MANHATTAN DIARY
16th – 24th July 2017
Introduction
Bill Brunelle is an interesting man. I met him on the Purusha campus in W Virginia and we became good friends. He had lived in Manhattan since he was a young man, where he was for many years a professional magician and developed the innovative concept ‘The Magic Samaritan’, spontaneously performing to strangers at large. He met Maharishi in the early years of the US Movement and became one of its most experienced TM Teachers. I asked him to show me round Manhattan, and that resulted in this eight day adventure. Later Bill joined Purusha for a second time and is there still.
This diary is a stream of staccato notes written during that time and is in no way meant as well finished writing.
– Geoff, Skelmersdale July 2023
Sunday 16th July 2017
We left Purusha Building 12 just after 10am. Bill drove from Purusha to Greenwich Village stopping at Costco, Harrisburg PA (lunch of sausage sandwich and cinnamon twist & soda for me, and then walking around eating sample food). Then drove to Staples at Allentown for bank boxes (Bill not sure of size of proper bank boxes relative to bargain bank boxes).
Arrived Manhattan through Lincoln tunnel, parked car near near 192 Mercer Street. Went into Mercer Street Books at 206 Mercer St. (browsed while Bill found a restroom, energy incident with girl at book shelves; gay guy talking loudly to guys running shop) then walked through streets,
had dinner at Italian restaurant Trattoria Spaghetto, 232 Bleeker St., opposite Our Lady of Pompeii church, sitting outside at edge of road (Carmine St.). Salmon linguine and tiramisu, Bill shellfish & spaghetti.
Then over the road to Grom at 2 Bleeker St. for great coffee gelato.
Walked back to car with inside commentary on places from Bill. Moleskin plasters for right heel at CVS 158 Bleeker St. Difficulties with self service check out resulting in me paying for one packet but walking out with two. Bill asked me if I realized I was stealing. I hadn’t, sort of.
Drove to Bill’s apartment first, unloading his car with luggage trolley. I sat exhausted in Bill’s flat reading a New Yorker while he went out to fetch my luggage. Bill’s flat like Peter Mac’s old house, boxes and papers piled everywhere in preparation for Purusha move. Then into Nina’s rental apartment in linked building South of Bill’s apartment block.
Bill’s apartment:160 West 97 St. Nina’s apartment 135 96th St Her husband’s name is Dan. They live
in next flat along corridor.
Had shower and slept on couch-bed. Bathroom windowless & lit by soft glow of night light. Couch mattress firm but comfortable. Nice flat. Small interesting sculptures and gaudy painted wooden fish in entrance divider shelving, with mirrors placed to show different angles of the pieces. Bill kindly went down to buy me milk and sugar for morning tea.
Monday 17th July
Late breakfast at café: Metro Diner at 100 St. and Broadway. Omlette, potato hash, toast, coffee.
Taxi to Guggenheim. Went to top in lift, then strolled down. I walked ahead, scanning paintings and scoping the building while Bill followed, more thoughtfully. Took photos looking down from spiral. Low wall. Warned by security woman about holding camera over edge. When I asked, she confirmed people have fallen over. Had coffee in café off spiral. Impressed by René Magritte’s “Voice of Space” (“La Voix Des Airs” 1931), and, in retrospect, by “The Disappointed Souls” by Ferdinand Hodler, (1892).
Walk to Met. but didn’t go in. Sat on steps and watched group of acrobats: three black guys one white girl, with drummer. I found the girl attractive, with a focussed intensity and energy that reminded me of Fiona. Bill thought she was an Eastern European ball-breaker. Music played from recording. Girl with mother sitting by Met wall behind performers sang along with song tapping her foot expertly and rather extrovertly to the rhythm. Line of volunteers, one acrobat jumped clear over line from a run up. Small boy danced with one acrobat, then did his own break dance. After performance one acrobat asked me for a 100 dollar bill, I mimed putting one in his bag, saying “There you are”. He laughed. We left.
Walked down 5th Avenue past stands selling paintings, posters and other stuff. Crossed over and turned left past Ukranian Insitute of America. Taxi home.
Dinner: we’d planned delivery or take-out from local restaurant but Bill decided it would be too much hassle washing the knives and forks afterward (!) so we went out to a Thai restaurant (Opai on Amsterdam): I had rice and chicken with iced Thai tea, Bill duck salad. Delicious.
Tuesday 18th July
Read over Aimee’s draft instructions for second batch of invalidity objections. Realized the manywalled argument for claim 2 inventiveness could be made clearer, phoned Aimee who redrafted and sent out final version.
