The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The MET is one of my favorite museums in NY, one that I often visit. My most recent visit was to see the costume exhibit which highlights American women through the ages and their changing dress. I was surprised to see who exquisite and extremely well tailored the dresses were. Despite the decades past, many of the dresses are ones I would be honoured to have in my closet, especially those from the "Screen Siren" room. They do not make gowns like these anymore- long and flowy, almost ethereal. I also coveted a few of the dresses featured in the "Flapper" section, a couple of blouses and an exquisite riding costume worn by the "Gibson Girls" and some stunning gowns from the "Bohemian Era". The only drawback to this exhibit was the prohibition of cameras- I wold have loved to show some pictures to a tailor and have the dresses recreated and have this twenty-first century gal rock some garments from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Clubhouse

It was my first time going to Clubhouse, which is located right by Broadway. The original plan was to have dinner with a bunch of friends by Vabene- one of my favorite restaurants. We got hopelessly lost (having been under the misconception that it was in the West Side, but, nope- its in the East. Where we started off) but we FINALLY made it- only to see the brother of one of the girls in the group on a date. Awkward. So we decided to rethink our plans. Clubhouse is the antithesis of Vabene, as it is a steakhouse versus a dairy restaurant,  but it ended up  being a lot of fun. Between the five of us in the group we ordered about half the menu and everything tasted great- especially the duck empanadas. The empanadas were so light - they were almost airy. The chicken wings had a really good barbecue flavor and the chicken fingers were generously portioned. The fries were perfectly crispy, never mushy. All the mentioned dishes were paired with a mayonnaise and basil dip that complimented the fried dishes perfectly. The spring rolls were filled with light strands of vegetables that nicely complimented the crispy exterior of the rolls. they were paired with a light Asian dipping sauce. I was worried that I would still be hungry after my meal, since we had only ordered from the snacks section of the menu, but my worry was superfluous as after the meal I was pleasantly stuffed. While I settled for a sprite, some ordered cocktails and got a little tipsy (which the waiters got a kick out of, as they be came the target of some booze fueled jokes). Thankfully the driver decided to stay sober ;)

Memorial Sloan Kettering

Yes, I know; a hospital is not usually found on a list of "must visit" places. But, as a spur of the moment thing, my friend invited me and my sister to accompany her as she went to donate blood. Donating blood was something I had often thought of doing but I was anemic for a time, am a bit squeamish at the sight of blood and wasn't sure I would meet the weight requirement (you have to be at least 110 pounds and I am on the skinny side). My weight and iron levels checked out and so I decided to overcome my fear and go through with the process. And I am glad I did. The whole thing only took several minutes and it really didn't hurt- and I was left with a really good feeling- its not every day I have an opportunity to give back to society.

Soho

The next stop on my quest for a bridesmaid's dress was Soho. It is extremely difficult to find parking there, so I took the subway. Usually, the train is filled with the up most interesting sorts of people and so rather than bring along a book, I generally people watch. Today, however, the train was mostly empty and so all I had to stare at was an older lady doing a crossword puzzle, two college buys griping about their class as they inserted the f word every few seconds, and a man emitting a rather foul odor. Thankfully, I did not have to be subject to his rancid smell for long, since Soho is one of the first stops once you have reached Manhattan. If you are going shopping, Soho is a good place to do it because it is really quite beautiful. Wooster street, the street that I visited first, was cobble stoned with a bunch of small shops. The neighborhood is hip and funky and for an avid people watcher it was a lot of fun. I stopped by Morgan Le Fay which has gorgeous dresses but they are all rather expensive. I saw two the I liked but they were a couple grand (sigh), and so I kept looking. Bloomingdales in Soho has much less of a variety than the main branch on Lexington, and so I was unsuccessful there as well. Barneys co-op was also a failure. The search continues. The scenery stopped me from getting too dejected, however, and so I made my way back to the train happily enough. Yet, due to rush hour, the train was beyond congested. There was a girl reading Steig Larson's book "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" as well as quite a few other readers but I couldn't see much of anyone else since the crowd was too dense. I got home just in time to go to dinner with my sister and a friend at Basil again, this time for salad, pizza, and fries. The food, as always, was amazing, although the fish I was itching to try was unavailable due to the fact that it was out of season, but the service had improved greatly. The fries were unlike any other fries I had ever eaten. Fried golden so that they were nice and crisp they had a basil flavor and were sprinkled with baked flakes of Parmesan cheese. Instead of the usual ketchup to dip your fries into, we were given a garlic truffle oil mayo. It was really really good. The Cesar salad was crisp and light and a bit deconstructed as instead of your usual croutons and cheese there was a piece of garlic toast and a frico of cheese. I left with a content, full feeling in my stomach - a good sign as there is a fast tomorrow.

