48. The adulation of South Street.

Elvis and Emma Lee have been hard at work having goodtime on South Street, in Manhattan’s FiDi.

Friday was devoted to David Byrne, and his efforts to jerry-rig the old Maritime Building into a gigantic organ, as part of Creative Time’s summer installation, Playing the Building. There are three sounds—a percussive tone, made by magnets on columns, a deep rumbling (motors on the skylight’s beams), and pvc flutes. Elvis spent three hours making sure no one went out the emergency exit. By the end he and Emma Lee were harmonizing from the back of the room.

The next day, Elvis was on South Street again, this time taking a ferry to Governor’s Island. They had a stupendous picnic—wine and cheese and pimento bread—and Emma Lee made strawberry shortcake. Emma Lee and Sammy G played catch, and  Elvis got a sunburn, but only a little on his shoulder.