Who shrunk the New York Times?

The NY Times is a lot smaller than I remember it. It has shrunk by about a quarter all around. Luckily though a Dunkin' Donuts extra large regular is still the same size.

'Cause I'm happy

Dunkin' Donuts coffee

These are some of the things I've missed since moving to South Africa ...

the dollar slice ... on every corner

soup dumplings

pretzels with mustard off of street carts

homemade chocolate chip cookies

everything bagels with lox & cream cheese

I never did make it over to Dominique Ansel's Bakery in Soho like I planned for a real New York cronut. I was too happy catching up with old friends.

My two nights with David Koch

Last Tuesday the New York City Ballet held its annual Fall Gala on the Opening Night of their 2014 Season. After a performance by the NYCB in their home at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, a gala dinner followed in a tent next door in Damrosch Park.

I was not there. I was across the plaza at Avery Fisher Hall attending another opening night, this one for the subscription season of the New York Philharmonic.

The ballet opening was a star-studded affair presided over by 2014 NYCB Gala Chair Sarah Jessica Parker.

It was also attended by philanthropists David and Julia Koch. Here they are being whisked away inside the theater endowed by and named for him. (As an aside, the theater was renamed the David H. Koch Theater at the New York City Ballet Winter Gala in 2008 at which I was in attendance!)

And here he is again on Wednesday night at The Explorers Club for the African Parks fundraising event. He is second from the right talking to AP Foundation of America's Chairman of the Board Ron Ulrich.

Hey, are you following me?

Tolani

The Chairman of the Board of the African Parks Foundation of America is also a huge supporter of the New York Philharmonic. So on my recent trip to New York, he arranged a seat for me in the box at Avery Fisher Hall to hear Music Director Alan Gilbert conduct Mahler's Symphony No. 1 in D major, Ron's favorite. Not just any seat mind you, but one in The State Box where the big wigs sit.

Along with Mahler's symphony, the evening also included the US premiere of the Clarinet Concerto by Korean composer Unsuk Chin. The concerto was performed by the NY Philharmonic along with the composer's muse, solo clarinetist Kari Krikku. Here is a review of the concert from the New York Times.

at Lincoln in 2011 before a matinee of "War Horse"

Ron further suggested I stop in to Lincoln for dinner and a cocktail before the concert.  I did stop in to meet a friend for the suggested cocktail. However, I did not have dinner there.





 

Not because the food is not excellent at Lincoln. It is. But that very day a post had appeared on my Facebook timeline, "The top ten African restaurants in New York."

Top 10? I didn't think there were even 10. But enough to choose a top 10? So I opened up the post and read through the list. Ethiopian, Senegalese, Moroccan ... and South African. And the South African one was on the upper west side very close to where I was going at Lincoln Center. So I checked it out for dinner first.

Tolani is located on Amsterdam Avenue between 79th and 80th. And while it is owned by native South African Stanton Du Toit, the menu was not strictly South African.  It was quite diverse and very international in flavor. Yes, there was both a Seafood Potjiekos and a Prawn Peri-Peri & Mielie Meal on the menu, but there was also a Fish Taco and a Lemon Infused Crispy Cornish Hen.

The chef is Cesare De Chellis who spent many years training in his native Italy. So while it is true that there were South African Karoo lamb meatballs on the menu, these meatballs were made the Italian way with lamb replacing the veal and mixed with pork and beef. I have not seen that anywhere in South Africa!

The wine list was also international and quite diverse and happily included a nice selection of South African wines. And if you are really hungry, they do offer a six course Chef's Tasting Menu with a curated wine pairing. Finding Tolani was a happy coincidence indeed.

UN Week in NY = Blisters and Shin Splints

My week in New York coincided with UN Week. By design. Many of the African leaders were in town and were invited to the African Parks event. But the combination did make for a logistical nightmare.

Along with the President of the United States, the city was packed with foreign ambassadors, diplomats and world leaders. And they all take up a lot of room.

Just try to get a cab. I dare you. And if you do manage to wrangle a cab like I did successfully only once, try to get to where you are going in a normal amount of time (and for a normal amount of cab fare.) Stopping you are barricades. protests, marches and assemblies, all clogging up the streets everywhere. Entire hotels on the east side of Manhattan were quartered off with extensive security check points. Not mine thank goodness because I was on the west side. But still I had to make my way from the west side to the east side many times over the week.

I used the subway of course, but I did a lot of walking too. A lot! The weather was just gorgeous and half the time I just couldn't bear the thought of going underground. Besides I hardly walk anymore in Joburg so I was making up for lost time. East 70th and Madison to Lincoln Center? Sure! West 77th Street and CPW to Fifth Avenue and East 16th Street? Okay.

I may have had blisters on both my pinky toes and a bad case of shin splints, but I had a smile on my face. Love walking in NY!

