DAVID HOCKNEY'S CARIBEAN TEATIME

Last week, I had some time in between appointments in Manhattan. It was such a gorgeous, sunny day and it seemed like a perfect time to pay a visit to the roof top of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since the roof had not yet opened (it will this Tuesday), I decided to wander around the museum. Venturing into Highlights from the Modern Design Collective 1900-2006, Caribean Teatime - a set of four panels by David Hockney - caught my eye. Loved the bright colors. Made me think of being at a huge loft by the beach and having this baby as a room divider.

Once outside again, I sat on the steps of the Met and listened to a live jazz ensemble and watched people and pigeons bask in the sun.

Just felt delighted to be alive in this great city of ours.

TRANSCRIPT OF MICHELLE OBAMA'S SPEECH AT MET MUSEUM of ART

Here is the transcript of Michelle Obama’s speech at Monday’s ribbon cutting for the Metropolitan Museum of Art American Wing here in NYC. You can also view the speech and cutting on the Met's website.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the First Lady

For Immediate Release May 18, 2009

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY

AT THE RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY

FOR THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART AMERICAN WING

Metropolitan Museum of Art

New York, New York

3:16 P.M. EDT

MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Please, rest. (Laughter.) Good afternoon and thank you, Emily, for that introduction, and thank you for reminding me. You know, after 20-some-odd years of knowing a guy, you forget that your first date was at a museum. (Laughter.) But it was, and it was obviously wonderful; it worked.

So I am delighted to be here with you to celebrate American history through the arts. From the beginning of our nation, the inspired works of our artists and artisans have reflected the ingenuity, creativity, independence and beauty of this nation. It is the painter, the potter, the weaver, the silversmith, the architect, the designer whose work continues to create an identity for America that is respected and recognized around the world as distinctive and new.

The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art captures this spirit in presenting a variety of American art forms and providing a link to history for us to learn from, appreciate and be inspired by.

Our future as an innovative country depends on ensuring that everyone has access to the arts and to cultural opportunity. Nearly 6 million people make their living in the non-profit arts industry, and arts and cultural activities contribute more than $160 billion to our economy every year. And trust me, I tried to do my part to add to that number.

The President included an additional $50 million in funding to the NEA in the stimulus package to preserve jobs in state arts agencies and regional arts organizations in order to keep them up and running during the economic downturn. (Applause.)

But the intersection of creativity and commerce is about more than economic stimulus, it's also about who we are as people. The President and I want to ensure that all children have access to great works of art at museums like the one here. We want them to have access to great poets and musicians in theaters around the country, to arts education in their schools and community workshops.

We want all children who believe in their talent to see a way to create a future for themselves in the arts community, be it as a hobby or as a profession.

The arts are not just a nice thing to have or to do if there is free time or if one can afford it. Rather, paintings and poetry, music and fashion, design and dialogue, they all define who we are as a people and provide an account of our history for the next generation.

The President recently nominated renowned theater producer Rocco Landesman to chair the National Endowment for the Arts. Rocco's entrepreneurial spirit and his commitment to being a bridge between the philanthropic, non-profit and commercial arts community will ensure that all types of art and creative expression are provided fertile ground to live and to grow.

And that's what we hope to do at the White House, that's what we've been trying to do at the White House. We've been trying to break down barriers that too often exist between major cultural establishments and the people in their immediate communities; to invite kids who are living inches away from the power and prestige and fortune and fame, we want to let those kids know that they belong here, too.

I want to applaud the Metropolitan Museum of Art for all the outreach that you do, for having kids like these here today to be involved in this and to experience this and to share this with us, because this is your place, too. So we're very proud of the Met for the work that they've done.

So we are excited. Thank you for including me. And now we can get to the -- we're going to cut the ribbon now.

THE CITY IS A DREAM ON A SUMMER SATURDAY

My heart was all set on going to the beach last Saturday. But that wasn't going to happen. For starters, Mike and I needed to decompress after his lovely Friday night art opening at the Fall Cafe. On top of that, weather folks had predicted rain.

After brunch at LeLuc, a cheerful spot on Smith Street, we ventured to the historic Ziegfeld Theater to see the movie Mama Mia. There was barely anyone in the enormous field of seats, so we had our choice of where to sit. We sat smack in the middle without any legs to scramble over on our way in or out of the aisle. Ahhhh....what luxury!

After the movie, which was a ton 'o fun, we set out for Central Park. Once there, we sat just outside of the entrance of the Children's Zoo, right in time to watch the feeding of the shiny black seals. The funnest part was watching the people - most of whom were tourists - walk to and 'fro.

With a little group also parked on the bench outside the zoo, we watched the instrument-playing animals of the Delacorte Music Clock march 'round and 'round on the half-hour. Pure delight!

A little droopy from the humidity, we straggled over to the Loeb Boat House grill to gulp down lemonade and share a surprisingly good fruit salad. I loved watching the pigeons and their more diminutive companions - we'll call them the tiny fluffy birds - hop underfoot of the outdoor diners.

From there, we made our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we ascended to a very crowded rooftop to enjoy a view of the park's verdent canopy. We got a nice glimpse of the off-in-the-distance hot air balloon attraction as well as the roof's main attraction: a shiny Jeff Koons balloon dog sculpture. A nice, Manhattany bonus: we got to evesdrop on a conversation between the star of a primetime comedy and the guy we assumed was her date.

After sundown, we took the bus down to Rockefeller Center, where hundreds of people were lounging in the Rink Bar, the space that doubles as the famous ice skating rink in the winter. When a sudden heavy burst of rain showers hit, the diners and drinkers huddled under the bar's scattering of orange umbrellas.

Once underground, we took the F back to our quiet abode in Carroll Gardens.

I'm already planning a trip back to the Ziegfeld.

Photo by Jeanine