Bell Harbor

Bell Harbor is one of the prettiest neighborhoods I have ever been too in New York City. It is a small neighborhood at the side of the beach. My Grandparents had lived there when I was little, and I have a lot of fond memories of holding my grandfather's hand in one of my hands and my father's in the other as they swung me above the water. So when my friend invited me to sit at the beach and relax, I readily agreed. In 94 degree weather the sand was so hot that it burned my feet like hot coals. It was a big relief to finally get off the sand and on to the beach towel. It was pleasant to sit and chat while we looked out onto the waves and the little children frolicking around and jumping the waves. However, after an hour in the extreme heat, the sweat was no longer fun. And so, sand clinging to our legs, we made our way back to the air conditioned car.

Shopping on 5th Ave

Yesterday, my mother, sister, and I decided to hit 5th Ave for a little light shopping. My best friend (well one of the many) is getting married in August and I am going to be a bridesmaid. And I still don't have a dress. I can not begin to tell you how hard it is to find a long dress that I like and doesn't cost a couple grand. In fact, last time my bridesmaid duties came about I was forced to borrow a dress that was a tad too small and so I had to keep reminding myself to breathe. The day of our shopping trip happened to be the day of the gay pride parade and so I had the privilege of witnessing quite a few men in shorty shorts and rainbow colored suspenders as well as a trio of men in huge brightly colored wigs and platform boots dressed as the like of Candyland, a strawberry, and berries respectively.

 First stop was Saks which is currently having a massive sale. Companies that regularly are beyond expensive are now relatively quite affordable. And so, two new, short, dresses made their way into my wardrobe. Next stop was Bergdorfs. It is just a few blocks away which is usually not a bad walk but in this heat it was.. well.. sticky. The scenery from the higher floors from Bergdorfs is breathtaking. You can see the park in all of its glory. Yet again, we came away with another short dress, but not a single long one. Oh well, I guess that just means more shopping in my future! As shopping works up a nice appetite  we headed off to Cafe K where we got gnocchi, fries, and yogurt. I got my gnocchi in a cream and mushroom sauce. I really am obsessed with how well the earthy, incomparable taste of mushrooms blends so nicely with the hot creamy taste of cream sauce. Yum!

Museum of Modern Art

Yesterday I decided to make my fourth visit to the Moma, marking the second time I visited the museum without the barriers of a class assignment (I am an art minor, so visiting NY's art museums has become a customary element of each semester). I recently completed a photography class and my professor encouraged us to go see the Henri Cartier- Bresson exhibit. I took it as an excellent opportunity for some mother-daughter bonding time; it was with my mother that I first visited the Moma, back when I was still in elementary school. On the way up to the sixth floor, where the exhibit is located, we stopped on the third to take advantage of our time at the museum. We accidentally took a detour through Bruce Nauman’s “Days”; my mother hurried me on, but I was actually quite intrigued by the echoing voices repeating the days of the weeks. I was less impressed by our next stop, “Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography”; although some of the photographs were exciting, many were underwhelming and there was far too much nudity for my taste (but perhaps I’m just a prude). The Cartier-Bresson exhibit, on the other hand, was captivating and I would strongly encourage people to go see it in the short time left until the exhibit is taken off display. My only disappointment was in the sheer magnitude of people; it was hard to catch even a glimpse of some of the photographs, blocked by the throngs of viewers.