Car parking procedure, then walked to Indian restaurant Awadh at 2588 Broadway (just north of 97th St.) for lunch. Thali. Tasty, very nicely spiced, but should have chosen the vegetarian.
Then walked and taxi’d down to Zabar’s food emporium.
Amazing array of food: cheeses, olives, breads, preserves, fish etc. Sampled olives. Kalamata pitted tasted better than Kalamata with stones!
Walked up to a large Barnes and Noble. Sort of unsuccessful atmosphere permeated by the smell of cheap books. Big woman sitting on stairs with legs ostentatiously wide open. Bill wanted to suss out I Ching books, asked helpful coloured security woman who turned out not to know where they where. Grumpy male attendant pointed them out. Taxi home. Early prog (vata’d out). Supper snack Cliff bar. Subway to Hello Dolly at the Schubert Theater. Polished, well synchronised, brash performance. Rather taken with Kate Baldwin as Irene Molloy who reminded me of Clare Luard. Donna Murphy a mix of Pat Stone and Marian Myers
Afterwards interesting walkIng tour of Broadway theatre district and restaurants with Bill’s reminiscenses after show. Taxi back home. Shower and began a re reading of Rumer Godden’s “Episode of Sparrows”.
Wednesday 19th July
Woke up hungry! Breakfast before prog. Multigrain tortillas and organic mango and peach salsa, nuts and Clif bar a lifesaver – thanks to Bill.
Darwin conference re 2nd draft response. I proposed extra wording for structural inventive step for 2nd claim, & wrote it up for Aimee. She incorporated it in final instructions and sent it on to Chu Wang.
Lunch at Miyako Sushi 642 Amsterdam Ave – bentai box. Trouble with chop sticks. Japanese waitress had her three kids with her, the older one helping serve, young ones drawing and chatting at table close to till.
Decided to get new glasses as present ones now scratched and uncleanable. Bill facilitated this through his local knowledge. Eye exam at Cohens Fashion Optic 2565 Broadway (slight change of prescription over last two years, advised to wear sunglasses or varilux outside because of signs of cataract consistent with age). Then took prescription to Angel Eyes Optical 2662 Broadway for frame & lenses. Bill had previously checked that they could rush lenses for Friday. Owner from Dominican Republic Awilda Sosa chose frame for me: a flexible rubbery pink and grey thing she said looked really good on me. (Awilda is a vivacious, businesslike, attractive 54 year old, and afterwards Bill sort of wondered if she had been flirting with him).
Walked around Bill’s neighborhood, milk shake (me) and custard soda (Bill) at old Greek diner (The Broadway Restaurant two doors North of Angel Eyes on Broadway). After leaving we turned back in to take a photo of Bill with the two old Greek guys: the chef and the server (who had been working there 30 years). Both these guys knew a magician friend of Bill’s who used to eat there.
Bill went out for take-out quiche and salad, coffee gelato and very fine juicy Bing cherries for supper which we ate in my flat then we hung out chatting and looking for/booking shows. Amusing badinage re stupid Ticketmaster online booking complications. Bought tickets for the magician Derek DelGaudio’s play “In And Of Itself” at the Daryl Roth Theatre for Saturday at 5pm. Bed 10pm. Too tired to read.
Thursday 20th July
Woke 3:00am. Finished off the salsa with tortillas.
Suddenly realised that D2 wavy separator in combination with D1 might allow an electrophoresis effect. Spoke with George who thought combination of patents doesn’t happen like that. He was also about to leave for Anglesey and irritatingly reluctant to discuss, so we argued together. I accused him of talking to me like Bridget. “Talking like Bridget?” he challenged. “Yes, saying things just to annoy me!” I replied. We decided I should phone Aimee, who felt we should not submit this to court to avoid forewarning the plaintiff of another argument, that the dielectrophoresis inventive step was not described in D1 or D2, and that the material of the wavy separator was not defined in D2. She will check with China if plaintiff is allowed anyway to bring up a new point during the hearing, and she summarised our position in an email to Darwin team later in the day. I suppose I could have ignored the issue but better safe than sorry as the stakes are so high.
Phoned Nina who swung by to pick up rent check. Pleasant conversation ranging over their use of apartment, the artwork on walls, my work & company, Fairfield, Purusha and China. Bill got discount tickets at Lincoln Center booking place (marble air conditioned atrium with short queues) for the play he chose: “Indecent” at The Cort theatre, for tonight at 7pm. While waiting for Bill I phoned Miira to see if we could meet up when I’m in Skelmersdale, but she will be in Edinburgh with her son Billy and his children then, so I asked hesitatingly if she would consider coming out to Manchester airport to hang out with me in the 8 hours between my flight from US and my flight to Scotland. She exclaimed, “I miss you Geoff, of course I’ll come to see you!” Very heartwarming.
