Art & Sugar

My last full day in New York City was certainly full of excitement!  The main event on our agenda was to take advantage of the two-for-one Metropolitan Museum of Art/The Cloisters admission and see them both.  We'd intended to see the Met first and then rush up to The Cloisters before they closed, but we accidentally got on an express train that changed our minds for us.

The Cloisters

When we got out of the subway, we walked through the beautiful Fort Tryon Park which boasts incredible views of the river and beautiful and well maintained flower gardens.  It would be a great picnic spot, just saying.  By the time we arrived at the medieval looking building, I was glad for the air conditioning.  We spent a few hours looking over the artwork and admiring the architecture, some of which was actual pieces of old monasteries and the like that had been shipped over from Europe.  I'm so glad to have a boyfriend that likes going to museums and engaging in thoughtful conversations about the work in them.  I was a very happy girl that day.

A chapel in The Cloisters

One of many lovely gardens

We knew we weren't going to have enough time to see all of the Met, so when we got there, we took a moment to grab some lunch (the Met cafeteria puts potato chips on their mac & cheese, just sayin') and pinpoint the galleries we wanted to see the most.  For The Writer, it was the Arms and Armor and I wanted to make sure we got to the Egyptian wing and temple.  We also managed to make it through some of the painting and photography before the guards decided it was time for us to go.  I'd wanted to see the McQueen exhibit, but we'd heard the wait was an hour and a half and we didn't have that much time there.  Unfortunately the exhibit will be closing a mere three days before I return to Manhattan.

Since we'd had a late lunch, we weren't quite hungry for dinner when the museum closed.  We were, we decidedly, quite ready for some ice cream.  On our way to the subway that would take us down to Lula's, I spotted a sign in the window of Purple Elephant Cake Boutique that said they had vegan cupcakes.  While neither of us are anywhere close to being vegan, The Writer's lactose intolerance keeps us on the hunt for dairy-free treats and vegan is always a safe choice.  We stopped in and got a few cupcakes, even though we were on our way to eat ice cream.  He had a vanilla cupcake with chocolate icing and I had a sweet-n-salty vanilla cupcake.  I used to never be a cake person, I preferred fruity treats like pies, but this trip ruined me. I officially like cake.

Not letting the fact that we'd just had super sweet cupcake deter us, we continued downtown to Lula's and enjoyed our vegan ice cream cones.  Dinner, at this point, was out of the question.  We were too full on cupcakes and ice cream.  We did feel quite kiddish, having had every kids' dream dinner, so we decided to go to FAO Schwartz because what kid doesn't want to go to a toy store after a sugar-filled meal?  Unfortunately, it had closed by the time we got there. Bedtime, I guess.  Plan B was to stroll casually through the lobby and shops of The Plaza hotel, just to check it out.  I wouldn't mind staying there sometime, that's for sure.

We walked around the park area for a bit before grabbing some groceries and heading to bed.  It seemed the sugar rush we'd ingested was no match for the mileage we'd covered that day.

*Photos by The Writer. I borrowed his camera for a few shots, but most (not obviously taken with a webcam or otherwise cited) are from his camera, as mine is broken : ( *

A Saturday in the City

Last Saturday, whilst still in New York City, was a really significant day for me.  I was able to meet up with my second cousin, J, whom I have not seen in ages.  We hadn't seen each other for the better part of 10 or 15 years and we've both changed so much.  Last time I saw her I was still wearing training bras, if that's any indication of how long it's been.

We met up in the lobby of The Writer's residence/hotel and walked down The Highline to The Village.  I wore my teal maxi dress from SoHo because it was very sunny and I knew we'd be walking a lot and I wanted to avoid weird tan/burn lines.  A strapless dress was my best attempt and an even tinge of red.

J took me to her favorite coffee place, which was at the entrance to a theatre space. We sat and continued on our catching up.  During our day-long conversation, I came to a greater knowledge of the history of that side of my family.  So many things make more sense now than they ever did before, since many of the events that shaped the dynamic of that branch of my family tree happened long before I was born or able to understand them.
I'm fairly sure that this coffee shop made some of the most legitimate espresso drinks I've ever had, and, you know what? I don't even think there was a latte on the menu. Flavored syrups? Nadda.  It was absolutely one of the best cappuccinos I've ever had.

After our caffeine, J took me to her studio space.  She went to school for dance and is still really involved in the creative arts.  Let me tell you, this space was amazing.  Five stories up from the street, the massive windows of the corner room looked directly out onto many of the rooflines of the other buildings.  The architecture was breathtaking!  I told The Writer so many times while I was in NYC that the artistry of the buildings is one of my favorite things about the city.  It's inspiring!

