If you missed Part 1 of this giant juggernaut of a post, feel free to check it out here. But like any good soap opera, this post works just fine if you haven't seen the previous episodes. New York, I miss you so much. Let's talk about all the silly little idiosyncrasies that make me want to start spreading the news.
1) Babe vs dude, and a little shop called Meg.
I'm not exactly sure what all this gender business amounts to (or if it matters at all), but Austin is apparently a "dude" town and New York is a "babe" town. I felt instantly transported away from dudedom when we stepped into Meg, a little boutique on the lower east side. Maria (only the cutest shop girl ever) treated us like her besties -- mainly by referring to us as "babe" about 150 times within the span of 20 minutes. I wanted to pack her up in my suitcase and take her home with me so we could play dress up forever and ever.
2) I love Central Park.
Is it cheesy for me to say that? Frankly, I don't give a damn. I think the existence of Central Park -- an entire mini forest preserved amongst the most expensive real estate in the world -- speaks to the goodness of humankind. The end.
3) New York, your food confuses me.
So we went to The Hurricane Club for drinks and dinner, and despite the lovely ambiance (which was much swankier at night) the food was very underwhelming. And I think something must be wrong with me, because I felt that way about much of the food in NY.
Sorry about the ugly camera phone picture, but this is my breakfast at Friend of a Farmer. I was super excited about being served in a mini cast iron skillet (although it does remind one a bit of Denny's, no?), and the restaurant itself was charming and homey beyond words. But the food? It lacked the flava. Maybe my taste buds have been burned out by BBQ.
4) The road to heaven is paved with rugs.
New York is filled with the most incredible textiles. I snapped this pic at a boutique in the West Village (can't remember the name -- was obviously too dazzled by beauty) right before I tried to lay down on the floor and roll around like a dog.
5) The Met is ENORMOUS.
Trying to navigate the labyrinth that is the Met is sort of like trying to navigate the labyrinth in Labyrinth. In other words, not so easy and occasionally annoying. And filled with lines. We missed several key exhibits (Alexander McQueen) because there were just too damn many people, but I did manage to take in a few things.
I always forget what a revelation great paintings are when seen in person.
6) Anthony Caro on the roof of The Met was amazing x infinity.
I was feeling pretty pissy about The Freaking Met (mainly because they closed down all the contemporary galleries early) but then we stepped out onto the roof and oh my gawd...
I've always liked Anthony Caro's sculptures, which employ various methods to control the viewer's perspective of the work. But watching them interact with the New York skyline took it to the magic level bonus round.
Did I mention that they also had a super fancy bar up there? So you could catch a buzz, look at great work, watch falcons glide over Central Park, and ogle cute outfits. Heaven.
7) Ground Zero is still sad.
Frankly we just ran into Ground Zero after doing our part as good little capitalist consumers to stimulate the economy at Century 21. I wasn't expecting to see it, and I certainly didn't expect for it to make me feel that way. But it did.
That's it for my big fancy trip, dudes babes. Back to our regular schedule tomorrow.
Have a good one!