Saturday Preview: AMNH, the MET, Central Park, and Beer

I had an amazingly busy day today! It is still SUPER SUPER HOT in NYC, so decided I would take advantage of the air conditions in some of the museums. 

After sleeping in (I didn't get home until quite late because of Sleep No More), I headed back into NYC with three things in mind: the American Museum of Natural History, the MET, and Central Park. I'll be doing separate posts with all of my photos from the museums, but in the meantime here is a little sampler of my adventure!

First up was the American Museum of Natural History, or as I like to refer to it, the house of bones. They do have a lot of cool non-fossil/stuffed animal exhibits, but the main focus (and my favorite part) was the very, very large collection of bones, ranging from before dinosaurs up to today. They also have some special exhibits which you have to pay extra for. I was planning on going to see the Whale exhibit, but it was unfortunately sold out by the time I got there. 

Once I was done with the AMNH, I cut through Central Park and got to sneak a peek at the public shakespeare stage. They also have statues of some of the more famous plays.

I also caught a glimpse of the obelisk.

I then went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly referred to as the Met. This is the largest museum I have ever been too. This picture doesn't do it it justice on how BIG this building is. I managed to see maybe about 1/3 of the exhibits in the 5 hours I was there. Granted, I got to see all of the exhibits I wanted to see so I wasn't disappointed, but you could spend an entire weekend in here and probably not see everything.

Cool fact about most of the museums: there is no set price for admission. There's a recommended amount to pay, but you technically can pay as little as you want and still get to see all of the exhibits.

The special costuming exhibit at the MET was called PUNK: chaos to couture. It was very well done, and was unfortunately a camera free zone so I have no photos of it. Thankfully I remember all the cool techniques I want to apply to my costuming.

When I was finally done (I stayed until close), I met up with a classmate of mine at Kinsale Irish Tavern on 3rd Ave. The drinks were cheap, the potato skins were delicious, and the music was excellent. I'll definitely be returning here. Pictured below is my drink of choice for the evening, a concoction called a Snakebite: half Harp, half hard cider. Very good, and very potent.

Tomorrow I plan on heading back into the city (still much cheaper to ride the train in every day than get a hotel room - we'll see what happens in the next few weekends though) and visiting the Intrepid Sea and Space Museum and the Museum of Sex.

Review: Sleep No More

At my roommate's suggestion, I went and saw Sleep No More. It was FANTASTIC. 

If you're going to be in NYC any time soon, I highly recommend it. It's a show, but so much more than a show. 

Located in Chelsea, the building it's housed in is a bit unassuming. The only sign that something more lurks within is a small plaque designating the space "The McKittrick Hotel". 

When the bouncer finally opens the door, you're ushered inside and (for $3) must check any bags or purses you have with you. You're given a gothic playing card - your hotel key, and then must walk blindly in the dark up the stairs to the in-house bar. 

Try the absinthe punch; you won't be disappointed. The champagne is also excellent. 

You're called into the main part of the "hotel" by your cards - aces go first, at least the night I went. You're given a mask and very minimal instructions:

1. Keep the mask on at all times. 
2. Don't speak. Do not speak. DO NOT SPEAK. 
3. Don't touch the actors, although the actors may touch you. 
4. The people wearing black masks are here to help you, but not to guide you. 
5. Fortune favors the bold. 

From there, the show unfolds itself into a 1920's murder-mystery scavenger-hunt choose-your-own-adventure ballet version of Macbeth. 

Characters act out a scene - usually in groups of two, but sometimes in larger groups and sometimes by themselves. They'll dance for a while, and then quickly break apart, running to opposite ends of the room. Choose one and follow, and get swept up in a different part of the show. 

The masks are ingenious - everyone truly is anonymous. You can get right in the actor's faces, get right behind them and witness as they writhe and dance and murder. And oh yes, there is murder. Perhaps the most effective part of the entire show is the silent commentary - here are people plotting and fucking and murdering each other, and we, a mob in white masks, stand by silent and approving. We want to see more. We touch the pillows the smothered a human being. We rifle through drawers, trying to find secret notes. Horrible, horrible things are happening, and we, the hungry audience, want more. 

When the show finally ends (and believe me, you'll know), you're welcomed back in the bar. Masks come off. People laugh and joke and drink too much champagne. A lounge singer serenades you with a low, sultry voice. The lights are back on. 

