This chapter of my New York exploration included my first solo sojourn into the city. Destination: the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Soho. It was an overcast day, windy and cold, so except for the gallery, my photographic production was limited to a couple vibrant colors that transcended the weak light and a restaurant whose name was irresistible -- Pluck U.
Rocky's Italian Restaurant on the corner of Spring and Mulberry by the subway stop is my kind of place, an intimate, 25-seat eatery with perfectly toasted bread on my sandwich. And by New York standards, it's affordable -- chicken parmesana with Sam Adams, $15, and I couldn't eat it all.
The Morrison Hotel Gallery -- http://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/ -- features fine art music photography from the past half century. In addition to the Soho location, Morrison Hotel has galleries in Los Angeles and La Jolla in California.
The Morrison Hotel gallery is named after the 1970 album by Jim Morrison and the Doors.
The main gallery, located at 124 Spring St., features photographs of a variety of musical icons, including the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Who and Tom Waits, in a variety of genres, including rock, country, jazz, punk and reggae.
The featured exhibit in early January 2008 was "Let It Bleed," an exhibit of Ethan A. Russell's photographs of the Rolling Stones' 1969 U.S. tour. It included photos of Ricki Lee Jones and Linda Ronstadt.
The Belenky Brothers Gallery in Soho features fine jewels and contemporary art. When I told the man working there I taught at IU, he responded, "That's where Isiah Thomas is from, isn't it?"
