JOHANNA BALDWIN

The author is Johanna Baldwin, Times Square Chronicles

I went in search of one gold coin. Having heard about The Met’s exhibition, Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World, I was sure to find what I was looking for. The particular coin I wanted to see was given to the heroine in my novel, All (Wo)men Desire to Know, that takes her on a mystical journey to the world of the Ancient Greek Philosophers. Plato had given my heroine a coin from his pocket to prove there are no true circles, that the edges of coins are imperfect. She examined the ancient coin closely running her fingers along its edges, and then stared at a woman’s image on the face of the coin. It was Athena – Goddess of Athens – with an owl’s open wings and olive leaves that tells the world that Athens is powerful, victorious and peace-loving.

One of my favorite cities is Athens. Yet most of us can’t afford to just jump on a plane and be where we want to be in a moment’s thought. Even with Greece’s current challenging disposition, I yearn for the heat of the city. Last time I wanted to be in Athens, I went to The Met instead, which my partner considers to be his church. The Met has a spiritual quality with all the cultures and languages and art cohabitating together.

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