My tips:

• Wear comfortable shoes. No, really. Wear the most comfortable shoes you own. It's dark, you'll be running, and you'll be too busy exploring to care what you wearing on your feet as long as they're comfortable. 
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing. It can be very hot, and you'll be climbing up and down 5 flights of stairs. 
• Go to the early check in time. It will give you close to an hour longer in the hotel with less people trying to see the same scene. 
• Bring an open mind. Most of the scenes repeat themselves, so don't worry about missing out. Open jars. Have a drink. Sit down. Read a letter. Get in the way. Lurk in the shadows. 
• If you do feel lost, hang out near one of the stairwells. Chances are a character will be running through the doorway very soon, and you can go along for the ride.
• Have fun. If a scene is boring you, move on. Go bar the bar for a drink, and return when you feel comfortable. It truly is choose your own adventure, so take advantage of it. 

Times Square!

Today I ended up working in one of the NYC hospitals, so I got to actually go into the city for the first time ever!

I was pretty proud of myself - drove to the nearest train station, commuted in with the rest of the NYC workers, bussed to the nearest stop, and walked four blocks to the hospital.

After work, I explored Grand Central Station for a bit. It's absolutely chaotic with people rushing EVERYWHERE, but it's also just a very beautiful building.

I also met up with a classmate of mine and we rode the subway into Times Square.

It's very big and bright and noisy and full of tourists. I do plan on going back when I'm not quite as tired, but since it's near a few of the theatres I want to go to as well as the Garment District, it shouldn't be too difficult to explore a bit more.

Bronx Zoo!

Today I went to the Bronx Zoo! It was very hot, and I didn't get to see everything (holy cow it's much bigger than I thought), but I had a fun time.

I ended up buying a zoo membership - it lets you get into ALL of the NY zoos for free, plus free parking, discounts at their stores, and I can bring a guest at no charge. Since I plan on going to the other zoos while I'm staying here and maybe want to go back to the Bronx, I figured it was worth it. The membership also gives you full park privileges like riding the tram (TOTALLY WORTH IT JUST FOR THAT).

The zoo had this really cool monorail that took you through the Asian animal exhibit. Here are some friendly elephants!

 The architecture of the main zoo was really pretty. This is part of the "central" zoo exhibit - the inside was undergoing renovations, but it was beautiful to walk through anyway.

Those of you that know me personally know that I own a bearded dragon and have a fondness for all things reptilian. This was a very active and friendly chuckwalla.

And this was a very pretty snake, nicknamed the Rhino Viper. She had beautiful eyes and scales

Beautiful and deadly: a very alert rattlesnake.

Another favorite part of the architecture: all of the original "houses" had animal carvings on the outside! The reptile house, pictured below, had crocodiles, snapping turtles, and frogs carved into it, while the old big cat house had lions, leopards, and tigers, etc.

I'm not sure what kind of bird this is, but he is very beautiful!

Some of the bird exhibits were open air - either you walked through them, or they simply had no glass. This guy was maybe 3 feet above me and was very curious about my camera.

Finally, one of my favorite birds simply because of its name: The Tawney Frogmouth!

The Bronx Zoo, like most zoos nowadays, is very big on conservation. The gorilla exhibit was one of the special "extra" exhibits and focused on gorilla and rainforest conservation, and was very well put together.

Like I said, I didn't get to see everything today, and it was VERY hot so a lot of the bigger animals were hard to find, so I might try to go back another day with comfier shoes and a water bottle :)

Overall though, an amazing zoo and I highly recommend it.

American History, and some family history

Today I traveled to Hartford area with my grandfather's cousin and got to learn about some important people/places in American history, and I got to learn a little bit more about my family history as well. 

The American history tour was centered on Wethersfield, Connecticut. Wethersfield was founded in 1663/4 and is known as "Ye most auncient towne in Connecticut". It was home to Silas Deane, the first American diplomat to France and an important player in the American Revolution. Its town symbol is the red onion, as they were cultivated here and became an important export crop, especially to slave colonies in the Caribbean. It's also the setting for the young adult fiction novel "Witch of Blackbird Pond". 

My take? Lots of really cool old houses, friendly people with tons of historical knowledge, and great antique stores. 

The picture below is one of the earliest built houses, and has been restored to look as closely as possible to its original form. 