Lunch at La Bonne Soup at 48 W 55th St. Soup & crêpe: cream soup of tomato & veg, slightly piquant and ok mushroom and bechamel filled crêpe, rather sad salad. Interesting group in corner to my left. First a man waiting by himself for some time, then joined affectionately by a couple who began an earnest and enthusiastic conversation, then later joined by third man. I imagined they were discussing a professional project, maybe in theatre etc. Interaction with waitress, Bill asking her what her ethnicity was and later her age.
Returned to my apartment to do short prog with Bill. Awilda phoned to say glasses ready – 24 hour turn around! She several times reminded me to write her a good review. Picked them up by taxi, which we held and then went on to the Cort Theater.
Excellent play! “Indecent” is a play within a play. Young cast, inner play about two young Jewish women who fall in love and are rejected by the father of one. Bits of this inner play are repeated in different cities over a couple of decades, so we get to see the play in vignettes. Interesting “freeze frames” at time jumps, and stunning whole-set projections of text in English and Yiddish. Outer play chronicles the reception of inner play in Europe then its rejection in NY. Company leaves US. Final scene in Europe under Nazi oppression. Real water in famous rain scene. Standing ovation after which a plea from one actor to spread the word as the play is on an extension of several weeks at the Cort Theatre.
Tube back to 96th St. (noticed amazing difference between train coolness, tube station heat and inbetween evening temperature at street level, explained in part by heat pumped out into the underground station by air cooling on the trains.). Supper at Opai (once again for me pineapple fried rice & chicken with iced Thai Tea). Bill proposed going out again for ice cream but I was too tired. Bed 22:44h.
Friday 21st July
Early morning waking 3am with indigestion. Alka Seltzer. Lay in until 7:30am.
I was copied in on email from Nadine to Charlie saying she is worried about her Yagyas not being fully performed because of Anna’s report form being sent to her by mistake, and because she felt benefits at first week then ill again. I am afraid she may be seriously ill physically, and neurotically vata deranged. She sent an email later asking how I am.
Crashed out in prog and slept. Went down to farmers’ market and bought raspberries and muffin and scone. One stall had just green leaves, vibrant, tumescent and so fresh! Walked along 96th street to Bill in his car. When 1pm up to his apartment to drop off food and not find umbrella, then 2 buses to Met. Interesting old chap at bus stop on 5th Ave. Answered Bill’s questions as to best stop to get off. Very clear and clearly expressed. Got on our bus. I thought he was in his eighties, Bill thought low seventies.
In Met: Ancient Egyptians, Greeks then lunch at Petrie Court Café. Slow service, expensive, only average food, good desert for free, no tip. Mean of me.
Email confirmation of passport (China visa) delivery. I felt exhausted and copped out after Irving Penn’s photos (great portraits!) and a Pollock. Bill exasperated that I did not appreciate the cigarette ends. Taxi home. Driver from Hong Kong.
Slept.
Cleopatra’s Needle, Japanese hostess, Philipino waitress Johana (I’m afraid I could not keep my eyes off her), mixed middle eastern plate, Japanese singer + trio piano, bass, drums. Second singer in red dress. Bill gave me his professional asessment of performers, and gave feedback to red dress. Girl in wheelchair, charismatic old lady leader & motley group. We were asked to move table to make room for them. Found ourselves next to an old Jewish couple and their grown sons. I thought the husband was much older than Bill did. I judge age from comparison with my self-image, Bill says he tests his estimates. Obviously I am considerably older than I think. The wife smiled and waved goodbye to me in a friendly way. Neighborhood society!
Bed after 11pm.
Saturday 22nd July
Woke at 5am.
Lunch at Bareburger 795 Clumbus Ave. Lots of parents with plummy precocious kids, and young couples. Nice burgers. I selected the spec. of mine from an ingredient list while Bill ordered a standard burger that was just as good at half the price.
Up the World Trade Center. Bill struggling with his emotions about this building and its ego-driven raison d’être. Almost didn’t come up with me until I asked if he couldn’t just humour me on this. Great views of course, though a bit cloudy and hazy. We tried to identify a crazy looking building Bill had pointed out from the taxi which we saw again from the top. Asked a woman with the rented iPad thing with a dynamic display that wasn’t, so failed.
