Two Weeks In, Two Weeks Left

Thats correct, 1/2 of the way finished with the time in NYC. A weekend full of events, let’s put this together in order shall we.

Friday, one of the hottest we’ve had, it was a day for Governor’s Island.  A former housing island it was host the Figment NYC2011 an art and culture weekend long collaboration.  Installments throughout the southern tip of the island I was impressed with a fun, free, and family friend event with every type of local artist coming out to support.  Though it was overrun with munchkins I had no issue playing a kid again.  We even got to play in a life sized blowup gumball machine with ballons, so no complaints on my end.  Quick lunch in little Italy – nothing impressive, actually disappointing would be more appropriate.  Well a night in the East Village and St. Mark’s bookstore for some literature therapy helped.  Three new books and a people watching night, pretty solid.

Hexagonal interactive fort with messages in some bottles.

Saturday started off rough with a rainy tour through the merchant house museum.  Informative of how merchants lived, – sure – but I was more excited for the afternoon, with the DMC championship held at Santos Party house, but that’ll be another post. We had a drawn out tour of 17 cramped into the tiny houses of the 1860 merchant class. I’m glad I can say I’ve been there, but I probably won’t need to make a return visit. The good news was that the museum was only half a mile from Santos and I hustled my way over there from SoHo for a banging competition. Full details tomorrow.

Sunday we had to ourselves, so what else would a bunch of college students do?  Might as well venture over to the Museum of Sex eh?  Needless to say the tension in the rooms was more than awkward, but at the same time liberating in its own sense.  The curators definitely wanted to test the visitors’ comfort level with some of the video and installations and for some people everything got to them.  While others had some curiosities answered and got to see a fair amount of porn I’d say.  For fairly obvious reasons pictures are frowned upon so take my word when I say I saw more different nude humans, and surprisingly animals, in one day than ever before.  I felt like I needed a cigarette afterwards but thankfully there’s a bar, Oral Fixation, (quant right?) in the basement.  An aphrodisiac drink inspired bar it was something unique to the city that I feel many people do miss out on.

So in following with the foodie theme, we had to have a fancy Sunday dinner out.  I got a great recommendation from a longtime friend, Dan, and we went to Recipe in the Upper West Side for one of the best meals I’ve paid for in my life.  Gave myself my three year deserved present of having meat – and please know it was sustainable duck from the Hudson Valley, delivered fresh and might I add, delicious.  Some of the best service I’ve ever had, especially in New York yeesh, and locally sourced vegetables, specials and gelato to boot.  Need to make a return visit, or if anyone is in New York, corner of 82nd and Amsterdam and make a reservation, its a small plates place with seating for 26, and really 22.

So overall fantastic weekend and more to come this week.  Half way done but only half way started.