NYC: The mythical scroll
Jack Kerouac wrote "On the Road," according to legend, in three weeks, typing it out on a long paper scroll to avoid having to change paper.
Kerouac is one of my favorite writers and this mythical scroll has remained locked away far from human view for well, ever since Kerouac died in 1969.
I never imaged it would be possible to see it and especially not after it was sold to a private collector some years ago.
Through grace and goodwill, the collector lent the scroll to the New York Public Library, which is also the repository of Kerouac's papers.
When I learned an exhibit of not only the scroll but also his notebooks and papers was going to be on view for a few weeks this year, well, you can connect the dots. I had to be there.
And so, Greg and I boarded the train at 4 a.m. last Tuesday for a five-day jaunt through New York, to see the scroll and take in the city's creative energy.
No one was disappointed ... and in the next few days' entries I hope to share some of the exhilaration of seeing Kerouac's scroll, celebrating Chinese New Year in Chinatown and even seeing a Broadway show -- Greg's first.
AHEAD: First stop, Rockefeller Plaza
