3rd of 88 Keys to the City

It is time for a haircut so off I go to the East Village to see Michael at Crops for Girls

‘Crops’ is conveniently located by Tompkins Park where my 3^rd piano lies in wait.  Sing for Hope’s Art “U” partnered with P.S. 34 painting a composition book theme into the piano. 

Saturday is blustery and overcast and holds the promise of rain but is mild so everyone is out walking their dogs, riding bikes and holding hands.  

Upon my arrival I hear a very complicated sonata being played on the piano.  My heart sinks when I see it is a boy of about 8 years old on the keys.  

I take my position and lean on the nearby cement ping pong table and listen, wondering how I am ever going to follow this act.  Suddenly a very big dog is at my ear.  His owner has trained him to jump up on the table as part of his obstacle course training.  Having had a very big dog once take a chunk out of my leg I moved away quickly to save my ear. (I’m sure he was very sweet, it is a knee jerk reaction.) 

Having left my post the boy stood up and was quickly replaced by a very robust lady in a big purple dress under red pigtails wearing a big smile.  How could I refuse such effervescence, Play on!  

And she did.  For a good twenty minutes trying to recall those tunes she learned all those years ago at her piano lessons.  With each note my confidence grew until at last it was my turn and I grabbed it.  

I sat to play my now standard Nobody Knows You When Your Down andOut in C and sang and swang a version of Love in Vain.  

The dog was coming back and was approaching the piano, time to move on. 

I headed toward SoHo where I was to meet Em and Cody and her Cousins Mary and Maureen.  When I was last in the East Village for any length of time the snow was coming down and wandering was not really the thing to do.  This day however invited a stroll.   

I passed so many little neighborhood gardens that I slowed my pace so I could grab some pictures.  What a cool little community! It is really wonderful walking everywhere, I see so much.

2nd of 88 Keys to the City

 

Sometimes after work at 63rd and West End I walk toward our 3^rd Street home.  I haven't made it all the way yet as I usually get distracted by something interesting and end up taking the subway the rest of the way from whatever point I tire out. 

After my initial foray into the Piano Quest and armed with my Sing for Hope map I head home on foot, with 42^nd Street and the New York Public Library my target.  

(Little did I know that the flashing lights of Times Square hid from view a piano in plain sight.)  

Since the weather was perfect and there were a lot of people out and about  I decided to cut through Bryant Park.  The huge field of perfectly manicured grass is remarkable when you consider its surroundings of iron and steel skyscrapers and noisy traffic.

If you don’t know already, Bryant Park is home to the cleanest and loveliest public restroom in the city.  If you stop in, feel free to slide the lady there a couple bucks.  It’s not an official practice, it’s her job, but she certainly has earned that type of appreciation. There are even flowers on the counter.

I digress. 

I find the piano but alas, it is behind the barricades of the Library Garden. Not wanting to invite trouble from the NYPD I move on toward Grand Central planning to return another day.

Heading across 41^st Street I become aware of bronze plaques beneath my feet so I turn back to read one.  In turn I decided to photograph them. Turns out there are 96 of these plaques and as it happens there is a website devoted to them as well with all 96 plaques therein.  But there is no fun in that is there!? This is one of my own 96 with a Met Museum pen as guest star.

Since my Library Way Walk carried me back to the steps of the Library from Grand Central I decided to risk arrest.  I head up the Great Stairs past the Lions then walk quietly past the men sleeping in the quiet promenade.  Once I arrive at the end cap garden I am happy to find two lovely young Japanese women sitting by the piano which was a mosaic of pretty yellow and blue glass by the artist Kathleen Ruel. 

The three of us laughed and made conversation with our hands and tones.  It was great fun to play for such an enthusiastic audience that I stayed for nearly an hour playing everything I could think of. They applauded for each piece even though they were having their own spirited conversation. Not only did I appreciate their attention but their company; safety in numbers.

Arigato ladies!

The First of 88 Keys to the City

Always looking for that next opportunity to experience life in New York City I happened across Sing for Hope, which unites the people of the city through Music and Art by placing 88 decorated pianos across Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, Queens, and Brooklyn. 88 was the number of pianos in deference to the number of keys on the instrument.

From June 1 to the 16^th these pianos are out and I hope to play all of them.  There is a map on Sing for Hope’s website so it is not a scavenger hunt, but it does take some doing to find each piano.

 

The first piano I played was on Wednesday, June 5, in Little Red Square, a park at the corner of 6^th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas and Bleecker Street.  An upright painted by Michael Scoggins in a multi-colored jigsaw puzzle.  Sitting down to play was a bit nerve wracking at first, but then I realized people seemed to enjoy it so I settled in and played Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out and Down in the Valley.  My reason to play is to sing and I sang timidly as I played so I could concentrate on the keys.

It was okay.

After the second song the Little Red Schoolhouse let out effectively ending my first session.  It is hard to compete with forty 6 year olds and a free piano. 

The idea to find each piano came after I played here.  Since I did not take a photo this time I circled back on Saturday, June 8 to play again and take the photo. I had played a few times in the interim so sang out and played with vigor; I actually had people up and dancing and they stayed for both songs!