NYC in Bloom
BY CYNDI GREENING, MANHATTAN, USA – The week before Tribeca, New York experienced a week with an unusually heavy rainfall. There was a bit of rain at the beginning of the festival but, overall, the weather was quite nice. 
The benefit of the rain was that the entire city was in bloom. The cherry blossoms – both pink and white – were everywhere. The petals blew about like giant snowflakes. And there were tulips everywhere. Yellow ones, red ones, purple ones, orange ones. I felt like I was in Holland. This photo was taken on Park Avenue. Now I know why Park Place is the expensive property on Monopoly AND Eva Gabor sings about it on GREEN ACRES. ("I just adore a penthouse view. Darling, I love you but give me Park Avenue!) It is a beautiful stretch of the city.
Earlier in the week, on the way back from The Hamptons, we were travelling on the Long Island Expressway. One of my favorite films from a few years back was LIE (Long Island Expressway). It was about a kid whose mother had died on the LIE and the impact of that on his life. It starred the fabulously extraordinary Paul Dano (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE). I got to thinking about how differently a film occurs if one has actually spent time in the area. I saw THE BIG EASY differently after being in New Orleans. Every SEINFELD and LAW AND ORDER is different now that I've spent time in NYC. I understand LIE differently now that I've seen it in person. An interesting challenge for filmmakers.