Les Merais

I know it sounds pathetic, but at 21, I am a rather boring person. Most nights you can find me at home (when I'm not at college that is) catching up on missed television shows. Due to this lack of extrovertisim, my high school friends and I have hardly had the time to catch up and just enjoy ourselves. Thankfully, last Thursday, we had an opportunity to change that. My very good friend is getting married quite soon and so we thought we would throw her a bit of a bachlorette party before she said adios to her single life for good. In high school, we were a clique of seven girls; not all of us were best friends with one another per say, but together we were part of one whole. One of the seven got married this past winter and now is living out of state (in New Jersey of all places) and was unable to join, but for the rest of us, it was like old times. The six of us squeezed into my friend's beemer and we headed off to a night in the city. We went to Les Merias, a steakhouse in the Broadway area. Four of the group ordered steaks, and one chose fish. As a non-meat eater, I chose a spicy peanut udon noodle salad and a fries. And most of importantly, I ordered a glass of wine, my first in such an establishment. The wine was a tad overpriced, but according to my friends the slightly buzzed me was a lot of fun to be around. As mentioned before, I am a bit of an introvert, a little self-conscious in social settings to be honest, so the free feeling the wine gave was nice. It allowed me to open up and enjoy myself. The pasta was good; I liked the peanut sauce and they threw in some peanuts and scallions to give it a crunch. The fries were amazing; just crunchy enough and not at all mushy. For dessert we all shared molten chocolate cakes, which I have never seen any restaurant go wrong with. After our meal, we took a walk around the city. Although it was nearing midnight, the city was washed in light from the electronic billboards flanking Times Square. Of course, the streets were flooded with people. We escaped the throngs and found a serene fountain to sit by. We spent an hour reminiscing and feeling a mixture of nostalgia and happiness. I had befriended the bride-to-be when were just 10 and it seemed crazy that 11 years had already passed. The night was an extremely enjoyable one although it made me regret that we had not done similar excursions sooner and more often when we had the chance, no special occasions needed.

The Boardwalk down by Coney Island

Back in elementary school, going to Astroland and the beach was a last day of school tradition, but I have not returned to the boardwalk since- until today. The surroundings were surprisingly familiar and it brought back a wave of nostalgia for those carefree days. The beach was not as visually arresting as those of Miami and California, which I more often frequent, but the mood was more serene. The beach was filled with people sunbathing and playing ball; the boardwalk was littered with people sitting on the benches or walking their dogs, but it was very quiet. It seemed as though the casual conversation I had going with my sister and mother was disrupting the peace. Overall it was a nice experience and I mentally made plans to soon return. The only drawback? Way too many old men strolling down the walkway sans shirts, exposing their unattractive beer bellies to the public. 

Basil Pizza and Wine Bar

Our first stop on our tourist tour was Crown Heights, mere minutes from our home. We had heard of a cool upscale pizzeria located there that we really wanted to try out. As major foodies (obsessed with Top Chef, the Dining section of The NY Times, and a dozen shows on the food network) we had heard a lot about the trend of making average food, such as burgers and pizza, upscale; but as people who only ate kosher, we had never tried it. However, with the opening of Basil, we finally had the opportunity to do so. So, this past Thursday, with our mother in tow, we decided to gave it a try.The decor and crowd was trendy and hip, and sort of Williamsburg-esque. The hostess was lovely and friendly and eager to please, although the waiters were quite spacey. For instance, we kept waiting for our drinks that never came as the waitress neglected to tell us that our beverage of choice was no longer available. Then, after a bit too much waiting, when our pizza finally arrived, it failed to be accompanied with plates until we requested them. However, the pizza itself, a Margareta with pesto, was divine. The tomato slices added a bit of needed sweetness and coolness to the hot cheese and sauce. Every last slice was polished off. My mother's watercress salad was another example of brilliant flavor combinations. It contained pears cut so thinly they were practically a carpaccio which added a nice subtle fruitiness to the blue cheese and watercress. Toasted almonds brought a welcome crunch. My gnocchi gratin, the first gratin I ever ate by the way, was small portioned but extremely creamy. Diving in beneath the Parmesan crust to find the little gnocchi pieces was like a treasure hunt. My sister's wild mushroom risotto was more mushroom than risotto, but still very good. For dessert I ordered the trio of creme burlee, while the annoying waiter tried to coax me to order his favorite, the trio of sorbet and answered all of my burlee questions with answers that started "well the sorbet is.." Nevertheless, as someone who generally only likes traditional flavors and has never tried a chocolate creme brulee, it was a welcome surprise. All in all, it was a pleasurable way to start the summer, however, next time I think I'll go with the basil french fries that seems to be their speciality.