The Explorers Club

 
In May 1904, a group of men active in exploration met at the request of Henry Collins Walsh, to form an organization to unite explorers in the bonds of good fellowship and to promote the work of exploration by every means in its power. And I mean men ... there were no women explorers as part of the original group or early history.







  

The dining room set for a Members' Dinner

Among these men were Adolphus Greely, Donaldson Smith, Henry Collins Walsh, Carl Lumholtz, Marshall Saville, Frederick Dellenbaugh, W. Furness, and David Brainard. On May 28, 1904, a dinner at the Aldine Association, located at 111 Fifth Avenue in New York City, was attended by fifty men well known in exploration. At this dinner, The Explorers Club was organized, and incorporated, and on October 25, 1905, the first regular meeting was held during the afternoon.

Astronauts are explorers of the final frontier

The Club began to invite both explorers returning from the field and visiting scientists to tell of their experiences. This informal practice soon developed into the lecture illustrated talks of the 1930s and 1940s. 

In 1912, The Explorers Club took upon its rolls all the members of the Arctic Club of America, to which it had sublet quarters and to which it was closely allied through overlapping memberships.

The Arctic Club also had been organized by Henry Collins Walsh when he was one of a party returning to New York after the wreck of the Miranda off the coast of Greenland. This cruise—organized as Dr. Frederick A. Cook’s Arctic Expedition of 1894—ended abruptly when “a single solitary iceberg among the almost countless numbers that would be passed on the way would willfully crash into the Miranda….” (Walsh 1896. The Last Cruise of the Miranda. New York, Transatlantic Publishing Co.). Walsh, Cook, and the other explorers promised each other to meet annually to celebrate their common bond.



  

Members' Library

The Explorers Club was headquartered in several buildings in New York during its early history and each time when the membership outgrew their quarters, they moved to a larger space. In 1965 the Club purchased its current headquarters at 46 East 70th Street—a stunning Jacobean townhouse built in 1910 for Stephen Clark. The building was renamed in honor of Lowell Thomas, famed journalist and a member of the Club, whose generosity helped make the purchase possible. This beautiful townhouse is a fitting home for the Club.









It was here, in 1981, under the tenure of President Charles F. Brush, that the Club finally welcomed a new class of members, greatly expanding its rolls. At last, women were admitted to membership. The Club’s first female members included Sylvia Earle, Dian Fossey, Rita Mathews, Anna Roosevelt, and Kathryn Sullivan.

I held and attended several events at The Explorers Club when I worked for Waterkeeper Alliance in New York. And the club was the location of this year's African Parks Foundation gala. I just love everything about the club and what it stands for and I support its purpose and mission. So much so that I am proud to announce that I am being sponsored for membership in this historic club. I feel so honored.

My Dress Debut

I wore my Vlisco fabric dress to The Explorers Club in New York City for the African Parks Gala. Everyone loved it and it got me a mention and photograph in New York's Social Diary!

I thought it would be the perfect thing to wear. The fabric design is very African and the dress itself was made by a South African - my neighbor Merry who is a librarian by day and a seamstress by night.

Comfortable - I was working - and easily recognizable - "Wrong seat assignment? Talk to that lady in the African print dress." Practical fashion.



PS My necklace is also South African from Studio 37A.

African Parks @ The Explorers Club

I usually do not blog about my experiences when I am off the continent of Africa since this blog is ostensibly about my adventures on the African continent. But I do make an exception occasionally when my worlds collide. My recent adventure in New York gave me lots of opportunity for happy collisions. 

I had come to New York for my work at African Parks. Nicole Mollo, Executive Director for the New York-based African Parks Foundation of America, was hosting a gala benefit to recognize "The Protectors of African Parks." I came to help with the final production and while I was in NY, to do some research on grants and donor management systems. The event was being held at The Explorers Club during UN Week and the honorees included three well-deserving protectors of African wildlife and habitat, both behind the scenes and on the ground.








 Scenes from the event ...

place cards set out on the welcome table

the bronze elephant awards on display

dining room set for dinner

the jungle centerpieces

close-up of the concrete elephant sculptures

cocktails on the terrace with African wildlife projected in the background

Many people asked to have their pictures taken in front of the backdrop.
NY Social Diary society photographer Annie Watts was happy to oblige!

a specially made film by renowned NatGeo filmmaker JJ Kelley

Nicole Mollo, Executive Director, AP Foundation

Ron Ulrich, Chairman of the Board, AP Foundation

Peter Fearnhead, CEO, African Parks Network

the evening was a huge success!

 As with all events afterwards, giddiness ensues ...

me and Nicole and some giraffes

... and a cheetah

... and pretty birds (the cardinal bee eater)

Check it out in the New York Social Diary!

Passport control at JFK

My recent trip to NY afforded me my first experience with automated passport control upon arrival at JFK and it was awesome!

