Union Square

Last Sunday I met my sister, Michelle, in the city to go see the American Watercolor Society Show. She came from NJ and I came from Long Island and met at 14th Street. We had time to walk up to Union Square and sketch for a while...and the temperature was perfect...a great spring day!

First I sketched the fountain.

I sketch faster than my sister, so I did a quick direct in ink sketch while she finished up.

Then it was off to lunch and then the watercolor show, which was wonderful! Michelle doesn't have my stamina for sketching so after the show she left to take her trains back home. For those of you who haven't gone sketching outdoors you tend to bring along a lot of stuff...a chair, your materials, an extra layer of clothes, maybe a hat and gloves. It does tend to wear you down when you are lugging all of it around all day. lol

After Michelle (Mickey) left I went back up to Union Square to do another sketch of some of the surrounding buildings.

Since I was in the city and it was only about 4 pm I decided to take the subway up to visit a friend who was in the hospital recovering from surgery. I called her to check that she was up to having company and hopped on the new Q line that stops at Union Square. It should have been a quick ride up to 72 St and 2nd Ave...but things didn't work out that way. The train stopped at 57th St and we were told it was turning around and going back to Brooklyn. The next two trains did the same thing. So I decided to walk from 57th St and 7th Ave to the hospital on 68th St and York Ave which is about 1.75 miles. It was warm and I was walking quickly. Poor Louise thought I wasn't coming since I arrived nearly 1 1/2 hrs after I called her. lol It was good to spend time with her since she had been in there for several days and was bored. I did take her for a walk around the hallways, which was something she needed to do. No sketches of that part. lol