The Met, the MoMA, an Episcopalian church, the shopping (of course!), excellent food, weird cab drivers, and awesome eighties music. What more could you ask for? Here are some highlights of my trip:
1.) The MoMA
Recently I've been on a modern art kick, which is interesting because I used to hate modern art. But now I can't seem to get enough of it so the MoMA was my number one destination on the trip.
"Starry Night" was amazingly beautiful. Now I can better understand why it is one of the most famous paintings in the world. What's cool about the painting is that a lot of the canvas shows through the paint, giving it a very organic look.Vincent Van Gogh was a troubled soul, but I wish I could step into his shoes for just a moment and look up at the night sky. Would I see the swirling stars and glowing moon that are depicted in "Starry Night"?
Salvador Dali's "The Persistence of Memory" was also on display and I was surprised about how small it was. I've always envisioned the painting to be pretty big, at least thirty inches across, but as you can see it's just a baby of a painting. I took this picture with a random guy standing next to "Persistence" to give perspective on its size.
One of my favorites was Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie."
I learned about this painting in my Humanities 101 class during my sophomore year in college. At first glance I thought "Broadway" was trite and simplistic. Couldn't someone like me, who is semi-artistically inept, produce the same thing? And yes, I can copy Mondrian's work, but I could never be a pioneer as Mondrian was. His work reflects the artistic movement to break apart traditional conceptions of art. Mondrian used primary colors and shapes to convey images, sounds, and feelings. "Broadway Boogie Woogie" represents the excitement and syncopated beats of the Jazz Age in New York. By looking at it, we are transported back to the 1920s when jazzy melodies filled the city air and when street lights pulsed at every corner.2.) St. Thomas' Church
On the way to the MoMA, we passed by a neo-gothic Episcopalian church. We decided to step inside briefly, but we ended up staying for nearly half an hour. I love old churches. It's amazing how quiet and peaceful they are inside when the outside world, only a few feet away, buzzes with honking horns and rushing traffic.
My favorite part of Catholic/Episcopal churches are the stained glass. I love how sunlight filters in through the colored glass and brings a dim illumination to the stone columns inside. I love how even in the twenty-first century most of the light in these churches come from candles and stained glass. Although St. Thomas' Church was built at the turn of the twentieth century, its gothic architecture transported me back to the Middle Ages when European society revolved around God and religion.I don't think I would mind making stained-glass for a living...
3.) Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree Bar is not swanky nor trendy. It doesn't attract any celebrities, but it definitely is very fun. I could probably do without the college fraternity crowd and without drunk guys spilling alcohol on me, but out of the four bars I went to this weekend, Joshua Tree was the best. Why? Because they played cheesy 80s music videos! When we first went in, "Sweet Child of Mine" was blasting across all the screens. And after that came "Living on a Prayer"! My two eighties favorites back to back. My only complaint? Why didn't they play "We Built This City"?
4.) The Friends
I went up to New York with my friend Amanda and we stayed at our friend Rachel's apartment. We've all been friends since middle school and we've managed to stay close despite our years in college and living in different cities. I feel incredibly lucky to have friends that I've known for over ten years. And I feel very lucky that we are able to share so many laughs, deep conversations, and dreams with one another. Fab Five Forever! (Minus Allison and Shena on this trip...)
(I like to play around in Photoshop.)
