LA TOÀN VINH in New York City

Mai 16-2006 - I left the symphony at Đăng Thái Son’s place, where Ng -Hoàng Linh, a young classical musician was introduced. According to DTS, a first Viêtnamese winner of the CHOPIN international piano competition in the 80’s, a genuine symphony about classical music should be played only in a closed hall, where the audience would fully enjoy the vibration of the music. We should not amplify classical music through amplifiers as it was created by original sound. Yet our reception would be affected should it was in an open hall. 11pm, I prepared to heading to NY as promised to Madison Morrison, a fellow to whom I exchanged correspondence through the Mail Art Networking.

Mai 17-2006 / I was here in NY at 7:25am on the 42 & 8, an area of Times Square that attracted a significant concentration of visitors, where one can feel a lively ambiance day or night.
As noticed in my last trips, tourists from everywhere came to NY in spring to fill up its space. The building façade with giant publicity made by virtual page reflected a rapid change of a city during the last few years. I came back to Soho with its numerous galleries. Then back to the 42nd, where was the Manhattan Broadway hotel for my stay with its economic rate of 100 $ per night.

I contacted Morisson, currently in Queens, by email and by phone. Then my next stop was Metropolitan Museum on the 81, next to Central Park. The museum looks like a giant lung of NY. Times Square fascinated everybody by its vitality, mostly at night. Each moment, each fraction of time inspired one to a non stop festival…Next I dropped by the Internet café on 234, 42nd west. It was an impressive location with its 800 computers. I gave an appointment with Morrison by 10am at the museum.

We both visited the exhibit which would last until June 6, and which theme was about Manet/Velasquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting. It was about the European cultural relationship between Manet and Velasquez. “This may be the best exhibition of the decade”, Morrison commented.

When the visit was over, joined by a friend from India, we left the museum. We cross the central park while Morison kept sharing his experiences and analyzing the post cards.
Our discussion kept going on near by one market fair.

I had to say good bye to catch my 5:30pm bus to heading back to Montreal. On the way to the metro number 86, Arvind, a young artist coming from India, kept company with me. As I had a few times left on the 42 nd, in an attractive area of Times Square, I gave myself a treat of having my portrait done by a sidewalk Chinese artist.

I was now on the bus that made its stop at Albany, Plattsburg…

Back to Montreal at 3am.

Good bye NY, good by all the memorable souvenirs of one’s human life.