A New York Minute: Tourist Thursday or the Day We Kept Taking Wrong Turns

After a very comfortable sleep (seriously, best hotel beds I've ever slept on), I woke up with a little too much energy.  So...I went for a 2.85 mile run on the treadmill.  Yes, I did in fact exercise on vacation (I have a race in two weeks, can't take a break!).  It wasn't overly eventful, but I will say the gym at the hotel was really nice and had very well maintained equipment.  But, I digress...

After the run, I went upstairs to get ready for the day.  I wore a skirt. Briggs was shocked as hell.  I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but I don't usually wear skirts and I felt the need to show off my newly acquired running legs.  Pics later...

We woke up ravenous, so decided to check out a place that a lot of my friends in NYC are always posting about on Facebook, Crumbs Bakeshop.  We got directions off my phone and started the jaunt, only realizing after about two blocks that we immediately made a wrong turn.  Ooops.  We got ourselves turned around and as we walked through the Garment District we saw a couple locations we love...

Mood Fabrics, made famous by "Project Runway".

Parsons, also made famous by "Project Runway"

I had to stop and take pics, as I'm a hardcore "Project Runway" junkie (but only the NYC seasons - LA is awful).  After looking around hoping to see Tim Gunn to no avail, we started walking again and eventually got to the Broadway and 38th Crumbs.  I only need one word for my experience...

Yummo.

Good Guy: funfetti yellow cake, butter cream frosting on top and inside,
sprinkles, and white chocolate drizzle.  I die.

I'm pretty sure I could have died right then and been happy.  The cupcakes were huge, and both Briggs and I saw other varieties that we wanted to try, so we agreed that we would come again before we left NYC.

While eating, we decided that our next stop would be the American Folk Art Museum because Briggs thought it looked interesting.  We got directions from my phone and headed to the subway...and we didn't get lost!   We got off at 66th...

Subway Tile at 66th Street

Good news: my phone's directions took us right to it.  Bad news: it wasn't the right one.  There are two American Folk Art Museums in NYC, the satellite (where my phone took us) and the one next to MoMA.  Crap.  We figured out that the one we wanted was only about 8 blocks away and started walking.  As we walked we found the Museum of Art and Design which is in Columbus Circle and decided to check it out.

Turns out, this is really what we wanted.  MAD emphasises the craft disciplines as well as unique processes and materials in design.  Briggs and I both studied at a very process heavy design school, so this was right up our alley.  I wasn't allowed to take photos, but I can tell you that it has the only permanent non-precious stone jewelry collection in the world as well as artists in residence.  The day we were there, the working AIR was Sheryl Zacharia (also accessceramics.org) and while talking to her Briggs and I decided that if we ever produced work together it would be a lot like hers.  Then...we decided we needed to do JUST THAT (how the hell had that never occurred to us before?).  More on that in later posts.

After the tour, we were hungry and decided to just eat at the restaurant in MAD.  I forgot to take a picture before, but here's an after:

I had soup, a bread stick, and tea...for $15!  Eeep!

This was the view from our lunch table...

Uptown view from Columbus Circle

Columbus Circle

After eating and one more quick view of the jewelry gallery, we started the hike to the main American Folk Art Museum.  Once there we figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't quite what we were wanting and opted out of going.  Luckily the walk was not a complete loss because the MoMA and MoMA design store were right there!  Now, Briggs isn't a huge fan of Modern and Post-Modern Art so I wasn't going to force her to go through it with me.  Instead, we opted to shop :D

Before I tell you what I purchased, I should tell you what I like to collect when I travel.  For souvenirs, I like to get things that I can wear (more along the lines of jewelry than t-shirts) and/or items I can hang on my wall art.  Okay, back to recap...

At the MoMA Design Store, there were A LOT of things I wanted to buy, but I knew I didn't want to haul any of it back to Iowa.  Instead I focused on small things...and I got something I could wear, and something I could make into art!

This is actually a note card, but I loved the illustrated Manhattan skyline.
I intend to frame it in a large frame with a bright matting.

A bracelet...with Manhattan's subway system etched into it!  Score!

After purchasing, we decided we should just continue to go with our tourist trap agenda and head to Rockefeller Center since it wasn't too far away.

On the way we passed Radio City...

I love how they keep Radio City so vintage.

Got to Rock Center...

The name of this sculpture escapes me...help?!

Friggen tall building

Briggs saw the Lego Store and thought that it might be a good place to get presents for her step-children, so we went inside.  This greeted us just inside the entrance:

Lego homage to Rockefeller. 

After Lego, I told Briggs I really wanted to go to the Anthropologie store that was at Rockefeller Center.  I've been an online patron of Anthro for years, but I've never been to an actual store.  We started walking and eventually ran out of Rock Center.  Shit.  Where was it?  Briggs asked someone in another store and it turns out that we turned the wrong way when we left the Lego store.  Sound familiar?

