london belongs to me

Ravishing. And perhaps the occasional tribute to Lawrence even--perhaps some remote image from 'the Rainbow,'--although one doesn't think of London usually in this case.

I may have already chosen the one I'll purchase for the Christmas gift in the Barbican group. That is bound to have to do with the photograph itself, as I dislike those cultural centers there or here visually, so it means you've picked out a piece of it that just happens to be there; they couldn't have meant it to be, although they didn't care either. However, at this point, it's between one of those and this one, which has some of the watercolour to it.

although I know what you mean about 'arts centres', the Barbican is one of the few brutally modern buildings to achieve true architectural gravity, I think; it has a look and feel of utter permanence, and it also manages to support a living community of sorts.

When I was taking this (and even when I developed it) I didn't notice the face to the right, it's like a curious-looking alien as painted by Bacon (especially the arabesque of the mouth and nose)...as i say elsewhere, life is full of tributes to the man...

Yes, it looks like 'E.T.' or a newborn chick.

At Lincoln Center, the Juilliard building is masterful and the way it connects across the street to the Met, NYStateTheater, Avery Fisher, etc., although they may have removed that overpass this year. What I dislike is all those banners that these places fly out into the streets, and those repulsive restaurants in their lobbies and plazas with that flavourless food (your wonderful tables and chairs and their shadows may be one of these you've transformed along with the light); as well as those usually silly outdoor performances, which are just noisy amplification and cause claustrophobia--as do those inept lectures outside the Grand Tiers as you're trying to get through without anecdotes from the volunteers. They've all got some 'new' version of graceless fountain, one of which I believe you've recorded below. I also hate champagne in plastic glasses with loud people, but otherwise inside even the ugly buildings is all that magic still, I'm forced to admit.