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.