P.I.C. lunch and trip to SVA...

Above photo: Virgil's Real Barbecue restaurant.

Yesterday, P.I.C. members, Martin, Sean, Scan, and myself, gathered for lunch at Virgil's Real Barbecue (located at 152 W 44th Street, New York, NY). I had the Pulled Chicken, which is always quite tasty.



Above photo: Outside the School of Visual Arts.

Afterward, Scan and I took a walk down to the School of Visual Arts (located at 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY). SVA is our old college… the place where, over twenty years ago, P.I.C. first became P.I.C.. We walked right into the main building on 23rd street. Even though I had my SVA alumni I.D. card, I was concerned that security would stop us, but, fortunately, they didn’t.

Scan and I went up to the second floor, and relaxed in the student lounge (now called "Moe’s Café"). In our college days, we used to hang out at the lounge between classes. Back then, the lounge was often times cluttered with portfolio-carrying-art-students, and surrounded by loud music and cigarette smoke. The juke box is gone, but the pool table is still in the same place. However, some knuckle-head decided to remove the booths and replace them with small tables and chairs. The lounge looks more like a trendy café then the college lounge that I remember (stupid Moe). Still, the visit to the student lounge brought back a lot of memories.



Above photo: Sean having a smoke in a classroom at the School of Visual Arts. School year 1986-1987.

I wanted to find the classroom where we once attended Will Eisner’s ‘Sequential Art’ class. It took us awhile. Scan and I couldn’t remember exactly which floor the classroom was on (the six floor, by the way, in room 605). I peaked through the door, and noticed a class in session. I then tried to pull the room number off of the doorway (as a souvenir, of course), but it wasn’t about to freely come off. On my text visit, I’ll be sure to bring a crowbar.

Scan and I continued to roam around SVA’s main building. We visited the Amphitheater on the 3rd floor, where we once attended the ‘History of Animation’ class. We checked out photographer Sheila Metzner’s exhibit on the first floor gallery. And we stopped at CAVA, SVA’s computer store next door.



Above photo: Taken in a classroom at the School of Visual Arts. (Left to right) Mitch and (comic book legend and SVA instructor) Gene Colan. School year 1986-1987.

One striking difference that I had noticed during our visit was how clean everything now looks at SVA. Back in the day, the walls of chipped paint were covered with scuff marks, small amounts of graffiti, and numerous flyers (check out the two photos above from yesteryear). Back then, I used to complain about the sorry state of the classrooms: "We’re paying a ton of money for tuition! How come they can’t buy a can of paint!?!" Now, SVA looks too clean, too tidy. I miss the untidiness of the old days.

Update: P.I.C. member, Scan, has also blogged about this day’s events, as well, with "My New York Day".