This next picture is of the Webb House, which is part of the tour of the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. The tour, which is $10 per person and well worth it in my opinion, takes you through all three houses.

The Webb House is particularly famous for having housed George Washington for a few days as he planned the Yorktown campaign, which was integral in America winning the American Revolution. All of the houses have been refurbished to the best of the museum's knowledge and ability to their original forms.

This is another especially old house - built just a few decades after the town was founded. The style is traditional Georgian - very symmetrical. Notice the cool front door!

Here's a close up of the historical plaque. Keep in mind that this is not one of the museum's houses - this house is actively lived in. This house is older than our country, has been through several (I hope) plumbing updates, and still has people living in it some 300+ years later.

The rest of the trip focused on my own family history, and visiting some important family sites.

My dad's family is originally from the east coast - my dad was born in New Jersey before moving out to Michigan with the rest of his family at a relatively young age. However, my great-grandmother (my father's father's mother) lived in Connecticut for most of her life, as did many of my other ancestors, and there's lots of family history lying around if you look closely enough.

From a historical standpoint, most of my ancestors on this side of the family came over to America early on in its development, starting in the 1600's. There's some evidence of them being "founding" families, and there's a case to be made for a rather famous gardener, Amy Cogswell, being a (very) distant relative. My grandfather's cousin is a pretty good sleuth when it comes to this, so I look forward to learning more from him as he discovers more.

The house below is my great-grandmother's house. She lived here until she moved out to Michigan for the last few years of her life.

We also visited her grave. I was lucky enough to actually know and remember my great-grandmother - she died just before my 4th birthday. It's crazy for me to think about how much she lived through - the Great Depression, two world wars, the cold war, and more. She died just before her 90th birthday. I just remember her as this very nice, good smelling lady with soft, white hair, and that she had the coolest collection of crystal and porcelain animals.



She's buried in the family plot, which includes her husband, her parents, her uncle, and her grandparents. She is also buried in the same cemetery as Katherine Hepburn and Samuel Colt.

My great-great-grandparents lived in this next house, not for very long though. My grandfather's cousin said it was very, very small - the entire house consisted of a small living room, a single bathroom, the kitchen, and a single bedroom upstairs. 

And just to make the cycle complete, my great-great-GREAT-grandparents lived in this house! It's very rundown now and has been divided into several apartments, but it's still kind of cool to know that they lived here.

All in all, it was a very knowledgeable day.

Another sandal bites the dust...

I had originally planned on going into NYC today after work, but some severe thunderstorms put a damper on that plan.

Instead, I decided to check out Greenwich Avenue, which is supposed to be a very posh shopping district in Greenwich CT.

I unfortunately was not very impressed.

First of all, upon stepping out of my car, I broke a strap on my sandal. This means I am now down two pairs on this trip! This also made it very difficult walking around the avenue, which is situated on a long hill, until I bought a shoestring at the local CVS and jerry-rigged a strappy solution.

Second of all, it was their annual sidewalk sale, which made it very difficult to walk around. The sidewalk is already not very wide, and the little tents they had set up made me feel a bit claustrophobic. The prices of the few things I stopped to look at were not very good either.

It's also a very pricey district. Part of this is just my problem - I'm on a college girl budget, and I've inherited my mother's thrifty-ness. I'm just never going to be one to spend $500 on a purse. But there were some flagship stores that I've seen before (Lucky Brand, Ralph Lauren, etc), and there was a definite markup.

Everything closed down very early too - most stores were completely shut down by 6 pm on a Friday night. This doesn't exactly make it easy to do some real shopping when you get out of work at 5, but I guess a lot of the women who shop here don't really work a traditional 9-5 job.

I will say it was a very pretty area, and once I got my shoe fixed, it was fun walking around. I spied some fun yarn-bombing on a local statue.

Annnnd there were some really good looking guys walking around with cute dogs. So, I might try coming back here when I have a little more time and there's not as much sidewalk chaos.

Best Worst Fabric ever!!!

Did a little shopping today, and found the most hideously amazing fabric ever.

I'm just trying to imagine the thought process that goes into not only making this, but actually buying it.

"Uh, yes, I would like some cheap cotton with badly drawn half-naked teen werewolves. Bonus points if they have really obvious pawprint tattoos. And throw in some bats for good measure. Wha-Why? I'm making curtains*."

*This is what my friend L always says she's making when fabric sellers ask her about her project.