Museum night

La noche de los museos started Saturday at 7pm. It lasted until 2am. That's when the after-party started up. Now, I'm about 90 years old mentally. So most nights 2am finds me fast asleep and dreaming about yelling at the kids to get off my lawn. But that doesn't mean I sat out the whole evening.

The idea is an open house at more than 100 museums with special dance, music, movie and lecture presentations. There is an absolutely ridiculous number of things to do. (That page is just the events in the first hour. You have to click around to see the rest of the evening's programs.) In fact, they should probably spread it over two nights. Or do it twice a year. Because there are more than 300 events in a single night.

With so many institutions participating, there were several within five minutes' walk of my apartment. But I skipped those; too easy. And then the bigger museums of course had some interesting programming on, but I guessed they'd be crowded. (I was right.)

Instead, I figured, why not take a bus across town to a piano concert at a sculpture garden I'd never heard of? I'll tell you why not: I had no idea where I was going, the bus apparently did not follow the route laid out in the bus guide, and by the time I realized I had overshot my goal, I was in the middle of a deserted park practically in the Province of Buenos Aires.

But that's neither here nor there. (Actually, I have no idea where it is.)

The concert, somewhat predictably, started half an hour late. So despite all my hand-wringing over the bus goof making me late, I still had time to twiddle my thumbs before the guy took the stage. A little Chopin, a little Debussy. Two hours and 50¢ later (bus fare; the program was free) and I was back home making dinner.

I got an email from my friend Eli at midnight asking if I was planning to go out that night. Planning on going out? Hah! I told her to get off my lawn. I was one hour and one episode of "Dirty Sexy Money" away from being fast asleep and dreaming.