The End is Near

Julia and I on the Met Rooftop Garden

This past weekend was my second to last weekend in NYC. On Friday I finally made it to the Prada and Schiaparelli exhibit titled Impossible Conversations, at the Met. I didn't really know what to expect after the McQueen exhibit last summer which was so impeccably put together and beautiful--definitely hard to top. The thing is that Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada lived in completely different eras, yet their inspirations and designs share many similarities and fit quite well together and the exhibit did an excellent job of showing how each designer reflected the other. Because Schiaparelli focused on the waist up, and Prada on the waist down, their pieces could be shown together as a whole. I especially liked where they contrasted Schiaparelli's hats with Prada's shoes. Throughout the entire exhibit was a running video of a simulated conversation between Prada and Schiparelli. As an art history major, I found it particularly interesting to learn that Schiaparelli was active in the Surrealist movement, specifically working with Dali on many of her designs. I love Dali and had no idea he had influenced fashion! If I had the money I would certainly invest in one of her pieces that Dali influenced...

Sunset on the East River

After the Met I went to the gym to finish my lifting for the week. For some reason I have an intense obsession with not falling out of my lifting cycle because I know once the next week rolls around, I have a whole new set of exercises to do. I would much rather miss a swim practice that my lifting because I know that the practice can be changed where as I always feel the need to complete my lifting... its weird. After lifting I ate dinner and then went to a friends rooftop to enjoy the views of the city and good company.

The main reading room

Saturday morning Ash and I took a tour of the New York Public Library. I had never been inside before and I am so so glad I went. The library gives free tours to the public Monday through Saturday at 11am and 2pm, and at 2pm on Sunday. The inside of the library is even more glorious than the exterior and some of the facts that our tour guide threw out were mind boggling. For example, the library has an annual budget of 320 million dollars, and 75 miles of bookshelves... insane. After the tour I ran to Magnolia Bakery to pick up Caroline's birthday cake, and then hailed a cab to Penn Station. I had 11 minutes to make my train and I sprinted from the cab, to the ticket kiosk, to the train, like the crazy person that I am. I am a LIRR champ and so I obviously made it, but I was also drenched in sweat...

I took the train out to Cold Spring Harbor where Caroline threw a great 21st birthday party at her house and we hit up the bars of Huntington. On Sunday I hung out with Caroline at her friends pool, eating delicious food and just relaxing. I can see why New Yorkers love to get out of the city in the summer if they have a nice pool or beach to relax at...

Hot and Sweaty

Still can't get over the view from my room

This past week was by far, the hottest yet. The highs were in the 90s every day, and the worst part about the city, is that it just traps the heat. The tall buildings seem force the heat to stay on the streets and the asphalt just magnifies it. You have heat above you and heat below you, making it extremely uncomfortable to be outside for long periods of time.

Degas

I got off of work early on the 3rd since the next day was a holiday, and so Will and I went to the Met for the afternoon. Although I am often overwhelmed by the size of the museum, its size is nice because you can see a new exhibit every time you go. I really wanted to see the Durer exhibit since I had studied some of his works in relation to Leonardo last semester, and Will wanted to check out all of the photography. We saw a quite interesting exhibit on photography and the naked body, which examined how the human form has influenced how we take photos, and what we take photos of in general. It was a very neat exhibit, but when we approached the last image of an African male, a woman behind us made a comment that could not be ignored. She made note of his "endowment," and although Will and I had been very mature throughout all of the images, we lost it when she commented on his "size." We quickly moved towards the exit as we could not contain our laughter at her remarks. As an art history major, I have seen all sorts of nude artwork, and have thus learned how to interpret and appreciate it, but every now and then, I can't help it when my immature-middle-school-I've-never-seen-a-naked-body-laughter comes out.

Will at the Met!

Will and I explored the museum for another hour or so, visiting one of my favorite rooms, the Impressionists, and then left when it closed around 5:30. I could sit and look at a Monet or Derain painting for hours if you let me.

On the 4th, Ashley and I got up early and went to the gym. After our workout, we walked along 5th ave to partake in some of the amazing summer sales. Although I was feeling pretty broke since I hadn't been paid yet, I purchased a great coral colored sun hat from JCrew (for only $12!) for the polo match this weekend.

After some shopping, we went back home to shower and change and stay out of the heat for a while. Later that night, we met up with some friends and had dinner at a restaurant/bar called Traffic in Hells Kitchen. The service was pretty awful but it was nice to hang out with friends and catch up. From there, we walked along the highway and watched the Macy's fireworks. They were pretty awesome, but the crowds plus the heat made the experience a little bit tiring. In the end, I had a nice 4th of July and can now say that I have seen the fireworks in NYC. Next year though, its time for the Hamptons...

A Very Late Update

  Sorry I have not been vigilant with keeping my blog updated! I have been so buys and tired lately that I have neglected my blog.  Anyways, I promise that this week I will get back up to date. I will start with last weekend, and I will keep it brief. The art historian in me, loves NYC because of the numerous museums it holds; so far, I have been to the Met, The MoMA, and after last weekend, the Whitney. For those who don't know, the Whitney holds artwork by American modern artists. I spent 3 hours in the museum, and still didn't see it all!
  As just a highlight, some of my favorite works were in their Singular Visions exhibit. Among such works, I really enjoyed Yellow River by De Kooning, Step in the Arena by Gary Simmons, and House of Fire II by Rosenquist. The exhibit was set up in a very interesting way, so that each work had its own space and experience. I highly recommend it.
  After the Whitney, I went to meet up with a couple of friends from school. We met for wine and cheese in the park, then dinner at Serafino's. After dinner, we went to the upper west side for some fun; after hanging out at the Gin Mill till about 2, I was more than ready for bed. All in all, a great weekend.

Weekend Update

  So aside from starting off my weekend by locking myself out of my room, I did a few other things. Friday after work I wandered around 5th ave for a while, staring into stores I only dream about shopping in one day (Fendi, Ferragamo, Chanel...the list goes on). After some casual day dreaming I walked to John Jay College to swim with TNYA. I will note, that this is New York's only gay and lesbian swim and water polo team. BUT, not everyone on the team is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. I love the team so far--they are all very friendly and actually a pretty funny group of people. I plan on continuing to swim with them.
  Saturday morning, I went to the gym and then went out to Brooklyn to visit my Aunt Helen. Aunt Helen is my Mom's Mom's sister-one of the last relatives I have from my Italian side of the family still in NY. It was actually really great to visit her-I haven't seen her in at least 7 years and the smile on her face made the trip all worth while. I plan on visiting her again this summer. While in Brooklyn I stopped in an antique furniture store--and I have decided that once I get my first apartment, I will furnish it with vintage. The stuff is all so intriguing and packed with history; I love it.
  After wandering around in Brooklyn for a bit, I made my way back to the city. The weather was pretty awful all weekend, although I can't complain about the temperature being cooler. I actually love the rain, it it was perfect for going to a museum. I have a whole list of museums I want to visit while here, and so Saturday I took on the MoMA. I had a great time. Walking through the museum was like taking my Arth 263 class all over again. Seeing paintings in person are much different that seeing them on slides in a class room.
  After the museum, I went back to Great Neck and Seymour and I ordered in Chinese--he proceeded to eat the entire entree I ordered for him. I have honestly never seen an old person eat so much food.  Anyways, I had a great weekend, and have learned that often times I have the most fun wandering around the city all by myself.