(teany)

We then took a cab (my first NYC cab, I admit) over to The Bowery and got out by The New Museum. Before we went in to view the exhibits, we walked over to Teany for lunch.  My turkey, apple, and brie  baguette sandwich was one of my favorite meals of my trip.  It was served with the perfect side of lightly dressed greens...MMmmmm.  I fell in love with the baguette sandwich while traveling in France and haven't really found anything comparable in America until this past week.  Simple French fare is not anywhere close to being popular in the Midwest.

After a chocolate peanut butter brownie to finish off lunch, we headed back to The New Museum.  Several of their floors were closed for installation, but we did get to enjoy the Sky Room.  Since most of the buildings in Bowery and Greenwich Village are shorter by comparison, we were able to see all the way down to Downtown and the Brooklyn Bridge and all the way up to Midtown and the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building.  We decided the view alone was worth the price of admission.

A little rooftop lawn visible from the Sky Room

Incredible view from the Sky Room

J had to take off after a stroll through the surrounding neighborhoods and shops since she was speaking at and writing for a national conference this week and still had prep work to do.  I explored Union Square before meeting up with The Writer somewhat later for dinner.  We had hearty pasta at Don Giovanni's in Hell's Kitchen.  It was delicious and, I have to say, the salad that came before my stuffed shells was really impressive, not wimpy at all!

He and I decided to be a little touristy and walk through Times Square.  It was so jam packed! We finished up the night by taking a walk up 5th Ave. to Central Park before catching the subway "home".  Needless to say, I slept very soundly that night.

Manhattan in Heels

One should never take it to be a good sign when your first stop of the day is at the drug store to buy Band Aids for your feet.  All throughout my trip, I'd been seeing these women walking around in heels.  I'd brought one of my more comfortable pairs to wear with my orange Target dress and figured I'd give them a go on Friday.  I don't know how they do it!  I was silly to think that one or two Band Aids would make traipsing around Manhattan in four inch wedges bearable.  It did make me painfully aware of just how much I walk in a day around here.

After some lunch at Whole Foods with The Writer, I decided to check out Ground Zero.  I'd never seen the  former site of the World Trade Center towers even though I'd had several opportunities.  Truthfully, when I got there, there wasn't much to see except a construction site and part of a new skyscraper. I didn't walk around too much before heading towards the South Street Seaport.  The walk looked like a short distance on the map but it turned out to be quite long and crowded, especially in heels.  Due to the humidity and the threat of rain, I headed back uptown to rest my feet in Border's.

The Writer met me there after he got out of work and we went over to take advantage of Target Free Friday Nights at The Museum of Modern Art.  Still in my devil shoes, I hobbled around the galleries with the help of my love.  He was excited to see several pieces by Roy Lichtenstein, one of his favorite pop artists, and Van Gogh's Starry Night.  I could've spent a good part of forever in a smaller room with walls covered by four magnificent Monet's.  We were running out of time before the museum closed, but managed to see another favorite of mine, Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie, before security herded us from the galleries.

Last on our agenda for the night was a trip to the Upper West Side for some Rita's Water Ice.  I hadn't had water ice in so long and it was just as good as I remembered.  I tried the new flavor, honeydew, and The Writer had raspberry.  I wish Rita's were as common as Starbucks, I would go there everyday.  Thankfully, bed was just a train ride away and I could finally take my shoes off and rest my exhausted feet.

Hot Child in the City

It was HOT in New York today.  To escape the heat, The Writer and I went to the Guggenheim.  We got a late start after a lazy morning and took the subway up to the Upper East Side.  We crossed through Central park, around the reservoir, to get there.  It may not have been the most direct route, but the scenic stroll was well worth it.  Once at the museum, I was surprised by the size of the collection and exhibits.  Most of the art museums I've been too could take days to get through, but we made it through the Guggenheim in practically no time by comparison.  I found the Impressionist exhibit to be my favorite.  I forget how much I like Van Gogh and Seurat until I see their work up close. Fantastic!

After our self-guided tour, we wandered up and down Madison Ave. a bit to find lunch.  The counter girl at Marco Polo's Deli and Pizzeria was a little annoyed at life, it seemed, but our panini and Philly steak sandwich were just what we needed.

Next on our agenda was to go out for ice cream.  This was a first for us, as a couple, since The Writer is lactose intolerant.  We'd had dairy-free ice cream at home, but never been able to go out for a cone together.  In his explorations of the city prior to my arrival, he'd discovered Lula's Sweet Apothecary in the East Village.  We got a little turned around in the Village and my feet started to ache unbearable just as we found the tiny shop.  The guy behind the counter seemed so happy about his work and patiently offered me samples until I made my final selection (strawberry and cookies & cream on a sugar cone).  everything served at Lula's is all natural and vegan, so it's safe for The Writer's tummy.  Did I mention it was delicious?  I'm glad we finally found it.  Now we can go back all the time!