After entering the US passport queue, you are guided to one of many monitors where you are instructed to insert your passport. The machine reads it and displays your basic information for you to approve. Then the camera takes a snapshot of you. You get to approve that too.

You are then asked to answer a few of the same questions you just answered on the passport control & customs form which you just filled out on the airplane - number of family members traveling with you, are you bringing in any fruits or vegetables, etc. I am assuming that means that someday soon you will not have to fill out those forms anymore. Woohoo! No more fumbling for a pen in your carry-on luggage.

Then the machine prints out a receipt with your snapshot and info. Finally, you bring it over to a customs agent who stamps your receipt and your actual passport. No questions. No conversation except for "Welcome home." After you pick up your bags (always happy to reunite with my bags), you turn the receipt in on your way out of the customs hall and bam, Welcome to New York. It was the fastest I have ever been through customs. Me likey!

Diner en Blanc 2014 ... It was Biblical!

Last year's Diner en Blanc in Johannesburg was epic. A beautiful evening and dinner followed by the best party I have ever been to in my life. How can you beat epic? How about biblical?

We prepared a brand new all white menu. This year's menu was a little simpler than last year's as we didn't finish half of what we brought to eat last year. We did bring more wine though this year!

Even though we had less food in the cooler, I did ramp up the table decorations. Since we were sitting with another couple, we had essentially doubled our tablescape so we had room to bloom. A new addition, this plastic carryall basket turned out to be very practical. After we emptied out all of our table decorations, we filled it with ice and it became an ice bucket to chill all the white wine we brought.

The weather forecast had been showing a 90% chance of thunderstorms and rain all week long for early Saturday evening. So we threw in a couple of white umbrellas, some folded tarps and extra white garbage bags in case we had to go commando in a hurry and wait out the storm.

We took a (white!) Uber van over to Mandela Square where we were meeting our bus team leaders and comrades dressed in white.

I was inspired by the Great Midsummer Butterfly Migration last year and decided to go with a butterfly theme for this year's Diner en Blanc. Butterflies on my bespoke fascinator from The Little Hattery.

I brought a wire baobab tree and decorated it with white butterfly lights and glittery butterflies too. Some Namaqua daisies and more white lights for frosting.

I found these unusual all white proteas at the flower market!

Butterfly wings on our chair backs ...

... and  butterfly masks for the ladies and butterfly shades for the men.

We met the other revelers at Mandela Square.

While we were waiting for the buses to arrive at the Square - under utterly clear blue skies - the weather forecast had changed according to Vince's app. Cloudy with a 10% chance of late evening rain. Ooh lala!

gathering in Mandela Square

The final destination for this year's Diner en Blanc?

In front of the Great Hall at Wits University!

Like last year, we quickly set about setting up. On the right of Anne and Brian, two Americans living in Joburg.

On our left, a table full of Parisians living in Joburg. It had all the makings of a fabulous night.










We twirled our napkins around in the air to occupy the site - a French Diner en Blanc custom.

We were handed our balloons and sparklers for later ...

Cauliflower Sun Choke Soup

... and commenced with our starters. 

The violinists started the party!

 

What's this? Sprinkles? Okay, break out the white satin Chinese umbrellas (technically for sun protection, but I figured they could handle a few sprinkles.) 

Vince was very smug in his pith helmet and linen suit. He was dressed for the Tropics.

We released our balloons into the night sky!

Suddenly the sprinkles became more insistent. Break out the real umbrella! It was a black and white striped golf umbrella with a big purple orchid and the words "Garden Club of America" on it. Not regulation as it was not all white, but tough times call for tough action. We covered the table and ourselves with a tarp and tried to wait it out. But then the sky lit up with the famous Joburg lightning followed by deafening thunder and then, what's this?

Hail!

It stung like bullets. It was so crazy we had to laugh. It was a Biblical hail storm. What's next, pestilence?

I will never forget Anne's laugh throughout the hail storm. And she will probably never forget my insistent repeated question, "Are you kidding me?"

But with the hail came a cold hard wind. It was not going to pass anytime soon. Time to take shelter.

Hail in my soup!

at least the hail was white!

So we took refuge inside Wits. Vince reports that the pith helmet is even effective against hail. Bully!

But not after dashing through the pelting rain and splattering mud.

 Diner en mud!

 We found that the party had started inside.

So we joined the fun and waited for the rain to stop or for the DOB leaders to call it a night.

In the end, they did call it a night. The rain slowed down considerably - we were able to go back to our table and pack up our stuff in relative dryness - but the damage was done.

Vince said it was easy to find our table setting in the vast mudfield. I had left all the l.e.d. lights lit! He said he  just followed the beacon of light to our place.

The party continued on the bus ...

I did manage to save my hat from ruin!

singing!

this will be one for the memory books!

Here's to what might have been! Cheers!

One thing is for sure ... I am wearing one of these next year!
















 And the official video from Le Diner en Blanc Johannesburg 2014 ...