafter. LUCKILY there was such outcry that it was renewed until August. So, early July an email came through suggesting a meet up in NYC to see this show. If I lived in NYC I would have gone to see it multiple times.
The Cort Theatre; the company and "orchestra" are sitting onstage.
If this show goes on National Tour I HIGHLY recommend running to see it. If it doesn't go on tour then read up on it. I'm going to try to read the original story the play is based on. But know that it was so sapphic, and so wonderful, and it's too bad it closed.
What can follow such an amazing afternoon of theatre? Nothing really, but driving back to Boston was the plan, and no road trip is complete without a stop for food. In this case, stopover near Yale at a delicious all vegetarian restaurant:
SAPPHIE DOESN'T CRY IN BASEBALL
More rain ensued, and a quiet Monday and Tuesday were spent mostly apartment bound. Sapphie was almost ready to continue her grand travels when a friend sent me a message with a reminder that A League of Their Own would be shown on the scoreboard at Fenway, AND there would be a meet and greet with two women who played for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. Sapphie's travels were delayed to allow her to experience this great American park, and meet inspiring athletes.
Two shots of the iconic Boston scoreboard that still has to be manually updated inning by inning!
Sapphie met two players and received their autographs: Shirley Burkovitch and Maybelle Blair, and the actress who played Betty Spaghetti
I'm not sure if Sapphie had ever seen the film before, but I always forget just how amazing of a movie it is until I watch it again. I believe strongly in women playing professional baseball, and can't wait until the day that it's the norm again (hopefully in pants and not skirts, though, just because sliding in skirts means rocks in your legs).
After such a wonderful adventure it was time for Sapphie to continue on her tour. Packed into an envelope, she was ready to take the next city by storm:
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