Farmers market @ Union Square.
Coffee frappé at an Italian café, delicious, then burst in upon a woman having a pee in a faultily locked restroom. She was very embarrassed and lay low until we left.
I think it was then Bill pointed out the famous Strand bookshop, and we popped our heads in to see it. On leaving I scanned the $1 stuff outside and ran back in with the Spring 1948 edition of literary anthology “Wake”.
To the Daryl Roth Theatre at 5pm to see Derek DelGaudio’s play “In And Of Itself”. I’d bought tickets for 29th by mistake, but they changed them for 22nd. Stunning effects but rather surfacy play on imaginary nature of identity.
Supper at Thai Opai again. Again delicious. But too much food today – ama-empondered limbs, pain in chest.
Shopped at Mani Market: chips, salsa, milk. Not as good as Costco: chips & salsa and milk (milk not actually needed as it turned out). Missed interaction between Bill and owner to Bill’s chagrin.
Hung out at my apartment chatting and eating coffee ice cream.
Sunday 23rd July
Breakfast of oats with apple & raisins and scrambled egg @ Bill’s. Good.
Museum of Natural History & Planetarium.
While queueing for The Dark Matter show at the planetarium we got into complaining along with a couple of women about the bossy attendants and the need to look at an unnecessary prepresentation on monitors outside the planetarium sphere. The show was very good. No “real” star projections but an hemispherical image from four projectors giving a stunning wrap around video presentation. Narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the show covered the expanding universe via red shift and acceleration explained by dark energy etc. etc. Walked away down history of universe spiral, which could have been more fascinating.
Minerals and gems
Bill loved this, pointing out mineral after mineral with enthusiasm. We saw an impressive sequence of exhibits walking from planetarium to the gems, this is an amazing museum.
Lunch at Cafe Du Soleil, Broadway & W 104th, North of Bill’s neighborhood. Promising ugly/sexy
waitress with strong French accent disappeared on us and we were served by a bloke. Bill ha mussels and I had chicken crêpes. We shared a flocculent & custardy crème brulée.
7:30pm Symphony Space “Obit” film. Funny, well made, illuminating. Kept thinking of Jude Law’s character in “Closer”. Lots of older women in audience. Intelligent ripples of laughter.
No supper.
Monday 24th July
Day of departure. Woke at 3am. Headache, right side of skull tender, right leg tingling, ama-clogged feeling and pressure in chest when moving about. Almost certainly due to rich diet this week. Packed before prog.
Breakfast at Bill’s: egg & oatmeal with apples and raisins. Good! Argument with Bill over AMVSC dakshina. He said I should just look at total cost, decide whether I wanted to go on the course and stay out of the emotions. He was right. Later sent email to Chancellor from taxi, asking about tax deductibles.
Bill phoned for a cab – 5min to come, 1h to airport via Queensboro bridge. $65 with tip. Almost incomprehensible latino driver.
Flight cancelled. Took 1.5h to get rebooked on 7:30am flight Tuesday. Had to re-queue at luggage claim to divert my checked bag to pick-up carousel. Never again! Always carry on. Dušan turned back from Winchester after getting ice cream for Souza and will meet my flight tomorrow. Kind of him.
Booked Sheraton at JFK over phone from baggage claim. Walked away from laptop on adjacent chair! panic! Queued for taxis, spoke to line-man about taxi for so short a distance, who 2 loops later removed band to let me jump queue! Turbanned taxi driver angry that he got me as fare to hotel round corner after waiting 1 hour in line. I tipped him well. Hotel good, room cosy & well appointed. Great bathroom with translucent glass double doors. Nice prog. Will try not to eat. Diminish ama.
Half way through program I realized I didn’t know where my new glasses were. Searched thoroughly in room and didn’t find them. Hotel reception hadn’t found them down there. Wierd. Tried to trace back where I might have put them down and walked away. No clues. Strange thing is both the glasses and the soft sleeve are missing, and I don’t think I ever removed the sleeve from my shirt pocket all day. Finished off prog with an increasingly good feeling. To hell with the glasses, single focus doesn’t work as I keep taking them on and off all day. I’ll try and live without glasses except driving and cinema/theater. A strange day.
No lunch or supper.
Wrote this up listening to Jazz24. Bill phoned.
Tuesday 25th July
Up at 4am. Shuttle at 5am. Boarded Delta 4103 at 7:10am.
No breakfast. Feel more energy, lightness, no chest pain. Burning ama?
Dusan picked me up at Dulles.