Merry Christmas

The Washington Square Arch and Tree. Photo by Michele.

Merry Christmas from New York. Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, I hope you had a wonderful day.

The Answer

Washington Square Park. Photo by Michele.

Some days you wonder why you live in New York. The high costs, the crowds, the stress, the smells, the studio the size of a closet that you call home can cause you to question your life decisions. And then one sunny day you find yourself sitting on a bench in Washington Square Park listening to a man play Beethoven on a piano and you know the answer.

Hopper's Studio

A photo of Hopper by Berenice Abbott hangs above the fireplace.

From 1913 until his death in 1967, Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine, lived and worked at 3 Washington Square North in a fourth-floor walk-up studio. During last weekend’s Open House New York, I was able to take a peek inside.

Housed in one of the famed Greek Revival townhouses on the north side of Washington Square Park (now the NYU Silver School of Social Work), the studio is small and sparse but with wonderful light and a lovely view of the park below. Here Hopper created some of his most iconic works including “Nighthawks,” “Early Sunday Morning, and “New York Movie.” The large easel set up in the middle of the room made it easy to imagine those canvases resting there, the artist standing by its side.

There was a wait to get in but I didn't mind. It was surprising to see how plain the place was yet easy to imagine that the solitude under the eaves probably suited the quiet artist.

Back outside, the park was buzzing with people enjoying a warm Sunday and the local squirrels were up to their usual business of begging for food, one even going so far as to jump on a man’s lap for some trail mix. Right before I left, a rainbow appeared in front of the arch. The perfect ending to a great day.

Photos by Michele.