Anyways, found Anthro and I've read that their window displays are beautiful and these windows didn't disappoint...

I die.

Side note: I recommend the book Confessions of a Window Dresser by Simon Doonan.  You'll appreciate window displays so much more after reading it.


We went inside and shopped...because that's what girls do...and while there were many clothing items I wanted, I knew I didn't want to bring anymore clothing home with me in my carry-on.  So, I checked out the interiors side and found this:

"I Like You"

I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg is a book my late grandmother used to read with me when I was a little girl.  I've wanted a copy for years and have always thought I would have it be part of my wedding someday.  The wording is simple, but completely illustrates what friendship and love are to me.  On the last page my grandmother always changed the word like to love in the last three lines...

I guess I just love you...

I tried to read it to Briggs, but started crying.  I had to buy it.  The Anthro staff asked me if I would like it wrapped...I decided it was a gift to myself and said yes:

Anthropologie makes every purchase feel like a special moment.

This was just the first set of tears of my very, very emotional trip.  I'm not sure if my hormones were going crazy or what, but I cried pretty easily the entire time I was there...

Anywho, after Anthro, we needed coffee and decided to try Dean and Deluca.  On the way, we saw the some neat tree planters and decided to take a fun shoe photo:

Briggs is left, I'm on the right.

Anyways, Dean and Deluca...now, don't hate me, but I wasn't overly impressed.  It was just a deli...I didn't get it.  Not to mention that the coffee was old and burnt.

Over our burnt coffee, we took a minute to digest our day and then decided that we wanted to see a show that night.  So we booked it to Times Square and the TKTS booth:

Much nicer than the last time I was NYC

 The line was long, but I'd say we only stood for maybe 10 minutes.  We decided to see "Avenue Q" (normally tickets would be $110 each, we paid $59, not bad).  We weren't quite hungry yet, and didn't really want to do much in Times Square, so we decided to walk to The New World Stages so we didn't get lost later when it was dark.

And we couldn't find them!  We kept walking by this little building that matched the address, but were both like, "that can't be it, you couldn't fit 200 people in there..." until we realized that the theatres were underground.  Duh.  So, The New World Stages are directly under this sculpture:

The "roof" of The New World Stages

Now, we were officially hungry.  So, back to Times Square we went and we found a deli that had bagels and a place we could sit upstairs.  I didn't take a photo of my food, because while it was a NY bagel, it was pretty much exactly the same as an Iowan bagel.  However, there was a cool wall in the dining area:

Wall in dining area of Times Square Deli

It was dark by the time we were done eating, so we decided we'd better do "The Times Square Photo". You know, the photo that EVERY tourist takes in Times Square?  Well, we were tourists and in Times Square, so here is our photo:

Fierce. And I need to start wearing lipstick.

We shopped a bit to waste time and I ended up buying a new perfume at Sephora.  Total impulse buy.

Show time!  Off to "Avenue Q" where we of course took the "I'm at a Broadway Show and must get a pic by the poster" picture...

Me.  I look like I'm going to a funeral.

Briggs, who looks like she ran away from a hipster commune ;-)

After sitting, I snuck a picture of the stage...

It's amazing how much they did with that little stage! 

While waiting for the show to start, I overheard the lady next to me say "Sioux City".  Say what?!  So, I kindly asked her if she was from Sioux City, IA and she said she grew up there and now lived in Brooklyn.  She had flown her nieces (aged 12 to 15) out to NYC for the week and decided they'd like this show (you should note: this is NOT a kids show, and the lady's brother is a preacher, you'll understand why this matters in a minute).  She asked why I asked, and I said I was from Okoboji.  She grinned so much and said, "Oh my gosh!  We vacationed there when we were kids!"  This was my first of two Okoboji connections.  It really is a small world.

As far as the show...it was hilarious, emotional (I totally "get" Kate Monster), and a little embarrassing.  I had actually heard all the music before, so I had an idea what I was getting myself into, but I wasn't prepared for what I actually saw: folks, there is a semi-graphic puppet sex scene.  They do at least six sex positions and while you don't see anything specific (no genitalia on puppets), you definitely get the idea.  Blow jobs, reverse cowgirl, him on top, her on top, sixty-nine, muff-diving, doggy style...you get the idea.  I felt like I was watching puppet porn next to a bunch of preachers kids.  Oh...wait...I was and they were from Iowa!

After the show, we were wide awake and decided to go people watch in Times Square.  All I can say is I love drag queens.  We also tried shopping for boots, but didn't find any.  Then, bed, because we were hitting Brooklyn on Friday!

That was a long one...thanks for hanging in there.  This was our busiest day, so the rest won't be as long, I promise!

Catch-up on my trip:

•  A New York Minute: Whoo Hoo Wednesday!  
• A New York Minute: By the Numbers