The "Gates" are grand! They are everywhere, seemingly, in Central Park. You can see them over here, over there, over hill and down in the valley. They are a color one normally doesn't see in February: a golden, crimson, saffrony orange, depending on where the sun is shining. We met friends at the Met and walked downtown to the zoo and then out of the park. It was crowded on the first day, Saturday. It was less crowded at 92nd Street on Sunday when Miles and I went back because my camera's batteries pooped out on Saturday. I overheard a lot of people questioning the "art" value of what Christo and Jeanne-Claude have put together. For me, it is obviously art. The first aspect of the art is the $20+ million that they raised to make this happen. Can you do that? I certainly can't. That, my friend, is art! Performance art, even. Another aspect of the art for me is all the people. There were thousands upon thousands of people roaming around Central Park on a cold February day looking at, touching, and talking about over 7,000 saffron drapes that looked pretty much alike; having their picture taken with the "Gates" above them; walking with tiny dogs or gigantic dogs that looked more like small cows, pushing strollers with bundled up little people in them, eating, smoking, talking, laughing, walking and talking about the "Gates". There are few people that I can think of who could make so many people happy at the same time. Bush can't do it. Kerry couldn't do it. The Pope can sometimes do it, but not too often. It was like Woodstock without the dope or music. Ya shoulda been they-ah! 

Stumble It!