Curious George

Over the holiday weekend I made my very first trip to Washington D.C., with my friend who I shall call Mya.

Mya and I took the train from Penn Station to Union Station early Saturday morning. (Note to self: upgrade to business class next time.) And, here it is! (By the way, you will notice the Dr. Zhivago hat I am sporting. We managed to pick the coldest weekend EVER to be in D.C. Hence, the new addition to my wardrobe.)

Gualtier Malde

This week I took in “Rigoletto” at the Metropolitan Opera. Favoloso!

As I waited for my friend to arrive, I sat outside by the fountain (it was in the 50’s that evening) and enjoyed the experience that is Lincoln Center. (Lincoln Center is the world’s largest performing arts center, and includes the NY City Ballet, Juilliard, and the NY Philharmonic.)

Once inside, we were treated to a fabulous performance (and I very much appreciated the individual title screens) and fabulous champagne. All in all, a wonderful New York night.

This weekend I am off to Washington DC. There will be no hunting trips with Dick Cheney, so a good time should be had by all.

Happy Presidents’ Day everyone!

26.9

I moved here just in time for the biggest snowstorm EVER in New York City. 26.9 inches of snow fell in Central Park during my very first blizzard. Check. Me. Out.

The snow started yesterday afternoon around 3 p.m. and subsided just over 24 hours later. It wasn’t too bad when I went to bed, but I was woken up at 6:30 a.m. by thunder (and lightning). (Thunder snow!) I spent most of the day inside watching the snow whip around. (Don’t worry – I was also semi-productive. I made chili (more on that later) and cleaned my apartment in between bouts of staring out the window.) And, of course, once it stopped, I had to go outside and take pictures for you!

This is right outside of my building:



There is a police station on the next block. Some lucky officer gets to dig his/her car out of this:



As my chili sucked, I had to get some dinner so I walked a few blocks to Better Burger (not to be confused with Mo Betta Meaty Meat Burger on Fairfax). They have a veggie burger that I can’t get enough of. (Seriously, I think I have had three in the last week.)

Besides veggie burgers and a record-breaking snowstorm, my weekend also consisted of an art gallery tour in Chelsea. Chelsea is home to over 250 art galleries. The tour that I took visited seven galleries, and the exhibits included works on paper, sculpture, painting, computer art/video, photography and an installation. (Apparently the director of the tour group visits 200 galleries a month and selects eight exhibits for each tour.) In case you are wondering, my favorite was a photography exhibit called “Niagara” at the Gagosian Gallery. The tour is definitely something I’d do again. (Same goes for the blizzard.)

Paraphernalia

I have been a New Yorker for three months now. Miss me yet?

Winter is finally kicking in, sort of. It hasn’t gotten out of the 30’s in the past few days. But, it is sunny, so it is not so bad. I can’t tell you how many times I have almost walked out my door without a coat, or a scarf, or gloves. I am just not used to the winter accoutrements. By the time I remember to put everything on, it is going to be Spring!

Fashion! Turn to the left …

Lately, fashion seems to be everywhere in Manhattan. And it makes me oh so happy.

I went to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum to see the terrific Fashion in Colors exhibit. Basically, it is 68 fashion designs spanning the last 300 years, broken down by color. There were some fabulous frocks by Vivienne Westwood and Cristobal Balenciaga (try saying that three times fast). (Though, the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is still my favorite.)

Last week was tax-free week in New York City. Apparently, the Governor designates periods of one week during the year to be sales tax-free for purchases of clothes and shoes. It is intended to encourage shopping and boost business. Being the model citizen that I am, I had no choice but to participate.

Finally, it is Fashion Week. The tents are right across the street from where I work. It is next to impossible to get in to any of the shows, unless you are famous and/or very well connected. So, I am officially adding “become very well connected for the sole purpose of getting into fashion shows” to my list of goals. (And, in case you were wondering, the original goal of finding good Mexican food is still being pursued. Actively.)