It occurred to me in the middle of the night that I should keep my “History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York” like a 1930’s sticker ridden suit case. If you can picture that golden time where ship travel was more frequent and large hard trunks appeared more regularly, you might be able to comprehend the idea of this new piece of art. It was during those days, people would decorate their trunks with stickers of places they’d been- Istanbul, Rome, London, etc.
I have a book with no stickers, but receipts, a match book, a metal MET badge, and signatures. To me, this journey is about people more than anything else. If I’m lucky enough to meet some famous people- so be it- their signatures will be next to those of bartenders, patrons, whoever I might strike a conversation with. We’re really all the same in other words- feeling people, with emotions, problems and memories. We have different trips, experiences, and even though we have fleeting moments we have memories- talismans.
In grouping these little trinkets- like a receipt for the Metropolitan Museum of Art I don’t remember getting-together- it’ll form a journey much like one of those enormous trunks that used to travel the world over. In my corner of the world, excitement is every step of the journey.
The next bar for March 10th is Bridge Cafe-279 Water Street. Hope to see ya!